Xiao Mu lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. "But hatred cannot be obliterated. We are all people with hate, so I can easily sense your hatred, the hatred for the Xiao Family."

"Why must..."

"Alright, asking any more would be overly sentimental." Xiao Mu interrupted Mu Rongyun's continued questioning. He knew what he wanted to ask, but he couldn't answer. "Let's guess what Fatty Wang's fate will be?"

The topic was shifted rather awkwardly, as Mu Rongyun sipped whiskey without ice. "By now, the fishing boat should have reached the open sea boundary."

"Ah!" Xiao Mu sighed. The greed of humans is terrifying; even wanting to save him is beyond reach. "Actually, if he stayed in Yanjing, maybe he could live a bit longer, sitting in jail, still having dreams."

"Why do I feel your brother won't thank you for doing this?"

"Whatever he thinks, I just purely find that fat guy annoying."

The two of them exchanged a knowing smile. Some people really shouldn't be part of the plan, yet they force themselves in trying to get involved, only to end up being kicked out and eliminated. Obviously, Fatty Wang took himself too seriously, leading to the pathetic end of having to ride a fishing boat.

As the sea breeze intensified at 3 PM, he could no longer stand at the bow of the ship, shivering as he walked into the cabin. The boat captain was still busy in the engine room. A woman who looked like a fisherman's daughter was tending the fire at the stove. She glanced at Fatty Wang without speaking, picked some fish from an ice bucket, and started preparing them.

Life for fishermen is simple, just fish and more fish, in all kinds of ways, with some chilies to fend off dampness, add a bit of liquor, and life goes on.

"How long until we reach the open sea?" Fatty Wang, seeing the woman wasn't speaking, approached her. On this ship, besides this woman, he had seen no one else. "Why did we stop sailing?" Suddenly the ship rocked a bit, and the running engine stopped.

"We're picking up another person, just wait a bit." A somewhat burly man entered from outside, who should be the boat captain. He didn't even look at Fatty Wang but went straight to his wife and started assisting her.

"What? Another person? Wasn't it agreed to take me directly to the open sea?" Fatty Wang shouted as soon as he heard. Without Xiao Mu around, he naturally didn't fear these fishermen.

"Agreed? What agreed?" The boat captain comically stared at Fatty Wang. "Are you talking about that handsome guy?"

"Nonsense, wasn't it agreed when I boarded?"

"Just said we'd take you aboard and drop you in the open sea." The boat captain looked Fatty Wang up and down, judging from his attire that he might have some money, so he set his sights on the bag next to him. "I've seen many like you, trying to smuggle out abroad, right!"

Noticing the captain's malicious gaze, Fatty Wang slid his bag back. "What do you mean?"

"I'm telling you, if you want to smuggle, cut the crap, or I'll hand you over to the patrol police." The boat captain threatened him with obvious disdain in his eyes.

"If you took the money, you must take me to the destination. Why pick someone up midway?"

"Mister, you only paid the deposit. Once at the destination, you must pay the remaining balance, or you won't get away." The boat captain lifted the lid from the pot, and the aroma of fish soup spread in the air, making Fatty Wang's appetite grow.

"Give me a bowl." Fatty Wang walked over, a gust of wind made him brace against the cabin wall, preventing an embarrassing fall.

"Fifty-one per bowl." The boat captain held out a bowl to Fatty Wang with an open hand. "We don't provide meals, if you want to eat, pay up."

Fatty Wang was furious. He'd never encountered this before, but having not eaten since morning, he couldn't resist the enticing aroma, so he took out a red bill from his bag. "Two bowls."

The boat captain squinted, scooped two bowls of fish soup and fish with a large bowl and handed them to Fatty Wang, once again eyeing the black bag, then took a bowl of rice and fish soup to the deck himself.

With the unpredictable weather change over the sea, it seemed a storm was coming, but the boat he was waiting for hadn't arrived yet. A man of integrity, he took a sip of the fish soup, spooned some chili sauce over his rice, but his eyes continued to search the sea surface.

The fresh ingredients made the meal delicious even without additional garnish. After Fatty Wang smacked his lips in satisfaction, he opened the black bag next to him. Xiao Mu had kept his word; inside were his new ID documents and passport, along with a stack of new bills wrapped in oil paper. He closed the zipper after hearing the engine roar to life, the ship began weighing anchor. He carried the bag to the deck, where the boat captain still sat at the bow sipping his soup.

"You're just in time, I was looking for you." The boat captain shouted to Fatty Wang. "We're now going to pick someone up, then head to the vicinity of the open sea, roughly between half an hour to an hour, settle the remaining payment."

"What payment?"

"It was three hundred and fifty thousand yuan; you guys only paid fifty thousand. Settle the remaining three hundred thousand." The boat captain's pea-like eyes fixated on the black bag. "Stop pretending not to know, every smuggler packs certain things in their bag."

"Seems like you do this often!" Fatty Wang offered a cigarette to the boat captain; people like him were outlaws, not to be offended.

"Who doesn't know Big Bear on this route? If you want a safe passage, you must find me." The boat captain boasted. "In these waters, avoiding patrol boats is impossible without me, Big Bear."

"Didn't think the captain was so capable. I wonder who we'll pick up later?" As he cursed Xiao Mu inwardly, Fatty Wang took out a stack of money from the bag and handed it to the captain. Money makes the world go round, especially for those who only see money.

"Another smuggler, heading to the United States." The boat captain weighed the money in his hand and stuffed it into his pocket. "See that small boat up ahead? We'll approach it, pick up the person, and go."

The sea breeze carried a sprinkle of raindrops. "Looks like the weather's about to turn. You should get inside to avoid getting hit by wind and waves, we still have time. In such weather, cruise ships aren't punctual." The boat captain, with years of experience, advised Fatty Wang, having navigated this route for over a decade, incidents like this were common. They were anchored here to wait for the patrol boat to pass, once the coast was clear, they'd successfully drop someone past the guard line. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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