My Arrogant Young Lady

"Mm." Tong Jialing'er nodded gently and tossed a round object in front of me.

"..." Instantly, my face turned completely pale.

The Wulahai gang has been captured by Wang You, and the remaining small forces have been wiped out by me and Tong Jialing'er. With that, the Skull name has been erased from the sea.

From this day forward, this entire sea area will be calm and peaceful, and pirates will never appear again. We rescued the tourists kidnapped by the pirates and also obtained a large amount of gold and silver from the Ula Sea gang.

On the day I marry Xi'er, if I can make this public, I think it will be the best dowry I can offer to the Yehenara family.

I will tell all the heroes of the martial arts world in front of the Yehenara family that her son-in-law is not a good-for-nothing spoiled brat, but a true hero.

Ye Shuang, the eldest brother of the Ye family, has always looked down on me. If I could personally force Wula Hai to kneel before everyone, Ye Shuang's expression would surely be incredibly interesting.

I could already picture the glorious scene of my wedding to Xi'er, and I was incredibly excited. Meanwhile, Tang Ning had already rescued Xie Ning and the other beauties who were trapped in the cave. As soon as Xie Ning came out, Tang Ning disarmed him.

"Your name even has the character 'Ning' in it, I'm truly ashamed of you!" Tang Ning said coldly to Xie Ning.

“He’s a nobody. Let’s not stoop to his level,” I said.

That night, we sorted through the weapons on One-Eyed Dragon and his crew. We planned to take what we could the next day, and hide what we couldn't in the cave. As for the fire monkey that Tong Jialing'er had severely injured, I fed it some food and water and brought it back to life. Looking at the grateful gaze the fire monkey gave me, I thought to myself, "This monkey is pretty good. If I take it back and feed it to my King Serpent, I wonder if my King Serpent will gain a significant power boost after eating it."

We collected several small boats left behind by pirates on the beach, and rested on the beach that night, preparing to set off together the next morning to meet up with Wang You.

Night fell. I watched as Shanshan and Tang Ning tirelessly cared for the injured girls, their pretty faces flushed with worry. When Shanshan sat down beside me, she smiled and said, "Wang Xi, no matter what I do, I can't keep you. Is it really fate? Are you destined to be with Xi'er for life?"

"Hehe, what did you leave me with?" I asked, smiling at the sweet-faced Shan Shan as I watched everyone chatting quietly, celebrating their chance to finally go home.

"I... I didn't leave you anything..." Shan Shan's eyes were a little flustered, then she looked away.

I quietly watched Shanshan, then suddenly took her soft little hand in mine. Then, in my most sincere tone, I said to Shanshan, "Shanshan, you're a good girl, and I like you very much. But I really can't be with you because I can't make any promises to you, and I can't take good care of you."

"I don't care!" Shanshan clenched her slender fingers after hearing my words.

"I'm going back to marry Xi'er, and I might never come back again. Since I'm getting married, how about you give me a wedding gift?" I said, smiling at Shanshan.

“Okay, I’ll give you a gift. What kind of gift do you want? I’ll give you whatever you want. I’m willing to give you everything I have!” Shan Shan said earnestly, her eyes misty.

"I want 20 million, the 20 million that Little Good Guy gave you when he signed you!" I said with a smile.

Chapter 251 The Story of the Ye Family

"What!?" Upon hearing my words, Shan Shan's face turned deathly pale. She then looked at Tang Ning, who was laughing and joking with the others, Chen Sisi, who was listening to the conversation, and Tong Jialing'er, who was sitting in the corner with her eyes closed, seemingly resting. At that moment, Shan Shan's heart was filled with utter shock. Because she clearly understood the meaning behind my words. She knew that what I wanted was not those twenty million.

Looking at me again, Shan Shan's eyes gradually filled with sorrow. She dug her long nails deep into her palms, and suddenly large tears welled up in her eyes. Gently closing her eyes, she tilted her head back, letting the tears slide down her chin. "Wang Xi, I know who you are, I know your family background. Your father is the emperor of the Golden Triangle, a ruthless warlord. And you, you are the high and mighty prince, the prince of the Wang family. I'm just an ordinary girl, I'm like an ant in your eyes. I was wrong, kill me..."

"You're wrong? What did you do wrong?" I lit a cigarette and smiled.

"Since you already know everything, why ask me?" Shan Shan closed her eyes tightly, letting her tears of grievance fall onto the beach. She had fallen deeply in love with me, and she would do anything to be with me, even destroy the whole world. But her love was too selfish, because love is inherently selfish. She couldn't have the same magnanimity as Xi'er; she could only love me as an ordinary girl.

However, she had done too many wrong things for me. She knew it deeply. The mistakes she had made were unforgivable. She might have lost everything forever. Now, perhaps only her death could atone for all the mistakes she had made?

And I just quietly looked at the sweet and lovely girl in front of me. She was still in the prime of her life, and she had a long road ahead of her. I never dreamed that she would love me to this extent, and that she would do so many foolish things for me.

Even a minor internet celebrity like Chen Sisi knew this. When Xiao Haoren signed Shanshan, they gave her 20 million yuan in cash. The price she had to pay was to follow Xiao Haoren's every arrangement for the next three years and engage in various commercial activities related to Xiao Haoren's film company.

Twenty million seems like a lot, but it's actually not. Because Shan Shan's current net worth has already reached twenty million; she's the hottest online celebrity right now. She's also officially entered the entertainment industry, starting to take on various commercial blockbusters. Just for the movie she's currently filming, her fee alone is twenty million. However, she's already a contracted actress with Xiao Haoren Company, which has signed her for three years for twenty million. So, during these three years, no matter how many movies Shan Shan films or how many advertising endorsements she participates in, this money won't go into Shan Shan's pocket; it will only go into Xiao Haoren's pocket. This is Xiao Haoren's shrewdness. Anyone who collaborates with Xiao Haoren will only be schemed against, not scheme against.

In the future, Shanshan's net worth will continue to rise. This year it's 20 million, next year it could be 50 million, and the year after that it could be 100 million. Some predict that Shanshan's career will be smooth sailing, and she will become one of the top four actresses in China within the next two years. Signing Shanshan for 20 million could potentially net Xiaohaoren 100 million, 200 million, or even more. Xiaohaoren wouldn't lose out at all; the only one who loses is Shanshan.

So, where did the 20 million yuan that Xiaohaoren gave Shanshan when he signed her go? Shanshan loves me; she loves me deeply. Just as she said, she would give me everything she has. She loves me so much, so why didn't she give me the 20 million yuan when I asked her?

This is already self-evident.

Because Shanshan gave me everything a long time ago. The reason she won't give me the money is because she doesn't have it. The money is already in the hands of another woman.

This woman is my aunt.

Seeing Shan Shan's aggrieved expression, I thought of a story Wang Che had told me. It was when Wang Che first came back to find me; she asked me where Zhang Xuan was. Although Wang Che's feelings for Zhang Xuan were fake when she first came, she still seemed concerned when Zhang Xuan disappeared. At that time, I was heartbroken, so I told Wang Che about how the Empress Dowager had forced Zhang Xuan's family to leave.

Upon hearing my words, Wang Che immediately became suspicious. She told me it was impossible; the Empress Dowager could never be such a despicable person. Then, Wang Che told me a story about the Ye family.

Over a decade ago, due to the instigation of a villain, our Wang family and the Ye family engaged in a three-month-long war. In this battle, both families poured in their elite forces, vowing to defeat the other. At that time, the Ye family patriarch, Yehenara Xianhe, was still alive. The Ye family was very powerful then. To defeat our Wang family, the Ye family even recalled all the married daughters and their in-laws, gathering their nationwide influence to launch a massive attack on our Wang family. The Ye family was strong, nearly defeating our Wang family. Finally, at the crucial moment, my father broke through to the upper-middle level of the divine realm, becoming a master above all gods, leading the family's experts in a counterattack, capturing the Empress Dowager alive, and inflicting a crushing defeat on Yehenara Xianhe.

It was a case of "enemies becoming friends." After my father defeated the Yehenara nobles, he released the Empress Dowager, allowing the couple to reunite. He then cleared up the misunderstanding with the Ye family. The Ye family, feeling ashamed, formed an alliance with the Wang family, willingly acknowledging their inferiority and agreeing to marry my mother to my daughter, Xi'er, from the Ye family. They wished to maintain a lasting friendship with my Wang family.

The reason our Wang and Ye families have such a good relationship isn't because we defeated the Ye family. It's because my father was a good man. Although many people described him as an utterly wicked demon, he was a good person at heart. He was unpretentious and straightforward, doing what he thought without ever explaining himself. When the Ye family saw the countless orphans my father had adopted, they believed he was a good man.

Our Wang family, the Ye family, and the Hao family (where Xiao Haoren lives) all share a common trait: a love for helping the poor and contributing to charitable causes. The Ye family admires my father and mother's noble qualities, and my father and mother, in turn, admire the Ye family's high moral character. My parents also respect Hao Yifang's character, which is why they agreed to marry Wang Che to Hao Yifang's son, Xiao Haoren. They just never imagined that Xiao Haoren would grow up to be this kind of person. Although he is a born businessman, his character is truly questionable.

The year after the Wang and Ye families formed a marriage alliance, an earthquake struck a mountainous region of the country. Upon hearing that people were suffering from the disaster, Yehenara Xiangui, the head of the Ye family, immediately led his wife, Tongjia Yudie, and many skilled members of the family to the area for disaster relief. On the third day of their relief efforts, when Yehenara Xiangui heard a child crying from the ruins, he immediately rushed in to rescue the child.

But just minutes after Yehenara Xiangui rushed in, the area was hit by a second aftershock. Yehenara Xiangui was a master above the gods; he did his utmost to rescue the child buried in the rubble, but he himself remained there forever.

Because of Yehenara Xiangui's death, Tongjia Yudie became despondent. She deeply loved her husband, and Yehenara Xiangui was the one she loved most in her life.

Because of her longing for her husband, Tong Jia Yudie attempted suicide several times, even becoming addicted to drugs. For years, she seemed lost and disoriented. Every morning upon waking, she would immediately inject herself with drugs to search for her husband in hallucinations. One day, her father appeared at the Ye family home. He angrily destroyed Tong Jia Yudie's drugs and slapped her hard across the face, saying, "If you're ruined, what will happen to the little princess left behind by the Yehenara nobles? What will happen to your entire Yehenara family?"

Hearing her father's words, Tong Jia Yudie glared at him hatefully for a long time. A month later, Tong Jia Yudie kicked her drug addiction. However, still heartbroken by her husband's death, she simply handed over the reins of the entire family to five-year-old Xi'er, calling herself Elder Tong Jia and assisting Xi'er from behind the scenes.

Tong Jia Yudie developed a smoking habit during that time. Every spring, her father would send her the finest tobacco and some valuable antique paintings and calligraphy. Tong Jia Yudie, also a skilled alchemist, reciprocated by sending large quantities of elixirs to the Wang family to train their descendants.

“Xi’er’s mother is of excellent character and a descendant of an ancient royal family. How could she possibly use despicable means to force Zhang Xuan to leave you like an ordinary person?” After telling the story of our two families, Wang Che directly pointed out the suspicious points in the Zhang Xuan incident.

"Could it be that someone is secretly stirring things up? Does he want to drive away Zhang Xuan from my side, and also want me to become enemies with the Ye family, hating Xi'er and her mother for the rest of my life?" I asked.

"Anyway, Xi'er's mother would never do such a thing. There must be some misunderstanding involved," Wang Che said.

“But when I questioned Xi’er’s mother, she offered no explanation,” I said.

“She doesn’t bother to explain to you; she has nothing to hide and doesn’t need to explain to you,” Wang Che said.

"Okay, I understand." I nodded gently.

When the cigarette in my hand was finished, I lit another one. Looking quietly at Shanshan in front of me, I smiled and said, "You were the one who informed Wang Huan that my party with Long Yuan at sea attracted the pirate leader Ula Sea, weren't you?"

“It was me. I contacted Wang Huan first. That Wang Huan knows how to disguise himself. After you disappeared because of Zhang Xuan, I've been looking for you. But when I saw you go into Zhongcheng No. 1 High School to see Wang You and Liuli, I realized it wasn't you when you came out. That Wang Huan is very skilled. He can disguise himself exactly like you. He can also disguise himself exactly like other people. I thought he would be useful, so I took the initiative to contact him and exchange contact information.” Shan Shan said, biting her lip.

"Oh? So it was him who suddenly tried to kill me. He can even use disguise? No wonder Wang You and Liuli hated me so much back then. Since he could impersonate me, he could easily make me an enemy of Wang You and Liuli. I didn't expect that." After a moment of surprise, I thought for a moment and then asked Shanshan, "So, when Wang You and Long Yuan defeated Wula Hai, you were the traitor on our ship. You saw that Wula Hai couldn't take us down, so you sank our cruise ship with a bomb, right?"

“Yes, because there was a deserted island in my dream. My wish was to stay on that island with you for the rest of my life. So I blew up the cruise ship. I prayed to heaven that I could stay with you forever. But I never expected that there would actually be a deserted island in the sea. I never expected that so many people would be washed ashore on the island, and that you would be found by Tong Jia Ling’er so quickly.” As she spoke, Shan Shan clenched her slender fingers.

“Shanshan, thank you for loving me so much. But do you know? Your love for me caused Longyuan to lose a luxury cruise ship. It also nearly killed us all. Do you know how dangerous what you did was? You almost killed us all,” I said.

"I love you, I can't think of anything else. The thought of you and Xi'er getting married, of you going back abroad and never coming back, fills me with panic. It's my fault, it's my selfishness that has caused such a terrible consequence. Wang Xi, kill me. I'd be willing to die by your hand." Looking deeply into my eyes, Shan Shan suddenly broke down in tears. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way. But she truly loved me.

After all she's done, what awaits her? Will it be the judgment of the cold-blooded murderous tyrant Wang You? Or the merciless verdict of domestic law?

She knew she was wrong, terribly wrong. In her adolescence, for the sake of budding love, her entire life was ruined.

But she doesn't regret it. If she had the chance to choose again, she would still love the boy in front of her deeply. She would do anything for him.

As Shan Shan wept, as she prepared herself to atone with her death, she suddenly opened her eyes in surprise. To her astonishment, she wasn't met with a scolding or a barrage of abuse from the boy before her. Instead, she was met with a warm embrace.

"Wang Xi, you..." Surprised, Shan Shan was as flustered as a kitten.

I smiled and hugged Shanshan tightly, saying, "Shanshan, you've already been punished for your mistakes, and you don't need to be punished anymore. Many of those who fell on hard times with us are arrogant and proud; it's good for them to learn a small lesson from their misfortune. Perhaps when they return home, they will have changed. They will realize that money isn't the most important thing, and there are many other important things in this world."

“You’ve already sacrificed so much for me. You’ve given up the luxurious life that should have been yours, and you’ll be working for this ‘good guy’ unconditionally for the next three years. You’ve already been so pitiful, I can’t bear to punish you any further. As for your love for me, I will carefully cherish it. Thank you for loving me so much.” I said, smiling at the girl in my arms.

"Wang Xi, I'm sorry!" After hearing my words, Shan Shan buried her face in my shoulder and burst into tears.

And I simply smiled and softly comforted her. To have such a wonderful girl love me so much—this should be my blessing. It's just that we're from two different worlds; we truly can't be together. If fate allows, if we are still destined to be together…

As the sky gradually turned light and the sun slowly rose from the sea, everyone cheered loudly as they boarded the small boat, thinking they were about to return home.

To prevent any further accidents, Tong Jia Ling'er specially took me onto the speedboat she had come on. This speedboat was fast, and could take me to Wang You's warship as quickly as possible, and then send me back to China at top speed, to ensure that no more accidents would happen before I married Xi'er.

As Tong Jialing'er maneuvered the speedboat, leaving a white line on the sea, I instructed Tang Ning from the speedboat, "Sister Yi, these people are in your care. Make sure they are safe. Tong Jialing'er and I will be waiting for you on Wang You's warship!"

"Go quickly, pampered prince." Tang Ning smiled and pursed his lips at me when he saw that I had a private boat to ride in.

“Yes, we’ll be at most two hours ahead of you. We’ll be able to meet on Wang You’s warship in two hours!” I said loudly to Tang Ning.

As we drifted further and further away from Tang Ning, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. There were still seven days until the day I was to marry Xi'er. It seemed Wang Huan's magic wasn't working so well; I wasn't so unlucky after all.

As our speedboat receded into the distance, Shanshan bit her lip and whispered, "I'm sorry, Wang Xi, I love you so much. I really can't let you go back to marry Xi'er on time. Because if you marry Xi'er, my heart will be breaking. If you and Xi'er are truly a match made in heaven, even if I tampered with your boat, if you can still go back on the date of your wedding to Xi'er, then I will never bother you again for the rest of my life. I will silently protect you for the rest of my life..."

Chapter 252 To Survive

The sky was clear and cloudless. I just stared blankly at Tong Jialing'er sitting across from me, not uttering a single word for a long time.

She just stared at me fiercely, her cold gaze almost murderous. She wasn't talkative to begin with, and now, angry with me, she glared at me for a long time without saying a word.

And I, quite awkwardly, yawned. Looking at the last crumpled cigarette in my pocket, I took it out, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep drag. Then, lying on the boat, gazing at the azure sky, I said, "Shanshan, she's sabotaged us again. She doesn't want me to go back and marry Xi'er, so she secretly tampered with our boat. Ha, ha, she's so cunning! No wonder people say she's so successful in the entertainment industry. With a girl as scheming as her, who in the entertainment world could possibly be her match?"

"Wang Xi, I'm not interested in what you're saying about the entertainment industry. I only want to ask you, why didn't you kill Shanshan yesterday? Why were you hugging her? Do you really enjoy being harmed?" Tong Jialing'er said coldly, looking at me.

Hearing Tong Jialing'er's words, I suddenly sat up on the boat. Then I glared at Tong Jialing'er and said, "Big Cousin, how can you be so cruel? Shanshan is a girl, and even if she wasn't, she's still a human life. A human life. You think you can just kill her like that? And I thought she wouldn't hurt me anymore, but who knew she would suddenly tamper with the boat again."

"A jinx!" Tong Jialing'er said coldly after hearing my words.

"Damn it, how can you curse someone like that? I'm the heir of the Wang family, a born lucky star, okay..." As I spoke, my confidence gradually waned. Thinking of Wang Huan's damned black magic, I secretly hated him. Could Wang Huan's magic really be that effective? I finally escaped from the deserted island, thinking I could finally go home. But then something even more unlucky happened: the ship suddenly stalled halfway through the journey.

We checked the boat last night and there were no problems. But it suddenly broke down again today. It's obvious that Shanshan did it.

What's even more frightening is that the direction of the sea breeze began to change at that moment. The weather at sea is inherently unpredictable, and the changes in sea breeze are even more capricious.

It is very dangerous for a person to be lost at sea. Even if he has a compass to help him find his way, he will not know where he will drift to.

Now, with the sea breeze shifting, we're completely disoriented. We don't even dare hope to encounter Wang You's warship, nor do we hope to see Tang Ning and her small boat catching up. I just want to be blown back to our original deserted island, even if it's not the same island, even if we encounter another group of pirates. At least we won't die. But our speedboat has malfunctioned, and if no one rescues us within three days, we're very likely to perish on the vast ocean.

Suddenly, Tong Jialing'er became furious. She scolded me in a sweet, coquettish voice, then grabbed me and shoved me roughly towards the side of the boat. "Wang Xi, you're such a born jinx! I'm trying so hard to help you, but I can't lift a finger. Our speedboat is broken! Aren't you going to row? If the wind picks up and we get blown even further, we'll both die on this ocean!"

"Oh, don't be angry, big cousin! I'll row right away, I'll row right away!" After being scolded by Tong Jialing'er, I quickly grabbed the paddle and started rowing. The speedboat had no motor, so we had to rely on manpower. But the sea breeze suddenly changed direction, and after rowing hard for a while, we drifted further off course from our original route.

Even though I'm a martial arts master, after being exposed to the sun for several hours and getting exhausted, I soon collapsed onto the boat, saying, "I can't go on, big sister, I can't row anymore. Let's rest. We might not be really that unlucky. If we wait on the boat for several hours, and Tang Ning and the others don't see us after boarding Wang You's warship, they'll send people to search for us. We won't be able to find Wang You's warship at all. If we keep rowing like this, we'll only drift further and further away."

After hearing what I said, my older cousin didn't speak to me, but continued rowing the boat expressionlessly. Beside us was another passenger—the fire monkey I had found on the island to feed the king cobra. The fire monkey, covered in long, fiery red fur, had been lying on the boat panting for a long time, clearly uncomfortable from the sun. Suddenly, it started chirping and ran to me, making a drinking motion.

I thought to myself, "This monkey is quite clever; it's as smart as a human." Then I handed it the water bottle, and it immediately unscrewed the cap and started drinking.

"Wang Xi, what are you doing?!" Tong Jialing'er suddenly scolded me.

"Big cousin, you startled me! What's wrong?" I asked.

"Wang Xi, why did you give this monkey your water? Do you know that if we drift at sea for too long without rescue, we will all die of thirst? You gave it water after only a few hours. What if we don't get rescued or have water for two or three days?" Tong Jialing glared at me fiercely.

Terrified by Tong Jialing'er's scolding, I thought for a moment and then tenderly grasped her fair, delicate hand, saying, "Big Cousin, please believe me. Wang You and the others will definitely find us within a day. We're not far from Wang You's warship; we'll be absolutely fine."

"Get away!" Tong Jialing'er immediately broke free from my hand and then pushed me onto the boat.

"..." Seeing that Tong Jialing'er was angry that I hadn't killed Shanshan, I thought for a moment and immediately shut my mouth. I really didn't expect that Shanshan would trick me again at the last minute.

The thought that I might actually delay my wedding to Xi'er, or even die at sea, gradually filled me with fear.