Thomas smiled and, seeing no one paying attention to them, quietly replied, "Mr. Calia doesn’t know you’re in danger. It was Young Master Shen who called me. I’ve known Lu Jingyun for decades. He’s an arrogant person who won’t listen to others’ advice, but I know one of his weaknesses: he doesn’t dare provoke Mr. Calia."

At this moment, Shen Congru squeezed through the crowd, looking relieved: "Thank heaven, Mr. Thomas, you finally made it. I really feared you wouldn’t get here in time."

Xu Xiangbei affectionately patted Shen Congru on the shoulder: "Thank you. If you hadn’t informed Mr. Thomas, today might have turned into a brutal battle. No matter the outcome, it would have come at a bloody cost."

With the dispute resolved and peace maintained between both sides, Mr. Thomas completed his task and was about to leave.

As he was about to leave by helicopter, he embraced Xu Xiangbei farewell: "Take care, Dr. Xu. Although Lu Jingyun won’t trouble you for now, it’s best to steer clear of him."

"Thank you for the reminder. I’ve always believed in the saying, ’When the soldier comes, counter him with the general; when the water floods, cover with the soil.’

"Haha, I’m confident you’ll handle these matters well."

In the corner of the banquet hall, Lu Jingyun sat with a gloomy face, drinking with Chen Baishan. Across from them stood Huang Qinghai and Qiao Mountain, with Huang Qinghai confirming Thomas’s words.

"Mr. Calia is a good friend of Xu Xiangbei. None of us dare provoke him easily."

Chen Baishan sneered, "A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Can a foreigner like him really handle matters here? Aren’t you overthinking this?"

Huang Qinghai slyly smiled with a hint of disdain in his eyes, "President Chen, you’re from Jiangcheng and don’t know Mr. Caliai’s influence. If you were from Earth Sea and engaged in international business, you’d know what words not to utter."

Knowing Huang Qinghai was mocking him for being inexperienced, Chen Baishan looked displeased but couldn’t refute.

After Huang Qinghai and Qiao Mountain left, Lu Jingyun said to Chen Baishan: "From today, as long as Mr. Calia is around, I won’t trouble Xu Xiangbei. As for the matters of the Chen Family, you’ll have to handle them yourself."

Lu Jingyun’s attempted assassination of Xu Xiangbei was not just due to Lu Yao but also because Chen Baishan asked him to deal with Xu Xiangbei. However, he failed and only embarrassed himself.

Chen Baishan reluctantly said, "Alright, I’ll find a way myself."

Lu Jingyun rubbed the spot struck by the Iron Ball and said to Chen Baishan, "I was hit several times by Xu Xiangbei’s Iron Ball. Although my Inner Strength protected me, the force was really strong, and it twisted my tendons. I need to apply some ointment."

Chen Baishan bid farewell to his old friend: "Once the ship docks, I’ll disembark myself. No need to see me off. Goodbye."

The banquet hall was bustling with hundreds of guests gathered together, listening to music, dancing, singing, and drinking. Ah Rong and Shen Congru were drinking merrily, starting a game of finger-guessing.

A beautiful waitress smiled as she approached him: "Hello, thank you for helping me today. Otherwise, not only would I have lost my job, but I would have been beaten by Miss Lu Yao."

Xu Xiangbei remembered that she was the waitress who had dropped the cake and almost got hit by Lu Yao. To stop Lu Yao, he had exposed his identity, leading the Lu Family to surround him.

Xu Xiangbei smiled generously: "It’s nothing. It’s what I should do. Working as a waitress on the ship must be hard, right?"

The beautiful waitress tucked her long hair behind her ear, her elegant face showing a bit of fatigue and resignation: "A little. It’s hard not being able to disembark, spending all day adrift on the cruise. It’s better now, but when I first started, I got seasick and was very unaccustomed. But the pay here is twice that of an ordinary waitress."

"Once the ship docks, will you continue working on the cruise?"

"No, Miss Lu is quite vengeful. Although she couldn’t hit me today, she’s sure to make things difficult for me in the future. I don’t plan to continue."

"Here’s my card. If you’re looking for a job, you can come to Thunderbird Group. Our company values capability. I’ve noticed you work diligently and carefully, so there should be a suitable position for you."

The beautiful waitress accepted the business card from Xu Xiangbei and, after expressing her gratitude, went off to work: "No more chatting. I have to get to work. Ah Ling, table seven needs two more bottles of beer."

The beautiful waitress gave a few instructions to a colleague before hurriedly heading to the kitchen. Her mention of Ah Ling piqued Xu Xiangbei’s curiosity, prompting him to glance at her colleague, which left Xu Xiangbei slightly stunned.

Ah Ling passed by Xu Xiangbei with her head down. Despite her lowered gaze, Xu Xiangbei still recognized her. She was none other than Wind Chime, the Sword Palace Assassin. Wearing a waitress outfit with her hair tied up, she was inconspicuous. If the beautiful waitress hadn’t called her Ah Ling, Xu Xiangbei wouldn’t have connected her with Wind Chime.

To Xu Xiangbei, Wind Chime was a wild, beautiful girl, especially with a voice as melodious as a nightingale. Ever since she and her brother Wind Valley disappeared, Xu Xiangbei occasionally remembered her ethereal and enchanting voice and beautiful, charming appearance.

"It’s you. What are you doing here?"

Wind Chime looked up, still that elegant face, with no makeup at all. Her skin was fair and rosy, exuding youthful vitality.

Her eyes were filled with resentment: "Working on the ship is an excellent hiding place. The Sword Palace Assassins wouldn’t expect me to be a waitress here. President Xu, the matters between us have dissipated like smoke. I hope you’ll let me go."

Xu Xiangbei bitterly smiled: "What about your brother? You should be taking care of your brother now, right?"

Wind Chime’s tone was detached: "He couldn’t stand becoming a burden and committed suicide. Now, it’s just me alone."

Xu Xiangbei bitterly smiled. Although he hadn’t killed Wind Valley, he had destroyed his meridians. He had no choice; Wind Valley’s hypnosis was too dangerous. If he didn’t incapacitate him, who knows how many people he’d harm?

Seeing Xu Xiangbei’s guilty expression, Wind Chime smiled, a smile full of relief and forgiveness: "Rest assured, I don’t blame you. I’m already very grateful that you didn’t kill him. Who would have known he couldn’t bear living a mundane life."

Seeing Wind Chime didn’t resent him, Xu Xiangbei felt somewhat relieved. He gently smiled: "It’s good your brother is gone; now you don’t have any burdens. You can live better on your own, and your target is also much smaller. Two people together make a bigger target."

Wind Chime laughed. If Xu Xiangbei wasn’t the target she was supposed to assassinate, she might have boldly pursued him, forcing him to be her boyfriend.

The cruise slowly approached Earth Sea Port, sounding deafening sirens.

Xu Xiangbei gently extended his hand, smiling: "Once the ship docks, I’ll disembark. If you ever need my help, just call me or come to the company. You know how to reach me."