Chapter 824: What’s in the box?
"Mr. Lu, there's another box here that you forgot to pack."
While helping the Program Group staff tidy up all the cluttered props and boxes, Xiao He picked up the box that had almost been left behind in the corner and placed it into the cart.
Since Xiao He usually liked to lend a hand to the staff in the team, his action didn't seem out of place at all. Instead, it made the Program Group staff member who was tidying the props feel grateful, thanking him repeatedly, "Ah, I almost forgot it! Thank you, Teacher Xiao!"
Just glancing at the appearance of the box, it looked quite clean and was very small, not looking like it could hold much. The staff member also felt a brief moment of confusion.
Was this box in that pile of things just now?
As the staff member sized up the box, Shu Han suddenly spoke up from the other side to remind him, "Xiao Lu, hurry up, the others have already left!"
"Ah, okay!"
Seeing that the others had already pushed their boxes away, the staff member immediately dismissed the thought of looking into it further.
In an entire prop box, there were many items belonging to different people. For this boarding, they were also restricted by the number of boxes, so they had to compress even more things inside. Some belonged to different prop groups, and after the display just now, there was no way he could remember everything right away.
So, the staff member readily thanked Xiao He and Shu Han, closed the cart with a "snap," and continued pushing it forward.
"Director Hu, it just so happens my Agent has arrived, so we'll head out first."
Xiao He watched the staff member leave, his gaze lingering on the box for a moment to memorize its corresponding number and characteristics. Then, he turned to bid farewell to Director Hu, "I hope you all have a great time over the next few days."
"Ah, sure, sure!"
Hu Pei was very pleased to hear Xiao He's well-wishes. He waved at Xiao He, and didn't forget to look at Shu Han, asking warmly, "Mr. Shu Han, aren't you going to join our Program Group for the big feast this time?"
Since they were already here, wouldn't it be a waste not to eat the free feast they had just won?
Shu Han glanced at Xiao He and Liu Rulan, then shook his head with a smile. "No thanks, Director Hu. I'm also a bit tired tonight, so I'll head back with Xiao He and the others first."
Liu Rulan also nodded at Hu Pei with a smile. "Don't worry, Director Hu. Shu Han used to be my artist, after all, so I'll definitely take good care of them."
The Program Group was specially invited on board this time, but the number of people allowed on board was limited. Therefore, many of the participating guests did not bring their Agents and assistants. Most of the management and arrangements were directly handled by the Program Group, which was also responsible for the guests' itinerary and safety over the next few days.
Since Liu Rulan and her team had actively taken charge of Shu Han, it meant one less person for the Program Group to manage, making things a bit easier for them.
Thus, Director Hu said no more. He simply nodded and bid them farewell once again.
The two parties parted ways at the corridor entrance next to the third-floor lobby. One group went to the nearby elevator, while the other headed toward the central scenic elevator.
Only after the others had walked far away did the smile on Liu Rulan's face fade slightly. Her hand trembled as she went to press the elevator button, almost missing it, until Xiao He finally reached out to help her press it.
None of them spoke, riding the elevator in silence to the rooms on a higher floor.
This was the luxury king-bed room arranged for Xiao He by the organizers. Since it had two small guest rooms inside, Liu Rulan and the others also benefited, getting to rest in the high-end room with Xiao He.
By this time, Tong Junhui was already waiting in the room.
Seeing Xiao He and the others return empty-handed, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"It's so good to see you all make it up here safely."
"What on earth happened?"
Two voices rang out at the same time.
Except the former belonged to Tong Junhui, while the latter was Xiao He's.
Liu Rulan looked at Tong Junhui, then at Xiao He, and sighed helplessly, "It's a complicated story."
As it turned out, just a few minutes ago, Liu Rulan and Lao Qi, who had been on their way to find Xiao He, ran into Cheng Bei, who was fleeing in a hurry.
The situation was quite urgent at the time. Cheng Bei could actually have avoided suspicion by relying on his status as a bodyguard for the Bao Family, but he couldn't find a suitable place to hide the item in his hands in such a short time. The item was too important to him, and he didn't dare gamble on whether it would be found if left somewhere. So, Liu Rulan proactively offered her silk scarf and, before those people came over to inspect, temporarily tied the item to the railing on the outside of the ship's hull.
Fortunately, it was night, and hanging the box on the outside put it in a blind spot where it was completely invisible from the inside.
However, it wasn't absolutely foolproof. Since they were on the third floor and there was a section extending further out below them, if someone stood downstairs and looked up, they would definitely spot something wrong.
Therefore, while Cheng Bei was called away by the bodyguard captain to help and was temporarily unable to get away, Liu Rulan and Lao Qi boldly doubled back and retrieved the item tied outside.
Then, things unfolded exactly as they had just now. Although Xiao He didn't know the full situation, he had planned ahead. When Liu Rulan and Lao Qi arrived, they immediately caught on to Xiao He's plan. Coordinating with the action of packing up the props on-site, they temporarily hid the item inside the Program Group's box.
"Ah, no wonder you looked a bit different just now, Sister Liu. It turns out the silk scarf around your neck is gone."
Xiao He looked at Liu Rulan, suddenly understanding.
Liu Rulan's style of dress had always leaned toward the capable career-woman type. Even when attending banquets, she rarely wore evening gowns, mostly opting for women's suits, though she would add a touch of design to her outfits.
For instance, tonight, since they were preparing to spend the night on the ship, and considering it might get a bit cold, she had specially tied a patterned silk scarf around her neck as both an embellishment and wind protection. She really hadn't expected it to come in handy like this.
"Fortunately, everything went smoothly. It was worth my favorite Chanel silk square scarf getting snagged."
Liu Rulan touched the snagged silk scarf in her pocket and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Her limited edition—
Oh well, it died a worthy death.
Seeing Liu Rulan's expression, Xiao He instantly understood her pain and immediately whispered, "It's okay, Sister Liu. I'll use a bot to help you snag a limited edition later."
Liu Rulan cleared her throat. "Ahem, that sounds pretty good... Anyway, back to business."
"What is in that box? Does any of you know?"
Liu Rulan looked at Tong Junhui first.
Tong Junhui shook his head. "I don't know what's in this box. When Brother Cheng contacted me, the situation was quite urgent. He said the item was obtained from two Japanese guys and hoped we could do our best to keep it safe. If we really couldn't keep it safe, we should tie it to a lifebuoy and throw it into the sea—just don't let it fall back into their hands. He seemed to have more urgent matters to attend to, so... I don't know anything beyond that."
"Officer Cheng has other things to worry about?"
Everyone was surprised and somewhat worried, but it seemed their ability to help was limited. Hiding the item was already the best they could do; they couldn't help him with anything more.
Thus, everyone's focus shifted back to the box.
"Since it's an illegal transaction, could the box be filled with money or drugs?"
Liu Rulan rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
"Impossible. The box felt very light, not like it contained those things."
Xiao He directly dismissed the idea.
Shu Han, however, focused on something else. "But the ones who lost the item are actually Japanese?"
"Just what kind of item could make them go to such lengths to search for it?"