Chapter 822: Unexpected Inspection, Valuables Lost?!
If you were to ask what it felt like after entering international waters, the truth was, there was no feeling at all. The surrounding environment hadn't changed, and the recording of "Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers" continued as usual.
It was just that in the places unseen by most, many shops that hadn't been open finally began operating as usual.
The most lively part of the event had already passed, and the guests attending the banquet were beginning to tire, but as the cruise ship officially entered international waters, the number of people on site seemed to have doubled.
Xiao He stayed on the deck for a while longer to cooperate with the Program Group's recording.
Before anyone realized it, the Xiangsheng Cruise Ship had already been in international waters for some time.
And with that, today's recording of "Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers" drew to a close.
"Brother Xiao, are you going to grab a bite with us later? You're the one who helped us win this big feast, so we definitely need to celebrate!"
Xin Yiran was the first to extend an invitation to Xiao He.
"Ah, I won't be able to join you. I have other things to take care of," Xiao He said, shaking his head.
On the ship at this hour, the distinction between day and night had long since vanished. Every restaurant and shop operated 24 hours a day. Even if one didn't eat now and chose to have a feast at three or four in the morning, there were chefs on standby for the guests at any time, and one could even have a waiter deliver the meal directly to their floor or lounge area.
Therefore, even if Xiao He didn't eat now, he would still have the opportunity to enjoy the ship's luxurious cuisine at any time.
It was just that he had something on his mind, and he truly couldn't spare the time to eat right now.
Although Xin Yiran was a little disappointed, she didn't insist. Instead, taking advantage of the moment, she asked to take a few more photos with Xiao He.
Just then, others came over to take photos as well.
Director Hu Pei looked at Xiao He expectantly. "Teacher Xiao, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Xiao He looked hesitant.
"The day after tomorrow! The day after tomorrow works too! Let's just take a group photo when we're disembarking! I promise it won't take up too much of your time! You see, it's so late today, and the lighting isn't great; it's much better to take a group photo during the day."
Perhaps it was because Director Hu Pei's gaze was too intense, but after only a moment of hesitation, Xiao He agreed to his request without further delay.
"Hey, Yiran!" On the other side, the guest star for "Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers" called out to Xin Yiran.
"I heard there's a really incredible Feng Shui booth on the ship this time that can help with star charts and birth charts. Do you want to go with us later?"
"Huh? Fortune telling?" Xin Yiran was taken aback for a moment, then showed great interest. "Are there really masters on this ship?"
It wasn't that she was truly superstitious; it was just that Xin Yiran liked checking horoscopes and flipping through tarot cards in her spare time, so she was simply interested.
Besides, Xin Yiran had heard that Brother Xiao had recently been filming a supernatural movie involving Feng Shui!
"This is Hong Kong, after all! I heard that the masters here often do readings for the shipping tycoon's family, and they are incredibly accurate. Just look at how everything has been smooth sailing for their family all these years."
"Really?" Another person leaned in. It was Wu Chuyi. Liang Cheng followed right after.
And so, one by one, the guests who were close to each other quickly gathered together and started chatting about the fortune-telling master on the ship.
"I don't know the details. I just happened to overhear a very wealthy tycoon next to me when I boarded the ship today. He said he came on board specifically to get a 'luck-turning bead' from the master to get rid of his bad luck. It seemed like he had been waiting a long time for this."
"Wow, do the tycoons really believe in this stuff?"
"I don't know, but the master on the ship wouldn't dare to scam anyone, right? This party is so grand; the organizers definitely wouldn't allow a fake master to commit fraud."
"Hey, since we're already here, why don't we go and check it out together? I also want to ask for a luck-turning bead; I feel like my luck hasn't been great lately."
"You? Your luck isn't great?!"
"Oh, come on, I'm just curious, okay!"
These practices in Hong Kong had developed over many years, and especially with some matters in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, they all carried a more or less mysterious aura. Even those who weren't interested adopted the "since we're already here" mentality and decided to tag along to see what it was all about.
However, Xiao He was still being held back by Director Hu for a conversation, so he didn't participate in that group's discussion.
After standing there for a while longer, the Program Group staff had finished packing up the props. Everyone prepared to return to their rooms upstairs to change and put their things away. Xiao He also prepared to go back with them to see how things were going with Tong Junhui.
But the moment he stepped off the deck, Xiao He noticed that this floor had become unusual. No, not just this floor—all the floors.
It seemed... that during the time they had just been recording, something major had happened on the ship.
Xiao He observed quietly and soon noticed that some security personnel in black had suddenly appeared on these floors.
They paced back and forth near the entrances and exits from time to time, unobtrusively sizing up the people around them, seemingly observing or looking for something.
Something wasn't quite right—a flash of doubt crossed Xiao He's mind.
"Excuse me, sorry to bother you—" Just then, someone stopped the Program Group staff.
"Could you please open your cases so we can see what's inside?"
"Huh? Does this really need to be checked?" The staff member from the Program Group holding the case was confused, but under the security personnel's sharp gaze, they set the large case down on the ground.
Subsequently, the other Program Group staff members who were carrying or pushing cases were all stopped by several security personnel who gathered around, and they were all asked to have the contents of their cases checked.
The relaxed atmosphere at the scene vanished in an instant, as if they had walked into a spy thriller—tense and serious.
Xiao He narrowed his eyes and immediately looked over.
"What's going on?" Director Hu Pei noticed the situation and hurried over, flashing their special staff ID. "I'm the director of 'Travelogue of Mountains and Rivers.' We've all been outside on the deck recording the program, so we're not sure what's happened here. Could you please explain why you're suddenly searching our cases?"
Although it didn't matter if they opened the cases for inspection, it was better to understand the situation clearly.
The security guard glanced at Director Hu Pei's ID, and his tone softened significantly. "It's like this," he explained. "A short while ago, one of our VIPs on the top floor lost an item. Since the item is quite valuable, we are currently searching everywhere for it."
Xiao He also walked over. Having just heard the explanation, he turned his gaze toward the Program Group's cases.
A VIP on the top floor lost something? Who lost it? And what ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) exactly was lost?
The item must be large and not easily concealed on one's person, which is why the security personnel on the ship were focusing their search on people carrying large cases and checking the contents.
The Program Group's props were basically all packed into cases, with larger props and equipment even requiring a large prop case to be pushed around, while other miscellaneous items were carried by the staff themselves.
So, at this critical juncture, the fact that the Program Group appeared with so many cases was indeed very suspicious.
"That should have nothing to do with our Program Group. From the moment we boarded until now, we've been active on the deck over there. The cases are filled entirely with filming equipment," Director Hu Pei explained.
"Sorry, we still need to check everything."
"Fine, we'll open them for you to check. However, these cases contain cameras and other valuable equipment that aren't cheap, so please be careful."
Director Hu Pei understood that this was part of their job, so he didn't say anything more and let the Program Group staff reopen the cases they had just packed for the security personnel to inspect.
Fortunately, this area of the deck and the deck corridor had been temporarily cordoned off for the Program Group's recording, so there weren't many other guests around, and not many people came over to watch.