Chapter 417: Chapter 417

Sang Ning was accompanying Song Shiye for a study session. Although it was already 2 a.m. local time on New Island, they hadn’t fully adjusted to the time difference and were still in a state of energy typical of daytime in China.

When Sang Ning and Song Shiye said they were studying, they truly meant business—strictly studying with no casual topics involved. The accompanying videographer found their interaction unbearably dull and used the excuse of going to the restroom to sneak off for a break.

Even though the show adopted a mix of live broadcasting and recorded segments, it didn’t necessarily mean streaming 24/7.

Once the videographer left, Song Shiye finally relaxed a bit.

It seemed he had never had a chance to be alone with Sang Ning at such a late hour.

The two were seated side by side on a long bench in the lobby. Sang Ning had a workbook sprawled across her lap, holding a red pen in hand as she annotated the exercises while explaining them to Song Shiye.

To get a clearer view of what Sang Ning was marking, Song Shiye had to lean closer to her.

But in doing so, he unwittingly leaned too close. Sang Ning suddenly raised her head, nearly bumping into his chin. Luckily, his reflexes kicked in, and he managed to dodge in time.

Thinking Song Shiye had become distracted, Sang Ning scowled and chastised him sternly, "Focus! Don’t get distracted!"

Song Shiye responded absentmindedly, his heart pounding like a drum. Damn it—he had almost offended Sister Sang just now.

Although Sang Ning was undeniably beautiful, the intimidating aura she exuded when looking at someone expressionlessly could be quite terrifying.

Oddly enough, Song Shiye didn’t feel scared. Instead, he found the sternness in Sang Ning to be strangely reassuring.

Her sharp expression still carried traces of concern in her eyes.

In this moment, Sang Ning’s current demeanor overlapped with the fierce yet adorably stern look from many years ago in his memories.

The night always seemed to stir emotions inexplicably, sparking the urge to pour out long-repressed thoughts.

"Sister Sang, I always believed you’d come back, but I never imagined it would be in this capacity." Song Shiye drifted into recollections, a flickering light in his eyes betraying emotions hard to decipher.

"What capacity? As a tutor?" Sang Ning teasingly replied, thinking perhaps the intense studying had momentarily muddled his brain.

Song Shiye’s brow furrowed deeper, his expression growing gloomier. From his face, Sang Ning discerned the unmistakable look of academic frustration.

Sang Ning closed the workbook and said, "Even though the workload in senior year is heavy, you still need to balance work and rest. Let’s call it a day for now."

During the nearly ten-hour flight, she had already conducted a preliminary review of Song Shiye’s current academic performance.

His progress was remarkable; as long as he performed well on the college entrance exam, meeting the cultural criteria for admission into art schools shouldn’t be an issue. There was no need to be overly strict with him.

"Sister Sang, I’m really curious—haven’t you remembered anything at all?" Song Shiye boldly pressed on.

Sang Ning picked up the workbook and lightly tapped it against Song Shiye’s head. "What’s with kids trying to imitate adults by being all deep and mysterious? Just speak plainly when talking to me. What am I supposed to remember?"

Song Shiye rubbed his head, took a deep breath, and decided to go for broke. "It’s just..."

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A loud, drawn-out car horn sounded outside the lobby, cutting off Song Shiye’s words.

Sang Ning handed the workbook to Song Shiye and stood up. "The hotel isn’t that far away, is it? Why is the car already back so soon?"

As she spoke, she started walking toward the lobby entrance. Song Shiye followed closely behind.

At the entrance, the vehicle parked in front of them was still a business van, but it wasn’t the same one from earlier.

"Hello!" The driver rolled down the window and greeted Sang Ning and Song Shiye, introducing himself as Andy, a friend of Lu Yujing.

He then asked if they were friends of Lu Yujing and where she had gone, wondering why she wasn’t around.

Sang Ning hadn’t expected Lu Yujing’s friend to be able to speak Mandarin. Though heavily accented, the communication was still passable.

Then why had Lu Yujing insisted on speaking exclusively in English during her phone call earlier? Was she just trying to show off her language skills?

"She already got in the car you arranged earlier and left," Sang Ning truthfully responded.

Andy had an extremely dark complexion but dazzlingly white teeth, his perpetual wide grin creating a stark black-and-white contrast. However, after hearing Sang Ning’s reply, his previously grinning mouth slowly closed, lips pressing together tightly into a somber expression. "When did that happen? Apart from this van, I didn’t arrange any other vehicles. Why didn’t Lu tell me anything about it?"

An ominous feeling surged through Sang Ning’s heart.

Damn it! Could those two locals from the earlier car really not be good people?

Sang Ning recounted the incident to Andy, emphasizing the physical descriptions of the two men.

They were all from the same place, so there was a chance Andy might recognize them.

The man sitting in the front passenger seat had a black snake tattoo on his forearm, which Sang Ning had caught sight of when his arm casually rested on the car window.

The driver was bald, with a slightly lighter skin tone than the passenger. His entire head, viewed from the side, resembled a boiled egg, and his ear bore a noticeably exaggerated cross-shaped earring.

Sang Ning tried her best to highlight prominent features in her descriptions, but when she finished, Andy clutched his head in despair and exclaimed, "Oh my god! Did Lu seriously get into a pirate’s car?"

Several voices rang out simultaneously—two belonged to Sang Ning and Song Shiye, while the rest came from the director and other crew members nearby.

Everyone was clearly stunned by this revelation.

Sang Ning had a gut feeling those two weren’t good people, but she hadn’t expected them to turn out to be pirates.

"Andy, are you sure they’re pirates? But how would pirates dare to openly appear on the island?" Sang Ning asked in confusion. Aren’t pirates supposed to operate out at sea?

New Island was a sovereign nation; no matter how audacious the pirates were, it seemed implausible for them to openly commit robberies within the island’s borders.

Andy tugged on the tight braids on his head and sighed deeply before explaining, "How do I even begin to explain? New Island’s situation is complicated. Pirates are colluding with local forces and often boldly come ashore to rob visitors. Earlier, when Lu mentioned traveling to New Island, I wanted to warn her, but I didn’t want to ruin the mood. I should’ve asked her why she was so insistent on coming here."

Zhou Rui was evidently even more distressed than Andy. "That’s impossible! When I set this up, I specifically asked Guan’s friends to consult with local officials on New Island. They assured me the island was a safe vacation spot, which is why I decided to film the show here."

Andy shook his head as if to say something, but upon noticing the cameras set up by the crew, he hesitated to speak further.

Zhou Rui, quick on the uptake, understood that some things couldn’t be said on camera, so he instructed the videographers to turn off all the equipment.

Only then did Andy feel comfortable enough to continue, "You’re so naive. New Island is eager to develop tourism and desperate for publicity. You delivered yourselves right to their doorstep—why would they pass up the opportunity?"

Andy’s blunt words were devoid of tact, leaving Zhou Rui offended and indignant, prompting him to argue back.

"That’s impossible! If they wanted to promote tourism, they would focus on the positives. Bringing tourists here without guaranteeing local security would completely ruin New Island’s reputation as a travel destination!"