Chapter 38: Celebrating the Mistress's Birthday on a Cruise Ship Designed by Sheng Yu's Mother

Zhu Yuan felt a faint sense of worry in her heart.

But since she was already on the ship, there was no turning back, and besides, Sheng Yu would certainly not appear at such an occasion.

Thinking this, she felt a little more at ease.

The main venue for the birthday party was on the second floor of the cruise ship.

Zhu Yuan and her group went to the third floor, ate a hurried meal, and began their makeup and styling.

Once the dinner on the second floor ended, the guests would move to the third floor to watch the play.

It was a short production, lasting less than an hour and a half.

In the front row of the audience, the moment Zhu Yuan stepped onto the stage, she saw Sheng Hongyao in his suit and leather shoes.

It had to be said that he and Sheng Yu were truly father and son; Sheng Yu resembled him by seventy or eighty percent, though their auras were different—one was steady, while the other was like a ticking time bomb.

She had only seen Sheng Hongyao once at Lu Huaizhan's funeral, finding him stern and serious, never smiling; despite being over fifty, his face showed few traces of time, with only his slightly graying temples revealing his age.

But at this moment, this man who had long held a high position and possessed immense power in Jingdu City was speaking to the woman beside him with a submissive and gentle expression.

"I never had the time to take you to see a play, so I invited them here today to perform one for you. Are you happy?"

Shen Yijing looked moved, "I love it, thank you, Hongyao."

She was already over forty, yet her skin remained as delicate as ever, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Sheng Hongyao gently pinched her chin and whispered, "As long as you like it."

He picked up the teacup at his side, his gaze sweeping toward the stage with profound depth.

The troupe leader stood by his side, bowing and fawning, introducing the actors on stage one by one.

When he reached Zhu Yuan, he began to speak incessantly, "Our lead actress Li Sha is on vacation recently, so Xiao Fengzheng is shouldering the responsibility alone. Don't let her young age of twenty-two fool you; her acting skills and stage presence are truly rare."

"Xiao Fengzheng?" Sheng Hongyao glanced at Zhu Yuan.

He knew of Zhu Yuan; she was Lu Huaizhan's fiancée.

It was just a marriage to ward off bad luck into the Lu Family, and her family background was very ordinary; after Lu Huaizhan passed away, she had no further connection to the Lu Family. He had only seen her before and had never spoken to someone of such an ordinary status.

The troupe leader nodded, "Her real name is Zhu Yuan, and I gave her the stage name Xiao Fengzheng. This girl is very gifted."

He had just wanted to say that Sheng Yu seemed to have some interest in her, but then he thought better of it; the affairs of the Sheng Family, especially the father-son relationship between Sheng Hongyao and Sheng Yu, were a subject the people of Kyoto were always tight-lipped about.

Better to avoid unnecessary trouble; it was best not to mention it.

As the performance ended, Zhu Yuan led the troupe to the front of the stage for the curtain call.

Applause erupted from the audience like a tide.

On one hand, the play was indeed good; on the other, this was Chairman Sheng trying to win a smile from his beloved, so those who came to the birthday party naturally had to show their support.

The more enthusiastic the applause, the better the atmosphere.

Sheng Hongyao held Shen Yijing's hand as they stepped onto the stage to distribute red envelopes to the performers.

The first actor took the red envelope from Shen Yijing, and the troupe leader gave a wink, "Hurry up and thank the Madam."

"Thank you, Madam."

This remark made Shen Yijing's cheeks flush slightly, and she looked at Sheng Hongyao with a coquettish pout; Sheng Hongyao pinched her hand dotingly, "They didn't say anything wrong."

Afterward, every time Shen Yijing handed out a red envelope, she received the title of "Madam."

The audience watched Shen Yijing acting like the lady of the house; some were envious, while others sneered in secret, whispering, "No matter how glorious she is, she can't marry into the Sheng Family. What's the point?"

"Having endless money to spend in this lifetime is enough. Besides, if a man is willing to put in the effort to pamper you, is a formal title really that important?"

"When you reach middle age, you'll know how important a sense of belonging is. I don't believe Shen Yijing doesn't want to enter the Sheng Family."

On stage, Shen Yijing took a thick red envelope and handed it to Zhu Yuan with both hands.

"You performed very well, I like it very much."

"Thank you for your appreciation, and happy birthday to you."

Zhu Yuan accepted the red envelope with both hands.

She deftly avoided using the title of "Madam" without anyone noticing anything amiss; although she was very afraid of Sheng Yu and thought he was too difficult to serve, she truly could not bring herself to call Shen Yijing "Madam" behind his back.

Shen Yijing smiled and nodded at her, continuing to hand out red envelopes to the actors behind her.

The third floor was decorated in a vintage and elegant style, with the warm yellow lighting creating a perfect atmosphere.

Sheng Hongyao asked for Shen Yijing's opinion, "Let's cut the cake here. Isn't this your favorite setting?"

Shen Yijing's eyes lit up, "That would be wonderful."

Night shrouded the entire ocean, and on the bustling cruise ship, no one heard the sound of a speedboat engine.

A waiter pushed the cake onto the stage, and applause rang out continuously from both on and off the stage.

Shen Yijing blushed from the teasing and asked in a low voice, "Hongyao, can you cut the cake with me?"

"Of course I will accompany you." Sheng Hongyao smiled and held Shen Yijing's hand.

Enveloped by his warm, large hand, Shen Yijing revealed a smile of happiness.

Just as the first slice of the cake was cut, a gunshot pierced the sky.

"What's going on!"

"How could there be a gun!"

"Everyone went through security, who would dare bring a gun on board!"

The scene instantly descended into chaos, and the noisy clamor drowned out the background music of "Happy Birthday to You."

Sheng Hongyao pulled the startled Shen Yijing into his arms with one hand, his expression cold and grim; he made a gesture, and the Bodyguards stationed in the corners moved instantly.

But as the nearest Bodyguard rushed toward the entrance of the third floor, he was kicked in the chest by a foot wearing a black leather shoe!

The Bodyguard was kicked flying several meters away.

"Ah—"

The guests retreated in terror.

No one at the scene dared to make a sound, and the background music suddenly became incredibly clear; those strains of "Happy Birthday to You" also seemed exceptionally ironic.

The sound of unhurried footsteps slowly approached.

Until a face with deep, cold, and handsome features appeared in everyone's line of sight.

Sheng Yu strode forward with his long legs, a black lighter pinched between his fingers, a half-smile curling the corners of his lips as his gaze swept across everyone present.

"What a lively scene."

Following behind him were Situ and a group of Bodyguards in black.

When the crowd saw the guns in their hands, they were instantly terrified, their faces turning ashen as they huddled tightly together, fearing they might provoke Sheng Yu.

Sheng Yu walked slowly toward the stage, his gaze sweeping past Zhu Yuan, who was visibly frightened in the crowd, without a moment's pause.

Zhu Yuan's heart rose to her throat; as she watched Sheng Yu walk closer and closer, his eyes seemed devoid of light, as dark as the night.

"Sheng Yu, what are you doing! Tell them to put the guns down!"

Sheng Hongyao shouted angrily; he actually dared to bring so many people here!

Sheng Yu stood below the steps, his brows cold and frigid, and chuckled, "Celebrating a mistress's birthday on a cruise ship designed by my mother—heh, very good."

The next second, he snatched the gun from Situ's hand and fired five shots in a row at the five-tier cake on the stage.

Cream splattered everywhere, and the exquisite cake was instantly ruined.

The scene descended into chaos, and the guests fled in terror in every direction.