At this point, I couldn’t say for sure. My guess was that something unusual had disrupted space and time while I was in the bathtub, allowing me to see what happened when the ship sank. But by then, the ship had been completely submerged, and the light underwater was so dim that I couldn’t determine the exact time.
Just as I was trying to make sense of it, a scream rang out from one corner of the restaurant. “Mumu, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me like this!”
A woman’s voice echoed through the room.
At the familiar name, I sprang to my feet and hurried over.
In a corner of the seafood restaurant, I saw Mumu, the little girl in red, lying unconscious on a sofa. Her mother was beside herself, calling her name over and over.
“Could she be allergic to seafood? Should we call a doctor?” The nearby diners gathered around.
I pushed through the crowd and crouched down to check on Mumu.
When Mumu’s mother saw me, she cried out anxiously, “Miss Hứa, I don’t know what’s wrong with Mumu. Please save her!”
I nodded and was about to examine her when Mumu’s father, standing nearby, suddenly shouted, “You’re a doctor named Hứa?!”
“I’m not a doctor,” I replied casually.
Mumu’s father snapped, “If you’re not a doctor, why are you touching my daughter? And you—I’ve told you how many times to watch what you say when we go out. Do you believe just anyone? Get back. The staff have called a doctor. We’ll wait for them to arrive.”
He reached out to shove me, but Dương Kỳ quickly grabbed his wrist.
“Do you still want to save your daughter? If you do, shut up,” I snapped coldly.
Mumu’s father glared at me and yelled, “Fine! If anything happens to my daughter, you’ll answer for it!”
I ignored him and checked Mumu’s pulse, then pried her mouth open with my hand. A stream of water ran out. I touched it and caught a salty, fishy smell.
That smell… seawater?
I immediately asked Mumu’s mother, “Did she have any symptoms before she passed out?”
“I don’t know. She suddenly couldn’t breathe and threw up a few mouthfuls of water,” Mumu’s mother answered in a panic.
Hearing that, I grabbed Mumu by the legs and lifted her upside down to drain the water.
Panicking, Mumu’s father grabbed my clothes and shouted, “What are you doing? Don’t you know you’re not supposed to move someone who’s unconscious?”
Meow!
Mèo Than suddenly poked its head out of the backpack on my back and slashed at his hand. Blood welled on the back of Mumu’s father’s hand, and he jerked it away in pain.
“Your daughter nearly drowned!” I shouted.
“Where’s the staff? Is there a defibrillator?”
Everyone around us stared in astonishment.
Mumu’s father tried to ignore the pain and turned to scold his wife. “Look at the kind of people you associate with! Mumu’s obviously having an allergic reaction to seafood. We need to get her to the medical room, and she’s saying it was drowning? This is a restaurant—how could she have drowned? This is all your fault!”
The people around us began murmuring, too. “Drowning? Is this some kind of joke?”
“Drowning in a restaurant? She could at least make up something believable.”
“She’s going to get someone hurt…”
Hearing them, Mumu’s mother looked panicked. She clutched my arm but didn’t dare interfere.
“Trust me. I can save Mumu.” I looked straight into her eyes.
Just then, a young woman rushed in carrying a defibrillator.
“Miss Hứa, let me take over. I’m professionally trained,” my personal steward said gravely.
I immediately lowered Mumu onto the floor. My personal steward took the defibrillator and began CPR, then knelt down to give her rescue breaths.
The people around us chattered excitedly, while Mumu’s father glared fiercely at me.
Minute after minute passed. Just as the cruise ship’s doctor arrived and was about to examine her, Mumu suddenly spat out a mouthful of water and burst into loud sobs.
“She’s awake, Mumu!” Mumu’s mother burst into tears and pulled her daughter into her arms.
Mumu sobbed and sniffled. “Mom… there were ghosts… They sank the ship… I couldn’t find you… I was so scared.”
“It’s okay. Mom’s here now,” Mumu’s mother soothed her, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing this, Mumu’s father’s expression softened a little, but he still muttered reproachfully, “How many times have I told you not to talk nonsense? Ghosts? Give it a rest.”
At Mumu’s words, the people around us looked troubled and began whispering among themselves. It was clear some of them remembered what she had said on deck.
My personal steward put away the defibrillator and smiled at me. “We managed to save her. Miss Hứa, you’re incredible.”
“Incredible, am I?”
I stared at her. “What’s your name?”
“Oh? I haven’t introduced myself? Then I must’ve forgotten.” My personal steward smiled and held out her hand.
“Hello, Miss Hứa. I’m your personal steward, Bạch Tịnh.”
“Bạch Tịnh? Your surname is Bạch?” I was a little surprised.
I reached out to shake her hand and felt that the tips of her index finger and thumb were slightly hard. I instinctively looked down, but Bạch Tịnh quickly pulled her hand away.
The cruise ship’s doctor examined Mumu, then took the group to the medical room. Dương Kỳ and I went with them.
In the medical room, Mumu’s father looked utterly unconvinced and peppered the doctor with questions. “We were eating at the buffet just now. How could Mumu have drowned? It has to be something else. Examine her again! Right, she ate seafood and drank soda—could she have choked because she ate too much? And your cruise ship is responsible for this. My daughter shouldn’t have to suffer like this for nothing!”
The doctor and nurse exchanged awkward glances.
I signaled to Dương Kỳ. He immediately took out his credentials and said to them, “You two can leave this to us.”
When the doctor and nurse saw Dương Kỳ’s credentials, they nodded and quietly left the room.
I stepped closer and took a White Rabbit candy from my pocket. “Mumu, do you remember me?”
“Mumu, thank her. She saved you,” her mother reminded her softly.
Mumu had been frightened just moments ago, but when she saw the candy in my hand, her expression finally eased.
I slipped the candy into her hand and asked, “Mumu, you just said the ship sank?”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense,” Mumu’s father cut in hastily.
I turned and gave him a cold look. “If you want to save your daughter, shut up. I can tell for myself whether Mumu’s telling the truth.”
“You… who are you, anyway? Do you have a medical license? I’m telling you, my family has no money. If you’re trying to scam us, forget it!” he accused me.
I couldn’t be bothered to argue. Turning to Dương Kỳ, I said, “Please take him outside for now.”
With the lives of everyone on the ship at stake, I didn’t have time to argue.
Mumu’s mother burst into tears and pleaded with her husband. “Honey, go outside for now. Miss Hứa isn’t a bad person. Let her help Mumu.”
Mumu’s father glowered, about to argue some more, but when he saw my expression, he could only mutter angrily, “Fine. If anything happens to Mumu, don’t blame me for not taking care of her.”
At last, the room fell silent.
I looked at Mumu. Head bowed, she held the candy in her hand and didn’t dare answer. I took her little hand and spoke gently. “I believe you, Mumu, because I saw what you saw, too.”
Mumu looked up at me in surprise.
“I saw the ship sink, too,” I said softly.
“We’re alike. We both nearly drowned, couldn’t find our families, and were terrified.”
Mumu squeezed my hand tighter.
Mumu’s mother asked uncertainly, “Miss Hứa, do you mean… what Mumu saw wasn’t a hallucination?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I asked Mumu directly, “This ship is going to sink soon. Do you want to help me save it and become a little hero?”
Mumu nodded, her gaze resolute. “What do we have to do to save the ship, sis?”
As long as she was willing to talk, everything would be much easier.
I thought for a moment, then asked, “Mumu, do you know whether it was day or night when the ship sank?”
“Night.” A trace of fear crossed Mumu’s eyes.
“Sis, when I first got on the ship, I was floating on the sea. It was really dark, and it was raining outside. But just now, I was inside the ship, and there were lots of people… They were all calling out, and I couldn’t find Mom and Dad.”
“At night? In the rain?” I repeated.
Just then, raindrops pattered against the medical room’s window.
Bạch Tịnh, the steward, stood nearby and said quietly, “According to the itinerary, the Princess Rose will reach the peninsula tomorrow afternoon. The ship will then remain docked for two days while passengers go ashore to sightsee and shop. When it leaves the peninsula, it’ll be morning, and it’ll reach Hokkaido that same afternoon. If the ship really does sink at night… it’ll be tonight. And it really is raining outside right now.”
“Tonight,” I repeated softly.