If Zheng Hao remembered correctly, in one week the [Awakening Ceremony] would be held.
At that time, without any surprises, he would awaken the [S-Class] talent [Lucky Dice], causing a frenzy among the [Ship Maidens].
But the original Zheng Hao, that “loser,” awakened an [S-Class] support ability and still insisted on chasing Liu Ruyan.
He let himself be strung along by her all the way until the [Initial Sea Assembly], never contracting a [Ship Maiden], thus missing the opportunity of the [Initial Sea Assembly].
Meanwhile, the transfer student male lead, Zhou Hang, awakened an “E”-Class talent [Amplify]. No [Ship Maiden] in the class wanted to contract with him, so he shamelessly formed a contract with Mo Yurou.
Piloting the [Demon Ship], Zhou Hang actually achieved third place at the [Initial Sea Assembly].
After upgrading Mo Yurou with various components, he practically sailed through graduation. In the end, he hooked up with Liu Ruyan. After gaining her favor, he abandoned Mo Yurou and began advancing triumphantly with Liu Ruyan…
Recalling the plot, Zheng Hao understood clearly.
If an “E”-Class [Demon Ship] could shine at the [Initial Sea Assembly], she must have something extraordinary.
If such a [Ship Maiden] followed someone with abundant resources like him, wouldn’t her prospects be even greater?
With that thought, Zheng Hao calmly walked to the desk beside Mo Yurou.
In the seat next to hers sat another yellow-haired boy, glaring at him with hostility.
Zheng Hao did not remember his name. He simply pointed at his own seat.
“Want to take a look at the [Smoke Ship]?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to?”
“Yes! Yes!”
“There… I’ll give you my front-row seat. Go ahead.”
“Re… really?”
The yellow-haired boy looked at Zheng Hao in disbelief. Zheng Hao waved casually and sat down beside Mo Yurou.
“You? What do you want?”
Mo Yurou turned her heavily powdered face toward him. In truth, she did not dislike Zheng Hao.
After all, in her eyes, he was just Liu Ruyan’s gift-giving follower. He had never done anything particularly excessive.
“Nothing special… I just want to get to know you. That’s all.”
Looking closely at her face, Zheng Hao could see her delicate features beneath the thick foundation.
She was not intentionally acting like a delinquent.
Zheng Hao remembered her backstory. Mo Yurou’s family was poor. Her older brother had gone out to sea early, and she still had a younger sister to support at home.
To avoid being harassed by shady part-time dock workers, she wore heavy makeup and deliberately put on a rebellious appearance to keep strangers away.
“Get to know me… You’re a young master. Why would you want to know me?”
Mo Yurou frowned, clearly unwilling to engage.
Zheng Hao smiled slightly.
“Hey… What if I said I could give you a job… one that guarantees you can support your whole family?”
“You… are you messing with me?”
The girl raised an eyebrow. Zheng Hao crossed his legs and leaned back calmly.
“I’m the young master of the Zheng Family. Why would I mess with you? How about this… From now on, you can be my shuttle ship for school. I’ll pay you 350 ship coins per day. You just pick me up and drop me off morning and evening, and you’ll earn over 10,000 ship coins a month. How about it?”
“Just… just driving you? You’ll give me that much?”
Gulp.
Gulp.
She swallowed unconsciously. Only Mo Yurou knew what 350 ship coins per day meant.
It meant she could move her sister into a better cabin. It meant better food. It even meant she could afford a few [Basic Maintenance] services for herself each month.
She fell silent.
She really needed money.
“Relax… It’s really just transportation. I won’t make you do anything else…”
His words sounded almost devilishly tempting. Mo Yurou hesitated before saying, “Then… then you absolutely cannot forcibly enter my [Captain’s Cabin]! No man has ever entered there before…”
“Oh? Don’t worry. I never force anyone to do anything. Walk home with me after school. I’ll treat you to a meal too.”
Zheng Hao turned his head calmly, the corners of his mouth lifting.
He understood that haste makes waste.
To enter a [Ship Maiden]’s [Captain’s Cabin], one had to gain her recognition.
The [Initial Sea Assembly] was still far away. He could take his time.
“Then…”
“It’s a deal～”
It was hard to imagine that Mo Yurou, who usually hid behind her yellow hair, suddenly extended her little finger toward him as if to make a pinky promise.
“You…”
“Still a child?”
Though he teased her verbally, Zheng Hao extended his little finger and hooked it with hers.
Beneath the thick foundation, the girl’s cheeks seemed to warm slightly, ripples stirring in her eyes.
[Ding! Congratulations on plundering a trace of favorability from the protagonist’s main Ship Maiden!]
[You have successfully plundered three strands of the protagonist’s destined opportunity…]
[The probability of awakening the SSS-Class talent “Dice of Destiny” has increased by 3%! Current awakening probability: 31%!]
“So this is how it feels to start draining the protagonist’s fortune?”
Zheng Hao stared at Mo Yurou until she lowered her head shyly. Only then did he look away.
……
At the front row, Liu Ruyan kept her head down, but her ears were sharply tuned to the conversation behind her.
For some reason, hearing Zheng Hao laughing and chatting with Mo Yurou made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
It felt… as if something that belonged to her had been taken.
“Hey… Ruyan, has Zheng Hao lost his mind?”
“Is he desperate? Going after that delinquent girl?”
“Could it be that since he can’t get you… he lowered his standards?”
“Eww~~”
“I heard Mo Yurou’s ship has carried a lot of cargo before! Who knows if any men have ever entered her [Captain’s Cabin]?”
Beside her, Lin Man, the round-faced girl in white, kept muttering.
Listening to this, Liu Ruyan felt even more irritated.
“Lin Man, don’t mention that guy to me!”
“From now on, I won’t say a single word to him!”
“Even if he kneels and begs me, I won’t care!”
After making that harsh declaration, Lin Man smiled. “Ruyan… you’re silly. Why are you so angry? Shanhai Region isn’t that big…”
“The Zheng Family’s bloodline has passed down the ‘Lucky Dice’ generation after generation. As long as Zheng Hao is truly born into the family, he’ll definitely awaken an S-Class talent!”
“He’s wealthy and powerful, and he’ll have an S-Class talent…”
“That’s not someone you should abandon…”
“What if you can’t find anyone better than Zheng Hao in the future? Won’t you regret it to death?”
Hearing her best friend’s words, Liu Ruyan frowned and felt a trace of regret.
“Maybe… I should give him a little sweetness and let him sit on my deck?”
The thought had just formed when she immediately crushed it.
No!
At the very least, only a man with an SS-Class talent can step onto my deck!
Just as she bit her lip in hesitation—
Creak.
The door of Class 304 opened. The homeroom teacher, Du Xingzhou, walked in with someone behind him.
“Students!”
“Quiet! Quiet!”
“Let me introduce you. Today our class welcomes a new transfer student from Canglan Region, Zhou Hang!!!”