After a short while, class ended.
Zheng Hao stood up and immediately took out his phone from his pocket, dialing his family’s butler. He said, “Hello? Uncle Zheng? Ah! Yes! It’s me, Zheng Hao! You don’t need to bring the ship to pick me up today! I… hired a [Ship Maiden] to take me home! Yes… yes…”
After hanging up, Zheng Hao walked ahead while Mo Yurou, with her yellow hair raised high, followed behind him.
It looked like a delinquent girl tagging along behind her playboy boss.
There was no choice…
Mo Yurou needed the “delinquent” persona to barely protect herself.
“Tap tap tap~”
When they reached the railing.
“Splash~”
In the distant sea, many small boats were already approaching.
Looking closely, it gave off a sense of déjà vu from city life in the past, like parents driving cars to pick up their children after school.
“Hey…”
“Can I… wait until all the classmates leave… before I take you home…”
Someone tugged at the corner of his clothes. Zheng Hao turned his head and saw Mo Yurou lowering her head as she muttered softly.
“You’re afraid of classmates seeing?”
“It’s fine…”
“I can wait…”
Standing casually by the railing, Zheng Hao was not in a hurry to go home anyway.
He leaned against the railing and watched with his own eyes as blue light flickered from the chests of one girl after another, projecting toward the sea. Then projections of small boats flickered into existence on the water’s surface, appearing and disappearing until they finally materialized.
“Plop~”
“Plop~”
After ships of various sizes dropped into the sea, the projected [Ship Maidens] transformed into streaks of light and shot into the ships’ [Captain’s Cabin], disappearing.
“Rumble rumble~”
The sound of propellers turning echoed.
Most of the small boats could actually sail off on their own without drivers.
You have to admit.
You really have to admit.
Watching [Ship Maidens] transform was even more interesting than watching excavators.
As he stared at the ships forming on the sea with endless fascination, many boys and girls found it amusing. Some [Ship Maidens] even invited boys onto their decks to take them home.
Zheng Hao’s eyes were opened wide by the sight.
Good, good, good.
In the past, boys sent girls home. Now, female Ship Maidens sent boys home.
This world was amazing.
As for some boys who had no [Ship Maiden] to escort them, they either waited for their family’s ship or lived in dormitories.
And some…
Waited for their mom’s ship.
Yes, there would always be a ship to take you home. That ship was called “Mom.”
At the railing, it was like a scene of “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,” until… one person appeared and completely drew everyone’s attention.
Liu Ruyan.
When Liu Ruyan and Lin Man came out, her gaze drifted faintly toward Zheng Hao.
It was complicated.
After glaring at Zheng Hao for a long while, she glanced at Mo Yurou, then strode quickly to the railing.
“Zheng Hao…”
“Are you deliberately trying to use this trick to anger me?”
“I’m telling you, if at the [Awakening Assembly] you don’t awaken an ‘SS’-grade [Support Talent], don’t even think about me speaking to you again in this lifetime!”
“And her!”
“I really don’t know what’s wrong with you, finding a delinquent? What, are you that desperate?!”
Her contemptuous gaze fell upon them, and Mo Yurou’s small face puffed up like a pufferfish.
She was afraid of being bullied, but that did not mean she was weak.
With a cold expression, just as Mo Yurou was about to speak, Zheng Hao stepped in front of her first, his tone teasing and mocking.
“Campus belle Liu, before belittling others, maybe you should think about your student loan first… tsk tsk tsk… An A-grade ship, yet you can’t even afford your own maintenance fees?”
“You!!!”
“Fine, fine… Zheng Hao, before the [Awakening Assembly], if I say one more word to you, I’m a trash ship!”
Stunned into silence by Zheng Hao’s retort, Liu Ruyan’s face flushed red. On her heaving chest, a ruby-like mirror suddenly condensed.
Unlike ordinary [Ship Maidens], A-grade Liu Ruyan only needed to look at the sea, and the mirror reflected a beam of red light.
“Buzz buzz buzz~”
On the rolling sea, a projection of a cold white sailboat instantly appeared, 8 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, with a sail 12 meters high.
After flickering faintly for a few seconds, it solidified.
With a “whoosh,” Liu Ruyan turned into a streak of red light and shot straight into the sailboat’s cockpit.
An A-grade ship was truly an A-grade ship. Even its projection and transformation were much faster than others.
Although the Smoke Ship was only an 8-meter-long small vessel, the smaller the ship, the better it performed in speed during sea races or when escaping maritime disasters.
At this moment, on the azure sea, the cold white Smoke Ship swayed with the waves. The gray-white deck and hull bore strange dynamic patterns, reflecting an air of luxury.
On the sail was a flowing smoke design, billowing under the sea breeze.
Aside from the smoke-shrouded [Captain’s Cabin], there was almost no standing space on board. This destined it to be a vessel built purely for navigation.
“Rumble rumble~”
The moment the propeller roared to life, mist spread around the Smoke Ship, as if layers of smoke had grown from the hull, wrapping the small vessel.
“Buzz~”
The next instant!
The Smoke Ship exploded through a cloud of mist like drifting smoke, already dozens of meters away.
“Whoosh whoosh~”
Under the swirling smoke, even the [Ship Maidens] who had sailed out earlier were overtaken, left only staring at that drifting cloud of mist.
“Rumble rumble~”
The propeller’s sound grew fainter, yet more and more boys stood by the railing craning their necks to watch the Smoke Ship’s retreating figure.
There was no help for it…
Liu Ruyan might be a little fairy.
But an A-grade ship truly smelled sweet.
“Damn! I could watch the Smoke Ship’s takeoff ten thousand times and never get bored!”
“I can’t imagine which man will one day enter the Smoke Ship’s Captain’s Cabin and pilot it…”
“Hell! Let me drive it once, I’d give up ten years of my life!”
“…”
The boys’ voices of envy rang out constantly.
Among the crowd, Zhou Hang stood at the back, staring at the distant mist, greed filling his eyes.
“Good, good…”
“So this is the A-grade Smoke Ship?”
“You are mine! You can only belong to me, Zhou Hang!”
“Your Captain’s Cabin will only ever allow me inside in this lifetime!”
“Just wait… just wait! Sooner or later, I’ll pilot you and gallop across the [Mountain Sea Region]!”
Clenching his fists, Zhou Hang pushed through the crowd and walked straight toward Zheng Hao.
“Hey!”
“Zheng Hao, right?”
With his head held high, Zhou Hang shouted arrogantly.
Leaning lazily against the railing, Zheng Hao glanced at him sideways and said, “What’s the matter?”
“Hmph~”
“I’ve already heard about what happened!”
“According to the Human-Ship Law, men must not force [Ship Maidens] to do anything they are unwilling to do! I’m telling you, your harassment of Liu Ruyan has already violated the law!”
Standing on the moral high ground, Zhou Hang launched his attack.
Zheng Hao narrowed his eyes. “I thought you had something important to say…”
“So?”
“So! I advise you not to harass Liu Ruyan anymore! She… deserves a better pilot!”
Speaking righteously, Zhou Hang might as well have written “I’m more suitable” across his face.
“Tch…”
“Don’t put on that free competition act! “I’m not interested in Liu Ruyan at all! If you like her, go chase her! And harassment? Have you ever seen a guy harass someone by bringing gifts that the girl accepts?”
“Fine… you say I harassed her? Then have Liu Ruyan return all the gifts she’s accepted over the years before you call it harassment! Oh, friendly reminder, do you have money?”
“If you do, Liu Ruyan still owes the school store tens of thousands of yuan in maintenance fees! You can pay it for her!”
With a mocking glance at Zhou Hang, Zhou Hang’s aggressive posture instantly shrank.
“You!”
“Don’t think that just because you have money, you can do whatever you want!”
“Once something is given away, it’s like water spilled on the ground. How can you have the nerve to ask for it back?!”
“I also heard you left Liu Ruyan at the store and ran off. What kind of childhood friend are you?”
“You’re an embarrassment to men!”
“……”
Stunned by Zhou Hang’s strange logic, Zheng Hao looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“A second ago you said I was harassing her, now you’re calling me her childhood friend?”
“Bro!”
“Even being a simp doesn’t work the way you’re doing it.”
“I’ll say it again, how I spend my money is my business! Don’t try that moral blackmail on me! And… who the hell are you? Liu Ruyan herself didn’t say anything!”
“Since when was it your turn to bark here?!”
“You… you!!!”
After being shut down again in just a few words, Zhou Hang wanted to stir up emotions and rally the crowd into morally pressuring Zheng Hao.
After all, as the protagonist, he should shine in the eyes of the crowd.
But…
The onlookers watching the drama all shook their heads.
“Damn! I’ve never heard that being childhood friends means you’re obligated to pay for the other person. What, are childhood friends supposed to be unlucky? An ATM?”
“Honestly, Liu Ruyan never said Zheng Hao harassed her. How does an outsider have the nerve to defend her?”
“Damn! If you’ve got guts, why not pay off the campus belle’s loan first?”
“…”
Seeing the voices grow louder, Zhou Hang bit his lip and stomped his foot in frustration.
“Just you wait!”
“I said Liu Ruyan deserves a better pilot!”
“I’ll repay her debt!!!”
Turning around, Zhou Hang immediately ran out of the crowd…