It seemed rather affectionate toward her, likely because of the two pieces of food earlier and the sight of her opening sea urchins for the damselfish.
It had taken Zhong Xiwang for a kind person.
So, Zhong Xiwang cracked open a sea urchin for it too.
But its mouth was larger than those damselfish, and no matter how it tried to eat, it would get pricked.
Watching it open and close its mouth, shaking its head like a human who had bitten into something scalding hot, Zhong Xiwang found it rather amusing.
As if noticing her smile, Ning En nudged Zhong Xiwang with its bouncy head.
It made soft, chirping sounds similar to those of an orca.
Clear and adorable, combined with its appearance, Zhong Xiwang’s impression of this creature instantly changed.
Patiently cracking open sea urchins, she scooped out the flesh and fed it into its mouth.
Inside, it had two rows of sharp, needle-like teeth, and its large pink tongue was soft.
When Zhong Xiwang reached out to feed it, it obediently opened its mouth wide and waited.
After feeding it a few, Zhong Xiwang waved her hand, signaling it to leave so she could get back to work.
It swayed its head, flapped its two pectoral fins, and circled around Zhong Xiwang.
Looking at its bouncy little head, Zhong Xiwang couldn’t resist giving it a gentle rub.
It felt like jelly but was tougher and smoother.
While Zhong Xiwang was busy working, it stayed nearby.
When Zhong Xiwang cracked open another sea urchin for it, it eagerly approached again.
Zhong Xiwang roughly estimated that this creature had eaten almost as much as her entire net full.
It really had quite the appetite!
But seeing its naturally smiling face and innocent, adorable expression, Zhong Xiwang couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with it.
She simply began reducing the frequency of feeding.
Ning En didn’t rush her either. If Zhong Xiwang offered food, it ate; if not, it just watched from the side.
With it around, the damselfish didn’t dare approach, so all the sea urchins ended up in its stomach, leaving only scraps and traces of flavor for the others.
The sunset on the horizon was gradually being cut by the sea, marking the end of another day’s work.
As everyone was counting and tidying up, Vincent was about to approach her to talk when he saw Zhong Xiwang leap into the sea.
“Xi, it’s time to wrap up!” he could only call out as a reminder.
Zhong Xiwang turned around, waving one arm, “I’ll be right back!”
Watching her dive into the water, Vincent muttered in confusion, “Not even eager to finish work. Is there some treasure down there?”
Someone nearby overheard and teased him not to question a girl’s thoughts, as they have their own way of doing things.
Hearing this, Vincent asked curiously, “How do girls… think?”
Anyone could see that this young man had taken a liking to the Eastern girl. Seeing how eager he was to get closer to Xi, some of the married crew members began offering him advice.
“To cater to them, to please them?” Vincent softly repeated.
“But I don’t know what girls like.”
The young sailor looked eagerly at the experienced elders, thirsting for knowledge.
Parker, who had been standing nearby watching the crew work, said, “Xi is different from the girls in our country. If you want to know what she likes, you first need to understand her country’s culture.”
Having Parker point it out so bluntly, Vincent’s face immediately flushed bright red. He lowered his head, embarrassed and wanting to deny it, “I… I wasn’t…”
Everyone looked at Vincent’s obvious denial and understood perfectly well.
Amidst the laughter, Vincent, his head still burning with embarrassment, retreated into the cabin.
After pondering for a while, she took out her phone and began searching for information about Zhonghua Country.
Meanwhile, Zhong Xiwang was unaware of the conversation above. As she entered the water, she saw Ning En waiting for her in place.
The first thing she noticed was its upturned smile, which unconsciously evoked a friendly feeling toward it.
Seeing Zhong Xiwang return, Ning En swam toward her, swaying its head from side to side.
Accompanying its movements were adorable, crisp humming sounds.
Zhong Xiwang patted its head and quickly gathered many sea urchins for it.
Ning En happily ate while nodding.
It looked as well-behaved as the lively belugas and dolphins in the aquarium.
After feeding it, Zhong Xiwang hurriedly surfaced.
By then, the team members were already waiting for her above.
“Xi! Reluctant to go home?”
Hearing the teasing, Zhong Xiwang climbed onto the boat with Vincent’s help and joked in return.
“Yeah, no rent or utilities to pay, plus an all-you-can-eat buffet—definitely more cost-effective than renting.”
“Hahaha!”
Listening to Zhong Xiwang joking with everyone, Vincent beside her wore a gentle smile.
Zhong Xiwang stood by the railing, letting the howling sea breeze tousle her red hair as she stared at the stern.
Amid the surging waves, she could occasionally see the white figure following closely behind.
Until someone seemed to gather her hair.
Zhong Xiwang turned around to look at Vincent behind her. “Thank you.”
As she spoke, she took her hair back from Vincent’s hands and tied it up casually with a hairband.
“You’re… you’re welcome.”
Vincent lowered his head shyly, his flushed cheeks making the small freckles on his nose bridge even more noticeable.
To be honest, Vincent was the best-looking Australian Zhong Xiwang had seen in a while, even better-looking than Jess, who liked to take advantage.
His flaxen curly hair was fluffy and thick, and beneath his thick eyebrows, his droopy puppy eyes looked full of innocence. Combined with his occasional shy glances at her, his gray eyes seemed to speak with a tender, moving affection.
Moreover, foreigners generally had long eyelashes, especially Vincent, whose eyes had a very youthful appearance, as innocent and adorable as a baby’s.
He slowly took out his phone, holding it awkwardly in front of him. “Xi, c-can I have your contact information?”
The average height of Australians ranged from 1.8 to 1.9 meters, making Zhong Xiwang seem like a dwarf in front of him.
But due to Vincent’s shyness and nervousness, he completely lost the advantage of his height, resembling a child standing on a high stool.
Zhong Xiwang raised an eyebrow and agreed cheerfully. “Of course!”
“Hey! Xi, we want your contact information too!”
Several other teammates suddenly spoke up, breaking the atmosphere between the two.
Hearing their voices, Vincent looked up and saw their teasing gazes, his ears turning so red they seemed about to drip blood.
Zhong Xiwang subtly breathed a sigh of relief, using the opportunity to exchange contact information with everyone to distance herself from Vincent.
When it came to innocent, puppy-like types, she preferred to keep her distance.
Mainly because things here were just too open.
People were mostly passionate, and Zhong Xiwang really didn’t want to become the subject of gossip over a workplace romance.
Sensing Zhong Xiwang’s faint detachment, Vincent glanced at his phone, then turned his head to look toward the stern of the boat. His innocent puppy eyes narrowed slightly, the shyness and timidity on his face completely vanishing, replaced by a cold, sinister harshness.