58: Chapter 58 It's not the right time yet.

Li Taiping was completely stunned by those words.

What the...?

So direct?

He looked at the young lady before him, head bowed, cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and for a moment, he was at a loss.

That wasn't how the script was supposed to go!

According to his plan, this new girl, after witnessing the cruelty of the world, should be filled with fear and unease.

Then, he would step forward at the right moment, demonstrate his reliability and strength as the captain, and comfort her.

And, by the way, bring up the matter of Talent, guiding her to willingly accept the ritual.

But the current situation...

She actually brought it up herself?

And in such a shy, expectant tone?

Li Taiping swallowed hard, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over Yu Tong's fair, delicate, seemingly flawless face.

He had to admit, this girl was truly beautiful.

That kind of innocence and purity, untouched by the world, held a fatal allure for any man.

Especially her current appearance—gathering her courage to offer herself—made Li Taiping feel as if a fire had ignited in his heart, blazing up in an instant.

What official could withstand such a test?!

He almost agreed on the spot.

But in the end, reason overcame impulse.

He glanced at the still-unconscious Su Mei and the others in the cabin, then looked at this battered ship.

Now was clearly not the time for that sort of thing.

The girls were waiting for him to treat them, the ship needed repairs, and outside was still the perilous Extreme Cold Sea Region.

As the captain, he had to prioritize.

Li Taiping took a deep breath, suppressing the ripples in his heart.

He reached out, gently patted Yu Tong's head, and said in a tone that was as gentle as possible, yet left no room for doubt:

"I understand how you feel, but it's not the right time yet."

"Huh?" Yu Tong jerked her head up, her large, watery eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Rejected... she was rejected?

She had actively offered her most precious possession, and she was actually rejected?

An intense surge of shame and grievance instantly flooded her heart.

Does he... does he dislike me?

Or am I not pretty enough?

Yu Tong's mind turned to mush. Her eyes reddened, and she was on the verge of tears.

Seeing her about to cry, Li Taiping knew she had misunderstood and hurriedly explained:

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not about you, it's just not convenient for me right now."

He pointed at the unconscious girls in the cabin, then at the damaged ship.

"Look, everyone is still unconscious, the ship is broken, and we have more urgent matters to attend to."

"Let's wait until we've handled everything and settled down before we talk about the ritual, okay?"

His tone was sincere, his gaze frank, without a trace of disdain.

Yu Tong stared at him, listening blankly.

So... so that's how it was?

He doesn't dislike me, but has more important things to do?

In Yu Tong's heart, that sense of grievance and shame slowly dissipated, replaced by an indescribably complex emotion.

A girl, having mustered such great courage to offer her first time, only to have that man tactfully refuse with the reason of 'having serious business to attend to right now.'

This...

This man's self-control is just too strong, isn't it?

Any normal man, faced with such an offer from her, would probably have...

In an instant, Yu Tong's view of Li Taiping changed once more.

In her heart, Li Taiping's image transformed from a powerful and mysterious captain,

into a powerful, mysterious, extremely disciplined, and responsible perfect man.

A man like this was practically more perfect than the male leads in novels!

Suppressing the tumult of emotions in her heart, Yu Tong, face still red, gave a slight nod.

"I... I understand, Captain."

"Mm, that's good." Li Taiping nodded with satisfaction. This girl was quite easy to placate.

He then abruptly changed the subject, pointing at the unconscious girls on the floor and began giving orders.

"Jin Xin! Yu Tong!"

"Here!" Yun Jinxin immediately responded.

Yu Tong also hurriedly nodded.

"Come on! Let's carry them to my bedroom on the third floor first! Let them rest properly!" Li Taiping said.

"Huh? To... to your bedroom?"

Both Yun Jinxin and Yu Tong were taken aback.

"Yes, my bed has some special functions that can help them recover faster."

Li Taiping offered a brief explanation without elaborating.

What he didn't say was that the scene of five stunning beauties of various styles lying on his big bed was enough to make one's imagination run wild just thinking about it...

Ahem.

Now was not the time to think about that.

"Yu Tong, come give me a hand."

Li Taiping said to Yu Tong, who still seemed a bit down.

"Oh... okay."

Yu Tong snapped back to attention, quickly ran over, and together with Yun Jinxin, each took one side and lifted Su Mei, who was closest to them.

Su Mei's body was soft, and also quite heavy.

The two young girls exerted all their strength, barely managing to lift her.

Li Taiping wasn't idle either. Alone, he easily picked up Xia Zhi and Chu Mengyao, one in each arm.

The group then made their way in a grand procession towards the captain's bedroom on the third floor.

...

Soon, on the third floor of the 'Many Children, Many Blessings', in the captain's bedroom.

On that 【comfortable double bed】, a scene was unfolding that was enough to make any man's blood race.

Su Mei, Xia Zhi, Chu Mengyao, Lin Qingxue, Lin Weiyu—five stunning beauties lay haphazardly on the bed, filling it to the brim.

Some wore sexy nightgowns, some wore disheveled shirts, and some still wore ancient-style clothing...

Slender legs intertwined, dark tresses of hair scattered across the pillows, their sleeping faces serene and beautiful.

This scene was practically a paradise.

Li Taiping stood by the bed, admiring the view for quite a while before finally withdrawing his gaze, satisfied.

He knew the hidden trait of this bed, 【Continuous Recovery of Sanity and Health】, was now coming in extremely handy.

With it, The girls should recover from the aftereffects of the mental corruption fairly quickly.

Li Taiping couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude. That bed Li Jun had gifted him back then was truly sent at the most crucial time.

He owed him a huge favor.

"Alright, you two stay here and look after them for a bit. Call me if anything happens."

Li Taiping instructed Yun Jinxin and Yu Tong behind him.

"Mm, we will, Brother Taiping."

Yun Jinxin nodded vigorously.

Yu Tong also responded, though her gaze still drifted towards Li Taiping intentionally or not, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Without saying more, Li Taiping turned and left the bedroom.

Now, it was time to deal with his precious warship.

...