87: Chapter 87 The Masterful Skills of a Tea Ceremony

Li Taiping's calm and indifferent attitude made the words Sa Wanwan had prepared get stuck in her throat, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

She felt like she had put all her strength into a punch that landed on cotton; that sense of powerlessness made her want to go crazy.

Just as the atmosphere reached a freezing point, a voice as soft and charming as bone-melting honey broke the silence.

"Oh my, Sister, how could you speak to Big Brother like that?"

The beauty in ancient dress, Lin Shishi, stepped forward with graceful lotus steps.

She first gave Sa Wanwan a reproachful look, then turned her head to look at Li Taiping with watery peach blossom eyes full of heartache.

"Big Brother saving us from that cold platform is a heavenly blessing.

Instead of thinking about how to repay Big Brother, how can we turn around and criticize him?"

As she spoke, she naturally moved to Li Taiping's side, her tone and expression so moving that anyone who heard or saw her would feel pity.

"Big Brother, don't be angry.

This sister surely didn't mean it; she just... just doesn't understand how much you've sacrificed for us."

She sighed, her voice filled with infinite pity.

"To become number one in the world, Big Brother, you must have endured loneliness and difficulties unimaginable to ordinary people, right?

Unlike us, who could only sleep on the platform and couldn't help with anything."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. With Shishi here from now on, I will never let you face those storms alone again.

Tonight, let this little one serve Big Brother well and help you relax, okay?"

These words were spoken with such sincerity and emotion that they were truly heart-wrenching.

The scent of 'green tea' was so thick it could be smelled from miles away.

Li Taiping's lips twitched as he listened.

Good heavens, truly impressive!

This tea artistry was practically at the King level!

But... truth be told, he loved hearing it!

What man could refuse a peerless beauty showing concern in such a gentle and considerate way?

Seeing that Li Taiping's expression had clearly softened even though he didn't speak, Lin Shishi knew the first step was a success.

But she didn't stop there.

She was very sharp-eyed and had long since seen that in this team, besides Li Taiping, the absolute core, that charming mature woman was definitely the second-in-command who called the shots.

So, she immediately turned around and gave Su Mei a sweet and obedient smile.

"This sister must be Sister Su Mei, right? I just heard the system's introduction; Sister's Talent is the treasure basin. Our good life today is all thanks to Sister's contribution!"

She walked up to Su Mei in a few steps and intimately took her arm.

"Sister, you are so beautiful, and your skin is amazing!

What skincare products do you use? You must teach me more in the future."

"And this outfit of yours is so elegant! One look and I can tell you're the backbone of the team.

In the future, we little sisters will have to rely on Sister to look after us."

This string of extravagant flattery was delivered smoothly and seamlessly.

Su Mei's brow, which had been slightly furrowed because of Sa Wanwan, instantly smoothed out.

Looking at this sweet-talking, beautiful Little Girl who knew how to read the room, the smile on her face became much more genuine.

"You Little Girl, your mouth is so sweet."

She reached out and tapped Lin Shishi's forehead, saying with a smile:

"What a good little sister, you're quite lovable!"

On the side, Chu Mengyao watched, dumbfounded.

She was shouting 'holy cow' in her heart!

Truly impressive!

Can it even be played like this?

This operation was more exciting than all the soap operas she had ever watched combined!

This Lin Shishi was definitely a smart person!

She figured out the team's power structure at the fastest speed and used the most effective way to please the two biggest bosses at the same time.

These methods, this emotional intelligence—it was simply incredible!

Chu Mengyao suddenly felt that she was simply too weak.

Lin Shishi's series of maneuvers successfully dissolved the awkward atmosphere into nothingness.

The deck became lively once again.

Su Mei took her newly recognized "good little sister" and began enthusiastically introducing her to the other sisters on the ship.

Lin Shishi was also a socially adept person, and she soon hit it off with Yun Jinxin and the twins, calling them "sister" this and "sister" that quite intimately.

For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on these few people.

It seemed everyone subconsciously ignored two others.

One was Sa Wanwan, whose face was turning blue and white as she stood there, looking completely out of place.

The other was He Yushui, who had been standing quietly in the corner from beginning to end, as if she were about to shrink into her own shadow.

Finally, it was Su Mei who noticed this shy young girl.

"Alright, alright, stop crowding around Shishi,"

She smiled and clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

Then, she looked at the figure in the corner, her voice becoming much softer.

"That little sister, you come over too and introduce yourself to everyone."

He Yushui, who was called by name, trembled violently.

She looked up and saw everyone's eyes focused on her; her delicate little face turned beet red instantly.

She moved forward two steps hesitantly, nervously twisting the corner of her clothes with her hands, keeping her head down, not daring to look at anyone.

Her thin figure looked somewhat frail under the oversized dress, like a hemp stalk that could be blown over by the wind at any time.

This appearance was truly pitiable.

Her lips moved for a long time before she stammered in a voice as quiet as a mosquito:

"He... Hello everyone, I'm very... very happy to meet you all.

I... my name is He Yushui, I'm... I've just turned eighteen this year..."

After saying this, she couldn't speak another word, just buried her head even lower, wishing she could find a crack in the deck to crawl into.

"Pfft."

Seeing her green and shy appearance, Su Mei couldn't help but chuckle.

This girl was too innocent.

Looking at her timid appearance, if she were washed clean and tossed onto Li Taiping's bed one day, she probably wouldn't even resist.

At this moment, Li Taiping, who hadn't said much, finally spoke.

He didn't look at Sa Wanwan, but instead fixed his gaze on this most inconspicuous Little Girl.

"Welcome to the team, He Yushui, Lin Shishi."

He paused and said calmly to Su Mei:

"Su Mei, take them to get familiar with the ship's environment first and arrange their rooms."

"Sure thing, Captain~"

Su Mei gave him a wink, then enthusiastically greeted Lin Shishi and He Yushui, preparing to take them into the cabin to tour their new home.

From beginning to end, Li Taiping never mentioned Sa Wanwan's name, nor did he even give her a single glance.

This blatant disregard made Sa Wanwan feel worse than any harsh scolding.

Li Taiping didn't lack women, especially beautiful ones.

He didn't need to suck up to some self-important person who didn't care.

Besides, didn't he see Su Mei's eager appearance?

Pampering his own woman and making her happy was the most important thing.

If this Sa Wanwan really couldn't fit in, then he, Li Taiping, couldn't be blamed for being heartless.

His team didn't need disobedient burdens.

Even if she was a beautiful vase, he didn't want her!

Sa Wanwan stood in place, feeling the playful or pitying looks from those around her, her face burning.

She bit her lip hard, feeling so wronged she was about to cry.

Why?

Why could that 'green tea' be treated like a star?

Why could that coward be welcomed?

While she, with such strong abilities, was ignored like this?

These people... did this count as mental bullying?

However, at this time, Li Taiping had no time to deal with her little emotions.

Because at the moment he gave the order, a long-awaited system notification sounded in his mind!

[Detected that the number of crew members has reached 10, meeting the conditions for Talent advancement!]

[The Talents of crew members Su Mei, Xia Zhi, Yun Jinxin, Chu Mengyao, Lin Qingxue, Lin Weiyu, and Yu Tong have automatically advanced!]

[Please note: There are many people advancing this time, and the amount of information is huge. Captain, please be prepared!]

It's here!

Li Taiping's spirits were instantly lifted.

He watched Su Mei lead the group of chattering girls, ushering the two newcomers into the cabin, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

He was completely at ease leaving the matter of new members to Su Mei.

Now, he wanted to take a good look at what kind of heaven-defying surprises this mass Talent advancement would bring him!

...