96: Chapter 96 A Tender and Subtle Morning

While Li Taiping and Lin Shishi were enjoying their morning tenderness in the master bedroom on the third floor, the atmosphere in the dining room on the first floor was somewhat subtle.

Su Mei, Xia Zhi, Yun Jinxin, and the other girls were enjoying a sumptuous breakfast meticulously prepared by the fully automatic intelligent kitchen.

Fragrant toasted bread, golden fried eggs, sizzling bacon, along with steaming milk and freshly squeezed juice,

were laid out in a dazzling array across the long dining table.

Outside the dining room's massive floor-to-ceiling glass window, in a corner of the living room, Sa Wanwan sat silently by herself.

Her head was bowed, and the breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, making it impossible to see the expression on her face.

Her heart was twisted and conflicted, and an indescribable sense of grievance was brewing within her.

She was being isolated.

No, to use a trendier term, she was being mentally bullied.

They were inside enjoying delicious food and laughter, while she could only stay outside in the cold wind, starving.

But she knew better than anyone that this was the result of her own failure to fit in; she had brought this upon herself.

That woman named Su Mei had warned her yesterday, but she hadn't listened.

She... shouldn't regret it, right?

"Grumble—"

The protest from her stomach pulled her back from her complex thoughts to reality.

She was miserably hungry now, her stomach feeling as if it were on fire.

She usually loved yoga and had almost draconian requirements for her diet and figure management.

If her diet became irregular, the perfect figure she had worked so hard to maintain would fail to stay in its peak condition.

This was something she absolutely could not accept.

She had actually softened her stance; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the dining room door so early in the morning, crouching there and enduring this awkward atmosphere.

But she didn't dare go in, and she couldn't bring herself to lower her pride.

She was too embarrassed to ask for a little food.

After all... she had just boasted yesterday that she didn't need to depend on a man and could be self-reliant.

How long had it been since then?

Not even a full day, and she was already going to wag her tail and beg for pity?

Time slowly slipped away amidst her internal struggle.

The girls in the dining room seemed to notice her, casting occasional glances, but no one took the initiative to come out and speak to her.

Just as Sa Wanwan felt she couldn't hold on any longer, the dining room door opened.

Su Mei finished her luxurious breakfast, elegantly wiped her lips with a napkin, and then walked toward her with graceful steps.

Her expression was calm, and her tone betrayed no emotion.

"If you've thought it through, then follow me."

Su Mei didn't even look her in the eye, as if she were just passing by and had casually uttered an insignificant remark to the air.

After the words fell, her pace didn't pause or slow in the slightest.

She simply walked straight past Sa Wanwan, as if she were truly just a stranger.

Sa Wanwan snapped her head up, looking at Su Mei's enchanting back.

Even though Su Mei had spoken to the air, she knew those words were meant for her.

This woman's aura was too powerful, so powerful it made her feel suffocated.

Almost subconsciously, Sa Wanwan's body stood up uncontrollably, and like a little follower who had done something wrong, she silently followed.

Inside the dining room, the girls who witnessed this looked at each other and began to gossip in hushed tones.

"Sa Wanwan followed Sister Su Mei."

The elder of the Twin Sisters said softly.

"Yeah, I saw."

Yun Jinxin nodded, but her body involuntarily shuddered.

She seemed to recall the memory of being "meticulously taught" by Sister Su Mei when she first boarded the ship.

The feeling, even now, made her spine go cold.

Chu Mengyao's eyes, however, were shining brightly, her small face filled with a smile like brilliant sunshine.

Great!

It looked like she would soon have a 'companion'!

A companion with shared experiences and topics—women who had both been 'deeply disciplined' by Sister Mei.

Exchanging insights in the future would surely be very relatable.

Yu Tong looked completely baffled. She blinked her innocent large eyes, not understanding what was happening at all, only sensing that the atmosphere was very strange.

"What riddles are you all speaking in? I don't understand."

Yun Jinxin leaned into her ear and gave a simple explanation:

"That girl Sa Wanwan is about to be 'disciplined' by Sister Mei. Yikes, how pitiful, it's so scary."

Yu Tong still didn't quite understand what was so scary about it. To her, although Sister Su Mei was usually a bit lazy, she was actually quite a nice person.

Seeing her silly look, Chu Mengyao smiled and explained simply:

"Sister Mei is doing this for the Captain, for the harmony of our team. She's taking the initiative to play the villain."

"Oh..."

Yu Tong nodded half-comprehendingly, then said with some indignation:

"Sister Mei really worries herself to death for Big Brother Captain. He's still busy on the third floor with that Lin Shishi, while Sister Mei has to take over all the serious work herself."

The Twin Sisters, hearing this, immediately looked at her with teasing eyes:

"Oh, Yu Tong, did you go eavesdropping again?"

"I... I did not!"

Yu Tong's face turned beet red instantly as she stammered in defense:

"I... I was just curious... No, that's not right!

I wanted to go call the Captain down for breakfast!

Yes, that's it!"

"Your true thoughts accidentally slipped out," the younger of the Twin Sisters teased, exposing her.

Yun Jinxin watched the backs of Su Mei and Sa Wanwan as they disappeared into the second-floor stairwell and muttered softly:

"How do you know Sister Mei isn't particularly interested in this kind of thing and scrambled to do it?

After all, Sister Mei is usually so lazy; I've never seen her so proactive about anything else..."

"Little Girl, you've got some nerve, dare to speak ill of Sister Mei behind her back?"

Chu Mengyao immediately seized her "evidence" and threatened,

"Watch out, or I'll go report you later!"

"Eek! Sister Mengyao, don't do that! You're so mean!"

Yun Jinxin shrunk her neck in fear and quickly begged for mercy.

The girls burst into laughter, and the dining room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

During this time, only He Yushui remained silent, quietly eating her breakfast.

She was never one to speak easily or participate in such gossip.

She just silently scanned the room and found that almost all the girls living on the ship were here.

Except for one figure.

Xia Zhi.

As for where Xia Zhi went?

That frighteningly efficient woman had finished her breakfast ages ago and was probably back on the deck practicing her sword.

He Yushui even suspected if Xia Zhi had some kind of sword-practice addiction, where she'd feel uncomfortable all over if she didn't practice for a day.

Moreover, recently, besides that cold iron sword, she had even started studying those normal grade fishing rods from the treasure basin.

Wielding a fishing rod as a sword?

The image of that was quite bizarre just thinking about it.

He Yushui silently complained in her heart that on this ship, besides herself, there didn't seem to be a single normal person.

...