Chapter 265

The chief mate and captain, these people, having sailed the Princess for many years, were already experienced with such luxurious banquets; meanwhile, some ordinary crew members, having never seen such a scene, were completely dazzled.

For some reason, these people seemed very interested in them; elegantly dressed noblewomen gently waved, and the folding fans in their hands stirred up waves of fragrant breeze.

Many crew members wore a half-drunk, satisfied expression; these people, who spent years drifting at sea and sometimes went ten days or half a month without passing a ferry, would stare straight at any woman they saw.

Ling Yue clearly saw, in a dimly lit corner on one side, a woman with her nails painted bright rouge, lightly stroking a crew member's chest muscle.

They themselves didn't realize it, but from an observer's viewpoint, it was obvious at a glance that these people had clearly become the prey in the Pan Si Cave.

Moreover, some people gathered around the wine table and began to drink heavily.

The swirling puffball skirt fell with the music, suddenly stopping as the dance ended; Ling Yue withdrew her gaze, meeting Jun Jun's eyes, she let out a soft sigh and rested her head against his chest.

The body beneath her palm suddenly tensed.

After a moment, the boy slowly reached up to touch her hair; a faint fragrance seeped into his chest. He lowered his head, his dark gaze fixed on the girl, her fair ears and neck complementing each other, her black, soft hair seeming like threads of love entwining around his heart.

Ling Yue couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth; yet their behavior attracted no one's attention.

She was just about to rest when she suddenly heard a hesitant voice: 'Ling, Ling Yue Master?'

Ling Yue startled, then immediately lifted her head; upon seeing the comer, she blinked, showing no surprise whatsoever: 'Daelina.'

On the contrary, Daelina, upon seeing her, felt so embarrassed she wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide; not only because she had bumped into her and her lover being intimate, but also because Ling Yue's earlier admonition still echoed in her mind, and she had listened seriously and answered seriously.

But the reality was, she couldn't even last two hours.

Daelina blushed and stammered, unable to speak.

Ling Yue's gaze swept over her cheeks, and seeing no deathly aura there, she deemed her relatively safe.

She greeted: 'What's wrong?'

Daelina, extremely embarrassed, twisted the corner of her clothes and forced herself to say: 'Sorry, I, I didn't listen to you.'

Ling Yue said indifferently: 'You're already out; what's the point of saying these things now?'

She shifted her tone and suddenly warned: 'All of this is fake; you must not indulge in it. Also, do not leave your room at night, and do not listen to anyone's words!'

Considering that the panda family had been saved by Chakes, she softened her tone toward this descendant of Chakes and continued: 'You can go look for the previous talisman papers; they might still work and can be reused. Pick a few sheets to take with you—they'll keep you safe.'

Daelina's face showed shock, nodding like a chick pecking at rice: 'Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely remember!'

Ling Yue responded with an affirmation, 'Remembering is best.' But seeing her dazed and confused expression, Ling Yue couldn't help but tilt her head, wondering whether she would actually remember; she had long noticed that the ship's magnetic field was off, capable of shielding human memory—just look, wasn't the previous Jest the same?

Ling Yue could swear that Jest was Dick, the person she wanted to save; however, because the Goddess and the Ghost Ship had been intertwined for too long, he had lost himself and become a character in the story.

After Ling Yue finished speaking, she and Jun Jun left hand in hand; as she walked into the crowd, strangely, these people seemed not to have seen them at all, not even giving them a glance.

Clearly, this pair of them possessed outstanding and stunning looks and demeanor, in no way inferior to the previous Jest and Anna.

Ling Yue suddenly stopped walking, tilted her head, and asked Jun Jun: 'Do you have anything you want to say? For example, why don't I just directly save them, merely giving a few orders?'

The man blinked, then let out a light laugh.

Ling Yue laughed along, her long, thick eyelashes casting a half-fan-shaped shadow; she said: 'I'm not an omniscient, omnipotent god who must save everyone; those who seek their own death, let their fate decide.'

'Do you think I'm cold-hearted?' Ling Yue looked at him; although it was a questioning sentence, her eyes showed no hesitation or doubt, and she also knew that asking this, she didn't care whether Jun Jun would answer.

If she were the type to hesitate and be indecisive, she might have already been targeted and killed by dark-minded people right from the start.

The boy gripped her hand tightly in reverse, his voice calm: 'Fate has long been arranged; your earlier intervention has already done enough, Yueyue, you've done a great job!'

Ling Yue blinked slightly, looking at the boy: 'Did you go somewhere to study? Otherwise, how would you suddenly start saying these sweet nothings?'

She smiled and kissed his cheek; her red lips were as soft as frozen ice, yet like a dragonfly touching water—brief and fleeting.

'Boyfriend, let's go.' She took his hand and stepped step by step into the crowd.

The man was shocked, as if his soul had left his body; one hand stiffly touched his cheek, and a flicker of green light passed through his eyes.

She kissed me.

'What's so surprising about that? We were meant to be a pair from birth… wait, Yueyue actively kissed you? You're shameless!'

The man automatically blocked out that noise, stroking his chest; the strange feeling made his heart race, he didn't even frown, he pondered for a while and finally concluded: she had placed a curse on me!

'Bastard! You bastard, you took advantage and still act innocent!'

'What curse? It's clearly that your heart fluttered!'

'This is my body, my body! My girlfriend! Mine! Yueyue is my girlfriend! Don't be shameless, you're stealing my body! Ahhh, once I get out I'll kill you!'

The man lowered his green eyes, his inner voice communicating with him: 'This is also my body; we were originally one entity—you are me, I am you, what's yours is mine.'

Afterward, he followed Ling Yue away without changing his expression; his emotionless gaze fixed on the girl ahead held myriad tenderness.

After talking with Ling Yue, Daelina became absent-minded; looking at her affectionate older brother and sister-in-law, she found an excuse to leave; before departing, Jest told her where he lived, saying if she couldn't find a room, she could come find him.

Daelina's first reaction was: what?

Looking again at her brother's eyes, it was clearly pity; in his gaze, she seemed to have become a homeless wanderer.

When had this young lady of a wealthy family ever been pitied like this? She was certainly not pitiful; before the ship's merger, this was her family's!

Daelina's cheeks puffed out from anger, like a pufferfish; she ran quickly, still remembering the formation Ling Yue had set up earlier; when she ran near it and took a look, she couldn't help but be stunned.

The empty formation had no one left, not even a dog.

Harley: 'Ah Qiu!'

Who's been muttering about me? It rubbed its nose, looking toward Wendy on the side; gentle Miss Wendy approached, recalling the earlier scene, and it felt a bit embarrassed.

It blinked its big, watery eyes: 'What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?'

Harley shook his head: 'How could that be? My body is the best! Don't believe me? Feel it!'

It foolishly tensed its body, stood up, revealing its signature sturdy physique; Wendy suddenly ran off, saying: 'Who wants to touch you?!'

Harley immediately gave chase; the two dogs ran wildly through the hall, rolling and tumbling into a corner.

Getting back to the point, Daelina finally understood what Ling Yue had said earlier; she covered her face in embarrassment—those people had actually all run away?!

She was still the first one to run.

How embarrassing! How could she dare to call out to Ling Yue and disturb her? Now recalling her previous actions, she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself, or else run to the deck and leap down into a shark's mouth.

In short: it's socially dead QAQ

She found that no one ever passed by the formation; scattered on the ground were these few talisman papers. She carefully picked out some, but most of them were covered in footprints, clearly trampled and unusable.

Dailina turned her head, looking at the backs of Ling Yue and her boyfriend as they left, and suddenly realized something: wherever the master and her boyfriend went, no one seemed to notice them.

Suddenly, a rough voice sounded; before she could turn her head, she smelled a strong, drunken alcohol scent.

Dailina frowned involuntarily, then looked over; they seemed to be crew members of the Princess ship, wearing uniform uniforms, with a black external belt around their waists engraved with the white rose crest of the Mei Yi Si family.

His face flushed red, he shouted drunkenly at her: "Miss Dailina!"

Next, a pair of gorgeous hands painted with red nail polish extended from the side; a pallid finger hooked his waistband, and a heavily made-up woman gave a charming laugh: "Dear Lu Yi, let's continue……"

Dailina stared in astonishment at the unfolding events.

The drunken crewman turned his face, turned his face, he opened his chest, revealing a section of his neck—wait! A flicker of surprise crossed Dailina's eyes: it was a faint red lip print, and…… a tooth mark?

The woman didn't even glance at her, directly hooked the crewman and left; they slipped into the crowd like fish diving into the sea, vanishing instantly, leaving her no time to inform anyone!

After this, Dailina's mind was in utter chaos, completely unable to describe her shock.

She staggered backward, her gaze drifting over the scattered crew members in the hall; observing closely, some were being entangled by guests. Dainina notified everyone she could find, heightened vigilance, and doled out the talisman papers in her hand sparingly.

At the same time, a choice window suddenly popped up in the livestream room.

【Story begins, please vote: choose 1: Jie Si Te and An Ni; 2: host Ling Yue; 3: the bizarre crew members.】

The netizens were stunned, instantly interested; no matter how beautiful the scenery, after seeing too much they grew tired, and they unanimously chose the protagonist—this side of Jie Si Te!

【The host's side is definitely a crushing victory; besides, she left earlier, put down her phone—doesn't that mean she didn't want us to watch, so she's still not going!】

【Choose the protagonist! Definitely choose the protagonist! The protagonist's side is where the usual plot happens! This is my years of experience watching dramas and movies!】

【Nsdd! Choose the protagonist; at a glance those side plots are just cannon fodder!】

【Wait, what's with protagonist, supporting character, cannon fodder? Do you think this is watching a movie?】

【Could it not be? With such a grand production, the producers surely spent a lot of money, yet they chose online livestreaming! As an outsider watching, I feel heartbroken!】

【……】

【I've screenshotted and searched, why can't I still find this movie? It shouldn't be; even if it's a bad film, looking at the realistic set, the handsome male and female leads, just by their faces I could keep watching! 【scratching head】【scratching head】】

【⊙﹏⊙ You'd be lucky to find it! This isn't a movie at all, it's a livestream! The people on the ship aren't actors, they're ghosts! 【ghost】【ghost】】

【What nonsense are you spouting Σ(OдO|||)//！】

One doesn't need to think to know that those who posted these comments are people who haven't followed the livestream; otherwise, how would they treat it as a movie?

Astonished by this group's ignorance, netizens casually searched and found that after seeing the livestream, the Hujing platform immediately began marketing, plus netizens' spontaneous word‑of‑mouth, the livestream ghost ship, or overlapping time‑space—none of these failed to boost popularity!

Thus, it attracted a massive amount of traffic spread across countries; naturally, some assumed it was merely a movie promotion.

Netizens who knew the details: 【image of someone falling over】. JPG

At this point, they realized the number of people in the livestream had exceeded ten digits!

Cen Ming's mouth was about to split from laughing; on the data chart before him, the total traffic of all Hujing livestreams combined still couldn't match that of Ling Yue's single livestream—ranking second in real‑time online popularity, not even reaching a fraction of Ling Yue's numbers.

After all, even he himself couldn't tear himself away.

Cen Ming rubbed his hands, eyes fixed eagerly on the screen.

The camera indeed moved to the inseparable couple's side; Jie Si Te's stunning performance crushed the pursuers who were like misshapen melons and split dates, indirectly allowing him to win the beauty.

An Ni gazed at him with lingering, adorable eyes; they avoided the crowd and paused in the hallway.

【How beautiful!】

【Is this really a cabin? Isn't it a five‑star hotel?】

Under the slightly dim chandelier, an expensive and gorgeous Persian carpet wound toward the distance; the two newly‑formed lovers merely exchanged glances, both feeling shy and nervous.

An Ni's face quietly flushed a rosy hue; black hair fell at her temples, and Jie Si Te instinctively lifted it—only to meet the soft fingers of his beloved.

In an instant, a strong current surged through their bodies.

Once their relationship was confirmed, even holding hands made the couple blush, and meeting each other's gaze felt sweet.

Watching them interact, the livestream netizens couldn't help but recall their own love lives.

【I thought of my first love; back then I was just a clueless kid, not knowing how to cherish it—now I really regret it!】

【Wuwuwu, my first love is currently slumped over the study desk there, teaching my son to do homework QAQ】

【Huh, why cry? This isn't bad at all!】

【She's the private tutor I hired at great expense QWQ】

【Ah this…… take care, bro!】

【It's fine, I'll step in; my first‑love boyfriend is currently bringing me foot‑washing water, and our baby will be born in a month!】

【Congratulations congratulations!】

The livestream was filled with congratulations.

Looking again at the naive, ambiguous couple, their feelings grew ever more genuine.

Jie Si Te was earnest yet shy; even though his ears were completely red, he forced himself to keep talking with An Ni—any trivial matter became a major event between them.

In the quiet hallway rang a girl's clear, bell‑like laughter.

"Really? You really climbed a tree to save that poor kitten?" An Ni gazed at him warmly.

Jie Si Te laughed and affirmed: "Really, it was terrified; when I touched it, it let out a meow, then suddenly stretched out its claws—sharp as a little knife—but luckily I——"

His voice cut off abruptly; the girl eagerly grabbed his hand, pulling apart each finger to examine: "Any wounds left?"

"An Ni."

Jie Si Te gazed tenderly at the woman he adored; their four eyes met, an indescribable affection flowing silently between them.

The distance between them grew ever closer; in the dim light, their lips nearly touched.

Then, suddenly, a light cough sounded.

The ambiguous atmosphere shattered instantly; the lovebirds, unable to restrain themselves, jumped apart like startled cats.

A mood‑killing steward appeared—indeed, the old man who had stood beside the misshapen‑melon‑and‑split‑date suitors earlier. He wore an immaculate three‑piece suit, his hair already gray‑white, every wrinkle on his face a trace of time, and his eyes unusually bright.

His gaze skimmed past Jiesite, straight to Anna, he lowered his head slightly before saying, "Miss, you should return to your room; it's too late, it harms your body."

Anna: "Oh, okay."

She instinctively avoided the old man's sharp gaze, like a child who had done wrong, her body tensed up severely.

Jiesite likewise, he seemed to see a strict parent; guilt and nervousness made him unable to sit still.

Seeing Anna about to leave with the butler, Jiesite finally mustered courage: "Anna!"

The girl turned her head, her blue-green eyes like the most precious sapphire in the world.

The shy boy ran over a little: "Anna, goodbye."

As he spoke, he handed over the thing in his hand, so fast it was impossible to see clearly.

Anna's cheeks flushed instantly, a deep red like a budding rose, her heart pounding.

She closed the door, leaving only Jiesite and the old butler facing each other; the latter wiped his fingers, gazing at him gloomily, as if looking at a bedbug.

"Miss Anna is an upper-class cabin guest; her father is a count, her fiancé is a legislator's son; thank you for looking after Miss Anna."

He smiled and handed over a check: "This is your pay for this period; you made her happy."

In an instant, Jiesite's face turned deathly pale.

He staggered away, the defeated young man lowered his head, like a heavy bundle of rice, bent at the waist by heavy thoughts.

The butler watched him go.

Just beyond the wall, the girl Anna was overjoyed; she kicked off her shoes and flung herself onto the bed, tossing and turning, her expensive silk dress instantly wrinkled, almost unlookable.

But she didn't care at all, lying on the bed with brows curved, arms spread, a folded paper heart.

Her heart pounded, beating hard.

Under the light, Anna gazed at the stacked paper heart with a full smile; her vanity table was full of rare treasures—a blue sapphire necklace the size of a pigeon egg, a ruby-set brooch, large round pearl earrings—but she didn't glance at any of them.

She looked at the heart in her hand, like a priceless treasure, slowly, slowly placing it against her chest.

"Thump thump!"

"Miss Anna, you should go to sleep."

Anna startled, her body instinctively tensed, she replied: "Okay, I'll be right there."

Anna feared him just seeing him, hearing his voice made her nervous; but in every way, the butler was diligent and responsible—Uncle Laien, who had cared for her since childhood and was her mother's confidant, a strict butler; her mother, on her deathbed, entrusted her to the butler, asking him to bring her to find her father.

A delicate rose needs thorns to guard it, just as pure Anna needs a strict butler; otherwise, she would have long been deceived by rakes.

Therefore, although she feared him, she did not keep her distance; she deeply respected this elder.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she unfolded the heart; the sharp lettering on it brought her to tears for a moment.

This is the story of "Adelina by the Water."

By her bed, Wendy lay on the small bed, watching her owner cry then laugh, recalling that silly dog named Harley.

Will we be able to see him/it again tomorrow?

This was the last thought before the master's pet fell into a dark sweet dream.

【One day passed? Time flew by!】

Some people worried the livestream was too long, they still had things to do, but they didn't expect that with a blink, the night had passed; it was just like a movie clip, no wonder some thought it was a film.

A new day, the deck bathed in warm sunlight, the sky clear and bright, the breeze gentle and the weather lovely.

A piercing scream suddenly rang out, breaking the calm.

The scream instantly woke Dailinna; she curled up, her body making crackling sounds, completely sore and weak; accustomed to sleeping on a velvet mattress, she never imagined she would end up sleeping on a hard plank bed.

But when she saw her brother spreading out a blanket on the floor, that complaint vanished instantly.

She touched the tip of her nose, truly embarrassed; she had almost slept on the deck, but if her brother hadn't given her a bed, everyone would have frozen to death now.

Dailinna slapped her forehead, rose immediately, walked past the sleeping Jiesite, and headed outside.

Her face full of doubt and vigilance, whose scream was it?:,,.