The woman's cries for help woke Rookie, who groggily opened its eyes. The first thing it noticed was that its sleeping area had become more spacious.

Excited, it happily pranced around the boat, its tail wagging like a propeller.

From a distance, the woman saw something moving on the boat and immediately perked up. "Please, save me..." she pleaded as she swam toward Li Yuan.

After much effort, she reached a spot about twenty or thirty meters from the boat but could swim no further. She could only look at the wooden boat with eyes full of hope.

"We were shipwrecked, and my family is missing. The sea is so cold at night, and I have no strength left... Please, let me come aboard," she said, tears streaming down her face.

In the water, the woman was obscured by the side planks, unable to see the ship body clearly.

But Li Yuan could see her clearly from his vantage point. Despite her disheveled appearance, with hair plastered to her face, shivering, and clothes in disarray, she was a rather attractive Asian woman.

Her delicate oval face, likely weathered by the elements, had some freckles, but her skin was pale, perhaps from prolonged exposure to the water. Her features were well-defined, and her tearful expression was quite pitiful.

At this moment, the woman gazed at the wooden boat with eyes full of pleading.

Rookie, having had enough fun, stretched its neck to curiously observe the woman.

"If you save me, I'll do anything you ask!" the woman added, gritting her teeth as no one on the boat responded. "I have nothing left. If I die, I won't be able to find the culprit who harmed my family. I'm willing to sacrifice everything to save my life!"

Li Yuan was truly exasperated. In his previous life, he was in his prime, handsome and dashing, yet he never encountered such a situation.

Now, separated from his brother, a woman was offering such tempting conditions! Sure, she could do anything, but what could he do?

In the past, he might have been able to use a bamboo pole... but never mind, let's just sail the boat.

"Rookie, bring the wood over."

The woman heard someone speaking on the boat and watched as a large dog happily jumped into the water, swam behind her, and fetched a plank back onto the boat.

[Ding, obtained wood +0.2]

Li Yuan said with satisfaction, "Turn around."

This is why Li Yuan remained single in his previous life. Between wood and a woman, he chose the former without hesitation, leaving the latter behind. Besides, this woman was of unknown origin.

The rudder was adjusted, and the wooden boat was about to set sail... but although the direction was set, the boat didn't move!

Though Li Yuan was a boat, his situation was similar to the woman's. Both were drifting with the current, maintaining a stable relative distance, as if they hadn't moved at all.

The only difference was that Li Yuan didn't have to worry about sinking.

Still, it was a bit awkward; he had said he would leave, yet he hadn't.

The woman was also confused, but since the boat hadn't left, she seized the opportunity to plead again, "Wait! You, please... save me. If you leave, I'm doomed!"

"Why should I care if you live or die? We're not acquainted."

"But, I can do anything..."

"Ridiculous! Do you think I'm someone who lusts after women?" Li Yuan replied with great confidence.

"Then, what do you want? I can cook, clean, and even help you sail the boat. I'll do whatever you ask!"

"..." Li Yuan was silent.

Cooking and cleaning didn't interest Li Yuan, but the woman's last statement deeply moved him.

I can help you sail the boat!

Previously, Rookie could help Li Yuan paddle a bit, but now with the ship planks, Rookie couldn't operate well. Li Yuan was completely at the mercy of the ocean currents, drifting aimlessly.

He had some spare wood now, and if he made two oars, Rookie couldn't handle them, but this woman could!

No rush, let's think it over. As a boat, a woman could also be a threat to him, so he had to be cautious.

Last night, there was indeed a shipwreck here, consistent with the woman's story. However, she claimed they were attacked by others, which Li Yuan couldn't verify. When he arrived in the area, he only saw scattered items, no other vessels.

But that didn't mean the woman was lying; perhaps the perpetrators left after succeeding. If so, the woman's identity could be confirmed.

However, there was another doubt. He hadn't noticed the woman when he arrived, only receiving a system alert in the middle of the night. Perhaps she drifted too far initially, beyond the system's monitoring range, or maybe she wasn't a passenger on the shipwrecked vessel.

Verifying this wouldn't be difficult.

"Hey, let me ask you, what's your bra size? What's your favorite color?"

"This... um, didn't you say you're not a lecher?"

"Just answer my question honestly."

"Well," the woman said hesitantly, "at sea, if I encounter men, they might capture me, so I usually wear a size smaller to look less attractive. The color can't be too dark; I usually wear nude colors."

"What size exactly?"

"34A..."

"A? You dare say A! Hesitating for so long."

"But I should actually be a B," the woman muttered softly.

"B is barely acceptable... Wait, that's not the point. Almost got sidetracked by you," Li Yuan grumbled, then had Rookie help turn over the nude bra to check the size, which was indeed 34A.

Nude color, size 34A, matched!

Such a hidden question shouldn't be coincidentally guessed, right?

After pondering for a moment, Li Yuan finally decided. He instructed the system to tie the rope left earlier to a lifebuoy and tossed it in front of the woman.

"Listen, I saved your life, so you must obey me completely. If you dare defy me, I'll throw you overboard to feed the fish! Understand?" Li Yuan said fiercely.

"Okay, okay, you're my savior. I'll do whatever you say. Just, there's one thing I must clarify: if I find my enemies, you must allow me to seek revenge! Whether I succeed or not is none of your concern. If I succeed, I'll come back to follow you; if I fail... then..."

"Got it, get on board."

***

With all her strength, the woman finally got on the boat, only to be stunned.

"Huh, where's the person who was speaking earlier? And aren't these things from my boat? My clothes, and my..." The woman picked up the bra from the ground.

Li Yuan's voice echoed, "Now, these are all mine!"

Li Yuan was also frustrated. Damn, why am I competing with a woman over a bra! Why!

Discover the complete story on pawread dot com.

"Who's speaking?"

"Look under your feet!"

The woman leaned over the side of the boat, looking at the sea floor, "Are you a merman?"

"Merman your ass, I'm the boat you're sitting on! Kindly move your A-cup off my ship planks, thank you!"

It seemed it would take some time to explain things to the woman, but while she was still bewildered, Li Yuan opened the basic information panel and discovered some great news.

[Host: Li Yuan]

 

[Vessel: Small Single-Layer Plank Boat]

 

[Number of Crew: 2]

 

[Speed: Not equipped with a power system, immeasurable]

 

[Combat Power: 1.5]

 

[Load Capacity: 85.2/300 (kg)]

 

[Evolution Progress: 1.3/50 (wood)]

He now had a second crew member!

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Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan