"Do you need me to escort you back to your room?"
Honestly, Lex hadn't intended to escort the lady in front of him back to her room. The question was purely out of habit, and also to emphasize his current persona.
In his imagination, Miss Jennifer, who had a lover and possibly more than one, would not agree.
However.
She agreed.
"Alright."
The woman with wine-red hair looked at the young man in front of her, whose skin was slightly dark, features handsome, and who had knocked Glad out with a single blow. Her eyes shimmered with a Light.
Lex was stunned. Jennifer's agreement surprised him. It was too late to regret it now, so he could only bite the bullet and reach out to help the lady up.
They left the restaurant, came to the cabin, and arrived at a second-class cabin not far from Lex's room.
"So..."
"Come in and sit for a while." Jennifer once again disrupted Lex's plan.
Unsure if anyone was monitoring him nearby, Lex had no choice but to agree. He walked into the not-so-large room.
"Please wait a moment, I'm going to take a shower and will be back soon."
She had quite a bit of food stains on her, which even Lex, a male, found hard to tolerate, let alone a lady.
Jennifer quickly left with a change of clothes. Except for first-class cabins which had their own independent bathrooms and washrooms, other rooms needed to use communal shower rooms and washrooms, roughly one for every eight or nine rooms.
If it were evening, one would have to queue to take a shower, but at this time, the shower room should be empty.
So, not long after, Jennifer returned. Her body carried a clear scent of steam, and with water droplets still on her face, she looked like a delicate, vibrant flower.
She used a towel to dry her wet hair, and after drying it, she wrapped it up and then asked, "May I know your name, sir?"
"Rayleigh." Lex smoothly gave this name.
"Thank you very much for what you did in the restaurant earlier, Mr. Rayleigh." As the lady sat on the edge of the bed, the sea breeze blowing in from the window occasionally revealed a beautiful glimpse of spring through her loose neckline.
Lex quickly averted his gaze and smiled, "Any educated gentleman would do the same. You don't need to dwell on it, madam."
"My name is Jennifer."
"Hello, Ms. Jennifer."
Jennifer removed the towel, letting her semi-dry hair fall loose. A few strands stuck to her face and lips, making her look exceptionally alluring.
"Perhaps you can call me Miss…"
You already have a lover, this 'Miss'. I think 'Madam' would be a more appropriate address. Although he thought this, Lex still said, "My apologies, I assumed a lady as beautiful as you would have already started a family."
Jennifer let out a subtle laugh, her eyes boldly exploring Lex, "What about you? You're so young, you probably haven't started a family yet, have you?"
"No, in fact, I am already married," Lex said seriously, as if he truly had a family. "I have a beautiful, kind, and gentle wife. Her lamb stew is excellent. We plan to have a Charles in the spring, but this will increase household expenses, so I am traveling to Bayam, hoping to seek some business opportunities."
Jennifer's eyes immediately filled with disappointment, "Is that so? Well, I wish you success in finding what you hope for in Bayam. Um, if you don't mind, I plan to change my clothes."
"I haven't had lunch yet."
Lex followed her lead, "I also need to go back to the restaurant. Shall we go together?"
"No need, it will take me some time to change. You go ahead."
"Alright."
Lex walked out of the lady's room and closed the door for her, feeling a great sense of relief. Clearly, the lady had a good impression of him, but upon hearing he had a family and wasn't particularly wealthy, her interest immediately waned.
She was a practical woman.
Lex returned to the restaurant as usual, enjoyed his lunch, and then went back to his room.
In the evening, as Lex finished dinner and was about to return to his room, his intuition stirred, and then a blonde, blue-eyed lady with delicate features, a tall figure, and a smaller bust sat down next to him.
"May I speak with you, sir?" The other party's voice was somewhat neutral, but female characteristics could be heard.
Lex stopped his movement to stand up and smiled, spreading his hands, "It seems you've encountered trouble, Miss?"
"Yes."
"My name is Belie, and I'm a merchant. I was supposed to travel to Bayam on my own ship, but an accident occurred, so I had to travel alone by this ship."
The blonde woman lightly pressed her hand to her chest. Lex noticed that she was wearing a black gemstone ring on her hand. The ring was exquisitely crafted, with clear patterns, and the black gemstone was deep, seemingly containing tiny specks of gold dust.
"Just yesterday, I noticed a man constantly staring at me with ill intent. I'm worried he might do something bad, so I hope to hire a protector."
"At noon, I saw you stand up for that poor lady, and seeing how easily you knocked down that rude man, I think you perfectly meet my requirements."
"Protect me until we reach Bayam, 10 pounds a day. I wonder if you are willing to accept this commission."
10 pounds.
This was the difference between ordinary people and high-sequence powerhouses, a full 30-fold difference. Lex nodded readily, "Why not? I have nothing else to do on the ship anyway. Protecting a beautiful Miss like you from harm is itself a very meaningful thing."
"So, what do you need me to do?"
"I mean, the specific tasks."
Belie stated clearly, "First, I need you to switch rooms and move next door to me, so it's convenient to protect me. I can handle this issue for you, as long as you agree."
"Then, when I am active on the ship, please be sure to stay by my side. When I shower, I hope you can wait outside the shower room. In short, I hope to receive comprehensive protection."
Lex nodded, "No problem, I'll do as you say."
Belie said happily, "That's great, thank you very much. Oh, I still don't know what to call you."
"You can call me Rayleigh." Lex responded with a smile.
"Alright, Mr. Rayleigh. Now, shall we go switch rooms?"
"No problem."
So the two left the restaurant.
Belie's room was also a second-class cabin, located at the very back of the ship's cabin, where several rooms were unused. Belie seemed to have prepared in advance; she took out a key and opened a room adjacent to hers.
"You can stay here, is that alright?" Belie looked at Lex with anticipation.
"Of course, it's fine. This room isn't much different from my other one. Please wait a moment, I'll pack my things and move over."
"Alright."
Lex quickly returned to his room. As soon as he entered, he heard Richard's voice ring out, "They've started to act."
"That Belie, besides being a businesswoman, is also a crew member, a cleaner, and a certain male passenger..."
"If there are no surprises, this guy should be the mastermind named Charles, whom the big chef told me about."
Lex nodded, smiling, "I understand."
At the same time, he thought.
He had been baiting for several days, and the big fish had finally taken the hook.