Li Mingxu and the others began chanting slogans in rhythm. Although they had a language barrier with these white men, shouting a single word was well within their capabilities.

"You lost. Are you honoring the bet or backing out?"

Wang Zhuo asked Kuqi calmly, smoothing his cuff.

"I'll jump for him, how about that?!"

Cole rushed forward, glaring menacingly at Wang Zhuo.

"Sure," Wang Zhuo shrugged with a smile. "The whole thing started because of you anyway, and this fellow looks like he won't be swimming for a while."

Cole snorted angrily, yanked the paper wads out of his nostrils, and sputtered a few words to his companions. After a brief argument, Cole ultimately prevailed, shouting loudly to Lieutenant Colonel Monning, "Lieutenant Colonel Monning, please bear witness for us! I'll settle Mr. Kuqi's debt to this Chinese man!"

Monning nodded with a wry smile and immediately ordered the ship's crew and sailors loudly to prepare life rings and a motorboat, ready to pull Cole out the moment he hit the water.

It was supposed to be the first day the British Ministry of Defence provided for customers from various countries to view the Royal Princess, and no one expected such an impromptu episode. Everyone treated it like an impromptu show, watching with keen enjoyment and feeling no sense of wasted time.

"Splash!"

The American, Cole, with a look of resentment and fury, leaped from the deck, more than ten meters high, into the azure sea under the gaze of all present.

Below the deck, a motorboat and three British soldiers were already waiting to conduct the rescue—the bet, after all, did not include him having to swim back to the mainland after jumping in.

Kuqi and the other two immediately boarded a helicopter prepared for them. The British military would deliver Cole to the destroyer anchored nearby, where the four of them would rendezvous before heading directly back to London.

—The loser leaves the Royal Princess immediately; this was also part of the wager.

Only then did Wang Zhuo have the leisure to inquire about the background of Cole and the other Americans. It turned out they hailed from a large American shipbuilding corporation. Although they had also paid a deposit to participate in today's viewing event, their objective was not to purchase the Royal Princess, but rather to build rapport with the potential bidders and lobby for the refitting contract for the vessel.

"So they were just tagging along for the ride," Wang Zhuo chuckled, relaying the explanation to Li Mingxu and the others, who all found it amusing.

It was impossible to host over a hundred viewing guests simultaneously. Moreover, the Royal Princess was so vast that its dimensions were not closely related to the world-famous Titanic. Dividing into several groups was easy enough.

After Wang Zhuo finished dealing with the strangers who came up to greet him, Liu Jieming had already gone ahead with a group of more than twenty customers. Wang Zhuo scanned the area with his X-ray vision and discovered they had already descended into the lower cabins!

You can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple. Wang Zhuo curled his lips. The Royal Princess was only just over two hundred meters wide; his X-ray vision could monitor the entire ship’s interior with ease. Was he worried this brat could slip away quietly?

"Allow me to be your guide, then," Monning stepped forward with a welcoming smile. He felt it was best to personally host this prickly fellow to prevent any further trouble.

"It would be my honor," Wang Zhuo nodded gentlemanly, asking with delight, "Does that mean I will have the honor of accompanying Miss Eileen Top?"

McTavish was Monning's old superior, so it was natural for Monning to host him personally. Monning inviting Wang Zhuo to join their party was a small, pleasant surprise.

Eileen Top stepped forward, smiling at Wang Zhuo. "The King of China, you are truly formidable."

"In-eeng? I am undeserving of such praise," Wang Zhuo waved his hand. "In-eeng would be a better way to address me."

McTavish didn't grasp the meaning and looked quizzically at his granddaughter. After Eileen explained, the old man burst into laughter. In English, Jack meant sailor or car jack, Mac meant microphone, and Helen meant torch—it was nothing strange to be used to such things. But Wang Zhuo's surname was quite interesting; the King of China was indeed domineering and cool!

"Pleased to meet you, King of China." After her grandfather shook hands with Wang Zhuo, Eileen Top also enthusiastically stepped forward to shake his hand, saying with a sweet smile, "Your martial arts are amazing. If possible, I hope you can be my action choreographer when I star in action films."

Wang Zhuo readily agreed, but secretly sighed. His fighting skills were all practical and not aesthetically pleasing for the screen. He could fight, but filming it wouldn't be flashy or dazzling enough. Combat and performance were entirely different matters!

Seeing the international superstar up close gave him a strange sense of unreality, and conversing fluently with her in English was also a novel experience for Wang Zhuo. He even noticed a few tiny, faint freckles on Eileen's face, which felt subtly peculiar.

Wang Zhuo had encountered movie stars, even superstars, before, but he hadn't felt anything particularly special about them. Including Ning Yao—before meeting her, Wang Zhuo hadn't even known such an accomplished film empress existed. But Eileen Top's fame was something Wang Zhuo had known about for a long time, and she operated in Hollywood, on the other side of the world. They were truly from two different worlds.

Yet now, the distance had closed so significantly. The gentle, intelligent, courageous, and resolute magical girl from the silver screen seemed to be standing right before him as if time itself were distorted. Her hand was soft and slightly cool, her body carried a faint scent of youth, and her spoken English had shifted from the American accent of the movies to the British cadence of daily life. Her expression now held a touch more elegance and reserve. This sensation was profoundly subtle.

The group began descending the stairs into the interior of the Royal Princess. Eileen walked ahead. As Wang Zhuo discussed some details about the decommissioned aircraft carrier with Li Mingxu and the others, he occasionally caught sight of Eileen’s elegant silhouette and found himself somewhat captivated.

A girl of fifteen or sixteen was still considered a "child" in Wang Zhuo’s eyes; even the twin sisters "Qiuqiu" were older than Eileen. But Eileen had already reached medium height, and her chest was beginning to develop. Her waist lacked the common "baby fat" seen in peers her age. Her hips weren't large, but not small either—they curved up quite charmingly and invitingly.

"The lighting here isn't great; maybe they’re trying to save electricity," Kang Yangqiu explained to Wang Zhuo. "All these lights we see now have controllable brightness, but we'd need to see the blueprints to know if they're locally controlled or centrally controlled."

Wang Zhuo absently murmured an "oh." He didn't even register the supplementary comment from Zhao Yu, the military enthusiast beside him, who chimed in with "centrally controlled."

What occupied his mind was a different question. Relationships in developed countries tended to be more open, and since Eileen had entered the entertainment industry at a young age, exposed to everything around her, she must have prior experience, right?

Perhaps she even already had a steady boyfriend!

Curiosity compelled him to try using his X-ray vision for a closer look, but he quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn't because he felt such an action would be too forward with the young lady, but rather that maintaining a certain mystery might be more beautiful. What if looking revealed something disappointing and ruined the magic?

Just then, his mobile phone vibrated twice. He casually took it out and saw a message from Eileen Top.

Even though it was just a playful smiley face emoji, Wang Zhuo smiled knowingly. This suggested Eileen held a very good impression of him. Both of them had tacitly avoided mentioning the incident at the strip club earlier. Judging by Eileen’s behavior, she seemed quite interested in her new Chinese friend too!

Of course, this interest was strictly platonic, much like when Wang Zhuo first learned to use QQ and got into an engaging chat with a strange male netizen—there was no ulterior motive or romantic element involved. Wang Zhuo understood Eileen's mindset.

"Little lady, I truly didn't expect to meet you a second time. What a coincidence."

Wang Zhuo replied in a conventional manner. The phrase "little lady" is often a prime tool for flirting, as girls Eileen's age often dislike being called that, which then opens a topic based on whether she will correct the term or not.

Unexpectedly, Eileen fiddled with her phone for a moment before replying: "It is a coincidence! This must be what you Chinese call yuanfen (fate/destiny)!"

Wang Zhuo looked at the reply with some surprise, his lips gradually curving into a smile. This little foreign girl was quite adept at conversation!

"Wang Zhuo, Wang Zhuo?"

At this moment, the group was looking out through a row of portholes, commenting on the glass material. Zhou Jiyuan had just finished describing the porthole craftsmanship on the warship he served on when he realized Wang Zhuo hadn't been listening at all.

"Oh? Oh!" Wang Zhuo snapped back to attention, waving his phone with a laugh. "Some important operational news just came through from back home; I was reading it."

After his explanation, he seriously replied to Eileen's message. Zhou Jiyuan and the others, unaware of Wang Zhuo's acting skills, which rivaled those of a seasoned actor, truly believed his fabrication.

So, as the tour group moved forward, Wang Zhuo and Eileen chatted privately via mobile. Eileen clearly hadn't engaged in this kind of covert activity before and found it both novel and exciting. Wang Zhuo occasionally teased her, occasionally complimented her, and when she complained about the lack of freedom as a star, he cracked a few jokes to lift her spirits. The two quickly hit it off, becoming nearly as close as two good friends!

"Angel One, did you really develop that?" Having mentioned the bodyguard who was suspended and sent home for reflection, Eileen suddenly changed the subject.

"I was one of the research personnel, but the final inventor was indeed me," Wang Zhuo replied both humbly and assertively.

Eileen immediately sent back a mischievous emoji: "Then you are also my savior, even though I only ran a low fever for two days."

"Indeed. Without me, you would have burned into a little charcoal briquette by now, just as black as Mr. Andrew."

Andrew was a black lieutenant serving under Monning, and saying he was as black as charcoal was giving him too much credit; his skin was so dark and glossy it was practically like coal!

Seeing Wang Zhuo's reply, Eileen couldn't help but giggle, letting out a soft laugh.

Wang Zhuo also smiled contentedly. Countless gentlemen could impress Eileen with their demeanor and humor, but he had already made a deep impression on her with his martial arts. Furthermore, his Chinese identity added an air of mystery and romance to the young English girl, becoming the lubricant for their interaction. With so many advantages stacked up, winning over a young woman became incredibly easy—even if she was an international superstar, it made no difference!