Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 426: Hot Spring
The next morning, Meg woke up early. Even though they had been at sea for four days, she still hadn't gotten used to sleeping on the ship. Every night was restless, which was also the reason why Meg had been feeling down lately. When one doesn’t rest well, their mood inevitably suffers, and this was the case for Meg.
After washing up, Meg stepped out of the cabin. She wanted to enjoy the sea breeze. This time, she hadn’t brought any servants from home, not even her personal maid. However, Meg didn’t regret it. Since she was going to marry Zhao Hai, she needed to adapt to his lifestyle. She didn’t want Zhao Hai to think of her as a pampered princess who needed to be waited on hand and foot.
Upon appearing on the deck, Meg noticed that Zhao Hai and Laura were already awake. She hurried over and, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “Brother Hai, Sister Laura, you’re both up! I’m sorry for sleeping in.”
Zhao Hai turned to look at Meg, whose eyes still bore dark circles, and he felt even more apologetic. He smiled and said, “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well? It’s common for new sailors to feel this way. It’s like being in a rocking cradle, constantly swaying back and forth, haha.”
Meg forced a smile and replied, “I don’t know. I’ve long forgotten what it was like to sleep in a cradle. If I had slept in a place like this when I was a child, I’m sure I wouldn’t have slept well either.” This made Zhao Hai and Laura burst into laughter.
Meg joined in the laughter. Despite having endured some hardships these past few days and her mood being affected, she had learned a lot from Zhao Hai and the others—resilience, endurance, and optimism. It was because of this that she could still joke in such circumstances.
Now, Meg understood what attracted her to Zhao Hai: his optimistic spirit. No matter what happened, Zhao Hai always seemed positive. Most importantly, he approached everything step by step, moving forward steadily, which truly captivated her.
Seeing Meg's expression, Zhao Hai gradually calmed down. He looked at her seriously and said, “Meg, we are already engaged, which means you will be a part of the budah family in the future. So today, I want to share with you one of our family's most important secrets. I hope you can keep it confidential, even from your parents. Can you do that?”
Upon hearing the first part of Zhao Hai's words, Meg felt her face flush. When she heard the latter part, she was stunned and stared at Zhao Hai, but she didn’t respond immediately.
She quietly contemplated his words. Yes, she was indeed engaged to Zhao Hai, and although they weren’t married yet, it was already a settled matter. She was now part of the budah family, and regardless of how others viewed it, there was no way she could leave Zhao Hai.
However, keeping a secret from her parents was difficult for her. She had deep feelings for Smith and Mrs. Smith, and she feared she wouldn’t be able to hide anything from them.
Seeing that Meg didn’t answer right away, Zhao Hai wasn’t angry; on the contrary, he felt very pleased. Her hesitation was a sign of her strong sense of loyalty, and it showed that her feelings for him were genuine. Otherwise, she could have easily said she would keep the secret and then sold him out later.
Zhao Hai looked at Meg and said, “Meg, you should know that this secret is known by Laura, by Meg, and by everyone in the budah family. Since you are now engaged to me, I hope you can have the same status as Laura. Otherwise, it would be unfair to you. I completely trust you, and if I didn’t trust you but still went ahead with the engagement, it would be very unfair to you. So I hope you think seriously about my words.”
Listening to Zhao Hai, Meg understood his intentions. Zhao Hai wanted her to have the same status as Laura, which also meant that in his heart, her position was already equal to Laura’s. This made Meg very happy. She looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Brother Hai, don’t worry. With your trust, I definitely won’t let you down. I’ll keep the budah family's secret, and even if my parents ask, I won’t say a word.”