King of the Wilderness

She lowered her voice, with a hint of both embarrassment and annoyance, and glared fiercely at her father, "Dad! Stop it!"

Instinctively, she glanced at Lin Yu’an, who was pretending to enjoy the scenery next to her, and the live streaming camera in front of him that was aimed directly at them, lowering her voice even more:

"Dad, we’re working right now! Don’t call me that! You can call me... Captain Riven!"

[Hahahaha! Teacher Riven is so cool!]

[Old Mike’s hand is hanging awkwardly in mid-air, so funny hahaha!]

[Family hierarchy is obvious! Teacher Riven is the Queen at home!]

[God Lin is trying so hard not to laugh, pretending to admire the scenery is just too funny!]

Mike looked at his daughter’s embarrassed face but completely misinterpreted her intent.

He thought his daughter was trying to maintain her professional image and authority as Captain Riven in front of the client and the live stream camera.

Not only did he fail to understand his daughter’s girlish concerns, but he also found her attempt to assert authority even more amusing.

He raised his hands in surrender, but wore a mischievous smile of triumph on his face: "Alright, alright, Captain Riven. My bad."

He deliberately emphasized the title "Captain Riven," giving her a knowing look, which made Riven glare at him once more before he turned away contentedly, humming a tune as he walked towards the bow.

Riven took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed the heat on her face, and tried to calm her mood.

She resumed her professional coach demeanor, but the slight redness at the root of her ears betrayed her recent embarrassment.

She cleared her throat, trying her best to make her voice sound as calm as usual, even more serious than usual, to mask her awkwardness.

She began issuing instructions to Lin Yu’an: "Alright, Lin... let’s start the preparations before raising the sail, step one, check the main sail halyard..."

Lin Yu’an held back his laughter, nodded solemnly, and began his first sail-raising venture of the day.

He naturally didn’t know Riven’s complex inner thoughts, only feeling that this little episode allowed him to see the incredibly real and warm family relationship between this father and daughter outside of their professionalism.

"Before raising the sail, what’s the first step always?" Riven inquired Dao.

"Point the bow towards the direction of the wind." Lin Yu’an immediately answered.

"And why is that?"

"So that the sail isn’t under stress when it rises, like a flag floating in the breeze, hence avoiding danger and making it easier to operate."

"Absolutely right." Riven nodded with satisfaction, "Go ahead, Captain. Let your ship spread its wings for the first time."

Lin Yu’an walked to the base of the mast, untied the main sail halyard, wrapped it around the winch, and then started pulling rhythmically.

With his movements, that massive white canvas began to rise inch by inch like a giant beast awakening from slumber. The fabric rubbed against the air, making a soft rustling sound.

[Here we go! It’s taking off!]

[This perspective is amazing! It feels like we’re on the ship too!]

[Wow, are you guys not getting seasick? Just this perspective is making me start to feel queasy!]

When the main sail reached its peak, Lin Yu’an used all his strength to tighten the halyard and fastened it securely.

"Very good," Riven issued the next order, "Now, return to the helm, shift the bow, leave the wind eye zone, and let the sail start working."

Lin Yu’an returned to the helm and gently turned the wheel.

The bow began to veer off from the wind. At the moment the ship formed approximately a 45-degree angle with the wind direction.

The massive main sail, previously fluttering powerlessly in the air, was suddenly infused with life, emitting a loud "whoosh" as it caught the wind!

It instantly transformed from a soft piece of fabric into a powerful, curving surface, like a great bird spreading its wings!

A strong yet peaceful force immediately coursed through the entire ship.

The vessel began to tilt slightly and gracefully to one side, the hull slicing through the azure sea, leaving a trail of white foam.

No rumbling engines, no mechanical vibrations, only the "woo-woo" of wind through the halyards, and the melodic "splash-splash" of the bow cutting through the waves.

The ship’s speedometer numbers soared rapidly, 4 knots... 5 knots... 6.5 knots! Converted to land speed, it was already close to 12 kilometers per hour!

For the first time, Lin Yu’an truly felt the power of the wind. It wasn’t the crude thrust of burning fuel, but a harmonious force dancing rhythmically with nature!

He could feel the wind’s power passing through the sails, the mast, the rigging to the hull, then through the helm, feeding back into his palm.

The entire ship seemed like an extension of his body, and the wind, his pulse.

On his usually composed face, there appeared a rarely seen smile, as genuine as that of a child receiving a beloved toy for the first time.

The live stream camera captured this perfect moment.

Sunlight penetrated the white sail, coating Lin Yu’an’s resolute profile with a golden halo.

The splashing waves sparkled like diamonds beside him, while in front was the bow plowing through the waves and the wind-inflated sails, and behind was the vast, boundless blue sea.

The whole scene was full of freedom, delight, and an indescribable joy of conquest!

The atmosphere in the live room reached an unparalleled romantic peak at this moment.

[Ahhhhh! I’m dead! That smile! That scene!]

[I declare, this is the most beautiful scene I’ve seen this year! No contest!]

[This is sailing! This is the feeling of freedom! So beautiful!]

[Once again, it feels great to be rich!]

Riven also temporarily put down her coaching role and, like an ordinary girl, took out her phone and snapped a photo of Lin Yu’an and this beautiful scene.

"How does it feel, Captain?" Her voice was also laced with laughter.

"...Remarkable." Lin Yu’an sincerely replied.

"This is just the beginning," Riven walked up beside him, pointing to the distant sea, "what we’re doing now is called ’close-hauled sailing’, the closest angle to the wind source."

"Now, try slowly turning the bow away from the wind to feel how the boat’s speed and tilt change with different ’wind angles’."

Under Riven’s guidance, Lin Yu’an started practicing.

He turned the bow to a 90-degree angle with the wind, entering the fastest phase, "beam reach"; he continued turning to allow the wind to blow from behind the stern, entering the stable and comfortable "downwind sailing".

Like a child learning to walk for the first time, he greedily experienced the different temperaments of the ship in each stance.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

His learning pace was still astonishingly fast, Riven only needed to point out one thing, and he could immediately tweak the angle of the sails and the rudder into the most efficient sailing state.

"Incredible," Captain Mike watched on the side and couldn’t help but say to Riven, "He’s like... like he was born knowing how."

"He has a beast-like intuition for the connection between the boat’s tilt, speed, and wind direction."

They were on an open stretch of sea, enjoying this perfect first sailing lesson. The sun was just right, the wind was steady, everything felt so perfect.

Yet, accidents always occur at the most unexpected times.

————

(Beijing is already below zero, readers from all over the country, put on an extra layer of clothes.)