He even thought that after everything settled down, he would spend the next hundred years finding the recipe for the Hundred Turns and Thousand Returns Pill and successfully refining it, so that Maria’s lifespan could be extended by another five hundred years.
As for Claire, Cai Cai Zi, and the other women around her, if they wished, she could grant them hundreds of years of immortality. If they did not wish to endure the torment of immortality, she would not force them. However, she would do her best to ensure that their lives were free from any illness or suffering, and that even if they wanted to leave in the future, they could do so with dignity.
Charlie didn’t know how long he could live, but from this moment on, he hoped to live a more open-minded life, no longer looking at the ground beneath his feet, but looking up at the sky above. The ground was only so big, but the sky was an infinite and vast universe.
Holding Maria’s hand, Charlie felt a sense of peace he had never felt before.
Since there were no traffic rules to follow on the vast Antarctic ice sheet, he held Maria’s hand the whole time until the vehicle returned to the Nordic research station.
At the Nordic research station, Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu were in seclusion a moment ago, but after sensing Charlie and Maria’s return, they both woke up from their meditation.
The first thing Charlie did after getting out of the car was to take Maria’s hand.
In a bustling city, he might have some reservations, since Maria looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, while he was already over thirty. People who didn’t know the situation might think he was abducting a high school girl.
However, Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu were at the research station. They both knew Maria’s real age and naturally didn’t think that she was an old cow eating young grass.
Charlie didn’t expect that while he felt comfortable being honest with Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu about his relationship with Maria, Maria was actually a little uneasy.
Holding Charlie’s hand, she nervously asked, “Young Master… if Miss Yun and Miss Song saw you holding my hand like this, wouldn’t they laugh at us?”
Charlie was puzzled: “What’s so funny? They know the situation, they can’t be saying anything about me in their hearts, can they?”
Maria said nervously and shyly, “I…I’m afraid they’ll think badly of me…After all…after all, I’m really…a bit too old…”
Charlie then suddenly realized what was going on.
He was only thinking about not being misunderstood as an old cow eating young grass, so he felt that he had nothing to worry about when facing people who knew Maria’s background. But he didn’t expect that Maria was actually more afraid of this situation.
Charlie smiled and comforted her, “If you feel embarrassed, then we can just do it the same way as before.”
Maria hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and said, “I do feel embarrassed, but… it’s alright!”
As she spoke, she gripped Charlie’s hand even tighter, showing no intention of letting go.
Charlie smiled slightly, took her hand, and stepped into the Nordic research station.
At this moment, Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu had already come out and were waiting for Charlie to come in. The moment Charlie pushed the door open, the two of them immediately sensed that something was wrong.
In the past, Charlie would occasionally hold Maria’s hand when needed, but that feeling was more like an older brother taking care of a younger sister. But now, the two of them are standing one in front of the other, their fingers intertwined.
This… suddenly changed the flavor.
Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu were both intelligent women, and they could tell at a glance that the situation had changed. Song Ruyu, like a gossipy bystander, stared wide-eyed at the two of them.
Yun Rugo, however, was very perceptive. Seeing Song Ruyu’s shocked expression, she quickly pretended not to notice anything and smiled, saying, “Mr. Ye, Miss Lin, you’re back!”
Maria couldn’t hide her embarrassment and simply nodded. Charlie, who was standing beside her, took Maria’s hand and brought her to the two of them, smiling as he asked, “While we were gone, were you in seclusion or had you already come out of seclusion?”
Yun Rugo said respectfully, “Mr. Ye, after you and Miss Lin left, Ruyu and I have been in seclusion. The spiritual stones you left behind are full of spiritual energy, and we have not been able to fully absorb them yet.”
Charlie nodded slightly, looked at the two of them, and said with a smile, “It’s clear that your cultivation levels have improved to some extent. After the voyage resumes and you leave Antarctica, your cultivation levels will reach another level.”
After saying that, Charlie took out two more spirit stones and handed them to them, instructing them, “Wan’er and I are back to rest for two days. We will leave again after two days and may not return until the time when the shipping is about to resume. You should continue to stay here and cultivate in seclusion during this time.”
Upon hearing that Charlie had changed his way of addressing Maria, no longer calling her Miss Lin but directly calling her Wan’er, both of them understood even more clearly that the relationship between Charlie and Maria had undergone a fundamental change.
Both of them were shocked, yet they felt that everything made sense. In their eyes, a woman as outstanding as Maria should either never fall in love or only Charlie was worthy of her.
At this moment, both women harbored a deep, unspoken envy. To them, Charlie was undoubtedly the most outstanding man they had ever met in every aspect.