It's time to give out the rings, Admiral!

She had thought that coming with her brother to pay respects to their parents would make her, as she always was, sad for half a day. But this time, she was surprised to find that she didn't feel as uncomfortable as she had imagined.

Perhaps it was because she had long been used to her parents' absence, or perhaps it was because her brother was not far behind her, or perhaps it was because of what her brother had just said, or some other reason.

In short, this time, she wasn't speechless with sadness like before, and could only watch her brother talking to his parents.

"Dad, Mom, I've come to see you. How have you been doing in the other world lately? Hehe, don't worry about me. I've been living a very comfortable life lately. A few days ago, before my brother came back, he sent me a lot of money. I used the money he gave me to buy a lot of good things that I couldn't afford before. Now my brother says I've gained weight."

"Well, don't worry about your brother. Although he only got home yesterday, it seems he's been taking good care of himself during his time in Tsugawa. This morning, I even heard him complaining about gaining weight in his stomach, hehe."

The girl chuckled. Just thinking about how her brother had looked so worried after taking a bath that morning, touching his belly, she couldn't help but laugh. Who told that naughty guy to dare say she was fat, and even that she was about to become as fat as a little pig?

She'd been carefully controlling her weight all along! But, in some places, she did seem a little bigger than before her brother left. Those areas, she should be a little bigger, that way her brother would like her…

"My brother took the admiral exam in Tsugawa and successfully became an admiral. I told you about it when I visited you last time, but he didn't tell you. Hehe, I have some good news for you. My brother now knows where he came from and what he used to do. He was an admiral before he met us. The ship girls you just saw were my brother's ship girls from before."

"The one with the flaxen hair is called Lexington. My brother says she's a legendary aircraft carrier! She's very gentle and caring, and her cooking is delicious. I accidentally ate too much of her food last night. The other one with silver hair is called Illustrious, also a five-star aircraft carrier. I don't need to say more about her, she looks like a noble lady..."

"My brother's ship girls are all very beautiful and gentle, and they treat me very well, so Mom and Dad, you don't have to worry about me being bullied or anything. My brother said that he also has a very, very large port. Mom and Dad, do you know that my brother used to be a very powerful admiral? He said that his port had hundreds of ship girls! Shui Ran's dad still only has one destroyer ship girl!"

"My brother said he plans to send me to school after I arrive in Tsugawa. He also said that he has asked the dean of his college to help him find a school. As soon as I arrive in Tsugawa, I can go to school. I heard that the school my brother wants me to go to is a very famous school in Tsugawa. Mom and Dad, you must be very happy, right? But I'm worried. Will I really be able to adapt to such a prestigious school?"

"What a happy problem. Everything seems to be getting better. My brother has become an admiral, so he won't have to worry about making a living anymore. His ship girls are also very considerate and take care of me. I can feel it, but..."

As she spoke, the girl suddenly raised her head, pursed her lips, and a somewhat melancholy expression appeared on her delicate and beautiful face.

"But I don't really like my brother's ship girls, and I'm sure you know why, Mom and Dad..."

"Let me tell you something else. My brother is actually married. The Lexington, Illustrious, Saratoga, and even Phelps that you just saw are all his married ships..."

"How about that? Surprised? My brother is still so young... Sometimes, I really regret letting him go to Tsugawa, because if he hadn't gone, he wouldn't have met them. I'm afraid they'll take him away, afraid he'll forget about himself because of them. After all, he's all alone, while there are so many of them, and they're all so beautiful."

"Brother-in-law, has little Rou ever been to an amusement park before? Hehe, if not, I can take her to have some fun! I wonder if little Rou likes roller coasters as much as I do!"

"Roller coaster? That sounds cool."

"Admiral, are you going to see Sister Yuelin later?"

The girl paused, hearing the cheerful voices of her brother's ship girls coming from not far behind her. She suddenly sighed, then smiled with a hint of bitterness.

She didn't really like her brother's ship girls because they were her rivals in love. However, she didn't dislike these girls either, because she could feel that they really cared for her and were considerate of her, even treating her like a younger sister.

Since she didn't dislike them, she could communicate with them. In addition, she had put her mind at ease last night and believed that her brother would never forget or ignore her because of his ship girls. That's why she suddenly became willing to talk and communicate with them normally this morning.

She touched the braids draped over her shoulders, which Marani and Unicorn had braided for her before she came. She couldn't help but wonder, in the end, would there really be a victor in this war?

She didn't know, but one thing she was certain of was that no matter when or what, she would always be with her brother.

"Hehe, you don't need to worry about me. Actually, I've made up my mind. I love my brother, even if he has so many ship girls, or even a marriage ship, it's still the same. Because, I only have my brother left. I want to... I want to marry my brother and become his wife. I'm such a bad girl to actually like my brother, hehe. Dad, Mom, are you willing to support me?"

The girl's face was as red as the brilliant clouds on the horizon. She finally mustered up the courage to say the words she most wanted to say to her parents. After all, no girl would not want her parents' support for her relationship.

She felt a gentle breeze, the soft wind caressing her cheek like the touch of her mother's hand she hadn't felt in so long. She squinted, and it seemed as if her parents were nodding encouragingly in front of her, and she couldn't help but smile.

Volume 1, Chapter 540: Both Losers

“Miss, you’ve eaten something. You’ve only had rice porridge since yesterday afternoon. Even if you’re feeling unwell, I can’t let myself suffer.”

In the girl's cozy pink boudoir, Xiao Jia, the maid who had been busy all morning, was carrying reheated food and trying to persuade her mistress with a bit of a headache. In front of her, the beautiful girl with long black hair was wearing pajamas, hugging a pillow with someone's big picture printed on it, and looking at the sky outside the window with a sullen mouth.

She was devastated yesterday afternoon and fled from Tianshui Port. Since then, she has been staying in her room and refusing to go out. Last night, she only drank some rice porridge for dinner, and it was only after Aunt Rong coaxed her to drink it. She hasn't eaten breakfast yet, but judging from her current state, there's no need for her to deliberately control her weight. However, she'll probably lose a lot of weight in the next couple of days.

"Xiaojia, I have no appetite and don't want to eat."

A muffled sound came from the bed. The girl, who had barely slept all night, buried her face in the pillow and spoke. Hearing Xiao Jia's voice, she hugged the pillow tighter. The thought that Yu Chen should be happily having breakfast with his ship girls made her feel sad again.

Seeing her young mistress's distressed state, Xiao Jia felt a pang of heartache but was at a loss for what to do. She had said everything she could and tried to persuade her, but it had almost no effect. In fact, she had almost angered her mistress. Tell me, what is so good about that man that he could bewitch such a beautiful young lady like her?

"Miss, you should get up and eat something. If you keep going like this, your body won't be able to take it before he comes to apologize to you."

"I just don't want to eat! Stop talking, Xiaojia, I want to be alone for a while."

The maid sighed helplessly. Seeing that her mistress was about to lose her temper again, she had no choice but to place the tray containing Aunt Rong's breakfast on the table next to her.

She quietly took two steps back, turned around and walked to the door. Just before closing the door and leaving the girl's room, she said to the girl on the bed once more, "Miss, it's fine if you don't eat, but if you get thin and become less attractive, Young Master Yu Chen might dislike you even more."

Upon seeing the girl's slender shoulders, the maid Xiaojia couldn't help but jump. She then closed the door, leaving the girl alone in her boudoir, speechless.

A gentle breeze tinkled the wind chimes on the windowsill. The girl lay on the bed, looking at the familiar portrait printed on the pillow in front of her. She couldn't help but pout again and reached out to punch the pillow a few times.

"You bad guy, you bad guy, I'll kill you, I'll kill you! Why, why did you bring back so many ship girls? Why did you make your Yue Lin so sad? You're such a bad guy!"

She vented her anger on the pillow, but as if afraid of actually hurting it, she carefully held back her strength.

After venting her frustrations on the body pillow for a while, the girl sat up. Although she really had no appetite right now, Xiao Jia was right. If she got thin and became less attractive, she would have even less of a chance to compete with that bad guy's ship girls.

"Ugh...it doesn't taste good..."

She sat up, picked up her chopsticks, drank a glass of sweet milk, and ate a few slices of toast that had been reheated two or three times and a fried egg as if to get by. Feeling that it was about the same amount she ate as usual, the girl, who had barely tasted anything, curled up and crawled back into her bed.

The pillow was a little damp and uncomfortable to lie on. She couldn't help it; thinking about the painful things last night, she couldn't hold back her tears. It had been such a long night, and she still didn't know how she had gotten through it.

At first, thinking about Yu Chen's ship girls, she felt wronged and wanted to cry, and she did cry for a long time. Later, perhaps because she cried too hard at the beginning, she eventually cried until she couldn't shed any more tears.

Later, she was really tired and had all sorts of dreams, some happy and some sad, as if she was always in a state between dreaming and waking up. When she opened her eyes again, it was already morning.

That night was really hard to get through. Several times, she cried and couldn't help but want to get up and go to Yu Chen's house to question him about why he didn't realize his feelings for her sooner and why he was so oblivious and always treated her like a little sister.

However, the night was not wasted. The silent night and quiet environment did give the girl time to think about many things.

It's true that Yu Chen has a lot of ship girls, and he's even married some of them. That's an indisputable fact. But that's not important. The most important and crucial point is whether Yu Chen likes her, and whether she would give up on the relationship just because of such a small setback.

After calming down in the darkness, she came to the same conclusion again: she would not give up!

This was her first and most precious relationship, and she would never give up no matter what. She also believed that Yu Chen would definitely like her, even if he only saw her as a younger sister right now.

She also understood the problems she was facing. Besides how to make Yu Chen like her, the biggest problem was how to deal with her current feelings and how to adapt to the cruel fact that Yu Chen already had a wife.

The girl buried her head under the covers. Her mind understood everything, but whether she could accept it was another matter. She didn't want to give up this relationship, which meant that she would have to learn how to get along with so many ship girls like Yu Chen, and share Yu Chen's love with so many of them.

Even though she had already prepared herself mentally for that, the sheer number still made it hard for her to accept in a short time.

However… I'm a little better off. As for Xiaorou, she must be feeling even worse than me right now. At least I can avoid seeing her and worrying about her…

Before Yu Chen returned, he and Xiao Rou were discussing how to deal with his ship girls. But before they could even begin, it was all over, and both he and Xiao Rou ended up as losers...

"Miss! Something terrible has happened! Madam says she's going out and wants to visit Young Master Yu Chen's house!"

Just as the girl was still running away from reality, suddenly, outside her bedroom door, Xiao Jia's somewhat anxious voice drifted into her ears...

Volume 1, Chapter 541: Stop her!

"Miss! Something terrible has happened! Madam says she's going out and wants to visit Young Master Yu Chen's house!"

Xiao Jia's voice came from outside the door, followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of her bedroom door being opened again. The girl, who was still under the covers, trembled. After hearing Xiao Jia's words, she panicked and quickly sat up in bed.

"Mom, Mom's going to Yu Chen's house? Has she already left? No, no, we can't let Mom go, otherwise..."

Otherwise, what would happen if Mom met Yu Chen's seven or eight ship girls?

She'll definitely be angry. Even if she still supports my relationship, she definitely won't allow me to go to Jinchuan with Yu Chen anymore! ...

No, that won't do. We have to find a way to stop her from going. We absolutely must find a way to stop her.

"No, not yet. Madam is still at home; she's changing her clothes."

Xiao Jia was a little anxious. As soon as she heard Madam say that she was going to visit Young Master Yu Chen's house, she rushed over to inform the girl.

Although she didn't really approve of her mistress continuing to pester him, as her maid and best friend, she could only support her from behind the scenes, no matter what she wanted to do. Besides, to be honest, she also didn't want to see her mistress lose her temper...

"That's good, that's good... Well, we need to think of a way to stop Mom right away."

Upon hearing Xiaojia say that her mother hadn't left yet, the girl was so flustered that she forgot all her sadness and grievances and breathed a long sigh of relief.

She had to stop her mother no matter what!

While pondering how to stop her mother, the girl sat on the edge of the bed and asked Xiaojia in front of her, "Xiaojia, do you have any ideas?"

"Or we could say you're not feeling well, Miss, and would like Madam to stay with you?"

"But I don't feel unwell right now. If Mom finds out... Oh, right, Xiaojia, go tell Mom that my stomach is really upset and I want to drink her ginger soup. That way, at least we can delay it for a while, and then we can think of other solutions!"

Urged on by the girl and carrying the girl's bad idea, Xiao Jia took on the responsibility of stopping the lady and went to find the girl's mother.

An Jingyi was changing clothes in her room. She had originally planned to wait for Yu Chen to come over to play, but after breakfast she didn't have anything else to do, so she decided to go to Yu Chen's house by herself.

I heard that Yu Chen came back after successfully passing the exam to become an admiral, and I happen to be curious about what his ship girls look like.

Of course, as the beloved of her precious daughter, she never approved of him going to Tsugawa to take the admiral exam.

It's not like his family is poor. After he and Yuelin get married and his father gets old, his family business will be handed over to his two children. Yuelin's personality is definitely not suitable for managing such a large enterprise, so it can only be handed over to Yuchen. Although he is still too inexperienced now, he will definitely be able to take on the responsibility in the future. She trusts her judgment in people.

However, that was only at the beginning. After her husband's persuasion, she was able to understand.

Boys should always go out and make their own way in the world. Becoming an admiral is a good choice. Although this means that Yue Lin might suddenly have a rival in love, she believes that her daughter's charm is no less than that of the ship girls. It's just that she'll have a second wife. She has seen this kind of thing many times before. Even her father, Yue Lin's maternal grandfather, had several wives, didn't he?

After changing her clothes, An Jingyi was ready to leave. Since she was going to her future son-in-law's house, she didn't need to be so formal. She took some gifts she had prepared and went out. But as soon as she stepped into the corridor, she saw Xiao Jia running up to her.

"Madam, something terrible has happened, Madam!"

Seeing Xiaojia, dressed in a maid outfit, approaching her anxiously, Anjingyi had no choice but to stop and ask her what had happened.

"What's wrong, Xiaojia? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"The young lady said her stomach was very uncomfortable and she wanted to drink the ginger soup you made."

An Jingyi was immediately filled with questions. Yue Lin said she wasn't feeling well? And she wanted to drink the ginger soup I made? Didn't she dislike ginger soup? When I made it for her before, she complained that it was too spicy.

"Xiaojia, why don't you make some for her? She complained before that my ginger soup didn't suit her taste."

"But, but Miss wants to drink what you make, Madam."

An Jingyi raised an eyebrow. Hearing Xiao Jia say this, she understood her precious daughter's quirks. This girl was definitely trying to delay her from going to Yu Chen's house. Judging from Xiao Jia's anxious appearance, she had probably just gone to inform that girl.

Seeing that she's been sullen since yesterday and didn't even want to eat dinner, I knew something must have happened. I guess it was this girl who stirred up trouble again and made Yu Chen and her quarrel!

She was afraid that if she went to Yu Chen's place and found out what happened, she would scold her when she got home, so she came up with this idea to prevent herself from going.

"Then let her suffer. If she's still feeling unwell when I get back, I'll make her some ginger soup."

"Husband, wife!"

………………

"Xiaorou, why did you insist on coming with me? I came to apologize to Yuelin. Why didn't you stay home with Lexington and the others? What are you doing here?"

"Because I'm worried about you, brother. You made Sister Yuelin so sad yesterday. I'm afraid you'll do something to upset her again. Besides, Sister Yuelin and I are such good friends. Wouldn't it be better if I helped you?"

Outside the gate of a young lady who was heartbroken, a boy was holding the hand of the girl beside him, peering over the fence of a large villa.

Half an hour ago, he and his girls paid their respects to Xiao Rou's parents in town. Before taking the girls to Tianshui City for sightseeing, he planned to come and apologize to Yue Lin first.

The ladies were waiting for him at home. Since there were no buses from the town to the city, and no cars available for rent, he planned to have Uncle Zhang take them there by boat.

He had planned to come alone before leaving to explain things to Yuelin properly, since he was likely not coming back tonight and would be staying in the city with the girls. He wanted to apologize to her and ask Yuelin to forgive him, but unexpectedly, Xiaorou insisted on coming with him.

"Brother, you're sweating. Are you nervous about meeting Sister Yuelin?"

Volume 1, Chapter 542: I can't do it!

"Brother, you're sweating. Are you nervous about meeting Sister Yuelin?"

The boy held his younger sister's hand and looked out into the yard. To be honest, it was his first time experiencing something like this, and he was actually a little nervous.

Putting aside the fact that he had just caused Yue Lin such heartbreak and sadness yesterday, in his memory, his relationship with Yue Lin was at best a slightly better friendship...

Well... to put it more broadly, it's basically a relationship between an older brother and a gentle, generous, lovely, caring, and wealthy younger sister...

While it's possible that someone deliberately avoided this because they were afraid of the cliché plot of a poor boy falling in love with a rich girl.

But now that the girl's feelings have been clearly expressed, he can no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, pretending not to know anything or see everything she has done for him.

He owed her a lot, and he really didn't know how to face Yuelin, whom he had hurt.

"Hmm, tense, nervous or anything? How could that be? I'm just a little hot."

His sister's teasing stirred the boy's emotions, and perhaps it really touched a nerve, because the boy's face turned slightly red.

To be fair, the young man really liked this kind and unpretentious young lady. He had even secretly thought that if he could marry Yue Lin one day, although it wouldn't be as good as it is now, Yue Lin's family background would indeed be able to protect him and Xiao Rou so they could live a peaceful life.

But fantasy is just fantasy. Perhaps he had a chance before, but now that he has so many girls around him, he no longer has the right to provoke Yuelin.