I really don't have money for the ship girls.

Therefore, Ying Tian only posted the registration mini-program in the group, stipulating that the registration period is one week, and the selection process has not yet been determined.

The more urgent matter is to sign employment contracts with all the ship girls coming from Central Africa, and then go to the embassy to change their tourist visas to work visas, since they will be useful in the future.

In addition, the commercial departments in Zhenhai and St. Louis need to find a suitable import and export trading company as soon as possible. According to the British side, the first batch of increased ore can be shipped in six months at most, and three months at the fastest. The transportation and import and export handover issues need to be arranged at least one month in advance.

Yingtian can't get involved in this for now, nor does he need to; trust is enough.

So at this moment, Ying Tian was sitting behind his desk in the study on the first floor of the villa, looking out through the large French windows. There was a small garden nestled among several tall trees, and a small swimming pool at the edge. From this angle, he could see Saratoga playing in the water, wearing a cute pink swimsuit. But what was even more eye-catching was Duli. This girl exuded youthful energy, especially her pair of slender legs. Water droplets dripped down her naturally beautiful curves, creating a unique kind of beauty.

Ying Tian noticed this scene not entirely because of the captivating beauty.

Another reason is that he was a little confused.

I feel great today because I only did it three times with the Prince of Wales last night, plus once this morning, for a total of four times. The rhythm was very healthy and comfortable.

The milk tea in my hand smelled wonderful. Belfast's milk tea has a rich aroma, and the generous amount of milk and sugar it contains suited Yingtian's taste perfectly.

The air conditioner was set to a comfortable temperature, with a cool breeze that kept the stuffy heat out of the building. Ying Tian had never used air conditioning more in his entire life than in the past few days.

However, Ying Tian was still somewhat confused. Usually at this time, he would either be mopping the floor in KFC or tightening screws on the assembly line. He made money during the day and slept at night, which was a very fulfilling job.

Now, he doesn't have to do anything, and he doesn't have to worry about tuition or living expenses. He can do whatever he wants. Ying Tian suddenly realized what it means for a wild boar to be unable to eat fine chaff.

"Many people say that ship girls are daughters of the sea, so everyone loves water. Even when they are not on a mission, there are many people on the beach of the naval base."

Perhaps because he saw Ying Tian staring blankly at the pool, Richelieu stood behind Ying Tian and said, "Commander, why don't you go if you want to join? Consider it preparation for going to the naval base later."

Ying Tian thought to himself, "If I could swim, of course I would go," but he said aloud, "There are a lot of people on the beach, it must be very lively."

“Yes.” Richelieu picked up a book and sat down to the side, saying, “I usually like to bring a book and read quietly under the parasol. Most people prefer a lively atmosphere. Zara and Pora like beach volleyball, Jeanbart and Massachusetts ride jet skis on the sea, and the little girls like to collect seashells and build sandcastles. Sometimes you can see the White Eagles' aircraft carriers releasing their pet hawks together. It’s very cool, but they sound silly. Even at night, there are San Francisco and Vincent, who love rock music. It’s lively all day long.”

As Ying Tian listened, he couldn't help but feel a sense of longing, and the scene he imagined floated into his mind.

Beach volleyball is a great sport, especially since you have to play it in a bikini. With the figures of the Bora sisters... I can't wait!

The image of a little girl building sandcastles on the beach is so adorable. What would Laffey, Vicious, Z23, Yukikaze, and other little girls be like? Would they lie down and never get up again—"So sleepy, I need a kiss from the Commander to get up."

During the day, you can play in the water and frolic on the beach, and at night you can listen to rock music. It's like a health resort every day.

Thinking this, Ying Tian said, "What a leisurely life, I really envy it."

“Why envy me?” Richelieu opened his book, his long legs together. “You can live that kind of life too. Just go swimming in the pool now.”

"Never mind, let's have milk tea, let's have milk tea."

Richelieu glanced at Ying Tian, ​​then looked around. Apart from Belfast standing to one side, there was no one else present. She said, "Since the Commander doesn't intend to go out, why don't we talk about Jean Bart's matter again?"

"The appointment of the secretary ship cannot be done through back channels..."

Ying Tian spoke casually, then noticed Richelieu's pretty face with her pouting pink lips. He immediately realized and changed his words: "That matter, to be honest, I don't think there's any misunderstanding between Jean Bart and me. I saw that she has already signed up for the secretary ship selection. You only told me, did you communicate with her beforehand?"

Richelieu remained silent; she and her sister barely exchanged a few words.

"I think you can wait and not let me talk to her first. It would be better if you talked to her first."

Richelieu thought about it and nodded. She decided to participate in the selection for the secretary ship as well, to see if it could be a breakthrough in her relationship with her sister.

Just when everyone thought the summer vacation would continue like this, Zhenhai and St. Louis, returning from business trips that evening, brought some troublesome news.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Don't Create Characters Randomly

What was projected onto the television screen in St. Louis was an online video.

"Look closely, the person standing next to Ying is Ms. Shi, who went viral online a few months ago. And is Ying, whose real name has been revealed to be Ying Tian, ​​really just an ordinary orphan as he claims? Let's find out..."

This video, filled with marketing rhetoric, is rife with unfounded accusations and forced interpretations. For example, it claims things like, "Look closely, when Ying speaks, the corners of his mouth turn up, indicating he wants to laugh, but he knows he shouldn't. So why does he want to laugh? It must be because he thinks Ms. Shi, who is speaking, is wrong." In short, it forcibly refutes the statements in that interview video that has been viewed millions of times online, and then implies that Fu Ya and others who are being condemned online may be innocent. Even though it's a matter that has already been settled, there are still quite a few supporters in the comments.

The related recommendations below this video are all similar content, and the number of views is not low either.

[A dramatic twist a few months later: the orphan turned out to be a ruthless rich kid?]

[Ms. Shi, yet another internet celebrity hailed by young Chinese people, has been exposed and her story has backfired, revealing a new type of predatory scam.]

How many more people will you harm because of your kindness? Don't let people like Ying become a burden on your conscience.

[Ying's actions have exacerbated the internal conflicts and anxieties within our society.]

Ying Tian and the Prince of Wales looked at each other, completely bewildered.

It's true that the internet has a memory, but it's also forgetful. Even "Bangbao Shi," who once claimed he would follow his sister for life, hasn't bothered Yingtian for many days. How did this matter get dug up again?

What's going on?

Let me explain the cause and effect.

Zhenhai explained that the reason she discovered these videos was related to the import and export trading company.

One of the main reasons why Zhenhai and St. Louis have not yet found a suitable agent is that the registered Zhengang Trading Co., Ltd. is too rudimentary, resembling a shell company, and has no prior record of import and export trade. Therefore, many companies are cautious about this cooperation.

This is not difficult for someone as shrewd as Zhenhai to solve. He can modify the unreasonable registration information, add 28 foreign employees from the naval base, and buy some joint bidding qualifications. As long as the money is in place, he can quickly disguise the company as a small business with trading experience.

"This video was sent to me by a company representative during today's negotiations. Since you are the legal representative of our company, the other party will investigate the legal representative's situation before cooperating with us. As a result, they discovered that there is some public opinion about you. As for the reason, I have also investigated it a little..."

Zhenhai paused, a helpless smile on her beautiful face: "It seems I am partly to blame for this."

Ying Tian asked, somewhat puzzled, "How does this have to do with you?"

“It is indeed related to me. Commander, do you remember those three artifacts sent back from England?”

"Remember, didn't I ask you to help donate it to the museum?"

"Yes, that's what caused it."

After Zhenhai's explanation, Yingtian understood the cause and effect—

Because those three cultural relics were transported through a different logistics system, they arrived in Africa by the time they reached China. Originally, Yingtian did not intend to keep these cultural relics for himself. National treasures should belong to the collective memory of the entire nation, so he instructed Zhenhai to donate them to the museum anonymously.

However, during the donation process, the museum discovered that these three cultural relics were of great significance and were likely national treasures originally collected in the Yuanmingyuan. Therefore, they requested that Zhenhai keep the donor's specific information. Zhenhai felt that this was a meritorious deed and kept Yingtian's identity information.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. The key point is that the museum confirmed that the three items were indeed national treasures listed in the Yuanmingyuan catalog. So they quickly held a press conference and thanked the donors for their selfless act.

What should have been a joyous occasion turned into a nightmare when some busybodies noticed a name that had gone viral online a few months earlier. Ying Tian's information had already been unearthed during Ms. Shi's incident, and the two were found to be the same person. Furthermore, it was discovered that this orphan was also the legal representative of a trading company. Thus, a conspiracy theory deconstruction began in earnest.

[Where did an orphan get his hands on the Yuanmingyuan's national treasures? And Ms. Shi is British, which happens to be one of the two countries that burned down the Yuanmingyuan. I think this is no coincidence.]

Good grief, so the robber has suddenly become innocent, huh?

[Forever young, forever tearful, forever forgetful, forever used as a pawn.]

[It seems Ying isn't a good person either; he's a traitor colluding with foreign powers, a self-proclaimed British opportunist. He probably has a bunch of national treasures hidden at home, just throwing out a couple to show off.]

[They might not even be orphans; it's just a publicity stunt.]

What are you talking about? I can't see it on my iPhone.

My Rolls-Royce is full of gas right away!

[You're not allowed to slander Ms. Shi (crying!) You're not allowed to slander my best Ms. Shi (crying!) If you want to curse, curse me instead (hammering!) My Ms. Shi (hehe) My Ms. Shi (hehe)]

Of course, these are just negative or abstract deconstructions. After browsing, there are still quite a few comments that support Ying and his act of handing over the national treasure. They criticize the accusations against others as baseless. Overall, the supportive comments are even more prevalent.

"The online world...it's so complicated, I'm completely confused." Bumblebee thought he could help, but it seemed like he understood, yet he also felt like he didn't understand at all.

Zhenhai said, "The main reason is that Commander, the persona you previously established was that of a helpless orphan. Therefore, some companies that intend to cooperate with us are more suspicious that you, as the legal representative of our company, are just a shell company. In addition, your recent donation of national treasures and the fact that your business is import and export trade have led some people to have bad associations. This is because the country has very strict controls on the import and export of bulk commodities, and most practitioners are very cautious."

After a slight pause, Zhenhai continued, "I am merely stating the facts, and I also bear responsibility for how things have developed to this point."

Ying Tian scratched his head and said, "It's not about whose responsibility it is now. That's just how things develop. Sometimes no one can predict what will happen."

Even Ying Tian himself couldn't have imagined that such an ironclad persona as a helpless orphan could one day crumble.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: If you can't rely on anyone, then what about working hard?

In theory, it doesn't really matter if we ignore these things. There are always deconstructionists and people who enjoy the fun on the modern internet. Ms. Shi was praised too highly before, and a group of people were already very unhappy about it. However, expressing opposition at the time was too difficult, and there were no loopholes to be found. Ying Tian was indeed an orphan when he was exposed, which seemed to make him impeccable.

Now that they've finally found an opening, the haters and entertainers who have been holding back for months are about to have a blast.

As for whether there were any people stirring things up, Ying Tian, ​​with his petty mind, thought there definitely were. He didn't believe those two were really depressed; they were practically cursing themselves for being depressed all the time. But of course, Ying Tian didn't care about those two anymore.

"Isn't this simple?" Saratoga couldn't understand why she was so conflicted about this. As a ship girl who had already signed up for the secretary ship position, and considering herself the strongest and most promising contender, Saratoga said, "Wales happens to be here too. Doesn't she have so many fans online? Why not just have her do another interview and explain everything clearly?"

The Prince of Wales stroked his chin and said, "It seems inappropriate for me to intervene now."

"why?"

“It is precisely because Wales has not appeared that he is invincible.” The girl sitting on one side with her legs together is independent. Her hair is wet and she has not had time to dry it after swimming. “If Wales reappears, whatever we say may be misinterpreted or led to some strange place again.”

Reno nodded and said, "They'll definitely say it's a publicity stunt. Some people just get more excited the more you pay attention to them."

Saratoga pursed her lips. She didn't understand, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw that most people seemed to understand, so she pretended to rest her chin on her hand and said, "These people are so boring."

Ying Tian also said, "It's actually quite simple to clarify this matter, but this kind of public opinion has also exposed some problems. It seems that the persona I established before is no longer keeping up with the Second Garrison Plan."

“Yes,” Zhenhai agreed. “The commander is the legal representative of our company, and we will be doing many things in your name in the future. You could have been a helpless orphan before, but not now. You have to get rid of that persona.”

That's what they say, but the previous incident caused quite a stir. In order to highlight the Prince of Wales's greatness and maternal radiance, Ying Tian deliberately acted somewhat decadent and cowardly. This persona can't be changed so easily.

Inheriting a fortune or being the illegitimate child of a wealthy man are really unoriginal claims. You can't just suddenly say that you are actually the descendant of a king of soldiers, and that your deceased father gave an order that 100,000 Chinese soldiers each donated 100 yuan to you, so you suddenly have plenty of money.

How should we explain the national treasure?

In short, this matter concerns the future development of the Second Garrison Plan and requires careful consideration with everyone. Ying Tian also intends to let things play out for a while and see how public opinion develops.

After all, there was still a month or two of buffer time, and Ying Tian didn't care too much about outside opinions, much less the Prince of Wales.

After taking a shower that evening, Ying Tian lay in bed and picked up his other phone. To be precise, this was his real phone, but now Ying Tian was more used to communicating with the ship girls, so he used his original phone less.

As soon as I turned on my phone, there was a string of missed calls, most of which came from when I was in Africa. My chat apps were also overflowing with unread messages.

Besides messages like those from the counselor such as, "Yingtian, were you the one who donated the cultural relics to the Binhai Provincial Museum? Or did Ms. Shi donate them in your name? This is a good thing from every perspective, so why are you hiding it? You are a student of Binjiang University, and this matter is related to the school's reputation. You need to be honest with the school.", there were many more concerned inquiries.

For example, when Senior Sister Ruidie greeted her and asked if she needed any help, she also mentioned that her family's financial difficulties had passed and the outstanding payments had been settled, but she would still need some time to pay back the money for the necklace.

Ying Tian sent a few polite messages, indicating that the situation was minor and there was no need to rush to repay the money.

For example, there were greetings from his roommates. On the one hand, they were curious about where the national treasures that Ying Tian donated came from. Of course, they also felt that the cultural relics must have been given to Ying Tian by Ms. Shi. After all, others might not know, but his roommates, who had lived with Ying Tian for two years, certainly knew his character. How could those strange rumors in the media be true? It's just that they hadn't been able to contact Ying Tian for a long time, and the messages they sent later were obviously very anxious.

Ying Tian cursed himself inwardly for prioritizing women over friends, for he had forgotten his roommates by spending all his time with the ship girls.

Ying Tian: "Brothers, thank you for your concern. I wasn't tricked into going abroad to get kidneys, nor was I driven to the brink of madness by a dog, nor was I locked in the basement of a British manor by Ms. Shi like a puppy... I'm making money, you know, I've been too busy, so I haven't checked my phone for a while."

Liu Wenlong: "We thought you had been sold to an illegal coal mine. If you don't say anything, we're going to call the police."

Liu Yang: "We've seen all sorts of miscellaneous messages online, and basically there are more people who support you and Ms. Shi. It's better for you to remain silent. The more you ignore these people, the more they'll end up making a fool of themselves."

Ying Tian: "Don't worry, brothers, you all know how resilient I am. This is just a small thing, I didn't even take it to heart."

Hu Ke: "We are relieved to hear you say that. After all, it's you, someone who lives such a serious and hardworking life. Even the counselor contacted us before. You should talk to him about it, because these few weeks are around the time when the college entrance examination scores are released and students fill out their college applications. The school is very sensitive about this."

Ying Tian: "Understood, thanks for your concern, brothers. I'll treat you to a meal when school starts."

Liu Wenlong: "Forget it, we haven't eaten a single grain of rice from you in two years, and you're still willing to treat us?"

Ying Tian: "Then we won't invite you. Please invite Liu Yang and Hu Ke instead."

Liu Wenlong: "Then take me with you. Even if it's just fried rice, it's still a meal."

After chatting with her roommates for a while, Ying Tian finally rediscovered some of her former lifestyle.

At this moment, the Prince of Wales also came out after taking a bath. His upper breasts were half-exposed and his cleavage was deep. The bath towel was not big, covering his chest and only covering his upper thighs. In this appearance, Wales was really quite tempting.

"What are you looking at, laughing so happily?"

"I was chatting with a friend, and it reminded me of my past..."

Ying Tian paused for a moment, not only because of the Prince of Wales's alluring charm, but also because he suddenly realized that the persona he had created was not just that of a helpless orphan, but that of a helpless yet earnest and hardworking orphan.

Since being helpless and alone is no longer appropriate, then why not work hard and be diligent?

Chapter 40 Fans' Behavior, Idols Pay the Price

Reno had been somewhat distracted these past two days. During the day, while conducting time travel experiments with the research team at the naval base, he made several basic mistakes that he shouldn't have made. Strasser reprimanded him, and Reno felt very guilty, so he could only keep apologizing.

Akashi, who is also in the research group and has a good relationship with Reno, has been subtly hinting, "The last time the Commander's butt mold sold really well, meow. Many customers have been asking if we can make a front-facing version. Don't worry, Reno, you'll definitely get yours." "The Commander's image gallery hasn't been updated in a long time. Some people have been asking if married men have a different vibe. I'm a little curious too, meow."

However, no matter how much Akashi hinted, Reno did not respond.

Previously, Reno simply shared these things as a way of life, just like a fan sharing their idol's every move with fellow enthusiasts. He didn't really care if Akashi used them for profit. As long as more people realized that the Commander was a superhero and appreciated his charm, Reno would be happy.

But Lino wasn't in the mood right now because she felt she had done something to betray her idol, so she was torn about whether to confess. But every time she was about to speak, Ying Tian's disappointed expression would appear in her mind, and she would lose the courage to confess.

"That's strange, why didn't I see Akagi sign up as the secretary ship? That shouldn't be the case. Or is she planning something big?... Warspite must have been forced to sign up by Elizabeth. At least Elizabeth didn't participate herself, so she has some self-awareness... Wait, who did I see? Santiago? Jin Ke La Jiang! She also wants to be the secretary ship, this..."

Looking at the familiar names on the mini-program, Mercury suddenly remembered something and asked the woman next to him who was leaning on the table, "Rino, why didn't you sign up?"

"Rino?"

"Huh? What?"