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

"Go if you want, don't go if you don't."

The two smiled at each other and said, "Alright, goodbye."

"Study hard, ask me if you have any questions. I got a 4.2 GPA in this course."

"Get out, get out, get out!"

After saying goodbye to Liu Wenlong, on his way back, Ying Tian looked at Richelieu's beautiful profile beside him and suddenly felt a strange sense of disconnect. In just a few months, his life had undergone earth-shattering changes. If it weren't for this conversation with his roommate, Ying Tian would have almost forgotten that he was just a college student about to start his junior year.

"What's wrong, Commander?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt like I'm a bit out of touch with society," Ying Tian said with a sigh. "If I hadn't just chatted with my roommate for a bit, I would have almost subconsciously thought that having two girlfriends at the same time wasn't a big deal."

"Why is this so excessive?"

Ying Tian paused, turned to look at Richelieu's flawless face with a serious expression, and realized that she really thought so, and that she was not trying to cover for him.

“Although I’m juggling two relationships, no, I’m juggling many, and perhaps you’re willing to accept it, it’s still wrong.” Ying Tian continued walking side by side with Richelieu through the night market. He no longer hid his thoughts from the ship girls. “Feelings aren’t business transactions. It’s not like one party has to repay the other for their efforts. But enjoying your wholehearted devotion while I can’t reciprocate is simply going too far.”

Richelieu said softly, "You said it yourself, feelings are not a business transaction. Love is never based on an equal exchange, and love doesn't need a reason."

"Yes, I also think it's not entirely my fault, but it's definitely mostly my fault." Ying Tian thought to himself, with so many beautiful ship girls making such humble sacrifices, who could resist? But since there are people like Liu Xiahui who can resist, then if I can't do it, then it's my fault.

“Commander, please don’t think like that, because this is also our wish.” Richelieu said, holding Ying Tian’s arm. “I hope to be with you, Commander, and I hope that Barth can be happy. I hope that Louis IX can open up to her feelings, and I hope that Gascoigne and Champagne can be happy. But what if you are single-minded, Commander?”

Ying Tian knew that Sister Li was trying to comfort him. He lovingly put his arm around her waist and said, "Don't make excuses for me. Feeling guilty will only make me feel more justified."

Richelieu tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. Shouldn't someone who was so self-righteous feel no remorse?

"Ricciulius, I'm sorry in advance, I'm already a scumbag, and I guess I can only be a scumbag to the end."

Yingtian spoke with an air of "If I don't go to hell, who will?" but in reality, the kindness of a great spring can only be repaid with a drop of water, and the great spring doesn't even need your repayment. It's truly a happy trouble.

Chapter Seventy: Yixian's Trip to China

Yi Xian stood in front of the time-travel device in the research building, holding a thick folder. Over the past ten days, she and the members of the secretariat had conducted a thorough investigation of the naval base's existing supplies, equipment, property, and buildings. The results were indeed surprising to everyone. Apart from strategic resources like oil that could not be produced, the naval base had a considerable surplus of other daily supplies and property. At the same time, Yi Xian and the Prince of Wales had also streamlined the attack process and initially established a task allocation mechanism centered on the office. In the process, they received strong support from almost all forces. This long-lost situation of unity made Yi Xian feel genuinely happy.

She was slightly nervous at this moment. Not only was she going to report on her work, but it was also the first time she had met the commander since she found him. Although the two had been in frequent contact on chat software in the past few days, sometimes talking about work for hours on end, it was always different to actually meet in person. Moreover, she was a married ship, and the commander had another identity, which was her husband.

"Are you ready?"

Yi Xian took a light breath and said, "I'm ready."

Bismarck said, "Then go into the instrument in front. The first time you go through it, you will feel a little dizzy, similar to walking on waves."

"Ah."

Yi Xian stepped into the cabin that resembled a door. With a flash of white light, countless stars streaked across her face. After lines of extremely short and extremely long lines flashed before her eyes, Yi Xian's feet once again touched solid ground.

"Bang—Bang—Bang—"

With a few loud explosions of compressed air, tiny colored streamers flew through the air, splashing all over Yi Xian's face.

A group of people shouted in unison, "Welcome Secretary Ship Yixian to provide guidance!"

Then Yingtian led the applause!

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Yi Xian snapped out of her daze and gave a surprised yet helpless smile: "Alright, alright, I appreciate the Commander's and everyone's kindness. I'm here to report on my work, not to offer guidance."

"I know, it's mainly a polite term, and it's quite appropriate to use it."

Ying Tian stepped forward. This was the first time he had seen Yi Xian in person. He had only seen her in photos and video conferences before. At that time, he felt that Yi Xian was as beautiful as her name suggested, ethereal and fairy-like. Now that he had seen her in person, he found that she was indeed like that. She not only possessed the elegance and grace of a lady from a prominent family in the Jiangnan water towns, but also a gentle yet resolute spirit in her slender figure and picturesque features.

This was also the first time Yixian had truly seen Yingtian. The Commander was just like in the photo, tall and thin. No, compared to his previous gaunt appearance, he was much better now. It seemed that Shoukaku and Belfast had taken good care of the Commander. His features were ordinary, his skin was a bit rough, and his thick, horizontal eyebrows gave him a sense of hidden sharpness. He seemed like a very ordinary person, but Yixian felt at ease. The Commander was just like this, just as he should be.

"I've finally met you, Yixian."

"Yes, I have finally met you, Commander. I have been waiting for this moment. Please allow me to serve you once again."

The two held hands, exchanging simple greetings that seemed to convey a thousand words.

"Alright, alright, how long are you going to hold on? St. Louis is honking his horn outside."

Xianghe stretched out his hand and waved it in front of the two of them, reminding Yingtian that there were still arrangements to be made.

"Yes, Yixian, would you like to have some water and rest for a bit?"

"Um, not for now."

"Okay, then let's get in the car and set off."

Yi Xian was pulled by Ying Tian's arm and led outside. She was a little confused: "Aren't we going to report on our work?"

"Get in the car first, and we'll talk on the car."

Zhenhai added, "We've organized a picnic, and we're just waiting for you to come along."

Yi Xian followed everyone out of the villa. There was a bus parked outside. Everyone filed on, and St. Louis, wearing sunglasses, was sitting in the driver's seat, giving Yi Xian a welcoming gesture.

"The last person should remember to close the door."

"I need to close the door and drive soon, but I didn't bring my phone."

“St. Louis, I don’t think you’ve ever driven a bus before.”

"Don't worry, once you understand one thing, you understand everything. The commander trusts my driving skills."

Ying Tian believed that St. Louis would never joke about his safety. He didn't know how well the bus driver was, but she was definitely an experienced driver.

As they playfully got into the car at Da Xi's house, Ying Tian explained to Yi Xian that he had organized this group outing before everyone returned to the garrison headquarters, so it was worth the trip. Since Yi Xian was coming over, they decided to go together and relax.

“I know you’ve been working very hard these past few days. Now is the perfect time to relax for a few days. Don’t worry about the naval base. I spoke with Wales beforehand, and she’ll cover for you temporarily.”

Ying Tian and Yi Xian sat in the same row. Zhen Hai, who was in front of them, turned around and said, "This is an activity personally arranged by the commander. He ran around confirming the route, contacting hotels, and renting vehicles. Yi Xian, don't be shy."

Ying Tian said, "It's not as exaggerated as running around. I just made a few phone calls. They are all well-established tourist routes."

He turned to Yixian and said, "Work when you should work, rest when you should rest, just relax."

"Ah."

Yi Xian pursed her lips and nodded.

"Is everyone here? Let's look at each other."

"Wait a minute, Sister Chitose went to get her phone... Okay, she's coming up."

"Then everyone set off."

St. Louis pulled the handbrake, and with a light touch on the accelerator, the bus began to move shakily. It quickly drove out of the residential area, and after a few turns, it entered the overpass. St. Louis truly lived up to her reputation as an experienced driver; her driving skills were indeed remarkable.

"Commander, I've come to report to you."

"There's no rush yet."

Ying Tian took the thick folder from Yi Xian's hands. As he flipped through it, he said, "Let me look at the documents you've organized first. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll ask you. You can relax and look at the scenery outside the window for a bit."

He paused, then said, "This isn't Donghuang, but you could consider it Donghuang. The place we're going to today is a lake, and there's a retired submarine chaser docked there. It used to serve in the South China Sea, but now there are more advanced successors to take its place. We can go up and visit it later."

"Ah."

Yi Xian responded softly. She turned her head to look through Ying Tian's face at the skyscrapers and bustling traffic flashing by outside the window. She knew the commander's good intentions. Chang Chun and the others had also longed to come here and see the prosperous Donghuang, just like her. But now that it was time, the scenery outside the window was far less attractive than the commander in front of her. Yi Xian's eyes were not on the cars and skyscrapers, but full of the commander's face as he was carefully reading the documents.

"Commander, you'll go blind if you look at things from inside the vehicle!"

"Nonsense, you shone your phone flash on me, if I didn't go blind, who would?"

"I'm taking a picture of you and Yixian together, smile."

……

“Commander, I can write this kind of document too.”

"Dafeng, a confident woman is the most beautiful. You can do it."

"That's right... Chiyoda, what are you laughing at? The Commander was praising me, not you."

……

"Commander, have we arrived yet?"

"It should be soon... Also, don't call me Commander outside, it looks weird to others. Just call me by my name."

"Name... Oh right, we used the company team building as an excuse, right? You're our boss, so... Mr. Ying?"

"Forget it, let's just call him by his name, it feels creepy."

……

We chatted like this the whole way, and the bus was almost at its destination.

Yixian was mostly quiet on the way. She liked the atmosphere in the car; it was casual, like a family, which was nice.

Chapter Seventy-One: What a Sin!

"Commander, we've arrived. Prepare to disembark."

"Oh, you first need to go through the internal process, and then it will be ready after the office approves it..."

"Commander, what are you saying?"

Ying Tian looked up and saw Rui He's curious face, and immediately came to his senses: "I didn't say anything. What I meant was, call me by my name outside, not 'Commander'."

"Oh, Commander."

"..."

Forget it, I won't force it. Even if others hear about it, they'll probably just think it's some boss's personal hobby.

In fact, Ying Tian had only read about half of the materials on the way here, and the bumpy ride made him a little dizzy. Yi Xian's report was very detailed, and the garrison headquarters, as a military institution, was involved in a lot of things.

Putting everything else aside, the sheer volume of statistics in the warehouse was enough to make Ying Tian's scalp tingle. It gave him a headache, as he had little management experience. However, as he looked at it, he realized that as a manager, he didn't need to remember how many of every item there were. He only needed to remember the approximate quantity and expiration date of some important equipment and supplies. As for how many tables and chairs were in the warehouse, or even how many excavators and motorboats were in the port area, he only needed to know if they were there or not.

There are also the administrative management processes of the office, including daily and military matters, such as finances, material procurement, and waste disposal; the classification and arrangement of ordinary missions and extermination sorties; the abilities and strengths of the port ship girls; how to match them with corresponding tasks; and even their height and measurements...

Yingtian did not intend to fully intervene in the command of the garrison. It is a big taboo for an amateur to command an expert in any aspect. Everyone was fighting well, so why should a pseudo-military enthusiast with no practical experience interfere? However, as a commander, he should at least understand these things.

The destination for this outing was a reservoir in the mountainous area outside Binjiang City. It has since been renamed Yunbo Lake and developed into a tourist attraction. Because it is located deep in the mountains with lush forests, it has become a newly popular summer resort.

The bus stopped at Yi Yi, a private upscale villa by a deep mountain lake. Since we had booked the entire place in advance, we didn't have to worry about being disturbed. A large red banner was already hanging in front of the stylish Chinese-style gate, which read: "Building a corporate image and creating a high-quality brand. Warmly welcome the team building activities of employees of Zhengang Trading Co., Ltd."

"Not bad, the environment is quite nice." Bumblebee looked at the artificial hill and water in the courtyard through the lobby window and commented, "At least it's not a waste of St. Louis's money."

St. Louis, still wearing sunglasses and dressed in a stylish and glamorous manner, said with a smile, "Of course, I didn't waste my money, because Mr. Ying paid for everything this time."

"Really? The commander is that poor?"

"To be honest, even before, I wasn't exactly poor," Ying Tian argued, but still said, "Alright, compared to you, you are indeed poor."

Yingtian used to be just frugal. He still had some savings when he worked three jobs, though it couldn't compare to the wealth of the ship girls. Now, he couldn't go out to work, otherwise there would be twenty more super-strong beauties on the construction site to work on the construction site, and the crane could be saved. The contractor would probably be overjoyed.

Although Ying Tian had used most of his savings to buy those two rings, it didn't mean he was completely broke. Every morning when he and St. Louis were exploring the financial world together, it wasn't just about being affectionate. Ying Tian just wanted to say, "Just follow Aunt Saint's lead, and you'll have a villa by the sea. Just go all in with her." Well, in a sense, it was still St. Louis's money after all.

"It must be St. Louis's money."

After checking in at the front desk, the staff and manager could be seen glancing at Ying Tian out of the corner of their eyes with a mixture of curiosity and restraint. After all, it was quite unusual for a trading company's employees to be having a team-building event at such a high-class place, and for all of them to be exceptionally beautiful foreign women, whose nationalities were either Central African or Panamanian. As the only Chinese man in the group, Ying Tian's identity was certainly intriguing. However, since it was a high-class place, the staff were very well-behaved and did not ask or look at things they should not have asked or looked at.

Kaliyong wasn't interested in the scenery, but she still ran up to Yingtian and said, "What are you looking at me for? You're a college student, but you haven't graduated yet. You used to work as a milk tea shop helper or cashier, so you probably didn't earn much money."

"It's not much money."

Kariyong said, somewhat surprised, "Aren't you angry at all?"

Ying Tian replied matter-of-factly, "Why should I be angry?"

Kaliyong patted Yingtian on the back and said, "As the saying goes, a man without money is like a woman without breasts, both are great tragedies. Just like you can't step on a tiger's tail, you really aren't angry?"

Even though they were quite far apart, Saratoga still heard Kaliyah's words. She clenched her little fists, intending to stand up for the Commander, but then thought better of it. She couldn't just hide her true feelings. "Hmph, I've already spent a lot of money to bribe various artists to draw fan art of me with huge breasts. Just wait, one day I'll grow taller and bigger than you."

“What’s there to be angry about?” Ying Tian said. “I don’t have a huge fortune to inherit. University is a time to learn skills, so it’s normal to be broke. Once I graduate and work at a big internet company with a 996 work schedule, I’ll have money.”

“No, Commander, you can’t work 996.” Longfeng said seriously from the side, “If you go to do those useless things, what will we do? Money is useless anyway. I can give you all my money.”

Dragon and Phoenix, my beloved Dragon and Phoenix!

Whether you need it or not, these simple yet natural words are truly touching. Ying Tian patted Long Feng's shoulder and said, "Thank you, I accept Long Feng's kindness. As for the money, just throw it in front of Kali Yong, that way she'll know I have money."

Carly couldn't help but say with a hint of sourness, "It's not your money."

"Giving gifts is also a way to acquire money."

"I don't care, you're shameless."

"Give up, I won't be angry."

"Shameless, shameless, shameless."

Carly never gives up; wherever Yingtian goes, she always comes up to him and says something like, "You're shameless."