Honestly, whenever Ye Ming thought about it when he was younger, he felt utterly embarrassed. Later on, he gradually learned to avoid conflict because of it.
After they started school, the two grew closer. Back then, Fu Hua ranked first in academics and excelled at every sport. She was popular with both students and teachers. The girls liked her handsomeness and integrity, while the boys liked her excellence and beauty.
The Fu Hua in Ye Ming's memory had the aura of a born top student, putting immense pressure on everyone around her. Even those who occasionally envied her behaved as meekly as rabbits in front of her.
For a time, Ye Ming had believed that after graduation, Fu Hua would definitely become a stereotypical career woman. He had even dreamed of her becoming a dashing police officer, her glare as terrifying as a bullet and enough to make people shudder.
But now, Fu Hua, whom he had not seen in two years, stood before him. She wore neither the police uniform from his dreams nor the professional blazer of a career woman. Her long hair hung casually down her back, and the rectangular glasses from her student days were gone. Blue contact lenses softened her formerly sharp gaze, while her white floral dress added a touch of gentleness.
They stood so close that Ye Ming could even smell the enchanting scent on Fu Hua.
The current Fu Hua felt more like the girl next door to Ye Ming than a female top student or career woman.
To be fair, Fu Hua was very beautiful. Even without makeup, she was far prettier than those unnatural cosplay videos on his computer, loaded with editing and filters. A girl this beautiful, and his childhood sweetheart at that—Ye Ming would have been lying if he said he was not the slightest bit moved.
In fact, when Ye Ming received his mother's WeChat message yesterday and learned that Fu Hua was with her, he had vaguely sensed something.
Before yesterday, if Fu Hua had confessed to him, Ye Ming would have been surprised and thought it over, but in the end, he definitely would have nodded and agreed to try dating her.
That was perfectly normal. They were childhood sweethearts who understood each other, Ye Ming had a good impression of Fu Hua, she was a beautiful girl, and she had his mother's approval. With all those factors combined, Ye Ming certainly would have tried dating Fu Hua.
But now, could he still nod?
Ye Ming thought of Laffey, the little girl who had thrown herself into his arms the moment they met. The girl who had trusted him without reservation from the start, who wanted to create new memories with him and build a future together.
Little Laffey had never agonized over the difference between the game and reality. She did not care that Ye Ming lacked memories of their past daily life. She trusted and relied on him without holding anything back.
She was his Laffey, his Ship-Girl, his angel, his Oath Ship, his girl.
Ye Ming had long since made up his mind to hold his girl's hand and walk forward with her.
So could he still agree to Fu Hua? Could Fu Hua accept Laffey's existence? Could Laffey accept Fu Hua?
Ye Ming took a deep breath and looked at Fu Hua. "Can you give me a few minutes?"
"Huh?" Ye Ming's reaction caught Fu Hua somewhat off guard. Startled, she nodded instinctively.
Ye Ming turned around and returned to the bedroom. He closed the door, pulled Laffey out from beneath the pillow, and shook the little girl's shoulders hard.
"Laffey, wake up! Wake up!"
Laffey did not react at all.
Ye Ming simply pinched Laffey's nose. A few seconds later, she finally opened her eyes groggily.
"Mmm... Commander?"
"Laffey, would you mind if I got married?" Ye Ming asked.
"Eh? Is Commander handing out rings again?" Laffey blanked out for a moment, then slapped Ye Ming's hand away and said lazily, "Whatever. Commander already has so many Oath Ships anyway. One more doesn't matter."
Laffey closed her eyes and buried her head beneath the pillow. "You don't need to ask Laffey about this at all. Commander might not see a Ship-Girl's wishes, but no Ship-Girl would truly oppose Commander's wishes. Even if Commander is more of a flirt, we have no choice but to accept it. After all, Laffey is Commander's Ship-Girl, and Laffey likes Commander the most."
Laffey's words filled Ye Ming with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Laffey," Ye Ming apologized.
Laffey shook her head beneath the pillow. "Don't misunderstand, Commander. Saint Louis said those things. Laffey doesn't mind how many rings Commander gives out, because Laffey knows Commander likes Laffey the most. Just like Laffey likes Commander the most. If Commander is happy, Laffey is happy. If Commander is happy in life, then Laffey is the happiest Laffey."
Ye Ming had nothing to say.
"Yeah. Commander likes Laffey the most too."
With that, Ye Ming took a deep breath and left the bedroom.
"I'm sorry, Fu Hua," Ye Ming said quietly as he faced her.
Fu Hua, who had listened to the conversation in the bedroom all along, clenched her fists. Her voice remained calm. "Is it because of the little girl in the bedroom? It's fine. I like her too, actually. After we get married, I'll love her like my own daughter."
"No, it's not just because of her."
Ye Ming shook his head.
If there had only been Laffey, Ye Ming certainly would not have refused to date Fu Hua. After all, although Laffey was his Oath Ship, she was ultimately just a little girl. But Laffey had once said that the other Ship-Girls in the Port District might also come to this world. If what Laffey said was true, could Fu Hua accept so many Oath Ships?
Even though Fu Hua was a top student and could fight well, she was still just an ordinary girl. She definitely could not accept that many Ship-Girls.
"Then why? Do you hate me?"
Fu Hua clenched her fists and took deep breaths, barely maintaining her composure.
"No. To be honest, I do have feelings for you too, but..."
Ye Ming thought for a moment, then asked, "If I committed a crime, what would you do, Fu Hua?"
"A crime?"
Fu Hua frowned. "That depends on whether you were in the wrong. If you weren't, I'd help you. If you were, I'd still help you—help correct you myself. If it's just a crime, then no matter what crime you committed, I wouldn't despise you. My feelings for you wouldn't change. As long as you're willing, we can get married anytime."
"Then... what about bigamy?"
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Author's note: Although I wrote it in the synopsis, let me say it again: this is a warm, slice-of-life harem story. There will be no angst, so please read with ease.
Wanting You, and Them Too
"Bigamy?"
Fu Hua frowned. For some reason, hearing that word gave her a faint sense of foreboding.
That made no sense.
Over the past two years, although Fu Hua had separated from Ye Ming and moved to a different city under the pretext of graduate school, the distance between cities was no obstacle to her. She might not have had a complete grasp of Ye Ming's every word and action, but she knew his relationship status like the back of her hand.
As far as she knew, Ye Ming had never dated a girlfriend in recent years, nor had he had any ambiguous relationships with any girls. Of course, he did have a few close male friends, but Fu Hua was not about to suspect Ye Ming's sexual orientation.
So in Fu Hua's eyes, Ye Ming's question was simply baffling. Yet for some reason, she felt vaguely uneasy.
"What do you mean? What exactly are you thinking?" Fu Hua frowned at Ye Ming.
For a moment, Ye Ming did not know how to explain it either.
After all, the matter of the Ship-Girls was simply too bizarre and unbelievable. Even if Ye Ming told her, Fu Hua, an ordinary person, might not believe him. Taking a step back, even if she did believe him, Ye Ming could not tell her. The Ship-Girls had special identities, and Ye Ming would not let his girls take risks.
But on the other hand, Ye Ming did not want to lie to Fu Hua. Fu Hua was a serious and competitive girl. Just as Ye Ming understood Fu Hua, Fu Hua understood Ye Ming as well. His lies might not fool her, and Fu Hua would never give up without the truth.
Ye Ming gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "I can tell you what I'm really thinking, but you have to promise not to hit me after you hear it, and not to tell my parents."
Ye Ming was still a little afraid of Fu Hua's fighting ability. It was embarrassing to say, but even now, whenever he remembered the sight of Fu Hua expressionlessly knocking out children one punch at a time when they were young, he still felt a little uneasy.
"I promise."
Noticing Ye Ming's expression, Fu Hua found it amusing, but she also felt a little regretful. Did I act too violently in the past and scare him?
"Alright, then I'll be direct. You asked whether I like you. If I say I don't, we've already come this far. If I say I do, then I really have only just started liking you..."
"Don't hit me yet. Let me finish!"
Ye Ming took a step back, widening the distance between himself and Fu Hua. Then he poured out everything on his mind in one breath. "Actually, I've never dated anyone in all my life. It might be a little embarrassing to say, but when I was in middle school, I used to fantasize about turning battle qi into a horse, getting transported to another world, meeting all kinds of beast-eared girls, and building a huge harem or something. By college, I got a little more realistic. Sometimes I fantasized about being noticed by a beautiful, busty rich woman when I went out, or picking up a female high school student somewhere. After working for a few years, I still occasionally fantasized, but in reality, I didn't have many expectations for romance anymore."
"I've met quite a few beautiful girls, but I've never felt the impulse of love at first sight. As for feelings growing over time, I used to be a construction worker permanently stationed on the front lines of construction sites, so I had neither the time nor the opportunity."
"I'm not really against blind dates. There's a lot of discourse about gender issues online, but in real life, from college through work, I rarely met any truly strange girls. If we didn't dislike each other and our circumstances were suitable, I wouldn't mind talking and giving it a try..."
"But if it were you..."
"Fu Hua, I think that even if we skipped the dating phase and got together directly, we would probably live very well together in the future."
Fu Hua's eyes widened in surprise. "Then why—"
"Let me finish."
Ye Ming interrupted Fu Hua. "To be honest, back in school, I had those kinds of thoughts too. But first, we were too familiar, and I felt awkward bringing it up. Second, you were simply too beautiful and outstanding. Although your chest—although you're broad-minded and generous, I still felt a lot of pressure."
"When you just suggested that we try dating, I thought about it carefully. We grew up together and know each other's personalities inside and out. Because of the precious experiences we shared in the past, even if we discovered each other's little flaws or faced some minor setbacks in life, we would definitely work things out well. Since we know each other so well, we could say whatever was on our minds directly. As for family, my parents like you too, so there probably wouldn't be much conflict there either."
"As for me, it might sound like I have no ambition, but after running away from construction sites, I lost all motivation to strive. I've always been a bit of a homebody and not very fond of socializing. Although those years at construction sites trained me well enough to handle my current job, coworkers, and clients, I'm only barely dealing with it for survival and because my family worries about me. Only at night, when I drag my exhausted body back to a pitch-black home, turn on my phone and computer, and chat with idiot friends online, do I feel a little more relaxed."
"If we were together, I think that when I came home after working overtime at night, perhaps among the countless lights in all those apartment buildings, I could see one that belonged to me. When I reached my door, even if I had forgotten my phone and keys, someone would open it for me. There would no longer be only darkness behind that door. In the brightly lit living room, there would be someone waiting for me to come home. Seeing that, even the most exhausted heart would be healed."
"That is the happiest scene I can imagine."
"Of course, you've been a top student since childhood, and you're very driven. Maybe you'll be even busier than I am. Maybe you'll come home later than I do. Maybe I'll be the one waiting for you to return. But having someone to wait for in your heart while you're busy must be very happy too."
"We're both ordinary people. Work and life might not always go smoothly. We might face setbacks at work or hardships in life. But because the person beside me would be you, I think we could definitely hold hands and walk through this journey of life together."
"You asked what I'm thinking. That's what I'm thinking, Fu Hua."
Ye Ming gazed at Fu Hua as he said this.
For some reason, seeing Ye Ming's eyes and hearing his tone as he spoke, Fu Hua's eyes actually stung with tears. "Since you've thought that far ahead, why, why..."
"Because there are also them, Fu Hua."
Ye Ming said quietly, "There is a group of girls. Every one of them is a perfect lifeform, dreamlike as an elf. They are powerful, pure, and beautiful. They trust you and rely on you without holding anything back. No matter how awful you are, they will entrust everything they have, including their lives, to you. Even if one day you disappear irresponsibly without even saying goodbye, they will be sad and cry, yet still do everything they can to find you. Even if mountains and seas separate you, even if they must search the entire world, even if they spend their whole lives, they still want to return to your side."
"You might not believe it when I say it, but that is the truth."
"You..."
Fu Hua stared at Ye Ming with wide eyes. She was so shocked that she did not know what to say for a moment.
The atmosphere in the living room grew heavy for a while.
Before you continue