Mobile Game Wife Comes Knocking

To be honest, when he was still young, Ye Ming found it embarrassing every time, and that was how he gradually learned to avoid conflict.

Later on, after they started school, the two of them grew closer. During her student days, Fu Hua ranked first in academics, excelled in sports, and was well-liked by both classmates and teachers. Girls admired Fu Hua's coolness and integrity, while boys were drawn to her excellence and beauty.

In Ye Ming's impression, Fu Hua carried the aura of a natural top student, exuding immense pressure. Occasionally, those who envied Fu Hua would behave as meek as rabbits in her presence.

Ye Ming once thought that after graduation, Fu Hua would definitely become a standard workplace powerhouse. He even dreamed of her as a dashing police officer, her glare like bullets that made people tremble in fear.

But now, after two years apart, Fu Hua stood before Ye Ming. There was no police uniform from his dreams, no professional blazer of a career woman. The Fu Hua before him had her long hair casually draped behind her back, the flat-frame glasses from her student days were gone, and blue contact lenses softened her once-sharp gaze. A white floral-print dress added a touch of gentleness to her appearance.

The two stood very close, so close that Ye Ming could even catch the alluring scent of Fu Hua.

The Fu Hua now gave Ye Ming the feeling of a girl next door, not a female top student or a strong woman.

To be fair, Fu Hua was very beautiful. Even without makeup, she was far prettier than the heavily filtered and Photoshopped cosplay videos on Ye Ming's computer. With such a beautiful girl, his childhood sweetheart, it would be a lie to say Ye Ming's heart didn't stir at all.

In fact, when Ye Ming received his mom's WeChat message yesterday and learned that Fu Hua was by her side, he already had a faint premonition.

If it had been before yesterday, facing Fu Hua's confession, Ye Ming would have been surprised, would have thought it over, but in the end, he would have nodded and agreed to try dating Fu Hua.

That was only natural. After all, they were childhood sweethearts who knew each other well. Ye Ming had feelings for Fu Hua, and she was a very beautiful girl who had also won his mother's approval. With so many factors at play, Ye Ming would certainly have given dating Fu Hua a try.

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, who had unreservedly decided he was the one, wanting to create new memories and a future together with him.

Little Laffey had never struggled with the difference between games and reality from the start. She didn't care that Ye Ming had no memories of the past. She believed in him and relied on him without reservation.

She was his Laffey, his Ship-Girl, his angel, his Oath Ship, his girl.

Ye Ming had long made up his mind to hold his girl's hand and walk forward together.

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 off guard. In her surprise, she nodded instinctively.

Ye Ming turned back into the bedroom, closed the door, pulled Laffey out from under the pillow, and shook the little girl's shoulders vigorously.

"Laffey, wake up, wake up!"

Laffey showed no reaction at all.

Ye Ming simply pinched Laffey's nose. After a few seconds, Laffey finally opened her eyes drowsily.

"Mmm~ Commander?"

"Laffey, if I got married, would you mind?" Ye Ming asked.

"Huh? Is Commander handing out rings again?" Laffey was stunned for a moment, then swatted Ye Ming's hand away and said lazily, "Whatever. It's not like Commander doesn't already have plenty of Oath Ships. One more doesn't matter."

Laffey closed her eyes and buried her head under the pillow. "There's no need to ask Laffey about this kind of thing. A Ship-Girl's wishes might be invisible to the Commander, but no Ship-Girl would truly oppose the Commander's will. Even if the Commander is a flirt, we have to accept it. After all, Laffey is the Commander's Ship-Girl, the Laffey who loves the Commander the most."

Little Laffey's words filled Ye Ming with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Laffey." Ye Ming apologized.

Laffey shook her head from under the pillow. "Don't misunderstand, Commander. Those words were from Saint Louis. Laffey doesn't mind how many rings Commander gives out, because Laffey knows that Commander loves Laffey the most, just like Laffey loves Commander the most. If Commander is happy, Laffey is happy. If Commander is happy, then Laffey is the happiest Laffey."

Ye Ming had nothing to say.

"Yeah, Commander loves Laffey the most too."

With that, Ye Ming took a deep breath and left the bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Fu Hua." Facing Fu Hua, Ye Ming said in a low voice.

Fu Hua, who had been listening to the conversation from the bedroom, clenched her fists. Her voice remained calm. "Is it because of the little girl in the bedroom? It's okay. I actually like her a lot too. After we get married, I'll treat her like my own daughter."

"No, it's not just because of her."

Ye Ming shook his head.

If it were only Laffey, Ye Ming naturally wouldn't refuse to date Fu Hua. After all, even though Laffey was an Oath Ship, she was ultimately just a little girl. But Laffey had once said that other Ship-Girls from the Port District might also come to this world. If what Laffey said was true, with so many Oath Ships, could Fu Hua still accept that?

Even though she was a top student and very capable, Fu Hua was ultimately just an ordinary girl. She definitely wouldn't be able to accept so many Ship-Girls.

"Then why? Do you hate me?"

Fu Hua clenched her fists, taking deep breaths to barely maintain her composure.

"No, to be honest, I have feelings for you too, but..."

Ye Ming thought for a moment and asked, "If I committed a crime, Fu Hua, what would you do?"

"A crime?"

Fu Hua frowned. "That depends on whether you were wrong or not. If you weren't wrong, I'd help you. If you were wrong, I'd still help you—by correcting you myself. If it's just a crime, no matter what crime you commit, I won't despise you. My feelings for you won't change. As long as you're willing, we can get married anytime."

"Then, what about bigamy?"

?

PS: Although it was written in the synopsis, let me explain again. This book is a harem story, warm and slice-of-life. There won't be any stomach-churning plot twists. Please rest assured and enjoy.

Chapter 16: Wanting You, and Them

"Bigamy?"

Fu Hua frowned. For some reason, upon hearing that word, she caught a faint whiff of something ominous.

It made no sense.

These past two years, though she and Ye Ming had been apart in different cities under the pretext of her graduate studies, the distance between cities posed no real obstacle for her. Over those two years, while Fu Hua hadn't kept tabs on every single word and action of Ye Ming, she was still intimately familiar with his romantic situation.

From what she knew, in these few years, Ye Ming had never had a girlfriend, nor had he been involved in any ambiguous relationships with girls. Sure, he had a few close male friends, but Fu Hua wasn't about to question his sexual orientation.

So, in Fu Hua's view, Ye Ming's question was utterly baffling. Yet, for some reason, a faint unease stirred in her heart.

"What do you mean? What are you really thinking?" Fu Hua frowned, staring at Ye Ming.

For a moment, Ye Ming didn't know how to say it either.

After all, the matter of the Ship-Girls was far too bizarre and unbelievable. Even if Ye Ming spoke up, Fu Hua, being an ordinary person, might not believe him. And even if she did, Ye Ming couldn't reveal it—the Ship-Girls had a special identity, and he wouldn't put his girls at risk.

On the other hand, Ye Ming didn't want to lie to Fu Hua either. Fu Hua was a serious and competitive girl. Just as Ye Ming understood Fu Hua, she understood him just as well. A lie from Ye Ming might not fool her, and without the truth, Fu Hua wouldn't give up.

Ye Ming gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "I can tell you what's on my mind, but you have to promise me that after you hear it, you won't lay a hand on me, and you won't tell my parents."

He was a bit intimidated by Fu Hua's fighting skills. It was embarrassing to admit, but the image of a expressionless Fu Hua knocking out kids with one punch back in childhood still gave him chills whenever he thought about it.

"I promise."

Noticing Ye Ming's demeanor, Fu Hua found it amusing and also felt a twinge of regret—had she been too violent in the past and scared him?

"Alright, then I'll be straightforward. You asked if I like you. If I say I don't, well, we've come this far. If I say I do, then it's true that I've only just started liking you..."

"Don't hit me yet! Let me finish!"

Ye Ming stepped back, putting some distance between himself and Fu Hua, and blurted out everything on his mind: "To be honest, I've never been in a relationship in all my years. It might sound embarrassing, but back in middle school, I'd occasionally fantasize about riding a flaming horse to another world, meeting all kinds of beast-eared girls, and building a big crystal palace or something. By college, I got a bit more realistic—sometimes I'd daydream about being noticed by a rich, beautiful woman with a killer figure while out on the street, or picking up a high school girl. After working for a few years, though I still daydreamed now and then, I actually didn't have much imagination left for romance."

"I've seen plenty of pretty girls, but I've never had that impulse of love at first sight. As for growing to love someone over time, back when I was a grunt on construction sites, I didn't have the time or opportunity."

"Actually, I'm not really against blind dates. Sure, online there's a lot of drama about gender issues, but in real life, from college to work, the girls I've met rarely had those extreme personalities. If a blind date went well and we didn't dislike each other, with compatible conditions, I wouldn't mind giving it a try..."

"But if it's you..."

"Fu Hua, I think even if we skipped the dating phase and got together directly, we'd probably live pretty well."

Fu Hua's eyes widened in surprise: "Then why—"

"Let me finish."

Ye Ming cut her off: "To be honest, back in school, I did have some thoughts about that. But one, we were too close, and I felt awkward bringing it up. Two, you're just too beautiful and outstanding. Though you're, well, open-minded and broad-hearted, I still felt a lot of pressure."

"When you just suggested we try dating, I thought it over carefully. Yeah, we grew up together, we know each other's personalities inside out. With the precious experiences we've shared, even if we find small flaws or hit little bumps in life, we'd definitely smooth things out. Because we're familiar, we can say whatever's on our minds. As for family, my parents really like you too, so there shouldn't be much conflict."

"As for me, it might sound unambitious, but after I quit the construction site, I lost all my drive. I'm naturally a bit of a homebody who doesn't like socializing. Though the site experience helped me handle my current job, colleagues, and clients, in the end, I'm just going through the motions for survival and to reassure my family. Only at night, when I drag my tired body back to a dark home, turn on my phone or computer, and chat with silly net friends, do I feel a bit at ease."

"If we were together, I think, when I come home late after overtime, among the thousands of lit windows in the residential buildings, I might see one that belongs to me. Even if I forget my phone or keys at the door, someone would open it for me. Behind that door, it wouldn't be pitch black anymore. In the brightly lit living room, there'd be someone waiting for me to come home. Seeing that, no matter how exhausted my heart is, it would be healed."

"That's the happiest picture I can imagine."

"Of course, you've always been a top student, and you're competitive. Maybe you'll be busier with work than I am, maybe you'll come home later than me, maybe I'll be the one waiting for you. But even when you're busy, having someone to wait for in your heart must be a kind of happiness too."

"We're both ordinary people. Work and life won't always go smoothly. There might be setbacks at work, bumps in life. But because the person by my side is you, I think we can definitely hold hands and walk this road of life together."

"You asked what I really think. This is what I think, Fu Hua."

Ye Ming looked at Fu Hua and said this.

For some reason, watching Ye Ming's eyes and tone as he spoke, Fu Hua's eyes actually stung a bit: "Since you've thought this far, why, why..."

"Because there are still them, Fu Hua."

Ye Ming said quietly, "There's a group of girls, each one a perfect lifeform as dreamlike as a spirit. They're strong, pure, and beautiful. They believe in you without reservation, depend on you. No matter how awful you are, they entrust everything, including their lives, to you. Even if one day you disappear irresponsibly without a word, they'll be sad, they'll cry, but they'll still try their hardest to find you, no matter how far the mountains and rivers, no matter if they have to search the whole world, even if it takes their whole lives, they want to come back to your side."

"Though you might not believe me when I say it, that's the truth."

"You..."

Fu Hua stared at Ye Ming with wide eyes, so shocked that for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

The atmosphere in the living room grew a bit heavy.