Ye Ming suddenly understood. He thought it over carefully. He had slept facedown on the desk last night, and there didn't seem to have been anything embarrassing about it, so he didn't ask further.
"Then, what does Laffey think?"
Ye Ming sat down beside Laffey. "If you have any thoughts, you have to tell me directly. Don't bottle them up inside, or I'll be unhappy."
"Big Sister Yae Sakura wants to become the Commander's Oath Ship too, right? Will the Commander give her a ring?" Laffey rolled over and lay on Ye Ming's lap, looking at him as she asked very seriously.
Ye Ming was baffled. "What nonsense are you talking about? I've only met her twice. Why would I give her a ring?"
"Oh, Laffey understands."
Laffey seemed to have realized something.
Ship-Girls were spirits born from a Commander's will, embodying the summoner's yearning for beautiful things. They were exceptionally sensitive to human emotions.
Lies, false affection, and the like could never fool a Ship-Girl's eyes. Every Ship-Girl could feel the sincerity of emotions in the most direct and profound way.
Therefore, Laffey could tell that Ye Ming was telling the truth. But at the same time, she could also tell that Yae Sakura's gaze toward Ye Ming, though deliberately disguised, was still the gaze one reserved for someone she liked.
So, in Laffey's eyes, the situation was obvious—Yae Sakura liked Ye Ming, but the Commander had no intention of giving Yae Sakura a ring.
Wasn't this just like many Ship-Girls back in the Port District?
They clearly knew that the Commander was the most special person in a Ship-Girl's heart. They clearly knew that Ship-Girls could easily fall in love with their Commanders. Yet they still put Ship-Girls in the position of secretary ship, increasing the time they spent together and openly grinding affection. Then, after the Ship-Girls fell in love with them, they refused to give them rings.
Take the light cruiser Saint Louis, for example. She had been a secretary ship for a long time, had received an expensive sports car from the Commander, and had been given plenty of clothes. Every day, the Commander ordered her to sit in the sports car wearing revealing gifts and endure his harassment, along with excessive remarks like, "Auntie, I don't want to work hard anymore," and "My damn social security." Yet in the end, she still never received a ring.
There was also the shut-in Nagashima, who didn't even wear panties and spent every day in nothing but a T-shirt. Then there was Honolulu, the easily embarrassed tsundere who was always self-conscious about her oversized boobs. Though they were constantly harassed and said they were angry or helpless, perhaps they were happier than anything else—because it was their beloved Commander.
The number one secretary ship on the Chinese server, Saint Louis.jpg
But in the end, she still never received a ring.
Laffey had seen far too many situations like this.
So Laffey could understand the relationship between Yae Sakura and Ye Ming, and she deeply sympathized with Yae Sakura, that pitiful girl destined never to receive a ring.
"Laffey will stay by her side and heal her."
That was what Laffey said.
P.S.: I wanted to post pictures, but a lot of Azur Lane skin images simply won't pass review...
Master Keqing's Setup: Drug Her and Take Her Down
Since Laffey agreed too, Ye Ming had nothing more to say.
Taking advantage of the weekend, Ye Ming specifically asked Fu Hua to take him and Laffey to visit Yae Sakura's home. As it happened, Yae Sakura lived right downstairs from him, which put Ye Ming much more at ease.
After giving Yae Sakura the spare key to his home, sitting in her house to chat for a while, and leaving behind some gifts, Ye Ming left with Laffey. Fu Hua, seeming to have something to discuss with Yae Sakura, stayed behind at Yae Sakura's place.
After returning home, Laffey went back into the bedroom and lay on the bed fiddling with Ye Ming's laptop. After thinking about it, Ye Ming simply renewed his premium membership so Laffey could watch anime more conveniently.
Ye Ming had always preferred watching original versions on certain websites better left unmentioned, but Laffey was still just a little girl. The censored versions on Bilibili were perfect for her.
Afterward, Ye Ming thought it over and chose not to rest by watching anime with the little girl. Instead, he sat down at the computer desk, turned on the computer, and prepared to write.
As he moved the mouse and looked at the familiar game icons on his desktop, Ye Ming felt a little sentimental.
Come to think of it, ever since he started writing novels, he hadn't opened any games in a long time. Whether it was League of Legends or Steam, he hadn't touched them these past few days. Honestly, he really couldn't resist wanting to open one and play for a while.
But after his mouse lingered over the game icons for a long time, Ye Ming still gritted his teeth, moved the cursor away, opened his writing software, and started typing.
Other than eating and drinking, the rare weekend passed without him noticing as he wrote. That evening, Ye Ming posted two of the four chapters he had finished, saving the other two to release on Monday. Once everything was done, he finally let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and stretched.
It was already night. On the bed, Laffey and Fu Hua had fallen asleep.
Ye Ming shut down the computer and looked toward Fu Hua on the bed. The girl had her eyes closed, breathing evenly as she slept soundly. Her open pajama collar revealed a large expanse of snow-white skin, and she looked completely defenseless. Ye Ming stared at the sleeping girl, his expression conflicted and his gaze flickering. He took a slight step forward, wanting to extend his wicked hands, yet hesitating.
After struggling for a long time, Ye Ming finally gave up on the idea of carrying Laffey away from Fu Hua so he could sleep holding Laffey that night. He silently went alone to the guest bedroom next door.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Yae Sakura knocked on Ye Ming's door.
After the group ate breakfast together, Ye Ming left Yae Sakura and Laffey at home before heading out with Fu Hua.
When they arrived at the company, Sister Wang personally rushed over to hand the project materials to Ye Ming before he had even warmed his chair.
"Ye Ming, you have to work hard. The company's future depends entirely on you."
Sister Wang heavily patted Ye Ming on the shoulder and pushed him out of the company.
The moment he came downstairs, a silver Porsche slowly pulled up in front of him. The driver's window rolled down, revealing a young woman in a professional skirt suit. She smiled brightly and warmly greeted him, "You're Mr. Ye, right? I'm here specifically to pick you up. Please, get in."
"Sorry for the trouble."
After getting into the car, Ye Ming noticed the young woman had been secretly studying him through the rearview mirror. It made him wonder whether he had failed to wash his face that morning, so he hurriedly took out his phone and checked. There wasn't any dirt on his face at all.
"Um, may I ask what I should call you?"
Feeling a little unnerved by the woman's staring, Ye Ming simply spoke up to break the strange atmosphere in the car.
"Huh? Oh, I'm Zhou Keke. I just graduated this year and am currently the manager's intern secretary. If Mr. Ye needs anything in the future, please don't hesitate to tell me. I look forward to working with you!"
"My name is Ye Ming. Please take care of me too."
Ye Ming found it strange. Though he held the title of manager, he was actually just an ordinary company employee, and his company was the contractor taking on the project. No matter how he looked at it, he, as the contractor, should have been trying to please the client. Why was this woman acting as though she had seen her immediate boss?
What, can I fire you or dock your pay?
Ye Ming secretly found it funny. Still, judging from her appearance, he knew she had probably only recently started working, so it was normal for her to be inexperienced.
After that, Ye Ming also tried chatting with her to ease her nerves, but after talking for a long time, he still felt that the way she looked at him was somewhat strange.
After getting out of the car, Ye Ming followed the woman into Liyue International's office building. They took the private elevator next door and stopped on the top floor.
Outside the office at the end of the hallway, Zhou Keke knocked on the door and said, "Manager Keqing, Mr. Ye is here."
"Come in." A sweet voice came from inside the office.
Ye Ming froze for a moment, faintly feeling that the voice sounded familiar.
Before he could think further, Zhou Keke had already opened the office door. Ye Ming looked inside and saw, at the far end of the luxuriously decorated office, a charming young woman with gorgeous purple hair sitting behind a wide desk.
She wore a professional suit, black stockings, and black high heels, looking dignified yet beautiful. At the same time, her lovely face seemed somewhat youthful. The two contrasting qualities combined into an indescribably unique charm.
Ye Ming froze.
It was Keqing!
"It's you!?"
Keqing wore the same surprised expression when she saw Ye Ming, but her surprise quickly turned into delight.
"That's wonderful. I was worried whether the person coming over to coordinate would be easy to get along with, but I never expected it to be you. Now our work together will definitely go smoothly and pleasantly."
Keqing stood and walked over to Ye Ming, extending her right hand. "Keqing, project manager at Liyue International. Please take care of me."
Ye Ming came back to his senses, still very surprised. As he shook her hand, he said, "I didn't expect to meet you in a situation like this either."
"Ye Ming, please take care of me from now on."
"Let's take care of each other."
Keqing smiled happily. "Coco, hurry and see whether there are any vacant offices left. Arrange one for Ye Ming."
Keqing didn't stand on ceremony and familiarly called Ye Ming by name.
But Zhou Keke looked troubled. "Well, Manager Keqing, a lot of new employees have joined recently, and all the offices on our side are full."
Keqing became angry. "Why didn't you tell me something like this sooner? If someone who didn't know the situation heard about it, they might think we were deliberately trying to embarrass him!"
"Good thing he's an acquaintance this time."
As she spoke, Keqing gave Ye Ming an apologetic smile. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "How about you temporarily share an office with me?"
"That doesn't seem appropriate." Ye Ming hadn't expected this situation either.
"What's inappropriate about it? We aren't strangers. It's settled, then."
Keqing gave Ye Ming no chance to object. "Coco, find someone to bring an extra desk, chair, and office supplies into my office."
After giving those instructions, Keqing looked at Ye Ming with a smile and invited him, "It's already noon. Would you like to go downstairs for a drink together? We can treat it as a good start to our cooperation."
"I'd be honored." Ye Ming nodded. This was a normal business social engagement, so naturally he couldn't refuse.
Hearing that, Keqing gave Zhou Keke a look. Zhou Keke understood immediately and quietly left.
Keqing, with everything under control, smiled even more happily.
The Drugged Wine Goes Down
Keqing was acting very warmly, but Ye Ming vaguely felt that something was off. Though he wore a smile as enthusiastic as Keqing's, he secretly raised his guard.
Having been a corporate drone for several years, Ye Ming was no longer the naïve rookie who had just left campus. He had long passed that innocent age.
If, when he first got into the car, Ye Ming had thought Zhou Keke's strange attitude was simply due to her lack of experience after just leaving school, then what happened after meeting Keqing made him realize that Keqing and Zhou Keke's behavior truly defied common sense.
According to Sister Wang, Liyue International was an international conglomerate with abundant capital. This project was Liyue International's first attempt to enter the mainland market. Faced with such a massive market of over a billion people, it would be perfectly normal for its first investment to be as cautious as possible. In theory, Liyue International's partner should have been a large company or enterprise with considerable strength and deep connections. Yet the company it ultimately chose was Ye Ming's small private firm with only a few dozen employees.
Before you continue