"Sure." Fu Hua agreed, glancing at Laffey on the bed. "Who is this child?"
This child is Laffey, my Oath Ship, my wife. Cute, right?
Although Ye Ming occasionally felt the urge to show her off, he was not brain-dead enough to say that to Fu Hua.
"This child is Laffey. She's the younger sister of a friend of mine. My friend had an emergency and had to return home temporarily, so Laffey is staying with me for now."
Ye Ming lied without changing expression, then left the bedroom before Fu Hua could ask any more questions.
"I'll go wash my face first. Wait for me a moment."
"Okay."
Fu Hua answered and stood motionlessly where she was. Only after the sound of running water came from the bathroom did she slowly walk over to the bed and look at Laffey, whose face was buried beneath the pillow, with only a few strands of white hair exposed.
The little girl did not move. Her breathing was even, as though she was completely unaware of Fu Hua's gaze.
Fu Hua stood calmly beside the bed for a while, then suddenly strode to the window and pulled open the curtains.
The warm morning sunlight streamed through the curtains and lit up the bedroom. Beyond the window were a clear sky and rows of dormitory buildings. Other than that, there was nothing.
Fu Hua's eyes imperceptibly flicked toward the area below the window, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
She turned back to glance at the sleeping Laffey again. After some thought, she drew the curtains shut and returned to her original position.
A few minutes later, Ye Ming came over after finishing up.
"I'm done. Let's go downstairs and eat."
"Breakfast can wait." Fu Hua shook her head. "Before that, there's something I'd like to ask your opinion on."
Ye Ming paused, looking at Fu Hua's expression curiously. "What is it?"
"Your mother already mentioned it to you on WeChat yesterday, didn't she? About us."
Fu Hua's expression was calm, as if she were casually bringing up something utterly ordinary. "I'll be direct. We grew up together, and I know you very well. If there is someone who can accompany me through the rest of my life, then rationally speaking, I think you are the most suitable person. Emotionally speaking, I would choose you, and only you."
"If your feelings for me are the same as my feelings for you, I have already prepared our IDs, photos, and proof that we are not related by blood. As long as you want to, we can go get our marriage certificate anytime."
"If you do not feel that way about me for now, I will not give up either. I will work hard to make you like me, to become the person you like, so..."
"Ye Zi, can you give me a chance to pursue you?"
At their first reunion in two years, the girl named Fu Hua had thrown a straight ball straighter than any other.
Ye Ming froze.
P.S.: I received notice that the contract was approved. I'll just do one update today so I can rest early and adjust the update schedule. Starting tomorrow, there will be at least two steady updates every night.
A Sure Win!
Her!?
Was she Fu Hua, or the Red Oriole Immortal?
Outside the window, Yae Sakura got a clear look at Fu Hua's appearance and widened her eyes in shock.
Since the first day she had inexplicably arrived in this world, Yae Sakura had been here for three months. During that time, aside from silently protecting Ye Ming, she had also basically figured out this world's common knowledge. She had even sorted out her identity papers and registered under her real name to start playing Honkai Impact 3rd.
In the game, Valkyries like Yae Sakura were the main force resisting the Honkai and saving the world. But in this world, there were no Honkai Beasts, nor were there any traces of other supernatural powers. If her own powers had not remained usable, Yae Sakura might even have suspected that there was something wrong with her memories.
But the reality was that her powers were still there, and her memories were not the least bit confused. Most importantly, the person she loved was in this world too.
Although Ye Ming seemed to have lost his memories of the past and become an ordinary person without supernatural powers, that familiar face and the stirring deep within her soul made Yae Sakura utterly certain that Ye Ming was her beloved.
Yes, Yae Sakura loved Ye Ming.
During the Warring States period centuries ago, those ordinary yet warm days in Yae Village of Shinano had been the happiest time of Yae Sakura's life. Ye Ming had helped her find herself again. Ye Ming had warmed the heart that had nearly been eroded by the Honkai. Ye Ming had given her the courage to keep living.
Of course, Ye Ming was not the only one. In Yae Sakura's heart, Kallen was also an extremely important friend. But she could only be a friend. Although Yae Sakura felt that Kallen's feelings for her seemed to be more than simple friendship, Yae Sakura had no intention of responding to those feelings. Her heart was small, and it had room for only Ye Ming.
All along, Yae Sakura had believed that she was the only Valkyrie from the Honkai World to arrive in this world. As long as she advanced step by step and steadily built her position, slowly finding opportunities to get close to Ye Ming and raise his affection for her, one day she would win Ye Ming's heart and become his wife.
Yae Sakura had always been very confident in her own charm.
But reality was always full of surprises.
Two months ago, Yae Sakura had discovered the suddenly appearing Okita Souji. Yesterday, she had discovered the purple-haired girl who had deliberately sought an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Ye Ming on the subway. Especially after her conversation with Okita Souji last night, when she confirmed Okita Souji's feelings for Ye Ming, Yae Sakura felt a crisis unlike any she had ever faced.
She wanted to abandon her original plan, recognize Ye Ming at all costs, and launch a direct offensive. But the recent online discourse about Captains and Valkyries made her hesitant. She feared that Ye Ming, who had no memories, would develop a barrier between them, and she feared other women would take advantage of that opening.
But now, another Valkyrie from the Honkai World—the Red Oriole Immortal who had once protected Shenzhou for a thousand years, Fu Hua, the famously serious top student—had suddenly barged into her beloved's bedroom. She looked as familiar with her beloved as could be, and had directly proposed to him!
And judging from her words, Fu Hua had grown up with Ye Ming as his childhood sweetheart. She even had Ye Ming's mother's support!
A bolt from the blue struck down, leaving Yae Sakura completely stunned.
Why? Why had things turned out like this?
I'm still warming up at the starting line, while you not only bribed the referee, but have already run to the finish line and are getting ready to lift the trophy. Isn't that way too unfair?!
Damn it!
Yae Sakura bit her lip hard, wishing she could rush in at once, shield Ye Ming behind her, draw her blade, and battle that hateful woman for three hundred rounds.
She glanced to the side. Well, Okita Souji's reaction was even more obvious. Her pretty face had gone deathly pale with rage, and her full chest heaved violently, as if she were about to cough up blood from anger the next second.
She looked utterly different from the unfathomably composed swordswoman she had appeared to be earlier.
For some reason, seeing Okita Souji like this made Yae Sakura feel inexplicably better.
"Ye Zi, can you give me a chance to pursue you?"
Fu Hua controlled her pace and said those words in a tone that was as calm as possible, yet incomparably earnest.
The moment those words left her mouth, Fu Hua sharply noticed Ye Ming's stunned expression. She also detected two suddenly quickened breaths from outside the window.
Fu Hua remained outwardly impassive, but she was somewhat uneasy inside.
She admitted that there was an element of gambling in this move. But she was confident that she had a very high chance of winning. Ye Ming would not reject her confession!
That confidence came not only from her status as Ye Ming's childhood sweetheart, but also from the wisdom she had accumulated over her long life.
That was right. Although Fu Hua was Ye Ming's childhood sweetheart, her true identity was one of the eight strongest human warriors of the Previous Era in the Honkai World, and the first successful subject of the MANTIS experiment. She had protected Shenzhou for over a thousand years as the Red Oriole Immortal. Later, after sensing Ye Ming's existence, she joined the Valkyries and became Ye Ming's Valkyrie.
After arriving in this world, Fu Hua used the Key of God: Feather of Cleansing to alter the memories of those around them. She accompanied Ye Ming as his childhood sweetheart while he grew up, establishing an enormous advantage from the very beginning!
But while the childhood sweetheart advantage was indeed great, being too close made it difficult for sparks of love to fly. Thus, Fu Hua deliberately separated from Ye Ming for two years under the pretext of pursuing graduate studies. She had planned to make a stunning reappearance with a brand-new image two years later, kindle love during the time they lived together, and set their relationship on the proper path toward marriage.
But now, after noticing the suddenly appearing Yae Sakura and the unidentified young swordswoman beside Yae Sakura, Fu Hua immediately changed her strategy and threw a straight ball straighter than any other!
The moment she made her move, Fu Hua had already anticipated the outcome.
Ye Ming would never reject her!
Fu Hua understood Ye Ming's personality better than anyone. If the Ye Ming of his student days had still harbored the youthful fantasies unique to hot-blooded boys, then Ye Ming, tempered by several years in the workforce, had become far more mature.
Fu Hua knew that Ye Ming had no desire for some earth-shaking romance, nor did he seek love at first sight. Although Ye Ming had not fallen in love with her, Fu Hua believed that he did have a favorable impression of her.
With that favorable impression, Ye Ming's mother helping her along, her own beauty, and her understanding of Ye Ming, Fu Hua believed that no matter how hard-hearted Ye Ming was, he would not reject her outright. At the very least, she could get a chance to give it a try.
Once the relationship began, everything that followed would be entirely under her control.
Fu Hua was brimming with confidence.
For the one she loved, even an upright and principled immortal did not mind being flexible when appropriate.
She was certain to win this race!
Bigamy
"Ye Zi, can you give me a chance to pursue you?"
Hearing those words, Ye Ming stood rooted to the spot.
He had never expected that, on the first day of their reunion after so long apart, Fu Hua would confess to him so directly.
Caught completely off guard, he looked at Fu Hua with his mouth slightly open, yet for a moment, he did not know what to say.
Was this an April Fools' joke?
Sorry, I didn't hear that clearly. What exactly just happened?
Sorry, I'm a construction worker with no emotions. Women only slow down my concrete pouring.
Ye Ming had ten thousand ways to ease the atmosphere and countless ways to muddle through ambiguously, but he would not do that.
He looked into Fu Hua's face. The girl confessing to him had a calm expression and an even tone. But after speaking, as she waited for his response, though her expression remained calm, her slightly curled fingers still revealed the nervousness in her heart.
Ye Ming understood Fu Hua. He could tell that she was serious.
Since it was a serious confession, he naturally could not brush it off. Naturally, he had to respond head-on with the same seriousness.
Then what exactly were my feelings for Fu Hua?
Ye Ming silently asked himself as he recalled his past with Fu Hua.
Fu Hua as a child had been quiet and reserved, with a maturity that did not belong to someone her age. Although she followed Ye Ming around most of the time, she rarely joined him in his antics. She would only step forward whenever Ye Ming was being ganged up on by other children, punch one child into tears at a time, and protect him.
Before you continue