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

The Prince of Wales looked at Ying Tian with some surprise as he put his backpack aside, took out paper and pen, and asked, "Don't you get off work at five o'clock?"

“Because I was fired.” Ying Tian said expressionlessly, writing something on a piece of paper as he spoke. “My supervisor said someone complained that he was using an employee with poor morals, so he fired me. He also didn’t pay me for my part-time job for the first five days of this month.”

The Princess of Wales pursed her lips, listening to Ying Tian's emotionless words, and felt a pang of heartache. She leaned closer to look at what Ying Tian had written on the paper—

I am reporting your company's supervisor, Zhao Wei, for allegedly withholding employee wages, falsifying employee work hours, switching warehouse goods, colluding with suppliers to sell inferior goods, having an office romance with the head of the logistics department, and being intimate in a blind spot of the security cameras...

"This is?"

"The president's complaint mailbox—I can't just work these five days for nothing," Ying Tian said calmly.

"Are all of these true?"

“The first part is true, the last one is false,” Ying Tian said. “But the last one is the most effective.”

The Prince of Wales blinked and asked, "Why?"

"Because the head of the logistics department is the president's mistress."

Prince of Wales: "..."

Chapter 3 feels inferior to Dai Ying; it's ruthless.

Ying Tian returned from the bar with a plate of hamburgers, fries, and chicken wings. He looked at the Prince of Wales and asked, "Do you want some? These are all coupons I got online for free."

"it is good."

The Prince of Wales readily agreed. Why should he be polite to his commander, especially since he was hungry?

Ying Tian was a little stunned. "Big sister, I was just being polite to you. Don't you have any self-respect as an office worker? Not only did you not treat me, but you also had to freeload off a poor student like me who was just trying to vent my frustrations?"

It must be said that the Prince of Wales's eating posture is very elegant. Whether it is the way she wraps the food with a tissue, the way she slightly raises her arm, or even the curve of her pink lips when they open and close, there seems to be nothing special about it, but it gives people an indescribable elegant temperament. This makes many people in the fast food restaurant who are secretly watching her stunned, and they are even more envious and jealous of Ying Tian, ​​who is sitting opposite the Prince of Wales.

The Prince of Wales also noticed these gazes, but her primary concern remained Yingtian.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" The Prince of Wales smiled slightly, very confident in her appearance.

"nothing."

Ying Tian withdrew his gaze, picked up a French fry and started eating. He felt a little guilty, after all, he had almost succumbed to temptation and tried to take the chicken wing bones that the Prince of Wales had left behind. Although she had eaten them quite cleanly, there were still some cartilage stuck to the ends of the bones. That was one of the essences of the chicken wings. Ying Tian hadn't eaten chicken wings in a long time, and those cartilages were making him extremely anxious.

If the Prince of Wales could hear Yingtian's innermost thoughts, he would probably vomit blood.

However, at this moment, she was more concerned about her commander's situation: "So, what exactly is going on? Can you tell me?"

Ying Tian took a bite of fries, savoring the aroma of starch melting in his mouth. He looked at the beautiful and charming Prince of Wales before him and felt a strange sense of familiarity. Perhaps it was because beautiful people are pleasing to the eye. So he said, "It's nothing serious."

"What's that?"

"It was originally just a small matter..." Ying Tian paused, then slowly recounted the story.

“I knew before that Fu Ya was a spoiled girl. I made a few statements to defend myself and emphasize my innocence, but she took it as a provocation. I really didn’t expect Zhang Ze to encourage Fu Ya to do such a thing in order to get close to her and please her. I guess this playboy has been annoyed with me for a long time.”

Ying Tian's words were devoid of much emotion, as if he were merely recounting his own experience. The Prince of Wales, his pink lips slightly greasy, parted slightly as he said, "Although I know that such people do exist, it's truly unlucky that you encountered one."

"It's really unlucky. I didn't pay much attention to this before because I thought it was an undeserved disaster, and dealing with it would cost more than it would pay off. I thought the innocent would clear themselves, and I would rather spend my time studying and working. It seems I was too naive."

Ying Tian took out his phone. He remembered something and decided to take another look at the messages on the school's confession wall.

The Prince of Wales wiped his mouth with a napkin, then gently leaned close to Ying Tian to look at his phone. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, and the Prince of Wales's baseball cap, which he used to cover his bright blond hair, brushed against Ying Tian's hair near his ear, tickling him.

Such intimate gestures must have broken the hearts of many people in the fast food restaurant. If they were sitting together, they could be considered ordinary friends, but leaning against each other like this, they must be very close friends.

Ying Tian only realized after smelling an indescribable fragrance that foreigners were really quite open-minded, and wondered if he should avoid them.

"Why don't you have that game installed on your phone?" the Prince of Wales asked, looking at Ying Hui's phone screen.

Ying Tian's attention was diverted by the Prince of Wales' words. While swiping the screen, he said, "I uninstalled it. I couldn't help it. Your company's games are getting bigger and bigger, and the optimization is still terrible. My phone just can't handle it."

When the Prince of Wales saw Ying Tian click on a penguin-shaped chat application and linger on the splash screen for about ten seconds before entering it, she said, "I think it's not just because of the game."

"If my phone can't handle it, then it means I'm not the target user, which is obviously the problem with your company's game."

"Okay...that makes sense."

Ying Tian browsed through the contents of the school's confession wall and, as expected, there were no reposts of the school's clarification announcement. Furthermore, the clarification posts he and his roommate had made earlier hadn't been posted on the confession wall by the administrators. This most popular platform at Binjiang University was ultimately run by an individual and had no official connection to the school. In short, there wasn't a single statement on it that could support Ying Tian; the only thing there was the message Fu Ya had initially posted.

"I didn't mean anything by posting this message on the confession wall. I didn't mean to expose anyone. I was just angry. I never thought that you can know a person's face but not their heart. I used to have sympathy and goodwill towards this taciturn senior when I was in the student council. I never thought that such a cold and numb heart was hidden under his ordinary appearance."

Yes, I am the girl who left my bank card at the library and had it fraudulently used. I didn't want to say anything at first, believing that the school would definitely bring the perpetrators to justice. But thinking about his arrogant and domineering manner when he stubbornly defended himself, without a trace of panic or regret, combined with his usually taciturn demeanor, made me feel a chill in my stomach. It was supposed to be a warm spring day, but it felt as if I were in an ice cellar.

I just want to remind everyone at Binjiang University that time will tell, and even the most inconspicuous people around us may be lurking murderers.

I also want to tell you that honesty is the best policy, and being an orphan is not a reason for your downfall.

You're welcome!

Although no names were mentioned, the first comment under this message was from Zhang Zefa: "You're kind for not calling him out, but I can point it out directly. I'm talking about Ying Tian, ​​a sophomore in the School of Computer Science. He not only works in the library but also in the student union. It's terrifying to think that he's this kind of person."

Aside from that, the top comments were mostly in support of Fu Ya, which also led to a lot of complaints about the hypocrisy of people around them. As for the more objective comments, they were all given more weight and placed at the bottom, so that ordinary people could not find them at all.

"This is your platform for making your voice heard?" The Prince of Wales casually leaned his head on Ying Tian's shoulder, looking at the phone screen as he said, "Very clever rhetoric, avoiding the real issue, conveying emotions, leaving room for imagination, and evoking resonance among everyone. However, you can also express your own views here... It seems you can't express them, right?"

“Yes, this account is operated by the School of Media Studies. I later found out that the operators were all bribed by Zhang Ze, who is a media studies major.” Ying Tian shifted slightly, keeping a little distance from the Prince of Wales. “You’re quite impressive too, you noticed it right away.”

"Just a little trick." The Prince of Wales snorted lightly. Monopolizing public opinion and muddying the waters—if the British were second to none in this regard, no one in the multiverse would dare to claim to be first. She was no innocent flower; how could someone without shrewdness and ability be trusted by everyone in the naval base and be the first to arrive in the Commander's world?

Chapter Four: You help me, I'll spend money—is this feasible?

“After all, you Westerners are better at manipulating public opinion…” Ying Tian rubbed his temples, then quickly changed his tune, “Ah, sorry, I also fell into the trap of stereotyping. After all, there are many countries in foreign countries, and I haven’t even asked you what country you are from.”

I consider myself British.

“That’s true.” Ying Tian smiled, not caring whether it was true or not. “The Prince of Wales is, of course, British.”

"How can you still laugh?" The Prince of Wales rested his chin on his right hand, watching Ying Tian eat fries one by one, finding it increasingly adorable. "Aren't you angry?"

"Of course I'm angry."

"You're angry but still laughing?"

"What can we do then? We can't just get angry and lose our temper." Ying Tian reluctantly licked the ketchup off his hand and said, "Life has to go on, it's not like it's an insurmountable obstacle."

The Prince of Wales pursed her lips, the high wall of reason she had erected in her heart gradually crumbling. The slight resentment she had harbored towards the commander was about to dissipate completely. She turned her loose coat to conceal her voluptuous and mature figure, looked at Ying Tian's profile, and said, "Don't you think it's unfair? You haven't done anything wrong, yet you don't even have a chance to speak up."

"I do not know."

"do not know?"

“There is no such thing as absolute fairness in the world.” Ying Tian leaned back in his chair and said, “Some people are born orphans, while others have both parents and come from prominent families… and you are the same.”

The Prince of Wales asked curiously, "What's wrong with me?"

In the year or so since leaving the orphanage to attend university, Ying Tian experienced this strange urge to confide and complain for the first time. So he honestly said, "We are complete strangers, yet I'm surprised that I've said so much to you. I guess it's only because you're pretty, which makes it easy for people to feel close to you. It's unfair to people who are naturally ugly, but there's nothing I can do. I can't disfigure you or force everyone's aesthetic standards to change. Oh right, Black Snow Princess has already appeared."

The Prince of Wales couldn't help but smile and said, "You feel a sense of warmth towards me, perhaps not just because I'm beautiful."

"What other reasons could there be?"

"I am your ship girl, and you are my commander. There will naturally be a bond between us."

"..."

Ying Tian couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Prince of Wales's delicate, alabaster-like profile, and said with a touch of helplessness, "He's so dedicated. Your boss really hit the jackpot."

The Prince of Wales remained noncommittal: "You must be true to yourself so that you are not deceived by others."

“I know, it’s a famous quote from Shakespeare, although I feel you’ve quoted it completely wrong.” Ying Tian said while putting away the things he had just taken out of his bag. “Anyway, thank you for listening to me. I’ll cooperate with you on everything except spending money on in-game purchases. Whether it’s research or something else, let’s say goodbye after it’s done.”

“No rush,” the Prince of Wales said, tapping the table lightly. “I’m more curious now about how you plan to retaliate.”

"Who said I was going to fight back?"

"Not fighting back is not in your style."

"Are we that close? How do you know my personality?"

The Prince of Wales pointed his pale finger at the letter of complaint that Ying Tian had just written and said, "You would use such methods to punish the supervisor who withheld your wages, I don't believe you would let the instigator go."

"Whether I let them go or not is of no use."

After gazing at the Prince of Wales for a long time, Ying Tian didn't know why he felt such a strong urge to confide in her. He had never felt this close to the aunties in the orphanage. Perhaps it was because she was beautiful enough. He never expected that he was such an irrational person who was obsessed with appearances. It seemed that he had come to a better understanding of himself.

"How so?" The Prince of Wales sat up straight, adopting a serious listening posture.

Ying Tian pursed his lips and said, "This matter doesn't have a big impact on society. As long as we control public opinion without violating the law, we can be considered invincible. Passersby are just here for entertainment. Most people don't care whether it's a frame-up or not. Maybe they just think Fu Ya is pretty and their values ​​are swayed by her looks."

“I don’t know if I can sue her for defamation, but I can’t afford a lawyer and I can’t afford the time. I’ve only just saved up for next year’s tuition, and I still don’t have money for books and accommodation. If I use ordinary means, at most I can only get her to apologize insincerely, which is nothing compared to the price and scorn I’ve already suffered.”

"So we can't use ordinary methods, right?" The Prince of Wales smiled slightly. "We have to use magic to fight magic."

Ying Tian looked at the blonde beauty in front of him with slight surprise. He was not sure if she had guessed his thoughts. After all, he had been holding back his anger and had indeed shown some strength in front of her.

Indeed, Ying Tian certainly intended to retaliate. The orphanage was not a warm and loving place. He had long understood two principles: first, the squeaky wheel gets the grease; second, don't waste time on meaningless conflicts, as they don't bring any benefits. Similarly, when interests are violated, only by fighting back can one earn respect.

In this situation, simply seeking redress is useless. At most, it might make Fu Ya apologize to Zhang Ze or delete her account and pretend to be dead. It wouldn't hurt her at all, and might even make things more to Zhang Ze's liking. Being able to "share weal and woe" is one of the best ways to deepen their relationship.

Ying Tian's plan was to use public opinion to fight public opinion. Although he had no money or background, and was not handsome, he still had the disadvantaged status of an orphan to use. Since he couldn't make his voice heard at the school level, he would make a big one and elevate the matter to a level that Zhang Ze couldn't control.

Thinking of this, Ying Tian blinked and examined the Prince of Wales in front of her. With blonde hair and red eyes, and a dignified appearance, she sat upright in her chair with a faint smile, looking upright, dignified, and full of heroic spirit. She was truly a standard British beauty.

"What's wrong?" the Prince of Wales asked when he saw Ying Tian staring at him.

Ying Tian said, "I have an idea."

"What are your thoughts?"

"You help me create public opinion, and as a reward, I'll spend money on your game. How about it?"

"can."

The Prince of Wales's answer was unwavering, which surprised Ying Tian. He quickly explained, "Don't rush to agree. If you help me create public opinion, you'll be at great risk. You might be targeted by some strange groups, or even doxxed in the real world. And why work so hard for someone else... Never mind, it was just a whimsical idea of ​​mine. It would be really unfair to involve you..."

“I said yes, so what are you hesitating about?” The Prince of Wales put his index finger to Yingtian’s lips and said, “What is your plan? What do you want me to do? Just tell me.”

Ying Tian suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He touched his nose to hide his discomfort, moved a little away from the Prince of Wales's outstretched index finger, and said, "You really are a bit strange."

The Prince of Wales said, "What's so strange about that? Shouldn't ship girls help their commanders?"

"...Then I'll take it as you being helpful."

"It's up to you how you see it. Tell me your plans now so I can prepare."

Ying Tian gazed into the Prince of Wales's eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul, yet Ying Tian saw many unfamiliar emotions in the Prince of Wales's beautiful eyes, which puzzled him and moved him. In the end, all these emotions turned into a single word: "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the Prince of Wales smiled.

“I’ll tell you my plan later. Before that…” Ying Tian looked at the empty plate in front of the Prince of Wales and said, “You seem quite hungry. Shall I buy you another hamburger?”

"it is good."

"Still the same taste?"

"can."

The Princess of Wales, of course, wouldn't stand on ceremony with her commander. She saw Ying Tian leave his seat, walk to the bar, look up at the menu, hesitate for a long time, and then walk out.

Just as the Prince of Wales was wondering, Ying Tian walked in carrying a bag. He placed the hamburgers inside on the table and said, "I suddenly remembered that Wallace hamburgers are three for ten dollars today. They taste pretty much the same, you don't mind, do you?"

"do not mind."

The Prince of Wales picked up the hamburger box, smelled the same aroma as before, and, under Ying Tian's watchful gaze, opened his cherry lips and took a bite.

As the flavors of chicken drumsticks and salad dressing filled her mouth, the Prince of Wales felt a bittersweet mix of emotions. Glancing at Ying Tian's face out of the corner of her eye, she thought, "It's good that many of the difficulties we anticipated at the naval base didn't materialize. It's even better that we can take this opportunity to get to know the Commander again."

Regardless of the final judgment, you are now the commander of our port. This incident is one way to assess your methods and character, but I will not allow you to be bullied by others.

At this moment, the Prince of Wales was unaware that, having grown accustomed to the exquisite food prepared by Yixian, Fusang, Belfast, and others, and even able to easily digest a hearty meal like Stargazing, she would be experiencing an unforgettable night of jets.

Chapter Five: The Tumultuous Scene at the Naval Base (Part 1)

another world.

Suddenly, a dazzling light, as bright as the sun, appeared on the vast and boundless sea, startling countless seabirds into taking flight. Many seabirds also collided in mid-air, temporarily losing their sight due to the intense light. Fortunately, the light only lasted for a moment, and soon the azure sea returned to its usual vastness and tranquility.

Beneath the dissipated light on the sea, an island stood alone amidst the waves. A large group of women, some looking anxious and others nervous, stood in front of the research building, waiting for news to come from inside.

"Why hasn't anyone come out yet? I'm so worried."

“I know you’re eager to fight back, but don’t rush it. Rushing won’t help. We can only trust Wales.”

"The Prince of Wales will not..."

"Hey, Mercury Memorial, I'm warning you not to jinx it."

"Hmph, I told you you should have let me go."

"Hipper, you really want to see the Commander that much?"