85: Chapter 85 At the Dining Table

Li Ming had received the news the moment the plane took off. Seriously, within this archipelago, anywhere he was stationed, unless there was communication interference, was there anything he couldn't learn about immediately?

Therefore, it looked like poor Nimi would be working overtime cooking again today.

Well, Li Ming still had to help out; otherwise, if her dark aura flared up, he'd be the one to suffer.

Then it was Ayanami, who was dragged out of her room. She wasn't a kitchen disaster like Fujian; the Sakura Empire girl had the makings of a good wife. With time tight and the task heavy, they had no choice but to press-gang some extra help.

They finally finished the dinner preparations just before the plane landed. All that was left was to wait for them to arrive before starting to cook the dishes, to keep them from getting cold.

Hastily throwing off his apron, Li Ming jogged towards the port area's small airport.

A B25 was slowly descending, right on time.

It braked on the runway and came to a gradual stop.

The aircraft door opened. Without waiting for the airstairs, Royal Fortune jumped down first.

"Commander!"

"Whoa there... Royal Fortune, take it easy..." Li Ming took half a step back, barely withstanding her impact, and gently set her down.

Patting him up and down, Royal Fortune confirmed Li Ming wasn't missing any pieces, then looked at his face again.

Although he still seemed a bit uneasy, overall he looked quite normal.

At the entrance to the airport runway, Fujian had just arrived and was watching them from a distance.

The others didn't wait for the airstairs to be moved into place either, jumping down from the cabin one by one.

Only then did Li Ming free himself from Royal Fortune's nightmare-like embrace. "Is everyone in such a hurry?"

"Of course! Our home was about to fall apart. Who knows what would've happened if we didn't come back..." Royal Fortune poked his chest, complaining as she spoke. "Where's Miss Fujian... Oh, over there."

Fujian waved at them and then slowly walked over.

Li Ming did a headcount: Royal Fortune, Mary, Gary Adventure, Vida, Dolphin, and... Gang Yishawa?

"Hey..." Li Ming tried to greet her.

"Commander, did you miss me?" Gang Yishawa hugged him, her arms passing under his armpits and locking firmly behind his back. Then she kissed him on the cheek.

"Uh..." Li Ming froze on the spot. Although Fujian had kissed him before, he still struggled a bit to handle such an enthusiastic assault.

"I missed you so much." Seeing Li Ming speechless, Gang Yishawa continued, "Do you remember the spell I cast on you? No matter what happens next, I will be with you forever and ever, okay?"

Critical hit. Finishing blow.

Li Ming, of course, knew the so-called spell had no actual power, but he still gave up resisting.

"That, um, I know... thank you."

"Wow..." Dolphin exclaimed in admiration. It seemed the Commander couldn't withstand this level of offensive at all.

Fujian's steps faltered for a moment, but she still slowly approached.

Royal Fortune felt a bit sour, but she had more important matters to attend to.

"Miss Fujian, are you alright?"

Fujian wasn't a bad person; her feelings for their Commander were beyond doubt. Therefore, Royal Fortune didn't intend to force her to reveal the truth right now.

"I'm fine... why do you ask?"

Royal Fortune narrowed her eyes, staring at Fujian.

Although Fujian wasn't entirely comfortable with the Hurricane Fleet's free-spirited ways, faced with such a sharp gaze, she was momentarily stunned, then found herself at a loss between laughter and tears.

"Ahem, let's head inside first. Nimi should have dinner almost ready." Li Ming managed to reboot himself and called for everyone to return to the qinglong ship.

However, Li Ming miscalculated. Gang Yishawa persistently held onto his forearm, refusing to let go.

Fujian followed behind, while Gang Yishawa subtly observed Fujian's reactions while continuing to tease Li Ming.

Without a doubt, before Fujian could react, Royal Fortune moved first.

Pushed by Golden Deer, Royal Fortune gritted her teeth and grabbed Li Ming's other forearm.

Li Ming's expression grew increasingly stiff. "You two..."

Gang Yishawa put on a pitiful look, making Li Ming too afraid to continue.

Royal Fortune puffed out her cheeks, adopting a "if she doesn't let go, I won't either" attitude.

Alright, Li Ming was completely speechless now.

Feeling Fujian's gaze, laden with various emotions, Li Ming, who normally should have been oblivious to such things, inexplicably felt cold sweat pouring down his back.

An illusion, yeah, it must be an illusion.

They made it back to the qinglong ship without major incident. Nimi and Ayanami had already taken care of all the dinner preparations, just waiting for them to return.

It was still just one table. Although the family had grown in number, they had simply switched to a slightly larger table.

Overall, dinner was still pretty much the same few dishes, but no one complained.

After all, even if Li Ming was a bit picky, and they somewhat catered to his tastes, generally speaking, everyone ate the same food. Li Ming wouldn't refuse to eat something just because he didn't like it.

This was how it was every day.

Although Li Ming wasn't one to stand on ceremony regarding traditional etiquette, everyone still pushed him to sit at the head of the table.

There was no need to say "let's eat"—that would seem too formal. There was also no drinking-table culture; they would start whenever someone indicated it was okay.

Sitting down meant starting; no need to wait for anyone to speak.

Gang Yishawa observed the people around the dining table.

Fujian stayed close to Li Ming, occasionally glancing at her, like a kitten guarding its food.

Z23 was normal. Laffey, Ayanami, Javelin... no problems. The bigger issues were on the other side. Golden Deer's gaze was practically dripping with honey, making Li Ming somewhat uncomfortable. Mary kept putting food on Li Ming's plate. Gary Adventure was doing alright...

Li Ming didn't reject maintaining an intimate relationship with Fujian, meaning his ability to communicate normally with her had been restored.

This was a good thing. At least the core goal of their return—keeping the family from falling apart—had been achieved.

If that was the case... Gang Yishawa picked up a slice of meat with her chopsticks, her mind calculating what she should do next.

The meal passed, and it seemed Royal Fortune had almost forgotten why she had returned in the first place, simply drinking with everyone.

At this point, Li Ming was in an awkward position. He couldn't really leave, but staying wasn't great either. He just told the Destroyers not to drink too much.

Laffey was the exception. The privilege of being the starter ship... although not unlimited, her alcohol tolerance wasn't bad, so Li Ming could tacitly allow her to drink along.

As for Fujian...

Since Li Ming hadn't left, she couldn't really go either. At Royal Fortune's enthusiastic invitation, she did try some rum. She now seemed a bit tipsy, but should still be relatively clear-headed.

Li Ming just drank cola with the other Destroyers and A6.

Was he unwilling to drink alcohol, even if it might dampen the mood a bit? A truly interesting question, Gang Yishawa thought to herself.

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