Lin Lan spent the entire afternoon accompanying his shipgirls as they picked out clothes.
As night began to fall and more people crowded the streets and clothing stores, the Iron Blood shipgirls, all now dressed in their new outfits, finally left the shops, still reluctant to go.
Of course, their afternoon of trying on clothes had been very fruitful.
Even Sui Qiong had chosen six or seven outfits she liked, including ones for the upcoming spring season.
It was only when his eyes were nearly glazed over from all the shopping that Lin Lan finally realized something—
Whether shipgirls or human girls, when it comes to picking and buying clothes, their interest is absolutely two hundred percent.
What surprised him, however, was when he pulled out his phone to pay at the end. He was informed that he was a Special VIP member of the Zhuhai Commercial Guild.
In every chain store directly operated by the Zhuhai Commercial Guild, he could enjoy a whopping 90% discount on total purchases!
In other words, something that originally cost one hundred yuan would only cost him ten.
No doubt, this was another privilege granted to him by the Tian'ou Group.
After all, he was considered a high-level, old-board member figure—it was only right he enjoyed such perks.
Dinner was held in a luxurious, upscale restaurant.
Even though it wasn't buffet-style this time, Lin Lan still let his shipgirls eat to their hearts' content.
Sitting on the long sofa next to the dining table, he looked at the shipgirls gathered around him, their faces full of happiness and smiles.
Z16 and U110, the two little chibis, had sandwiched Sui Qiong between them, sitting side by side while competing for desserts, and at the same time, didn't forget to serve some onto Sui Qiong's plate.
Leipzig and Nürnberg ate their bowlfuls of ice cream with grace, occasionally glancing at Lin Lan with a blush on their faces.
The mischievous dragon girl, Ruprecht, was still tearing into ribs, her messy eating causing her face to be smeared with oil and spices.
The meticulous Tirpitz noticed this and passed a box of tissues over to Ruprecht.
August held a post-meal fruit tea cup and sipped it elegantly. When she noticed his gaze, she set down the cup and gave a gentle smile.
This warm scene swept away all the oppressive feelings that had welled up in Lin Lan's heart that morning.
Back on Blue Star, he had spent far too much time working, hardly even stepping foot into the city.
Let alone living with so many adorable and beautiful shipgirls.
After dinner, when everyone left the restaurant, it was already dark.
Although the snow at night was heavier than during the day, and the temperature even lower, the streets were actually more crowded and lively.
Residents of Lihu County in the inner district, having finished their day's work, had all come out to shop and enjoy the night.
Looking at the bustling street, which was far livelier than during the day, Lin Lan proposed that it was time to return to the port district.
But clearly, someone disagreed with his idea.
"Commander, it's already so late. Driving at night isn't safe. Why don't we just stay in Lihu County for the night?"
Z16 was the first to speak up, offering the initial excuse as his little escort.
"I believe in Sui Qiong's driving skills. Night driving will definitely be safe, and it's a straight road back to the dock—no big deal."
Lin Lan knew very well that these little ones didn't want to return to the port district, but this excuse was far too flimsy.
He had watched Sui Qiong drive during the day—her skills were better than some self-driving cars in big cities.
But in the next second, he heard Sui Qiong, head lowered and face blushing, quietly mutter:
"Commander, Sui Qiong... can't guarantee safe driving at night."
"?"
Before Lin Lan could respond, Z16 puffed out her chest and cheerfully said:
"See, Commander? Even Sui Qiong says so! For your safety, it's best we stay in Lihu County tonight!"
"That's right~ U110 also wants Commander to play with me tonight~"
U110 held the freshly bought fruit-flavored cotton candy and echoed Z16, watching him closely as she spoke.
The mischievous dragon girl Ruprecht took the opportunity to grin wickedly and clung to his arm, laughing:
"Hmph, you're not allowed to return to the port district tonight! This lady forbids it!"
Seeing Ruprecht's smirk, Lin Lan panicked and quickly said:
"No, wait, there's so many of us. You three want to stay, but I still have to consider everyone else's feelings…"
"C-Commander… we… we agreed to stay for the night too…"
Leipzig's trembling voice cut Lin Lan off mid-sentence.
He turned in shock toward Leipzig, only to see the shy girl's face completely flushed, being supported by her sister Nürnberg.
Nürnberg, too, looked at him with a faint blush and nodded to express her agreement.
"Commander, everyone's a little tired today. Let's rest in Lihu County tonight. We can head back tomorrow morning—it's fine. After all, tomorrow I'm still your secretary ship."
Tirpitz calmly suggested that Lin Lan stay the night.
As for August, her smile made it clear that this outcome was exactly what she had expected.
Lin Lan suddenly saw the truth. How could he not realize what these girls were trying to do?
They were forcing him into a corner!
If he really gave in and stayed in Lihu County tonight, there was no doubt it would become another sleepless night.
"No, I still have to give meta crystals to Sui Qiong every morning…"
Halfway through his protest, Lin Lan suddenly froze.
His mouth hung open in realization—it was only then that he understood why Bismarck had handed him that meta crystal that morning.
She had seen it all coming!
"I still remember where Commander and I stayed last time. I'll lead the way!" Ruprecht declared proudly.
And so, under Ruprecht's leadership, Lin Lan—resigned to his fate—was dragged toward a hotel by a group of adorable and beautiful shipgirls, drawing the curious stares of the nighttime shoppers in Lihu County.
Lin Lan would never forget the stunned look on the hotel receptionist's face when she saw him bringing in Sui Qiong and a group of shipgirls, asking for a deluxe single room.
As he rode the elevator up to the room, he could already imagine that the scene would be retold by the receptionist for years to come.
Compared to the last room he stayed in with Ruprecht, this deluxe suite was even more spacious, with one especially eye-catching feature—the large bed placed right in the center of the room.
As he looked at the girls eagerly pressing close to him, Lin Lan suddenly remembered something important he had overlooked.
No matter which Iron Blood shipgirl it was, even Z16 and U110, they were all wearing rings of oath.
But… Sui Qiong had yet to formally make a vow with him!
This was a big deal.
But that crafty little girl Z16 had already accounted for everything. Seeing Lin Lan's troubled expression, she bared her white little fangs and grinned:
"Don't worry, Commander. Garlic Shark and I already asked Sui Qiong today. She really wants to make a vow with you."
"Yep~ So there's nothing for you to worry about, Com—man—der~"
The adorable wolf-like chibi U110 tugged the blushing white-haired mech girl closer and gave Lin Lan a sweet smile.
Well, that sealed it.
"My familiar, since we've already decided not to go back, then let's enjoy this moment to the fullest~"
Under August's enticing voice, Lin Lan finally gave up his resistance, allowing her to push him onto the bed as she gazed down into his eyes.
"I've really lost to you all…"
At this point, what else could he do? He could only smile helplessly—and brace himself for the first wave of the night's offensive.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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