This was entirely his own initiative to find a companion for Ziye; if he were to approach Ziye with this idea, he’d probably be chased away with a barrage of sticks, sigh. But if he couldn't even manage to summon Ziye, how could Ditar possibly agree to let him take the Nineteenth Sister away?

An Junlie deeply felt that his request had been far too rash.

But since the suggestion was already out there, he had to find a way to salvage the situation.

He paused for a brief moment and quickly thought of one person.

If she spoke up, Ditar would certainly agree.

Needless to say, that person was Chen Yin.

An Junlie silently plotted, wondering if he should let Chen Yin accompany the Nineteenth Sister on the trip. This would put Ditar at ease, and Ziye would feel too awkward to refuse the Nineteenth Sister.

He nodded inwardly; no one was more suitable than Chen Yin.

Chen Yin was intimately familiar with metals, possessing years of expertise in prospecting and mining.

Although she was only in her early twenties, she had grown up among mineral veins and possessed a natural affinity for ores.

If he could invite Chen Yin to Wolf’s Den for metallurgical exchange and simultaneously secure a long-term cooperation agreement, Ziye would surely be overjoyed.

Because, at present, the Xilian Galaxy was severely lacking in mining experts.

Wolf’s Den’s most professional mining engineers were currently all within Ironhand’s metal conglomerate, and Xie Er was one of them. An Junlie had witnessed Xie Er’s skill level, and it was far inferior to Chen Yin’s.

An Junlie made up his mind. He bid farewell to Ditar, sending a message at the same time to the female supervisor in his office, instructing her to summon Chen Yin back to Legion Headquarters.

Chen Yin was an obedient girl. Upon hearing that An Junlie was looking for her, she immediately dropped what she was doing, boarded a shuttle, and arrived at the Legion Headquarters office before nine o’clock the next morning.

Lan Li usually arrived slightly early. As soon as he entered the office building, he saw Chen Yin sitting on a sofa in the lobby, cradling a small, dumpling-like Kengkeng Star. He was a little surprised. Chen Yin’s exterior was that of a gentle girl, but she was actually quite tough; she wouldn't typically return to the legion office unless something was up. Could something have happened?

He immediately felt a bit nervous.

Chen Yin was the treasure of the Angel Domain, cherished by everyone; nothing must happen to her.

Lan Li beckoned his bodyguards to wait, then walked over to Chen Yin alone. Before he could even speak, Chen Yin shyly greeted him, "Good morning, Deputy Commander."

Lan Li sat opposite her and asked cordially, "Morning. Has there been an issue with the mining operations?"

Chen Yin looked puzzled. "Mining issues? No."

Lan Li calmed down slightly and said with a gentle smile, "I thought you ran back because you encountered a difficulty."

Chen Yin lowered her head. "No, Commander asked me to return."

Lan Li’s eyes nearly popped out. An Junlie called Chen Yin back to headquarters? What was his intention? Could it be that because he failed to secure Ziye’s cooperation, he was transferring his affections to Chen Yin!

How could such a good girl like Chen Yin be ruined by An Junlie!

Lan Li pieced together a scenario in his mind of An Junlie developing feelings elsewhere and became more convinced his assumption was correct. He gazed down at the delicate and soft girl before him, feeling he absolutely had to stop An Junlie’s reckless behavior. He "involuntarily" took Chen Yin’s hand and pleaded, "Yinyin, no matter what the Commander says later, you must not believe it. If he tries to do anything to you, you don't need to be afraid; I will protect you."

Chen Yin abruptly looked up, her cheeks flushed crimson. "Eh? What would Commander do to me? Eh eh? Commander?"

Lan Li said sternly, "Whatever the Commander tries to do, you must firmly refuse. You must protect yourself, understood?"

Chen Yin pointed behind him, her eyes shining with a startling brightness. "..."

Lan Li sensed movement behind him and turned around. He saw An Junlie standing there, composed and relaxed, silhouetted against the light, his height appearing exceptionally elongated.

Chen Yin scrambled to her feet, head bowed. "Good morning, Commander."

An Junlie smiled warmly. "Morning, Yinyin." He looked at Lan Li, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Saying bad things about me?"

Lan Li straightened his back, speaking righteously. "I'm just upset that you called a girl back to headquarters in the middle of the night. Was something so urgent that you couldn't just send a shuttle to fetch her?"

An Junlie was silent for half a second, then apologized to Chen Yin. "I'm sorry, I didn't explain clearly last night; I made you suffer."

Hearing An Junlie apologize, Chen Yin became flustered and didn't know how to respond, waving her hands repeatedly. "No, no, Deputy Commander, you misunderstood. The sister in the office asked me last night when I could depart. I said immediately, and then they sent the shuttle over. They really came to fetch me."

Upon hearing this, Lan Li was not mollified toward An Junlie; rather, he felt even more protective of Chen Yin.

What a wonderful girl, why did she have to fall for An Junlie? And she’s defending him so fiercely—sigh.

Seeing that Lan Li was about to speak again, An Junlie decisively ignored him and told Chen Yin, "Follow me."

Lan Li immediately followed, remembering his promise to protect her; he absolutely could not let An Junlie take advantage. He thought fiercely to himself that if An Junlie dared to harbor ill intentions toward Chen Yin, he would record it and send it to Ziye—no, send it to Tang Wen!

An Junlie led Chen Yin to the office canteen, and Lan Li immediately bounced in there as well.

The waitress at the canteen was a good friend of Chen Yin's and wanted to chat with her for a moment, but upon seeing both the Commander and Deputy Commander present, she immediately became timid and silently retreated behind the counter.

"Commander, what exactly did you call Sister Yinyin here for?" Lan Li couldn't help but break the silence first, speaking in a manner drastically different from his public demeanor.

An Junlie glanced at him and said solemnly, "Sister Yinyin, would you like to go exchange mining expertise with another legion?"

Chen Yin’s eyes lit up. "Can I?"

An Junlie nodded. "If you wish to go, we can plan it out. Wolf’s Den is nearby; arranging an exchange won't be difficult."

Lan Li finally understood An Junlie's little scheme.

So, it wasn't transferring affection; he was just finding an excuse to visit his beloved!

Commander, could you be any more corrupt?

Chen Yin’s face flushed with excitement. "Really? How long would it be? What preparations would I need to make?"

An Junlie said, "One month. I can also discuss things with Tang Wen while I’m there. If possible, we could even visit the Tang Sect for an exchange. Tang Wen’s battleship technology is exceptional, and he also has some insights into metals."

Chen Yin was so excited she was close to tears. "Commander, you are so kind!"

Lan Li: "..."

—Commander An is clearly using you as an excuse to visit his beloved at Wolf’s Den, right? And while you’re there for that month, he plans to solidify things with his beloved so he can bring Ziye to visit her parents, right? You are being completely utilized!

Lan Li roared inwardly, but ultimately, he couldn't say anything.

Chen Yin was so happy and excited; he couldn't bring himself to pour cold water on her joy.

An Junlie smiled faintly and looked toward Lan Li.

Lan Li knew he was being dismissed. He immediately sensed that what followed would be even more "unseemly." He became even more determined not to leave, lingering there, waiting for An Junlie to speak.

An Junlie was, after all, a Commander; he still possessed a degree of thick skin. Seeing that Lan Li wouldn't leave, he didn't press further, merely saying to Chen Yin, "Arrange the exchange group, and bring the Nineteenth Sister along, okay?"

Chen Yin let out a surprised "Huh?" "Why?"

An Junlie felt a pang of guilt, hesitating over whether to deceive this innocent girl. Lan Li understood his hesitation immediately, casting a sidelong glance at him, his look tinged with a bit of anger.

For the sake of one girl, he was sending away the legion's own technical personnel, and on top of that, he wanted to add a child?

Lan Li stood up. "Sister Yinyin, why don't you sit here for a moment? The Commander and I need to discuss something; let’s head to the conference room first."

An Junlie knew he couldn't escape a lecture from Lan Li. He nodded to Chen Yin and led the way toward the conference room.

Once in the conference room, Lan Li looked at An Junlie with a cold sneer. "Commander, don't you think this time you’ve gone too far?"

An Junlie looked back calmly. "How have I gone too far?"

Lan Li countered, "You’re abusing your authority for personal gain."

An Junlie nodded. "That's correct. However, getting out and seeing the world might not be a bad thing for Chen Yin. Since inheriting her father's business, Chen Yin has focused solely on mining and rarely interacted with the outside world. If she could learn from Ziye, shifting her focus to research and leaving mining and exploration to others, she might be happier and achieve more."

On this point, Lan Li couldn't disagree.

However, Lan Li was thinking beyond that. He retorted, "But have you considered that if Yinyin falls in love with Wolf’s Den, she might not come back?"

An Junlie replied, "Do you lack confidence in me, or in Yinyin?"

Lan Li said, "Neither. Your heart has long since run off with Ziye; how can I have confidence in you? I heard from Hongfa a while back that Ziye has been aggressively poaching talent. Technical staff sent to assist her have been directly recruited by her—it’s like a meat bun thrown to a dog, once gone, never to return. If she takes a liking to Yinyin and poaches her, we’ll lose more than just one person."

An Junlie laughed. "You don't need to worry about that. If she wants to keep Yinyin, I will trade myself to bring Yinyin back."

Lan Li looked at him coldly. "Do you despise being Commander that much?"

An Junlie knew this was not the right time to discuss the position of Commander. He waved his hand and laughed. "I was just joking."

Lan Li had no intention of letting him off. "And what about the Nineteenth Sister? What exactly are you plotting? Aren't you afraid Ditar’s entire family will come to bite you in the middle of the night?"

An Junlie’s smile faded. "It seems I have to tell you the truth now."

Lan Li remained silent, arms crossed, watching him.

An Junlie explained, "I want the Nineteenth Sister to go to Ziye’s side to study battleship design." Before Lan Li could object, he added, "Ziye isn't good at dealing with people, and her personality is rather aloof; I want her to learn how to care about others. You don't need to worry that Ziye might poach the Nineteenth Sister later. Because the Nineteenth Sister’s entire family is here with us; she won't easily abandon them. Even if she is lured away, as long as she maintains contact with her family, it won't harm us."

Ziye's technology originated from Tang Shan, and she also possessed a Tang Sect background; her skills were indeed worth learning.

Lan Li was silent for a long moment, then lowered his hands. "If Ziye knew you designed this situation for her, would she still like you?"

For more novels, visit storyread.net.