Lynae: Dude, Did You Strike It Rich?

The folks in the alley had loaded the girls from Solaris down with so much stuff that Xiao Ling certainly couldn't take them on the crowded subway.

Little Ai was already well acquainted with this world's public services, so she went ahead and ordered a Didi.

They split into two cars: Little Ai, Little Sister Qian, and the blond sports student in one, and Little Orange, Kind Peach, and Hajiling in the other.

A little over half an hour later...

"Hah... We're finally here..."

Xiao Ling climbed out of the front passenger seat, feeling rather unwell. He then gentlemanly opened the rear door, and Dania and Sigrika hopped out.

After the three of them had carried all their bags out of the car, they watched it speed away.

When he turned around, he saw Aemeath and the others waving to him from not far away.

"A-Yu, you look really pale. Are you sick?" Seeing Xiao Ling's slightly green face, Aemeath jogged over, full of concern. She pressed her forehead against his. "Huh? Your temperature's normal."

"I'm carsick..." Xiao Ling waved a hand. "I'll be fine after a little rest."

Actually, carsickness wasn't the only problem. The driver had been judging him with his eyes the whole time he sat in the front passenger seat.

It couldn't be helped. Sigrika and Dania had leaned against him on either side before getting into the car, making it hard not to think he was two-timing them.

The little episode of physical discomfort soon passed. With Xiao Ling leading the way, the girls quickly arrived at their new home.

And what followed was...

"Wait, Xiao Ling, where did you strike it rich?" Lynae's eyes nearly popped out as she stared at the enormous villa before her.

She spent plenty of time surfing the internet and had a rough idea of housing prices in this world. As far as she knew, houses like this cost close to eight figures.

Lynae had fantasized about it, of course, but that was all it had been: a fantasy. And now he was telling her she could actually live in a huge house like this? What had she done to deserve it?

"The power of money. Amazing, isn't it?"

Compared to Lynae's shock, Dania seemed quite unfazed. She had been the first to come to Xiao Ling's side, so she naturally knew that this ordinary college guy, who seemed to have nothing going for him but his looks, actually came from a wealthy family.

After all, she was the future daughter-in-law the Xiao family had accepted, and her monthly allowance even had one more zero than Xiao Ling's.

Xiao Ling had strongly protested to his family and demanded equal treatment, only to crash and burn when they told him to "first discuss it at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, then reject Ling's appeal a hundred times."

"That's amazing..." Even Aemeath, usually so chatty, was struck almost speechless by the sight before her and could only express her heartfelt admiration.

So what had she been working herself to the bone livestreaming for in the beginning, anyway? QAQ!

"The environment here is nice! Hmm... I can even hear the birds singing!"

Sigrika's attention, on the other hand, had turned to the natural surroundings of the residence. As a member of the Roy Tribe, it was instinctive for her people to be close to nature. And! Most importantly! There were birds here!

"So... Senior...!"

Little Sister Qian, who usually wore a cool, cute expression, now looked at Xiao Ling with a slight frown and anger on her face, just as she had when she first learned that Zongli had faked her death.

"This is what you meant by... having a little family wealth?!"

(You call this having a little family wealth? This is like stumbling into the imperial family!)

"Ahaha... Let's go inside and have a look first. You can pick whichever rooms you like."

Faced with Chisa's reproachful complaint, Xiao Ling could only laugh it off and forcibly change the subject to touring their new home.

It had to be said, that worked quite well. Apart from Dania, who was already living here, everyone had long been eager to go inside and have a look.

And so, led by Xiao Ling, the flock of girls walked into their future home, chatting and laughing.

"Whoa! What a huge bed! I love it!"

Lynae leaped onto the velvet bed without even taking off her shoes, making the whole thing shake.

"As I thought, having a bed to yourself is so much more comfortable..."

Don't get the wrong idea. Lynae hadn't disliked the days when she lived with Aemeath and the others. It was just that the bed back then hadn't been big enough, and squeezing two people into it made sleeping somewhat uncomfortable.

They were all grown women. If circumstances hadn't forced them to, they would have preferred to give each other more personal space.

"Oh dear, I like this bedroom too. What should we do?" Aemeath showed her little devil's claws. "How about you let me have it, Lynae~?"

"No! I saw it first!" Lynae protested.

"Heehee, whether you like it or not, you're giving in today!" Aemeath sprang into action, grabbing Lynae and tickling her.

"Hey, Little Ai, that's not fair! Hahaha, stop, stop! That tickles!"

Xiao Ling shook his head helplessly and led the other three girls onward.

Those two were both little demons. Once they started fooling around, there was no telling when they'd stop, so he'd better leave them alone for now.

"Speaking of which, Yaya, which bedroom do you live in?" Sigrika tilted her head and asked Dania beside her.

"Me? I live in this one." Dania pointed to the middle bedroom on the left.

"Then I'll take the one across from yours!"

Sigrika didn't really have any particular preferences when it came to rooms. She just wanted to live with everyone, and that was all.

Sigrika opened the door to the bedroom directly across from Dania's, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"You can see the birds from here!" Sigrika immediately ran to the window and watched a pair of magpies chattering to each other in a tree. "Lucky!"

"Looks like this bedroom is just to your liking?" Xiao Ling said with a chuckle.

"Mm-hmm, I really like this bedroom, Senior." Sigrika nodded vigorously twice. "I'll stay here!"

Xiao Ling nodded. Dania chose to stay behind and help Sigrika unpack, while he continued onward with Chisa.

"Which bedroom do you live in, Senior?" Chisa, who had been silent all this time, finally asked.

"There, the one at the very end is mine." Xiao Ling gestured with his chin toward the door at the far end.

"Hmm..." Chisa thought for a moment, then made her decision. "Then I'll take the bedroom closest to yours, Senior."

"That way, if anything happens to you, I can get to you right away."

"That's thoughtful of you." Xiao Ling smiled and thanked Chisa for her consideration.

After watching Chisa enter the bedroom closest to his own, Xiao Ling saw Lynae emerge dejectedly from the first room.

"Looks like you lost out to Little Ai?" Xiao Ling teased.

"Ngh~ Little Ai played dirty. She went straight for my weak spots and said she wouldn't stop until I gave in. I had no choice but to let her have it..." Lynae looked rather embarrassed. She had seen the bedroom first, but hadn't been able to hold on to it.

"Come on, don't be so down. There are plenty of bedrooms here. You'll find another one you like." Xiao Ling patted her on the shoulder.

That sort of pep talk from a good buddy worked well on Lynae. Before long, she found another bedroom she liked and promptly carried her luggage inside.

Seeing that everyone had found a bedroom they liked, Xiao Ling decided not to keep bothering them while they unpacked.

So he went downstairs to the living room first, ready to consider what to eat that evening.