’You’ve eaten, so I love you. In a bit, I’ll eat you too...’
Young Master Su shook his head and sighed. It was true what they say: beautiful women corrupt a man to his core and lead him to decadence.
’But then again, what’s wrong with a little decadence?’
’Isn’t enjoying life great?’
The most fundamental reason men struggle to get ahead is to make money.
Su Ran had already skipped that stage, so he didn’t need to struggle. He might as well just enjoy life to the fullest.
They spent the evening like that until 11 PM. By then, everyone was sleepy, so they went to their separate rooms. Su Ran returned to his room and lay down to sleep too.
Just as he had fallen into a deep sleep, a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded at his door.
"Who is it?"
"Hey, little bro, my stomach hurts. Hiss... I think I ate something bad. Can you take me to see a doctor?"
Hearing this, Su Ran rolled out of bed and opened the door. Sure enough, he saw the other three girls supporting Liu Jinyu, who had a pained expression on her face. She was in so much agony that she was breaking out in a cold sweat. Su Ran didn’t dare to delay and prepared to take Liu Jinyu to the hospital immediately. The other three wanted to come along, but Liu Jinyu told them to go back to their rooms and rest. There was no need for everyone to go, she said, since they couldn’t do much to help anyway. She then told Su Ran to go into her room and grab her purse.
Su Ran returned to Liu Jinyu’s room and grabbed her purse. He checked inside and saw her ID and health insurance card were there. Huh? He also spotted that box of "Stride" with the Large Particles.
Su Ran gave Liu Jinyu a look of utter bewilderment.
"Hiss... It hurts. Hurry up." Liu Jinyu’s expression was utterly convincing.
"Coming." Su Ran grabbed the purse, swept the ’pained’ Liu Jinyu into his arms, and said to the other three, "Go back to your rooms and get some rest. It’s nothing serious."
With that, he grabbed the car keys and headed down to the B1 parking level. Since this was Aunt Luo’s house, it naturally came with a car—a Bentley Mulsanne that had barely been driven.
Su Ran placed Liu Jinyu in the back seat and drove off.
Su Ran glanced at Liu Jinyu in the rearview mirror. She was already back to normal, leaning back in her seat with her legs crossed.
Su Ran chuckled and asked, "So, where are we going, Sister?"
Liu Jinyu gave him a smile that said it all. "Just drive straight to the Maoyue, little brother. I’ve already booked a room."
Su Ran shook his head, drove out of the complex, and flicked on his right turn signal as he pulled away.
Liu Jinyu said, "You’re going the wrong way. This isn’t the way to the Maoyue; the Maoyue is in the opposite direction. This road leads out of the city and toward the suburbs... Oh, for..." At that, Liu Jinyu instantly understood. She bit her lip. "You little brat."
...
Two hours later, Su Ran returned, supporting Liu Jinyu. She truly looked worn out, her legs so weak she could barely stand. He helped her to the bed; she needed to rest.
The other three girls asked with concern, "How is Jinyu?"
Su Ran said, "She just ate something that disagreed with her, probably some seafood with a strong flavor. It’s nothing serious, don’t worry. She’ll be fine after some sleep."
’Sister Jinyu is something else,’ Su Ran thought to himself. ’Using such dirty tricks. If the other three found out, they’d tear you to shreds.’
Liu Jinyu was a deep sleeper and fell asleep in no time, the corners of her lips curved in a satisfied smile.
Three of the Large Particles from her purse had been used.
How could she not be sleeping soundly?
It just made things hard on ’little brother’ Su Ran.
But what could he do? You have to spoil your own "sister," right?
However, Su Ran was the type to keep things balanced in a single night. At midnight, Xiao Wanqing was still awake, lying on her stomach reading a novel. Su Ran opened the door, walked in, and gave her lace-trimmed panties a light slap.
"Still not asleep?"
"Can’t sleep."
"Oh."
Su Ran didn’t waste any more words. He simply took her phone, set it aside, and kissed her. She cooperated fully, wrapping her arms around his neck as they slowly sank onto the bed.
「The next morning.」
As Su Ran ate his breakfast, he watched the four girls doing yoga in the living room. He especially noticed Liu Jinyu and Xiao Wanqing, his two "sisters," who looked particularly energetic and were simply glowing. It was true what they say: women need to be ’nourished.’ The more ’nourished’ they are, the more beautiful they become.
At 9 AM, the five of them walked out of the residential complex.
Today was the first day of the semester at Demon Dance, so the girls had to go back to school. Su Ran had to return to Jiangning, so they exchanged a few words at the gate.
Looking at Liu Jinyu’s and Xiao Wanqing’s long legs, Su Ran’s mind naturally drifted to the previous night’s romantic escapades. ’This is just a normal part of being a couple, and I love them both dearly. There’s no need to choose. Why treat it like a multiple-choice question? I’m just going all in,’ he thought.
"...I’m going to work hard and really focus on my studies this semester, so I won’t be coming to Shanghai very often. If you guys miss me, just give me a call. I’ll buy you plane tickets to come visit me in Jiangning..." He put his arm around Xie Yiren’s shoulder and said to the other two, "Take good care of Yiren. Yiren, if anyone bullies you, call me. You can also call Aunt Luo, understand?"
"I know. No one will bully me."
"That’s for the best."
Su Ran’s classes started the next day, so he planned to make a trip to Hangzhou today to see Shan Weizi, bringing his winter vacation to a perfect and fulfilling end.
「Afternoon, 2 PM.」
Su Ran walked out of the high-speed rail station.
He sent Shan Weizi a WeChat message: [@Young Master Shi Wushuang, what’s for dinner tonight?]
Shan Weizi: [You’re coming to Hangzhou?]
Su Ran: [Came to see you.]
Shan Weizi: [Today’s the first day of registration at my school, so I’ll be busy for a while. You should go home first. I’ll come back as soon as I’m done.]
Su Ran: [How about I come to your school to find you, and we can go back together?]
Shan Weizi: [Are you scared to go home without me?]
Su Ran: [...]
Shan Weizi: [There are a few club meetings since the semester is just starting, so it’ll be hectic. Even if you come, I won’t be able to spend time with you. Why don’t you go home first? When I’m finished, I’ll call you, and you can come visit the campus?]
Su Ran: [Okay.]
Shan Weizi: [
...
On the shore of West Lake, he got out of the car and walked to the entrance of a massive Hangzhou-style garden estate. He climbed the steps, raised his hand, paused for a moment, and then knocked on the door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"Coming..." It was the Shan Family’s nanny, Nanny Liu, who opened the door. Seeing it was Su Ran, she welcomed him in with a beaming smile.
"Nanny Liu, is the old master home?" Su Ran asked as he walked into the courtyard.
"Teacher Shan is out showing two friends around West Lake. They just left a little while ago. If you had called, he would have waited for you."
"Oh, I thought he’d be home," Su Ran said with a smile. "By the way, uh... is Sister Piaopiao out shopping too?"
"Piaopiao? No, she’s out by the lotus pond in the back. She hasn’t been going out to shop much lately."
"Oh... In that case, I’ll go and ’pay my respects’."
This Hangzhou-style garden was enormous—so large that Su Ran could easily get lost in it.
Winding corridors, pavilions, terraces, and towers—it had everything one could imagine.
It was springtime, a season that filled the garden with a splendor that couldn’t be contained, like a single branch of red apricot blossoms reaching over the wall.
Su Ran crossed a small bridge over a flowing stream and arrived at the lotus pond in the back courtyard. The lotuses weren’t in bloom yet, leaving a pool of clear, jade-green water. However, there was another sight to behold.
By the stone bank of the lotus pond, a wisp of agarwood incense drifted up on the gentle breeze, and the music of a guqin seemed to play a song of past and present lives.
Liu Piaopiao was wearing a pure white qipao that accentuated her delicate skin and graceful curves. The dress exquisitely outlined her elegant figure, showcasing her perfect, curvaceous physique to the fullest.
Her hands rested on the guqin, and her fingertips, belonging to a wrist adorned with a jadeite bangle, gently plucked the strings. The haunting melody spread out around the lotus pond like ripples, finally reaching Su Ran’s ears.
Su Ran didn’t disturb Liu Piaopiao’s elegant reverie, stopping right in front of her to appreciate the music—a melody as ethereal as her name.
Perhaps Liu Piaopiao knew Su Ran had arrived, or perhaps she didn’t. She continued to pluck the strings, lost in her own world, playing the melody "Cyan Glaze Porcelain."
The scene was picture-perfect. Su Ran took a DSLR camera from his bag, raised it, and focused on the moment, a real-life version of the lyric: ’In that Jiangnan Town, I caught your eye.’
He brought the scene into focus.
Liu Piaopiao lifted her gaze, her limpid eyes looking his way. A gentle breeze swept past, causing a single lock of her dark hair to sway. Her beautiful eyes were intoxicating.
The qin fell silent; the music stopped.
She stopped playing, resting her hand on the qin table and cupping her cheek. Without blinking, she simply gazed at Su Ran. On her fair hand, she still wore the 800,000-yuan Ice Jadeite Ring that Su Ran had bought for her. It couldn’t be taken off. It really couldn’t be taken off.
And from that ring finger, the one from which the ring could not be removed, a Red Dust Line was tied, stretching all the way to Su Ran’s hand...