She was pure and lively, but she had a clear understanding of many things and wouldn't "betray" a man at such a time.
"Ahem—"
At that moment, the sound came from outside the villa.
Luo Yu pretended as if nothing had happened, and walked back in from the outside using her keys, carrying three bags of boxed takeaways.
"Good morning to you all."
"None of you have had breakfast, right? Well, I've bought five servings. Let's eat together."
"It's already noon, what breakfast are you talking about," Xiaowu said with her lips pouted, but while she verbally refused, her body honestly rushed to the dining table.
The other three ladies also got up one after another, only Jia Lan rose with her beautiful eyebrows knitted slightly, softly biting her red lips.
"What's wrong, Lulu?" Qin Lan came over to help her.
"It's nothing, Sister Lan, let's go eat together," Jia Lan said.
After the meal, Bi Bidong left first, seemingly preoccupied with something.
Upon leaving, the last lingering, resentful look in her eyes, like that of a wronged woman in her boudoir, made Luo Yu's heart flutter.
"You're just leaving your daughter here to fend for herself?" Luo Yu said.
Xiaowu's pink entrancing eyes immediately looked pitifully at the man, "Benefactor, Xiaowu has no mother now, Xiaowu has no home now, can you take me in?"
"You need to go home!" Luo Yu's mouth twitched.
God damn, no mother? If Bi Bidong heard this, are you sure she wouldn't turn back and hit you?
Qin Lan nudged Jia Lan's slender waist and whispered, "See, she's so good at acting cute, climbing up the pole like that. You should learn from her."
Jia Lan shook her head, smiling lightly as she watched this scene unfold.
Qin Lan was immediately puzzled.
The girl had been nervous all the time, for fear that the man would be snatched away by someone else, yet why, after one night, does she seem not to be afraid at all?
"Heehee, benefactor, we will see each other again, Xiaowu certainly won't give up on the idea of being together with you," Xiaowu teased.
In the end, Xiaowu didn't care whether the others were around or not, gave the man a kiss on the cheek, and quickly left.
Qin Lan also took Jia Lan with her to say goodbye.
Luo Yu stood up.
"You have delicate constitutions and are not martial artists; it's not convenient for you to move around, so I'll drive you back."
"Ah?"
Qin Lan didn't expect such a privilege.
Jia Lan's cheeks turned red, and she lowered her head as if thinking about something.
Luo Yu personally drove the super sports car to take Qin Lan and Jia Lan back to their residential area. Chen Long's car hadn't been returned to the Luo Family Manor's garage yet, but with the Luo Family's vast wealth, owning more than just a few sports cars was nothing extraordinary—they could easily fill several garages.
Jia Lan walked with tiny, hesitant steps in the hallway, tightly biting her lip.
"What's wrong with you, Lulu?" Qin Lan asked with concern, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It's nothing, I just need some rest, and I'll be fine," Jia Lan said with a shake of her head.
"It's not your period, is it?" Qin Lan queried.
"No," Jia Lan replied.
"What's the matter then? We need to go to the hospital if there's an issue. Could it be from last night, catching a cold or something?"
"It's Luo Gongzi."
"Luo Gongzi?" Qin Lan was confused—what could this have to do with Luo Gongzi?
Jia Lan didn't want to hide it from Qin Lan, who was like a sister to her, and whispered:
"It's related to Luo Gongzi."
Qin Lan didn't get it at first.
But seeing Jia Lan's blushing face, as if struck by lightning, she figured it out.
"You…"
"Don't tell me you..."
"You did it, right?"
Jia Lan nodded shyly, admitting it.
Qin Lan was dumbfounded and took a moment to absorb the shock.
"When did this happen... when did this happen?"
...
In the room, Qin Lan looked at Jia Lan in shock.
"So, you're now Luo Gongzi's woman?"
"I suppose so," Jia Lan first nodded, then waved her hands, "Sister Lan, I didn't mean to compete with you for a man, don't misunderstand me."
Even though Qin Lan felt a sense of loss, she still said with a smile:
"You little girl, Sister Lan understands you; you're not the kind of woman with ulterior motives."
"Since Luo Gongzi chose you, it means he likes you more. I've lost in fair competition, and there's nothing Sister Lan can complain about."
"I won't take my frustrations out on my dear sister just because I was inadequate."
"No, it's not like that," Jia Lan shook her head, consoling, "I think Luo Gongzi likes Sister Lan too."
"But when I confessed to him, he didn't respond," Qin Lan said with a bitter smile.
"But... but..." Jia Lan was somewhat incoherent, seeing Qin Lan's distress made her feel uneasy.
Qin Lan said, "You should rest well. Sister Lan is no longer a little girl, I can adjust my mentality on my own."
"I'm not a child who cries when she can't have candy."
Jia Lan nodded, quickly noticing Qin Lan's eyes reddening swiftly.
"Sister Lan, why are you crying?"
Qin Lan said with frustration, "I don't want to cry, I want to be strong, but I just can't help it."
"I'm envious of you."
Qin Lan choked up as she spoke candidly, and Jia Lan came over to wrap her arms around the raven-haired beauty's shoulders, unsure of how to comfort her.
The heart harbors a silent grievance.
Having one is as good as having two, why drag down Sister Lan.
"Lulu, if I said I didn't want to give up on Luo Gongzi, would you be mad?" Qin Lan asked with red eyes, looking towards Jia Lan.
Jia Lan shook her head.
"How could I be?"
"You really wouldn't be mad?" Qin Lan was surprised.
Jia Lan said with a bitter smile, "Sister Lan, Luo Gongzi is such an outstanding person, it's impossible for him to only have one woman in his lifetime. I've been prepared for that."
"I will help Sister Lan."
"You're willing to help me?" Qin Lan was even more surprised.
"Yes, Lulu doesn't want to see sister sad, and really, I want to be with Sister Lan forever. Having the man and woman I love by my side will make Lulu the happiest person in the world." Jia Lan held the raven-haired beauty's hand.
"My good sister," Qin Lan was moved.
"Luo Gongzi leaves tomorrow, Sister Lan, we need to come up with a plan. I really think Luo Gongzi likes Sister Lan too."
The next morning at the Luo Family Manor, the old master returned.
Before arriving, he made a special call to ask if there were still guests at home and whether it'd be convenient for him to return.
This shocked the group of high-level executives who were in a meeting with Luo Tiance.
Since when did Luo Tiance, the most powerful man in Great Xia, need to report to someone before coming home?
"Grandson, you're leaving today. Grandfather has prepared more than a dozen protective treasures for you, all unearthed from ancient ruins. Take them with you," Luo Tiance said in the living room.
This statement made Chen Long and Si She, who were next to Luo Yu, carrying his luggage, their scalps tingle.
More than a dozen protective treasures? It sounded unbelievable.
But thinking about Luo Tiance's strength and the many ancient ruins he'd breached, they came to accept it.
"No need, Grandfather, give one to Chen Long and Si She each. I don't need them," Luo Yu said with a smile. "I still have an ace up my sleeve."
Hearing this, Chen Long and Si She were visibly moved, their mouths agape as they looked towards Luo Yu, not expecting their young master to suddenly mention them.
Luo Tiance smiled and nodded. With a flick of his hand, he took out two gray medallions from the Storage Space.
The medallions floated towards Chen Long and his companion.
"Since it's Xiao Yu's wish, you two take them."
Chen Long and Si She knew how precious protective treasures were. A Third-Rank Expert might risk their life in ancient ruins and still not be able to bring one back.
"We can't accept this without merit. Thank you for the young master's and old master's kindness, but we cannot accept," the two refused with their hands.
Luo Yu shook his head, his eyes widened: "Keep it. The old man has plenty of treasures. Hanging with me, I can't let you guys be shortchanged."
"We feel ashamed for not having been of greater help to the young master," Chen Long said.
"Haven't you also faced hardships, even if not scoring merits? I say keep them," Luo Yu glared.
Unable to refuse further, Chen Long and Si She accepted the gray protective medallions. Holding the medallions in their hands, they felt warmth in their hearts.
They thought to themselves that although their young master had an incomparable status, his ability to honor the worthy was impeccable.
A warrior will die for a worthy cause.
"You, my boy, only know how to hand out grandpa's treasures to win favors," Luo Tiance shook his head, half-teasing, half-scolding.
Luo Yu nodded, looking toward the delighted Chen Long and Si She.
"Take these pieces of scrap metal from the old man for now; I'll take you guys to a ruin later to fish out some real treasures."
The two dared not respond to that.
"You boy, taking from others, yet you don't pull your punches," Luo Tiance scolded with his mouth but felt some reluctance in his heart.
After eighteen years, his grandson was leaving Da Jing for the first time; naturally, he was reluctant to let him go.
The departure was imminent.
Luo Yu found it strange.
Why hadn't Xiaowu, Bi Bidong, and the Qin Lan Sisters, who all said they would send him off, called or shown up? What was going on?