Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Buchu Garden, in the entryway.

Xiao Wanqing glanced at the painting "Great Peng Spreading Wings and Swallowing Mountains and Rivers." She knew Su Ran was a talented artist, but she couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What’s the little bug in the great peng’s mouth supposed to be?"

"Wanqing, this is a serious painting. Don’t be dirty."

"Oh, I get it now. Hehe."

"..."

Aina "thoughtfully" handed him a pair of slippers.

Su Ran said, "You know, I’m really not used to this."

Aina replied, "It is this humble servant’s duty to serve you, my lord."

Su Ran chuckled. He had to admit, with Aina dressed in that hanfu and spouting such archaic, poetic lines, she really nailed the part.

"Best Actress. I’ll fund a movie for you someday."

"Really? To be honest, I’ve always wanted to be an actress more than a dancer."

Xiao Wanqing retorted, "With that terrible acting? What could you even play? Oh... I know! An ’investigator,’ right?"

PFFT—

Su Ran did a spit-take.

Aina scratched her head. "What’s an ’investigator’? I’ve never heard of that."

This set Xiao Wanqing off. "Act! Keep on acting! I want to see just how pure and innocent you can pretend to be."

Aina whined, "But I really don’t know!"

"I... I can’t stand you anymore! I’m about to show you what a ’female prosecutor’ does!"

Xiao Wanqing then pushed Aina onto the sofa and began the "audition."

Su Ran just smiled. Just another day of zany, slice-of-life antics.

He changed his shoes and went into the kitchen.

In the kitchen.

The other two little chefs were busy preparing their signature dishes.

Su Ran walked into the kitchen, raised his hand, and—SMACK!—landed a firm swat right on her rear.

The sound was crisp and loud.

"Ow! That hurts!"

Xie Yiren froze as if she’d been zapped by electricity. She whipped her head around to glare at the "heartless" Su Ran.

Her expression was a mix of indignation, embarrassment, anger, and panic.

Su Ran was mortified. He had thought it was Liu Jinyu; otherwise, he never would have dared to be so bold.

Right in front of him.

Liu Jinyu stood there holding a basket, staring at the scene as water from the washed vegetables dripped onto the floor, one drop at a time.

"I thought that was you. Uh... my bad."

"I need to go to the bathroom."

With that, she shoved past Su Ran, pushed aside the two troublemakers instigating from the sidelines, and hurried out of the kitchen. Only then did she start rubbing the sore spot, running to the bathroom with an aggrieved expression.

She cursed inwardly, ’Just how hard did he hit me? Since I’m not his girlfriend, I guess it doesn’t matter if he gets a little too rough, right?’

Xie Yiren was fuming.

’...’ Su Ran was in a tough spot. With so many women in the house, it was easy to get them mixed up. Luckily, this time he had only ’swatted’ the wrong person. If he had ’disciplined’ the wrong one, he’d truly have some explaining to do.

He turned back awkwardly and gave Liu Jinyu a sheepish grin.

Speechless, Liu Jinyu just shook her head, set down the basket, and untied her apron.

She was wearing a qipao today that accentuated her figure, putting her S-shaped curves on full display. She swayed gracefully over to Su Ran and gave a light twirl. As a dance student, she made the simple spin look effortlessly elegant, even in a qipao.

She stopped and asked, "This is me. Got it?"

She shot him an exasperated glare.

Su Ran nodded. "Got it memorized."

"Hmph."

Liu Jinyu knew he had memorized her *shape*, and she was utterly speechless.

Then she called out to Xiao Wanqing and Aina, "There’s soup in the casserole, so keep an eye on the heat. Let’s go..."

She pulled Su Ran away by the hand. After a few steps, she seemed to remember something and looked back to add, "Oh, right, Wanqing. Add the goji berries and jujubes in about ten minutes. Put in some extra for Su Ran to help him recover. He’s been exhausted from military training."

PFFT—

Su Ran nearly choked. ’Is she trying to help me recover, or is she trying to boost my libido?’

"Come with me!"

Liu Jinyu went into full-on boss mode. She dragged her dear Ranran out of the kitchen, across the central courtyard, and straight to a quaint, antique-style bedroom in the back. Shoving Su Ran inside, she followed him in and slammed the door shut.

Of course, all the world’s a stage. Liu Jinyu played the domineering queen, so Su Ran played along as her obedient puppy. It was all part of the fun.

Inside the room.

Exhausted, Su Ran collapsed onto the bed. He watched as Liu Jinyu, clad in her slim-fitting, dark green qipao, entered the room, placed her phone on the nightstand, and then he shifted over to make some space for her.

Liu Jinyu let out a speechless "Hmph."

And then...

A "blood-curdling" scream from Su Ran echoed from within the bedroom.

Women are so mercurial. One moment, she was the perfect lady in front of everyone, giving Su Ran plenty of face.

The next, with the door closed, she cast aside her ladylike demeanor—qipao and all—plopped right down on Su Ran’s stomach, and bit his shoulder.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly beneath the tight qipao as she glared at Su Ran, looking like she wanted to bite his head off.

Su Ran turned his head to look at the faint teeth marks and a ring of lipstick on his shoulder. It didn’t actually hurt, of course. Liu Jinyu would never have the heart to truly bite down hard.

But Su Ran had slapped her best friend’s butt—and so loudly, too! And with his girlfriend standing right there! Did he think she was invisible?

She had to get this off her chest, and Su Ran completely understood.

Liu Jinyu demanded with an adorable fierceness, "Did you do that on purpose? If you dare to lie, believe me, I’ll sit on your face and suffocate you."

Su Ran almost died on the spot. ’She’s that ruthless?’

But a second later, Su Ran put on an expression of one ready to die a martyr’s death. "I really didn’t do it on purpose," he said. "If you don’t believe me, then go ahead. Sit on my face. Suffocate me."

With that, he closed his eyes, ready to "die and ascend to heaven."

「A few seconds later.」

When he got no response from Liu Jinyu, Su Ran opened his eyes. Fearless in the face of "death," he challenged, "Come on! Suffocate me!"

"You..." Liu Jinyu bit her lip and scoffed. "In your dreams!"

Su Ran smiled and reached out to caress her cheek. Liu Jinyu slapped his hand away. "Don’t touch me." But her protest was only verbal.

Just after saying that, her body went limp, and she collapsed into Su Ran’s arms. Her slender fingers began to trace the contours of his face, sending a pleasant, tingling sensation across his skin.

’Having a soft, pliant girl in a qipao lying in my arms feels amazing,’ he thought.

Liu Jinyu’s lips parted slightly as she whispered in his ear, "It’s been a month. Did you miss me?"

"Yes. Whenever the night was still and I found myself wide awake, I’d think about you being my wise big sister."

Hehe.

Liu Jinyu smiled faintly and pinched Su Ran’s cheek again. "So... you really like having someone to hold?"

Instead of his full name, Liu Jinyu preferred to call him Ranran.

It was her special nickname for him.

Su Ran gazed at the beautiful face in his arms and grinned teasingly. "Actually, I’m quite used to sleeping alone."

Liu Jinyu’s expression soured, and she started to get up. Su Ran laughingly pulled her back down into his embrace. "I’m just kidding," he said with a smile. "Of course it’s better than sleeping alone."

Liu Jinyu rolled her eyes. "That’s more like it. Mwah! That’s your reward. Now, get some rest."

They rested for a bit, exchanging the kind of sweet nothings that would give anyone goosebumps.

Liu Jinyu smoothed out her qipao and prepared to leave. She elegantly stepped over the threshold in her high heels, then looked back. "You get some rest. I’ll call you for dinner. And, uh... don’t get any ideas during the daytime. We can talk tonight."

"Okay, Sister Jinyu."

"Hmph."

"The cleaning lady for the complex called today. She said one of my koi is dying. Let’s go check on it. I really hope it’s not the one that cost hundreds of thousands, or I’ll be heartbroken."

Su Ran got up and walked over, stroking Liu Jinyu’s cheek before wrapping an arm around her slim waist. He took a moment to admire her exquisite figure, tightly hugged by the qipao. Paired with her commanding, queenly aura, the sight was simply perfect.

Any man would be proud to have such a stunning girlfriend.

Liu Jinyu sighed. "Ah, Young Master Su is so rich. A single fish costs hundreds of thousands. That’s more than us common folk make in years."

"Enough nonsense. Let’s go see if it can be saved."

In the end, the koi died. Thankfully, it wasn’t the most expensive one, but it was still worth seventy or eighty thousand yuan. The four girls, including Liu Jinyu, were heartbroken over the loss.

The pond of koi worth millions, the Arhat Pine by the entrance worth millions, and the "Victorious Fighting Buddha" statue that hadn’t even been moved in yet.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

At the dinner table, Xiao Wanqing clicked her tongue. She sighed internally, ’Sometimes I really forget just how ridiculously rich Su Ran is.’

They could never match up to his level; only he could be ’downwardly compatible’ and accommodate the four of them.

What gratified Xiao Wanqing, however, was that Su Ran was very, very good at being... compatible.

Su Ran raised his wine glass for a toast. "I’d like to thank these four beautiful ladies for coming all the way to Jiangning to see me. I’m truly honored. And while I’m at it, I’d also like to thank the Shanghai Dance Academy."

The four girls lowered their glasses and asked, "Why are you thanking our academy?"

"If your academy hadn’t assigned the four of you to the same dorm room, we never would have had the good fortune to all be sitting here together, right?"

"I guess that makes some sense."

CLINK!

They drank, ate, and chatted.

The table was laden with classic dishes from five different places: Ninghai, the Western Regions, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Guizhou.

Having four girls from such different regions in his home was like being in Jiangning while getting to taste the flavors of the entire country.