Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Seeing Su Ran’s suspicious expression, Xiao Wanqing knew he’d mistaken her "surprise" for something boring, like a new cell phone plan.

Xiao Wanqing crossed her arms, one long, stocking-clad leg draped over the other. Her high-heeled, silk-encased foot swung back and forth. She was the absolute picture of a dream girl. The other passengers, pretending to look at their phones, couldn’t help but steal glances at the bombshell, feeling more than a little envious of the boyfriend standing beside her.

Xiao Wanqing didn’t mind the stares. As a gorgeous, long-legged beauty with a stunning figure, she was used to it. A playful smile touched her lips as she crooked a finger at Su Ran. "Lean down here."

"What for?" Su Ran eyed her warily, afraid the woman would lose control and physically stop him from getting off the train.

Xiao Wanqing’s face fell. "Do you only listen to your Jinyu?" she asked coldly. "You won’t listen to your Wanqing, is that it?"

Su Ran put a hand to his forehead, speechless. He’d been feeling so frustrated lately.

Being managed by four women every day had seriously disrupted his once-comfortable solitary lifestyle.

’After all, I’m supposed to be some kind of chosen one, a Divine Rich protagonist, right? Honestly, I really want to rebel a little, to be like those domineering Divine Rich characters in novels who throw money around to get women.’

’But... in the end, I just can’t get past my conscience. I can’t be a scumbag. Sigh... I’m just too innocent, I guess.’

"One... two..."

"Fine, fine! Stop counting. Just tell me."

Su Ran leaned in close.

"What are you looking at? Didn’t you get enough of a look while teaching me to swim?"

"Hey, now. That was strictly professional instruction. Sister Wanqing, how could you think of me like that?"

"...Alright, alright, drop the holier-than-thou act." Xiao Wanqing smiled and whispered in his ear, "Tell me honestly. Besides Jinyu, do you not like me, Aina, and Yiren at all? Or are you just afraid of messing up the dynamic between the five of us, so you’re keeping your distance?"

In truth, the question was a bit over the line, but it had been bothering Xiao Wanqing for a long time. She felt their relationship was escalating beyond friendship. If they kept fooling around like this without a care, it wouldn’t matter whether she had a boyfriend or not—something would inevitably happen with Su Ran.

When they first met, everything was innocent. Now, it was quietly becoming more and more ambiguous. She didn’t like this feeling, because in the end, they would all be caught in the middle, turning into scumbags and sluts. At least now, they were still clear-headed enough to cut their losses before going down the wrong path.

It was just as Liu Jinyu had said—Su Ran is toxic, use with caution.

Truly... extremely toxic.

Whether Xiao Wanqing liked Su Ran or not wasn’t important. She wasn’t asking him to make a place for her; she purely wanted to know how he saw them.

"Uh..."

Su Ran thought for a moment, then answered seriously:

"I like all of you a lot. I think our current relationship and the way we get along is the best it can be."

"Uh... Let me be honest..."

Hearing this, Xiao Wanqing’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Here we go.’

"Continue."

"What happens next? The relationship becomes a mess. Jinyu is my girlfriend, and you’re her best friend. Are we supposed to just act like nothing happened?"

"Either way, we’d eventually fall apart. The four of you best friends would never go back to being as close as you were before, right?"

’After all...’

’I’m only eighteen, a college freshman, not some seasoned veteran of the world who can just set them all up in different cities to live the high life as rich women.’

’A freshman should act like a freshman.’

’Once I graduate and enter the working world, when I’ve experienced more and matured, that’ll be a different story.’

’The future is long, and we’re all still young. Anything could happen down the road.’

"I understand."

Every serious conversation like this brought their hearts a little closer.

Xiao Wanqing stroked Su Ran’s cheek, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. It was just as she’d thought: faced with a choice between desire and friendship, Su Ran chose the latter. And so did she.

"However..."

Xiao Wanqing’s tone shifted. She pointed at Su Ran. "Why did you have to use me as an example? And say you slept with me?"

PFFT—

Su Ran nearly coughed up blood. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"It was a hypothetical! An example!"

"Don’t use me in your examples. I feel... violated."

"..."

"If you need to use an example in the future, just... use Yiren."

"Fine, fine, fine! Next time I’ll use Yiren as the example! The doors are about to close, so I can’t chat anymore. I’m getting off. Once I finish my business, I’ll head to Shanghai to wait for your surprise. Text me and let me know you arrived safely in Shanghai, too."

"Be careful."

"Okay."

Su Ran turned and left without a single look back.

The whole "hit it and quit it" crowd were amateurs compared to him.

Xiao Wanqing rested her chin in her hand, watching his departing figure with a silent sigh. ’I’m used to it. He’s always been this decisive. So clean and efficient.’

Xiao Wanqing thought back on their time together recently. Each day, their playing around crossed more and more lines. Their hearts were stirring restlessly. It was like something out of ’One Man, Four Women on a Deserted Island.’ They were just a hair’s breadth away from a full-blown orgy.

Luckily, Su Ran always kept things in check. He never went on a "killing spree," limiting his "one-on-one" fights to just Jinyu.

Xiao Wanqing thought Su Ran was a good man.

Of course, while she was thinking he was a good man, Liu Jinyu probably wanted to say, ’Oh, thank you so much! Because of you, my world is so warm and bright! You have no idea what I go through every night! He’s restrained in front of you, but he gets rough with me. I’m about to be shaken to pieces by him, you get me?!’

Xiao Wanqing shook her head, trying not to think about it. Those feelings just surfaced whenever they spent a lot of time together. After all, appetite and sex are basic human nature. It was perfectly normal.

A group of eighteen and nineteen-year-olds at the peak of their hormonal surges—it was only natural for them to have desires for the opposite sex.

And only Su Ran could awaken their instinctual desires. After all, the four girls had ridiculously high standards. Su Ran had finally met their criteria, but now they were annoyed to have met him, because every other guy seemed to fall short by a million miles. They couldn’t even look at anyone else.

Not wanting to dwell on it, she picked up her phone. Just as she expected, the group chat had blown up with 99+ notifications, all "greetings" from Liu Jinyu.

Xiao Wanqing: [What? Is it a crime for me to wear black stockings? Your precious Ranran touched my thigh, and you think you’re in the right? That’s not how you protect your own. You keep yapping, and see if I don’t wear the ones with the letters on them to tempt your precious Ranran into sin!] + (Attached a photo of her own long, stocking-clad legs)

Liu Jinyu: [Big deal, you have long legs. You’re still just a Little Red Riding Hood.] + (Attached a photo of herself, chest puffed out at a 45° angle)

Aina: [Tch. As if we aren’t all a little sexy.] + (Attached a photo of herself in a sexy Spider-Man pose)

Xie Yiren: [The young mistress has arrived, everyone make way!] + (Attached a mirror selfie showing off her entire beautiful back with its Phoenix tattoo)

Overflowing with badassery.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Su Ran: [Anymore? Anymore? (expectant)]

Liu Jinyu: [This is adult business. Virgins, stay out of it!]

Su Ran sent the teasing reply and stuck his phone in his pocket. Photos like these weren’t enough to get him excited. After all, during the past few days of swimming lessons, physical contact with the four of them had become as casual as his left hand touching his right.

Besides, the group chat was full of their photos—all "fringe benefits," of course. Naturally, Su Ran would never let another man see them.

He put on his headphones and listened to music. He loved music; whenever he went out alone, he almost always had his headphones on. He walked out of the station and hailed a taxi to West Lake.

This was his first time in Hangzhou. Su Ran planned to find Shan Changqing and ask for his help in designing a "Victorious Fighting Buddha" sculpture. If Shan Changqing could carve it himself, that would be even better.

The mission was issued by the System, and "Chuyuan" was his. That’s right! After three name changes, he had finally settled on "Chuyuan." Su Ran had even personally written the two words "Chuyuan" with brush and ink right in front of the other three girls.

Don’t ask why it was in front of just three of them. Because Liu Jinyu isn’t a virgin.

He had taken down and stored the previous plaque, "Buchu Garden." He’d hang it up again someday if the opportunity arose.

「On the way.」

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Liu Jinyu: [Ranran, I’ve arrived in Chongqing. I’ll send you a pic in black stockings tonight, ten thousand times better than whatever-her-name Xiao Wanqing’s. You’re not allowed to look at hers.]

Su Ran: [No need, no need. Just video call me and I’ll watch you put them on. That’ll be fine.]

Liu Jinyu: [→_→]

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Aina: [Su Ran, I’ve arrived. Want me to bring you back some "rations" when I return?]

Su Ran: [As long as it’s not more of those dried yogurt chunks. If I eat any more of those, I’m going to get diabetes.]

Su Ran really knew how to enjoy himself. He never even had to unwrap them; Aina always fed them to him.

Aina: [Don’t push your luck. I like feeding you. Keep yapping and see what happens.]

Su Ran: [(Forced smile)]

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Xie Yiren: [Su Ran, I’ve arrived too.]

Su Ran: [Why add the "too"?]

Xie Yiren: [The others have probably already told you they arrived safely. The signal is bad at my hometown. I’m sending this from the top of a mountain.]

’Oho~’

Just as she was about to hit send, Xie Yiren shifted her position. The signal dropped from 4G to 2G, and the message failed to send.

"AHHH~ I thought you said you had global coverage?!?!"

Dressed in the attire of the Miao Clan, Xie Yiren screamed, her voice echoing through the ancient, remote mountain tribe in Miaojiang.

Su Ran: [Why aren’t you replying to my message?]

Su Ran: [Wow, Xie Yiren. Just gonna ignore my messages now, are you?!]

Su Ran: [The road to your hometown is gone.]

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Xie Yiren: [Who cares!!!]

Su Ran: [???]

Su Ran: [Xie Yiren, have I done something to offend you? Why so hostile?]

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Xie Yiren: [Go to hell!]

Su Ran: [???]

At that moment, Xie Yiren was about to lose her mind. The network was terrible, and at the most critical moment, an unintended reply had somehow gone through.

Xie Yiren: [Su Ran, I’m not cussing you out, I’m cussing out the network] — Sending Failed.

Su Ran: [I see. The love is gone.]

"AHHHHHH!!!!"

Xie Yiren completely lost it. "FUCK YOUR MOM, CHINA MOBILE! GIVE ME A REFUND!"