Meanwhile, in the living room, Lin Fang sat stiffly on the couch, flanked by two women — Vivian on his left and Xuenyi on his right. With Zhi Yan and Li Liu gone, the silence stretched awkwardly for a moment.

Clearing his throat, Lin Fang forced a polite smile. "Do you two… want something to drink? Water? Juice? Or maybe a beer?"

Vivian smiled faintly, shaking her head. "It's alright—"

"Beer would be nice," Xuenyi interrupted smoothly, crossing one leg over the other.

Vivian blinked and immediately changed her tune. "Ah—right. Same for me."

Lin Fang gave them both a helpless look before heading to the fridge. "Strong or light?"

"Li…" Vivian opened her mouth to answer, but again—

"Strong," Xuenyi said without hesitation.

Vivian sighed quietly and muttered, "Same for me."

A hint of amusement flickered across Lin Fang's face as he pulled out three bottles and handed them over. "Here… Cheers."

The three clinked bottles lightly. The bitter scent of strong beer filled the air as they took their first sips.

Vivian, resting her elbow on the back of the couch, glanced around the living room with curiosity. "So… you live here with three others, right? You and two girls?"

Lin Fang nodded, setting his bottle on the table. "Yeah. There's another couple too, but they're not home right now."

Vivian tilted her head, her tone curious but light. "But I didn't get something. Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"I mean… you're earning what… hundreds of thousands of credits a day from your store, maybe millions too? Why still stay in a shared flat? Is it… because of your girlfriend?"

Lin Fang chuckled softly and shook his head. "No. Nothing like that."

He leaned back, looking faintly nostalgic as he spoke. "When I first came here, I didn't have much. I had just sold my store and my home that I inherited to clear old debts. I didn't have a degree. I was a plainfolk too… nothing promising about my future."

Vivian's eyes softened slightly as he continued. "But after moving here… everything changed. One thing after another — opportunities, encounters, people. It was like someone changed my fate… And now I have money, strength, and even a girlfriend." he glanced around the room with a small smile, "It all started here. This apartment brought me luck. The people I met here changed my life."

There was a quiet sincerity in his voice that made even Xuenyi, usually unreadable, turn her gaze toward him for a moment longer than usual.

Vivian smiled faintly, swirling the beer in her hand. But then, as something clicked in her head, she said in a teasing tone. "So… you're dating Li Liu, because you think she's lucky for you?"

Lin Fang's face flushed slightly, and his hands clenched into fists on his knees. "God, no! I've had a crush on her for a while. It has nothing to do with luck! You can form alliances, friendships, or even marry if you think they are lucky for you, but you can't love someone if you don't love them…"

Vivian fell silent, a small smirk playing on her lips as she studied him for a moment. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something again, she asked, "Hey… by the way, what about your work? Didn't you say you had to leave in the morning for some urgent business? But we're back here instead."

Lin Fang relaxed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's not a problem. I'll be taking the afternoon flight. The reporting time isn't until 6 pm, anyway. And… we need to finalize the contract at the store too."

Xuenyi, who had been quietly sipping her beer, tilted her head and spoke up, her tone calm but assertive. "You don't need to worry about traveling. I'm going there anyway. We can go together."

Lin Fang's eyes widened slightly. "You… you're coming?"

Xuenyi shrugged lightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I have things to do there."

Vivian glanced between the two, a flicker of curiosity crossing her expression. Lin Fang, meanwhile, leaned back into the couch, rubbing his temples and muttering under his breath,

"Sometimes, I feel like I have no choice but to follow your schedules…"

Xuenyi didn't respond, simply taking another sip of her beer, her gaze flicking toward the city skyline outside the window, already lost in thought about the events that had just transpired.

A couple of hours later, the five of them left the house together. Lin Fang had parked his motorcycle at the airport when he left for Peking City and decided to take a cab, with Li Liu joining him. Vivian settled into Zhi Yan's car along with Xuenyi. Zhi Yan, ever the vigilant, gave them a cold glance and then hit the accelerator, leaving Lin Fang and Li Liu waiting at the curb.

Twenty minutes into the drive, Zhi Yan's car slowed and stopped near an under-construction building. The area seemed quite deserted for a prime location in the city.

Vivian leaned forward, a frown crossing her face as she looked outside. "Where exactly are we?"

Zhi Yan's eyes were sharp and icy. "Senior…"

Before Vivian could react further by clicking the SOS button on the smartwatch that would notify Lin Fang, Xuenyi raised her hand, and with a flick, a shimmering spatial barrier enveloped the car. The metal frame of the barrier shimmered with a faint blue light, cutting off all signals.

Vivian's heartbeat spiked. "I'll—"

A cold, cruel laugh cut her off. Xuenyi conjured a mana dagger before its tip pressed lightly against Vivian's throat. "Don't bother. My spatial barrier will prevent any calls. Now… if you value your situation, answer our questions."

Vivian's eyes widened, but she forced herself to stay calm. "I—I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

Zhi Yan's gaze was like ice, unwavering as she asked. "What is your motive for approaching Lin Fang?"

Vivian blinked, taken aback. "Motive? I don't… I don't have one. He came into my life, not the other way around."

Zhi Yan's voice sharpened, laced with suspicion. "First, you pointed your fingers at his character, wanting your cousin to beat him up. Then, you recruited him as your bodyguard. Next, you took him to a prestigious auction. You bought him an item worth more than thirty million credits. And now… you're becoming a shareholder in his store. Just like that… after three days of friendship. Are we delusional to think that you don't have ulterior motives?"

Vivian's pulse raced, her breath quickening as she tried to think on her feet. Her eyes flicked to Xuenyi, who remained silent, her mana dagger still threatening her life.

"You're… you're wrong. I… I didn't plan any of that. He's capable, intelligent… and yes, I helped him. But it wasn't for any gain, nor… nor was it manipulation. I just… I trusted him."

Zhi Yan narrowed her eyes, staring at her coldly. "Trust? After only three days? Ms. Moreau, in this world, trust is a luxury and especially when the actions are done by someone like you. Someone with money and influence… when you do things, there is always a motive. So, I'm going to ask you again. What is your motive to get close to my friend?"

As Vivian stayed silent for a moment, Xuenyi's dagger pressed harder against her neck. "Answer her." The aura radiating from Xuenyi made her pulse race. She could sense the enormous reserves of mana inside this silver-haired girl, the kind that could obliterate her in a second.

Taking a shaky but determined breath, Vivian spoke, "I… I like him, alright?"

"Eh?" Both Zhi Yan and Xuenyi blinked, caught off guard.

Vivian hurried to explain, her words tumbling out.

"Lin Fang is strong, handsome, chivalrous, humble… a gentleman. Which girl wouldn't want a man like him as her boyfriend? I just didn't know he already has a girlfriend. Initially, I only wanted to recruit him because of his strength, but after spending time with him—and due to certain incidents—I realized he's the best potential future partner I could look for. That's why I planned to invest in his store and help develop it, so that in the future, no one could object if I wanted to marry him. But…"

Zhi Yan's eyes darkened, her gaze sharp and unwavering. "But now that you know he's in a relationship with Li Liu… what do you plan to do?"

Vivian hesitated, her throat dry, as Zhi Yan's voice hardened. "Li Liu is my best friend—a sister to me. I won't let you steal him away from her."

Her words were cold, and each syllable only got heavier as she continued. "At the auction, I saw you bid on that Dinosaur egg and then gave it to him. Based on his accounts, I don't think he had that much money. So I believe you took advantage of him and became a shareholder instead. Whatever money he owed you… We will repay you double. But back off. Leave him."

Xuenyi's dagger didn't waver, her aura pressing down like an invisible weight. She calmly added to Zhi Yan's offer. "We're giving you a chance to walk away without consequences. Don't force us to make it unpleasant."

Vivian's heart pounded. Right then, realization dawned upon her. And when she realized there was actually no threat to her life, she took a deep breath and said. "A threat to my life and money, I gave him, just giving back in double… I'm afraid that is not enough if you want to buy me off…"

"Hmm?" Zhi Yan and Li Liu furrowed their brows, exchanging glances.

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