"Brother." Lin Wanning called out to Long Aotian.
"What's wrong?" Long Aotian looked at her in confusion, sensing something off about her mood.
He wondered if he had said something wrong.
The next second, a soft, fragrant body pressed into his embrace.
Her body was so delicate—older folks often said women were made of water, and there was truth to that.
For a moment, Long Aotian didn’t dare move.
After a long pause, Lin Wanning’s voice finally broke the silence. "Brother, you’re so lonely."
From Long Aotian’s words earlier, Lin Wanning had started as a listener but gradually immersed herself in his emotions.
She realized just how lonely her brother was—as if he had lost many years of his life, as if he had woken from a dream to find everything around him unfamiliar.
He had no friends, his life was monotonous, and there were times he didn’t even know what to do with himself.
At first, Lin Wanning thought her brother had helped Hu Yuying.
But no—while helping Hu Yuying, he had also saved himself.
Hearing the word "lonely" from Lin Wanning’s lips, Long Aotian stiffened for a second, his nose and eyes suddenly stinging.
Yes, he was lonely.
Waking up in a strange world, surrounded by strangers, he had felt like an outsider.
Why had Long Aotian preferred solitude when he first arrived here? Because those who seek quiet are often lonely.
Why had he understood Hu Yuying so well? Because he saw his own loneliness reflected in her.
Guiding her to change had, in truth, been his own transformation.
Long Aotian took a deep breath, forcing back the ache in his eyes and nose. He forced a laugh and patted Lin Wanning’s back lightly. "Alright, alright. If I’d known you’d get so emotional, I wouldn’t have told you."
"Come on, are you just trying to take advantage of me?"
His teasing instantly shattered the heavy mood. Lin Wanning huffed, "Who’s taking advantage of you? I... I just meant that now you have a sister... You’re not alone anymore."
Everyone had their illusions—even someone like Long Aotian had vulnerabilities.
"Listening to you, I think I might be the luckiest person in the world," Long Aotian joked.
Lin Wanning smiled. "Then I guess I’m lucky too."
Life was full of trials, but thankfully—no, luckily—her brother had shielded her from them.
Defeating the villains, protecting her and her reputation—wasn’t that a stroke of fortune?
They fell into a comfortable silence under the shade of trees, streetlights, and the night sky. The peaceful atmosphere eased the earlier tension.
"It’s late. Let me walk you back," Long Aotian finally said.
"Okay."
......
After seeing Lin Wanning back to the music academy, Long Aotian returned to his dorm.
The moment he saw his three self-proclaimed "adopted sons," his mood shifted instantly.
"Old Ao, you’re finally back! Guess what club we signed up for?"
"Total jackpot, I swear."
"Hahaha, you’ll never guess, you pervert."
Who could stay melancholy in an environment like this?
"Swimming club! Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh? Hahaha, this is gonna be amazing!"
"Can you believe our college actually has a swimming club?"
Long Aotian chuckled. "Nice. I’m rooting for you."
The three immediately frowned. "Don’t be like that, Old Ao. That’s too distant."
"You think we’d hog all the fun?"
"Exactly. The Four Heavenly Kings of Room 147 stick together."
"So we signed you up too. Ready to celebrate? Hahaha..."
Hearing this, Long Aotian laughed along with them.
"Old Ao, why does your laugh sound so fake? Aren’t you excited?"
Long Aotian laughed even harder, tears nearly welling up as he shook his head. "I can’t fucking swim!"
Dead silence.
Xu Shuai: "Oh crap, I forgot to wash my underwear."
Li Longlong: "Ah, it’s bedtime for me."
Huang Fei: "I, uh... need a smoke on the balcony."
"Hold on, before you scatter—let’s discuss some truths. I’ll even give you a handicap..." Before Long Aotian could finish, three figures bolted out of Room 147.
Long Aotian turned stiffly to the open door and the vanished trio. "You bastards!"
No surprises here.
Swimming was part of the sports curriculum.
As Huang Fei put it, real men faced their weaknesses head-on.
They claimed they were helping Old Ao "adjust in advance," but their true motives remained a mystery.
"After the club orientation, there’s a small gathering. We’re just getting familiar with the place early."
"Look, Huang even went through the trouble of reserving the pool and got you swim caps and goggles. Just accept your fate."
"Honestly, Old Ao, if I had your physique, I’d be flaunting it here every damn day!"
Long Aotian shot Huang Fei an exasperated look. "This idiot only did it because Shen Mengjie joined the club, didn’t he?"
Huang Fei grinned shamelessly. "You’re never in the dorm anyway, always running off somewhere. You missed our whole strategy session."
As Long Aotian started stripping, the three winced. "I think inviting Old Ao was a mistake."
But that hesitation vanished the moment they stepped into the pool area.
"This beats ogling legs on campus any day."
"Stay cool. Don’t embarrass the Four Heavenly Kings of 147."
A figure emerged from the water and swam to the edge, preparing to climb out.
"Oh! You guys came too." Zhang Mengmeng greeted them with a smile.
"What a coincidence, running into you here," Huang Fei replied smoothly.
Zhang Mengmeng rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "Mengjie’s over there."
"Thanks!" Huang Fei hurried off in the direction she pointed.
Watching him leave, Zhang Mengmeng sighed faintly.
When she turned back, she noticed the well-built guy—the one whose physique made her cheeks warm—hadn’t followed.
Curious, she wondered: Why wasn’t he going with them? Was he... waiting for her?
At this thought, Zhang Mengmeng's cheeks flushed with a faint blush as she stole a glance at Long Aotian. Her gaze traveled upward from below, where his... assets were particularly prominent, making her quickly avert her eyes in slight fluster. "Why aren’t you going in?" she asked.
"I can’t swim, so the shallow end suits me just fine," Long Aotian replied with a smile as he stepped into the pool, unbothered by the limitation. This spot was perfect for him.
Hearing his words, Zhang Mengmeng gave a soft nod.
Her eyes lingered as droplets of water trailed down Long Aotian’s toned physique, leaving glistening streaks in their wake. She couldn’t help but sneak another look or two.
"His body is really well-built..."
[You say that us meeting because of a novel must be fate—for me, at least, it’s definitely a stroke of luck. Really, thank you all for supporting Vulture.]
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
For the sake of his unrequited love, his ex-girlfriend abandoned him at the altar, indirectly causing the death of his parents. Just when he thought his life was plunged into darkness, a clueless yet beautiful girl unexpectedly took him in. Looking back, he realized how many hidden gems had always been by his side. A childhood friend who had secretly loved him for over a decade, a stunning but socially clueless school beauty, a mischievous and playful girl who lived for chaos... His ex, filled with regret, pleaded: "I was wrong—can we go back to how things were?" Before he could respond, the girl stepped in front of Ye Shuang and coldly declared, "If you didn’t cherish him, then he’s mine now." Also known as: "After Losing My Job, I Was Picked Up by a Hidden Gem," "The School Beauty I Raised," and "Oh No, I’m Surrounded by Rich Girls."
