How about I be the little maid

After finishing their meal, Long Aotian turned to Li Qingxue with a smile and said, "Little cleaner, it's your turn now."

Li Qingxue suddenly recalled what Long Aotian had mentioned earlier.

Hu Yuying had promised to cook for Long Aotian every day from now on.

And she herself had said that if Long Aotian could buy a house in Capital City, she would clean his room every day.

Though this house wasn’t actually purchased by Long Aotian, she didn’t dwell on it and immediately started tidying up.

Of course, she wasn’t left to do all the cleaning alone—Hu Yuying and Lin Wanning both pitched in to help.

While taking out the trash, Lin Wanning approached Long Aotian and asked, "Brother, what about me? What should I do from now on?"

"You already have a little chef and a little cleaner, so what’s my role?"

Seeing how serious Lin Wanning looked, Long Aotian found it amusing. It had all been a joke, but since they’d known each other for so long, teasing like this was just part of their fun.

Lin Wanning crouched beside Long Aotian and said playfully, "How about I become your little maid, responsible for taking care of you?"

Long Aotian, who had just taken a sip of water, spat it out in surprise.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Wanning burst into mischievous laughter.

This was more like it—why did he always act so mature when they were the same age?

"Trying to be a water fountain now?" Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue teased Long Aotian when they returned from tossing the trash and saw what had happened.

Lin Wanning quickly scampered over to join the two of them.

"Now you’re all ganging up on me!" Long Aotian exclaimed.

At this, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning immediately turned and ran, while Hu Yuying hesitated for a moment, glancing between Long Aotian and her fleeing friends before gasping and dashing after them.

Long Aotian went back to his room to grab the design plans, locked the front door, and then chased after them.

In the afternoon, Long Aotian handed the design plans to the renovation company’s agent.

With that settled, the work could begin anytime.

He then bought some gifts—since the renovation would inevitably disturb the neighbors, it was only polite to visit them beforehand.

The three girls’ well-mannered behavior naturally left a good impression. The fact that they had taken the effort to visit with gifts showed consideration. Even if they hadn’t, no one could really stop them from renovating, right?

After visiting a few households, they had a brief introduction to their neighbors.

Most of them were migrant workers renting rooms in the area.

Only a small portion were elderly locals of Capital City.

Thankfully, everyone was quite easygoing.

After finishing their last visit, Hu Yuying asked, "Long-ge, was this really necessary?"

They had spent quite a bit of money on this.

Hu Yuying had rented many places before, but her most vivid memory was from her three years in Haiwan City, where the house across from her had been renovated.

Back then, no one had gone through such formalities—they just started working without any prior visits.

To be honest, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning didn’t fully understand Long Aotian’s actions either.

Long Aotian smiled and explained, "You’ve seen the design plans—this isn’t a small project, and it’s bound to affect the neighbors."

"Not visiting is one thing, but visiting makes a difference."

"Besides, we don’t know many people here. Building good relationships with our neighbors can only benefit us."

As a grown man, Long Aotian wasn’t too concerned about himself.

But for the three girls, if there ever came a day when he wasn’t around, or if they faced another situation like someone following them or knocking on their door, having friendly neighbors could provide some help.

Even just someone stepping outside to take a look could serve as a deterrent.

Though the chances of such incidents were slim, they had happened before.

"Alright, don’t overthink it. The renovation will start in a few days, and I might be busy then. If you girls get bored, you can hang out together."

"You can also discuss your online store ideas—like designing the shop, deciding what to sell, and how to manage it."

"Don’t worry about suppliers. Yuying and I have been to Yiwu before, and we have contacts in Guangdong. Once you’ve made your decision, don’t hesitate to give it a try."

At this, the three girls grew visibly excited.

Especially Hu Yuying, who had sold clothes before, eagerly shared her small tips and tricks with them.

For them, this was a bold new venture—one that filled them with both excitement and anticipation. And so, their already endless conversations gained yet another topic.

"I have a friend who studies digital art. We could ask her to design our store’s layout," Li Qingxue suggested.

"Would that be okay?"

"Of course! We just video-chatted the other day."

"But what are you planning to sell?"

The three of them chatted happily, leaving Long Aotian somewhat sidelined.

On their way back to the university, Lin Wanning kept typing on her phone.

"Watch your step. Don’t use your phone while walking," Long Aotian reminded her.

"It’s fine. With you here, I won’t trip," Lin Wanning replied with a grin, playfully blinking at him.

Still, she obediently put her phone away.

"Today was really fun. It suddenly feels like we’re a family."

"Hu Yuying is so gentle, and Li Qingxue is so lively. Being with them makes me happy."

"I told you they were easy to get along with," Long Aotian agreed with a nod. "I genuinely hope you all become good friends."

"We will." Lin Wanning felt they were already friends.

After all, they were still chatting nonstop even while walking.

"We’re here. Be careful on your way back," Long Aotian said as they reached the music academy’s entrance.

"Okay, bye, Brother!" Lin Wanning waved and headed inside.

Today had left her feeling content—she was gradually becoming part of her brother’s little circle, and her steps felt noticeably lighter.

Watching Lin Wanning disappear into the campus, Long Aotian turned and left, returning to his dorm.

Inside, Xu Shuai sat on his bed while Huang Fei and Li Longlong perched on stools in front of him, looking as if they were conducting a formal interrogation.

Seeing this, Long Aotian quickly grabbed a stool for himself. "Move over—make room for me."

Huang Fei and Li Longlong scooted aside, letting him join.

Once seated, Long Aotian, Huang Fei, and Li Longlong all fixed their gazes on Xu Shuai.

Watching Long Aotian’s actions, Xu Shuai’s lips twitched. "You guys are ganging up on me now?"

"Stop whining. Spill it already—this is for the benefit of future generations, got it?" Huang Fei declared solemnly, notebook and pen in hand.

"If you want to 'benefit future generations,' why don’t you go out and experience love for yourselves?"

At this, Huang Fei and Li Longlong felt as if an invisible knife had stabbed them in the chest.

Immediately, they decided to resort to force...