The Senior's Concern

Xia Lin swore to the heavens that she absolutely hadn’t meant to peek at Su Bai’s phone… She wasn’t the type to snoop into others’ privacy like that.

It was just a fleeting, subconscious glance.

But what she saw set her mind racing.

"Investment portfolio settlement… So this guy dabbles in investments, and it looks like he’s dealing with some serious money."

Profits in the millions meant his capital had to be in the tens of millions, possibly even reaching nine figures.

A regular college freshman obviously wouldn’t have access to that kind of wealth.

Xia Lin considered one possibility: Su Bai’s family had entrusted him with managing a portion of their funds as a way to groom him.

Of course, investments weren’t always profitable—there were ups and downs.

But this at least proved Su Bai’s competence.

True elites weren’t fools; they wouldn’t hand over money to someone incapable.

This also explained why Su Bai always seemed to have so much spending money.

When it came to promising young heirs, wealthy families were never stingy—in fact, they were downright generous.

Genetics were a lottery, after all. No matter how illustrious a family was, they couldn’t guarantee their offspring would turn out exceptional.

So when someone like Su Bai came along—someone with real talent—they’d spoil him rotten.

Xia Lin’s imagination ran wild, painting the newly acknowledged "little brother" as a financial prodigy.

Her gaze softened as she looked at the dozing Su Bai.

She felt utterly vindicated in her decision to get closer to him.

Why had Xia Lin taken on the role of "big sister," you ask?

Well, a young genius like Su Bai was bound to play the field for a few years before settling down.

Though it irked her traditional sensibilities, Xia Lin had resigned herself to this reality. After all, good men were in high demand.

She couldn’t exactly demand marriage from Su Bai right away.

That would only push him away, eroding his affection over time.

Coming from an elite family herself, Xia Lin had seen this scenario play out too many times.

Rather than shooting herself in the foot, she’d bide her time as his caring older sister, waiting until Su Bai outgrew his wild phase before proposing marriage.

Along the way, she’d subtly weave herself into his life, making her presence indispensable.

That was how you won in the long run.

Plan: Success!

Having mapped out her strategy, Xia Lin stopped overthinking and simply enjoyed the view of the handsome college boy in front of her.

……

Some time later, Su Bai stirred awake.

The first thing he saw was Xia Lin’s smiling face looking down at him.

"Ah, I actually fell asleep… How long was I out?"

"The movie’s already over," Xia Lin said, gently pinching his ear. "Get up—my legs are numb from being your pillow."

"Haha, my bad."

"Don’t worry about it. Taking care of Xiao Bai is what big sisters do."

As she spoke, she straightened his collar for him.

The feeling was pure bliss.

Su Bai reveled in it, though their date had to end as Xia Lin needed to return to campus.

Only after parting ways did Su Bai notice the system’s updates.

First, there was a special indulgence reward for falling asleep on Xia Lin’s lap.

The million yuan in cash was nice, but the real prize was the skill: [Finance & Investment (Master Level)].

Su Bai’s mind buzzed as vast, intricate knowledge flooded his consciousness.

He couldn’t help but grin.

Not that he needed finance to make money—indulgence rebates were zero-risk, the ultimate get-rich-quick scheme.

But as an aspiring tycoon, he’d inevitably rub shoulders with high society.

Before this, highbrow topics might as well have been alien to him.

Now, the system had bridged that gap.

With master-level financial skills, Su Bai could hold his own in any business conversation with elites.

Perfect skill. Made brain go brrr.

[Xia Lin]: "If you ever have problems on or off campus, or just need someone to talk to, you can always come to your big sister~"

Reading the message, Su Bai smiled.

Having a caring older sister was nice.

[Su Bai]: "Then I won’t hold back. If I can’t sleep, I’ll come find you, Lin Jie—that nap was amazing."

[Xia Lin]: "Haha, really? Big sister’s happy to hear that."

While chatting with Xia Lin, Su Bai strolled through the Ascott Residences plaza, returning from the private theater to his duplex at Mountain Water Villas.

The moment he stepped inside, Zhou Jialu threw herself into his arms.

She’d clearly been waiting by the door after hearing the elevator.

It reminded Su Bai of a house cat perking up at its owner’s return.

"Junior, what a coincidence—I just woke up from a nap when you arrived."

"Yeah, funny. I took a nap too."

"Oh?"

Zhou Jialu’s expression shifted. She sniffed the air, then pressed closer to inhale Su Bai’s scent.

Her face instantly turned wary.

"What’s wrong?"

"You smell like another woman!"

"Obviously? I had dinner with Xia Lin, then watched a movie. Fell asleep because it was boring."

“Oh~ So you used your counselor as a pillow, huh?” Zhou Jialu pouted, oozing jealousy.

Su Bai remained deadpan. "Huh? No idea. Slept great though. Maybe Xia Lin took advantage of me while I was out? Can’t blame her—my charm’s irresistible."

"Waaah! No no no! My precious junior’s being targeted by another woman, boohoo~"

Zhou Jialu wailed dramatically, clearly fishing for comfort.

Su Bai’s brain took a sharp turn: "..."

"…What??"

Zhou Jialu short-circuited at his absurd response.

She’d only been teasing, expecting him to sweet-talk her.

Who could’ve predicted this level of audacity?

……

"Let’s go shopping later. I’ll buy you a necklace."

"Ugh, junior~ You’re the worst!"

Zhou Jialu shot him an exasperated yet coquettish glare.