Chapter 36: The New Master of Liu Residence

"Damn it! I'll deal with you later, bastard!" Snapping back to reality, Qiangzi cursed and let go of the keyboard and mouse. He crossed his arms behind his head, leaned back in his chair, propped his legs up, and said in a sleazy manner, "Dad seems to have run into some trouble lately. He's been restless and even more irritable than before. I don't even dare to talk to him. I doubt I'll be going back anytime soon."

"Mm." Long Zongheng didn't inquire about what Qiangzi's father was dealing with; it wasn't appropriate for him to interfere in the affairs of elders. Nodding, he said, "Alright, since you're not in a hurry to leave, wait until the Liu family situation is settled, then accompany me on a trip to Tianfu."

"That could work." Qiangzi kicked his chair, spinning it around to face Long Zongheng. He chuckled, "Anyway, there isn't much happening in the military district recently. I can be anywhere, but I've spent quite a bit at the nightclub these days..." Raising his right hand, he rubbed his thumb and index and middle fingers together, wearing a lecherous expression, "You know what I mean."

Long Zongheng pointed at Qiangzi and burst out laughing.

...

Late into the next night, when Yue Chang rubbed her sleepy eyes and stepped out of the bedroom, she found Li Nianlong, Nalan Ruyue, and Yuexi all sitting in the living room. The TV was on, and there was a fruit platter, some skewers, and three steaming plates of meat buns on the coffee table.

"Gurgle—" The aroma made Yue Chang's stomach rumble in protest. Blushing slightly, she hurried over to the sofa, picked up a meat bun, and took a big bite, "Big Brother, Sister Ruyue, mmm... You're all here!"

"..."

Nalan Ruyue nodded with a smile, while Li Nianlong also smiled faintly, rubbing Yuexi's head on his right, "Xixi said you'd wake up soon and would be very hungry. Ruyue warmed up the buns, Xixi grilled some skewers, and there's this fruit platter too."

Yue Chang looked at Nalan Ruyue and Yuexi, her face lighting up with a sweet, gentle smile, "Thank you, Sister Ruyue, thank you, Xixi."

Nalan Ruyue waved her hand with a smile, indicating it was no trouble at all, but Yuexi snorted, "No need for thanks with me. Just eat your bun!" Then, narrowing her eyes, she enjoyed Li Nianlong's caress like a cat, "Meow..."

"..."

Seeing how intimate Li Nianlong and Yuexi were, a ripple stirred in Yue Chang's heart: What happened during these three days?

Just as Yuexi had said, Yue Chang really did eat thirty buns, followed by ten skewers, and more than half of the fruit platter before she sighed contentedly, covering her still-flat belly, "I'm full, it feels so good."

Li Nianlong: "…"

Nalan Ruyue: "…"

Yuexi: "Meow…"

"Where did all that food go?" Looking at Yue Chang's flat stomach, Li Nianlong thought of a particular race – Saiyans.

Yue Chang giggled softly, placing her left index finger on her pink lips and closing one eye, "That's a secret."

Her adorable appearance made Li Nianlong's heart skip a beat, and in a momentary daze, he recalled that magical night from three days ago… But after three days, that feeling had long faded, leaving only a fleeting flutter in his heart.

Nalan Ruyue poured a cup of Bamboo Leaf Green tea and presented it to Yue Chang, who smiled softly, "Thank you, Sister Ruyue."

Nalan Ruyue returned a gentle smile and waved her hand lightly.

"Chang Chang, there's something I need to tell you." Yuexi slipped off her sandals, curled up on the sofa, rested her head on Li Nianlong's thigh, and purred comfortably as he stroked her hair, "I haven't been feeling well lately. If you want to go out and play these next few days, I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you."

"Oh?" Seeing Yuexi's lazy demeanor, a glint of concern and reproach flashed in Yue Chang's eyes, "Really, just three days without me and you've become like this. Such a child."

"Meow…"

"…"

Amid slow conversation and soft laughter, time passed unnoticed until it was 10 pm. The local evening news played on the television, which the girls weren't particularly interested in, except for Li Nianlong who watched attentively.

"Here is breaking news we have just received…"

Around 10:15, the anchor on the television held up the freshly obtained news script and read clearly, "Several days ago, the Liu residence was attacked by unknown armed individuals, resulting in the death of the Liu family patriarch and his two sons, with Old Master Liu in critical condition. After two days of rescue and recuperation, Old Master Liu regained consciousness two days ago and summoned Liu Xiu, a distant relative and current mayor of E City, yesterday. Following an assessment, Old Master Liu formally decided today that Liu Xiu will take over the Liu residence, becoming the new head of the Liu family…"

No one paid attention to the rest of the news. Li Nianlong sighed softly, "The Liu family really is in turmoil, allowing a branch member to take over the Liu residence. It seems the Liu family is destined to decline."

Nalan Ruyue wasn't interested in such news, but the Yue sisters' eyes flashed with a glimmer that quickly disappeared.

After the evening news ended, Li Nianlong turned to Nalan Ruyue and whispered, "Ruyue, it's getting late. You should go rest first! There are some things I want to discuss with Chang Chang and Xixi alone."

Nalan Ruyue blinked and nodded gently, her face adorned with a serene smile. With her hands, she signed: I'll go to sleep now. Goodnight, brother. Goodnight, Chang Chang. Goodnight, Xixi.

"Goodnight, Sister Ruyue," the Yue sisters chorused after hearing Li Nianlong's translation.

Watching Nalan Ruyue head upstairs, Li Nianlong turned his gaze to Yue Chang, still stroking Yuexi's head with a deeply apologetic look on his face, "Chang Chang, two days ago, Xixi gave me her ability for a month. I think it's necessary to let you know about this."

Gazing at Yuexi, who was curled up on the sofa with her head on Li Nianlong's lap, enjoying the caresses, Yue Chang smiled softly, "Xixi helps Big Brother so much because she likes you. Although I'm a little worried, as long as Xixi is happy, that's all that matters."

Yuexi opened her eyes and nodded vigorously, "Mhm, I'm very happy. I've never been this happy since I was young."

"You sure do talk a lot." His large hand roughly ruffled her hair, causing Yuexi to squint her eyes in bliss, "Meow…"

"That's the situation." Li Nianlong continued to stroke Yuexi's hair as he looked at Yue Chang, "This has been going on for three days with Xixi. There are twenty-seven days left. If you have any missions during this time, I hope you won't involve Xixi. If she must participate, I'll take her place!"

"Meow... Big Brother is so nice to me." Yuexi was deeply touched, hugging Li Nianlong's leg and rubbing her face against it affectionately...

Sparkles danced in Yue Chang's eyes. She propped her chin on one hand and smiled softly, "It seems that during the three days I was asleep, Xixi and Big Brother have grown very close!"

"Of course, Big Brother is very kind to me." Yuexi giggled, tugging on the red string around her neck and pulling out the Kirin jade pendant, showing off, "Look, this is the jade pendant Big Brother gave me. It's carved from top-grade white jade, really valuable."

"Oh…" A long note of envy escaped Yue Chang's lips when she saw the pendant. It was stunningly beautiful, pure white, glowing with a moist luster under the light, emitting a subtle comforting aura that instantly captivated Yue Chang, "So pretty."

"Pretty, right! Hehe." Yuexi was like a child who had successfully shown off her treasure, ecstatic. She tucked the pendant back into her clothes, "Not letting you play with it."

Yue Chang: "…"

"Stop fooling around." Li Nianlong tapped Yuexi's forehead and chided with a smile, then turned to Yue Chang, "I saw four identical jade pendants the other day and bought them all. I kept one for myself, gave one to Xixi, one to Ruyue, and yours is in the drawer of the bedside table. Go get it yourself!"

Yuexi's eyes sparkled as she joyfully ran back to her room and quickly found the pendant.

With her fair little hands gently caressing the jade, Yue Chang was overjoyed. When she saw the two lines of poetry inscribed on it, 'Without wings to fly together with a colorful phoenix, our hearts are connected through a single, intuitive thought,' she couldn't help but cover her face with both hands, her cheeks blushing.

When she came out again, Yue Chang's face had returned to normal, the jade pendant hanging from her swan-like slender neck. She wore a sweet, gentle smile, "Big Brother, thank you for the gift. I love it."

"Glad you like it." Li Nianlong smiled faintly and gestured for her to sit down.

Once Yue Chang took her seat opposite him, Li Nianlong composed himself and asked very seriously, "Chang Chang, what do you think about the matter I mentioned earlier? If your mission truly cannot proceed without Xixi, I will risk everything to carry it out in her stead."