"Indeed—and thanks to Xiao Ming. He's my lucky star."

Elysia turned and winked at Lu Jingming, her smile bright enough to light the world.

"This is Elysia—an immaculate maiden as radiant as drifting petals. But she can be a bit too enthusiastic, so keep your guard up," Lu Jingming said with a grin as he introduced her to a curious Robin and the others. Despite his words, mirth sparkled in his eyes.

"Hey! Xiao Ming, what are you saying? Why be on guard against me? I'm a tiny bit hurt~"

Elysia pouted adorably, feigning dissatisfaction, mist seeming to gather in her big, watery eyes.

But she was so cute that no one could feel even a hint of anger—more like she was coyly playing up her charms.

In that instant, Robin, Firefly, Castorice, and the other girls simultaneously raised their guard toward Elysia.

It wasn't that they readily believed Lu Jingming; it was the intuition unique to girls. They sensed the way he looked at Elysia—with deep fondness and a thread of indulgence.

His evaluation and the unique light in his eyes told them something was different.

In the past, when they were summoned or when new companions arrived, they noticed he held a natural fondness for them—even at first meeting, the familiarity and affection were unmistakable.

But this time, the feeling was palpably stronger—Elysia seemed to occupy a singular place in his heart.

"So this is what they call fan devotion?" Robin mused.

As a renowned superstar, she understood this better than others.

Just like fans who may like many celebrities but always have one ultimate favorite.

They also knew that in his original world, they were just game characters.

Players' affection for characters naturally varies by degree.

Clearly, Elysia was his ultimate favorite.

So they instinctively became wary.

A trace of plaintiveness stirred in Robin. She, a universe-level diva with fans across the cosmos and a spotlight wherever she went—yet here, she wasn't his top pick. That honor fell to Elysia.

She grumbled inwardly that she wasn't his most favorite character, which miffed her a little.

Sensing the girls' wariness, the ultimate social butterfly Elysia sprang into action.

She flitted among them like a lively pink butterfly, her sunny smile never dimming, proactively greeting everyone and sharing fun stories.

Watching Elysia quickly blend in and soon chatting animatedly with several girls, Lu Jingming's brows twitched.

As expected of Elysia—her affinity and social grace were impeccable.

Her lively, warm nature easily infected everyone around her.

Her voice was playful and a tad self-loving; she called herself an immaculate maiden, an adorable girl—words so infectious they seemed to carry magic.

In just a short while, Elysia became the gathering's happy pill and perfect mood-setter.

She held nothing back, always her truest self, as if she existed to make the world better.

Even people as chilly as Jingliu or as standoffish as Cerydra found themselves accepting her after brief contact.

Elysia's astonishing wit and insight, that contagious aura, and her genuine love for everyone—like a powerful magnetic field—won over the room.

At that moment, Robin finally understood why Lu Jingming treated Elysia differently.

She had to admit Elysia's charm was irresistible; even she felt herself admiring the girl.

The immaculate maiden before her, shining like pink crystal, made Robin feel she might be outmatched in some ways.

Sensing Robin's dip in mood, Lu Jingming discreetly took her hand and murmured like a breeze, "What's wrong? How did our superstar lose confidence? To me, my little wing girl is second to none."

"I haven't lost yet! And don't call me that!" Robin protested, cheeks flushing. She pinched his waist with a deft finger—an instinctive move seemingly encoded in every girl—to express her complicated feelings.

"Hi, I'm Elysia. It means 'Elysium,' you know—such a pretty name, right?"

While Lu Jingming and Robin exchanged subtle gestures, Elysia bounced over to March 7th with a beaming self-introduction.

"Huh? Looking closely, aren't we kind of similar?"

Elysia tilted her head, studying March 7th with interest, as if she'd found a new treasure, eyes sparkling.

"Indeed—you've got pink hair too. Eye-catching!" March 7th folded her arms, propped her chin, and nodded gravely, endorsing the observation.

"Not only that, we're both cheerful, beautiful, and optimistic teen girls. What an incredible coincidence!"

Elysia flashed her signature immaculate smile, like a blossom in spring.

"Eek—you're good with words, but… not wrong!" March 7th preened a little and nodded vigorously.

Watching from afar, Lu Jingming's mouth twitched. Put these two self-admirers together and it's a strong-strong alliance—things were bound to get lively.

With Elysia's addition, this gathering was more buzzing than ever.

A pity Mobius didn't come; she doesn't like this kind of scene. Next time, sending Elysia to fetch her might just drag her along.

At last the party ended, the liveliness fading as everyone drifted back to their rooms.

Castorice lingered to the end, hoping to say a few words to Lu Jingming.

But when she saw him taking Xu Jiujiu's hand and about to leave, she sighed softly, a trace of hidden grievance in her eyes.

She felt helpless again. When would it be her turn to be alone with him?

Seeing Castorice like this, Cerydra's gaze showed a hint of exasperation.

In her view, Castorice was too soft! Why not be bold and just snatch him away?

But Cerydra also knew this gentleness was in Castorice's bones—soft, kind, considerate—hard to change.

…

In a warm room, soul-guide lamps cast a soft glow, draping the space in romance.

In the dreamy light, two figures drew close, overlapping at last.

"Xiao Ming, I know I'm late, but it's not too late still. Think of this as your elder sister's gift for your adulthood."

Xu Jiujiu's voice was nightingale-soft, tender and indulgent.

"I love this gift, Sister Jiujiu." Lu Jingming smiled, eyes brimming with love.

He slipped an arm under the crook of her black-stockinged knee and another behind her neck, lifting her in a graceful princess carry, stepping toward the soft bed.

She lay back on the bed, hugging him tight, golden eyes glazed like misted dreams.

Holding his tall, perfect frame, she felt the masculine vigor unique to men—an invisible magnetism that turned her limbs to water.

Lu Jingming deftly blocked off the two Stigmata spaces again; in an instant, Raiden Makoto and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata Rukkadevata saw black.

"This brat's luck with women is ridiculous!" Raiden Makoto sighed; she'd lost count of how many times she'd been screened out.

Every time this happened, it meant what followed was not for children.

The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata blinked her green eyes. Though curious about this new knowledge, she wouldn't force it if he wished otherwise.

She figured she could experience it herself another time.

With her wisdom, she had long foreseen that she and Raiden Makoto would fall into Lu Jingming's palm. That sort of thing was only a matter of time.

After all, the three were already a community of fate—prosperity and loss shared—inseparable in the future. Joining his harem seemed inevitable.

In the room, the world's noise was shut out.

Xu Jiujiu's beautiful eyes rippled like a deep lake, mesmerizing.

His ruby-bright eyes met her gold in a loving gaze.

A fresh, soothing fragrance wafted from her, like spring breeze tugging at his heartstrings.

He hesitated no longer. Since this was her personal gift, how could he be polite?

Under the soul-lamp's light, the two shadows on the wall merged into one.

On this beautiful night, Lu Jingming received a special coming-of-age gift from the princess; and the princess, too, completed her metamorphosis from girl to woman, opening a new chapter of life.

….

Meanwhile, in a nearby small villa, Robin was curled under her covers, face flushed like a ripe apple.

Due to her Harmony power, she was extremely sensitive to sound. Even with good soundproofing, she could faintly hear the subtle sounds from Lu Jingming's room.

That sound drew her in like a whirlpool, making her weak.

The superstar seemed to have a door to a new world thrown open, curiosity surging uncontrollably.

Instead of muting her keen ear, she, as if possessed, used her Harmony power to sync her senses with Xu Jiujiu's in that distant room.

Robin swore it was just curiosity, a spur-of-the-moment impulse.

But the instant the link formed, she regretted it.

Tears pricked her eyes. She blamed herself for being so curious.

She felt drowned by the synced sensations as if dying.

She never imagined Harmony would make her crash like this.

In the distant room, Lu Jingming paused, sensing something odd.

His gaze seemed to pierce the wall toward Robin's room.

Thinking of her Harmony ability, his eyes narrowed, then he smirked.

Curiosity killed the cat? No—killed the bird, perhaps.

She must be suffering now.

...

At dawn, as the first light split the sky, Haiyuan City roused from slumber, bathed in soft gold.

Beyond the city, where sea met sky, a faint ashy veil rose, like a silk gauze over the world.

Sea wind brought a chill, salty tang, drifting over the city's every corner.

Waves kept rushing ashore with a hiss, then slipping back, leaving lacy foam like pearls strewn on sand.

In the east, the sky changed subtly—at first a thread of pale rouge seeped in, then spread like paint, gilding the cloud-edges above the sea with molten gold, as if draping the sky in finery.

In the distance, seabirds skimmed the glittering water, then dove for fish and winged away, carving graceful arcs upon the sea.

"This scenery never gets old, no matter how often," Jinhsi said softly, tucking windblown silver hair behind her ear. She gazed at Firefly, who sat on a reef hugging her knees.

She knew: if she couldn't find Firefly in the morning, she'd be here, watching the sea.

"Mm. It's beautiful."

Firefly's silver hair fluttered like snowflakes. Her profile in the dawn was breathtaking, features haloed with light, so lovely even Jinhsi stared.

"You were here all night—are you unhappy?" Jinhsi asked, concerned.

She knew Firefly had once suffered from genetic defects that kept her from dreaming.

But in this world, Lu Jingming had repaired them with White Flower.

Since then, Firefly especially cherished sleep and the dreams she once longed for.

So she rarely stayed up late—let alone all night.

"No. Just couldn't sleep." Firefly shook her head, denying it.

But Jinhsi was sharp; she could tell Firefly was being stubborn. She clearly hadn't slept because she felt unhappy.

"I see. Let's head back early then. Xiao Ming will worry," Jinhsi said, deftly invoking Lu Jingming.

She knew that mentioning him would get Firefly to behave.

"Okay."

At the name, Firefly reacted at once.

She patted dust from her clothes and stood, a flicker of hidden sadness in her eyes, and prepared to return.

She didn't want him to worry. Still, thinking of him brought a twinge of grievance.

Her room was right next door to his; because of that, she couldn't bear to stay there last night and came to the sea instead.

Jinhsi sighed inwardly.

She felt it was hard on her—on one hand helping manage the city; on the other, tasked by Lu Jingming to look after Firefly and Castorice.

Though both girls were sweet and not troublesome, smoothing over the harem was… a tough assignment.

Helpless as she was, since she'd been asked, she couldn't refuse him—she'd take responsibility to the end and clean up after him.

"Comforting your crush's other suitors—I must be broken," Jinhsi muttered to herself.