CHAPTER 115: CHAPTER 115: PLANNING

However, it wasn’t long before a smile returned to Luu Qi’s face. Since he reacted, it must mean he has some feelings for me. Hehe! At this thought, her mood brightened considerably. She licked her lips. Next time, you won’t be able to fool me so easily. Imagining herself completely conquering Xia Liang next time, Luu Qi turned off the lights and lay on the bed, giggling foolishly.

Meanwhile, in Xia Liang’s room, there was no trace of happiness, only the feeling of having survived a close call. This girl! I never noticed when she was younger. How did she grow up to become such a siren? I almost lost control just now. My God! Xia Liang sighed in relief, grateful for his strong self-control. Otherwise, he would have definitely made a mistake today. Although the two of us aren’t related by blood... No! I can’t think like that! He realized this thought always popped into his head, and who knew, it might become the fuse for something down the line. He immediately shut down that line of thinking.

"Time for sleep," he muttered to himself. "I have to celebrate Zhou Ruo’s birthday tomorrow." With that, Xia Liang got out of bed, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

「The next morning」

As usual, Xi Yining called them to get up, a routine they were both accustomed to. A rich breakfast was already laid out on the table.

An hour later, just after he had dropped off Luu Qi, his phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Xia Liang? The fireworks you ordered have all been delivered to Youlan Community. We’ll need you to sign for them."

"Okay, wait for me. I’ll be right there."

After hanging up, Xia Liang bought a few necessities and drove toward Youlan Community.

At the entrance of Youlan Community, a security guard stared, his scalp tingling, at the massive pile of fireworks. He wondered which God of Wealth from the villas was behind this. So many fireworks... This must have cost at least several Yuan, right?

Just as he was thinking, a Lamborghini Poison approached in the distance. The sight of the car made the security guard’s heart pound. He was about to call for the gate to be opened when he saw the car pull to a stop. The quantity of fireworks was so frighteningly large that many factories didn’t have enough in stock, so the delivery had to be sourced from several different suppliers.

The security guard had recognized Xia Liang since his first day here. He jogged over, smiling obsequiously. "Mister Xia, are these the fireworks you ordered?"

"Yeah, a surprise for my girlfriend," Xia Liang said, pulling a carton of Zhonghua cigarettes he’d just bought from his car. "Here, share this with the guys. I’ll need a small favor from you all later tonight."

At first, the security guards were hesitant to accept, believing in the principle of not accepting rewards without merit. But since Xia Liang had already mentioned needing a small favor, they were more than happy to help such an amiable resident. They all nodded in unison.

"Sure, no problem."

Just then, the owners of several fireworks factories also hurried over. "Mr. Xia, your fireworks have been delivered. Where would you like us to put them?"

Xia Liang thought for a moment and then turned to the security guards. "Is there a place nearby that can hold all of these? They all need to be set off tonight."

"Yes, yes, of course!" one of the guards nodded, pointing to a nearby area. "If they’re going to be set off today, that spot over there is perfect. We can even watch over them for you."

"Great!" Xia Liang nodded. "Then please place all the fireworks there."

「Half an hour later」

The nearby area was piled high with fireworks.

"Thanks for all the hard work, everyone," Xia Liang said as he handed two more cartons of cigarettes to the movers.

"It was nothing, nothing at all!" The men waved their hands modestly, their faces beaming. They had already been paid for the delivery, and now they were getting free cigarettes on top of it. Naturally, they were all smiles.

The owners of the fireworks factories also stepped forward, handing over their business cards one by one. Xia Liang accepted them. After all, I’ll have several more occasions to use these in the future.

Once the factory owners had left, Xia Liang turned to the security guards. The head guard understood immediately. "Brother Xia, just tell us what you need. What can we do for you?"

Xia Liang thought for a moment. "Tonight, I need you guys to set off all of these fireworks for me at the same time."

"Uh..." Staring at the mountain of fireworks on the ground, the head guard’s face twitched. To be honest, with this many, it really is...

Xia Liang didn’t say anything more. He simply took out a thick stack of cash. "Then, I’ll be troubling you all."

The guard’s expression immediately became dead serious. He even threw a clumsy, awkward salute.

Xia Liang just nodded and handed the money to the security captain.

Back at the villa, Zhou Ruo had already gone out. Xia Liang had asked her to go hang out with her friends so she wouldn’t see him setting everything up. Otherwise, what kind of surprise would it be? After a flurry of activity, it was already 7 p.m. Everything was ready; all that was missing was the perfect moment.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ruo drove back to Youlan Community with her four close girlfriends. As they took in the sights of the neighborhood, envy was plain to see in all four of their eyes. This was true even for Xiao Ying and Xiao Wei, who had been here before, to say nothing of the two who were visiting for the first time.

Sitting in the back, a woman with the looks of an internet celebrity couldn’t help but sigh. "Wow, I never would’ve guessed. Out of all of us, only Xiao Ruo actually achieved her dream of finding a rich husband and moving into a villa district like this. I’m so jealous."

"I know, right," Xiao Wei chimed in, unable to hide her own envy. "And Xiao Ruo told me her husband bought her this car. Apparently, he has three others in the garage."

"Just three?" The number clearly didn’t meet their expectations. In their minds, someone that rich should have a collection of luxury cars big enough for a car show.

Xiao Wei obviously knew what they were thinking and rolled her eyes at them. "He might not have a lot of cars, but they’re expensive! I heard one of them is a Lamborghini Poison! There are only nine in the entire world, and one costs, what, 65 million Yuan?"

SSS...

A collective, sharp intake of breath filled the car.

Zhou Ruo, however, just shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s alright, I guess. He doesn’t drive it much. And that Ferrari 648 he bought? He’s never even driven it. He mostly likes to drive his i8."

The others exchanged confused glances. They couldn’t understand the logic of leaving hypercars to gather dust while preferring to drive a car that only cost a couple million Yuan. But then, a realization dawned on them, and the influencer-faced woman spoke up again. "Hey, do you think he does it on purpose? Think about it. He bought an i8 for Xiao Ruo, and he drives an i8 himself. It’s like they have matching couple’s cars instead of matching outfits!"

At this, Xiao Ying quickly jumped in. "Oh my God! Other people have matching outfits or matching rings, and the most expensive of those cost maybe a few thousand, or tens of thousands. You guys have taken it to the level of millions!"

It’s true that people love to let their imaginations run wild. With this new interpretation, their expressions turned to envy once again.

"Wow, Xiao Ruo, I’m so jealous of you!"

"Oh, it’s nothing, really," Zhou Ruo replied, but the delighted smile on her face was impossible to hide.

The car continued on, filled with the sound of their envious remarks.