Chapter 42: Spending All the Wealth Under Heaven, Wooing All the Beauties of the World

“Begging for alms!” Dai Jin and Yuan Bao almost spat out their drinks. This kind of alms-seeking was just too formidable.

“Amitabha, well said, well said! From now on, leave the matter of alms to this humble monk. I have but one wish: to collect all the wealth in the world!” Shi Xiaocai pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist prayer as soon as he heard this, feeling as if his own desires had been laid bare.

Damn! To collect all the wealth in the world!

Once again, Dai Jin and Yuan Bao were stunned. The ambition of Shi Xiaocai was truly remarkable. Unlike themselves, who would be content to control just a couple of blocks, they suddenly felt rather ashamed.

“Haha! Shi Xiaocai, just for that, I swear I’ll do my best to expand our territory. Best if we could rule the entire underworld, so you can collect all the world’s wealth, and as for me, I’ll romance all the beauties under heaven!” Ling Tian clapped Shi Xiaocai on the shoulder. Now, this was what a true brother looked like!

In this life, Ling Tian didn’t care for fame or fortune; as long as he had enough money, that was fine. What he wanted was women—the more, the better! The only pity was that he was still a virgin and needed to rid himself of that status as soon as possible. Just thinking of it made him frustrated.

Dai Jin and Yuan Bao were speechless by now. Ling Tian wanted to romance all the beauties under heaven—what about them? Well, they’d think about it later. For now, it was better to learn a few tricks from Shi Xiaocai and Ling Tian. After all, only those who had real skill dared to boast and dream bigger.

The group walked back together in high spirits. Originally, Ling Tian had planned for just himself and Shi Xiaocai to stay at Lin Youya’s villa, so the two of them could protect her. But now, seeing that Dai Jin and Yuan Bao had been bullied, and worried they might get into more trouble, Ling Tian decided it would be better for them all to live nearby. Conveniently, there were four villas close together in the same neighborhood, so Dai Jin and Yuan Bao could stay in the one behind Lin Youya’s. That would be much easier.

He decided to discuss it with Dai Jin and the others. “Dai Jin, Yuan Bao, Shi Xiaocai, let’s all move. Shi Xiaocai and I will move into Lin Youya’s villa. Dai Jin, you and Yuan Bao can take the villa just behind hers.”

“What did you say? Move? You and Shi Xiaocai into Lin Youya’s villa? Yuan Bao and I into the one behind? Ling Tian, are you feverish?” Dai Jin concluded immediately that Ling Tian was out of his mind.

“Exactly! Are you dreaming?” Yuan Bao shot back, equally blunt.

“Amitabha! A monk does not lie! Benefactor Ling, you are possessed by inner demons!” Even Shi Xiaocai showed no mercy.

In short, all of them agreed that Ling Tian was spouting nonsense.

“Hey, you really don’t believe in my charm, do you? I’ve met Lin Youya’s parents and grandfather. They’re very satisfied with me as a future son-in-law and have specially invited me to live with Lin Youya!”

Ling Tian raised his head proudly, flashing a smile he thought was dashing but was actually rather smug. For once, he managed to impress Shi Xiaocai and the others—they really underestimated him!

“Is that for real?” None of them quite believed it. How could Ling Tian have won over Lin Youya so quickly? Just a few days ago, he had been rejected miserably, and now he was moving in? It was unbelievable!

“Of course it’s true! Seems I’ll have to spell it out for you.” Ling Tian picked out the important details and recounted the story, omitting any mention of the real culprit or family matters.

The others finally understood: Lin Youya was in danger, and Ling Tian and Shi Xiaocai were to act as her bodyguards. Ling Tian, not wanting Dai Jin and Yuan Bao to be left out or targeted, arranged for them to live in the villa behind hers. Ideally, they’d be next door, but Li Feng had already taken that one, so behind was the next best thing.

“Heh, Ling Tian, why don’t we all just live together in Lin Youya’s villa? That way, we won’t be separated,” Yuan Bao suggested, thinking it was a better plan. Dai Jin nodded in agreement.

“There aren’t that many rooms, are there? Besides, Shi Xiaocai and I are the bodyguards—what would your roles be?” Ling Tian had considered this, but worried Lin Youya might not agree, so he’d planned for them to stay at the rear villa.

“We’re bodyguards too! Look at Li Feng—he has four bodyguards,” Dai Jin said, not wanting to be separated from Ling Tian and Shi Xiaocai.

“Yeah, and look at your skills! What kind of bodyguard gets beaten up like you two? Anyway, you can ask Youya yourselves. If she agrees, I have no objection. If not, you’ll stay at the villa behind. Shi Xiaocai and I will still visit often, and we can all hang out during the day,” Ling Tian left the decision to Lin Youya.

“Not just anyone can live in these school villas. You need real money or influence,” Dai Jin explained. That’s why he and Yuan Bao were staying in the dorms—their families didn’t quite qualify.

“No problem. I can handle it.” Ling Tian figured if his parents could get him into this school out of nowhere, a villa should be no issue. His family must be pretty wealthy.

He guessed right—getting a villa was absolutely not a problem. In fact, when his parents arranged his admission, the principal had suggested he live in a villa, but Ling Tian had insisted on a dorm, so that’s what his parents arranged. Had he known this meant missing the chance to be Lin Youya’s neighbor, he would have regretted it bitterly.

After they returned, they discussed the matter with Lin Youya. To their surprise, she agreed—she probably really did feel unsafe. The result was that Ling Tian and Shi Xiaocai shared one room, and Dai Jin and Yuan Bao shared another, since the villa didn’t have enough bedrooms for each person to have their own.

Dai Jin and Yuan Bao, not wanting to be separated from Ling Tian and Shi Xiaocai, accepted the arrangement. Shi Xiaocai hadn’t wanted to stay—he didn’t relish constantly facing Song Xiaomei—but with Lin Youya genuinely in need of protection, and with Ling Tian as his close brother, he relented.

Of everyone, Song Xiaomei was the happiest. She could be with Shi Xiaocai more often, and she thanked Ling Tian repeatedly, convinced he had arranged this for her sake—never suspecting his real motive was to free up time to pursue other girls.

That evening, to celebrate their new home, the group ordered a grand feast and indulged themselves in the villa. Lin Youya suddenly found the lively atmosphere rather nice—at least she wasn’t afraid of being kidnapped anymore. Any would-be kidnapper, seeing so many people around her, would think twice.

Dai Jin, a little tipsy, looked at Song Xiaomei and Shi Xiaocai, then at Ling Tian and Lin Youya, and grinned. “I have a great idea—Yuan Bao and I each get a room, Ling Tian, you and Lin Youya share one, Shi Xiaocai, you and Song Xiaomei share another. After all, it’s bound to happen sooner or later, haha!”

“Great, I don’t mind. Tonight, I’ll make Shi Xiaocai mine, haha!” Song Xiaomei was fully on board.

“I think it’s a good idea too. You don’t mind, do you, Youya darling?” Ling Tian wrapped his arm around Lin Youya, unconcerned—after all, they’d already kissed that night, so hugging her now seemed nothing.

“I do mind—a lot! Dai Jin, if you keep trying to play matchmaker, you’re moving out!” Lin Youya shook herself free of Ling Tian’s embrace and glared furiously at Dai Jin.

“Well, sooner or later, rice will be cooked, so why bother simmering it on low heat when you can just turn it up and get it done?” Yuan Bao, also a bit drunk, couldn’t stand Shi Xiaocai and Lin Youya’s feigned restraint—since both were practically in the bag, why wait?

“That’s right, darling, let’s cook the rice tonight!” Ling Tian whispered in Lin Youya’s ear, softly enough that only she could hear: “That night, we only cooked it half-done. Tonight, I want it well-done!”

“Drop dead!” Lin Youya shoved Ling Tian away. She regretted that fateful night—how could he still remember every detail?

Ling Tian regretted not striking while the iron was hot that night. Now he’d have to go through all the effort to melt Lin Youya’s icy exterior again.

He took a long swig of wine, then looked at Lin Youya with utmost seriousness. “Darling, I really want to give you my first time. Are you sure you don’t want it? If you don’t, I’ll give it to another beauty!”

Though he was drunk, he was being honest—he wanted to lose his virginity as soon as possible, but he didn’t want just any woman. He’d set his sights on the four legendary beauties of Jianghai City, with Lin Youya and Li Youran as top choices—they’d even slept in the same bed. The other two seemed a distant dream.

Lin Youya was both amused and annoyed—what kind of confession was this? It felt more like a threat, and she refused to be threatened. Keeping a straight face, she replied, “Give it to whoever you like. I don’t care.”

Ling Tian was frustrated; Lin Youya was so hard to figure out. Compared to her, Li Youran was much more understanding. He hadn’t seen her for days. Since Lin Youya was so adamant, he’d visit Li Youran after the meal and take his time with Lin Youya—there was plenty of opportunity now that they lived together.

“You two are so complicated! It’s much simpler between me and Shi Xiaocai. If he won’t give in, I’ll just take him by force! Shi Xiaocai, tonight you won’t escape my clutches!” Song Xiaomei declared, hugging Shi Xiaocai tightly and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Xiaomei, spare this humble monk! I’ve already devoted myself to Buddha—if that vow is broken, I can never attain enlightenment.”

Shi Xiaocai felt his resolve wavering. Song Xiaomei was simply too tempting; even his body betrayed him, and he’d often dreamt of being intimate with her, a deep shame before Buddha, a deep shame indeed.

“I don’t care about you attaining enlightenment. I want to be as happy as immortals with you, to be a pair of celestial lovers. I’ll steal you away from Buddha himself!” Song Xiaomei pressed herself against Shi Xiaocai, her gaze dreamy and filled with longing.