"Mm, we heard you were back, so we came over." Li Xiu'er tilted her head and smiled as she spoke, then set the schoolbag she was carrying onto the sofa. Anna promptly said, "Hello, Sister Xiu'er. Welcome."
Her words startled Li Xiu'er. When had this little girl become so polite and easygoing? Could it be that her mother's return had put her in such a good mood that she had turned gentle and well-behaved? No matter how she thought about it, something about this felt extraordinary.
"Ahem, hello, Anna. We came today to see your mom." No matter what, when a little girl greeted her, it was only right to respond.
After that, the girl glanced at the remaining space on the sofa. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not walk over. Instead, she circled to the single armchair on the other side and sat down, looking at the others. "We came without calling first. Sorry to disturb you."
"No, no, you're very welcome." Chu Lian shook her head. She had just returned and already saw so many familiar faces. Her mood was excellent—how could she possibly feel disturbed?
"Hey, hey, are you not going to host the two of us?" Cai Ya's slightly coquettish voice rang out.
Chu Lian paused, then naturally turned around. "Of course not. I'm so happy you and Yanran came. Come, have a seat~"
Chu Lian stood up to wash some cups and pour tea for everyone, yet inwardly she was worrying about the current situation. This inexplicable atmosphere was terrifying.
This is bad. It feels like the rhythm of a battlefield of love rivals. Judging by Ya'er's attitude, she seems angry. And Yanran—what's with that expressionless face? For a classical beauty like you, that's really inappropriate. Can you smile? I'm getting worried. Kitchen knife ending, darkened ending, bad ending—none of those are necessary, okay?
The only reason she appeared so anxious was because she had a guilty conscience. And the two girls' attitudes were nothing like Li Xiu'er's gentle warmth. If this continued, she felt that the kitchen might soon become the place where she would be dismembered.
"It has been quite a while. Also, Aunt Li, when will you come visit my home again?" Liu Yanran nodded. It had been five days since they last met. If not for seeing each other in-game, it would have been nine days. She had missed her.
But that kind of longing could not let her know. Otherwise, she would take advantage and run off again next time, forgetting her. She didn't want that. She still wanted to travel through those wondrous worlds together with her. If she ran off alone, where would she go to see them?
Even the most beautiful scenery becomes lonely when viewed alone. Just like a journey with no known destination—only with a kindred spirit at one's side does every stop become a place of rest. Otherwise, one can only carry confusion about the future and wander forward aimlessly.
She had her own thoughts, yet that latter sentence left Chu Lian somewhat stunned. Could it be that her mother knew Yanran?
Busy in the kitchen while answering Chu Chu's questions, Li Mingxue also heard Liu Yanran's words and replied, "Ah, I've been resting these days and haven't gone out much. Let's wait until the company gets busy again. Also, that girl Lian'er has stopped updating Sword and Fairy for a week. The readers are already full of complaints. Help me give her a nudge. Firefly is relying on her book to build its reputation now. A hiatus or suspension will easily cause popularity to drop."
"Pfft—Yanran, you know my mom?" After hearing their exchange, Chu Lian was certain they were acquainted and couldn't help but ask. What was going on? And why was her mother asking her to urge her to update?
"Aunt Li works at my father's company. She's the editor-in-chief of the magazine division. Sometimes she visits my home because of work." Liu Yanran spoke softly as she placed her schoolbag atop Cai Ya's, stacking it together with Li Xiu'er's. It looked oddly amusing.
"You didn't even know that?" Cai Ya, seated in the single armchair, found it strange that Chu Lian was unaware.
"Ah, I only knew that Mom was the editor-in-chief of a magazine under a major cultural group, and Dad was a senior executive. I didn't know anything else." Chu Lian felt embarrassed. This really should have been common knowledge, yet she hadn't known.
"It's fine." With no separate seat left, Liu Yanran finally sat down on the large sofa beside Inori and shook her head.
Several girls, each with different charms and styles yet all equally captivating, gathered together. It truly formed an incomparably beautiful scene. If someone were to photograph it and auction it online, it might draw quite a bit of attention.
"I didn't expect your family to be so impressive, Yanran." Chu Lian truly had not expected that the cultural group which was nearly the largest in China belonged to Liu Yanran's family. No wonder she had spoken so confidently so many times before—she had the capital to back it up.
"Compared to mine, Ya's family is even more formidable—the number one pharmaceutical manufacturer in China, and the largest pharmaceutical company in Asia. Our family doesn't have that level of influence, though we can still help you quite a bit." As she spoke, Liu Yanran pointed at Cai Ya.
How is that not impressive? One after another, you're all practically top-tier heiress elites in the country. Why is my place suddenly this high-powered? Chu Lian grumbled inwardly. Naturally, she would never say it aloud. She merely smiled and did not continue the topic.
After all, as she had said, this was her dream, her company. She wanted to handle everything herself rather than rely on others. Otherwise, it wouldn't truly be hers.
"Compared to you all, I really am too..." Li Xiu'er lowered her gaze slightly. Being unwelcome in her own family, she had no idea how she could help Chu Lian financially.
Turning sideways, Chu Lian lifted a finger and placed it vertically against Li Xiu'er's lips, stopping her from finishing. She smiled and shook her head. "Don't say silly things. I want to fulfill my dream with my own strength, not by relying on something else. I'm happy that you're willing to help me, but that goes against my original intention. I won't do that."
"Big Sis is right. Your own matters should be handled by yourself. Don't you all have drive or confidence to achieve it on your own? Anyway, Chu Chu isn't worried at all. As long as Chu Chu works hard, I'll beat those so-called masters easily. I can tell stories too. Even if I can't write them well, I can just draw Big Sis' novels instead."
After finishing her chat with Li Mingxue, Chu Chu ran back over. Seeing there was no room left, she simply perched on the edge of the sofa and spoke.
"Ahem, Chu Chu, your painting skills are already at a national-master level. Don't bully them too much." Chu Lian coughed lightly, reminding the girl not to get too carried away. With her extraordinary talent in art, she already looked down on most young illustrators.
Only when facing someone whose painting skills were just as profound as her own—and who was much older—would she set aside that pride.
Perhaps she wanted to fulfill the dream her former self had been unable to continue. Whatever this girl did, she never spoke about it to her, yet every time, it was deeply moving.
"Chu Chu is just telling the truth." Chu Lian pursed her lips and said nothing more. Noticing the inquisitive look in Anna's eyes as she nestled in her arms, she leaned closer and asked, "Anna, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Anna shook her head, not telling her what she was thinking. Perhaps it was something she found hard to say aloud.
"Alright." Without getting a response from the little girl, Chu Chu didn't know what to do for a moment. With so many people here, it wasn't appropriate to cling to her big sister the entire time. Although she very much wanted to, she suspected that an embarrassed and annoyed big sister would simply throw her out the door.
"By the way, where did you go on this trip? It feels like you've completely changed since you came back. I'm a little curious." Cai Ya lifted the cup of tea Chu Lian had poured for her, took a sip, and looked up at her.
"I went to a magical world. It was truly incredible. Listen..." Chu Lian did not hide anything. As long as it was unrelated to the system, there was no harm in telling them.
After all, they all knew she traveled to other worlds. Their curiosity was inevitable, and she had been prepared for it. So she slowly recounted everything she could about her experiences.
"The most amazing one was Ainz Ooal Gown. As the highest-tier magic caster among the undead, his most powerful spells could destroy an entire city in an instant, turning it into a desert. He's basically a walking humanoid nuclear bomb—explosive power beyond imagination. That's something I still can't do..." As she spoke, it became like storytelling, vividly describing all kinds of wondrous events.
When she finished this part, Li Mingxue's voice drifted over from the kitchen. "Girls, dinner's ready. What are you all still chatting about? Or do you not want to eat?"
Her words were like an imperial decree. Everyone immediately stood up. Even the proud Cai Ya became a well-behaved child at this moment. In unison, they answered, "Yes."
Mother's aura is terrifying. No matter how powerful a creature is, as long as they're underage, they instinctively submit in front of her. I really want to check her stats sometime. No, no, she's my mom. I can't do that.
This was not the first time Chu Lian had witnessed her mother's overwhelming presence. Seeing it again now, she could only sigh. The natural enemy of naughty children was truly terrifying.
"Oh right, I'll go call someone downstairs. Otherwise she'll go hungry. I could bring the food up, but she's a girl too. It's about time she started blending into our family." After placing Anna onto a chair, Chu Lian suddenly remembered the white-haired girl resting in the bedroom.
After exhausting so much strength earlier, she must be starving. She was probably just too embarrassed to say it. A stubborn girl was one thing, but letting herself starve was another.
"Mm, remember to be quick. If you're not out in five minutes, we'll start eating without you," her mother generously granted five minutes. In truth, given the white-haired girl's personality, getting her to come out within five minutes would be difficult.
Should she consider using some special method? It shouldn't be too hard to ease the girl's worries about being laughed at.
"Got it. If I'm not back in five minutes, just start without us." Chu Lian nodded, then turned and took a few steps to the staircase, heading up to the second floor to find Kurosaki Satsuki.
In the bedroom, the white-haired girl rolled slightly on the bed, clutching Tybaulk as she endured her hunger, lost in her thoughts. Feeling a bit warm, she removed her sailor uniform, intending to sleep it off.
Unexpectedly, at that very moment, the door was suddenly pushed open. Chu Lian's slender figure walked in. Seeing the girl on the bed in a state of disheveled undress, she froze...