CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 116: HERE IT COMES

They arrived at the Central Villa and parked the car in the garage. When the four friends saw the Lamborghini Poison, they couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

"Oh my God!"

"Is this the one?"

"So cool!"

"Xiao Ruo, can we go inside and take photos?"

Seeing their expectant gazes, Zhou Ruo didn’t agree immediately. "Let’s wait a bit," she said. "After all, it’s my husband’s car. I need to ask him first."

The other four were taken aback, having expected her to agree in a heartbeat. Since Zhou Ruo had put it that way, they didn’t press the matter, hoping Xia Liang would agree later.

However, it was clear that one of them, Yuying, had a different idea entirely.

If Zhou Ruo had agreed right away, it would have been much harder to carry out my plan, Yuying thought. That would have meant she holds a high place in her husband’s heart. But now, she needs his permission just to let us look at the car? This proves her position isn’t as high as she pretends. Heh!

A gleeful smile spread across Yuying’s face, making her feel even more confident in the plan she was hatching.

As they walked toward the house, every maid they passed bowed their heads respectfully. "Hello, Madam."

Their deference made the other girls burn with envy.

When they entered the living room, Zhou Ruo saw Xia Liang standing there. "Darling!" she called out, hurrying over to affectionately take his arm.

Xia Liang gave her a doting look. "You’re back." Then, his gaze shifted to the others. "These must be your friends."

"Yes," Zhou Ruo nodded, turning to her friends. "This is my boyfriend, Xia Liang."

GULP.

A few of them swallowed nervously. They had been expecting a greasy, middle-aged man in his thirties or forties and had even made a pact not to laugh, no matter how unattractive he was. They were completely unprepared for him to be so young and strikingly handsome. Zhou Ruo’s luck was off the charts!

Yuying was already going mad with jealousy.

The first to recover was Lin Dongmei, the one with the classic internet-celebrity look. She extended a hand to Xia Liang. "Hello, Mr. Xia. My name is Lin Dongmei, I’m a good friend of Zhou Ruo’s. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Xia Liang readily reached out to shake her hand. "The pleasure is mine." Their handshake was brief.

"Me too!" another girl, dressed in a youthful, fashionable outfit, chimed in. "My name is Chu Xia. It’s nice to meet you."

"A pleasure," Xia Liang said, extending his hand again. "My name is Xia Liang, and yours is Chu Xia. Our names must be fated to meet."

Chu Xia giggled and glanced playfully at Zhou Ruo. "Your boyfriend is very charming."

"I’m Wei Wei." In contrast to the other two, Wei Wei was more plainly dressed, but she carried herself with a calm and graceful demeanor.

Finally, my turn! Yuying thought, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. She extended her hand toward Xia Liang. "My name is Yuying. I’m Zhou Ruo’s best friend. I’ve heard Xiao Ruo mention you many times, and you’re just as distinguished as she described."

"You’re too kind," Xia Liang replied modestly, reaching out to shake her hand. As he did, he felt her deliberately scratch his palm with her finger.

Xia Liang froze for a split second, and by the time he registered it, Yuying had already let go. He looked at her and saw an expression brimming with unspoken invitations. He didn’t say anything; he knew exactly what was happening. I wonder what kind of tricks this little tea master has up her sleeve.

He casually checked her status panel.

[Name: Yuying

Age: 23

Beauty Score: 89 (Light Makeup +2)

Profession: White-collar Worker

Income: 8,000 Yuan

Harmonious Value: 20 (Has had 4 boyfriends.)]

Yuying saw that Xia Liang didn’t say anything and instead gave her a long, curious look. Her heart skipped a beat. I have a chance! she thought excitedly. That was the test. If he truly loved Zhou Ruo, he might not have said anything, but his expression would have definitely changed.

Xia Liang, of course, had no idea what she was plotting. He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. "Thank you all for always being such good friends to my Xiao Ruo," he said. "I have some business to attend to in my art studio, but the villa has plenty of entertainment facilities. Xiao Ruo, why don’t you take everyone and have some fun?"

"Okay!" Zhou Ruo readily agreed, then added, "Um, darling, everyone was hoping to see your cars..."

Before she could even finish, Xia Liang knew she was going to ask if they could take pictures to show off. It’s no skin off my back, he thought. Naturally, he wasn’t going to refuse.

He handed Zhou Ruo the keys to the Lamborghini Poison and the Ferrari 468, along with the keys for the other cars he had bought over the past few days. "Have fun. I’ll call you for dinner later."

"Okay," Zhou Ruo nodded.

With that, Xia Liang turned and headed into his art studio, where an unfinished project awaited him.

As soon as Xia Liang left, Zhou Ruo turned to her friends, jingling the keys in her hand. "Alright, let’s go!"

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

The three other girls eagerly followed her to the garage. On the street, they couldn’t resist snapping pictures of any sports car worth a few million Yuan they saw. So, faced with supercars worth tens of millions, they were ecstatic.

Yuying watched Zhou Ruo lead the way, a flash of disdain in her eyes. "How pathetic," she muttered under her breath. "Still has to ask him for the keys. If it were me, the cars would be mine already." She glanced in the direction Xia Liang had disappeared before following the others to the garage.

The friends went wild inside the cars, taking at least fifty selfies. Finally, Zhou Ruo had to gently intervene. "There are plenty of other places in the villa for you to take pictures later."

Only then did they reluctantly stop, following Zhou Ruo to continue the tour.

Both Wei Wei and Yuying had been here once before. Wei Wei, though still in awe, was much calmer than the two newcomers. Yuying, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with thoughts of Xia Liang to care about the tour.

So, after they had been touring for a while, Yuying deliberately began to complain. "Hey, Xiao Ruo, I feel like singing. This villa is so huge, it takes half an hour to see everything. I saw most of it last time, so why don’t you take the others? I’m going to head to the karaoke room."

Zhou Ruo found this a bit odd but nodded anyway. "Oh, okay. Do you remember where the karaoke room is?"

Yuying was thrilled that Zhou Ruo agreed, but she managed to suppress her excitement. "Of course I do. You guys go on without me."

Zhou Ruo nodded. "Alright, then. If you get lost, just ask one of the maids or cleaners." Then, she led the remaining three friends to continue the tour.

Watching the four of them walk away, Yuying breathed a sigh of relief. Go to the karaoke room? As if. I only split off so I could go to the art studio and see if I have a real chance with him.

With that thought, Yuying licked her lips and headed toward the art studio she remembered from her last visit.

Inside the art studio, Xia Liang was absorbed in his masterpiece when there was a sudden knock on the door. He was puzzled. Who would be looking for me right now?

Still, he called out, "It’s unlocked. Come in."