Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

"Ahem, let's go inside first and talk about it."

Bai Li grabbed Xie Lingmo's wrist and led her into the villa.

Xie Lingmo let Bai Li pull her along, her steps stiff.

She was in a state of numbness, with various thoughts constantly flashing through her mind:

I was too impulsive...

[She ran over to him without thinking at all.]

I'm just a friend of his, an outsider.

[It was incredibly presumptuous of them to intrude into his and his girlfriend's lives without warning.]

[Next step will definitely be a chaotic scene...]

These five girls will definitely ostracize me and band together to talk badly about me.

[Then Bai Li couldn't stand the constant chatter and made up some excuse to get rid of him...]

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her steps grew heavier and heavier.

Bai Li was completely unaware of the brainstorming session the girl next to him was going through.

He looked up at the second floor and immediately assigned tasks:

"Mengmeng, Xiaoshuang, go and help Lingmo tidy up the room next to Zhang Qian's."

"Okay!"

Two clear voices responded, followed by the sound of slippers clicking on the floor.

Xie Lingmo kept her head down, still muttering to herself:

"I'll definitely get kicked out, and then I'll lose my best friend..."

Bai Li turned his head and looked into her unfocused eyes.

He raised his hand, bent his index finger, and flicked her forehead.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ouch!"

Xie Lingmo winced in pain and instinctively bent over, covering her face with both hands.

Chen Tingting crossed her arms over her chest, looking at this strange reaction with a puzzled expression:

"My brother flicked your forehead, why are you bending over?"

Zhang Qian, who had just finished dressing, blurted out:

"It went bankrupt?"

Chen Tingting turned to look at Zhang Qian and burst out laughing.

Xie Lingmo then came to her senses.

She didn't even think about what Zhang Qian meant by those words; she just felt that these people were making fun of her.

She straightened up, her eyes reddening again.

"I understand, I'll leave now."

Xie Lingmo turned around and started to walk towards the gate.

"Where are we going?" Chen Tingting leaned against the stair railing, her tone languid.

"Big brother just had Little Shorty and Little Shuang clean your room."

Xie Lingmo froze in place as she turned around.

She turned around, her face full of astonishment:

"What?"

Li Jiaxin tossed her purple hair and looked Xie Lingmo up and down.

"Aren't you nineteen too? How come you're hard of hearing?"

"Tingting just said that your older brother has had a room prepared for you, so please settle in comfortably~"

Xie Lingmo said with an incredulous expression:

"Weren't you... planning to ostracize me and drive me away?"

"Why are you being ostracized? Why are you being kicked out?" Zhang Qian rolled her eyes and walked down the stairs.

"We're not the kind of people who hold grudges."

"Besides... he already has so many women, what's one more?"

Li Jiaxin stepped forward, put her hands on her hips, and made her point clear:

"If you start by swaying your hips and trying to seduce our boss, I'll definitely start nagging and cursing you out."

"But look at you now, your face is all swollen, you look miserable, how can we kick you when you're down?"

Upon hearing these words, Xie Lingmo's heart began to pound.

Even Zhang Qian's words, "You are also Bai Li's woman," didn't make her feel ashamed.

A warm feeling welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Surprisingly, some of these girls who swore a lot were actually quite reliable.

"You...you are such good people."

Xie Lingmo sniffed, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Bai Li stepped forward, placed his hand on her back, and patted her twice.

"You've already suffered enough at home, how could I possibly let you suffer any more here?"

These words shattered Xie Lingmo's last psychological defenses.

Forgetting all pretense of being a young lady, she turned around, hugged Bai Li's waist, and threw herself into his arms.

"I……"

"I never want to go back!"

Xie Lingmo buried her face in Bai Li's chest, wiping her tears and snot all over him.

"good friend……"

Xie Lingmo looked up, her tear-filled eyes filled with pleading:

"You...you'll take care of me, right?"

Bai Li looked at this stunning face, yet it was streaked with tears.

He knew that Xie Lingmo was placing all her trust and future on him at this moment.

This is all that a girl has entrusted to him.

"certainly."

Bai Li uttered two words.

Xie Lingmo was deeply moved and buried her face back in his arms, rubbing against him tightly.

[It makes me feel so safe.]

[This friend of mine is truly good; he would never abandon me no matter what.]

Even if she is now penniless, even if she is no longer the high and mighty eldest daughter of the Xie family.

As long as he's there, I have nothing to fear.

Not long after, Lin Xiaoshuang's voice came from the second floor:

"Big brother, the room is ready!"

Bai Li patted Xie Lingmo on the shoulder:

"Come on, I'll show you."

Xie Lingmo followed Bai Li up to the second floor.

Pushing open the door, I found that the bed sheets and duvet covers had all been changed, and the air was much better after opening the windows for ventilation.

She went inside, walked around, and peeked out to look at the other side of the corridor:

"You have so many rooms here, and there are even two empty rooms. Plus, the beds and other bedding are quite complete."

Lin Xiaoshuang came out carrying the old pillowcase she had changed out of, and continued:

"Actually, there's only one empty room left..."

Li Mengmeng peeked out from behind, blinked her big eyes twice, and said softly:

"There's also a little robot."

"She usually goes to school and doesn't live here. Judging by the time, she's probably just gotten out of school."

The words had barely left his mouth when he said them.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

The electronic doorbell on the first floor rang.

The sounds were rapid and continuous.

The person rang the doorbell very quickly, as if someone had come looking for trouble, or like an impatient child who liked to ring the doorbell.

Bai Li stood in the corridor, glanced at the direction of the first-floor entrance, and pursed her lips:

"They've arrived so quickly? Old Deng's got some information."

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingmo deflated.

She took two steps back in a panic, stammering incoherently:

"No...don't..."

"I don't want to go back..."

The atmosphere became tense.

In the living room on the first floor.

Chen Tingting pulled a baton out from under the coffee table.

Li Jiaxin rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair arms.

Not to be outdone, Zhang Qian looked around and picked up a broom.

"Don't be afraid, little pink-haired girl! Leave it to us!"

Chen Tingting raised her chin, exuding the aura of a powerful older sister:

"Watch us!"

The group stood ready, their faces contorted with menace as they approached the gate.

Bai Li gripped the doorknob with one hand and pulled hard.

The gate was open.

The night breeze blew in from outside the door.

There was no furious Xie Tianyun, nor a throng of bodyguards.

"Well……"

A blank, dull voice rang out.

A girl was standing outside the door.

She was carrying a backpack and wearing a blue and white high school uniform.

That youthful, innocent face was so white it seemed to reflect light, and her big eyes shone with a clarity untouched by the corruption of society.

Jiang Ruyue stood there with her hands behind her back, her gaze sweeping over Bai Li and then over the women in the room who were holding "weapons".

"Wow, so many people..."

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Jiang Ruyue looked at Li Mengmeng, who was wearing an apron, and asked in confusion:

"Why isn't even the pile driver saying anything?"

"You threw a party and didn't invite me, then you gave me the silent treatment Oo?"