Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

When Lin Yu woke up, it was just dawn.

Arya was still nestled in his arms, her face buried in his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, her breathing light and even.

He gently moved her arm away, took out his storage magic bag from under the pillow, dressed himself, and went out the door.

After all, we need to take Arya to the hot springs in El Village, so we can't wait until late to finish learning magic and go back; we need to go earlier.

......

When we arrived at Fengling Town, the sun had just climbed over the city wall, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street yet.

The Adventurers' Guild's doors were open, and the lobby on the first floor was nearly empty, with a few adventurers on night watch dozing off at their tables.

Lin Yu went straight up to the second floor and knocked on Vera's office door.

"Come in."

Pushing open the door, I saw Vera sitting behind her desk, a pile of documents spread out in front of her, and writing something with a quill pen in her hand.

The glass of red wine on the table had been replaced with the light tea she drank that morning. Today she was wearing a deep red cheongsam with a pearl brooch pinned to the collar.

"Mr. Lin Yu, so early?" She glanced at him, her pen still in hand.

"Sorry, I have something urgent to take care of, I'll have to wait for you for an hour."

"It's nothing." Lin Yu turned and left, closing the door behind him.

He stood in the second-floor corridor for a moment, then turned and went downstairs, heading towards the row of rooms at the corner of the first-floor lobby.

Lilia's room was at the very back, and Lin Yu knocked on the door.

There was no response, so I tapped it twice more.

There was a rustling sound coming from inside, followed by Lilia's indistinct voice, with a heavy nasal tone:

"Who is it?!"

"I."

There was a two-second silence, followed by hurried footsteps, and the door was pulled open from the inside.

Lilia was wearing a white nightgown, her hair was messy, and most of her pink ponytail was loose, with a few strands hanging down beside her face.

She squinted at Lin Yu for a second, then turned and walked back to the bed, burying herself in the blankets with her face in the pillow, only her fluffy hair sticking out.

"Mr. Lin Yu... why are you here so early..." The voice was muffled and unclear, as if he hadn't woken up from a dream.

Lin Yu closed the door, walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress sinking slightly.

Lilia lifted her face from the pillow and glanced at him, then moved closer, resting her head on his lap and finding a comfortable position to close her eyes.

The neckline of her nightgown was scrambled as she turned over, revealing a section of her collarbone and shoulder, which were dazzlingly white.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Lin Yu asked.

"Mmm..." Lilia snuggled closer to his legs, her voice nasal.

"I had a series of dreams all night... a jumbled mess... I kept waking up and falling asleep, then waking up again..."

Her fingers gripped Lin Yu's clothes, then loosened their grip after a couple of clenchings, and she collapsed onto his lap.

Lin Yu looked down at her.

Lilia's nightgown was made of thin fabric, with a wide-open neckline that revealed her fair skin and a shallow cleavage below her collarbone.

She lay on her side, her cheeks slightly distorted by the pressure, her lips slightly pouting, and her long eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow under her eyes.

One leg stretched out from under the covers, bare, from the calf to the ankle, the skin so white it seemed to glow.

"Mr. Lin Yu..." Lilia spoke with her eyes closed, her voice still carrying the languidness of someone who hadn't woken up yet.

"Um."

Why don't you go find Vera?

"She's busy, tell me to wait an hour."

"Oh... then... then you can wait here... I'll stay with you..."

As Lilia spoke, she snuggled closer to Lin Yu, almost curling up on his lap.

Lin Yu reached out and touched her head, his fingers running through her messy hair, his fingertips brushing against her scalp.

Lilia squinted comfortably, making muffled gurgling sounds in her throat, like a small animal being stroked.

"Mr. Lin Yu's hands...are so warm~..."

She moved her legs, her toes rubbing against each other under the covers. As she rubbed, her feet emerged from under the covers and slipped under the hem of Lin Yu's clothes.

The cool soles of his feet pressed against the skin on his waist, and Lin Yu's muscles tensed.

"My feet are cold," Lilia said, a hint of slyness in her voice, her eyes still closed.

Lin Yu glanced down at her; the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, clearly indicating that it wasn't just a matter of "cold feet."

Her toes rubbed against his waist and then probed upwards, the cold soles of her feet pressing against his abdominal muscles, making him gasp.

"Lilia".

"Hmm~"

"Take your foot out."

"No." Lilia buried her face in Lin Yu's leg, her voice muffled: "I'm cold."

As she spoke, she curled up into a ball and snuggled into Lin Yu's arms.

She arched herself up and squeezed her whole body into his coat, her head touching his chin, her back pressed against his chest, her legs curled up, and her feet pressed against his lower abdomen.

She curled up into a ball, nestled tightly in Lin Yu's arms.

Lin Yu's coat was so bulging that only the top of her head and a section of her calves could be seen from the outside.

"This is much warmer." Lilia's voice came from his chest, with a satisfied sigh.

Lin Yu didn't say anything, but placed his palm on the top of her head and patted it gently.

Lilia quieted down and nestled in his arms without moving.

After about two or three minutes, she suddenly spoke: "Mr. Lin Yu."

"Um."

Why are you so good to me?

"Because you're mine. If I'm not good to you, who will?" Lin Yu pinched Lilia's soft, cute little face.

Lilia was silent for a moment, then shifted her body and peeked out from under her coat to look at him.

Her eyes were still moist from sleep, but bright, and she stared straight at him.

"Don't you think I'm annoying? It's so early in the morning, and I'm not letting you rest, and I'm even snuggling into your arms."

I don't think so.

Lilia stared at Lin Yu for a few seconds, then buried her face back, her voice muffled: "You're lying."

"I'm not lying to you."

Lilia's lips were pressed against his chest, and he could feel their warmth through his clothes—cool and soft.

"From now on, whenever you come... I'll do this every day."

"it is good."

Lilia drew circles on Lin Yu's chest with her fingers, then suddenly stopped.

"Mr. Lin Yu, please hug me."

Lin Yu reached out and pulled her into his arms, tightening his grip and resting his chin on the top of her head.

Lilia was wrapped in his coat, held in his arms, with only half of her face showing, her nose touching his collarbone.

She could smell his scent—clean, warm, mixed with the scent of dew from his morning journey.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Mr. Lin Yu~"

"Um."

Let me tell you about what happened in the past.

"it is good."

Lilia was silent for a moment, as if she was organizing her thoughts. Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

"When I was a child... my family was very poor. My father died a long time ago, and my mother couldn't support so many children on her own, so she gave me away."

My adoptive mother... she was nice to me at first, but then she had her own child, and then...

Her voice paused, and her breath hitched.

"They don't really care about me anymore. It's common for me to not have enough to eat, and it's also common for me to not have enough to wear in winter."

Sometimes when she's in a bad mood, she'll hit me—with a broom, a stick, or anything else she can get her hands on.

Lin Yu tightened his grip on her arm.

Lilia felt the strength in Lin Yu's arm, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly, but she didn't open her eyes.

"Later, my adoptive mother became addicted to gambling and accumulated a lot of debt. She...she wanted to sell me to pay off her debts."

That night, she dragged me out of bed, changed me into clean clothes, and pulled me outside.

I didn't cry or scream. I didn't know where she was taking me, but I knew it wasn't a good place.

Halfway there, I met Vera.

Lilia's lips curled up.

"It was Vera who saved Lilia, and Lilia has been with her ever since."

She taught me to read and write, to do accounting, and to interact with people.

She also bought me my first dress, pink with a bow on it.

Lilia's voice softened, carrying a slight, faint smile.

Lin Yu lowered his head and kissed the top of her head: "I'll be here for you from now on."

Lilia's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly softened.

She turned to face Lin Yu, buried her face in his chest, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She could hear his heartbeat, thump-thump-thump, very steady. She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.

"Does Mr. Lin Yu keep his word?"

"Calculate."

"Let's make a pinky promise."

As Lilia spoke, she reached her hand out from under her coat, her little finger sticking out.

Lin Yu also reached out his hand and hooked his little finger around hers.

Lilia's fingers were slender. She hooked her fingers around Lin Yu's and shook them, then let go and pulled her hand back into her coat.

"Okay," she said, her voice already tinged with sleepiness, "We made a pinky promise, and there will be consequences for going back on your word~"

Lin Yu smiled but didn't say anything, gently patting her back.

Lilia's breathing gradually became steady, her eyelashes stopped fluttering, her lips were slightly parted, and she was sleeping soundly.

Lin Yu held her like that, listening to her even breathing, and slowly combed her hair with his fingers.

The sun rose higher outside the window, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a golden line along the edge of the bed.

An hour later, Lin Yu gently moved Lilia out of his arms and placed a pillow under her.

Lilia rolled over, mumbled something, and fell asleep again.