"Why can't I stay longer?"

"No."

"Why not?" Ren Xingmei shook Ren Suo's arm. "If you don't tell me, I won't let go!"

"Because... there are some secrets I can't tell you," Ren Suo said after a moment's thought. "Anyway, you have to go back the day after tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow was the 23rd. This was not only the day that "Mage Under the World Tree" would start becoming reality but also the day of the Major Heat solar term.

Now that the "Critical Breakthrough Game (Level 3)" section had disappeared, Ren Suo could buy discounted games again. However, with his sister at home, he definitely couldn't blatantly play his Mini-World Game Console.

If the Mini-World Game Console could support dual accounts, Ren Suo wouldn't mind letting his sister play. This would allow her to reap the benefits of the console too. Leaving everything else aside, the learned Skills would transform into Abilities. Equipping them would mean instantly having 100% proficiency, and that Ability alone was already bug-level.

But the problem was that the game console was directly tied to an account; Ren Suo's Mini-World Game Console had already taken on the form of "Ren Naiser."

His sister could, at most, help him level up by proxy; she couldn't profit from the console itself.

After weighing the risks, Ren Suo decided not to let his sister in on this secret that held no benefit for her. Ren Suo had already prepared for his potential exposure. If he were discovered before his strength was sufficient to contend with major powers, he would likely be put under house arrest to play the game. Those in the know would probably meet the same fate.

If only Ren Suo knew the secret of the Mini-World Game Console, at least his family members could retain their Freedom.

"Why so soon? Don't you welcome me?!"

Ren Suo pondered for a while and then said, "I do welcome you, but I also need my personal space. After all, adults have secrets too!"

Personal space... Adult... Secrets...

Has progress really gone this fast?! Ren Xingmei gasped. She seriously surveyed Lin Xianyu, Gu Yueyan, and Dong Chengling, secretly trying to guess which sly vixen it could be. However, at this moment, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Bro, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Nope." Ren Suo was eating watermelon for dessert.

Ren Xingmei scanned the three of them again—hmm, they looked normal; it seemed there was no concealment.

"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Let's go shopping tomorrow. I'll pay for whatever you want to buy; consider it a reward for doing so well on your college entrance exams," Ren Suo said. "It's not often you visit, and it wouldn't be right to just have you hang out with me at home playing games."

"No, playing games with Big Brother is great..."

"Right, let's go shopping!" Gu Yueyan suddenly suggested. "These past few days, I haven't dared to go out much. Let's all go together! Right, Xiaoyu?"

Lin Xianyu said, "Huh? What's it got to do with me... Well, alright then, let's go."

Dong Chengling also said, "I haven't been out for a long time. Taking a rest sounds good."

Gu Yueyan exclaimed, "Teacher Dong too...? That's even better! There definitely won't be any danger with Teacher Dong around!"

"I don't even know what to buy for Mom and Dad," Ren Suo readily agreed. "How about you guys help me figure it out?"

Watching them swiftly finalize the plans for tomorrow's outing, Ren Xingmei quietly clicked her tongue.

With only two days left, she couldn't afford to keep dragging her feet. She had to make a swift decision and cut through the chaos decisively. So, thinking fast, she hugged Ren Suo's arm and said, "We haven't seen each other for so long, bro! Let's sleep together tonight!"

Of course, she didn't really want to sleep with Ren Suo, but wouldn't a cute sister who's crazy about her brother usually make any normal girl steer clear?!

"Sure!"

Ren Xingmei blinked, released Ren Suo's arm, and moved a good ten feet away from him. "What did you say?"

"I said sure," Ren Suo replied. "I was just wondering how to bring it up to you, but you beat me to it."

Yes, Ren Xingmei also had a Key. She most likely hadn't told their parents, but not all Awakening Abilities could be shared. Ren Suo could understand his sister wanting to keep her own secret, so he hadn't exposed it. But the Key has to be taken. I was just wondering whether to make a nighttime raid when Ren Xingmei herself brought it up.

"...I was actually just joking," Ren Xingmei said with a blush. Turning her head to look at Gu Yueyan and the others, she laughed loudly. "It's really a joke! We always play like this."

"So it was a joke." Gu Yueyan and Lin Xianyu breathed a sigh of relief. Dong Chengling, however, quietly continued eating—though she had been chewing the same bite of food for over ten seconds.

Ren Suo shrugged. If she isn't willing, I don't mind—it's just a one-star key, after all. Besides, I can still make a nighttime visit.

After finishing the meal, Ren Suo and Ren Xingmei left first, while Gu Yueyan and Lin Xianyu stayed back to do the dishes. On the way, Lin Xianyu sneakily slipped out and found Dong Chengling, asking in a low voice, "Teacher Dong, Big Brother Ren said just now that he doesn't have a girlfriend. Aren't you angry?"

"Hmm?" Dong Chengling, who was meditating, opened her eyes, looked at her, and slowly shook her head. "Not angry."

"Why?" Lin Xianyu couldn't restrain her curiosity. "Aren't you two in that kind of relationship?"

"Not really," Dong Chengling tilted her head. "We are just friends for now."

"Just friends?" Lin Xianyu felt happy for her friend, but after a careful thought, she sensed something was off. "But Teacher Dong, you're clearly very nice to Big Brother Ren, and didn't he, on that night, confess to you..."

"Yes. Because he found out that day that I had advanced to the second turn, he pretended to forget everything that happened that night. And ever since, he has been working hard on his Cultivation. Maybe that's his pride..." Dong Chengling reminisced with a smile. "He doesn't want to hold me back. He understands my dream. He will strive together with me."

"Oh... so, if Big Brother Ren catches up in Cultivation, would you date him then, Teacher Dong?" Lin Xianyu asked.

"No," Dong Chengling said indifferently.

"I'll become his wife."

At that moment, Gu Yueyan came out after washing dishes and called out, "Xiaoyu, you're slacking off again! Let's head back to the dorm!"

On the way, Lin Xianyu followed behind Gu Yueyan, watching her play with her phone. She couldn't help but pat Gu Yueyan's shoulder and sigh.

Gu Yueyan, eyes glued to her phone screen, didn't turn her head. "What?"

"You're way too mellow," Lin Xianyu sighed.

"Hmm?" Gu Yueyan glanced at her confusedly, then looked back at her phone.

Lin Xianyu commented, "You've been looking at your phone a lot more recently."

"Not at all." Gu Yueyan finally pulled her gaze from the phone. After pondering for a moment, she said to Lin Xianyu, "Don't you feel that... Ren Suo's sister... is too pretentious? It's like she doesn't really like Ren Suo that much."

「The next day, at 1:30 PM, at the E exit of the subway station behind Lianjiang City Park.」

"Why are you here?" Ren Suo looked at the casually dressed Qiao Muyi in front of him with surprise. "This is the first time I've ever seen you in normal clothes!"

"Don't talk like I don't wear clothes normally!" Qiao Muyi bit back. "Of course I don't wear my Tactical Bureau uniform after work!"

"Sorry, sorry, I was just surprised to see you," Ren Suo said curiously. "But how come you're here?"

"Coincidence. I was meeting someone here, but she suddenly decided to go shopping with her secret crush and ditched me," Qiao Muyi calmly lied—or perhaps not. Turning her head to look at Ren Xingmei and the others behind Ren Suo, she asked, "Is this... your sister?"

"You recognized her?" Ren Suo smiled. "Her name is Ren Xingmei. Just call her Little Star. She's my sister."

"No, you two don't look alike, apart from both having a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth. But I've seen your file," Qiao Muyi said calmly.

"You're also here to shop? What a coincidence, me too! Let's go together!" Qiao Muyi went over and took Dong Chengling's hand. "It's a good opportunity to get closer to Cheng Ling."

"Tsk," Ren Suo said. "I have a feeling nothing good is going to happen..."

"You're hurting my feelings by saying that," Qiao Muyi said. "What are you planning to buy?"

"Mainly a gift for her, because she finished her college entrance exams and did well," Ren Suo said. "Whatever she wants."

Ren Xingmei promptly displayed the qualities of a 'good sister.' "No, I don't really want anything. Just being out with my brother is already very..."

"Then how about this!" Qiao Muyi suddenly clapped her hands. "As we shop, each person chooses a gift and tells Ren Suo through WeChat so he can pay. Then we all display them together to see which gift Little Star likes the most."

"Ah? No, that would be a waste of my brother's money..." Ren Xingmei quickly declined.

"That's a great idea! Like a dog spitting out ivory!" Ren Suo clapped his hands. "I support it. Everyone must participate."

At that moment, Ren Suo suddenly realized: Dong Chengling, Qiao Muyi, Gu Yueyan, Lin Xianyu, Ren Xingmei... these five are all Awakeners! Everyone is participating in an activity together, and I'm also contributing (by paying). This meets the rules of the Bond System! Wouldn't this mean I can gain five Bonds at once?

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