Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Chapter 28: Chapter 22: Black Stockings are Justice, White Stockings are Radiance

Su Ran wasn’t a fitness guru. He wasn’t disciplined enough to work out for hours every day. A short workout each day to stay healthy was good enough for him.

He played tennis for a while and worked up a sweat. Thinking that was enough, he went back to the presidential suite to shower. When he came out, Yasuo had already prepared a nutritionally balanced breakfast.

It was a Western-style breakfast: milk, eggs, Australian seafood salmon, and so on. The portions weren’t large, just a little bit of everything. According to some so-called expert in the country, a Western breakfast of milk and bread is the best combination, and that soy milk and fried dough sticks were useless. Su Ran just chuckled at that. ’People are shaped by their environment. How could a diet from thousands of years of tradition be less nutritious than a Western one?’

The only thing he didn’t eat was the most expensive item: the Australian seafood salmon.

The reason was simple. The system prompted: *This salmon on the table swam from Fukushima, Japan, to Australia.*

After finishing breakfast, he went back to his room, unplugged his phone, and checked his messages. There were a lot.

The earliest message was surprisingly from Gao Lu: [Are you up, Su Ran? Is there anywhere you want to go since it’s your first time in Shanghai? I’m free today, I can be your guide for free.]

It seemed like a simple, warm-hearted message, but Su Ran didn’t dare let her be his guide.

Last night was Gao Lu’s birthday, and Su Ran’s electronic track, "PDD’s Primordial Power," had unsurprisingly captured her heart. Moreover, Su Ran was superior to the third-tier Zhao Yang in every aspect—looks, talent, and wealth. ’This woman probably has ideas.’

Su Ran politely declined with a reply: [Thanks for the kind offer, Sister Gao Lu, but I have other plans today.]

He checked the next message, sent half an hour ago by Liu Jinyu: [Meet at Maoyue at 9. We’re going to find Stephen Chow.]

[Okay.] Su Ran smiled and sent a message: [I dreamed about you last night.]

Liu Jinyu: [What did you dream about me?]

Su Ran: [I dreamed you turned into a cat.]

HOLY SHIT—

Liu Jinyu was so startled she almost threw her phone.

The more she thought about it, the creepier it got.

She’d had a similar dream last night. She dreamed she had become a cat-girl, kept by Su Ran at his home. She would sleep in her master’s arms every day and loved it when he scratched her.

’Could this be fate?’

The next message was a 60-second voice message from his old uncle, Zhang Guohua.

SIGH—

He always got a headache whenever he saw a 60-second voice message from one of these middle-aged or elderly people.

He pressed play. After a long-winded message in the Ninghai dialect, the gist was: *Su Ran-er, your Uncle Zhou heard you came to Shanghai. He went to the market early to buy groceries and cook. Remember to come back for dinner this afternoon.*

Uncle Zhou was his aunt’s father.

Su Ran had never met him before, but since he was in Shanghai and the man was being so welcoming, Su Ran naturally had to go.

So he replied that he would be back early.

Next up: Ning Wenwen.

A girl who left Su Ran at a complete loss.

Ning Wenwen: [Su Ran, I have insomnia. I can’t sleep.] 01:23

Ning Wenwen: [Su Ran, are you mute? Reply to my message!] 01:57

Ning Wenwen: [Hmph] 02:01

Ning Wenwen: [Su Ran, I’m awake now. I have a stiff neck, and it’s all your fault.] 07:21

Ning Wenwen: [Su Ran, if you keep playing dead and don’t reply, you’re dead meat!] 1 minute ago.

Su Ran figured that high school students these days didn’t have enough academic pressure, which was why they had so much free time. ’I should probably report this to the Education Bureau and suggest they increase the homework load, just to keep this whiny monster Ning Wenwen from being so idle.’

Still, he had to reply. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have a moment of peace when he got back to his hometown.

Su Ran: [I went to bed early last night and didn’t see your messages. And you shouldn’t be on your phone if you have a stiff neck. From now on, put your phone down and get some proper rest.]

Ning Wenwen: [No way, it’s even more boring without my phone. Su Ran, when are you coming back? My floorboards are warping again.]

Su Ran: [...]

Ning Wenwen: [Don’t send me ellipses! I hate it when you send ellipses, or when you use brush-off words like ’Oh,’ ’Mm,’ ’Uh.’]

Su Ran: [Mm.]

Ning Wenwen: [Ahhh~ Su Ran, you’re doing it again!]

Su Ran: [Uh.]

Ning Wenwen: [Su Ran, believe it or not, I’m going to climb through the 5G network and strangle you.]

Su Ran: [(facepalm laughing) Alright, alright. If you have nothing to do, read more books and prepare for your first year of high school. I’ll be back in a couple of days.]

Ning Wenwen: [Mhm, mhm, mhm, remember to let me know in advance when you’re coming back. I want to pick you up from the high-speed rail station.]

Su Ran: [I’m not taking the high-speed rail. I’m taking a ’pwane’ back.]

Ning Wenwen: [Pfft, so fancy.]

Su Ran stopped chatting. This girl was the type to send several replies for every one of his and never say goodbye.

Regardless, Su Ran planned to return to Ninghai in three days when his presidential suite booking expired, whether he found Stephen Chow or not.

「At 9:00 AM, at the entrance of the Maoyue Grand Hotel.」

"Hiii~ Su Ran~"

A Mercedes-Benz GLA arrived right on time. The Four Young Actresses got out, lined up, and leaned against the car doors, their feet crossed slightly as they raised their hands to wave at Su Ran.

Their outfits today were especially cunning~

Matching pleated skirts, slender high heels, waist-length hair, fair skin, and beautiful faces. And most importantly of all, the stockings on their thighs.

Xiao Wanqing wore black stockings, and Liu Jinyu wore white ones.

’What did this represent?’

Su Ran didn’t know.

But damn, it looked good.

To be honest, with his zen-like approach to life, Su Ran was indifferent to most things, but...

The guests coming and going from the Maoyue Grand Hotel entrance all turned to look at the four beautiful women in stockings, each with her own unique style. At the same time, they watched Su Ran with envy as he walked toward them.

A gust of wind blew, lifting their short skirts slightly before they were pressed back down.

The patch of skin revealed between the top of the over-the-knee stockings and the hem of the skirt is called the "absolute territory," signifying something sacred and inviolable.

Su Ran felt a little shy at that moment. Honestly, who wouldn’t be shy when four stunning beauties were smiling and waving at you right outside the hotel entrance?

"Hehe~"

The other three giggled.

Liu Jinyu walked up and linked her arm with Su Ran’s. "You’re shy?"

After spending time together yesterday, Liu Jinyu was already acting very natural with Su Ran, as if they were a couple, even though they weren’t.

More than friends, not yet lovers.

Su Ran sighed and quipped, "My four lady benefactors, with you all dressed in stockings like this... were you sent by the heavens to help me with my Refining Heart in Mortal World?"

Aina giggled, then immediately got into character with a straight face. "That’s right, you stinky monk! We’re here to make you fail your tribulation, to make you fall into the bustling mortal world and suffer our torment."

Su Ran laughed. "Actually, Refining Heart in Mortal World is its own form of cultivation."

Aina: "Tch, I knew it. Su Ran is secretly a pervert."

The other three girls burst out laughing.

"What do you mean, ’secretly a pervert’? You girls are so beautiful, even Tang Sanzang would give up his quest for the scriptures if he saw you."

"No way. The King of the Kingdom of Women wanted to marry Tang Sanzang, and he wasn’t even interested. How could we compare?"

"Even if he wasn’t interested, when the King of the Kingdom of Women asked Elder Tang if he would marry her, he answered, ’Marry!’ Unfortunately, the White Dragon Horse heard, ’Giddy-up!’"

PFFT—

The Four Young Actresses cracked up.

The morning in Shanghai began with the chirpy banter and playful teasing of the young women at the entrance of the Maoyue Hotel.

"Alright, stop chatting. We can talk more in the car."

Xiao Wanqing ushered everyone into the car. Su Ran took the front passenger seat, while Liu Jinyu and the others sat in the back.

Su Ran: "By the way, why are you all wearing matching outfits?"

Liu Jinyu: "We bought them online a while ago but never had a chance to wear them. Now that you’re here, we wore them to give you some face."

Su Ran: "Nice, they look great. I’ll take some pictures for you later."

Liu Jinyu: "You know how to take pictures?"

Su Ran: "Mhm, I’m very good at it. Where are we going now?"

Xiao Wanqing: "Su Ran, where do you think a chef’s favorite place to go is?"

Su Ran thought for a moment. "A food market?"

Xiao Wanqing: "Exactly! Since we can’t find Stephen Chow, we’ll use deductive reasoning to track him down. He’s a master chef, so he must be very particular about his ingredients. That means in his retirement, he’d definitely go to the freshest food market with the widest variety to buy groceries and cook for his children, right?"

"Makes sense."

"So, at the Shanghai Agricultural Products Wholesale Market, someone is bound to know Stephen Chow."