《Cash Rules Everything: My Infinite Wallet》

"Do I?" Lu Yuan shrugged noncommittally.

"Hmm?" Chen Guo leaned closer, her jade-like face hovering dangerously near his. The scent of orchids and sandalwood teased his senses, sending involuntary tension through his muscles.

He leaned back with forced casualness. "What, using this as an excuse to admire my face up close?"

"Ugh, spare me the delusions." She flicked her bangs, cheeks pinkening. "But… you were quick on your feet earlier."

"Earlier?" Lu Yuan feigned ignorance, though he knew exactly what she meant—her impulsive "boyfriend" cover story.

"Forget it." Chen Guo turned away, her left earlobe blooming crimson like overripe pomegranate seeds.

"Ah, but if I recall correctly," Lu Yuan drawled, mischief glinting in his eyes, "someone did call me their—"

"Don't you dare!" She whirled back, mortification and fury warring in her glare.

His laughter boomed through the compartment. When her fingers pinched his arm in retaliation, he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, I'm single. No girlfriend to misunderstand."

"Single?" The words slipped out before she could stop them, an unwarranted spark of hope flaring in her chest.

"Mhm." His grin turned wolfish. "Though I'm curious—why 'boyfriend' and not, say, 'big brother'?"

"I panicked!" She crossed her arms defensively. "That creep looked shady!"

"Shady?" Lu Yuan snorted. "Should've said I'm your nephew then. 'Gege' would've been age-appropriate."

Chen Guo's eyes lit with sudden mischief. "Oh? So you want to be my nephew? Come here, Little Lu-Lu—call me 'Auntie'!"

"In dramas," he deadpanned, "characters like you get written off by episode two."

Her laughter spilled over like champagne bubbles, shoulders shaking as she clutched her stomach. "Too late! From now on, you're officially Chen Guo's nephew. Phone. Now."

He handed it over, watching her nimble fingers rebrand his contact as Nephew Lu-Za while editing her own profile to Auntie Chen.

"Try changing it," she warned, drawing a finger across her throat in a theatrically menacing gesture that only emphasized her doll-like features, "and I'll end you."

Lu Yuan raised his hands in surrender, though his mind whispered: Just wait. I'll make you beg to call me 'gege'.

Two hours later at Beijing Station, Lu Yuan hoisted Chen Guo's suitcase with ease. "Need a ride? My hotel's courtesy car can drop you."

"Hotel?" She paused mid-text to her classmate. "Fancy."

He deflected with a wave. "Tell your friend to stand down."

At the platform, a pink-parka-clad girl with a warrior's stance intercepted Chen Guo in a tackle-hug. Lu Yuan observed their reunion—the new arrival's wheat-toned skin and arched brows a striking contrast to Chen Guo's porcelain delicacy.

"Lu Yuan, meet Su Li—my roommate." Chen Guo's slip earned a raised brow: "Nephew Lu Yuan."

Su Li's gaze swept over him—handsome, confident, but wearing budget-conscious layers. Her protective arm tightened around Chen Guo. This guy's trouble.