Xu Lin walked onto the street and saw a taxi parked by the roadside. He approached it and realized it was the same driver as before.
"What's the matter, little brother? Why are you out again?"
"Something came up. I need to go to Jiuhua Villa."
"Sure, do you live there? I didn't expect that."
"No, no, a friend lives there."
After getting in the car, the driver seemed a bit more cheerful than when he came.
Xu Lin understood then, it's not just that beauties make men happy, they also seem to slow down their speech a bit.
When he arrived at the villa gate, he noticed that the security guard had changed. He walked straight in but was stopped.
"My friend lives at No. 13."
"Please record your name and phone number here. The phone number needs to be verified."
"Okay."
Xu Lin wrote down a name, and the guard called his phone. After verification, he was allowed to enter.
On the surface, it didn't seem very strict, but in reality, Jiuhua's true security wasn't just the few guards at the entrance.
There was a 24-hour protection team. According to Chu Qingchan, each villa had several emergency buttons inside. Pressing one would bring the security team to your house within three minutes.
Additionally, the entire villa area was surrounded by 200 cameras, complemented by human patrols. Any abnormal situation would be dealt with immediately, making the place very safe overall.
He arrived at the door of Villa No. 13. With a beep, the door opened automatically. After he entered, the door closed automatically as well.
"Automatic..."
Suddenly, he thought of a business opportunity. Although electronic locks had been around in big cities for a while, in Linshui, it wouldn't be until 15 years later that fingerprint locks would start to become popular.
If he could secure a dealership for a cost-effective brand next year, he might make a good profit when they started becoming popular in the following years.
Of course, it wouldn't make a fortune, and it required more investment compared to a spicy hotpot shop.
Thinking this, he walked to the main door and received a new message on his phone: "Come to the cabin."
He went to the cabin and opened the door to see a young girl with her back to him, cleaning the floor.
Compared to the fashionable Jiang Zimeng he met that afternoon, she was now wearing a shirt with Lelouch and C.C. printed on it.
She wore an EVA Q theater version Asuka's cat ear hat, pants from a single-player game brand, and anime-themed shoes.
True to being an otaku, she was on par with his younger self. If it weren't for his twelve wives eagerly waiting, he would also want to spend all day playing games and watching anime.
"I'll get it for you, have a seat first."
"Alright."
She gently turned her head, revealing a beautiful face with a wild charm, reminiscent of a more heroic Dilraba.
But with an added eyepatch, Xu Lin immediately recognized it as a Kaneki Ken imitation. However, it was only 2013, and the anime hadn't been adapted yet; she was still a manga fan.
"What's up?"
"Nothing, just didn't expect you to be so beautiful."
"With so many pretty girls around you, you still find me attractive?"
She coldly responded, then put down the cat in her hand and walked towards the door.
"Of course."
"Don't you think I look weird with an eyepatch?"
"Isn't it Kaneki Ken's eyepatch? What's weird about it?"
"You know about Tokyo Ghouls?!"
Suddenly, she turned around, and the previously indifferent girl instantly became excited, reminiscent of Xing Mimi when chatting. However, the next second, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly turned back around.
"Ahem... so you read manga too?"
"Yeah."
"I see."
"Your hat is from Asuka, the T-shirt is from Lelouch, the pants are from Potato Factory, and the shoes are a collaboration with Gundam."
"An expert, huh? Do you know which series the shoes are from?"
"Uh..."
This was beyond him; he wasn't really into figures and models, just watched a couple of series, and couldn't keep up with such details.
"You wait here; I'll go get the camera."
After saying this, she opened the door and walked inside, her steps noticeably more cheerful than before.
Turns out she's still just a little girl, and people who like games can't be bad. By the way, he couldn't really leave without paying, considering a camera was pretty expensive.
He sat on a nearby beanbag chair, and the husky ran over, immediately snuggling into his lap. The dog started licking him, and he quickly dodged, holding the dog's head.
"You little guy, why are you so enthusiastic?"
"Woof!"
The dog barked, and as he petted its back, it lay in his lap, resting its head on his leg.
"Are you treating me like a bed?"
Xu Lin laughed, glancing at the two cats nearby. As they sensed his gaze, they instantly jumped onto a shelf, completely ignoring him.
It seems the husky is the friendly one, not bothering to distinguish strangers from family and just snuggling up. But of course, the cost is when it wreaks havoc and turns the place upside down.
A few minutes later, Xu Lin felt a bit sleepy. He quickly did some breathing exercises to perk up. Looking down, he noticed the dog had fallen asleep.
"You really think I'm a bed!"
Before he could get the husky off him, it woke up, then suddenly jumped off him!
In that instant, a stream of liquid flowed down, drenching his pants!
"Crap!"
Startled, he jumped up. The dog ran upstairs and disappeared, and the two cats darted into their nest.
"What happened?!"
Jiang Zimeng rushed in from outside, froze when she saw Xu Lin's wet pants.
"You..."
"Your husky peed on me..."
"Follow me! Take off your pants first."
"But I don't have any pants to change into."
"I have some longer pants; you should be able to fit."
Xu Lin reluctantly followed Jiang Zimeng into the villa. He looked around at the decor, feeling relieved. This is what a villa should look like!
The one next door was really an eyesore, but being drenched in dog pee was truly worse.
Arriving at the main bathroom on the first floor, he went in, and Jiang Zimeng said from outside.
"Take off your pants, and I'll get you some new ones. If the inside is dirty, take a shower."
"No need, it's already 10:30. If I don't get home soon, my mom will scold me."
"Alright, wait a moment."
Xu Lin took off his pants, fortunately realizing the inside was dry since the pants were quite thick.
But the next second, he discovered something even more terrifying: his shirt also got wet, and he was completely dumbfounded.
"Sweetie... Mom's back! Surprised, huh!?"
But just then, he suddenly heard a noise outside, freezing in place!
His heart rate skyrocketed to 150, quickly ducking behind the bathtub in utter surprise.
Could this surprise be any more startling!?
What's going on? How did her mom suddenly return!? And how can he possibly go out like this?
Jiang Zimeng's voice rang out, slightly easing his racing heart. "Mom, why are you home at this hour?"
"I thought I'd give you a surprise! Why are you holding clothes, planning to take a bath?"
"Uh... yeah."
"Don't you usually prefer to shower in your own room?"
"Um... downstairs has a big bathtub, and it's more comfortable to soak there."
"But I thought you didn't like baths?" Mother Jiang looked at her daughter, sensing something was off.
"I accidentally got dog poop on my clothes."
"Ah? No wonder. Go wash up quickly!"
"Alright!"
Jiang Zimeng reluctantly stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
Glancing around, she lowered her voice and called out, "Where are you?"
"Over here," came the reply.
Xu Lin poked his head out, his face flushed with nervousness, lips slightly pale.
Jiang Zimeng almost burst out laughing at his appearance—it was almost comical, akin to a married man sneaking around with a mistress.
It was strangely reminiscent of the plot he had written, but she hadn't expected "Master Xu Twelve" to be such a young author, still in high school...
"What should I do?" Xu Lin asked anxiously.
"Wait for my mom to go back to rest. Then put on your pants and slip out from the cabin," Jiang Zimeng replied.
"Ok."
But the next moment, there was a knock on the door again, startling both of them.
"What's wrong? Mom?" Jiang Zimeng called out nervously.
"Open the door," her mom demanded.
"I'm taking a shower."
"Open the door."
"I can't... I'm embarrassed."
She glanced sideways at Xu Lin. If her mom caught them, it would be a big problem! No explanation would work!
"If only I hadn't lied just now," Jiang Zimeng thought, "I could have said a friend got dirty by the dog and I was finding clothes for him..."
There was another loud bang on the door. Her mom's knocking was getting more insistent.
Xu Lin and Jiang Zimeng exchanged pained looks. What were they going to do now?