The next morning, Shen Lang woke up on the sofa in his rented apartment. Normally, he wouldn't be awake at this hour, but since taking the physical enhancement elixir, it was as if he had been installed with an internal alarm clock.
At precisely seven o'clock, Shen Lang woke up without any trace of drowsiness and felt fully rested. After washing up, he walked to the bedroom door and looked at his two sisters sleeping on the small bed.
In the dimly lit room, the sisters, clad in pajamas, were cuddled together on the soft bed, occasionally mumbling in their sleep. They had decided not to take a taxi back home last night and found the hotel too far, so they bought pajamas and squeezed into Shen Lang's tiny apartment for the night.
The sisters had contrasting personalities and sleeping postures. Shen Nannan lay curled up, nestled contentedly in Shen Linlin's arms with a sweet smile on her face. In contrast, Shen Linlin slept sprawled out, her slender legs wrapped around Shen Nannan like an octopus, occasionally muttering in her sleep.
Despite the sisters sleeping on his small bed, Shen Linlin's wild sleeping posture inadvertently revealed large areas of fair, smooth skin. Yet, like any proper brother, Shen Lang had no improper thoughts about his sisters.
He chuckled, shaking his head, and walked over to tuck the blanket around them. He even playfully pinched Shen Linlin's cheek, "Sleeping like a pig."
"Brother..." Shen Linlin murmured in her sleep, smiling and hugging Shen Nannan tighter.
Shen Lang paused, feeling a warm sensation in his heart. He muttered, "Silly girl, only dare to call me brother in your dreams?"
After going downstairs to buy breakfast for the three of them, Shen Lang woke his sisters up. It took them about ten minutes of dawdling before they reluctantly got out of bed to wash up.
After washing up and eating, Shen Lang escorted them downstairs. Initially, they wanted Shen Lang to take them out to play, but since he had an afternoon date with Su Lexuan, he refused and called a Didi ride for them instead.
"Brother Shen!" A little girl with pigtails ran up with her hands raised, it was Xia Shuyi's daughter, Xia Mengmeng.
Xia Shuyi, carrying a shopping bag from the supermarket, seemed to have just returned from grocery shopping.
"Wow, who is this little cutie?" Shen Lang beamed, lifting Mengmeng up and pretending to weigh her. "So heavy! Just in time for the New Year, maybe we should sell you for candy!"
"I'm not fat!" Mengmeng giggled, wrapping her little arms tightly around Shen Lang's neck.
Shen Linlin watched the interaction with a sour expression, muttering, "Creepy lolicon!"
Xia Shuyi was about to greet them but was taken aback by how different Shen Lang looked today. Though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, his aura seemed entirely different.
And who were these two pretty girls with him?
Feeling a bit tense, Xia Shuyi smiled and asked, "Shen, who are these girls?"
"They're my sisters," Shen Lang introduced them simply, then turned to the sisters. "This is my landlady, Sister Xia."
Shen Linlin only glanced at Xia Shuyi disdainfully without speaking.
"Hello, Sister Xia!" Shen Nannan greeted warmly. "My brother said his landlady was very pretty. I didn't believe him, but he was right. You're really beautiful!"
Shen Nannan was the kind of girl often praised by adults—good grades, pretty, polite, and well-mannered. It was hard for anyone to dislike such a considerate girl.
"Oh, not at all," Xia Shuyi said, blushing a bit. "Where are you off to so early?"
They chatted for a few minutes before Xia Shuyi lifted her shopping bag. "Well, I'll see you around. Next time you visit your brother, come over for a meal at my place."
"Okay!" Shen Nannan replied enthusiastically. Shen Linlin, however, continued to glance disdainfully at Shen Lang interacting with Mengmeng.
"Oh, Shen," Xia Shuyi said, addressing Shen Lang who was squatting in front of Mengmeng. "My computer has been acting up. Could you take a look at it when you have time?"
"No problem, I'll come over after seeing my sisters off," Shen Lang replied, standing up.
"Great, you can stay for lunch," Xia Shuyi said, lifting her shopping bag. "I bought a lot of food today."
"Sure," Shen Lang agreed. He had plans with Su Lexuan in the afternoon anyway.
"Brother, it seems like the landlady likes you," Shen Nannan teased once Xia Shuyi and Mengmeng were out of earshot. "She was practically eyeing you up."
"Don't overthink it. She's worth billions; the entire complex belongs to her," Shen Lang said, dismissing the idea. "Do you think she'd be interested in a homebody like me?"
Nannan pondered for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, you're right. If I had that much money, I wouldn't like a homebody either."
Shen Lang: "..."
"Hehe, Brother, if she really liked you, would you go for it?" Nannan teased. "Isn't that every guy's dream? A rich older woman? She's beautiful, and you'd save decades of hard work!"
"Why not? It's tough making money these days. If she said yes, I'd bow down to her right away!" Shen Lang joked. "They say a man's knees are made of gold, and now's the time to cash in. Do you know what the flower language of steel wool is? Patience, understand?"
"Haha, you're shameless!" Nannan laughed, playfully hitting Shen Lang.
"I think it's not the landlady you like, but the little girl," Shen Linlin said, her tone mocking. "Every time she calls you Brother Shen, you melt like butter. It's disgusting!"