Tea-flavored Romance

“Little Zero, listen to your brother’s advice. Wall Street is too dangerous. You’re too young to handle it. Let me handle it. I can handle it.”

Talking to Ning Yiling like that would probably earn me a glare and a set of joint locks, right?

We need to calm down... To be honest, Wall Street is a very complex and dangerous place, and Ning Yuan probably can't handle it himself. He should just focus on figuring out how to get on his sister's good side; it's not like he hasn't done it before.

"Why are you suddenly looking at my legs?" Ning Yiling asked suspiciously.

"..."

Was my intention so obvious? I was trying to be reserved!

"Cough cough... It's nothing, I was just checking if any mosquitoes were biting you." Master Ning urged, changing the subject: "Why isn't the food served yet? Should I go and urge them?"

"Hmm, that works too."

Ning Yuan got up and left the table. He casually asked a waiter, and the answer he got was the classic: "It's in the pot, it'll be ready soon."

There weren't many customers at the moment, and he had ordered his food quite early, so his statement that it was in the pot must really mean it was in the pot. Before he could even say anything after returning to his seat, the first dish was served.

Ning Yiling prefers spicy food, so the dishes Ning Yuan ordered looked very vibrant in color when they were served. As the dishes were served one after another, the waiter crossed out the last item on the menu slip and gently asked them to enjoy their meal.

Of course, taking my time was out of the question; I'd never take my time. It wasn't like I was eating with other pretty ladies, where I had to be polite and graceful. Eating with my own sister was incredibly smooth. The two of them devoured the food with perfect coordination and lightning speed, and after they were full, they continued their casual conversation.

"Little Ling, do you have any stocks that are doing well lately that you would recommend to your brother? ... Seeing how easily you turned your fortunes around, I'm thinking of jumping in too."

As a chosen one with a system, Master Ning is indeed quite lackluster compared to his peers. Of course, this is also related to his development period. He used all his early cards to exchange for skills that could be used to flirt with girls, and he didn't know anything about stock trading or investment.

Even a hero can be brought down by a penny. If it weren't for Lu Jiujiu, the little rich girl behind him, he wouldn't even have been able to raise money to shoot a short film, let alone complete the increasingly difficult Snow Moon Kill achievement.

I need to find a way to make some money... The first talent that Greed Card can exchange is indeed a money-making tool, but unfortunately, before the card pool closed, he exchanged for the second talent that can increase tenfold.

This talent seems rather useless on its own, but Ning Yuan wanted to try something unconventional. Whether it succeeded or not was another matter; the key was to be brave enough to try.

"Stocks? No."

Her tone sounded somewhat sullen, with a hint of gritted teeth: "It's not a good time to invest in the stock market recently. The waters are really deep, and you can't handle it."

Master Ning was immediately displeased, thinking to himself, "I haven't even finished establishing a close friendship with you yet, and you've already done this to me... Is this something a cute little sister should do?!"

The water's deep? No problem, I can swim!

"I think I can handle it."

"No, you can't do it." Ning Yiling's face darkened: "Even I failed, you newbie would just be a fresh leek to be harvested."

"Didn't you turn things around again?"

Ning Yiling was taken aback by his words, but stubbornly insisted, "I'll turn things around eventually, but not now..."

"Then where did you get the money?" Ning Yuan was completely dumbfounded. The stock market hadn't recovered, and the little leek spirit was still the same little leek spirit... How did this guy suddenly become rich?

"Why do you care so much..."

"Of course I'd make money with you! Sis, do you think I have a chance?"

Ning Yiling's reply was ruthless: "You've already lost your chance."

Next, Ning Yiling, in a slightly pitying tone, told Master Ning about a dream of sudden wealth—a dream he had had many times before, one that still moved him deeply upon waking. Master Ning listened, stunned, unable to react for a long time.

The stock market is a complete mess, so I'm thinking of selling my used computer to raise money. But while organizing the files on my old computer, I find a lot of Bitcoin that I bought years ago on the hard drive... This is the beginning of a wish-fulfillment novel!

How much is one Bitcoin now? Tens of thousands of US dollars, I guess?

What's next in the story? The house was bought as a secondhand property and then demolished for redevelopment, right?

My blood pressure is going up!

Ning Yuan's small hands trembled. Suddenly remembering something, he turned and ran towards the door without saying a word, looking like a professional contemplating dine and dash. Ning Yiling caught him with lightning speed.

What are you doing!

“I remember you sold me a used computer before. I need to go back and see if there’s any chance of getting rich quick.”

"Give me a break. The one I sold you was practically brand new! I didn't even use it for a week. How could there possibly be any coins stored in it?"

His dream of getting rich quick was shattered, and Ning Yuan sat down again in frustration.

"I can't believe you've become so rich after just a few days apart... Do Mom and Dad know about this?"

"We'll find out when the time comes."

"That's true... cough cough... my dear sister, how do you plan to spend such a huge sum of money?"

"Hey Ningyuan, get away from my legs!"

Although her words were full of resistance, her expression didn't show much disdain. The little tsundere looked at Ning Yuan's instantly obedient appearance with delight, and her little chin unconsciously tilted up even higher.

This guy's got some sense of reality, at least he knows when to back down. He finally realized there's no future in hanging out with those scheming girls!

I am the only true king!

Master Ning asked with a sincere expression, "Do you think I have the opportunity to experience the life of the wealthy with you?"

"That depends on your performance."

"How should we perform?"

Ning Yiling pondered for a moment, then clasped her hands and began to hum: "First of all, you should have less contact with those strange tea girls outside."

"Secondly, you must love and pamper your younger sister, never lie to her, keep all your promises to me, be sincere in every word you say to me, and unconditionally believe me. When I'm happy, you should be happy; when I'm unhappy, you should cheer me up and always think I'm the cutest..."

"Where did you get this 'sisterly chanting' from..." Master Ning stared in disbelief. "Stop chanting, Master Ning, stop chanting, stop chanting..."

"I read it in a novel... So tell me, will you follow it or not?"

Ning Yuan inwardly scoffed, "What kind of novel teaches this stuff?" He glanced at Xiao Ling'er's face and noticed that she seemed to be clenching her fists because of his hesitation. He quickly and righteously declared:

"These requirements are too simple. I've always held myself to these standards. Little Ling, could you give me a little more guidance? Otherwise, I won't feel secure clinging to this powerful figure."

Ning Yiling: "..."

Here it comes again, that unbearably hard feeling...

Chapter 127: The Full Moon Approaches, We Watch the Snow Together

The girl stared at Ning Yuan for a long time with an expression that looked like he was an idiot. After a while, she saw that he didn't seem guilty at all, so she couldn't help but sigh, as if she had been defeated by this guy's shamelessness.

"So, how have you been spending your money lately? What's it like to suddenly become rich? Is it like eating a jianbing (Chinese crepe) with all the toppings on it in the morning, and then throwing one away after another?"

"Ning Yuan, can't you use your imagination?"

"No, poverty has limited my imagination. Just like how I, in my simple and poor past, never knew there was another way to play Russian roulette..."

"What kind of game is it? Isn't it just a gambling game?"

"Ahem... It's nothing... I just don't really understand the lives of rich people..."

Ning Yiling looked away with a suspicious expression and casually replied, "I've been looking at properties recently."

Upon hearing this, Master Ning froze on the spot, a tear, bitter and barely perceptible, welled up in his eye.

My younger sister is already looking at properties... and I'm still basking in the small prize money and incentives from the short film competition... My vision is too narrow!

What kind of realistic, painful literature is this...? My sister might actually be living the life of a wish-fulfillment novel!

She starts by selling Bitcoin, accumulating initial capital, then buys real estate and shops, directly beginning her legendary and exhilarating life as a financial tycoon...

The chosen one is right beside me!

And she's my sister!

It's so sour, so incredibly sour...

"You...you're buying this house so you can move out of the school area?"

"No, I just bought it for fun."

Master Ning, having humiliated himself, became completely withdrawn. He felt that his low-level system might have only appeared because of Ning Yiling, the female protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel.

Lu Jiujiu? The bland and uninteresting life of a rich girl from beginning to end doesn't seem exciting enough, but the story of this little leek spirit's comeback is truly thrilling.

"Alright, let's not talk for now..." Ning Yuan raised his hand and said, "Let's keep in touch via message in a bottle for the next few days... I'll take you hiking after I've calmed down."

"How dare you! Have you forgotten what you just promised me?!" Ning Yiling glared at her, her eyebrows furrowing. "You can't lie to your sister just because you love and pamper her..."

"Alright, alright, stop nagging, Master Ning... I understand. I'll take you hiking to watch the sunrise this weekend, okay?"

"That's more like it," Ning Yiling said with satisfaction. "Should I inform Lu Jiujiu for you?"

"No need, I'll tell her... Remember to tidy up your things, don't forget anything..." Ning Yuan casually reminded her, then seemed to remember something and said helplessly, "Forget it, I'll go back with you. I'm afraid that idiot won't remember if I don't tell Lu Jiujiu in person."

……

On the other side, at the library.

Jiang Xihua and Gu Xihua sat facing each other, gazing at one another. Miss Manyue looked at Gu Guanxue with a calm expression, seemingly having no intention of speaking first.

"Hey... I'm older than you, aren't I? Why are you being so cold to your older sister? We haven't seen each other in so long!"

"To be precise, I am eleven minutes and three seconds older than you."

"I wasn't talking about age~" Gu Xihua blinked and puffed out her chest as if by accident, which made Jiang Xihua's face darken and her fists under the table harden.

This guy and Ning Yuan are practically identical, aren't they? Long-lost siblings?

If it weren't for the fact that she had grown up with this seemingly unconventional young lady for so many years, Jiang Manyue might have actually suspected that Gu Guanxue was adopted—their names were given by the same person, supposedly inspired by a poem by Bai Juyi:

Green Ant New Distillery, red clay small stove.

The sky threatens snow as evening approaches; shall we share a cup?

A full moon is approaching, let's watch the snow together?

Against this backdrop of platonic friendship, Gu Xihua and Jiang Xihua failed to become lifelong best friends as their families had hoped. Instead, they ended up in this strange situation: they grew up together, yet they rarely saw each other, even though they were in the same school.

One observes the world, the other plays with it; their paths diverge, so naturally they cannot work together. Jiang Manyue had thought Gu Guanxue would wait a few more days before losing patience and coming to find her, but she never expected the two to meet so soon.

It seems this guy has changed quite a bit since he met that unreliable guy.

“Manyue, you’ve changed…” Before Jiang Xihua could speak, Gu Guanxue began to lament sadly, “You were never this irritable before… For a moment just now, I thought you were going to strangle me…”

Jiang Manyue: "..."

"So it really is because she's been spending too much time with Ning Yuan that she's been influenced? Tsk tsk tsk... That guy is such a troublemaker, don't you think, Xiao Manyue?"

"Oh? Really? I think he's a nice guy." Jiang Manyue smiled. "Did you need something?"