Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

"Oh yeah!"

"Zhao Pinlin, you're the best!"

"Damn, I have never lived in a mansion like this!"

The crowd cheered as they circled around the man called Zhao Pinlin and expressed their joy.

Zhao Pinlin seemed to enjoy being in the limelight. He was wearing a smile all the time.

He unconsciously glanced at the back of the bus and saw Rong Sheng talking to someone. He immediately made his way over.

"Rong Sheng, are they your friends?" asked Zhao Pinlin.

The truth was, Zhao Pinlin already noticed the glamorous woman with an icy aura sitting at the back when he first entered the bus. Beside her sat an adorable girl, like a lotus flower that had just risen from under the water. It was almost impossible to ignore their presence when they were sitting together, since they were just too eye-catching.

Unfortunately, they were already accompanied by a man. Zhao Pinlin was unable to find the right opportunity to approach them.

As soon as he saw Rong Sheng chatting with them, he immediately took hold of the chance.

"Oh, I just met them. They are going to Pingyi Town too, so we were just chatting," Rong Sheng seemed to be an honest man. He rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"We are all around the same age. It's more exciting when there are more people. Why don't you three come with us? I already asked the manager of the holiday cottage to arrange a few extra rooms for my friends, but some of them couldn't make it. It will be a waste if no one is living in the rooms," Zhao Pinlin soon came up with a brilliant idea. He warmly invited them to stay at the mansion.

"I don't think that's a great idea?" replied Mo Fan in a slightly troubled voice.

Mu Ningxue remained silent as usual. She usually would not respond in a discussion that involved multiple people, unless someone was talking to her directly.

Zhao Pinlin was slightly disappointed at Mu Ningxue's calm reaction. However, he was rather confident in himself. After all, most women were only reserved on the surface. If he found the right opportunity, he could easily earn their affection!

"I want to stay in the mansion!" Lingling's eyes glittered like an innocent little girl.

Zhao Pinlin smiled. Adults would usually act reserved after receiving the invitation, but a little girl would express her real thoughts. It seemed like the man had only come from a normal background. He had never brought the girls to live in such a classy and stylish hotel.

Zhao Pinlin was indeed a sociable person. He quickly added with a smile before Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue could react, "Of course you can, I can even give you a room facing the lake. The view is absolutely stunning when you pull the curtains open."

Convincing the loli would also mean convincing the other two!

"Really... but won't we be disturbing you?" Lingling was already blushing.

"I'm serious, it's an honor to have such a cute girl like you as a guest. Why would you be disturbing us?" said Zhao Pinlin.

----

Zhao Pinlin returned to his seat, all full of smiles. Mu Ningxue was rather confused; she did not understand why Lingling wanted to stick with the group.

Lingling the little loli was quicker at changing her expression than flipping a page. She immediately turned into a languid, cunning fox as she explained, "I heard their destination is the same as us. The Black Vatican will be alerted if only the three of us are investigating the suspicious places, but if we follow the group, we will be perfectly safe even though we might visit some places that we aren't supposed to. The Black Vatican might be suspicious toward a few young faces if they might think we are some probationary members of the Enforcement Union sent here to investigate them, but they will never doubt a bunch of simple-minded young adults on a holiday..."

Mo Fan nodded. As the little loli mentioned, if they were blatantly visiting suspicious places, they would be exposed easily. The heavens knew where the people of the Black Vatican were hiding. Even the Enforcement Union was scared to act rashly as it might alert the enemy. They clearly believed that the Black Vatican had strict surveillance around the place.

----

"Pinlin, come, come in quick," a middle-aged man in a suit walked out from the entrance with a smile.

The middle-aged man was followed by five bell boys. They were all dressed in the same uniform with a red felt cap, and politely offered to carry the group's luggage.

"There's no need to check-in, just bring them to their rooms," the manager told the bell boys.

It was obvious that some among the group had come from a normal background. They had never enjoyed such treatment, nor had they stayed in such a classy place before. Their faces were full of excitement.

"We're hungry. Old Ji, is lunch ready?" asked Zhao Pinlin.

"Sure, of course; this way please..." the manager continued to lead the way with a smile.

"Why aren't we using that one?" asked Zhao Pinlin. His eyes were looking at the dining room with French windows and white curtains.

"That room is already taken. This one is the same too..." said the manager.

He led the group to another dining room, but its vision, location, and style were not as great as the one before. However, it was impressive enough for those from not-so-wealthy families...they had never seen anything like the three waitresses in heels and tight skirts purposely appointed to serve their meal.

"You can sit anywhere you like." Zhao Pinlin was not too happy, but he did not show it.

He wanted to show them the dining room with the spectacular view and French windows to his classmates, but it was already occupied even though he purposely asked the manager to reserve it.

Most importantly, those people had closed the curtains as they were having their meal. What was the point of them taking the room?

When Zhao Pinlin left the dining room, he immediately dragged the manager over and asked him about it.

The manager was troubled too. He lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Zhao, I provided you and your classmates with utmost welcome, but you have to know there are other respectable guests in our hotel too. Please bear with me, we'll arrange the room for you tomorrow."

"Who are those people?" Zhao Pinlin didn't seem very satisfied.

"Suppliers of magic equipment for the military!" answered the manager.

"Them? Why are they here?"

"Master Mintian is giving a speech in five days. Initially, all our rooms were fully booked by the people who came to attend it. It took me some time to arrange the rooms for you."

"Who the hell is Master Mintian?" Zhao Pinlin was confused. He had never heard the name before.

"Oh...oh my, mister, please don't say that. Don't let the others hear you. You're going to find yourself in trouble. He's a remarkable academic, a wise man," said the manager.

"Forget it, I have no interest in him, either. Just make sure you reserve the room for me tomorrow," said Zhao Pinlin.

"Sure, not a problem!"