Both ends of the line fell silent. Rian Sinclair was waiting to hear Ash Sinclair’s response, but Ash was simply rendered speechless by her big talk.
After a long while, Ash finally said, "Rian, did you win hundreds of millions of virtual coins in a mobile poker game or did you just win a game of Monopoly?"
The Rian that Ash knew had always been serious. Since she was suddenly cracking a joke, he tried his best to play along.
Rian didn’t elaborate. She simply snapped a picture of the property deed and sent it to him. A moment later, Ash’s voice suddenly spiked in pitch.
"Holy crap, Rian, is this real? Did you just grab a random picture online to mess with me? Or did you seriously become a billionaire?"
Ash’s voice trembled slightly. When Rian confirmed it once more, he let out a loud scream. "AARGH!"
Just as Rian was about to speak, a stern, authoritative male voice boomed through the phone. "You there! Which class are you in? Using your phone during school hours! Who is your homeroom teacher?"
A flurry of hurried footsteps followed. After a long while, Ash’s panting voice returned. "Holy crap, the dean of students is relentless. I had to run halfway across campus to shake him off."
Ash asked Rian to confirm the news one more time. Once he got his final reassurance, he hurriedly yelled, "Wait for me!" and hung up before she could say another word.
Looking at the disconnected call screen, Rian knew her impulsive brother was racing back home. She figured it was a good time for him to come back and help pack up for the move anyway, though she suspected she’d probably end up getting called into his school over this.
On the other end, Ash wasn’t thinking about the consequences at all; he just wanted to get home and verify if this was real. Meanwhile, Rian hailed a cab and headed toward the apartment they had called home for the past three years. When she arrived at the complex gate, another car pulled up right next to hers. It was Ash.
Ash spotted her too. He waved frantically like a total idiot, paid his fare on his phone, and hopped out of the car. "Rian! Over here, over here!"
Seeing her tall, goofy brother, Rian smiled and walked over to him.
[DING! Spending target detected! Appearance rating: 90 points. Meets spending requirements. Host, please tip as soon as possible to receive cashback!]
Affection value: [100] (Note: Overflowing affection from a relative does not meet the requirements to be converted into attribute points.)
Prompted by the system’s voice, Rian finally took a good look at Ash’s face. Who would have thought this ugly brat actually scored a 90 in appearance? She genuinely didn’t think he was that handsome. Maybe she had just grown tired of looking at him for the past dozen years?
Beside her, Ash started to feel a bit panicked under her intense gaze. After all, she was three years older than him, and the memories of the severe beatings he’d suffered at her hands whenever he was mischievous as a child were still fresh in his mind. Even now, a single look from her could still scare him.
He mentally reviewed every single offense he had ever committed against her in his life. "Did she find out about the time I forged her signature on my failed exam paper?" he wondered.
Just as Ash was about to confess and apologize, Rian spoke. "Ash, you’re not looking too shabby, kid."
Her tone terrified him. He was terrified she was going to suddenly smack him across the back of the head, just like when they were kids.
Rian was baffled by his dramatic, brace-for-impact expression. She kicked him lightly in the butt. "What are you standing around for? Let’s go pack up."
A wave of relief washed over Ash, and he joyfully rubbed his kicked backside. "I thought I was going to get smacked in the head," he thought, instantly feeling at ease. "If it’s just a kick, then everything’s perfectly fine."
Rian had no idea what he was thinking. If she did, she definitely would have smacked him across the head. After walking a few steps, she looked back to see him still grinning like a creep. "Are your feet superglued to the ground or something?" she shouted.
Snapped back to reality by her voice, Ash hurriedly jogged over to Rian. "Okay, okay. Let’s hurry up and move. I really can’t stand the landlady’s son anymore."
Hearing Ash bring up Rocco, Rian didn’t want to dwell on it. After all, that guy wasn’t just dense and lacking a few brain cells—he was an absolute hooligan.
Rian pushed away Ash’s clinging hands in disgust. The two of them arrived at the base of their apartment building. The entire complex consisted of old, five-story walk-ups. The staircases were bare concrete, and large patches of white paint had peeled off the walls.
They headed upstairs and unlocked the door to the apartment they had called home for three years. Rian had originally decided to move out here with Ash because her university dorms were terrible. Plus, Ash had gotten accepted into her old high school, and this complex was conveniently located nearby.
It made sense for both her university life and her part-time jobs. Although the area was run-down, it was surrounded by storefronts that were frequently hiring. Because of its prime location, the rent for this tiny place in Argent still came out to 3,600 a month.
The entire apartment was only about forty square meters, but it was cozy. Rian and Ash had painstakingly furnished and arranged everything inside it together.
The home appliances came with the apartment. Once they started packing, they realized the only things they actually owned were books, clothes, bedding, and some tableware.
Rian stared quietly at their meager belongings. Ash was about to start hauling things downstairs, but she stopped him.
"Just throw away whatever we don’t absolutely need. Consider it a proper farewell to our old life."
Her voice was soft. She had bought most of these things with her own hard-earned money, but she knew their lives were only going to get better from here on out. It was time to let go of the past.
Although Ash was usually dense, he sensed her emotional shift. He carefully selected a few sentimental or essential items to keep, then took the rest downstairs to throw away.
Rian looked at their final packed belongings—they took up exactly two suitcases. Two people, three years of life, all boiled down to two suitcases. She smiled softly and carried her luggage downstairs.
Ash wordlessly took the suitcase from her hands and carried it down the stairs. Watching her brother’s back, Rian felt a sense of peace wash over her. As long as the two of them lived well from now on, that was all that mattered.
Seeing that her mood had brightened, Ash started joking around with her again, recounting funny stories about his classmates. In return, Rian fabricated a believable lie to explain where her sudden wealth had come from.
Ash had hailed a car while they walked. Just as they reached the main road, their ride pulled up. They climbed into the backseat, and as the car accelerated, the familiar dingy alleyway vanished from view behind them.
Rian gazed out the window at the passing scenery, her past life flashing through her mind like a rapid montage.
Along the way, Rian received three friend requests on WeChat. One was from Miro, the gaming streamer from last night. Another was from Bamboo, the male streamer she had PK’d against. The third was from Jessica, the female streamer who had lost the PK match to her.
Out of the three of them, Rian held a much more favorable impression of the sexy beauty, Jessica, compared to the two men. After all, who didn’t enjoy watching a gorgeous woman dance?
More importantly, who could possibly refuse a gorgeous girl dancing exclusively for them?