A Match Made in Heaven

"You're quick to lecture us, but what about yourself?" Adele raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you noticed areas where you need to improve too?" Xiu blinked. "Wait, me too?" "Of course. For example, now that you've caused trouble, aren't you afraid your girlfriend will despise you?" Adele said. "We might not be afraid of her, but Iris does wield some influence. Not just anyone dares to cross her!" "Well..." Xiu scratched his head. "I don't think there's any need to worry about that..." "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You might know a lot about sorcery factions, but when it comes to romantic relationships, you're still far too naive." Adele adopted a worldly, experienced tone. "Love can't withstand tests!" "It's not about how serious this incident is. Rather, once you start bringing negative consequences upon her, she'll begin to doubt whether you're worth relying on and worth sacrificing for. She might even wonder whether someone who gets dragged into trouble out of nowhere like you is truly a suitable partner!" Getting dragged into trouble out of nowhere... Xiu's eyebrows twitched wildly, and he sighed deeply with heartfelt resonance. "Still, we did drag you into this after all, so if you end up with trouble, we share the responsibility." Adele changed the subject smoothly. "Let's exchange contact info! If you ever need help in the future, you can always ask Lois or Ingrid." Lois: "?" Ingrid: "?" "Lois is super wealthy! Her family's combat outfit business holds forty percent of the market share. What's more, she's an only daughter, and she's a sorcerer herself, so she's bound to become an up-and-coming noble in the future." Adele threw an arm familiarly over Xiu's shoulder and sighed, "Ah, who knows who'll be lucky enough to win Lois's favor? Whoever becomes her partner will skyrocket straight to the top. Plus, she's gorgeous—back in first year, she received so many bouquets they couldn't even fit in the dorm. "Ingrid might not be as rich as Lois, but she's a student of Sanctuary Sorcerer Trozan! People say she has the potential to break through to Sanctuary, and she's bound to become a Sanctuary sorcerer sooner or later! Without exception, all Sanctuary sorcerers are nobles—she might even become a Court Noble. Just look at Ingrid; she's completely devoted to swordsmanship, so she'll definitely need an attentive partner to handle mundane daily affairs in the future. And let me tell you, even though Ingrid keeps herself well-covered, her figure is unexpectedly amazing..." As she rambled on, she glanced back and winked furiously at her roommates, wearing a look that practically screamed, *Praise me, quick!* If nothing else, Adele genuinely had the talent of a mind sorcerer—she had picked up on her roommates' burgeoning thoughts almost instantly. Even though Xiu was an outsider and not a sorcerer, the decisiveness and courage he showed during the conflict, combined with the confidence and charm radiating from his conversations, were more than enough to overlook his shortcomings. They were all women who held control over their own marriages. Compared to material wealth, true love held far greater appeal for them. And Xiu had already proven his devotion to love—while it was a slight pity they wouldn't be his first love, directly claiming a fully polished, high-spec partner wasn't bad at all! Lois's face flushed crimson with rage, wishing she could blast Adele's head off with a jet of Rushing Torrent. Yet, not daring to show it openly, she tugged on Ingrid's arm, hoping they could unite against a common foe and stop Adele's embarrassing display. However, Ingrid had her head down, lost in thought, paying her no mind. "And what about you?" Xiu suddenly asked with a smile. "Me?" Adele froze, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "I have a fiancé." "I also have a girlfriend." Xiu mirrored her defensive posture. "So I appreciate the kind offer, but to keep my girlfriend from getting jealous, I need to minimize contact with other women as much as possible." "That's the wrong way of thinking!" Adele declared self-righteously. "It's precisely because you're in a relationship that you should interact with more different women! That's how you'll understand your girlfriend's feelings! As long as your intentions are pure, your girlfriend is the one who should reflect on herself. Everyone needs their own social circle." Lois and Ingrid exchanged a look—they both remembered how, not long ago, Adele had thrown a fit all night just because an unknown woman appeared in her fiancé's chat log. "Besides, not all relationships end happily ever after. If one party has malicious motives, the ending might just be a tragedy," Adele said pointedly. "For instance... for instance, one of my roommates—her lover is a total scumbag, a bastard, an utter loudmouthed jerk who toys with women's feelings!" Xiu looked at her in shock. "How do you know?" "I can tell at a single glance. Anyone can see that type is a scumbag." Adele huffed, then sighed. "Unfortunately, I found out too late, and I don't have the chance to talk sense into her anymore. If she were standing in front of me right now, then as the operating officer of the Paw Stretching Club, I would chew her out and wake her up to show her that scumbag's true colors!" By then, they had arrived at Building 21. As a female dormitory, naturally, not even a male Lalafell could enter. But with Lois and the other two escorting him, the sole male in the group slipped past unnoticed. "Maybe things aren't what they seem," Xiu offered feebly. "Maybe he wasn't toying with her feelings..." Adele grew anxious. Why was this guy still refusing to admit his girlfriend was playing him? "You're just too inexperienced. You don't know how murky the waters run in the city. That's why you need to chat more with pretty girls—so you can see through romantic traps." Adele glanced back at the other two. "We're not trying to meddle in your relationship, either. We're just helping you analyze what a normal couple looks like..." Lois's heart stirred. Her pride wouldn't permit her to steal someone else's man, but if it was merely helping someone escape a toxic relationship... She turned to look at Ingrid, only to catch Ingrid looking right back at her. The two instinctively averted their eyes in opposite directions as the atmosphere turned delicate. Reaching the third floor, Adele noticed Xiu was still following them and said in surprise, "Your girlfriend lives on this floor too?" "Yeah." "Then we'll put in a good word for you in a bit so your girlfriend doesn't blame you for offending Iris," Adele chuckled. "Speaking of which, you were truly amazing back there, scaring Iris to tears with a gun loaded with blanks!" Hm?! Lois and Ingrid noticed something amiss at the same time. The gun belonged to Iris—if it had been loaded with blanks, why would Iris be terrified? There was only one explanation: Iris knew her gun had been loaded with live rounds! Ingrid recalled even more details: her Sword Body Barrier perfectly withstanding the Two-Wing shield-axe sorcerer's Thunder Discharge; her sudden god-like prowess when tearing through the shield-axe sorcerer afterward; and... Her meticulously tempered swordsmanship fundamentals being recognized at a single glance. "Huh? The door isn't locked?" Adele pushed open their dorm room door, turning back to Xiu outside with a giggle. "Want to see what a female college student's dorm looks like?" Xiu nodded cheerfully, waiting for them to step inside before entering himself, casually shutting the door behind him. The girls were startled. Right then, the hinges of the balcony door creaked softly. Wind and snow blew in with a whoosh, yet it wasn't cold at all. They turned their heads and saw a familiar red-haired girl standing before their eyes. A light screen still hovered in front of her; she seemed to have been watching shows outside just moments ago. Unlike Adele, who liked to curl up in bed watching dramas alone, she preferred lounging on the sofa chair on the balcony, enjoying the night view alongside a good show. "So..." Adele instinctively clamped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying out. "Sonia?!" Sonia opened her arms toward them, her eyes narrowing happily into crescents, crinkled with pure delight. She stepped forward and hugged them all tightly, spinning around the dorm room in her excitement. Lois was practically incoherent. "Why are you—all of Jialesi is looking for you right now—it's dangerous for you—" "Let's have some milk tea first." The only male in the girls' dorm retrieved cups of full-sugar milk tea from the thermal bag one by one. "Succulent Grape with cheese foam is for Lois; large pudding milk tea with coconut jelly is for Adele; lemon tea is for Ingrid; and mine is the same as yours..." "Yay, I haven't had this in so long!" Sonia bounded over elatedly, unwrapped a straw, plunged it into the cup, and handed it to him first. Once he took a sip, she immediately asked, "How is it?" "A bit too sweet," he answered honestly. "Good, though." "You'll think it's too sweet at first, but you'll get addicted real fast." Sonia cupped the milk tea, casually brushing the snowflakes from his shoulder. Chewing on her straw, she smiled. "Just like me." Seeing this scene, Lois and Ingrid already understood in their hearts. Only Adele asked foolishly, "Sonia, who... who is he?" "Huh? I saw you all come back together, so I assumed you'd already introduced yourselves. "Haven't you always wanted to know who my lover is?" Sonia introduced him graciously, "My lover, Yaxiu Heath... though I suppose you already know him from the news." "Sorry." Yaxiu blinked. "It really wasn't convenient for me to reveal my identity out there..." Adele froze for several seconds, then suddenly inhaled deeply, clapped her hands together forcefully, and said with utter sincerity: "You two are truly a match made in heaven! Don't let any outside gossip affect you, ever!" Yaxiu burst out laughing, while Lois and Ingrid stared at Adele in speechless disbelief. What happened to chewing out the scumbag the moment she met him? Where did your backbone as the operating officer of the Paw Stretching Club go?