"How about this: I'll have someone team up with you to level up, that way it'll be faster. Out of the few of us, who do you choose?"
I have to admit, Xu Lin really thought very highly of me, practically putting my needs at the top of the family's priorities.
I looked around at the various girls, weighing my options left and right:
Xu Lin was out. She was the boss, and ordering her around wouldn't be very convenient. If she happened to lose her temper, I'd definitely be in deep trouble.
Xinyu was out, too. Her gaming skills might be fine, but her psychological issues were way too serious. If she suddenly went wild in the game and stripped off all her clothes, I'd be humiliated along with her, and I didn't want to get too close to her anyway—after all, when she started acting up, it wasn't something the average person could handle.
Li Qing was even more out of the question. She was mentally unstable and often encouraged clients to do things without protection. Having such an unprincipled woman by my side was simply too dangerous!
...
Looking back and forth, only Lu Xuehan was worth considering. At least she suited my tastes.
Xu Lin smiled and said, "Want to pick Xuehan, is that it? Fine by me. She's a Priest, so that'll save on potions!"
I nodded, and my pairing with Lu Xuehan was thus settled.
Dinner was fairly lavish. At Xu Lin's instigation, Xinyu had actually whipped up a meal that made everyone's mouths water the moment they smelled it. This came as a huge surprise to me; I never would have imagined that besides being good at cheating on people, Xinyu actually had such a knack for cooking. If it weren't for her lack of virginity, marrying her and bringing her home would actually be quite practical.
Xu Lin smiled brightly as she poured a glass of red wine for everyone, then raised her cup and said, "To our family making a grand showing in Yueheng, let's have a toast first!"
"Cheers!"
Xinyu smiled and said, "What should our family name be? We should figure that out first."
Xu Lin was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Almost forgot. Does anyone have any good ideas? A two-character family name?"
"Roses? The Rose Legion, how about that?"
"Stop daydreaming. I think 'Reflecting Moon' sounds better!"
"Come on, isn't 'New Moon' even better?"
...
After discussing for a long time without reaching a conclusion, Xu Lin finally looked at me and asked, "Xiaolin, what do you say?"
I thought for a moment and said, "As long as the name is easy to remember, being flashy doesn't matter. We're just in it for the money, not to conquer the world."
Seeing Xu Lin nod, I continued, "Generally speaking, a name should either be terribly refined or terribly vulgar. Too much refinement makes people annoyed, while too much vulgarity makes people nauseous. So a name that's neither refined nor vulgar is actually suited for a money-grubbing little group like ours."
Xu Lin nodded again and asked, "What kind of name do you think is neither refined nor vulgar? Two characters."
"Hmm..." I pondered for a moment, looked up at Xu Lin, and said, "Qingcai, how about that?"
Xu Lin froze on the spot, but before long, she firmly declared, "Good, our family will be called Qingcai Family!"
It was useless for Xinyu to object anymore, because the boss had agreed.
I smiled inwardly, a ridiculous scene already taking shape in my mind: myself clad in silver Warrior armor, wielding a divine sword with all-stats, leading a group of young ladies into the world of Yueheng while chanting, "We are pests, we are pests!", stepping countless noobs underfoot, and laughing wildly!
Everyone ate fast, to the point that some finished before the soup was even ready. Seeing me put down my bowl and chopsticks, Lu Xuehan immediately ran over, tugged on my sleeve, and whispered, "Lin Fan, can you help me install my gaming equipment in the second room on the right? I want to try it out first."
I looked at the room I had just been assigned and said in surprise, "Wait, isn't that room mine?"
"Didn't Sister Xu just say she's putting me in the same room as you?" Lu Xuehan widened her watery eyes, looking completely baffled.
A fresh, lovely girl like her sleeping in the same room as me?
It would be a miracle if nothing happened!
I glanced at Xu Lin, who was looking at me with a teasing expression, and said seriously to Lu Xuehan, "She was just joking. You should ask her again which room she actually assigned you to."
Xu Lin had naturally heard this, and seeing me kick the ball back to her, she immediately glared at me before speaking gently to Lu Xuehan, "Xuehan, you saw it too, the other three rooms have already been taken by those guys. How about this: there's a loft study right next to Xiaolin's room, you can sleep in there. As for the gaming setup, look, the living room is so spacious, and we rarely get visitors here anyway. Why don't you just bear with it a bit and set up your equipment next to the living room sofa? Playing games while sitting on the sofa can be quite a treat."
Lu Xuehan had never been one to assert herself, and what Xu Lin said made sense, so she agreed without much thought.
The rest was quite simple. I used Lu Xuehan's set of equipment to demonstrate how to assemble it in the living room. The computer tower was already pre-assembled, and the connection cables for the virtual helmet and the host unit were labeled. To put it bluntly, it was plug-and-play. What interested me the most was the dedicated gaming keyboard for Yueheng. Unlike traditional keyboards, Yueheng's keyboard consisted of an LCD sensor panel. When the power wasn't turned on, it just looked like a uniquely shaped piece of glass. But the moment I plugged it in, it instantly transformed into an operating panel flashing with a bluish-green light. Touching it with my fingers felt strangely wonderful. I had never touched a woman's breasts, but I dared swear on my grandmother's grave that this felt better than a breast!
Clapping my hands to signal we were done, I turned back to the other girls and said, "Alright, everyone try it out first. The mainframe comes pre-installed with a set of tutorial minigames—make sure you play them first so you don't panic when the game starts!"
My words had quite an effect; several of the girls immediately grabbed their gear with excitement and dashed into their rooms. Xu Lin smiled and said, "Everyone's account is already engraved on their helmet. The first time you put on the helmet, it will prompt you for an iris lock, so there's no need to worry about account hacking in the future."
"Alright, I'm going to go lock the front door. Call me tomorrow when you go out shopping."
...