Chapter 60 The Sweet Dream of Sleeping Together Under One Quilt

It was soon around nine o'clock in the evening.

After enjoying a lavish dinner, Xiao Ran, accompanied by Irene and Fang Yufei, returned to the apartment building while chatting and laughing merrily.

Fang Yufei was planning to stay here tonight, intending to talk all night long with Irene by candlelight.

Anthony and Sam had not left; they had been tailing Xiao Ran the entire time. For safety's sake, one of them would stay here every night for the next few days just in case. They would only leave and resume their normal routines once Xiao Ran was completely safe.

As soon as they stepped into the apartment building, Xiao Ran ran into a few acquaintances.

They were several Chinese international students standing in the first-floor lobby, chatting and laughing, seemingly waiting for someone.

Seeing Xiao Ran walk in with Fang Yufei and Irene, the guys instantly froze, a flash of envy welling up in their eyes.

Whether it was Fang Yufei or Irene, both were rare beauties possessing a unique blend of Eastern and Western charm. How could anyone not feel envious seeing a man flanked by two such distinct and mesmerizing women?

"Bloody hell, it's so good to be rich! He gets to hold beauties of that caliber in both arms!" the international students muttered inwardly in unison.

By this time, Xiao Ran had already noticed them and walked over.

"Liangzi, what are you guys doing standing around here?" Xiao Ran greeted them.

These guys were all international students from back home and also attended UCLA, so they knew Xiao Ran. They got along quite well, often hanging out to eat, drink, or play basketball together.

However, due to the special circumstances lately, everyone had been extra cautious. As a result, gatherings had virtually ceased, and since they weren't in the same department, it was rare for them to run into each other.

Before his voice faded, Xiao Ran had already reached them.

The guys looked him up and down, then teased him with a smile:

"Xiao Ran, we haven't noticed any changes about you, so how on earth did you suddenly become an antique and artifact appraisal expert, unearthing one priceless treasure after another?"

"Especially you brat—you actually found a national-treasure-level antique that had been stolen for about fifty years and snapped it up at a dirt-cheap price like picking it up off the street. That is seriously badass!"

"But seriously, your action of immediately handing those national-level artifacts over to the Consulate General is truly admirable. Well done!"

Xiao Ran smiled faintly, shook his head, and exchanged a few polite pleasantries.

"What appraisal expert? Your buddy here just had some good luck recently and happened to stumble upon a few major finds."

"As for sending those national treasures to the Consulate General, it was merely for self-preservation. Those national-treasure-level artifacts are way too hot to handle; how could I possibly dare keep them in my hands?"

Liangzi and the others paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Those things are priceless, truly scorching hot. Getting rid of them early on was the right move."

"That may be so, but if it were anyone else, I doubt they'd have the heart to let them go!"

After exchanging a few casual remarks, the guys finally stated the purpose of their visit.

They had heard Xiao Ran was back and had agreed to come over together, hoping to catch up and chat with him. However, when they went upstairs and knocked on his door, there was no one inside. Their WeChat messages went unanswered, and as for Xiao Ran's new cell phone number which he had changed just last month, they didn't even have it.

Left with no other choice, they had to resort to the most primitive method and wait in the lobby.

They figured they would wait until around ten o'clock at night at the latest. If Xiao Ran still hadn't returned by then, they would head back to rest and try another day.

To their surprise, after waiting for half an hour, they actually managed to catch him.

After listening to their explanation, Xiao Ran quickly apologized:

"Didn't I want to avoid implicating everyone? I deleted WeChat a week ago and just haven't had the chance to download it again."

"I only changed my phone number last month, and since I had WeChat, I never thought to give everyone the new number."

Hearing this, the guys suddenly understood.

Immediately afterward, one of them lowered his voice and asked curiously:

"Xiao Ran, you're being so cautious—are you afraid the FBI will give you trouble? Have those guys looked for you?"

"I haven't broken the law; why would they look for trouble with me? The reason I'm being cautious is just to be prepared for any eventuality," Xiao Ran replied with a smiling shake of his head.

Before his voice trailed off, another guy abruptly chimed in:

"Xiao Ran, your livestream channel is massive now. Countless people want to join and tag along with you to hunt for treasures and pick up bargains in the US."

"We're friends, after all—you can't leave us out of a good thing like this, right?"

"Everyone wants to join your livestream and tag along just for fun. Who knows, maybe we could pick up a few minor treasures ourselves."

The rest of the guys chimed in and nodded in agreement.

In truth, this was their primary reason for rushing over here tonight.

However, Xiao Ran shook his head and turned down their request.

"You guys are welcome to join the livestream, and I'd be more than happy to have everyone tag along—the more the merrier."

"But right now is not the right time to join the livestream; I've temporarily disabled the joining channel."

"Aside from a few appraisal experts, no one else can join for the time being, especially you guys—you definitely can't join right now."

"I'm afraid of drawing the attention of certain individuals or departments in the US, or even being secretly monitored, so I daren't let you join the livestream."

Before he even finished speaking, the expressions on the guys' faces shifted.

Being prosecuted for one's speech was all too common in the United States. On the internet, the moment you posted any threatening remarks related to guns or race, you would instantly attract intense scrutiny.

That was the classic double standard: you can do it, but you're not allowed to talk about it!

Every year, quite a few international students were deported back to their home countries simply for running their mouths.

As for the fans of Xiao Ran's livestream, they were all back in the motherland, raised under the crimson flag!

Why would they care what Americans thought? They would say whatever felt satisfying, and denunciations of American bullies were everywhere.

Yet, students studying abroad dared not do such a thing; doing so risked interrupting their studies and facing direct deportation.

If Xiao Ran's livestream was genuinely being monitored by the US government, Liangzi and the others wouldn't dare join even if you paid them!

Having heard Xiao Ran's explanation, the guys instantly dismissed the idea.

Next, Xiao Ran introduced Irene and Fang Yufei, and both sides got acquainted.

Given his current unusual circumstances, he didn't invite the guys up to his apartment.

Just like that, they stood chatting for a little while longer before parting ways.

Xiao Ran took Irene and the girls upstairs, while Liangzi and his friends left the building and headed back to the UCLA campus just a stone's throw away.

Moments later, Xiao Ran was back in his apartment.

The moment he stepped inside, he secretly activated his X-ray vision and swept the apartment rapidly to check every corner.

Convinced it was safe, he stepped fully inside.

Irene's apartment next door was the same; he quickly scanned it with his X-ray vision before letting Irene and Fang Yufei step inside.

As soon as he entered, Xiao Ran headed straight for the bedroom, retrieved the two handguns from the wardrobe, and placed them within arm's reach to guard against any unforeseen danger.

Following that, he took out several magazines and boxes of ammunition, pressing the bullets into the magazines one by one until every single magazine was fully loaded.

Once that was done, he went to the bathroom to wash up and freshened up before returning to the living room to prepare for his livestream.

Since he had returned safely, he ought to make an announcement so all his fans could set their minds at ease.

Just at that moment, a series of knocks suddenly sounded at the door.

Xiao Ran immediately lifted his gaze toward the doorway.

The next instant, his sight pierced right through the security door and caught the scene outside.

It was Irene and Fang Yufei knocking on the door. Both of them wore slightly nervous expressions, and there was no one else in the corridor.

As he spotted the two beauties, Xiao Ran also caught sight of a breathtakingly gorgeous sight that made his blood race.

Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each possessed their own supreme beauty!

In a fraction of a second, Xiao Ran felt his body grow warm and his heart pound wildly.

He hastily calmed his emotions, swiftly stashing the two HK45 pistols and magazines away into the drawer of the nearby desk.

Afterward, he walked over to the door.

The moment he opened it, before he could even utter a word, Irene blurted out anxiously:

"Sean, we plan to stay in your apartment tonight. You have a gun, don't you? You can protect us."

"Because of those pinhole cameras this afternoon, I felt uneasy the moment I got back to my apartment. I kept feeling like someone was lurking in the shadows watching me."

Standing beside her, Fang Yufei nodded in agreement as well.

After all, they were two young women, and gorgeous ones at that; feeling frightened was only natural.

"Ah! You two want to stay in my apartment? Won't the three of us end up sleeping in the same giant bed then?"

"This happiness came so suddenly and so intensely, it caught me completely off guard!" Xiao Ran joked.

"Sleeping in the same giant bed? What are you dreaming about? Keep dreaming!"

"We get the bed, and you get the sofa. If you dare step even half a step into the bedroom, watch out or we'll chop you to pieces!"

The two beauties retorted with disdain.

With that, they pushed past Xiao Ran and strode into the apartment.

"This is my apartment, why on earth should I sleep on the sofa?"

"Besides, only by staying close to you can I protect you better!" Xiao Ran muttered playfully as he closed the front door behind them.