Chapter 361: Why Did They All Come?

When Yu Lin returned from the orphanage, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

The summer night breeze carried a lingering heat, rustling the lush street trees on both sides with a soft rustle. The street lamps cast a dim yellow light, stretching long shadows on the ground.

The traffic on the street was much sparser than during the day, yet vehicles still streaked by with trailing lights.

Most shops along the street kept their lights on; the WhiteLight of the convenience store and the warm light of the eateries intertwined, illuminating the occasional pedestrians; occasionally, the clamor from roadside stalls and the aroma of cooking food drifted out, adding a touch of lively atmosphere to the night.

Yu Lin was in a good mood, humming an off‑key tune, carrying a few bags of loot he'd swept up from the nearby snack street; the mixed aromas whetted the appetite.

He leisurely turned onto the relatively quiet street that led to his residential complex.

Soon he saw the familiar gate of the complex.

The automatic gate at the entrance stood silently, the guard booth lit up, and one could vaguely see a security uncle inside looking at his phone.

Yu Lin, as usual, walked in naturally.

However, the moment his foot stepped into the complex and the gate behind him began to close slowly, an inexplicable, almost instinctive sense of alertness suddenly surfaced.

Yu Lin's steps halted abruptly, the ease on his face instantly vanished, and without any hesitation he turned to retrace his steps, as if a ferocious flood beast lurked inside the complex.

But just as he turned and hadn't taken a step, a crisp, clean voice with a faint hint of lingering melancholy came from behind him:

"Where are you going, brother? Not coming home so late…"

That voice… Yu Lin's scalp tingled slightly.

Before he could explain, from the shadowed side of the guard booth another tall, graceful figure stepped out, perfectly blocking his way out.

Moonlight and the streetlamp's glow outlined her flawless silhouette; she wore a half‑smile, but her eyes held a hint of hostility:

"Indeed." she replied, her voice pleasant: "One should stay home at night."

She stepped closer to Yu Lin, her red lips curling slightly:

"Are you hurrying away because you're afraid to see us, brother?"

Yu Lin looked at the woman approaching him; her beauty was striking, and in her brows and eyes one could faintly see traces of her younger self—she was Diao Chan.

The person behind her also came forward, forming a pincer with Diao Chan, fully entering Yu Lin's view.

Li Ya.

Her temperament differed completely from Diao Chan's gentle charm, bearing a wildness and heroic spirit.

Yu Lin: "…………"

He was silent for a second, then his face instantly shifted to an exceedingly natural, even slightly surprised expression, raising the snack bag in his hand:

"Ah, what a coincidence, Li Ya, Diao Chan, have you eaten? I just bought something, come on, let's go home and eat."

After speaking, he turned again with utmost ease, as if the hurried person earlier weren't him, striding purposefully toward his building, his steps noticeably faster than usual.

Behind him, Li Ya and Diao Chan didn't block him further, but they exchanged a glance, their eyes colliding in the air, almost sparking.

"Did you hear that?" Li Ya lifted her chin slightly, with a hint of smugness:

"You called my name first, brother!"

Diao Chan let out a light hum, her beautiful eyes flashing: "So what? I met him before you!"

"Who said that? It was clearly me! I warn you, don't…"

"What's wrong with me? Don't think about a single person…"

The two whispered to each other while still keeping pace with Yu Lin's steps.

Regarding the gunpowder‑laden whispers behind him, Yu Lin pretended not to hear, merely quickening his pace without looking aside, thinking to himself: thank goodness Ning Ya isn't here today.

Otherwise, given her temperament, she would definitely intervene.

It has nothing to do with romance; it's simply adding spice.

【8】 At last, he arrived at his door without incident; just as Yu Lin reached for his key, he found the door ajar, never actually closed!

Finally, after a close call, he arrived at the door; Yu Lin just reached for his key, but found the door was ajar, not closed at all!

His heart gave a sudden thump, thinking something was wrong.

Could it be inside…?

He pushed the door open, and the living‑room light poured out.

On the sofa, Shi Koudi sat cross‑legged, crunch! crunch! as she ate, cradling a bag of chips, eyes fixed on the Marvel movie playing on the TV screen.

Seeing Yu Lin come in, Shi Koudi finally set the chip bag down, rose from the sofa, and beamed: "Yu Lin, you're back?!"

Seeing it was Shi Koudi, Yu Lin instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily, yes, at least she's low‑maintenance and won't bring that weird Asura atmosphere like some others.

He placed the snack on the living‑room table and casually asked, "How did you get here?"

"Any recent exchanges between Northern Europe and Xia Guo?"

Shi Koudi shook her head: "Nope."

"I just wanted to come over and hang out with you."

"I happened to run into Li Ya, and… that sister you just met?"

"Why do you always bring a kid wherever you go? Do you have a weird habit?"

Yu Lin: ".........."

"You don't get it, you don't get it, this is fate, fate!"

"Alright, don't babble later, just watch your movie."

He handed over a flatbread, trying to shut Shi Koudi's mouth.

Because Diao Chan and Li Ya had already walked in.

They sat on his left and right.

One grabbed a grilled lamb skewer, the other a fried chicken wing, and both handed them to Yu Lin, laughing:

"Brother, eat mine."

"This one's not tasty, just eat mine instead, come on, open your mouth............"

An ordinary person faced with this scene would surely be at a loss.

But Yu Lin is not an ordinary person.

He enlarged his head, opened his huge mouth, and directly shoved the two joint signatures into it, chewed a few times, then swallowed.

"Mmm, I've eaten, I've eaten, I don't need you to feed me."

"Alright, alright, you eat too, you eat too."

"I don't have any vacant rooms here right now; later I'll open a hotel for you, you......"

Before he could finish, the two of them simultaneously pulled out bedding and in unison said:

"It's fine, we can sleep on the floor!"

Even Shi Koudi weakly raised a hand: "Then, I'll sleep on the sofa."

Yu Lin: "........."

Headache.

If this continues, next time he'll have to collect a little boy, hmm.......... feels a bit off?

Forget it, we'll talk about it later.