"Oh, right!" Ashley suddenly remembered something. "This house must’ve cost a lot. Do you have enough money? I saved up some more recently…" As she spoke, she pulled out her phone, ready to transfer money to Arthur. Arthur quickly grabbed her hand, stopping her. He placed the bank card she had given him back into her palm. Half-jokingly, he said, "Silly girl, we haven’t even known each other that long, and you’re already giving me so much money? Aren’t you afraid I’ll scam you?" Ashley blinked. Then, without hesitation, she shook her head. "Not afraid." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Why? How can you be so sure I won’t trick you?" Ashley lifted her chin proudly. "I trust my judgment." Arthur burst into laughter, his deep, carefree chuckle filling the warm little house. Still grinning, he added, "I’ve been making some money lately. I had enough for the house, so I don’t need your help." Ashley looked at him in surprise. "But this house must’ve cost a fortune. Where did you get that kind of money?" As she asked, a hint of worry crept into her expression. After all, in today’s world, there were plenty of scammers. Arthur was just a student—how could he possibly make that much money? Ashley was worried he’d gone down the wrong path. Arthur hesitated. If he told her he made it from trading stocks, she’d definitely lecture him again. After thinking for a bit, he decided to just play dumb. "Because I’m the chosen one!" Ashley stared at him, speechless. The chosen one can hand me cash now? Seeing that Arthur didn’t want to elaborate, she didn’t press further. She simply reminded him, "There are a lot of scammers out there these days. Be careful not to get tricked." Arthur nodded seriously. "I know. Don’t worry." Seeing that he was genuinely taking her words to heart, Ashley finally felt reassured. She glanced at the bank card in her hand, a hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes. She had originally wanted to help him buy the house so she’d have a reason to visit all the time…Arthur subtly let out a breath of relief when she dropped the subject. Taking her hand, he said, "From now on, I’ll be living here. Come by whenever you have time. I’ll cook for you and help you study. Sounds good?" Truthfully, Arthur wanted to say something else—something bolder. If you want, you could just move in with me. We could study together, prepare for the SATs together… But he was afraid of getting smacked, so he kept that thought to himself. She’s still young. No need to scare her off. I’ll take it slow. Ashley suddenly looked up, eyes shining with excitement. "Really?" Arthur paused. She was that happy? Ashley quickly realized her reaction was a little too obvious. She cleared her throat, trying to suppress her excitement. "I mean… wouldn’t that be inconvenient?" Arthur tensed up. Without even thinking, he blurted, "Convenient! Super convenient! You can come over anytime! You’re always welcome! In fact… in fact…" Ashley’s smile froze slightly. She tilted her head. "In fact, what?" Arthur hesitated. After a moment, he quickly changed his words. "Ahem… I mean, if you don’t want to stay in the dorms or if you ever need a place to crash, you can stay here." As he spoke, he panicked slightly and added, "Look, there are plenty of rooms! You can pick whichever one you like." Finally, Arthur made a solemn promise. "Don’t worry. I won’t do anything inappropriate!" Even with all his experience from his past life, Arthur’s ears still turned red as he said that. Ashley was gorgeous, with a killer figure to match. Arthur was still a hot-blooded teenage guy—if they really lived under the same roof, he couldn’t even imagine how much self-control he’d need to keep himself in check. Ashley’s face turned an alarming shade of red. Even her voice wobbled slightly. "W-Who said I was going to live here?!" Live here? Just standing in this house alone with Arthur already has me flustered—how could I actually move in? If I stayed here, wouldn’t that mean… we’d be living together? The thought sent her mind spiraling. Her face turned even redder. The temperature in the room seemed to rise as the atmosphere between them grew more and more charged. Arthur looked at Ashley’s flushed face, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. He swallowed hard. Right now, Ashley looked just like a delicate flower on the verge of blooming—her flushed face practically inviting him to make a move. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He didn’t want to hold back. In one swift motion, Arthur pulled her into his arms and crashed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply.