Two Goddess Dorm members plus the cute twins—this trip was truly something to anticipate.
Even if he couldn't hook up with Lily, Willow and Wynona were still very tempting. Just now Tyler had seen photos on Willow's Instagram. Both were, cuties—the type who looked petite but had very impressive figures. Willow had platinum blonde hair with tips dyed light blue, while Wynona had hers dyed pink.
Basically petite bombshells.
After fantasizing for a bit, Tyler suddenly remembered the main point and asked Arden, "Arden, I remember you got your license over summer, right?"
"I did."
"Then we'll rent a car and you can drive?"
"You've had this planned all along, haven't you?"
"Tsk, how can you call it planning? It's clearly mutual help between roommates! Look, we've got four gorgeous women joining us on this trip—it's a rare opportunity..."
Hearing the teasing in Arden's tone, Tyler felt embarrassed and tried to explain.
Arden couldn't be bothered arguing with him and waved dismissively. "It's fine, I get it. But no need to rent a car—I just bought one recently, so we can drive that."
"What? You bought a car?"
Tyler rubbed his ears, thinking he'd misheard.
Arden, this broke dude, could actually afford a car?
Tyler and Arden's conversation also caught Evan's attention.
He'd just put on his beloved Sennheiser headphones but immediately removed them, asking in surprise, "Bro Arden, buying a car is a major decision! How could you make such an important purchase without discussing it with us?"
"I just found one I liked, so I bought it," Arden said with a calm expression.
He thought, You're not my dad. Why would I discuss anything with you?
However, Mr. Sophisticated was like that—whenever someone in the dorm was about to buy something, he always had to offer his "expert" opinion to show off his refined taste.
Just as Arden expected, Evan said seriously, "Buying a car requires careful consideration. EVs are all the rage now, and young people should buy electric. But there are many pitfalls... A car, after all, represents one's temperament. For example, if a young person buys a traditional joint-venture gas car, it'll seem old-fashioned..."
"Who the hell are you talking about?" Tyler bristled, glaring. "Old-fashioned? It's good enough to have a car! Besides, these EVs have only been out two or three years—they're unstable. What if you buy one and it constantly breaks down? German engineering is still the way to go—time-tested. Only those who drive a Volkswagen Passat are truly mature men."
With that, Tyler turned back to Arden and pressed on, "Oh right, you mentioned making some money earlier? You must've bought the car with that."
"Something like that."
"What car?"
"SUV. Pretty big."
"Oh, that's solid too. Now that you're dating Imogen, it's convenient having a car. But if you buy a car, you'll have ongoing maintenance costs. Can your family handle that?"
Tyler was being aggressive, clearly not believing Arden could afford car upkeep.
"No problem. Anyway, I'll drive for the trip, so it's settled."
Arden answered simply, then put on his headphones and started duo queue with Ryan.
He'd been carried by Imogen so much that winning became boring. Tonight he'd experience true struggle with Ryan.
Tyler felt ignored and retreated sullenly, muttering to himself.
Seemed like Arden's "small fortune" might not have been so small after all.
Did he win the lottery? Or get incredibly lucky with some international investment that multiplied overnight?
Tyler didn't know much about investing.
But regardless, Arden's financial situation seemed improved—first the iPhone Pro Max, now a car.
This gave Tyler a subtle sense of crisis. After all, within the dorm and even the whole class, it had always been Tyler who was most prominent—well no, him and Evan who were equally matched.
He was also the only student in the entire class who owned a car.
Now Arden also had a car, which felt like it diluted his unique status.
However, Tyler had a change of thought: given Arden's spending habits, buying a car would definitely prioritize value. He probably bought a SUV under $15k.
While his Volkswagen Passat was a proper midsize sedan.
Completely different concepts. A girl sitting in them would have totally different perceptions.
Imagine a goddess like Imogen sitting in a cheap SUV—just felt so mismatched.
Tyler figured Arden and Imogen were currently only in an ambiguous stage, still far from actually dating.
Maybe Imogen would gradually lose interest once she realized his poverty.
Thinking this, Tyler's mindset balanced out considerably.
Otherwise, if Arden really dated Imogen, he'd be consumed by jealousy. Why would such a beautiful goddess be interested in Arden?
This guy was just a little handsome. Otherwise he was a completely low-value male.
...
[Ding! The host has thrown aside major assignments and immersed himself in Summoner's Rift. How indulgent! Reward: Cash +$150.]
Arden and Ryan battled fiercely in ranked.
After quick calculation, they'd actually lost LP.
Didn't matter. Imogen would carry him back anyway.
Before bed, Arden went to wash up, and Ryan followed, taking the opportunity to ask:
"Arden, why is Lily coming with us? I remember Evan said she and Imogen aren't very close."
"Is that so? I don't know."
Arden genuinely didn't know how Lily and Imogen's relationship was.
Before today, he didn't even know Lily was part of Goddess Dorm.
According to their agreement, after starting university, Arden and Lily were to pretend not to know each other.
To make it convincing, they'd even deleted each other from social media and contacts.
Complete severance.
They were childhood friends who'd grown up together. Back in their hometown, Lily had even lived right across from Arden's house.
He didn't know what Lily was thinking at the time.
However, Arden didn't have extra thoughts about this childhood friend. If she wanted to cut ties, so be it.
He'd been a little sad at the time but quickly forgot about it.
Now it seemed Arden's forgetting was indeed thorough.
He hadn't even bothered checking which dorm Lily was in.
Fearless in his ability to move on!
Arden couldn't help it. He was just that naturally unattached.
For example, recently while flirting with his senior, he was also getting hot and heavy with Imogen.
He felt no shame. For Arden, this seemed naturally normal behavior.
Arden imagined for a moment, then said to Ryan, "Maybe Lily's popularity is just average. Those very pure yet alluring, delicate girls might have many surface-level friends but are actually easily isolated by various cliques."
"Ah, I see. I don't understand girls at all. Their relationships seem so complex."
"It's fine. It's just a trip. Good to have more people for energy. We'll eat and hang as usual. Won't affect anything."
"True."
Arden climbed onto his dorm bunk and lay down, scrolling his phone for a while, surprisingly feeling quite content.
Even more content than when he'd been at the hotel.
This made Arden reflect.
Could he be the type who'd feel uncomfortable staying in luxury places too long?
That shouldn't be...
Deep down, Arden actually yearned for a life of luxury and indulgence.
Which guy doesn't want to be successful, doesn't want to flex daily?
Setting everything else aside, when he was paying for his senior at luxury stores, spending money like water and enjoying the sales associate's adoring gaze, Arden felt incredibly thrilled.
But somehow, staying at hotels just had this inexplicable discomfort.
This question seemed a bit philosophical.
After much thought, Arden decided to find someone to discuss it with.
His choice of discussion partner was rather unconventional: he chose Emma.
The system panel showed Emma's favorability toward Arden had already exceeded 50, which was the foundation for discussion. After all, without any favorability, what professor would discuss such strange philosophical life questions with a student?
Additionally, everyone said Emma was a "fair, rich, beautiful" type with an extremely privileged family background.
According to Arden's observations, Emma's words, actions, and daily items weren't cheap—the kind of "not cheap" that showed excellent taste. He estimated her taste was even more refined than Mr. Sophisticated's.
Also far superior to the "nouveau riche" style of the local rich kid.
Therefore, among the girls Arden could talk to, Emma was most suitable for discussing this issue.
[WestOfEden: I have a dilemma and want to discuss it with someone. You free now?]
[WestOfEden: Logically, living in a luxury hotel every day is many people's dream, but I recently tried it—why did I get tired of it after just a few days? It was a riverview suite costing nearly $300 a night.]
[TheEmmyAwards: ?]