Chapter 044: Now This Is What You Call the Good Life

Li Lekang affirmed the roles each of them played, making the idea of moving in together as roommates seem perfectly natural. Although they all knew the calculations going on in each other’s minds, adults need only a single excuse to justify their choices. In this society with such open attitudes, latching onto someone powerful was utterly commonplace. After all, why benefit some useless nobody when you could align yourself with someone of real substance?

Society is ruthlessly pragmatic, especially in a place so awash in material desires—though, of course, not everyone can be tarred with the same brush. For that, you’d have to go to the backroads of Texas and find some redneck girl herding cattle; perhaps she’d be truly innocent.

As for Li Lekang, he never worried about such matters in the first place. He loved these passionate, uninhibited Western girls—fun behind the wheel, no strings attached, everyone getting what they wanted. It was all rather perfect.

So, the great move commenced.

Li Lekang summoned a professional moving company to pack and transport all the necessary belongings. At the same time, he greeted his driver and bodyguard—two stalwart men, John and Doug, both white, both hulking figures with the unmistakable look of professionals: military haircuts, sunglasses ever-present, earpieces curling behind their ears. He wasn’t sure how skilled they really were, but Mike had told him these two had plenty of experience dealing with paparazzi and fans—and after all, there’s a world of difference between celebrity bodyguards and those who serve the ultra-wealthy.

For major events, the company would call in security firms, dispatching dozens for the sake of spectacle. But for daily life, there was no need for such an entourage.

John and Doug were also doubling as drivers, and today they had actually brought over Li Lekang’s so-called “Emperor of Baths”—his Cadillac Escalade, the king of SUVs, massive and imposing, essentially a pickup with a lid.

And in America, where everything bigger is better, step just a little outside the city and you’ll see pickup trucks everywhere. Drive a little sedan and you’d be utterly dwarfed; only something with a V8 engine like the Escalade could really hold its own.

With the two bodyguards standing sternly behind him, the intimidating effect was complete.

They even helped carry some luggage to the new house.

The move wasn’t far—still within the Hollywood circle. The difference was, instead of a cramped apartment, they were now on a hillside, able to gaze down at the bustling lives of those below.

Psychologically, the sense of enjoyment and pride was certainly worlds apart. While the two girls chattered about which rooms they wanted, Li Lekang just wanted to sprawl on a sun lounger in the yard, beer in hand, and watch the sunset in peace.

“This is what I call the good life!”

He stretched lazily, taking in the endless blue sky and drifting clouds, utterly at ease.

The two girls were off exploring their new domains. The spacious house had its advantages—each bedroom with its own bathroom, walk-in closets to pile up clothes, and waking up to a view of Los Angeles outside the window.

Best of all, they could slip into swimsuits and dive straight into the pool in the yard, snapping dozens—hundreds—of photos with the city as their backdrop. Anything less would be a waste of such an enviable view.

Even the dog was living the dream. Mike the dog delighted in the sprawling yard where he could run wild, pee on chair legs, dig holes in the corners, and dash away at full speed whenever he was caught, using the hilly terrain for cover so his master could never catch up—leaving him fuming in frustration. The dog must have been grinning in his sleep.

That evening, the three of them went out for dinner. After the exhausting move, none of them wanted to cook. Once Mike the dog had been treated to his gourmet food and three “white soul beans,” they headed downhill to have a proper meal on Sunset Boulevard.

Perhaps spurred by the day’s excitement, the two girls chatted animatedly at dinner about their dreams and futures. Sandra, her assets now increasingly on display and her life far improved with Li Lekang’s patronage, was planning to continue her influencer career while also serving as his assistant and trainer—a well-thought-out career plan.

“I’m thinking of buying a car—a convertible. BMWs aren’t that expensive, you know, forty or fifty thousand dollars should do it. Then I can go out in style and really enjoy life as a little celebrity!”

Hearing Sandra’s plans, Daisy couldn’t help but feel envious. “When did you manage to squirrel away that much money without me knowing?”

As a native Californian from a white, middle-class family, Daisy was the classic example: savings never exceeded four digits, credit cards always maxed out, and any money she got her hands on went straight to designer bags and high heels. After entering the real world, her parents all but stopped supporting her. If not for her looks and the legion of admirers it attracted, it was questionable whether she’d have made it this far.

“It’s just putting a little aside each month, spending wisely, not relying completely on men—and over time, it adds up,” Sandra replied, her tone laden with superior intelligence.

Unlike carefree American girls, Sandra had immigrated from Colombia with her parents and had a younger brother at home. She understood the need to plan, hated living hand-to-mouth, and in this way, her outlook was much closer to Li Lekang’s.

“Oh, looks like I’m the poorest one here! Why does fate treat me like this? So unfair!” Daisy didn’t blame her own spending habits, but rather railed at the world. Li Lekang had half a mind to knock some sense into her.

But the soft-hearted girl knew how to play cute. “But now I’ve got a great boss and a great job, and I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m driving a Mercedes, saying goodbye to all those lazy, no-good girls I used to know!”

She clung to Li Lekang’s arm, laying on the charm. Her love of Japanese pop-culture poses during high school had finally paid off—he was a sucker for it.

Sandra watched her performance with a curled lip, more pragmatic by nature. She knew better than to depend on a man for life. Intelligence and strength were what truly mattered.

The two girls had very different styles. Only that one drunken night had Li Lekang managed to win them both together; otherwise, it was always one at a time, even if they arrived back-to-back, never together.

Not that Li Lekang minded. It was like unlocking secret levels in a game—something to be discovered gradually, through side quests and challenges. Life couldn’t just be about easy wins.

They ate, drank, and talked late into the night. Not wanting to return too early, the girls dragged him off to a nightclub, where they danced wildly in the throng. It was deep into the night before they finally returned home, sprawling messily across their beds.

Li Lekang was woken the next morning by birdsong.

“Living up in the hills really is wonderful!”

He stretched and got out of bed, stepping onto the balcony. A slight morning mist hung over Los Angeles, but with the rising sun, it quickly burned away.

Looking out, he saw a patchwork of single-story homes, the occasional high-rise, roads crisscrossing in every direction. Ordinary people were already hurrying off to work, while he could take his time—wash his face, drink a glass of water to clear his head, then head downstairs in search of breakfast.

Sandra was already up, wearing an apron and making breakfast. But she certainly didn’t look proper—she wore only a thong, an angel in front, a devil behind, and Li Lekang was suddenly wide awake.

Sensing his burning gaze, Sandra raised a hand to ward off his beastly intentions. “No! I’m just hungry and didn’t have time to get dressed. Let me eat first—ah, help!”