Chapter 143: Gifting You a Small Apartment

"Why didn't you let me finish speaking just now?" Emilia asked indignantly after stepping out of the pocket dimension.

"You didn't know, did you? That valley we have now was a gift from him, and he paid for the house as well. Plus, he said he'd give us a bit more. Even though I'm not asking for something as huge as a valley, a person's gotta have dreams, you know? What if they actually come true?"

"What? The valley was a gift from him? Why didn't you say so earlier? Was I making a fool of myself just now? Do you think I should go back and talk to him about getting another valley or something?"

"I don't think that's likely. Most of the land in New York belongs to Lord Wayne, and the former Archbishop probably doesn't have that much left. I'm guessing he might gift us some cars, or a plane, or something like that."

"Tell him to get me a boat! My stepmom says that surfing on the ocean after drinking is a woman's most romantic pursuit."

Ou Xiaolu gave Emilia a sideways glance and thought to himself, *Men wouldn't even necessarily find that kind of romance appealing, let alone women.*

While they were chatting, Ou Xiaolu seemed to notice something. He looked around and asked, "Did you feel that?"

Emilia nodded. She noticed that several nearby buildings had collapsed, and the entire Stony Brook campus was in chaos.

"It looks like what he said was true. That pocket dimension is finished, and the Stony Brook campus is ruined along with it. Good thing it was only a minor tremor."

Ou Xiaolu sighed inwardly, realizing that his understanding of spatial dimensions was still entirely superficial.

Right at that moment, Ou Xiaolu spotted Lawrence waiting for him not far away. He walked over, accompanied by Arrow and Emilia.

"The Stony Brook campus has really run into a massive problem this time."

Lawrence looked around with a smug smile. "Indeed. If this problem isn't resolved, I imagine their enrollment numbers are going to drop significantly next year."

Ou Xiaolu wasn't very interested in that topic. He asked, "Your boss's business is already settled, so why are you still here?"

"The big boss sent me to find you. He said that since you take classes at Stony Brook, commuting back and forth to the valley is a bit troublesome. Coincidentally, he has an apartment building nearby that isn't being used for anything, so he's giving it to you outright."

"A whole building?"

"Yes. Seven floors in total: five above ground and two below. One of the underground levels is a parking garage, while the other houses an independent generator, central air conditioning, and the central water supply system. Above ground, there are nine separate apartment units, a common lobby, and a spacious penthouse suite occupying the entire top floor.

Additionally, you can rent this apartment building out if you wish, or live in it yourself if you prefer not to lease it. Even if you wanted to knock down all the interior walls to turn it into one massive room, that wouldn't be a problem at all."

Hearing this, Ou Xiaolu took a deep breath, while Emilia shrieked, "Ou! I want a huge room—no, several rooms! We need a room just for storing wine, and another room just for clothes! Say yes, accept it right now!"

Ou Xiaolu was shaken back and forth so intensely by Emilia that he felt like he was about to vomit. He quickly agreed, "Alright, I get it. Mr. Lawrence, please convey my thanks to His Grace the Archbishop. This is the best gift I have ever received."

"I'm glad you like it. I'll have a lawyer come over to talk to you about the paperwork later."

"Is it that nameless lawyer again?"

"Er—" Lawrence looked a bit awkward. "He does have a name. You just don't remember it."

"Oh, right. What's his name?"

"I don't really remember it either. I have his business card, though. Just call the number on it. I'll let him know, but I must be off now."

Watching Lawrence stammering and losing his train of thought, Emilia looked puzzled. "What's the deal with the lawyer you mentioned?"

"I'm not clear on it either. I just happen to know this lawyer. Oh, right, there's also an accountant. I've never been able to remember either of their names."

"That's truly magical," Emilia nodded affirmatively. "They must be under the influence of some mysterious force, which is why no one ever remembers their names."

"Uh, everything you say is right." Ou Xiaolu hesitated for a moment, then ultimately decided to trust Emilia's judgment. As for the possibility that he simply hadn't paid attention or bothered to remember their names in the first place, that thought was immediately thrown to the back of his mind.

Now that he owned an entire apartment building as his new residence, Ou Xiaolu began pondering how to arrange it. Putting it up for rent was obviously the most unreasonable option since he wasn't short on cash.

Instead, Ou Xiaolu planned to set aside one of the above-ground floors for his friends to live in, use another floor as an art studio or for other purposes, keep the penthouse for himself, and somehow trick Emilia into moving in as well.

To give the apartment a bit of lively energy, it would also be great if Charles could move in. With that motor-mouth around, he was confident the building would echo with noise every single day.

With these thoughts in mind, Ou Xiaolu and the others approached the main gates of the Stony Brook campus. His car had been trailing them from a distance, waiting only for the arrival of the lawyer so that they could be guided to the apartment building.

Just then, Ou Xiaolu noticed Carissa walking toward them, accompanied by the Silver Dragon King's majordomo—the flamboyant young man.

Ou Xiaolu felt a bit surprised. This fellow had been in New York for so many days already; why was he still hanging around?

Before the two of them could reach him, a man suddenly lunged out from nearby, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Get away, you yellow-skinned cripple! You have no right to go near my Carissa!"

Ou Xiaolu was instantly infuriated. This was a direct personal attack. He flipped his hand, instinctively reaching for his sword, but Emilia had already sprinted forward.

Despite the man standing a towering one meter eighty and Emilia being only one meter fifty, the moment they made contact, Emilia grabbed the man by the throat and hoisted him into the air with a single hand.

Ou Xiaolu walked over and scrutinized the man. Realizing he didn't recognize him at all, he looked at Carissa not far away and asked with some perplexity, "Your admirer?"

Both Carissa and the flamboyant man, Fast, were stunned. They hadn't expected such a scene to unfold.

Fast stepped forward, glanced at the man briefly, and then shook his head. "We don't know him."

"Emilia, throw him out of here."

At Ou Xiaolu's command, Emilia flicked her wrist and hurled the man a good dozen meters away. The man tumbled across the ground, looking utterly like a fool.

After finally managing to come to a halt, the man scrambled to his feet, pulled a tube of lipstick out of his suit pocket, smeared a wide, clownish grin across his mouth with it, and pointed straight at Ou Xiaolu, screaming hysterically.

"Carissa is mine! You yellow-skinned cripple will never win Carissa's heart!"

Ou Xiaolu flared up again, preparing to step forward and teach the fellow a lesson, but to his surprise, Fast took the initiative. He strode over, yanked the man up by his collar, slashed a messy line right across the lipstick smear on the man's face, and demanded with icy seriousness, "Who the hell are you?"