Ma Xiaotao had long grown accustomed to Qian Ran's wandering hands, but Wu Ming was still shy about it. Her face flushed as she looked nervously around, fearing someone might notice them.
Wu Ming was shocked. How could Qian Ran... how could he be so audacious? If Qian Ran wanted to touch her, couldn't he just wait until they got home? It wasn't as though she would refuse him.
"Relax, no one will see," Ma Xiaotao reassured Wu Ming. "But you need to act more naturally. Even if no one notices what's happening, seeing your face might still make them imagine things."
"Oh." Hearing this, Wu Ming let out a small sigh of relief and tried to calm herself.
However, Qian Ran's large hand resting on her untouched hip made her body tense up. Her posture stiffened as she unconsciously stood up straighter, inadvertently making her figure even more striking.
"When we get back, let's bring Zhu Lu along and set up a time for the three of you to take some photos together," Qian Ran suggested casually. After all, with the most stunning figures in Shrek Academy now under his sway, it seemed only fitting to capture some keepsake portraits.
Even though these beauties were by his side, their youthful appearances unchanging, Qian Ran still retained a fondness for photography and videography.
Nearly every woman who entered his life had a collection of photos and videos taken by him. Of course, these materials were for his eyes only—a private archive of his so-called artistic pursuits.
It was fortunate that Qian Ran resided in another world. If he'd been on Earth and a hacker got into his terabytes of content, well... it wouldn't end well.
"Sure!" Ma Xiaotao agreed readily.
She often cooperated with Qian Ran in his photography sessions and enjoyed the results herself. She even kept many photos of Qian Ran, which she would look at when he wasn't around.
"What's photography?" Wu Ming asked, confused.
"It's a type of special soul tool Qian Ran developed," Ma Xiaotao explained with a smile. "It can record scenes and moments around us. You'll see when the time comes."
With Qian Ran's increasing strength, creating such soul tools had become simple. Almost all of his women had their own cameras.
"Oh," Wu Ming replied, still not quite understanding. But as long as she could be with Qian Ran, she didn't care what they did.
"By the way, Qian Ran, let's head back soon. Dong'er and the others have been preparing for a long time for your promotion banquet. It's both a celebration of your return and a toast to your new position as Vice Dean," Ma Xiaotao said with a smile.
The women all took pride in Qian Ran's achievements.
"Huh? Do I need to go too?" Wu Ming, usually straightforward and bold, suddenly looked nervous. She knew Qian Ran had many women—just among those she was familiar with, there were at least a dozen. Girls like Dong'er, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng, who had originally been in the same class as Qian Ran, were now part of the inner court as well. Wu Ming and Han Ruoru knew many of them.
"Of course! Don't you want to be part of our circle?" Ma Xiaotao teased with a sly smile.
"Of course I do," Wu Ming answered quickly. Despite her embarrassment, she had already committed herself to Qian Ran. Sooner or later, she would have to meet the others.
"Don't worry too much, Wu Ming," Ma Xiaotao said reassuringly. "You don't have to get along with everyone. Just stick with me, Ling Luochen, and a few others—it'll be fine."
While the women around Qian Ran seemed to get along well, they each had their close-knit circles. Having four or five confidantes was already a lot; the rest were simply acquaintances.
Ma Xiaotao was closer to the earlier wave of inner court girls like Ling Luochen, Tang Ya, and Jiang Nannan. She rarely interacted with the later arrivals like Dong'er.
Only when Qian Ran was around did the whole group come together.
"Still... new members always get teased when they join the family. Don't get upset if they mess with you a little," Ma Xiaotao whispered into Wu Ming's ear.
"I… I won't get mad," Wu Ming replied quickly. While she had a fiery temper, she wasn't unreasonable. In truth, she was more impatient than ill-tempered. She understood that causing tension with the others during such an occasion would not bode well.
To be with Qian Ran in the long run, integrating into his "family" was essential.
"I'm glad you see it that way, Wu Ming," Ma Xiaotao said with a smile.
Although Wu Ming was one of the most senior girls in the inner court after Han Ruoru, she would instantly become the newest member of Qian Ran's group as his woman. Girls like Dong'er wouldn't let her off so easily.
"Qian Ran, are you sure there won't be any problems?" Wu Ming asked, gripping Qian Ran's hand nervously.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," Qian Ran said with a chuckle. Dong'er and the others might be mischievous, but they wouldn't make things too difficult for Wu Ming.
...
As Qian Ran, Ma Xiaotao, and Wu Ming stepped into the room, a flurry of confetti greeted them.
Today, all of Qian Ran's women at Shrek Academy had gathered.
Among them were the ten who had entered Shrek alongside him: Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Zhu Lu, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Cui Yajie, and Nanmen Yuner.
There were also Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and Ling Luochen, who were senior students, along with Juzi, Keke, Meng Hongchen, and Nana, who had transferred from the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Xue Lingxun, who didn't get along with the others, had chosen to remain in her Xu Mi Ring for cultivation.
Adding Ma Xiaotao and Wu Ming, who had just walked in, nearly all of Qian Ran's women were present.
It was rare to see them all in one place. Each woman had her own cultivation goals, academic responsibilities, and tasks assigned by the inner court. Only Qian Ran could bring them together.
And this was only the publicly acknowledged group of women. Behind the scenes, there were many more. At Shrek alone, there were women like Cai Meier, Xian Liner, Zhou Yi, and Mu Jin.
Outside Shrek, his connections extended to women like Xu Jiujui and Zhu Ying.
In every sense, Qian Ran had achieved the pinnacle of enjoyment, surrounded by women.
Fortunately, none of Qian Ran's women wore perfume. If so many beautiful women in one place were wearing different scents, the mix of aromas would be overwhelming rather than enjoyable.
Qian Ran preferred their natural fragrances, so none of them used perfume. The only cosmetic they indulged in was lipstick.
"So many people," Wu Ming murmured, stunned. She had known Qian Ran had a lot of women but had never imagined there would be this many.
(End of Chapter)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X