119: Chapter 119 The First Rule of Survival in the Harem: Forming Allies

Although Tong Liya didn't usually talk much, she was perceptive.

She could keenly sense that in this twisted family structure, the bond between Yang Mi and Dilraba was significantly deeper than the one she shared with them.

The most direct evidence was this: Yang Mi dared to point at Reba's nose and scold her without any hesitation, yet she would never lecture her in that same tone.

This wasn't because Yang Mi was being polite to her; on the contrary, it was precisely because their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.

Subconsciously, Yang Mi still treated her as an outsider, which was why she instinctively kept her distance and controlled her emotions.

It was just like disciplining a child.

A biological mother wouldn't hesitate to hit her own child hard, but when dealing with someone else's child, no matter how angry she was, she would still have to grit her teeth and show some restraint.

However, all these intricacies were completely unimportant to Tong Liya right now!

What mattered was that for the next few days, she would have Lin Chen all to herself!

The immense temptation of having a world for just the two of them made every cell in her body tremble with excitement!

Tong Liya could guarantee that even if Yang Mi and Dilraba were faced with such an opportunity to have Lin Chen all to themselves, they would definitely be secretly rejoicing under their covers, and perhaps even laughing louder than she was.

Love, in essence, is selfish, exclusive possession.

If one could enjoy sole favor, what woman would be willing to generously share with others?

Humming a little tune, she cleaned the kitchen until it was spotless.

Tong Liya walked with light steps back to the second-floor bedroom.

She first sat in front of the vanity and carefully applied a subtle, "no-makeup" makeup look.

Lin Chen didn't like heavy makeup that looked like it had been plastered on; he preferred this kind of pure, alluring look that felt like a lotus rising from clear water.

Then she opened the wardrobe and inspected her "battle robes" like a general reviewing troops.

After looking through them for a long time, she frowned slightly. The styles seemed a bit monotonous; it looked like she needed to pick up some higher-end items next time she went shopping.

Although Lin Chen had never explicitly said it, every time she put on these skimpy clothes with barely any fabric, the burning gaze in his eyes, as if he wanted to devour her whole, had long since betrayed him.

Just as she was struggling with which one to wear for the evening, the doorbell downstairs suddenly rang.

Tong Liya ran downstairs, her face full of pleasant surprise.

Could it be that her husband had returned? That was impossible.

The airport was so far away, and with the traffic, a round trip would take at least two or three hours at best.

Besides, given Lin Chen's personality, he would definitely have to watch those two women pass through security before leaving.

How could it be this fast?

Could it be... that her husband missed her so much halfway there that he just dumped Yang Mi and Reba on the side of the road and drove back himself?

Although she knew this was just her own fantasy, just thinking about it made her heart feel as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.

"Ah! Finally home! I'm exhausted!"

As the door opened, Guli Nazha stood at the entrance, dragging a large pink suitcase, her smile as bright as a flower.

After speaking, she poked her head in and looked around the living room like a curious kitten.

The surprise on Tong Liya's face froze instantly, replaced by undisguised, extreme disappointment and frustration.

This is so damn frustrating!

She had finally managed to send those two jinxes away, and she hadn't even begun to experience her solo dungeon yet; how could another one be shoved in here in the blink of an eye?!

Give me back my world for two!

"Stop looking, my husband isn't home." Tong Liya leaned lazily against the door frame and poured a bucket of cold water on her, looking listless.

Guli Nazha was bending over to change her slippers; upon hearing this, she paused, looked up, and asked, "Where did he go?"

Tong Liya crossed her arms and shrugged helplessly: "He went to the airport to drop off Yang Mi and Reba."

"Oh!"

Guli Nazha nodded, didn't ask any further questions, and walked upstairs humming a song while dragging her suitcase.

She had long known that Yang Mi and Reba were returning to the capital today.

The video of Lin Chen's legendary performance at the Tianqiao Theater last night had already dominated the trending searches on major platforms.

In the video, the image of the three of them—Yang Mi and the others—sitting in the VIP seats was also captured clearly.

Therefore, upon hearing that the two of them had gone to the airport, Guli Nazha didn't feel surprised at all.

On the contrary, she even felt a faint sense of secret delight.

With those two hardest-to-deal-with women gone, wasn't this the perfect opportunity for her to take advantage of the situation?

"You seem to be in a very good mood?"

Tong Liya followed Guli Nazha into the bedroom and sat down carelessly on the edge of the bed.

Of course, Guli Nazha wouldn't show the little schemes of competing for favor on her face. As she opened her suitcase to tidy up her clothes, she played dumb: "Do I? I've been rushing to complete schedules for several days and I'm exhausted. Now that I can finally come home and lie down, of course I'm happy."

Tong Liya sneered in her heart.

A woman's mouth is a lying devil; these kinds of lies couldn't even fool a three-year-old.

"Actually... even if you're happy, it's useless."

Tong Liya watched the busy Guli Nazha, her tone somewhat complex, even carrying a hint of condescending pity.

Back then, the five of them, known as the stunning little starlets of the entertainment industry, had inexplicably been bound as Lin Chen's wives.

But so far, only four had truly been eaten clean and stamped by Lin Chen.

Guli Nazha was the only one with a "clean body" who hadn't been favored yet.

"What do you mean by that?"

Guli Nazha stopped what she was doing, still clutching a T-shirt she was about to change into, and turned to look at her vigilantly.

Tong Liya stared at the perfect, delicate body before her—white as glowing snow and flawless—sighed, and spoke softly:

"Because... among the five of us, you are the only one who hasn't crossed the final line with Lin Chen and established a real relationship. You are no longer in the same world as the four of us."

Guli Nazha's body stiffened abruptly, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

She slowed her movements, pulled the T-shirt over her body, pulled up a chair to sit opposite Tong Liya, and asked, pretending to be calm: "Make yourself clear; what counts as establishing a real relationship?"

Tong Liya didn't answer immediately. She bit her lip, her brain working frantically to weigh the pros and cons.

She was now facing a difficult choice: should she tell Guli Nazha the whole truth about the earth-shattering event that happened last night?

If she kept it from her, given Lin Chen's cold personality—too proud to ever make the first move—and if Guli Nazha didn't catch on either,

this girl might never be able to cross the threshold of the Lin family home.

Then the Lin family harem would forever only have four people.

If she confessed everything, without a doubt, there would be one more set of chopsticks at the Lin family table, becoming a five-way split.

But the benefit was that in this helpless home, she might be able to recruit a natural ally.

Come to think of it, she, Dilraba, and Guli Nazha had always been collectively referred to by the media as the "Three Beauties of Xinjiang" because of their exotic looks.

Their hometowns were in the same place, and their customs and habits were similar; they should have naturally banded together to become the best of sisters.

But the reality was that the traitor Dilraba had long since defected and become Yang Mi's number one die-hard follower.

Not to mention Liu Shishi, who had been as thick as thieves with Yang Mi since they filmed that time-travel drama; she was definitely on Yang Mi's side.

Counting it all up, the only person she could win over now, and the one most likely to form a united front with her, was Guli Nazha.

Should she say it or not?

Tong Liya fought a fierce battle in her mind for a full two minutes before finally making up her mind.

Whether there were four or five Mrs. Lins made no substantial difference to her.

The meat had already been divided; it didn't matter if one more slice was cut.

But if she could recruit an ally who knew the ropes in this perilous harem, this deal was definitely a guaranteed profit!

With an ally, she would have more confidence when speaking in this house.

She wasn't trying to play some "Empresses in the Palace" game to seize power.

She was just doing it for self-protection.

This was just like buying insurance.

In case she ever fell out of favor and was left alone in an empty room by Lin Chen, at least there would be someone on her side who could whisper in Lin Chen's ear and put in a good word for her.

At least she wouldn't end up in the miserable fate of being cast into the cold palace, ignored by everyone.

Allies—that is the first rule of harem survival!

"Nazar, I'm going to ask you one thing now: can I trust you without reservation?"

Tong Liya took a deep breath, put away all her joking, and stared at Guli Nazha with extreme seriousness.

Guli Nazha's red lips parted slightly, and she was a bit bewildered by her expression, as if they were facing a great enemy.

She had thought Tong Liya was going to teach her some "green tea" tactics for competing for favor; at most, this would be a domestic drama.

Why did the tone suddenly shift so drastically, making it as serious as an underground party rendezvous?

Were they going to discuss how to destroy the world?

"I... suppose so?" Guli Nazha swallowed and replied somewhat uncertainly.

Tong Liya frowned and sternly interrupted: "What do you mean 'suppose so'? Don't give me an ambiguous answer! I want an absolute guarantee!"

Guli Nazha gave an awkward, dry laugh: "No... you're suddenly acting so serious, it makes me a bit nervous. Fine, fine, you can absolutely trust me! Even if you told me now that you were an undercover agent sent by aliens, I would absolutely keep my mouth sewn shut, okay?"

"Don't give me that useless talk! I'm not joking!"

"Alright, alright, I swear, okay!"

Guli Nazha raised three fingers, sat up straight, and her expression also became serious: "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Tong Liya pressed her lips together tightly, organizing her thoughts, seemingly unsure where to begin.

"You only know that Yang Mi and Reba returned to the capital yesterday, right?"

"Mm."

"But what you don't know is that last night..."

Tong Liya lowered her voice and, like spilling beans, recounted the entire crazy "sleeping under the same quilt" event from last night, along with every blush-inducing detail, exactly as it happened.

As expected.

After listening to Tong Liya's description, Guli Nazha was like a person struck by lightning, and she completely turned to stone.

Her exquisite, pretty face was filled with extreme shock as her worldview crumbled, and she pointed at Tong Liya, stuttering.

"You... you all... the three of you... actually... served him together?!"