Qu Yun closed the door and sat down next to You Ran: "You should have known what kind of person I am before you started dating me."
With a casual glance, he said, "You mean, I willingly entered this hellish place of yours?"
"I mean, or rather, you also kind of like this ruthless and heartless side of me." Qu Yun reached out and touched You Ran's ponytail.
Her hair was prickly at the tips, and there were small, soft downy hairs on the back of her neck, making her look like a small animal.
But small animals are also agile. You Ran used her usual posture and pounced on Qu Yun on the sofa.
"You seem to really enjoy this move," Qu Yun said, looking at You Ran lying on top of him.
You Ran reached out and pinched Qu Yun's nose, and Qu Yun let her do so without stopping her, but simply started breathing through her mouth.
Her leisurely posture made it seem like she was playing, but her voice carried a dejected seriousness: "It's not that I have too much time that I'm doing so many things... Qu Yun, don't you understand?"
"Understand what?" Qu Yun asked, his voice muffled because his nose was being treated.
"I understand how much I care about you, I understand how little you care about me, and I understand that I need your reassurance." You Ran released her hand and then covered Qu Yun's eyes.
To be honest, she didn't like Qu Yun's eyes because she rarely saw what she wanted in them.
Qu Yun's eyelashes fluttered a few times in You Ran's palm, like tiny tentacles reaching out.
“You should know that,” You Ran said.
At this moment, Qu Yun's eyes were covered, and she was quiet, as if she had fallen asleep.
But soon, his hand pressed down on the back of You Ran's neck, pressing down on the small animal-like downy hair, forcing her head down, forcing her lips to touch his lips.
They kissed again.
This time, there was no creamy chocolate flavor, but rather a subtle tea aroma.
You Ran wondered, when exactly will this man stop eating?
Qu Yun's kissing technique, well, it wasn't exactly the skillful kind of a playboy, but it wasn't awkward either; rather, it had its own unique flavor.
It possesses a confidence and composure, along with a captivating yet abhorrent mystery.
So, You Ran still enjoyed it.
Qu Yun's lips left You Ran's lips and then moved down to her neck, kissing every inch of her skin, just like that, following the contours of You Ran's body downwards.
In many places, there was a cloth between them, but You Ran could still feel the heat of Qu Yun's lips and the emotions hidden beneath his calm exterior.
Qu Yun gripped You Ran's hand tightly, a gesture that resembled a shackle, but You Ran's hand showed no sign of resistance.
She simply kept her eyes open, watching Qu Yun's head gradually droop and disappear from her sight.
A throbbing sensation, forming wavy lines, followed Qu Yun's movements and swept towards You Ran. When his lips reached below her lower abdomen, You Ran could no longer endure it.
Her body began to tremble slightly, a mixture of pain and pleasure.
Just then, Qu Yun stopped, and his voice rang out: "Do you like me, You Ran?"
She nodded gently, but she was certain that Qu Yun had seen it, because her movements were so resolute.
"Why, Youran?" Qu Yun asked, "Why do you like me?"
"Because you are Qu Yun." You Ran gave this answer for the second time.
"What if I weren't Qu Yun?" Qu Yun asked.
Silence. A moth hovers near the lampshade, its body making a dull thud against the glass.
Ten seconds later, You Ran suddenly sat up and pinched Qu Yun's cheeks with both hands like cat claws: "Could it be that you are an alien who infiltrated Earth with ulterior motives, killed Qu Yun, and then skinned him and wore his skin?!"
Qu Yun removed You Ran's paw: "Stop playing."
"Then what do you mean?" You Ran knelt on the sofa, hugged Qu Yun, and clasped her hands behind his neck.
“I mean,” Qu Yun looked into You Ran’s eyes, “that maybe I’m not the Qu Yun you imagine. If that happens, will you still like me?”
“You mean,” You Ran raised an eyebrow, a hint of good-natured sarcasm in her voice, “that you can become even worse than you are now?”
"You could say that," Qu Yun nodded.
“Then…” You Ran’s hand restlessly played with his hair: “If that’s the case… I will become as bad as you, and then we’ll be a good match.”
Qu Yun looked at her, his eyes seeming to hold ink spreading in water.
"Actually, I really don't know why I like you, and I'm not even sure when I started liking you," You Ran confessed.
"Didn't you fall in love with me the moment I took off my clothes?" Qu Yun's smile carried a handsome mischievousness.
"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't." You Ran shook her head: "Perhaps I liked him before that, or perhaps I liked him much later."
"You are the person I have ever met who manages their emotions the most chaotically," Qu Yun commented.
“But emotions are inherently chaotic,” You Ran said.
"Don't judge others by your own standards," Qu Yun advised. "Don't do these things anymore. Spend more time on important matters, like taking the CET-6 exam."
"Doesn't the school only require passing the CET-4 exam?" You Ran was always lazy, but when this topic came up, she suddenly thought of a condition: "If I pass the CET-6 exam, can you promise me something?"
"What is it?" Qu Yun asked.
"We'll see when the time comes." You Ran laughed heartily, her cheeks bulging. "As long as you promise me, I'll definitely pass the CET-6."
"So confident?" Qu Yun asked.
You Ran nodded quickly.
“Then it’s a deal.” Qu Yun nodded.
You Ran was secretly pleased when she heard Qu Yun add, "But you also have to promise me that you won't create any more rivals for me in the future, whether they're real or fake, understand?"
"Do you care?" You Ran's face lit up with joy.
Qu Yun suddenly brought his face closer to hers, his handsome brows carrying a hint of distant tranquility: "Yes, I care a lot."
Yu Ran's heart was filled with joy, and she tentatively asked, "Then, answer me honestly, since we started dating, have I been the only woman in your life?"
"Yes," Qu Yun answered without hesitation.
You Ran was overjoyed. It seemed that this man was just naturally aloof, which was why he didn't seem like a boyfriend at all, but his loyalty was still trustworthy.
You Ran decided that she must go all out, unleash her charm, and successfully win over Qu Yun from the inside out.
Just as she made up her mind, Qu Yun suddenly asked, "Long Xiang isn't usually someone who compromises easily. How did you get him to do this for you?"
You Ran recounted the whole story about the photo in detail.
"Do you still have that photo?" Qu Yun asked.
"Mm." You Ran nodded.
"Give it to me," Qu Yun said.
"What do you want to do?" You Ran asked.
“Treat my rival in love well,” Qu Yun said.
“He’s a fake,” You Ran said.
“Regardless of whether it’s true or false,” Qu Yun said, “it is all unforgivable.”
Qu Yun at home wasn't wearing his glasses, but You Ran seemed to see that his eyes were still gleaming.
After observing three seconds of silence for Long Xiang, You Ran handed the photo to Qu Yun without hesitation. After all, the deeper Qu Yun's hatred for Long Xiang, the more she cared about her.
From this perspective, the rival's tactic was quite effective.
She smiled leisurely, like a widow who had successfully cheated on her husband.
This is the eighth lesson Qu Yun taught her—a rival in love is essential.
[Lesson 9] Acquaintances are everywhere.
It is said that people spend an average of six years of their lives dreaming.
Although You Ran has only lived for a short time, she has had countless dreams, but only a few of them are truly memorable.
One of them is chocolate colored.
Yes, I dreamt that I came to a world of chocolate and candy, where the grass was emerald green sugar threads, the flowers were red candied hawthorns, the river water was white chocolate, and the land was black chocolate.
Yu Ran, who loves sweets, felt like she had entered a fairyland. She ate and drank to her heart's content.
Everything was her favorite thing, and even the air was filled with the scent of mints.
That beautiful dream lasted a long time, so long that You Ran's stomach grew hungry in her sleep.
So, she woke up.
When she realized that she might never be able to relive this dream again, You Ran made one last effort—she didn't open her eyes; she wanted to go back to that place where even the stools were made of White Rabbit candies.
As expected, things didn't go as planned, and You Ran opened her eyes with a sullen expression.
Just then, she saw a boy standing in front of her small window.
At that time, You Ran was still young and had a narrow perspective. She hadn't been out much, so when she described people's appearances, she used characters from TV dramas as a reference.
At this moment, You Ran felt that the handsome young man in front of her was even more good-looking than Xiao Qing's son, Zhang Gongzi.
The dashing young man stretched out his hand, and in his palm was her favorite chocolate, rectangular in shape, divided into many compartments, like a door.
"This is for you," the boy said.
At that moment, You Ran felt that this boy was even more handsome than the little white dragon that Tang Sanzang rode in Journey to the West.
The little white dragon continued, "My name is Gu Chengyuan, and I am your older brother... your biological older brother."
It took a lot of willpower for You Ran to lift her eyes off the chocolate and look at Gu Chengyuan.
His appearance had a slightly somber tone that seemed out of place for his age, but it didn't matter much, because his gaze towards You Ran was gentle, like seaweed swaying slowly in the sea.
Gu Chengyuan unwrapped the chocolate, peeled off the foil, and held it to You Ran's lips.
You Ran opened her mouth and gently bit off a piece of chocolate, its shape irregular, while the chocolate in Gu Chengyuan's hand had a small front tooth mark on it.
The chocolate was rich and smooth, and I smiled contentedly.
Gu Chengyuan discovered that his younger sister, who was in the process of losing her baby teeth, was missing a small front tooth.
That year, You Ran was six years old.
"What are you thinking about?" Qu Yun's voice interrupted You Ran's reverie.