But You Ran pushed his hand away. She lowered her head, looked at the soil, and calmly said, "Teacher, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. From now on, I will walk my own path. I will stumble and fall many times, but that is my own business and has nothing to do with you. So please take your hand away."
Qu Yun's movements did not stop at all. He reached out and helped You Ran up before she was ready to resist. Only after she was steady did he let go of her hand.
His eyes, like a tranquil pool, reflected a serene image: "No matter how things develop in the future, as long as I'm here, I will support you."
That sounds nice, but Yu Ran thought to herself, wasn't it he who pushed her into the deepest quagmire back then?
Seeing her disheveled state, You Ran's anger flared up. She rubbed all the mud off her body onto Qu Yun's coat with great force, until the skin on her hands and feet turned red.
By the end, Qu Yun's designer coat was all crumpled and tattered.
You Ran stopped wiping away her grime after she had finished venting her anger, and waited to see Qu Yun's reaction.
She hoped he would be angry, annoyed, or even depressed.
But no, Qu Yun simply waited quietly for her to vent her anger. Then, he took off his coat, revealing his shirt, and said, "Use this to wipe it; it'll be cleaner."
As he spoke, he placed his hand on You Ran's cheek and gently wiped away the mud spots under her eyes.
You Ran stood there stunned for a long while before she came to her senses, stepped back, and left his caress.
Then, she stepped out of the mud and onto the cement road, heading towards her dormitory.
You Ran understood that Qu Yun had been following behind her, but she no longer turned around.
When she returned to the dormitory, her roommates were all asleep. She stood leisurely on the dark balcony and quietly looked down—in front of the dormitory gate, Qu Yun's figure stood motionless, tall and elegant, like a beautiful yet dangerous beast.
She walked back leisurely, lay down on the bed, and reached out to stroke the bed curtains; they were cool, smooth, and soft.
"You Ran? Why are you back so late?" asked Bing, the roommate across from me, still half asleep.
“I… ran into a quagmire,” You Ran said.
"Oh, are you alright? Did you fall in?" Roommate C yawned.
“No,” You Ran chuckled silently in the darkness, “I’ve fallen once before, so I’ve learned my lesson and I’ll never fall again, no matter what.”
"This means you fell well that time, and you'll be much safer walking around in the future... Anyway, let's go to sleep." Roommate C drifted off to sleep again.
"Yes, no matter how beautiful it is, I won't fall in." You Ran murmured, stroking the bed curtains.
Yes, I must never... fall in again.
Whether it was because of the fright or because of Qu Yun, You Ran didn't fall asleep until the middle of the night, so she was reluctant to get out of bed the next morning.
Since it was Saturday and there were no classes, You Ran could indulge in her daydreams without worry.
This daydream is utterly immoral—you dreamt that you were the other woman.
And, while she was having an affair with Beckham, in the middle of it all, Victoria Beckham burst in and smashed Beckham's head open with her ten-centimeter-high rooted weapon—a must-have for murder, robbery, home travel, and visiting relatives and friends—giving him a huge bloody hole. Then, she grabbed You Ran, who was trying to escape, grabbed her collar, raised her hands high, and slapped her across the face with both hands, "slap slap slap slap slap slap slap."
The dream felt so real that You Ran could even feel her cheeks starting to hurt and—the pain was getting worse.
She opened her eyes and was shocked to find that this was not a dream—Xiao Xin was pinching her chin with one hand and slapping her cheek with the other.
"What are you doing?!" You Ran leaped up and escaped from Xiao Xin's clutches.
"What did I say last night?" Shin-chan's eyebrows were about to pierce the sky again.
You Ran then remembered that she had indeed promised Xiao Xin to meet her at the back gate of the school at 11:30 a.m. today, but there was a reason for it. You Ran quickly explained, "Don't be angry. I encountered a pervert on my way back to the dormitory yesterday, and I was so scared that I couldn't sleep all night, which is why I overslept."
Upon hearing this, Shin-chan's eyebrows returned to normal. He withdrew his hand, coughed lightly, and said, "Um... are you alright?"
"Luckily, I had a flash of inspiration. I walked to the streetlight, shone my face in the light, and the pervert was so scared that he ran away immediately." You Ran used this self-deprecating remark to cover up the incident involving Qu Yun.
To everyone's surprise, Shin-chan nodded and said, "That's alright."
After a moment of silence, You Ran suddenly burst out: "You actually believe such an unrealistic story?!"
"No way, every time I suddenly turn around and see your face under the streetlights, I also have the urge to run away." Shin-chan said this to tease Yu-ran.
You Ran suddenly felt a hollowness between her teeth and really wanted to grab the piece of tender, venomous meat in front of her and bite it.
"Enough with the nonsense, get up and wash now!" Xiaoxin said impatiently, pulling You Ran out of bed.
They were all chased to their den by the little male wolf, so You Ran had no choice but to get up. Who told her to agree to it in a moment of impulsiveness last night?
Chasing them to their lair—
"How did you get in?!" You Ran finally realized the problem.
In the dormitory, there was only the adulterous couple, or rather, the lone man and woman.
"I waited for ten minutes and you still hadn't shown up. Your cell phone was switched off, so I came directly to your door. Your roommates opened the door for me, and then they said they were going out shopping and left, telling me to sit down and relax."
These three damned women actually entrusted me, who was still asleep and defenseless, to Shin-chan, a man who looks like a child but whose heart might be a perverted lecher. They have absolutely no sense of loyalty.
With tears in her eyes and biting her quilt, You Ran decided to steal and eat all their pistachios to make up for it later.
Urged on by Xiaoxin, You Ran quickly finished washing up, got dressed, and followed him out of the school gate.
Xiao Xin hailed a taxi, pushed You Ran into it, and asked the driver to take her to the Qianhao Hotel.
The Qianhao Hotel was considered one of the top hotels in the area. You Ran was puzzled, yawned, and said, "There's no need to go to such a high-end place. We can just eat some local specialties nearby."
"You're only responsible for eating today. Don't worry about where you eat or who you eat with," Shin-chan said.
You Ran asked suspiciously, "Isn't today a date just for the two of us?"
Shin-chan scoffed: "You wish!"
She stretched leisurely, kicked her legs, and said with a hint of regret, "I thought you were going to confess your feelings to me. I was even thinking about how to reject you in a way that would leave a bloody mark on your heart."
Shin-chan: "..."
More than ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination and, led by a waiter, went to their designated private room.
As he entered, Shin-chan suddenly stopped, looked at You Ran's hand, and muttered to himself, "This is a pig's trotter, this is a pig's trotter, this is a pig's trotter."
Just as You Ran was contemplating whether to kick his left testicle, right testicle, or the sausage in the middle, the owner of the two testicles and the sausage—Xiao Xin—suddenly grabbed You Ran's hand and affectionately pulled her into the private room.
Is this a case of the protagonist taking advantage of Shin-chan, or Shin-chan taking advantage of the protagonist?
While pondering this question, You Ran glanced at the people at the dining table in the private room.
Not many, just five: two couples and a young woman with a refined air.
Judging from their appearances, the couple on the left should be Shin-chan's parents, while the couple and the elegant young woman on the right should be a family.
"Xiao Xiang, why are you so late! You've kept your Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, and Xiao Yun waiting for so long!" Xiao Xin's mother, a well-dressed woman who looked like a wealthy lady, stood up, constantly complaining about her son, and then looked at You Ran with a slightly unwelcoming gaze: "And this is..."
“My fiancée.” Xiao Xin said, completely ignoring the livid faces of everyone present. He pulled out a chair, helped You Ran sit down, and deliberately lowered his head to whisper intimately in her ear, “I’m sorry you were tired last night. Eat more today. After you’re done eating, I’ll take you out to play.”
Although You Ran can be incredibly stupid at times, she also has moments of brilliance from time to time.
For example, this time, You Ran instantly realized that this dinner party was definitely a blind date arranged by Xiao Xin's parents. However, Xiao Xin had an excess of hormones and was still in his rebellious phase. He wanted to show off his personality and defy his parents, so he brought her along to pretend to be his fiancée and embarrass his parents.
Thinking of this, You Ran couldn't help but sigh, if she had a son like Xiao Xin in the future... she would definitely chop him up and feed him to the ducks.
However, now that she has been dragged onto Xiaoxin's pirate ship, everyone present is looking at her with hostility. You Ran can't bear this favor and can only follow Xiaoxin's instructions and eat with her head down.
The table was set with the hotel's signature dishes, which tasted quite good. The atmosphere was lively, and everyone enjoyed their meal immensely.
Most importantly, you can also enjoy a classic family drama for free.
"Long Xiang, you're so rude!!!" Xiao Xin's dad snapped.
"Sorry, we played late yesterday, so I slept until noon." Shin-chan's tone didn't contain a hint of apology.
Shin-chan's words implied a passionate affair, suggesting that she and Shin-chan had already had a physical relationship and were sleeping in the same bed.
Well, now her already somewhat tainted reputation is completely ruined. You Ran sighed inwardly and moved her chopsticks toward the hairy crab on the table.
"You, you haven't been to university for long, but you've already learned a lot of tricks. You dare to bring all sorts of shady women here. Send her back right now!!!" Xiaoxin's mother couldn't understand why women would make things difficult for each other, and directly confronted You Ran.
You Ran quickened her mouth movements, "Hey, my stomach isn't full yet, why are you kicking me out?"
"Mom, she's my fiancée, not some shady woman. I've already promised her that we'll get married when we reach the legal age." Xiao Xin lied without batting an eye.
"Shut up! Do you know what you're saying?! How could I possibly agree to you marrying a woman of unknown origin?!" Xiaoxin's father was furious.
"Since she can't come in, I'll just have to become her live-in son-in-law." Xiaoxin leaned back in his chair, spread his hands, and smiled coldly, as if he were looking down at a group of ridiculous clowns.
You Ran carefully reviewed the situation of her house, then looked up and said, "My house isn't big. If you want to move in with your family, you'll have to sleep in the kitchen."
Shin-chan rolled his eyes to the lower right corner, a slightly forced smile on his face, and reached out to You Ran's cheek, seemingly teasing her affectionately, but actually pinching her hard: "See, what I love most is your humor."
It seems I said the wrong thing again. You Ran realized her mistake, lowered her head, and enjoyed the free meal.
Seeing that Xiao Xin didn't take them seriously at all, the Lin family members across the street immediately stood up. Although Mr. Lin suppressed his anger, his tone was still inevitably a bit harsh: "Jiu Ze, it seems that your son doesn't like my Xiao Yun. In that case, we won't bother you any longer. Goodbye."
After saying that, he ignored Xiaoxin's parents' desperate attempts to persuade him to stay and their apologies, and left angrily with his wife and daughter.
You Ran felt a mixture of joy and sorrow at their actions. She was sad that a good show had lost some of its excitement, but delighted that there were fewer people fighting over the food on the table, so she could eat to her heart's content.
"What kind of attitude is this?!" Shin-chan's father, seeing that he had offended an important person, quickly vented his anger on Shin-chan, the culprit: "Do you know! This is the director of the tax bureau. If we were to form a marriage alliance with their family, it would be entirely beneficial to us."
"What does your business have to do with me?" Xiao Xin sat down, picked up his chopsticks and put food in You Ran's bowl, not even glancing at his exasperated parents: "I've said it before, don't try to use me as a pawn, I'm not someone you can control."
"Fine, fine, if you've got the guts, then don't ever come home again! And don't ever use my money again!!!" It seemed that Shin-chan's father meant to sever their father-son relationship.
Xiao Xin remained calm and continued serving You Ran food, letting out a low, almost inaudible sneer: "Haven't you noticed that I haven't been home for half a year? But it's normal that you haven't noticed, after all, you don't go home many times a month either. Also, the money I spent was left to me by my grandfather, please make sure you understand."
"Alright, stop arguing. We can talk about the blind date later. Right now, the most important thing is to deal with this woman."
Well, the battle has turned against her again. You Ran wiped her mouth with a napkin and sighed inwardly: This aunt is definitely jealous of my youth, beauty, figure, and pure charm.
Xiaoxin's mother approached You Ran and asked condescendingly, "How much money do you want to leave my son? Is 20,000 enough?"
Upon hearing this, You Ran's eyes immediately lit up with bright yellow gold ingots, and his saliva cascaded down like a waterfall from Huangguoshu Waterfall.
There's no need for 20,000; 2,000 would be enough for her to completely abandon her self-respect and principles.
You Ran was about to say, "Auntie, you're really outrageous! Don't worry! I'm in the business too, I know the rules. I'll take your 20,000 yuan and make sure everything is handled perfectly. Next time Xiao Xin comes to me, I'll beat him up once. Twice, I'll chop off his hand. Three times, I'll get a bunch of little dinosaurs to gang rape him in broad daylight. Today's auspicious day, so why don't we just pay up? Cash is best, but a check is fine too."
Little did Xiaoxin know that she was very familiar with her fragile moral compass. Without realizing it, he placed his hand on You Ran's shoulder and squeezed it hard, meaning, "Just agree, or I'll break your arm. It's okay, just agree."
You Ran seemed to hear her bones creaking, and her shoulders ached terribly.
Even if you don't have money to rob, as long as you have your arms, You Ran wisely joined forces with Xiao Xin.
Think about it, Xiaoxin's parents only have him as their son. After they pass away, all the money will belong to Xiaoxin.
So, You Ran looked at Xiao Xin's mother with eyes radiating determination and solemnly said, "A little money can't break us apart."
The subtext is that it takes a lot of money to break us up. Auntie, if you could give me a little more, I would go all out.
But Xiaoxin's mother and You Ran were from different generations and she couldn't understand the meaning behind it. She raised her eyebrows and pouted her red lips: "Since that's the case, don't blame us for being impolite."