A silent awkwardness filled the air. Jian Ran was stunned for a long moment, feeling like a cheating spouse being confronted. Although she knew Chu Lulin probably didn't mean it that way, she still inexplicably felt like he was settling scores.
“That person isn’t Sister’s ex-boyfriend?” Chu Lulin asked. Jian Ran saw that he didn’t press further and let out a sigh of relief. As for why she had let go of Chu Lulin’s hand after seeing Zhang Fan and his group last night, she couldn’t quite explain it herself.
“No, just a friend.” He also happened to be a friend of her ex-boyfriend. But for some reason, Jian Ran silently swallowed those words. Probably because she didn’t want to bring up Zhou Yu again; her mind was a bit unsettled right now. It wasn’t for any other reason—she just hadn’t expected Zhou Yu to call her voluntarily, especially after running into those people from A University, which inevitably led to overthinking.
Chu Lulin uttered an “oh,” but obviously didn’t intend to let it go so easily. He pointed at her phone and said, “So, it’s this person, right?” Jian Ran opened her mouth, finding it impossible to deny. It seemed unnecessary. Chu Lulin nodded to show he understood.
“Will Sister call him back?” Jian Ran was taken aback. Call Zhou Yu back? So far, she hadn’t even entertained the thought. What would be the point of calling back? To explain that Chu Lulin wasn’t her boyfriend? That was completely unnecessary. After all, her relationship with Chu Lulin was hardly innocent by now.
A hint of mockery flickered across Jian Ran’s face. Zhou Yu had always thought she wasn’t serious about relationships; now he probably believed it even more. But it didn’t matter—she no longer cared.
Chu Lulin had been watching Jian Ran’s reactions, and as her silence lengthened, his eyes gradually dimmed. She still hadn’t let go, had she? That made sense. How could six years be forgotten in just two months? He couldn’t rush; this was only the beginning. Suppressing the complexity in his eyes, he looked up again, his face showing a carefully crafted look of bewilderment.
“It’s okay, Sister. If you want to call, go ahead. What we have between us can…” The words “be voided” were on the tip of his tongue, but he forced them back down. Although he knew that retreating to advance and banking on her soft heart was almost a surefire move, he didn’t dare gamble on that one-in-ten chance. Chu Lulin pressed his lips together, his brows slightly furrowed, and said with a hint of self-abandonment, “My conditions can also be disregarded.”
Jian Ran’s face showed a flash of astonishment. If the conditions were voided, that meant… he was willing to be the other man?! “Those terms were unreasonable to begin with. Sister has been indulgent toward me; I know that,” Chu Lulin said, his eyes dropping slightly.
For some reason, seeing him like this, Jian Ran suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness. As Jiang Man had said, their relationship was supposed to be mutually agreeable, but Chu Lulin placed himself too low. She didn’t like that feeling.
“I won’t call him back!” Jian Ran frowned slightly. “And our relationship won’t change.” She knew what Chu Lulin was worried about. It was common for normal couples to break up and get back together, but her situation with Zhou Yu was different. Jian Ran couldn’t explain too much to Chu Lulin; saying too little might not convey the message, and saying too much would seem melodramatic. So she had to reassure him in another way.
“I’m low-energy, you know?” she said with a hint of helplessness. So even if he was willing to be the other man, she simply didn’t have the energy to maintain multiple romantic relationships. She just wasn’t cut out for it. Besides, Zhou Yu wouldn’t give her that opportunity. Although she didn’t know why he had called, based on her understanding of him, he wouldn’t call again.
“Besides, I agreed to your terms not because of indulgence, but because you deserve it!” “I… deserve it?” “Of course!” A boy who looked like him was sure to be liked by wealthy older women—he was definitely worth it.
Chu Lulin smiled, visibly brightening. Jian Ran silently sighed. He was way too easy to placate. That wouldn’t do; he would get taken advantage of.
“No,” Chu Lulin laughed carefreely, the hint of a small dimple appearing at the corners of his mouth. “I believe Sister won’t lie to me and won’t abandon me.” Jian Ran: “…” This heavy sense of trust was inexplicably putting pressure on her. What was going on?
*
As Jian Ran had expected, Zhou Yu didn’t call again. This little episode quickly passed.
Qin Siyan had returned to the country under the pretense of taking care of Su Jin, but in truth, he only obediently stayed with her for three days. After that, he started leaving early and coming back late, hanging out with friends, and having so much fun that he forgot all about going home. Just when Jian Ran thought he would stay a while longer, a week later, Qin Siyan suddenly announced he had to go back to class.
His flight was early the next morning, so the night before, he asked to stay at Jian Ran’s place. Not only that—somehow he had found out that Chu Lulin could cook, and for his last meal, he specifically requested to taste his cooking. Jian Ran couldn’t be bothered to indulge him, but the brat went around her and got the chef’s approval directly.
After dinner, Qin Siyan sat cross-legged on the sofa playing games. Jian Ran couldn’t stand it, so she walked over and kicked him. “How can you have the nerve to boss people around like that? Do you really think you’re some young master?”
Qin Siyan thought, what was there to be embarrassed about? Since Chu Lulin wanted to pursue his sister, he naturally had to pass his test. Tonight’s dinner was part of his evaluation. Jian Ran couldn’t be bothered with him. She turned and went to the kitchen, saying to Chu Lulin, who was busy cleaning up, “Don’t bother with those dishes. Leave them; I’ll make Qin Siyan wash them later.”
Chu Lulin smiled and replied, “It’s fine, almost done.” After tidying up the kitchen, Chu Lulin didn’t stay long. He cut a plate of fruit for the siblings, placed it on the coffee table, and then said his goodbyes. Afraid that Qin Siyan might notice something, Jian Ran didn’t see him back to his place; she only walked him to the elevator.
“Sis, seriously, I think Chu Lulin is a good guy,” Qin Siyan said, flopping onto the sofa and skewering a piece of melon to eat as he commented. Jian Ran shot him a glance. “Obviously. I knew him before you did. Of course I know he’s a good person.” Qin Siyan snorted. “Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.” Jian Ran wasn’t about to fall for that trap; she insisted they were just friends. Qin Siyan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
He pointed at Hulu, who was sleeping on the floor not far away, and began to dismantle her arguments one by one. “That little cat of yours is so familiar with him. That doesn’t happen with just one or two meetings.” Jian Ran countered, “Hulu was adopted through Chu Lulin’s introduction in the first place. What’s so strange about them being close? And Hulu is not a ‘little cat,’ mind your words!”
Qin Siyan curled his lip, not bothering to argue that point, and continued presenting other evidence. “The moment he stepped into your kitchen, he knew his way around. He knows where everything is better than you do. Clearly, he’s been here a lot. And at the dinner table, he peeled the shrimp for you and placed them in a bowl, and you ate them as if it were the most natural thing in the world. How do you explain that?”
Jian Ran was left speechless, finally realizing why this brat had insisted on having Chu Lulin cook at her place. So this was his trap. People who knew her well knew that she loved boiled shrimp but hated peeling them. At home, she would just peel them with her mouth while eating, but when there were guests, she had to maintain some decorum. Yet she was too impatient to peel them by hand, so she usually didn’t eat much. Chu Lulin had somehow noticed this, so every time they ate together, he would peel them for her. At first, Jian Ran was surprised, but after many times, she got used to it. She hadn’t expected that one moment of carelessness tonight would expose her in front of Qin Siyan.
Her uncle was right—if only he applied that cleverness to his studies, he wouldn’t have been at the bottom of the class since childhood.
“Don’t try to deny it. I may have never been in love, but even I know these are girlfriend privileges!” Jian Ran glanced at Qin Siyan, hesitating to speak. Tsk, young people were so naive. They hadn’t seen the ‘murkiness’ of society. These weren’t just girlfriend privileges—wealthy women had them too!
“What does that prove? It only shows he’s more gentlemanly than you. You should learn from him,” Jian Ran insisted stubbornly. Her relationship with Chu Lulin would eventually end, so she couldn’t leave such a loose end; otherwise, it would be more troublesome to explain later.
“Anyway, we’re not in the kind of relationship you think. Don’t overthink it. What does someone who’s never been in love know about it?” Qin Siyan: “…”
He finally understood—his sister was tight-lipped. Without solid evidence, it was basically impossible to get a straight answer from her. But Qin Siyan didn’t actually need a straight answer; he just needed to know that his sister was happy.
In fact, during his time back, although he seemed aimless, he had made sure to investigate everything related to Jian Ran, especially her love life.
“Sis, just remember you’re never alone. No matter what happens, you still have me. I’ll always be on your side, unconditionally.” Qin Siyan rarely looked so serious. Jian Ran was startled, then suddenly understood something. She sighed inwardly—this kid must have learned some of the details about her breakup with Zhou Yu.
“I’m really fine. Don’t go telling Maternal Grandparents and the rest when you get back; they’ll worry.” Qin Siyan nodded in agreement. Although he was easygoing, he knew that matters concerning his aunt were always taboo in the family. Even if Jian Ran hadn’t told him, he would have been careful.
It was rare for the siblings to sit down and have such a serious heart-to-heart, and the scene was somewhat emotional. Honestly, she was going to miss this brat when he left. Qin Siyan shrugged, looking helpless. “I don’t want to go either, but there’s no choice. Even a slacker needs a diploma. Otherwise, my dad will definitely whip me.” Jian Ran laughed, thinking that this was exactly something her uncle would do.
“If anything happens, call me. Don’t bottle it up alone. If you miss me, I promise I’ll fly right back to be with you,” Qin Siyan instructed, still a bit worried. When had this kid learned to speak so sweetly? Jian Ran was moved for a few seconds. But then he added, “Hey, anyway, I don’t like school. If I come back to be with you, my dad can’t fault me.” Jian Ran: “…”
*
After seeing Qin Siyan off, Jian Ran finally relaxed completely. The matters that had been delayed were now back on the agenda. That day, she arrived at the studio early and ran into Xiao Ning as soon as she entered the Embroidery Workshop.
“Ran Jie, why are you here so early today?” Xiao Ning greeted her while stretching, then her gaze fell on Jian Ran’s hands. “What’s that you’re holding?” Jian Ran lifted the tote bag in her hand and handed it directly to Xiao Ning. Xiao Ning hadn’t seen it clearly from afar, but now she noticed the logo on the bag—a high-end, custom, hand-tailored suit brand that had some collaborations with their studio.
In recent years, the combination of suits and embroidery had become quite popular. The elegant traditional gentleman’s feel, cleverly combined with Eastern or contemporary artistry, could both represent cultural heritage and showcase fashion taste. It was also a popular look for many male celebrities on the red carpet and at events. Their embroidery workshop also took on such projects. Besides fixed collaborations with some custom suit brands, some clients would have suits custom-made and then send the finished product to their workshop for embroidery customization. But this was very rare, and generally, they didn’t accept such orders because the suits were already finalized, making embroidery riskier.
“Which client is it for?” Xiao Ning asked casually. For the workshop to take such an order, it was usually a regular client. Jian Ran shook her head. “It’s not a workshop order.” She had always kept in mind the idea of giving Chu Lulin a suit. She had actually been called to pick up the clothes a few days ago, but because of Qin Siyan, it had been delayed until now.
Xiao Ning let out an “oh” and didn’t think much of it, assuming it was a private request for Jian Ran. Jian Ran didn’t explain further. She took the suit out and placed it on the worktable, then began preparations. Actually, at first, she had only planned to customize a suit for Chu Lulin; she hadn’t considered adding embroidery. That had been a spur-of-the-moment decision last night. She felt that giving just a cold, impersonal gift was a bit lacking—it seemed half-hearted. For one thing, Chu Lulin had been very devoted to her these past days, and as a gesture of reciprocity, she should give something back.