Jian Ran turned off the phone screen and set it aside, not in a hurry to reply.
Chu Lulin had returned to Jing City the day after Jian Ran did. He said summer break was almost over and there were some urgent matters at school, so he came back early.
Normally, since they had gotten along well, meeting up for a meal after returning to Jing City would be fine, especially since he had a legitimate reason. There was no reason to refuse.
But unfortunately, Jian Ran felt guilty. Every time she thought about that night, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Besides the awkwardness, she couldn’t deny that she had indeed felt a lustful impulse that night. It came out of nowhere, something that had never happened before.
Or maybe it wasn’t entirely without cause. Looking back, there were signs.
Undoubtedly, from every perspective, Chu Lulin was flawless. Not to mention, he had lips that were exactly Jian Ran’s type.
But to be fair, before that, Jian Ran had only admired him purely. Even when others often mistook them for a couple, she hadn’t had any other thoughts.
To her, Chu Lulin was just a younger brother from next door.
Yet, on that night of stargazing on the mountaintop, for the first time, she had had improper thoughts about him, even if only for a moment.
Afterward, she came up with a good excuse: blaming the stars and the beautiful night for clouding her mind.
But this time, she couldn’t fool herself anymore.
Still, after it happened, apart from being a little surprised at first, Jian Ran didn’t think it was a big deal.
Appetite for sex is part of human nature.
In a specific environment, the awakening of desire and hormones is normal. It’s not exclusive to men; women have it too. There’s nothing to criticize.
But the thing between adult men and women isn’t that once there’s attraction or desire, something has to develop.
Of course, one could have sex without love, but Jian Ran hadn’t had that thought yet. Maybe someday she would.
But if the object was Chu Lulin, she smiled and shook her head.
Forget it. Let’s not ruin an innocent kid.
*
A University, Graduate Dormitory.
As Jiang Ming pushed the door open, he was hit by a pungent smell of smoke. With that much, he thought everyone was in the room, but only saw Chu Lulin sitting by the window, staring into space.
On the table, the cigarette pack was more than half empty, and the ashtray was full of butts.
Jiang Ming frowned slightly. Chu Lulin wasn’t a heavy smoker; he only smoked when he was troubled, and then one after another. The more he smoked, the worse his mood.
“What’s wrong? Why are you smoking so much? You’ve been absent-minded ever since you got back from Yuncheng,” he asked as he walked over.
Chu Lulin snapped out of it, glanced at him, then lowered his eyelids. “Nothing.”
Jiang Ming pulled up a chair and sat down. He picked up the cigarette pack—only two left. He lit one himself and handed the last one to Chu Lulin.
Chu Lulin didn’t refuse. He placed the cigarette between his lips, flicked the lighter, and turned his head to light it.
He took a slow drag, holding the cigarette casually on the back of the chair, letting pale smoke rings float from his lips. The smoke curled around him, making him look even more aloof and dejected.
Jiang Ming couldn’t help but ‘tsk’.
Even when handsome guys feel down, they exude an atmosphere.
So unfair.
They finished a cigarette in silence. Then Jiang Ming couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Not that I’m complaining, but I don’t get it. Our research group was so busy this summer, and you just vanished all the way to Yuncheng. Sure, you didn’t miss anything, but what a hassle. And now that you’re back, you’re spacing out all day. I don’t know…”
Chu Lulin remained indifferent, not responding, letting him ramble.
Jiang Ming wasn’t surprised. He had known Chu Lulin for so long; he knew exactly how he was.
Prying his mouth open wasn’t easy.
But just as Jiang Ming was thinking of something else to say, Chu Lulin’s phone on the table vibrated lightly.
Then, something astonishing happened.
Almost instantly, the usually lackadaisical Chu Lulin, with a conditioned reflex, snatched the phone and unlocked it to check.
His movement was unusually urgent.
Then… a visible disappointment flashed across his face.
It was clear he had been waiting for someone’s message, and the result wasn’t satisfying.
Jiang Ming was stunned for a moment, then asked uncertainly, “You… aren’t in a relationship, are you?”
He strode over, hooking his arm around Chu Lulin’s shoulder, trying to look at his phone.
Chu Lulin sidestepped and turned off the screen.
Seeing this, Jiang Ming became even more convinced of his guess. “Wow! Looks like it’s true.”
He paced back and forth excitedly, rubbing his hands like a melon-eating weasel.
“So, did you go to Yuncheng for your girlfriend?”
Chu Lulin didn’t deny it. After a while, he muttered, “Not yet.”
Jiang Ming went “Ah,” and since it was rare to see him so dejected, he found it amusing.
“Hey, karma really does exist! I never thought there’d be a girl you couldn’t win over. Tell me, how did you meet? How far have you gotten? Have you confessed?”
Then he deliberately teased, “Or are you just secretly in love with her?”
Chu Lulin lifted his eyelids, gave him a faint glance, and said nothing.
Jiang Ming froze, his expression stiffening. After a long pause, he said incredulously,
“Bro, you’re secretly in love with someone while looking like that?!”
Chu Lulin ignored Jiang Ming’s exaggerated look of shock, grabbed his phone, and walked straight out of the dorm.
*
Jian Ran used the excuse of being busy lately to decline Chu Lulin’s invitation to meet.
As for the handkerchief, she said it wasn’t important, told him not to worry about it, and that if it took up space, he could throw it away.
Such a direct refusal—he must think she’s pretty heartless, right?
But there was no helping it. Every time she thought of how he called her ‘Big Sister’ obediently, treating her almost like a real sister, while she had harbored improper thoughts about him…
What a sin.
Jian Ran made up her mind: she wouldn’t see Chu Lulin in the short term, at least until her inexplicable lust had cooled down.
After sending the message, she didn’t give it any more thought. She went to the bathroom to take a shower. She had plans to meet a friend tonight.
As night fell, the bar street came alive again.
Jian Ran met her friend at their regular quiet bar. She arrived a bit early; her friend was still stuck in traffic, so she picked a seat by the window.
She ordered a low-alcohol cocktail, took a sip, and then let her gaze wander aimlessly out the window.
Suddenly, among the crowd of people, Jian Ran caught a familiar figure.
Her first thought was that she was mistaken, but after a double-check, it was indeed Chu Lulin.
He had just gotten out of a Maybach, and from the other side, a woman in luxurious clothes got out, looking around forty.
After getting out, the woman walked around and warmly linked her arm through Chu Lulin’s.
They entered the upscale entertainment venue across the street.