For a devoted little brother like him, Qin Siyan had declared since childhood that any man appearing by his sister's side would have to pass his strict scrutiny. After all, he was her only brother.
But ideals were grand while reality was harsh. Over the years, Jian Ran had never given him a single chance. Unwilling to give up, the siblings had been locked in a years-long tug-of-war. Unfortunately, he was abroad, coming back at most once or twice a year, and Jian Ran always had her guard up, so he could never find a way in.
Then, early this year, he caught a whiff of something from scattered clues. Using his superb acting skills, he managed to extract the truth: Jian Ran had a boyfriend she'd just started dating, someone she'd chased for six years before catching. But just then he had to rush abroad, so he missed his chance to meet the man. And now that he was back, his sister had already broken up.
At least there was this new one who'd come to him. Though he'd only seen them once, Qin Siyan was sure that Chu Lulin's gaze toward his sister was anything but innocent. His strong sixth sense told him there was definitely a secret between them—nothing like the "just friends" his sister claimed.
So today, he finally seized the chance and found a way to call Chu Lulin out for an "interrogation." On the way from A University, Qin Siyan had already gathered the basics: school, major, hometown, number of exes, and so on.
So far, the kid seemed worthy of his sister! But aside from these external conditions, character and how he treated his sister were what really mattered. That couldn't be figured out in a short time, though. The first step was to clarify their relationship.
Chu Lulin seemed easygoing—he answered readily when questions were about himself. But when asked about him and Jian Ran, he was clearly evasive, either dodging the topic or refusing to answer altogether.
Qin Siyan thought to himself, this kid's pretty sharp; his sister must have told him something. Well, then he'd have to change tactics.
So, the moment they entered the private room, Qin Siyan cut straight to the chase: "I'll get straight to it. I called you out today to ask: what's your relationship with my sister?"
Chu Lulin glanced at him and replied with a question: "What did she say we are?"
Qin Siyan chuckled. Just as I thought. "She said you're friends," he admitted. "But I don't believe it. You like my sister, don't you?" He put on a tough "future brother-in-law" attitude, adding with a hint of threat: "Friendly reminder—think carefully before you answer." If he denied it now, getting into the family later wouldn't be so easy.
Chu Lulin read the implication easily, but it didn't faze him. The corners of his mouth lifted as he replied lightly: "If sister says we're friends, then for now we're friends."
Qin Siyan wasn't stupid; he understood immediately. He didn't deny liking his sister, so he did like her. "For now" friends, but that didn't mean forever. Got it—in two sentences, Qin Siyan concluded that Chu Lulin was chasing his sister. And this kid was pretty savvy, acting like he'd do whatever his sister said. Nice, nice—his sister's future status in the family was secure.
Qin Siyan patted him on the shoulder, giving his answer a seal of approval. "Good luck. I'm rooting for you!" His sister was in her breakup period—having one more suitor could only help. Whomever she chose later, as long as she was happy, he'd support her.
Chu Lulin had no idea what Qin Siyan was really thinking, but he smiled sincerely at him for once. "Thanks. I will."
A meeting that should have been tense ended in such a lighthearted, pleasant atmosphere. Qin Siyan hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He'd thought the guy would be stubborn at first, refusing to talk until after a few drinks. But this just proved that Chu Lulin was sincerely pursuing his sister; otherwise, why would he care about threats from a "future brother-in-law"?
Still, since the room was already booked, Qin Siyan wasn't about to waste it. He ordered drinks and a fruit platter, then, feeling the place was too quiet with just him and Chu Lulin, went out to call some friends.
Now alone in the room, Chu Lulin frowned slightly. He wasn't fond of places like this. If not for fear of offending Qin Siyan, he'd rather be working overtime in the lab. Forget it, he'd stay a while longer and slip away once Siyan's friends arrived.
He pulled out his phone to check the time when a WeChat notification popped up—from Jian Ran. A photo of Hulu; she was home today.
Ever since Qin Siyan arrived, they'd barely kept in touch. Now that Jian Ran had taken the initiative, he naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to chat.
His fingers flew across the screen, typing a line. But just before hitting send, he paused, looking toward the door. Qin Siyan had left in a hurry, leaving the door open; the sound of KTV from next door drifted in clearly.
A glint flickered in Chu Lulin's eyes. He held down the delete key, erasing the message character by character. Then, without hesitation, he made a voice call.
When he heard Jian Ran address him by his full name on the other end, a smile crept into his eyes. Just as expected, her next words followed his plan.
*
Jian Ran finished her righteous warning, but she wasn't as confident as she'd sounded. Holding her breath, she stared at her phone, waiting for an explanation.
"I know," Chu Lulin's voice came through, sounding a little flustered. "I've always been yours."
Jian Ran exhaled in relief. That's more like it. "Then what were you doing at a club?"
Chu Lulin chuckled softly on the other end. He stopped teasing and told her directly that Qin Siyan had invited him.
Jian Ran: "???"
He was there with Qin Siyan, not with some other rich woman.
She blinked, then smacked her forehead in chagrin. Right—the club Chu Lulin mentioned was the same one Qin Siyan had gone to. She wanted to crawl into a hole. What had she been doing? Warning him without knowing the facts—so embarrassing! At least her words had been vague; hopefully Chu Lulin hadn't taken them the wrong way.
She hung up hastily, but the more she thought about it, the more puzzled she grew. Why had Qin Siyan called Chu Lulin out? That little brat was definitely up to no good! Chu Lulin was so innocent; what if the kid managed to pry something out of him?
Unable to shake her worry, Jian Ran hopped in her car and sped over. Following the room number Chu Lulin had given, she found her way without trouble.
Seeing only Chu Lulin inside, she tossed her bag onto the sofa and sat beside him. "Where's Qin Siyan?"
"He went to the restroom," Chu Lulin replied.
Jian Ran nodded, a little surprised. "Just the two of you came?"
Chu Lulin smiled. "Siyan called some others, said they're on their way."
Siyan? Jian Ran raised an eyebrow. Since when were they on such familiar terms? But before she could ask, Chu Lulin spoke first: "On the phone just now, did you misunderstand something?"
Jian Ran let out an "Ah," her eyes darting away, but she still insisted, "No, what would I misunderstand?" Guiltily, she poured herself a glass of watermelon juice and downed it in one gulp.
Chu Lulin's eyes curved with a cunning smile. "Don't worry, I remember the agreement. As long as you still want me, no matter how good another sister might be, I won't go to them."
Jian Ran pressed her lips together, her cheeks warming slightly. Hearing such an unexpected vow of loyalty, she couldn't say she was unmoved. But just as she was pondering how to reply with the proper dignity of a rich woman, she caught the obvious amusement in his eyes and suddenly understood.
Hmph—Chu Lulin had learned to be naughty! He was teasing her! It must be because he'd been hanging around Qin Siyan too long—like attracts like!
"But I hope you'll keep your promise too," Chu Lulin said, the smile still in his eyes but also a seriousness that couldn't be ignored.
Jian Ran blinked and immediately knew which promise he meant—the "no being the third party" condition. Oh, so this was where he was leading.
"Don't worry, I always keep my word. If I promise something, I'll see it through."
Chu Lulin's lips curved slightly. "Good." He murmured softly, as if finally relieved.
Jian Ran felt a pang of guilt. It must be because of that misunderstanding the other day when Siyan mistook him for Zhou Yu. He hadn't felt secure. It was her fault—she knew he cared about this, and she should have explained it clearly earlier.
*
Just as Qin Siyan approached the door of the private room, his nose started itching uncontrollably. He sneezed several times in a row. Rubbing his nose in confusion, he muttered, "Strange, I'm not catching a cold... Someone must be cursing me behind my back." He pushed the door open and saw the very person.
"Sis, what are you doing here?"
Jian Ran smiled a tight smile. "What do you think?" She was genuinely puzzled: after the trip from the airport, she'd been so careful—how had this brat managed to get Chu Lulin's WeChat?
Qin Siyan wasn't dumb; he immediately guessed why she was there.
"If I hadn't come, would you be getting too big for your britches?" Jian Ran said, shaking her head in exasperation. "You can fool around all you want, but do you have to drag others into it?"
Qin Siyan wasn't about to take that lying down. He looked at Chu Lulin, then back at her. "Sis, you can't be that domineering! You're just his friend—why do you get to dictate who he hangs out with? That's overstepping!"
Jian Ran took a deep breath, abandoning all pretense of elegant rich woman. She reached out and twisted Qin Siyan's ear. "I can't control others, but can I control you?"
The room immediately erupted in chaos. Jian Ran was furious and didn't hold back.
Qin Siyan yelped in pain, no longer daring to provoke her, and begged for mercy while dodging. It took a while before the room settled down.
Qin Siyan sat at the far end of the room, as far from her as possible, nursing his ear.
Jian Ran sat back down, her throat feeling dry and itchy. She poured herself another glass of watermelon juice and downed it.
Regaining some composure, she remembered how a rich woman should behave. But just as she was thinking of something to salvage her dignity, Chu Lulin suddenly leaned closer and whispered in her ear: "You can control me."
A tickle spread across Jian Ran's ear, and she instinctively straightened her back. He was responding to Siyan's accusation.
She fought down the strange sensation, gave a light "hmph," and lifted her chin haughtily. "You're mine—of course I can control you."