"He mistook me for your ex-boyfriend, didn't he?"
Jian Ran froze.
She hadn't expected Chu Lulin to be so perceptive.
He said it as a question, but his expression showed certainty.
Left with no choice, Jian Ran mumbled a vague "Mm."
Just as she silently prayed the topic would die there, Chu Lulin deviated from his usual understanding self and pressed on.
"But I'm curious—why did he say you'd get arrested after finding out my age?"
Facing his genuinely puzzled, sincere inquiry, Jian Ran took a tactical sip of water.
Finally, unable to find an excuse, she changed the subject.
"Um, why isn't Siyan back yet? Maybe he can't find his way. You sit tight—I'll go check."
With that, she fled the table as if escaping a disaster.
Watching her retreat in a fluster, a mischievous, triumphant smile flickered in Chu Lulin's eyes.
*
With Qin Siyan's sudden return, Jian Ran had no choice but to put her fledgling "relationship advancement" plan on hold.
Though the kid was bad at studying, he was shrewd in other ways, especially at prying information. She had to be careful and not act rashly.
He had a track record, after all—when she was chasing Zhou Yu, she thought she'd kept it perfectly hidden, but he'd seen through it.
And that was when he was living abroad.
Luckily, Qin Siyan had at least one good quality: he knew how to keep his mouth shut. He hadn't told their grandparents; otherwise, she'd have considered silencing him permanently.
She just didn't know where he'd found out about her breakup with Zhou Yu, or how much he knew.
Thinking about it, Jian Ran sighed again.
But judging from his reaction, he probably didn't know the details; otherwise, he wouldn't have mistaken Chu Lulin for Zhou Yu, thinking she might reconcile with him.
After all, the "white moonlight" was taboo not just for her, but for the entire family.
As for her relationship with Chu Lulin, Jian Ran had no intention of letting anyone in the family know—otherwise, they'd worry to death.
Besides, it wouldn't be good for Chu Lulin either.
So these days, Jian Ran acted like a spy, speaking and moving with extreme caution, careful not to slip up in front of Qin Siyan.
She adamantly insisted that she and Chu Lulin were just friends.
She thought she'd been flawless, but Qin Siyan was, well, Qin Siyan. Since he couldn't get through to her, he'd take another route.
That route, naturally, was the other party: Chu Lulin.
Using the pretext of thanking Chu Lulin for picking him up at the airport, Qin Siyan invited him out.
Even more audaciously, he went straight to A University to invite him in person, then took him to an entertainment venue.
But the moment Qin Siyan arrived at the venue, Jian Ran found out—because he used her card.
He had little money and loved to have fun, so every time he came back, Jian Ran simply gave him her card.
It was actually safer; she could see every transaction.
When Jian Ran received the spending notification, she glanced at the business name and didn't think much of it.
She was familiar with that place—a legitimate business club. He was probably meeting up with his old friends from China again.
Speaking of which, Jian Ran had to admire Qin Siyan's social skills.
He'd gone abroad in elementary school with his parents and studied overseas all these years, yet he still kept in touch with his elementary school friends back home.
He even had a few close buddies.
It was impressive, no doubt.
After her brief musings, Jian Ran stepped out of the elevator from the garage.
As she opened the door, Hulu, hearing her approach, ran over to greet her, rubbing against her legs affectionately.
She'd been staying at her master's place the last few days because Qin Siyan insisted on "taking care of their great-aunt" and refused to stay at her apartment.
With no other option, she had to stay there too.
Chu Lulin had been coming by to look after Hulu.
Seeing the tidy living room, Jian Ran knew he must have been there today.
Thinking of Chu Lulin, she snapped a picture of Hulu playing in the living room and sent it to him.
Because she was staying at her master's, she hadn't dared to contact Chu Lulin much, afraid Qin Siyan would catch her.
Now that he was out, Jian Ran thought she'd take the initiative to reconnect; she didn't want to neglect him.
Just as she sent the photo and was thinking of a topic, Chu Lulin called her via voice call.
She answered without hesitation.
"Are you home today, sister?"
Chu Lulin's voice came through, mingled with background noise.
Jian Ran frowned. What was that noise? It was so loud.
Wait—hadn't he said he'd be in the lab until late tonight?
"Where are you? Not at school?"
"Mm, not at school." Chu Lulin obediently gave his location. "I was called out suddenly and didn't have time to tell you."
Hearing he was at a club, Jian Ran was taken aback.
Then she remembered what happened last time, and alarms went off in her head.
What was a poor student like him doing at a place like that?
Could he be meeting another rich woman?
At the thought, Jian Ran grew displeased and addressed him by his full name.
"Chu Lulin."
"What's wrong, sister?"
"You belong to me now!"