Early the next morning, Ruan Xingchen was still dreaming about counting money when a wildly persistent doorbell rang in her ears.
Half-asleep, she rolled out of bed and went to open the door without even putting on her shoes.
"Hey, little Xingchen, look what I brought you!"Lu Xiaobai kicked off her high heels and lifted the food container in her hand. "Porridge from Chen Ji. See how good I am to you?"
Ruan Xingchen gave a perfunctory response and was about to head to the bathroom.
Lu Xiaobai grabbed her and leaned in with a mischievous grin."The guy upstairs—the 'creepy uncle' you mentioned—is he really that handsome?"
Ruan Xingchen nodded. "Very."
"Handsome, rich, and single…" Lu Xiaobai's eyes gleamed as she let out a rather suspicious laugh. She slapped Ruan Xingchen on the shoulder. "Hurry up and eat. After that, we'll go upstairs and settle the score!"
Ruan Xingchen's legs nearly gave out.
She suddenly regretted calling Lu Xiaobai over.
Honestly, she had only said that about "settling the score" casually.
She tried to persuade her friend to give up the idea."Xiaobai, a guy who's handsome, rich, and single isn't necessarily some CEO-type. He could just as easily be an idle rich kid living off his family…"
"Less talking. Eat."
"…"
After hastily finishing breakfast, Ruan Xingchen was dragged out the door.
When they reached the twelfth floor, she shrank back behind the stairwell door, not daring to go any further.
She was a good girl—last night's matter was already settled. There was no reason to cause trouble again today.
Lu Xiaobai shot her a look of disdain, puffed up her chest, and confidently rang the doorbell.
Soon, the door opened.
The man wore casual home clothes, his hair slightly messy as if he had just gotten out of bed. He leaned lazily against the doorframe, yet still exuded an undeniable sense of authority.
His narrowed dark eyes fell on Lu Xiaobai.
The moment she saw his face, Lu Xiaobai froze as if struck by lightning.
Seeing her like this, Ruan Xingchen immediately showed a look of disdain.
He's just good-looking—no need to react like that, right?
Just as she was considering whether to pull her friend away, she heard Lu Xiaobai stammer:
"U–Uncle…!"
What?!
This "creepy uncle" was Lu Xiaobai's uncle?!
That was terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Clutching her chest, Ruan Xingchen quietly began inching backward while the two of them were distracted.
"Ruan Xingchen!"
Lu Xiaobai spotted her and shouted, her voice echoing through the entire floor.
At the same time, Lu Jingyuan followed her gaze and immediately noticed Ruan Xingchen tiptoeing away. A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes.
Covering her ears as if she hadn't heard anything, Ruan Xingchen turned to run—
But how could she outrun Lu Xiaobai, the three-time champion of the 800-meter race?
Lu Xiaobai quickly caught up, grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her back in front of Lu Jingyuan.
"Uncle, I've brought the 'culprit' back for you," Lu Xiaobai said with a flattering smile. "Do whatever you want with her—but please don't tell my mom."
Lu Jingyuan's dark gaze swept briefly over Ruan Xingchen before returning to calm.
Ruan Xingchen widened her eyes in disbelief.
Seriously?!
Seeing her expression, Lu Xiaobai blinked innocently."You said it yourself—best friends are meant to be 'betrayed' sometimes."
Ruan Xingchen was left speechless.
The two girls stood there, staring at each other.
Lu Jingyuan glanced at them, his voice slightly hoarse from just waking up."Why are you still standing there? Come in."
"Come in?"
The two girls exchanged a look.
"Why does your uncle want us to go in?""Relax, he's not going to do anything weird.""What if he does?""Then you can… ask for compensation again.""Brilliant!"
Lu Jingyuan, who was walking ahead, paused slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
The two girls pushed and nudged each other as they awkwardly entered the living room and sat side by side on the sofa, staring at him.
They watched as he walked into the kitchen, then came back out with two glasses of juice.
"Thanks, Uncle!"Lu Xiaobai took a glass naturally and drank it in one go.
Ruan Xingchen glanced at her, then looked up at Lu Jingyuan with a hesitant expression. She didn't immediately reach out to take the glass.
"Um… sir," she asked cautiously,"Does this juice… cost money?"