Lu Jingyuan paused slightly, then followed the sound. When he saw the two girls squeezed together on the sofa, eyes wide as they stared at the phone screen, his handsome face immediately darkened.
Watching that kind of thing so openly in his apartment—these two girls were really…
After changing his shoes, Lu Jingyuan strode over with a dark expression and snatched the phone without a word.
The two girls, who had been watching with great interest, exchanged a glance and slowly raised their heads in unison.
The moment Lu Xiaobai saw his face, she let out a scream, sprang up from the sofa, and quickly hid behind it.
The inappropriate, breathy sounds from the phone were still playing intermittently.
Ruan Xingchen, who was still sitting there, blinked innocently and asked,
"Uncle, do you want to watch too?"
Lu Jingyuan: "..."
…
After dinner, once the two girls went downstairs, Lu Jingyuan went straight into the bathroom.
When he came out, his short hair was still damp, his upper body bare, with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
He walked to the wine cabinet, poured himself half a glass of red wine, took a sip, then slowly sat down on the sofa and picked up his phone.
Black Sesame Tangyuan: "So? So? Did it work?"
Black Sesame Tangyuan: "Hello?!"
Lu Jingyuan set down his glass, tapped on the screen, and replied:
Tangyuan-Selling CEO: "What counts as 'worked'?"
The reply came quickly.
Black Sesame Tangyuan: "Holding hands, hugging, touching, kissing~"
Lu Jingyuan frowned, set the phone aside, and didn't respond further.
…
That night, after taking turns showering, the two girls lay side by side in bed.
Lu Xiaobai stared at the dark ceiling, lost in thought, unable to fall asleep.
After more than half an hour, Ruan Xingchen finally couldn't take it anymore and sat up.
"Lu Xiaobai, why are you sighing? Are you sleeping or not?"
Lu Xiaobai also sat up, looking at her in the darkness. Her voice was especially clear in the quiet room.
"Hey, Ruan Luoli, tell me honestly—when you saw those photos and videos of Ruan Shuqing and Jiang Heng… you know, those, how did you feel?"
"How did I feel?" Ruan Xingchen thought for a moment. "Very angry. Extremely angry."
"And then?"
"I cursed that their condoms would have glass shards in them."
Lu Xiaobai's lips twitched, as if she could see a little devil-horned version of Ruan Xingchen.
Glass shards inside… how did she even come up with that?
"Besides that?"
"Huh?"
Even without seeing her face, Lu Xiaobai could imagine her confused expression.
After a moment of silence, Lu Xiaobai asked softly:
"Then what do you think of my uncle?"
"Xiaobai…" Ruan Xingchen called her gently, reaching out in the dark to feel her forehead. "What's wrong with you these days? Sighing all day, acting weird at night."
Lu Xiaobai pulled her hand down angrily. "I'm worried about you!"
"Worried about what?"
"That you're stupid."
"Hey, you little brat!"
…
Early the next morning, afraid of being scolded by Lu Jingyuan, Lu Xiaobai left early and took a ride back to the Lu family residence.
Not long after she left, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Thinking Lu Xiaobai had forgotten something, Ruan Xingchen muttered as she got out of bed. When she opened the door, two unfamiliar figures appeared before her.
The woman, seeing Ruan Xingchen's confused expression, quickly said:
"Xingchen, it's me—your aunt. We just met last week."
Aunt?
Ruan Xingchen instantly woke up and obediently called out, "Aunt."
"Ah, good girl." He Xiuzhen nodded with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she nudged the girl beside her. "Oh right, this is my daughter, Fang Xinxin… Xinxin, call her cousin."
The girl looked about the same age as Ruan Xingchen, with a ponytail, wearing a simple cotton dress and white canvas shoes—an ordinary student's outfit.
Hearing her mother, Fang Xinxin immediately greeted politely, "Cousin."
Then she lifted the basket in her hands toward Ruan Xingchen, smiling shyly.
"Cousin, these are some fruits and vegetables we grew ourselves. They're for you."
Ruan Xingchen felt a bit overwhelmed by the two of them. She blankly took the basket.
"Thank you, Aunt… thank you, Cousin."
Having lived more than ten years like half an orphan, she had suddenly gained two relatives last week—and now another one.
Ruan Xingchen felt her little heart could hardly handle it.
"No need to be polite." Fang Xinxin lowered her head, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the apartment behind Ruan Xingchen.
He Xiuzhen suddenly took her daughter's hand and smiled kindly.
"Since we've delivered the things, we won't stay any longer. When we have time later, we'll let Xinxin come over to spend time with you. You two are about the same age—you'll have things to talk about."
"Mom…" Fang Xinxin tugged at her sleeve, lowering her head even more.
Ruan Xingchen didn't respond or try to keep them. In fact, she almost wanted them to leave quickly. She nodded right away.
"Aunt, Cousin—take care."
He Xiuzhen shot her daughter a look, and the two turned and walked toward the elevator.