Ruan Xingyao stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at Ruan Xingzhuo.
No matter how steady the boy’s expression seemed, the unease in his eyes was hard to conceal.
Ruan Xingyao asked, “Are you really that scared of me falling in love? Are you afraid I won’t care about you anymore?”
Ruan Xingzhuo immediately shook his head. “No, I just don’t want you to get carried away. Men are all no good.”
“Pfft!” Ruan Xingyao burst out laughing, lifting her hand to tap him on the forehead.
She said, “You’re still so young, yet you’re already talking like that.”
Ruan Xingzhuo replied, “Doesn’t matter how old I am. I’m still a man.”
Ruan Xingyao really couldn’t stand this cocky kid.
After thinking for a moment, she said, “I don’t know if I’ll ever date Xie Lin in the future, but for now I won’t. You also don’t need to be so hostile toward him. After all… he’s handsome.”
Ruan Xingzhuo was speechless.
How could he forget that his sister was an extreme face-con, someone who absolutely adored handsome people?
But then again, Xie Lin was indeed handsome.
Still, there were countless handsome guys in the world, not just him.
As long as his sister met enough of them in the future, Xie Lin wouldn’t seem all that special.
Thinking this way, Ruan Xingzhuo felt less worried.
He said, “Sis, let’s agree then—no dating for now.”
Ruan Xingyao nodded casually.
She really wasn’t thinking about it at the moment.
“But when I do want to date, you won’t be able to stop me,” she added.
Ruan Xingzhuo still wanted to say something, but Ruan Xingyao suddenly stepped closer, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.
Her beautiful gaze narrowed as she said, “Ruan Xingzhuo, I just remembered—you still haven’t told me. What little secret are you and You Huan hiding from me?”
Hearing this, Ruan Xingzhuo instantly raised a hand to cover his mouth and faked a yawn. “I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed.”
Without another word, he slipped straight into his room without looking back.
Arms crossed, Ruan Xingyao stared at his retreating figure.
She couldn’t figure out the reason, and decided not to think about it anymore.
She was just too tired.
She slept straight through until the afternoon.
Before she even opened her eyes, her phone started ringing.
Groggily feeling for it, she answered.
It was You Huan calling.
“Xingxing, can I come over to your place today to watch your stream again?”
Ruan Xingyao agreed without hesitation. “Sure, I’ll be waiting.”
Soon enough, You Huan arrived.
As always, she brought along lots of delicious food.
The three of them ate lunch together, and then Ruan Xingyao moved over to the sofa, preparing to start her livestream.
She set up the stand and was just about to go live when she suddenly noticed something was off.
Ruan Xingzhuo and You Huan were gone.
Ruan Xingyao looked around but didn’t see either of them.
The only thing she saw was Baiyi lying at the door of Ruan Xingzhuo’s room.
Her interest was immediately piqued.
She called to Baiyi softly.
“Baiyi, Baiyi.”
Baiyi turned his head, his clear eyes looking right at Ruan Xingyao.
She looked at Baiyi and said, “Help me listen to what they’re saying, then tell me later.”
Baiyi immediately wagged his tail and pressed himself closer to the door, looking sneaky.
Five minutes later, Ruan Xingzhuo opened the door.
Just as he was about to walk out, he saw Baiyi blocking the doorway.
He instantly glanced toward Ruan Xingyao, guilt flashing in his eyes.
Ruan Xingyao hadn’t even asked Baiyi what it had heard yet, but seeing Ruan Xingzhuo’s expression, she instantly knew he must have done something behind her back.
Right then, You Huan peeked her head out from behind Ruan Xingzhuo.
“Why aren’t you moving?” You Huan asked.
Ruan Xingyao leaned back on the sofa with her arms crossed, staring at the two of them.
“Well? Aren’t you going to come over here and confess honestly?”
Her stern tone made both Ruan Xingzhuo and You Huan shrink with guilt.
Baiyi had already rushed over to Ruan Xingyao.
‘Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer!’
【Human! The dog heard it! They signed a contract! But the dog doesn’t understand what a contract is!】
When Baiyi came running, Ruan Xingzhuo dashed over too.
He immediately clamped his hand over Baiyi’s muzzle, stopping it from barking any further.
But it was too late.
Baiyi had already revealed the most important piece of information to Ruan Xingyao.
Looking at Ruan Xingzhuo’s panicked face, Ruan Xingyao said mercilessly, “Even if you cover its mouth, as long as its brain is turning, I’ll know what it’s thinking.”
Ruan Xingzhuo froze in embarrassment, as if all his strength and tricks had abandoned him.
He let go of Baiyi, rubbed his nose, snuck a glance at Ruan Xingyao, then awkwardly stroked Baiyi’s fur.
Right before her eyes, he perfectly demonstrated how a guilty person always looks busy.
Meanwhile, You Huan shuffled over, taking tiny nervous steps.
She wanted to snuggle up to Ruan Xingyao but didn’t dare.
After hesitating, she ended up sitting carefully on the edge of the sofa next to Ruan Xingzhuo instead.
Ruan Xingyao sat up straight, arms folded across her chest, legs crossed, her aura flaring instantly.
“Speak! What contract did you two sign?!” she demanded.
You Huan, already feeling guilty, was completely overwhelmed by Ruan Xingyao’s imposing presence.
Almost the instant she heard her voice, she dropped to her knees with a thud.
She raised her hands to her ears, lowered her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and shouted, “Xingxing, if you’re going to scold someone, scold him! You can’t scold me!”
The living room went utterly silent.
You Huan waited for a long time, but Ruan Xingyao never responded.
She couldn’t help but quietly open one eye and peek at Ruan Xingyao.
There she was, looking completely speechless.
Then she peeked at Ruan Xingzhuo.
He had the exact same speechless expression.
Even Baiyi was blinking its clear eyes at her like she was an idiot.
Yuo Huan dropped her hands, rubbed her arms randomly, then got back up to sit on the sofa.
She rubbed her knees this time—just like Ruan Xingzhuo, she was suddenly “very busy” in her awkwardness.
Ruan Xingyao looked at Ruan Xingzhuo, then at Yuo Huan.
Keeping up her act of being angry, she kept her face stern. “Still not going to come clean?”
Ruan Xingzhuo knew that with Baiyi there, hiding anything was pointless.
So, he obediently handed over the contract he and Yuo Huan had signed.
Ruan Xingyao flipped through it quickly and felt even more exasperated.
“So, in other words, you want me to accept Huanhuan’s gifts, and then you’ll pay her back later?”
Ruan Xingzhuo nodded. “I thought it through carefully. This is the most reasonable arrangement for us.”
First, it would help resolve part of the Ruan family’s debt and ease Xingyao’s burden.
Second, it meant they wouldn’t be taking advantage of Yuo Huan.
Ruan Xingyao said, “Xiao Zhuo, you’re really overthinking it. I don’t feel like the debt is some unbearable hardship, you don’t need to exaggerate it like this.”
Ruan Xingzhuo said, “But I still want to share the burden with you.”
Ruan Xingyao: “And what guarantee do you have that you’ll actually be able to fulfill what’s written in this contract?”
Owing the creditors is still debt.
Does owing Yuo Huan somehow not count as debt?
Yuo Huan raised her hand. “Xingxing, I trust him!”
Ruan Xingyao: “…”
Now she finally understood why Ruan Xingzhuo had tried to talk her out of dating.
If Yuo Huan were really her younger sister, she would’ve smacked her already.
— The end of the Chapter–
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