Hearing Ji Shuiyao’s words, Song Zhenyu felt a storm stirring in her mind, and for a mont, she stood there dazed, unsure how to respond.
Seeing the awkward silence, Wang Haoran suddenly interjected with a casual tone, “Why don’t we do it this way—on campus, you’re teacher and student. Outside of class, you can just call each other sisters. How’s that?”
“That works for ,” Ji Shuiyao replied promptly, nodding her head.
“Alright, let’s go with that,” Song Zhenyu agreed as well, her expression relaxing.
“Settled then. Co on, let’s eat hotpot!” Wang Haoran grinned, waving to the server to bring out a fresh set of dishes for Ji Shuiyao.
Ordinarily, Ji Shuiyao didn’t eat after alti had passed. The old her would’ve declined imdiately. But now, with Wang Haoran’s words still hanging in the air and the warmth of the gathering soaking into her heart, she picked up her chopsticks with a rare smile and joined them.
Outside the lab, Ji Shuiyao’s personality leaned on the quiet and subdued side. Even during the hotpot al, she didn’t speak much. Still, the atmosphere remained lighthearted—Qin Yunhan and Xu Muyan occasionally bickered like old frenemies, keeping the table lively and preventing any awkward lulls. Laughter and steam from the bubbling broth filled the air, weaving a scene of easy camaraderie.
A little while later, Wang Haoran’s phone buzzed with two ssages. One was from Qin Yunhan, the other from Qiu Qianwei—both asking to et up with him later that night.
That put him in a bit of a bind.
It didn’t feel right to turn either of them down, but eting both at the sa ti wasn’t realistic either. As he hesitated, unsure how to respond, Xu Muyan suddenly spoke up.
“Qin Yunhan, Zhaozhao, Jingjing, let’s head back to the dorms after we eat and queue up for so team matches?”
Mu Zhaozhao and Wen Jing imdiately agreed. University life was far less intense than high school, and they’d recently fallen into the habit of killing ti with gas whenever boredom struck.
Qin Yunhan, however, replied with a calm refusal. “You guys go ahead. I think I’ll just do so reading tonight.”
Xu Muyan’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Reading, huh? Then I’ll co read with you. I’ll swing by your dorm.”
At that, Qin Yunhan’s lips tightened and she bit back a curse. “Forget it. Suddenly, I don’t feel like reading anymore. I’m in for the ga. But I’m not queuing with you—I’m joining the enemy team just to hunt you down.”
“Bring it on, who’s scared of you?” Xu Muyan shot her a defiant grin, locking eyes with her across the table.
The two girls—both wide-eyed and expressive—stared each other down like dueling cats, refusing to be the first to blink.
Wang Haoran wisely chose to remain neutral, lowering his head and continuing to eat, not about to get dragged into their mini war.
Eventually, the intensity of the stare-off made their eyes dry out, and they both finally looked away.
As she turned her gaze, Xu Muyan glanced at Wang Haoran and shot him a cunning little look. He paused for a mont, but quickly understood. She must’ve noticed Qin Yunhan texting earlier, and deliberately sabotaged her plan to et him—steering her into a ga session instead.
Well… not a bad outco, actually.
With Qin Yunhan now heading back to play gas, he was off the hook from having to choose between the two invitations.
After finishing the al, Wang Haoran first dropped Ji Shuiyao off, then escorted Qin Yunhan, Song Zhenyu, and the others back to campus.
—
Beneath the night sky…
At the train station, it was around 8:30 p.m. when a train from out of town pulled into Qingling. The platform bustled as passengers stread out through the exit, dragging their luggage behind them.
Among them was a pair of travelers—an older woman and a young man in his early twenties. They carried bags and wore scowls, muttering complaints as they walked.
They were Song Zhenyu’s mother and younger brother.
“That ungrateful brat,” the mother snapped, her voice sharp and sour. “Just thirty thousand for your house down paynt, and she had the nerve to change her number! Filial? Ha! She’s nothing but a white-eyed wolf!”
The son snorted, his tone brimming with indignation. “She calls herself my real sister? Every month she sends a asly three thousand in pocket money. I asked her for a bit more and she starts making excuses. I didn’t even press her on that. But now I’m getting married, and we only need thirty thousand more to buy the place. She won’t even help with that. Does she deserve to be my sister?”
The mother, seeing her son’s rising temper, quickly softened her tone. “Don’t get too angry, son. She’s not worth ruining your health over.”
Her son gave a cold grunt. “Where are we staying tonight?”
“We’ll find a motel and grab a bite to eat,” she suggested.
“A motel? We’re in a big city now, why stay in so cheap dump? I want a proper hotel,” the son grumbled, clearly displeased.
“But we don’t have much money on us,” the mother said hesitantly. “A hotel would be too expensive…”
“Don’t I have a sister?” he scoffed. “We’re already in her city. Just charge it to her. Why should we spend our own money?”
The mother’s eyes lit up with glee. “Right! Right! We’ll find a nice hotel first, then go see her.” Her tone darkened again, bitterness seeping in. “She thinks changing her number will keep us away? We ca straight to Qingling to find her. Once we do, I’ll give her a few hard slaps across the face. No sha, making us co all this way just because she didn’t want to answer our calls.”
“Make sure she gives more than just thirty thousand,” the son added with a sneer.
The mother nodded quickly, “Exactly. She made us travel all this way. Now it’s got to be at least fifty.”
—
After dropping everyone off at the dorm, Wang Haoran drove his Bugatti back toward the villa he owned outside the school.
As he cruised through the city streets, a stunning woman by the roadside suddenly raised her hand to flag down his car.
Wang Haoran imdiately stepped on the brakes—not because he was taken by her looks, but because he had a gut feeling. A beautiful woman appearing out of nowhere? That was usually the telltale sign of a new female lead.
As the car rolled to a stop, the long-haired beauty walked right up to the window and tapped on the glass.
He rolled it down, and the mont her face ca into view, his breath caught.
She had fox-like eyes, shimring with a dangerous allure. Every feature was exquisite, perfectly sculpted. At this distance, not a single flaw could be found. She was the kind of woman who could make a man’s heart skip with just a glance.
Wang Haoran imdiately connected to the system. In a blink, data flooded his mind.
【Female Lead: Shao Wanwan】
【Combat Power: 898】
【Charm Value: 291】
【Female Lead Halo: 1102】
【Skills: Grandmaster-level Poison Arts, Exhaustion Halo (Passive: Male creatures within ten ters gradually lose vitality. Only affects targets with lower combat power.)】
【Favorability toward Host: -10 (Mild Dislike)】
He actually ran into a female lead just like that, on the roadside?
But based on that halo description… this woman was a true enchantress.
Thankfully, his combat power was higher than hers. Otherwise, just standing near her would be enough to shorten his lifespan.
As he examined the data, Wang Haoran’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of caution rising in his heart.
While he was sizing her up, Shao Wanwan was doing the sa to him.
【Ding! Favorability from Female Lead Shao Wanwan increased by 20. Current total Favorability: 10 (Friendly)】
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