Chapter 87

Jin Chuwan finally sent Ran Xian a text message.

She simply mentioned that Jin Chaoyang wanted to talk to her about going abroad. She thought that Ran Xian, with his pampered personality, would sleep until late morning before seeing her text message, but unexpectedly, less than twenty minutes later, there was a knock on her door.

Jin Chuwan was a little embarrassed when she opened the door, partly because of Jin Chaoyang's imposing outfit and partly because of Ran Xian's slightly reserved and uneasy state.

The boy's collar was a little disheveled, and he seemed to know it himself, so he uneasily straightened it. But when he saw Jin Chuwan's sleepy eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

"You're so tired, and you still called me?"

Jin Chuwan opened her mouth, having only said in the text message, "My sister wants to discuss something with you." She had intended to wait for his reply before arranging a specific time and place, but she didn't expect him to come over so soon.

"Come in first."

Kim Chu-wan stepped aside.

The fan in the room was blowing intermittently. Jin Chaoyang sat on the sofa with a serious expression, while Ran Xian sat opposite her.

The Ran siblings were born relatively early, making them arguably the oldest among the main characters, but it was only a few months later; he was still just an eighteen-year-old boy.

At this moment, Ran Xian sat upright in the folding chair, a far cry from his usual lazy and unruly demeanor.

His hair was a bit long at the ends, loosely wrapped around his neck. If he wore those sunglasses that he really liked, he would look like a romantic playboy from some kind of story.

But now the prodigal son is anxiously waiting for Jin Chaoyang to speak.

This wasn't the first time he'd met Kim Cho-wan's sister. He'd never really paid her any attention before, but when she asked, "Why did you take my sister abroad?" he suddenly became nervous.

He couldn't help but glance at Jin Chuwan. She was sitting on the other side of the table, hugging the back of the chair, her head slightly drooping, looking drowsy, and she didn't seem to notice his gaze.

Ran Xian couldn't help but touch his neck.

He wasn't sure if she had revealed their contractual relationship to Jin Chaoyang, so he didn't know whether he should truthfully state that it was Jin Chuwan's wish, or act like a shy daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws and express that he would take care of someone for the rest of his life.

He can play either role, but the question is how to choose.

Unfortunately, the gaze from the other side of the table was rather sharp at that moment.

When Ran Xian placed his hand back on the table, his expression turned serious. "Actually..."

Ran Xian's voice became unusually soft, as if he were chatting with a friend. This voice, mixed with the chirping of cicadas and birds in the morning, made Jin Chuwan fall asleep almost without resistance.

She vaguely heard the two talking, and there seemed to be a few words like "should" and "later". Jin Chuwan couldn't remember anything else. She only knew that when she woke up, it was like a scene from a certain drama.

With a "whoosh," she suddenly opened her eyes.

Jin Chaoyang was drawing the curtains; the room was blindingly bright.

The room was quiet, and it seemed that Jin Chaoyang was the only one there. In her daze, she scratched her head.

"Ran Xian is gone?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chaoyang turned around and glanced at her younger sister in this world. She was also a little confused about what kind of script Jin Chuwan had received.

But it must be said that the little villain from the Ran family is quite good-looking, and he speaks logically and politely, always looking like the ordinary person Jin Chuwan described.

It's quite proper.

"He's in the living room. He said he'll talk about going abroad when you wake up."

Jin Chuwan stared blankly for a while after hearing this, then got out of bed and changed her clothes.

When she walked out of the bedroom, she found Ran Xian lying on the sofa.

He didn't seem to be sleeping very soundly; half of his body was lying on the sofa, one hand under his head and the other hand hanging outside. However, he seemed to be sleeping very well, as even the sound of her pushing the door open did not wake him.

Jin Chuwan glanced at it casually and then went to the bathroom.

Since he wasn't awake yet, she decided to take a shower first.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Jin Chaoyang was standing in the bedroom talking on the phone with her fiancé. The sunlight gradually grew stronger and shone directly into the room through the window.

As Ran Xian slept soundly, he vaguely smelled a faint fragrance that was both familiar and unfamiliar. It seemed to be a shower gel from a brand he was not familiar with, but he also felt like he had smelled it somewhere before.

He opened his eyes groggily and was greeted by an unfamiliar rooftop.

However, Ran Xian quickly regained his senses. He sat up abruptly and looked around blankly.

Jin Chuwan isn't a germaphobe, so she doesn't spend a lot of time cleaning her room until it's spotless. However, she's not lazy either, so her room still looks relatively tidy, although some corners appear slightly messy.

For example, an unused chair by the wall, a corner of a table piled with miscellaneous books, or a sofa always covered with various small items.

Ran Xian quickly realized that he had just been resting his head on a pile of neatly folded clothes. There were only three or four small squares, and two of them looked very familiar. He suddenly felt a dryness in his throat and his gaze unconsciously turned elsewhere.

At this moment, Kim Cho-wan finally came out of the bathroom, with a headscarf wrapped around her head and wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

The hem of her clothes wasn't pulled straight, and the collar was a bit messy. Ran Xian glanced at it, then sighed with a hint of disdain, "You're just like Ran Min. Can't you tidy yourself up before coming out..."

Jin Chuwan looked down at herself. She didn't think anything was wrong, so she ignored Ran Xian, peeked at the hair dryer on the table, and went back to her seat.

Ran Xian has now reverted to his young master demeanor. He sits upright on the sofa, his hands folded in front of his chest, his gaze occasionally drifting towards the bathroom.

It's not about what he wants to see.

The house is just too small.

The sounds from any room were so clear, whether it was the occasional splash of water or the subtle sound of combing hair, so even with the door closed, he could tell what she was doing.

He could even hear her twisting the cap on her skincare product during the brief pause.

He was a little irritated, but he didn't know why he felt so awkward.

Finally, Ran Xian frowned and thought that when he went abroad in the future, he must choose a house that was big enough so that he could avoid this inexplicable feeling of unease.

But he clearly didn't consider why Kim Cho-wan insisted on living with him.

A moment later, Jin Chuwan came out of the bathroom. Her hair was only half dry and softly draped over her shoulders. She took two bottles of water from the refrigerator and handed them to Ran Xian.

"What did you and my sister discuss?"

Ran Xian looked up at Jin Chuwan, his light-colored pupils revealing a hint of helplessness.

"You don't even dry your hair? Aren't you afraid of getting a headache...?"

Jin Chuwan, who was drinking water, paused. She glanced at Ran Xian and then at the bright sun outside. "What does it matter? It's so hot, it'll dry in no time."

After saying that, she put down the water and said, "Don't talk about these unimportant things. Tell me what you talked about before?"

Ran Xian sighed, then picked up the hairdryer and placed a chair in front of him. "Come here—"

The word "come over" was drawn out, and anyone could hear his reluctance. Jin Chuwan couldn't help but smile, but she still sat down.

She was quite happy when someone offered to help her dry her hair.

Ran Xian's actions were not exactly gentle, and he didn't have much experience serving people. He just couldn't help getting angry when he saw Jin Chuwan's lazy appearance.

She doesn't know how to take care of herself at all.

How can someone like this always think about living alone?

Jin Chaoyang, who was on the phone, noticed the commotion outside and glanced out of the house. He was stunned for a moment.

She only responded when a deep voice asked her on the phone.

"Ah, I'm here. I'll go back as soon as I've finished things here. Please wait for me for two days..."

Jin Chaoyang's voice was drowned out by the sound of the hairdryer.

When Ran Xian put down the hairdryer, he couldn't help but ruffle Jin Chuwan's hair again. Her hair was very fine and had just been dried, giving off a faint fragrance. He subconsciously tugged at it with his finger, but it quickly fell back down.

"Alright, get up."

Ran Xian threw the hairdryer onto the table as he spoke.

Jin Chuwan scratched her hair haphazardly, then put the hairdryer away. As she opened the drawer, she heard Ran Xian's voice behind her.

“We didn’t really say anything. Your sister was just a little worried because you suddenly wanted to come with me. But I explained that now is a good opportunity to go out and broaden your horizons. Also, you and Ranmin are good friends, and I am Ranmin’s brother. If anything happens to you outside, we can take care of each other.”

Jin Chuwan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she listened, surprised that Ran Xian's answer was quite serious.

"And then what did my sister say?"

"you--"

"Of course your sister is fine!"

Ran Xian's answer was interrupted by Jin Chaoyang's voice. Her gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment before she sighed softly to herself.

Why does it give off a vibe of a star-crossed couple eloping?

"I discussed it with my parents tonight, and I think they won't have any objections. Studying abroad is a good thing, but there's one thing..."

As Jin Chaoyang spoke, her expression became serious. She looked at Jin Chuwan and then glanced at Ran Xian.

"Before you go abroad, it's best not to let anyone else know about your relationship."

Although the other person didn't say it directly, Jin Chuwan almost immediately guessed who Ran Min was referring to. She was a little helpless, but still nodded.

"I understand, I won't tell anyone."

Ran Xian frowned, looking somewhat confused, but he didn't ask any further questions. There was no need to publicize such a thing, so he readily nodded.

"I don't know either."

After saying that, he turned to Jin Chuwan and said, "But let's put that aside for now. There are still some procedures that you need to handle in person, as well as the TOEFL and SAT. Although I think you should be fine with your level, you still need to prepare..."

Ran Xian spent almost the entire day at Jin Chuwan's house. Going abroad was still a bit troublesome, and even though the Ran family had connections everywhere, preparations still needed to be made.

Several sheets of A4 paper were spread out on the table. Ran Xian checked off the materials he needed one by one, while Jin Chuwan listened silently on the other side.

But to Jin Chaoyang, this serious and earnest scene looked exactly like a young couple preparing for their wedding.

And the more you look at it, the more it resembles it.

"What's wrong with me...?"

Jin Chaoyang couldn't help but press his temples.

She was clearly on Jiang Chen's side, so why did she find Ran Xian more and more pleasing to the eye?

This is bad.

This is bad...