Chapter 52 Not a girlfriend, but family...
Chapter 52
Jiang Xuli knew all along that Jin Ran had invited Xu Zhen to her home.
So when Chen Xunliang invited him to go to the arcade to play games on the weekend, he refused without hesitation.
Chen Xunliang: "Why?"
Jiang Xuli said helplessly, "Teacher Xu has helped me a lot. She comes to my house, so I can't just hide away."
“That’s true.” Chen Xunliang had originally just wanted to find someone to pass the time with, but now that he knew Jiang Xuli couldn’t come out, he changed his mind and said, “Then I’ll come find you. I can also see the little calico cat. You don’t know, thanks to my tireless sharing of cat videos with my mom, she’s not so resistant anymore.”
His tone was smug, as if he intended to take the cat away.
Jiang Xuli was on guard for a moment. After hanging up the phone and coming down from the third floor to the living room, she happened to see Jin Ran teasing the calico cat with a cat toy.
Although Jiang Xuli brought the cat home, to be honest, among the three people in the family, Jin Ran spends the most time playing with the little calico cat. As a result, this already proud cat now loves to cling to Jin Ran the most. Every weekend morning, while Jiang Xuli is sound asleep, the little guy is already meowing and looking for someone to play with.
Oh, it even "forces love" on its father, while he, as its half-owner, is the least favored.
Just then, Jiang Xuli walked over and casually picked up a cat treat from the many cat snacks on the table to tease the little calico cat. The cat sniffed a few times and then turned its head away in disgust.
Jiang Xuli: "?"
Seeing this, Jin Ran chuckled: "It doesn't like that flavor of freeze-dried fruit, so give it the one in the blue packaging instead."
Hearing her say that, Jiang Xuli switched to another kind. This time, the proud little calico cat finally ate it. It probably realized that this "family member" who never petted the cat could also eat delicious food, and stingily rubbed its head against him.
"Chen Xunliang said he came to see the cats."
Jin Ran didn't think much of it and said enthusiastically, "Okay, let him come. He can stay for lunch."
A hint of hesitation flickered across Jiang Xuli's face. Jin Ran stopped playing with the cat and turned to look at her, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"He might take the cat back with him."
Jiang Xuli hesitated before speaking. After spending so much time together, everyone in the villa adored the little calico cat, especially Jin Ran, who practically spoiled it rotten, acting like a doting parent. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed—why had he agreed to help Chen Xunliang take care of the cat in the first place? He could have kept it for himself from the very beginning.
Jin Ran blinked.
She thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be a concern that she wouldn't be able to part with Xiao Sanhua.
The fifteen-year-old boy was already almost as tall as an adult, and when the two stood together, Jin Ran often had to look up at him.
But his seemingly casual probing, the undisguised concern in his eyes, and the unconsciously pursed lips all made Jin Ran feel a sincerity rarely seen in adults.
It's as if it's saying: Look, there's still an uncorrupted soul here.
Jin Ran couldn't help but smile. Of course, she was reluctant to part with it, but the little calico cat was originally Chen Xunliang's foster cat, so it was understandable that the owner wanted to take it away.
"To me, as long as the little calico is doing well, it doesn't matter who raises her."
Jiang Xuli observed her expression and, upon confirming that she wasn't upset, knew she was telling the truth, so his anxiety gradually subsided.
But before she could finish speaking, Jin Ran suddenly changed the subject: "But if you want to keep a cat, your dad and I can buy you another one."
Jiang Xuli paused, looked up and met Jin Ran's mischievous gaze. She immediately pouted, then resumed her "cold" demeanor, raising her chin slightly: "I don't want to keep a cat."
The little calico girl, who was chewing on her toy, thought the two-legged creatures were calling her and responded with a soft "woof".
The way the person and the cat looked at each other at the same time was surprisingly similar.
At 10:30, Xu Zhen arrived at Shuoguo Bay Villa.
Jin Ran took Jiang Xuli to the entrance of the residential area to pick her up. Upon seeing her, the security guard, Lao Zhang, immediately let her through, his dark face full of smiles: "So you're Mrs. Jiang's friend. Next time you come, I, Lao Zhang, will definitely not mistake you."
"Thank you for your hard work, Master Zhang." Jin Ran smiled and nodded in thanks.
Xu Zhen followed closely behind Jin Ran until they had walked some distance before she came back to her senses from the shock: "As expected of a top-tier villa area, the security here is really strict."
Jin Ran explained that the reason for the increased management was that an internet celebrity had previously used the excuse of being a resident's relative to sneak in and film a live stream, which revealed information about a political bigwig.
That's why Jin Jingcai couldn't get in.
So it wasn't as the other party thought, that Jin Ran deliberately greeted the security guard.
Hearing this, Xu Zhen was dumbfounded. She never expected that internet celebrities would go to such lengths to make videos: "Internet celebrities make millions in a single live stream, while we teachers can't even earn 100,000 yuan a year. No wonder people are willing to become internet celebrities nowadays."
Jin Ran thought to herself, the original book was an entertainment novel, and the world in the book was all about entertainment, so it was not surprising that this situation occurred.
The two then turned their conversation to the uneven distribution of social resources, and began to discuss the future employment situation and salary gaps. Jiang Xuli, who was a few steps behind the two, listened to the woman's complaints with a strange expression.
I used to think she was making a lot of money because I saw her actively attending classes and promoting "partner" learning at school.
As a result, her salary was less than the pocket money her father casually gave her. Was it really necessary to work so hard?
The boy, living under his father's protection, clearly still retained his innocence.
"That's called a sense of deservingness, a sense of honor."
After chatting for a while, the two ordinary people realized that there was no way to change the current situation. In the end, Jin Ran could only pat Xu Zhen on the shoulder: "At least our work is still meaningful. Nurturing the flowers of the motherland is fighting for the future of the motherland."
“That’s right,” Xu Zhen nodded, “Companies may go bankrupt, actors may lose their careers, but we will never lose our jobs!”
"Moreover, there are five months of long holidays throughout the year, and weekends and public holidays can be rested on time."
"We also have a generous pension!"
The two exchanged a smile, and were immediately filled with renewed enthusiasm for the teacher positions they had yet to secure.
Jiang Xuli: "..."
Because it was Jin Ran's first time hosting a dinner party, the villa's servants took it very seriously, and the housekeeper personally led a team to clean the villa inside and out three times.
In the kitchen, Chef Wang used all his skills, personally cooking twelve of his signature dishes. The fire on the villa's stove hadn't stopped since morning.
Half an hour later, Chen Xunliang arrived, carrying a fruit basket.
He frequented this place and walked into the living room with familiarity, first greeting Jin Ran and Xu Zhen: "Teacher Jin, I'm here to see Brother Li."
Jin Ran smiled and said, "He's in the kitchen. Why don't you sit down and wait?"
The kitchen? Chen Xunliang's eyes darted around, and he decisively picked up the fruit basket and headed towards the kitchen: "No need, no need, I'll go find him and wash some fruit for you while I'm at it."
He was curious what Li Ge, who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, was doing in the kitchen. When he got there, he found Jiang Xuli frantically baking cookies.
Chen Xunliang was dumbfounded. When did his brother Li become so hardworking?
In fact, Jiang Xuli hadn't figured it out either.
At that time, Jin Ran was praising Chef Wang's cookies to Xu Zhen, wanting Xu Zhen to try them too. However, Chef Wang, who could bake cookies, was too busy to cook twelve dishes by himself. Jin Ran could talk a good game, but she had zero practical skills. So, he, who could cook instant noodles on the stove, was entrusted with the important task.
"As a way of repaying Teacher Xu for reviewing our lessons, whether we can have delicious baked cookies today depends on you."
Then he stood in the kitchen.
This truth was obviously not something he could tell Chen Xunliang, as it would seem unrefined. He put on a pretentious air and said, "Actually, there's a reason behind this."
What do you mean?
"I'll tell you after you've beaten this bowl of eggs."
Then—"I'll tell you once you've kneaded the dough well."
"Put the cookies in the oven and I'll tell you."
"I'll tell you in ten more minutes."
Again and again, Chen Xunliang was persuaded to participate in the entire process. When the oven emitted an enticing milky aroma, Jiang Xuli finally spoke slowly: "Congratulations, the conclusion is that you've learned how to bake cookies."
Chen Xunliang: "..."
On that day, a post appeared on the homepage of Wencheng Middle School's forum.
What should you do if your longtime brother discovers you're not human?
The post's title was sensational, exaggerated, and eye-catching, and almost every student who saw it clicked on it to find out more.
OP: [Angry.jpg] Today I have to expose my best friend of eight years. We've known each other since kindergarten, but today when we were making cookies together, I discovered his true colors!
Here's what happened: I went to his house to visit him and found that this guy, who never goes into the kitchen, was baking cookies. He said he would tell me why if I helped him with something, but I ended up doing all the work! From whipping the eggs to piping the cookie cutters, this jerk just leaned against the counter. When the cookies finally came out of the oven, he actually congratulated me on being self-taught with a kind look on his face!
Although I'm not human, he really is a dog ;-)
Floor 1: [Thought it was a fantasy film, then it turned out to be a spy thriller, but it's actually a brotherhood film. Forget it.]
2nd floor: [Just tell me if you've learned how to bake cookies or not.]
3rd Floor: [Am I the only one who noticed that the original poster and the guy are both guys? It's amazing that there are guys at our school who can bake cookies! How domestic!]
...
40th floor: [OP, I understand your anger, so could you give me your brother's contact information?]
Floor 41: [Don't even think about it. If a guy is willing to bake cookies for a girl he likes, it's definitely for her.]
42nd floor: [I bet she's a really great girl]
Clearly, no one understood Chen Xunliang's anger, and the post gradually veered off-topic into discussing the handsome man's love life.
On the other side, Jiang Xuli took out the baked cookies, looked up and saw Chen Xunliang engrossed in playing on his phone. She frowned and said, "What are you daydreaming about? Come and lend a hand."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xunliang jumped in fright and nervously put his phone away, saying, "Ah? Oh, right away!"
Jiang Xuli squinted.
After lunch, Jin Ran took Xu Zhen to the garden to chat and sunbathe. He finally had time to take out his phone, recall the fleeting scene from earlier, and open the school forum.
That post had already been pushed to the top and was displayed on the homepage; Jiang Xuli saw it at a glance.
He brushed it down from beginning to end with a stern face.
When he saw the speculation that he made the cookies for his girlfriend, Jiang Xuli frowned.
A moment later, click to reply.
135th floor: [Not girlfriend, but family]
His reply was unremarkable and initially went unnoticed.
By the time the students of Wencheng Middle School finally discovered the reply and began asking him how he knew the inside story, Jiang Xuli had already left the forum—because Xu Zhen, who had just finished a big meal, felt bad and insisted on tutoring him in Chinese.
Seeing that things were not going well, Chen Xunliang made up an excuse and ran away.
Whether he forgot or never intended to take the little calico cat with him, he did not.
At that moment, both Jin Ran and Jiang Xuli secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
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