Chapter 2 The Stepson Who Skips Class
Chapter 2
Jin Ran couldn't help but scrutinize the two high school students who had skipped class.
Then, I was somewhat amazed.
Fourteen or fifteen-year-old boys are at the most energetic age. Their slender and tall figures are like slender green bamboo shoots, ready to sprout strong after a spring rain. Jin Ran, biting her straw, secretly measured with her discerning eyes, and thought, "Hmm, he must be at least 1.8 meters tall."
Among them, the boy wearing a baseball cap was particularly tall and straight. He was wearing the most ordinary high school uniform, but he left the zipper open, revealing the t-shirt underneath, managing to make the prim blue and white uniform look a bit wild.
After landing, the boy casually brushed off the dust, then put his hands in his pockets, looking cool and aloof. A head full of sycamore fluff fell from his head, and he tilted his head slightly, revealing a section of his slender neck under his school uniform.
Jin Ran paused, seemingly lost in thought.
I wonder which of these two is her stepson...
Jiang Xuli and Chen Xunliang on the other side did not notice Jin Ran by the roadside.
Although they are still in the same place, their minds have already wandered far away.
The matter is quite simple; it all started with a few stray cats.
Wencheng Middle School has a large area. After the teaching building was built, there was a lot of empty space left. The teachers cultivated vegetable gardens on the empty space and planted some fruits and vegetables, so that stray cats would come in from time to time to steal food.
When Jiang Xuli and his friends went to the playground to play ball, they would see those cats that weren't afraid of people. None of the boys were cat lovers, but they couldn't resist the cats' clinginess. Over time, they developed a little affection for each other.
However, recently, for some unknown reason, five or six stray cats disappeared all at once. The teenagers had a bad feeling and checked the school's surveillance footage, only to find that the cats had been taken away by someone!
This infuriated a group of hot-blooded high school students, so they began to investigate secretly. Today, when they finally got news about the cat catcher, they were afraid of missing it again, so the two of them secretly slipped out of the playground when the PE teacher wasn't paying attention.
The place is a bit far, but Jiang Xuli's motorcycle is nearby, so I can get there quickly by bike.
Seeing the female classmate blocking the way, Chen Xunliang was speechless: "Wang Shuya, are you born with a dog's nose? You follow us wherever we go!"
"Pah! You're the one with a dog's nose!"
"I didn't say anything wrong. How else could they find us if they didn't have a dog's nose?" He and Brother Li had deliberately walked around the playground several times to avoid people.
Unless... this person has been following them all along!
Chen Xunliang's eyes darted around, and he suddenly smoothed his bowl cut with a 1/3 parting, saying shamelessly, "Although I'm very handsome, I won't stay for you!"
Wang Shuya was furious: "Who cares if you stay!"
She retorted quickly and urgently, her eyes instinctively glancing at Jiang Xuli, afraid that he might misunderstand. However, the boy didn't react at all, still standing there coolly, his black baseball cap covering half of his handsome face.
Wang Shuya felt inexplicably disappointed and gave Chen Xunliang an even more unfriendly look: "I am the discipline committee member and I am responsible for the class. Besides, it is class time now, and it is wrong for you to skip class!"
"Who said we skipped class! Climbing over the wall? Oh dear, we were just testing our jumping ability. Unfortunately, our jumping ability was too strong, and we hit the top of the wall directly."
Clearly, a student who skips class is not a well-behaved student, Chen Xunliang argued righteously and forcefully.
Jin Ran, who was forced to eavesdrop, was speechless.
It seems her stepson is quite a troublemaker.
However, this has little to do with her.
The villa's servants would gossip about their employers' affairs in private. Jin Ran had encountered this a few times, and after hearing it so often, she learned some of the inside story.
For example, before the marriage, no one had ever seen the original person.
For example, the original owner of this body was deeply in love with her husband, Jiang Mingxu. After getting married, she actively tried to please him. When Jiang Mingxu went on a business trip, she turned to taking care of his child, attempting to win him over by playing the role of a good stepmother.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xuli, as the stepson, did not appreciate it.
Jin Ran found this strange, but also expressed her understanding.
Teenagers in their adolescence are independent and rebellious, and they hate being controlled, especially when the original owner of this body is doing it "for your own good," which only adds fuel to the fire.
Jiang Xuli didn't argue, but instead took the initiative to avoid her stepmother, which showed she was very well-mannered.
Thinking about it this way, Jin Ran felt there was no problem.
It was certain that she would need to prepare for the civil service exam for the next six months, and probably wouldn't be able to focus on anything else. "No interference" was the ideal situation, and besides, she herself didn't have a strong interest in becoming a mother... Jin Ran quickly adjusted her mindset, calmly took a step to the side, and prepared to leave.
No sooner had she moved than Wang Shuya, who was still arguing with someone else, suddenly turned around and asked, "Sister, do you think skipping class is wrong?"
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to them.
Jin Ran: "..."
Now they can't leave even if they want to.
At the back of the crowd, Chen Xunliang stared wide-eyed and gasped.
Oh no, what's Li Ge's stepmother doing here? Could she have discovered their car theft? Thinking this, he panicked and quickly tugged at the sleeve of the person next to him, whispering, "Li Ge, your family's here to arrest you!"
Jiang Xuli's expression showed slight impatience.
His father is on the other side of the world right now, how could he possibly have time to catch him?
But when he looked up and saw the woman in front of him, his calm face stiffened for a moment, and then he frowned in annoyance.
Wang Shuya was completely unaware of her classmates' unusual behavior.
In order to win, she actively rallied the "passersby" to her cause: "Sister, speak boldly, they won't dare to do anything!"
Jin Ran... was truly helpless.
She hasn't even started work yet, so why is she already facing a mock test?
One of them is a "stepson" who hates interference from his stepmother. If things aren't handled properly, the other party might become even more resistant and resentful.
Jin Ran could only answer cautiously, "Well, skipping class is not good."
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuya smiled smugly, while Chen Xunliang's expression changed drastically.
As Jiang Xuli's best friend, he knew that Li's stepmother was not as gentle and kind as she seemed on the surface. She always secretly targeted Li, but she always pretended to be nice, so everyone thought it was Li's fault.
Glancing at Jiang Xuli, who had been silent since earlier, Chen Xunliang understood his brother's thoughts. In a moment of urgency, he stepped forward and said, "I... we're not skipping class. I'm injured and need to go to the hospital!"
Also standing out were the arm that had been severed in a heroic act, and a tiny, almost negligible scratch on the back of the hand.
Seeing this, Jin Ran's lips twitched.
If it had been any later, the wound would probably have healed by now.
But could this overly friendly person be her adopted son?
A thoughtful look flashed across his eyes.
Adhering to the principle of not taking the initiative but not offending either, Jin Ran gave the boy in front of her an understanding smile: "So it was to go to the hospital, then it doesn't count as skipping class."
She opened her bag, took out a Strawberry Bear Band-Aid, and handed it to him, acting like a considerate elder: "Wounds can be big or small, and it would be troublesome if they got infected. Here, take this first."
Seeing that Chen Xunliang didn't move, he gently urged, "What are you standing there for? Take it."
Chen Xunliang took it blankly.
Jin Ran was about to say something more when the driver, Xiao Sun, came over, somewhat surprised to see the scene: "Young Master."
He greeted another boy.
Jin Ran, who was just about to say something more caring: ?
He paused, and his raised hand naturally turned to land on the tall, thin boy, pretending not to notice that the boy was trying to avoid him.
After a quick chat, she smiled and nodded, saying, "If there are any misunderstandings in the future, just explain them to your classmates. By the way, I have something to do, so you guys go back to class first."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xunliang immediately said, "Auntie, you're busy, don't worry about us."
He then grabbed Jiang Xuli and ran away.
I don't know if the child was too nervous or just silly, but instead of going through the main gate, he climbed back up the wall along the same path.
Jin Ran looked away. Even though she was so embarrassed that her scalp tingled, she remained calm and said to Xiao Sun, "Let's go too."
/
Separated by a wall, Jiang Xuli looked at him like he was an idiot: "Can you please stop pulling me away when you're having an episode?"
Feeling rejected, Chen Xunliang plopped down on the grass, still a little out of breath from the tension: "Damn it, no one appreciates my kindness. Who am I doing all this for?"
Jiang Xuli frowned, and finally said, "I know what I'm doing. In short, avoid her next time."
Chen Xunliang snorted and said nothing more.
It's a family matter between brothers, how can friends interfere too much? But: "No wonder even someone as smart as Uncle Jiang was fooled. Your stepmother's acting is really good. When she looked at me just now, I thought she was my stepmother."
Jiang Xuli: "..."
Chen Xunliang raised his right hand, revealing a bright pink band-aid on the dark back of his hand, so cute it made your teeth ache.
"The wound was only the size of a grain of rice, but she insisted on bandaging it, saying it would get infected. I was too embarrassed to tell her I didn't feel anything at all," Chen Xunliang said smugly, shaking his right hand. Suddenly, he asked curiously, "But Brother Li, why didn't she talk to you?"
Jiang Xuli: "..."
The boy's face was somewhat dark.
Jin Ran's behavior this time was indeed a bit unexpected. He thought she would take the opportunity to "educate" him or tell his father on him.
But the woman barely even glanced at him.
For some reason, Jiang Xuli felt uneasy.
But he quickly regained his composure.
It's a good thing that Jin Ran has shifted her focus elsewhere and stopped targeting him.
He couldn't be bothered with those trivial matters. It would be best if the two of them could keep their distance and not interfere with each other.
Chen Xunliang had no idea what his brother was thinking. The more he looked at the band-aid in his hand, the more attractive it seemed. As expected of him, the versatile handsome guy who could be both sweet and salty: "By the way, Brother Li, I remember you were scratched by a tree branch just now, right? Your stepmother didn't even give you a band-aid?"
Jiang Xuli turned and left.
"Hey? Brother Li, wait for me! Aren't we going out?"
"Go ask for leave!"
The drifting wind carried the boy's gritted teeth.
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