“T-talk about what?” Su Ruanruan was like a startled hamster, her nerves instinctively tensing.
“I plan to formally confess to your mother soon.”
Gu Hanyan’s tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable firmness. “I want to form a family with her. Of course, that includes you two sisters. I will be a good mother.”
“Pffft—cough, cough, cough!”
The mouthful of milk Su Ruanruan had just taken was sprayed directly out.
‘A-a good mother?!’
However, in all fairness, Su Ruanruan had a pretty good impression of Gu Hanyan.
“That… CEO Gu.” Su Ruanruan hunched her shoulders and weakly raised one small hand, posing a lethal question. “You want to be our mother… but what about your daughter’s side? What does she think?”
Gu Qingleng.
The Student Council President of St. Lilith Academy and the famous Flower on a High Peak among the third-year students. She had even helped Su Ruanruan deal with the trouble caused by Lin Lie earlier.
If Gu Hanyan really became Su Rou’s wife, wouldn’t Gu Qingleng become her… elder sister?!
The thought of living under the same roof with that Student Council President—who wore a cold face every day and looked at her like she was trash—made Su Ruanruan feel that her future was bleak.
At the mention of the name “Gu Qingleng,” Gu Hanyan’s composed face stiffened for a rare moment.
“As for Qingleng… cough, I will find a suitable opportunity to discuss it with her. She is a sensible child and will understand me.” Gu Hanyan stiffly changed the subject and surreptitiously kicked the ball back. “The key is, Ruanruan, what do you think? Are you willing to accept me?”
Looking at the trace of cautious anticipation in the depths of Gu Hanyan’s eyes.
Su Ruanruan sighed in her heart.
“As long as… as long as you’re good to Mama, it’s fine.”
Su Ruanruan lowered her head, her two onion-white fingers poking at each other awkwardly. Her voice was soft and sweet, but it held a trace of her own persistence. “If Mama is willing… I don’t really have any objections.”
“Ruanruan!”
Just then, a cool and familiar call came from downstairs.
“Ah! Is it Shiori?”
Su Ruanruan felt as if she had been granted a grand pardon. She quickly ran to the window and poked her small head out to look down.
Under the morning sun, Saginomiya Shiori was dressed in the St. Lilith Academy uniform, still looking cold and cool. The top two buttons of her school shirt were casually undone, and she held her bag with one hand.
But when she saw Su Ruanruan poking her head out, a warm, almost silly smile instantly blossomed on her face, and she waved happily toward the window.
At the same time, the bedroom door was pushed open. Su Rou, her face still red, walked out pulling Su Xiaoxiao, who wasn’t fully awake yet and had two large dark circles under her eyes.
“Mama, I’m heading to school now!”
Su Ruanruan quickly bit into a remaining piece of toast and shouted indistinctly, rushing out of the house like a gust of wind.
—
On the tree-lined path in the early morning.
“Run slowly, don’t choke.”
Seeing Su Ruanruan running over while biting her bread, Shiori naturally reached out and helped straighten her messy collar.
Her movements were very light, even carrying a hint of timid caution. Her fingertips trembled slightly when they touched Su Ruanruan’s skin.
“Mmph… Shiori, why did you come specifically to the bottom of my building to find me today?” Su Ruanruan swallowed the bread in a few bites and looked at her with some confusion.
Shiori’s movements paused slightly, and a rare look of annoyance and helplessness appeared on her face.
“Ruanruan, do you remember… two days ago when we were working at the café, I took a call and stepped out for a bit?”
“I remember, what about it?”
Shiori sighed, her eyes becoming somewhat complicated. “My mother called. She has an elder sister, my aunt… who suddenly passed away a few days ago. My aunt left behind a daughter.”
“Eh?” Su Ruanruan was stunned.
“My mother decided to adopt her.” Shiori rubbed her brow, seemingly having a headache. “And she has already transferred her school records to our school. I heard… she’s coming to report today.”
“Wow, then doesn’t Shiori have a sister now!” Su Ruanruan’s eyes widened, and she instinctively asked, “So, did you know each other before? What kind of girl is she?”
At this question, Shiori’s expression became even harder to describe.
“We know each other. We used to play together often back in our hometown on Sakura Island when we were kids.”
Shiori seemed to recall some extremely unpleasant memory, and a deep sense of resistance showed in her eyes. “As for her personality… it’s hard to evaluate. You’ll know once you see her at school.”
“Oh…”
The two walked side by side to the gate of St. Lilith Academy.
“Yo, isn’t this Su Ruanruan?”
A highly aggressive, mocking, and coarse voice suddenly rang out ahead of them.
Su Ruanruan’s entire body stiffened. Like a quail encountering a predator, she instinctively shrank behind Shiori.
Beside the carved iron gate of the school, the School Bully, Lin Lie, who had healthy wheat-colored skin and wild golden short hair, was leaning against a pillar.
Lin Lie’s gaze swept wantonly over Su Ruanruan’s slender legs, which were clad in white calf socks.
Recalling the day she had just awakened her Past Life Memories and come to school, only to be forced to pay a debt by this crazy woman and dragged like a chick into the Old School Building and the Basement—where she was almost subjected to forced humiliation—Su Ruanruan still felt a chill down her spine and her legs go weak.
Saginomiya Shiori immediately stood in front of Su Ruanruan. her hand silently reached for the wooden sword in her bag.
However, to their surprise, Lin Lie did not go crazy this time.
She seemed to be wary of something. She took a deep look at Su Ruanruan hiding behind Shiori and then gave an extremely displeased “Tch.”
“Consider yourself lucky. Someone’s protecting you.”
Lin Lie threw away the unlit cigarette in her hand and strode into the campus with large steps.
Watching Lin Lie’s departing back, Su Ruanruan breathed a long sigh of relief and patted her startled little chest.
It seemed the warning Gu Qingleng gave her that day was quite effective.