Jiang Ran never expected Tao Xixue to act this way.
Her cheeks felt scorching hot, as if something were about to burst forth.
However, Tao Xixue remained relentless.
‘What are you doing, Senior Tao? We agreed to act.’
‘Then tell me, if she suddenly comes in, will she run away in a panic?’
Tao Xixue’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
“If you stay still now, I can keep her from entering the room. Otherwise, with just one phone call, she’ll be inside. How will you explain yourself then? What will she think of you? Su Wanqing doesn’t like her things being touched.”
Jiang Ran was stunned.
This person was doing this on purpose!
“You already know everything, so why are you touching me?”
“Because I never said I was a good person, Jiang Ran. You don’t want Su Wanqing to see you like this, do you? Look at how you really are. I thought you were a block of wood, Student Jiang, but you’ve already reached the point of no return.”
“N… No.”
Jiang Ran was both furious and annoyed.
What was this girl doing?
She stared fixedly at the door handle outside, truly worried about what would happen if Su Wanqing actually walked in right now.
“Tell me, will you cooperate with me? If you do, I won’t call her in.”
Jiang Ran clenched her fists, wanting nothing more than to give Tao Xixue a punch.
However, she currently had no Strength at all and could only be held in check by the other girl.
Jiang Ran desperately wanted to resist, but her current power was far too meager.
Even if she tried to fight back, she had no idea how she could possibly win.
Left with no choice.
“I… I’ll cooperate. You… you can’t let her know, okay?”
Jiang Ran nearly ground her back teeth to powder.
It wasn’t that she felt she was betraying Su Wanqing; she simply didn’t want her current peaceful life to be shattered.
That was all.
Tao Xixue smiled with satisfaction.
She rubbed Jiang Ran’s temples and spoke with a grin, “That’s more like it. You really are a good baby, Jiang Ran.”
“But you’re not allowed to do anything weird. I’m leaving as soon as I sign my name.”
‘That won’t do. You were too stubborn in the car; I’m going to punish you.’
A hand reached out to Jiang Ran’s back.
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured down her spine.
Jiang Ran tried to move, but she was immediately stopped.
‘Don’t move. If you move, I’ll call Su Wanqing in.’
‘You…’
Jiang Ran hadn’t expected Tao Xixue to be just as bad as Gu Ge.
Dammit, what on earth was this person doing?
“Don’t call her. I won’t move.”
Jiang Ran struggled to maintain her balance.
The physical discomfort continued to shift, but she believed that as long as her heart didn’t waver, all of this was merely temporary.
However, she still underestimated Tao Xixue’s determination.
Tao Xixue pressed her fingers against Jiang Ran’s joints, feeling the clear definition of her bones with satisfaction.
“There really isn’t a bit of extra fat. Do you exercise a lot usually?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I just don’t have money for food. Also, aren’t you supposed to give me money?”
“You want money?”
“Yeah, I’m very materialistic. You should hate me.”
Jiang Ran intentionally made a disgusted face, hoping to be loathed by Tao Xixue.
She believed this was the only way to escape Tao Xixue’s clutches.
After all, if she didn’t change her approach, Tao Xixue would only continue to raise the stakes, which was clearly a bad thing.
“Is that so? Since that’s the case, do you sell Home Runs?”
Jiang Ran was a bit confused.
“What is that?”
“I see you don’t understand at all. Hehe, just know that you’ll get paid.”
“No. Who knows if what you’re saying is decent or not? I feel like you’re taking up my time, so asking for some compensation isn’t excessive, is it?”
“Of course it’s not excessive. Money is easy to talk about. So, I’m your boss now. Is this how you treat your boss?”
Jiang Ran felt quite a bit of pressure on the top of her head, only to realize that Tao Xixue was being even more out of line than before.
She had originally brought this up to disgust Tao Xixue, so why did the other girl seem even more excited?
“Wait, what are you imagining me as? I just want to earn some pocket money. If your demands are too much, I won’t accompany you.”
Jiang Ran gave a light cough.
Her steps were a bit unsteady when she tried to stand up, and she ended up falling back down.
“Student Jiang really knows a lot of tricks. I admit I underestimated you just now.”
‘I didn’t! I really just accidentally fell. I was about to get up.’
Jiang Ran wanted to rise, but Tao Xixue didn’t seem to have any intention of giving her the chance.
Jiang Ran felt as if her body was gradually ceasing to belong to her.
“No need. I’m very satisfied with you, Student Jiang. You performed even better than I did. It seems you didn’t show your full strength last time.”
???
What was all this?
Jiang Ran was completely bewildered, feeling as though the other girl had misunderstood something.
“I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I was talking about hourly wages. I accompany you, and you pay me.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Fine, I won’t give you any less money. Keep your voice down. If Su Wanqing hears you talking about money, money, money, she’ll misunderstand.”
Tao Xixue laughed until she was trembling.
However, Jiang Ran didn’t find anything happy about the situation.
She only knew that something inside her had quietly shattered—shattered completely.
Jiang Ran signed her name and left the Office.
Before leaving, she straightened her clothes.
Tao Xixue shyly helped her pull her clothes into place and leaned into Jiang Ran’s ear.
“See you at the usual place.”
Hearing such suggestive words, Jiang Ran was both ashamed and annoyed.
But she couldn’t say much; she had indeed been a bit reckless in how she handled this.
Jiang Ran could only endure it.
She stepped forward and pushed open the door, adjusting her expression before returning to Su Wanqing’s side.
Seeing Jiang Ran come out, Su Wanqing anxiously stepped forward.
“Jiang Ran, are you okay? Why were you two in there for so long?”
Jiang Ran was momentarily at a loss for words.
She glanced at Tao Xixue in the distance, bit her lip, and spoke calmly.
“I write slowly. Senior Tao was helping me find some materials.”
“Oh, so that’s it. You’ve worked hard.”
Su Wanqing breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
She had thought it might be that kind of thing, but now it seemed like a false alarm.
In her eyes, Jiang Ran had no reason to cover for Tao Xixue, so she must have just been overthinking.
“I’m fine. Are we going back now?”
‘Yeah, let’s go. We’ll head back to the Club to rest for a bit.’
Su Wanqing pulled Jiang Ran forward.
As they walked, Su Wanqing felt hesitant.
Jiang Ran’s fame was growing larger and larger.
If Jiang Ran were to leave her one day, what would she do?
“Um, let’s go to the Game Hall to play the claw machine today. Coincidentally, there’s nothing major happening at the Club. Let’s find something for ourselves to do.”
Su Wanqing played with her hair while observing Jiang Ran’s reaction, as if terrified that Jiang Ran might refuse.
‘This…’
Jiang Ran bit her lip.
Thinking about what had happened with Tao Xixue in the Office, she felt it would be unfair to refuse Su Wanqing.
She simply nodded.
“Okay… sure. I’ll go check it out.”