But looking into the system’s eyes—those eyes full of supposed wisdom—Ye Ran couldn’t help but laugh.
“Which of those words you just said actually has anything to do with you?”
The system immediately took offense.
It let go of Ye Ran’s arm, puffing up its fur and arching its back, instantly switching into battle mode.
“Host, how can you say that about a cute little cat? I’m going to get angry!”
With that, the system lunged at Ye Ran. But before it could get close, Ye Ran simply pinched the scruff of its neck and lifted the whole thing up.
The system flailed its little body, swiping its paws at Ye Ran.
Just as the two were messing around, a sudden knock came at the door.
“Junior sister, are you feeling better?”
It was Meng Xuan’s voice again.
Ye Ran and the system both froze and looked toward the door, then turned back to glance at each other. They both saw the same confusion in each other’s eyes.
Was the male lead part dog? She had only just taken down the barrier, and he had already caught her scent and come running.
Ye Ran really didn’t want to see Meng Xuan.
She felt that yesterday’s flare-up of her constitution had been triggered precisely by coming into contact with him.
But now Meng Xuan was already outside the door, and he had surely sensed her presence as well. Refusing to see him might raise suspicion.
So Ye Ran had no choice but to put down the system and go open the door.
“Senior Brother Meng, is something the matter?”
Ye Ran only opened the door halfway, ready to send him away at any moment.
“I was worried because you looked unwell yesterday, junior sister, so I came to check on you. Also, about the details of the return trip the other day—you never finished telling me. If you have time now, why not fill me in?”
This time, Meng Xuan was a bit smarter. Seeing that Ye Ran didn’t want to entertain him, he quickly brought up official matters.
“Then please come with me, Senior Brother Meng.”
Left with no choice, Ye Ran opened the door fully and led Meng Xuan to a stone table outside to sit down.
Out of politeness, she poured him a cup of tea. But just as she was about to hand it to him, a sudden bolt of spiritual energy shot over and knocked Meng Xuan’s hand back.
Then another hand reached out and took the cup from Ye Ran’s hand.
“Senior Brother Lu?”
Meng Xuan stared blankly at Lu Li, who had appeared at the table. After a long moment, he stood up and bowed to Lu Li.
“Senior Brother Lu, why are you here?”
Seeing Lu Li calmly drinking the tea that had been meant for him, Meng Xuan’s expression grew stiff.
“Junior Brother Meng, why are you here?”
Instead of answering Meng Xuan, Lu Li countered with the tone of a man of the house.
Meng Xuan was taken aback again, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Meanwhile, Lu Li sat down very naturally beside Ye Ran and handed his cup back to her.
“The tea is quite good today. Do you want to try it?”
“Alright…”
Though Ye Ran had no idea what Lu Li was up to, she instinctively took the cup and had a sip.
But after tasting it, her confusion deepened.
“This tastes the same as always. What’s different about it?”
“Is that so?” Lu Li took the cup back from Ye Ran and took another sip. “Perhaps I was mistaken.”
Ye Ran found Lu Li’s behavior utterly baffling. But to Meng Xuan, it was shocking. His face turned ashen.
Only when Lu Li’s calm gaze fell upon him did he quickly school his expression.
“To report to Senior Brother, I was sent by Master to find out what happened on the way back that day.”
“I see,” Lu Li said.
Lu Li nodded, then spoke with a hint of surprise:
“Junior Brother, why are you still standing? Please, sit. Don’t stand on ceremony.”
“Yes…”
Meng Xuan’s face darkened further, and even his movements as he sat down became stiff.
“Senior Brother Meng, do you still want me to continue?”
Originally, Ye Ran had just wanted to get rid of Meng Xuan as quickly as possible. But now that Lu Li was here, she actually felt much more at ease.
Especially seeing Meng Xuan so deflated—it even lifted her spirits.
“Y-yes, junior sister, please go on.”
Meng Xuan’s gaze darted back and forth between Ye Ran and Lu Li. When his eyes finally landed on Ye Ran, a trace of unwillingness still flickered within them.
But with Lu Li present, he didn’t dare show too much emotion. He could only listen absentmindedly as Ye Ran recounted the events of that day on the road.
Ye Ran had already said most of it yesterday; today, she was just adding a few details.
But just as she was about to finish, a cold hand covered hers.
Ye Ran paused for a moment, then turned her head in confusion. She saw Lu Li casually holding her hand, playing with it.
With someone else present, Ye Ran never dared to get too close to Lu Li. She tried to pull her hand back, but he wouldn’t let go.
Growing a bit anxious, Ye Ran instinctively glanced at Meng Xuan. To her relief, he seemed lost in thought and hadn’t noticed their movement at all.
This gave Ye Ran an idea.
Actually, letting Meng Xuan know that she and Lu Li had a close relationship wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It might just make him back off.
With that thought, Ye Ran stopped struggling. She let Lu Li continue playing with her hand while she picked up where she had left off.
“Senior Brother Meng, I’m done.”
As soon as Ye Ran’s voice trailed off, Meng Xuan finally snapped out of it and looked up at her.
But the first thing he saw was their intertwined hands.
Although he had already suspected from Lu Li’s earlier behavior that their relationship was unusual, seeing their intimate gesture up close was still hard to accept.
“Senior Brother Lu! You… you two…”
Meng Xuan’s shocked voice carried a hint of resentment. But the moment Lu Li looked at him, he immediately suppressed his agitation.
“What is it you want to ask, Junior Brother?”
Lu Li continued playing with Ye Ran’s hand, his tone equally casual.
“N-nothing…”
The answer was already obvious—asking would be pointless.
Meng Xuan turned his gaze back to Ye Ran, his eyes filled with sadness and dejection.
But Lu Li didn’t like the way he was looking at her.
The temperature around them suddenly dropped, and Lu Li’s voice, tinged with coldness, rang out:
“Do you have any other business, Junior Brother?”
“N-no…”
Sensing Lu Li’s displeasure, Meng Xuan quickly averted his gaze.
“Then we won’t see you out. Please see yourself out, Junior Brother.”
“Yes…”
Realizing he had no excuse to stay any longer, Meng Xuan turned and left, utterly dejected.
But as he turned, his gaze swept over their clasped hands, and a flash of venom appeared in his eyes.
Ye Ran watched Meng Xuan’s figure disappear from view, her heart practically bursting with glee.
At the same time, she became even more convinced that hitching her wagon to Lu Li was a good choice.
He could serve as both her antidote and her protection against the male lead. He was practically perfect.
But just as she was feeling pleased, a cold laugh suddenly sounded in her ear.
“Is junior sister reluctant to see my junior brother go? Shall I call him back?”
Ye Ran looked up to see Lu Li’s face faintly darkening, his grip on her hand tightening.
Oh dear. Was her tool man… jealous?
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