He really had heard her voice just now!
Even though it was very quiet.
Perhaps because he was used to quiet environments, Xiao Ran was quite sensitive to sound.
The girl’s heart skipped a beat, her nerves tensing up.
’I’m sure I turned the volume way down,’ she thought. ’How could he have heard that?’
Then again, it wasn’t the end of the world if her brother-in-law found out. After all, he wasn’t her sister.
Yan Li worked in media—or to put it bluntly, she managed influencers.
Likely because she knew all too well what that life was like, Yan Li was vehemently against her younger sister joining the industry.
After all, influencers and stars are very different. People say the entertainment industry is a mess, but the influencer world is an absolute cesspool.
That was why the girl had never dared to tell them she was a vlogger who posted lifestyle videos, so Xiao Ran, naturally, was completely in the dark.
The girl swallowed, looking a little guilty as she whispered, "Um, you know how my sister doesn’t want me to become a vlogger or an influencer... so I never told you..."
She finished, then looked at Xiao Ran with hopeful eyes. "But since my sister isn’t here now, you won’t tell her, right?"
The girl’s frank confession took Xiao Ran by surprise. He really had no idea she’d been filming videos this whole time.
He blinked. "I’ve got better things to do."
On this matter, Xiao Ran’s opinion was actually quite different from Yan Li’s.
It was just that Yan Li had seen too much of the dark side of things, so she tended to take an extreme view.
In reality, lots of young women were doing the same thing these days. As long as she wasn’t posting anything inappropriate, Xiao Ran didn’t see the harm in it.
Hearing this, the girl beamed. "I knew it! You’re the best!"
’My brother-in-law really does understand me best,’ she thought. ’He gets it, no matter what I tell him!’
’Not like my sister. She’s so cold and unreasonable!’
’I don’t know why, but whenever I’m with him, I feel so relaxed. I feel like I can share anything with him.’
"So, let me see what you’ve been filming," Xiao Ran said, feeling that as her ’older brother,’ he should at least ask.
The girl swallowed, her face filled with panic.
’Huh???’
’How did the topic circle back to this?’
She pursed her lips. "Maybe we should skip watching them... It’s just, you know, sharing bits of my daily life. Like lists of good economics books, or some tasty restaurants. Just everyday stuff, basically."
’It wasn’t the content she was afraid of him seeing, it was the bullet comments!’
’Even she could barely look at those comments, let alone Brother Xiao Ran.’
"That’s fine, too. Just tell me your screen name and what site you post on," Xiao Ran asked while eating his congee.
’Heh, you think you can outsmart me?’ he thought.
Sure enough, hearing that her brother-in-law wasn’t insisting on looking at her phone, the girl immediately let her guard down.
"Oh, it’s on Little Broken Station. My username is just, It’s Xici."
She chose to be honest not because she was naive, but because she was sensible.
Her brother-in-law was, after all, just concerned about her, and she knew the internet was full of all kinds of garbage.
Telling him was a way to put his mind at ease.
To show him that she definitely hadn’t posted anything inappropriate.
At her words, Xiao Ran put down his spoon, pulled out his phone, opened Little Broken Station, and typed in Yan Xici’s username.
Her latest video immediately appeared on the screen.
He tapped on it. Just as she’d said, it was a cooking video. The girl in the video was all smiles, looking absolutely beautiful.
Xiao Ran watched closely. This must have been the one she just posted.
Seeing her brother-in-law was actually bored enough to go and search for her account...
The girl froze, a sense of dread washing over her.
The next second, she shot to her feet and lunged for Xiao Ran’s phone.
’Liar!’
’I never should have told him! That video has bullet comments about him!’
Xiao Ran wasn’t stupid. He shot to his feet as well, holding the phone high above his head.
The height difference was too great; even on her tiptoes, she couldn’t reach it. After trying for a good while, the girl finally gave up.
She looked at Xiao Ran with a pleading expression. "Brother Ran, I’m begging you, please turn it off."
Her reaction didn’t make Xiao Ran want to close the video. On the contrary, it only made him more interested in watching.
He tilted his head back to get a good look at the phone he was holding up, watching the girl in the video and, of course, the bullet comments scrolling across the screen.
After he made out the words in the comments, an inexplicable awkwardness washed over Xiao Ran.
He blinked, switched off the phone, and quietly set it on the table.
"Uh, maybe we should just eat."
’Now I get why she didn’t want me to see it,’ he thought.
’I really was just asking for trouble.’
The girl was in no mood to eat. Her glistening eyes shone with anxiety.
"Brother Ran, it’s not what they’re saying! Please don’t get the wrong idea!"
Looking at the tense girl in front of him, Xiao Ran suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
’I’m an author, after all,’ he mused. ’I’ve been flamed more times than I can count. Is there anything I haven’t heard?’
’But this must be tough on her, thinking she has to explain things to me at a time like this.’
He sighed and looked seriously at the girl across from him.
"You silly girl. It doesn’t bother me. You’re the one who needs to stop overthinking things. The internet is just like that these days—a thousand people means a thousand different opinions. This industry really isn’t easy, and that’s why your sister doesn’t want you doing it."
"But since you enjoy it so much, then all I can say is you need to develop a thick skin and just be yourself. Don’t listen to some of the things people say, and definitely don’t let their mindless comments make you angry. Understand?"
Yan Xici blinked her glistening eyes, staring at him in a daze.
An indescribable warmth filled her heart.
’I can’t believe it,’ she thought. ’Not only is he not mad, he’s actually this concerned and supportive.’
The Xiao Ran before her was so earnest, lecturing her like a real big brother.
His tone was filled with worry for her.
He was afraid she would be hurt by some nasty comments.
’I must have saved the galaxy in a past life to have met someone so wonderful.’
"I get it, Brother Ran." The girl nodded obediently.
"Okay, now eat. It’s going to get cold."
"Mhm!"
"Oh, right. I’m going to look at an apartment tomorrow morning, so I won’t be back for lunch," Xiao Ran mentioned casually as he ate.
Hearing that he was going apartment hunting, the girl’s eyes lit up.
"Really? My classes aren’t until the afternoon tomorrow. Why don’t we go together in the morning? Plus, you could teach me how to ride a bike! I’m really smart, I’ll pick it up in no time!"
The girl was genuinely filled with anticipation at the thought of him teaching her to ride a bike.
After all, knowing how to ride a bike was so useful. Learning to ride, and then going with her brother-in-law to see the apartment... to her, the plan seemed perfectly reasonable!
Xiao Ran thought for a moment. It wasn’t out of the question.
Whether one person went or two, it was all the same.
"Fine. Who told you to be the shareholder? I’ll bring you along!" he teased.
Having gotten his permission, the girl’s eyes curved into happy crescents. "That’s wonderful~"
"Get up early tomorrow. We’re heading out at eight o’clock!"
"Don’t worry, no problem!"
After saying that, the girl happily took another spoonful of congee.
At the thought of learning to ride a bike tomorrow, even the congee in her mouth seemed to taste more delicious!
...
The next morning, Xiao Ran woke at 7:40. After quickly washing up, he went to the living room and sat on the sofa to wait for Yan Xici to come downstairs.
He waited for about ten minutes. It was already 7:50, but the girl still hadn’t appeared.
Xiao Ran stood at the foot of the stairs and called out, "Xici, are you awake?"
The girl in the bed didn’t hear a thing. She had stayed up late the night before, watching lots of videos on how to ride a bike, and now she was sleeping like a log.
Her silky hair was splayed across the big, soft white pillow, one of her cheeks resting on her own slender arm.
The pressure made her supple cheek puff out slightly.
A white Bluetooth earbud was clearly visible in her exposed ear. She had put it in last night, and it was still playing a lullaby.
Sunlight filtered faintly through the pink curtains, bathing her skin in a soft pink glow.
Her sleeping posture was a bit messy. She was hugging a huge Hello Kitty plushie, one of her fair legs draped casually over its body.
When he got no response, Xiao Ran tried again, not ready to give up. His voice was noticeably louder this time, with more force behind it.
Unfortunately, the sleeping girl heard nothing.
If they weren’t planning on a bike lesson, they could have left later. But with that added to the morning’s agenda, their time was suddenly very tight.
Helpless, Xiao Ran looked at the stairs, hesitated for a moment, then decided to go up.