The four of them were chatting and laughing at the dinner table, and the atmosphere was lively.
"For that one performance, this guy Xiao Ran sneakily wore my shoes, forcing me to go watch in my slippers. And of course, I ran right into our homeroom teacher. The way he rolled his eyes... I still haven’t forgotten it!"
Xu Cheng grumbled while munching on a lamb skewer.
An unconvinced look was written all over Xiao Ran’s face. "Oh, give me a break. Who the hell told you to wear my shoes first just to act cool? And you ended up getting them covered in shit."
In the end, it was still his fault for wearing his shoes first.
"Honestly, to this day, I still have my doubts about what kind of ’date’ you were on!" Xiao Ran continued.
After all, a roommate coming back in the middle of the night with his feet caked in shit was pretty hard to understand.
The girl sat quietly beside Xiao Ran. Perhaps because of the alcohol speeding up her circulation, her rosy little face was filled with envy.
"Brother-in-law, your school days sound like so much fun."
She had never lived in a dorm and had no idea so many interesting things could happen there.
Just as she was laughing happily, a familiar children’s song started playing from the phone in her pocket.
"Once as deep as the night, every morning. Once blocking every dream, every door. Finally, it’s also possible, infinitely possible, for freedom to happen..."
Hearing Yan Xici’s phone ring, Xu Cheng teased, "Who’s that? Calling you so late at night. Must be your boyfriend."
The girl had a friendly personality and was pretty. Besides, she was already a junior in college, so it would be normal for her to have a boyfriend.
Before Yan Xici could even speak, Xiao Ran shot him a death glare.
"What nonsense are you spouting? She’s just a kid. She should be focused on her studies, not looking for a boyfriend!"
He truly doted on Yan Xici as if she were his own little sister, so he subconsciously wanted to refute anyone who suggested she had a boyfriend.
Of course, this was driven by the feeling of having your own prize cabbage ravaged by a pig.
The girl took out her phone, saw the unfamiliar number on the screen, and hung up without hesitation.
Then she casually placed her phone on the table beside her.
With a hint of shyness in her dewy eyes, she said, "I don’t have a boyfriend. It was an unknown number. They must have dialed wrong!"
’Even though I’m twenty this year, I’ve never even thought about finding a boyfriend.’
She even felt embarrassed just talking about the topic.
Zhang Chuan also chimed in enthusiastically, "Let me tell you, Xici, if you’re going to find a boyfriend, you have to be discerning. At the very least, you should find someone like your brother-in-law—caring, knows how to cook, and is successful in his career."
He meant every word. Among their group of friends, he had always felt that Xiao Ran was the most mature one—handsome, caring, and most importantly, his career was a sure thing.
’If I had a sister, I would absolutely push for Xiao Ran!’
Xiao Ran shot him a glare. "Don’t talk nonsense."
’After all, this was the little cabbage I’d painstakingly taken care of for so many years.’
’She’s a bit silly at times, but in my heart, only an all-around perfect man is worthy of my little sister.’
Seeing the expressions on Zhang Chuan and Xiao Ran’s faces, the girl couldn’t help but swallow. Perhaps due to the alcohol, her heart began to beat a little faster, and she silently lowered her head.
’Actually, Brother-in-law is the most handsome man I’ve ever met. He’s so talented, gentle, and meticulous. Most importantly, he’s incredibly considerate.’
’He’s truly a rare and wonderful man.’
’But I don’t think I’ll ever be as lucky as my sister was.’
’Besides, there’s only one Brother-in-law in the whole world. Finding someone else like him is practically impossible.’
’Now that Brother-in-law is divorced, I wonder what kind of new sister-in-law he’ll find for me.’
’It has to be someone pretty and very gentle. Only a girl like that would be worthy of my brother-in-law!’
...
Meanwhile, after being hung up on, Yan Li froze for three seconds before realizing she had probably called her sister from her work number.
She let out a drunken hiccup and called again, this time from her personal number.
The girl’s mind was wandering when the phone on the table unexpectedly rang again.
She shook her slightly dizzy head and muttered quietly, "They must have dialed the wrong number again..."
However, before she could finish her sentence, the girl froze completely.
’It’s my sister!’
She tensed up instantly, her heart leaping into her throat.
It was no exaggeration to say that the call had sobered her up quite a bit.
Her eyes widened as she stared intently at the screen.
’I’m done for. So done for.’
’She must be calling to summon me over.’
’She must be!’
’But I really don’t want to go. What do I do, what do I do...’
In just a few seconds, a thin sheen of sweat had already formed on her palms and forehead.
When she was little, their parents were busy with work, so you could say she was raised by her older sister.
But her sister had a cold and domineering personality; what she said went. She had been scolded by her sister more times than she could count, so Yan Xici was genuinely a little scared of her.
Noticing her expression, Xiao Ran glanced over instinctively. Sure enough, the call was from Yan Li.
He patted Yan Xici’s shoulder and said gently, "It’s your sister. You should answer it."
Hearing that it was Yan Li, Zhang Chuan and Xu Cheng exchanged glances, neither of them saying a word.
The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
Yan Xici reluctantly picked up the phone, slowly got up, and walked into the study with her head down.
"Sis..."
Because she had been drinking, the girl’s voice was thick and nasal, sounding a bit muffled.
Hearing her voice, Yan Li paused for a moment.
"Do you have a cold?"
????
The girl’s eyes went blank, her face a mask of confusion.
’I don’t have a cold, I just had a little to drink.’
’But my sister never lets me drink, especially not with my ex-brother-in-law. If she found out, she’d probably be here to drag me away in minutes.’
Although they were sisters, their personalities were completely different. Yan Li had been a person of few words since childhood. Her personality was, how to put it... rather cold and indifferent. When she did things, she was always goal-oriented, decisive, and ruthless.
But Yan Xici was a warm and lively girl, who could also be a little bit of an airhead at times.
As her sister became more and more capable, she wasn’t the only one who listened to her; even their parents deferred to her sister on most family matters.
Over time, this dynamic became even more entrenched.
Just like now: Yan Li was insisting she move out, and while Yan Xici didn’t want to at all, she didn’t dare say so.
The girl forced down her guilt and told a necessary lie. "Yeah, I have a cold. I’m not feeling well..."
After speaking, she even sniffled and gave a couple of guilty coughs.
The study was right behind the dining room, separated only by a single wall. Since it was especially quiet now, the people on the other side could still hear her conversation quite clearly.
Hearing her say she had a fever, Xiao Ran’s hand, which was pouring a drink, paused slightly. A flicker of anxiety went through him. ’A cold?’
’How could I not have known? Don’t tell me this girl threw a "divorce party" for me while she was sick.’
On the other end of the line, Yan Li continued, "Where are you?"
The girl looked around at the matching white bookcases and the white desk. ’I’m in the study, of course.’
’But I can’t say that.’
’Since I’m already pretending to be sick, I might as well go all the way, right?’
The corners of the girl’s pretty eyes drooped, and she immediately put on a sickly act. "I... COUGH, COUGH... I have a bit of a fever. I’m lying down right now."
’I refuse to believe she’d still drag me away now, not when I have a fever.’