Wen Ran’s mind raced as she mulled over Ize’s uncharacteristic behavior today.
She finally came to a conclusion: Ize was resisting because of their ‘brother-sister’ status, but he had also developed a sense of possessiveness toward her after their ‘intimate’ acts.
He was angry.
He was jealous.
‘This is a very good sign.’
Wen Ran moved to Ize’s side, her arm pressing against his.
“Brother, don’t be mad anymore.
I know I was wrong.”
She smiled sweetly, her voice turning coquettish.
“Brother, if you’re still angry, my heart will ache.”
“And what exactly were you wrong about?” Ize shot a sideways glance at the feigning Wen Ran, his tone icy.
Wen Ran licked her lips.
Even though she had guessed the reason, she didn’t dare say it out loud.
“I…
I won’t dare to yell at you anymore, Brother.
I’ll be sure to eat properly from now on and never cause you any trouble.”
“Please just forgive me this once, okay?” she pleaded, blushing as she boldly wrapped her arms around Ize’s neck.
The girl’s semi-dry hair brushed against Ize’s throat, making it itch.
His voice grew hoarse.
“And?”
Seeing that Ize’s attitude hadn’t softened, a wronged expression appeared on Wen Ran’s face.
“What else could you want, Brother?
Are you trying to force me to find a partner right now?”
“Fine!
I’ll go out on the street and grab the first person I see!”
Wen Ran bit her lip, tears of indignation streaming down her face as she stood up to leave.
A pang shot through Ize’s heart.
His hand instinctively shot out, grabbing the girl and pulling her into his embrace.
“When did I ever force you?
Hmm?”
Wen Ran’s eyes were red, her golden irises filled with a mix of hurt and anger.
“You know perfectly well…
you know everything.” She perfectly portrayed a mix of grievance and repressed love.
Ize remained silent.
Wen Ran stubbornly refused to look at him, and the two stood in a standoff.
After a long moment, Ize sighed, his voice softening slightly.
“It was my fault, Brother was wrong.
I shouldn’t have pressured you.”
He raised his hand to wipe away Wen Ran’s tears, but she dodged his outstretched hand.
“Don’t touch me.
We can’t let our great Junior General dirty his hands.”
“My thoughts are too filthy.
I’m not worthy of the esteemed Junior General.”
“Don’t you dare talk about yourself like that,” Ize said, his voice tinged with anger.
‘He was the one with filthy thoughts.
She had just come of age and was a bit too playful.
With only him around, she had naturally developed the wrong ideas.’
‘But he was a mentally mature 27-year-old man; he shouldn’t be engaging in so much behavior that crossed the line with her.’
‘Like right now, holding her petite frame in his arms.’
‘But he was afraid that if he let go, she would, in a fit of anger, really find a random male to be her partner.
That was something he could not accept.’
“I was wrong.
I won’t pressure you again.”
“I’ll find another way to deal with your physical condition.”
Hearing Ize admit he was wrong and give in, Wen Ran bit her lip as her tears finally broke free.
She threw her arms around Ize’s waist and sobbed, “You were mean to me.”
“Brother won’t be mean to Ruanruan anymore.
If I do it again, you can punish me by not letting me eat for three days, okay?”
Wen Ran crumpled Ize’s white shirt in her hands, whimpering, “I could never bear to let you starve, Brother.”
Ize chuckled softly and ruffled the top of her head.
Wen Ran sighed in relief internally.
‘Looks like I’ve managed to bluff my way through this one.’
“Brother, I’m hungry.”
“Then go change and come downstairs to eat.”
Wen Ran nodded.
As she grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom to change, Ize’s cool voice came from behind her.
“You can play around, Ruanruan, but know your limits.”
“Don’t get too close to You Bufan, and don’t get yourself hurt again.”
Wen Ran nodded haphazardly and fled into the bathroom, her face flushed red.
In a guest room on the second floor, You Bufan’s ink-black hair was soaked with sweat.
His golden eyes were glazed over, his usually cold cheeks were flushed, and his expression held a trace of sated satisfaction.
Ize’s gaze was dark as it swept over the white stains on the carpet.
He clenched his fists.
You Bufan got up from the bed, a grim smile playing on his lips.
A moment later, Ize walked out of the bedroom, leaving behind the “plum blossoms” of blood on the white sheets and a man with disheveled hair and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
You Bufan sat on the floor, propped up on one leg.
His eyes darkened for a moment, then he let out a soft chuckle.
‘It seems I’ve discovered something rather incredible,’ he thought.
“You deserve to die!”
“But you can’t kill me right now, can you?” You Bufan said, utterly fearless.
Hai Rui’s family was related by blood to Golden Dragon Mei’er.
Word had come from the paramount Golden Dragon Mei’er Family that they would be sending someone to attend the Hai Rui Family Head’s birthday banquet.
However, the Mei’er family did not wish to be disturbed by too many people, so they requested the banquet be limited to only five families.
Among the First-class Families, the Lion Clan, Tiger Clan, Leopard Clan, and Shark Clan all had numerous branches.
The Lion Clan alone had the White Lion, Black Lion, and Golden Lion families.
The Tiger, Leopard, and Shark Clans had even more branches.
Although he was the disgrace of Hai Rui’s family, his mother was, after all, the family’s eldest daughter and on good terms with her cousin from the Golden Dragon Family.
Thus, getting an invitation was still quite easy.
Therefore, Ize wouldn’t kill him before the Family Head’s birthday banquet was over.
Ize closed his eyes and said in a low voice, “After the banquet, I don’t want to see you ever again.”
At noon, while Wen Ran was eating in the dining room, the Smart Brain on her wrist chimed.
It was a video call from Ize.
“Brother,” Wen Ran said, wiping her mouth as she answered the call.
“Tonight, there’s a reception.
You’re coming with me.” The man’s handsome, stern face was projected from the Smart Brain.
“Okay.”
“A gown will be delivered this afternoon.
A car will come pick you up tonight.”
“Okay,” Wen Ran’s voice was gentle, as meek as a kitten’s.
“Lu Yanting of the Sea Shark family will be moving into the residence tonight,” Ize finally said after a long pause.
Hearing the name Lu Yanting, Wen Ran’s fingers twitched.
‘Lu Yanting, from the First-Class Sea Shark family.’
‘In her previous life, he seemed to have arrived at this time as well, to attend the Hai Rui Family Head’s birthday banquet.’
‘It was also at that banquet that he fell in love with the heroine at first sight, becoming her loyal dog and clearing away all obstacles for her.’
‘He likes the delicate, damsel-in-distress type of heroine, doesn’t he?
As if that’s a hard role to play.’
‘This time, she would train him into a vicious hound that would bite the heroine.’
“I understand, Brother.”
“Mm.
He has a bad temper.
Try to avoid contact with him as much as possible.”
“Okay.”
On the other end, the man buried in military affairs only slowly raised his head after hearing the disconnect tone.
He rested his forehead on one hand, his long fingers tapping the desk, his cool gaze falling on the White Lion Clan Emblem Ring on his left index finger.
Lying on her bed, Wen Ran formulated a plan to ‘capture’ Lu Yanting’s heart.
First, she had to act weak and pitiful to inspire his protective instincts.
‘Once there’s protectiveness, possessiveness will follow.
And once there’s possessiveness, can love be far behind?’
Around three in the afternoon, a makeup artist and a stylist arrived with the gowns.
An entire rack of gowns was set up in the bedroom, with every imaginable style available.
Wen Ran knew her greatest asset was her beauty, so she chose a white gown that would accentuate her figure and feminine charm.
The gown was backless and had a plunging neckline.
A strip of transparent sheer fabric ran down the front, from her chest to her lower abdomen, making it incredibly alluring.
Based on her dress choice, the makeup artist gave her a look that was both innocent and sultry, one that would make it impossible for anyone to look away.
“Miss Mite, you’re the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.
You will definitely be the center of attention tonight.”
Wen Ran was also very satisfied as she stood before the full-length mirror.
In the past, her lack of a Spiritual Body had given her a sense of inferiority, so she never attended banquets.
As a result, people in the Imperial City had only heard of Wen Ran Mite, but had never seen her.
‘But this time, she would stand before everyone and tell them that she was Wen Ran Mite, no longer an invisible nobody!’