The break before the school year started passed quickly. While Lin Zhengran did spend some time practicing songs with Jiang Xueli, most of his days were spent at Han Wenwen’s rental apartment.
After all, high school wasn’t part of compulsory education anymore, meaning there were more expenses. Fortunately, it was a public high school, so the costs weren’t
too
high.
Lin Zhengran was lying on Han Wenwen’s bed, reading a book. The little fox, dressed in denim shorts and a T-shirt, was packing daily essentials for high school—clothes, skirts, and various miscellaneous items all being stuffed into a suitcase.
“Zhengran-gege, do you think we’ll be in the same class in high school?”
“Probably not.”
“Huh? Why not?” Han Wenwen asked curiously.
Lin Zhengran turned a page. “Because there’s a placement test. Your talent for studying isn’t great, and you don’t fully focus on academics, so it’s normal if we’re in different classes.”
Hearing this, Han Wenwen sat down beside him.
“There’s a placement test for high school?”
“Mm.”
“Zhengran-gege really knows everything.”
Han Wenwen lay on her side next to him, their bodies almost touching. “Do you think you’ll end up in the same class as your
fiancée
?”
Lin Zhengran turned another page. “It’s been a month, and you’re
still
talking about this? And how would I know? I don’t even know how well she studies.”
After saying that, he glanced at her, feeling a bit speechless—this little fox’s fingers were tracing circles on his stomach.
“Han Wenwen, I’m giving you three seconds to take your hand off me. Three… two—”
Only when he counted down to one did Han Wenwen finally stop, retracting her hand with a pout. “So mean… but Zhengran-gege actually has abs. I’ve never even seen you work out.”
“There are
a lot
of things you haven’t seen me do. By the way, have you finished packing? Why are you lying here?”
Han Wenwen closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his shoulder. “What’s the rush? There are still a few days before school starts. Once it does, I won’t be able to lie in bed with Zhengran-gege anymore. Gotta make the most of it now.”
Lin Zhengran: “Then could you lie
somewhere else
? There’s plenty of space on the bed—why do you have to drape yourself
on
me?”
Han Wenwen opened her fox-like eyes and stared at him. “What’s Zhengran-gege afraid of? No matter how close I get, you never get shy.”
She exhaled a warm breath against his ear. “Right?”
Lin Zhengran flicked her forehead.
Han Wenwen yelped in pain and clutched her head. “Ow~ that hurt!”
Ignoring her, Lin Zhengran asked seriously, “You have enough money to last through your first year of high school, right? Are you short on cash?”
Han Wenwen, still rubbing her forehead, replied pitifully, “Even though I spent a lot recently, I still have 10,000 yuan left. Public high school doesn’t cost much, so I’ll be fine. By the way, does Zhengran-gege need pocket money? I can give you a few thousand. I don’t need that much anyway.”
Lin Zhengran looked at her.
Over the past year, Han Wenwen’s gaming skills had advanced from a low-tier player to
master level
.
Her fanbase had grown to around 500,000, which was impressive for a content creator who never showed her face and relied purely on gaming skills and voice.
She had earned tens of thousands of yuan from her videos.
And because of the system, Lin Zhengran naturally received
double
her earnings.
At this point, his bank balance had nearly reached six figures. He had once wondered how the system even transferred money to him, but in the end, he just chalked it up to
system magic
.
“Keep your money for yourself. I told you before—I don’t need it.”
Han Wenwen pouted. “You said you don’t want my money, only
me
. I remember that.” She sighed dramatically. “But Zhengran-gege doesn’t seem to want
me
either.”
Lin Zhengran turned back to his book, thinking to himself that, ever since their contract was signed, he had already
claimed
her in a sense—after all, as long as these three girls improved, he would reap plenty of benefits.
“There’s no ‘want or don’t want’ about it. You
already
belong to me. You’re supposed to stay by my side for life. So why even ask?”
Han Wenwen sighed out of habit.
Then suddenly—silence.
The room became eerily quiet.
After a moment, Han Wenwen’s face turned red, and she opened her eyes. “Huh? Zhengran-gege, what did you just say?”
Lin Zhengran ignored her. “Are you going to finish packing or not?”
Han Wenwen jolted upright, face still flushed, and stared at him shyly. “Wait, packing doesn’t matter right now! I’m asking what you just said. Did I mishear?”
Lin Zhengran glanced at her, unfazed, and continued reading. Who knew what went on in her mind?
“What did I say? The same thing I’ve always said. The whole reason I helped you was because you belong to me. What’s so strange about that? Why else would I help you for so long, even saying I’d take care of you for life?”
Han Wenwen’s heartbeat had never raced this fast before. Slowly, she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes turning red with embarrassment.
She stared at Lin Zhengran as he flipped through his book.
So… Qingqing
hadn’t
misunderstood.
Zhengran-gege had
already
confessed.
And she had already agreed back then.
The invisible tail of the little fox swayed shyly as she murmured, “So… in Zhengran-gege’s eyes, these past few years, we’ve all been wasting our time on meaningless things?”
Even the gift she had given him in eighth grade—
it hadn’t even mattered
, because she had already belonged to him.
Lin Zhengran flipped another page. He
really
didn’t want to waste time discussing these things.
“How would I know what you girls were thinking back then? Middle school should have been a time to build up your skills and prepare for the future, but you two spent two whole years doing things I
couldn’t
understand.
All I ever wanted was for you to improve yourselves so you could do whatever you wanted when you grew up. But what
you
were thinking and what
I
was thinking were completely different.”
Han Wenwen hesitated. “But… if that’s the case, why does Zhengran-gege always avoid being too close to me? Since I’m already yours, shouldn’t it be—”
Lin Zhengran sat up, exasperated. He had said this
so many times
!
“Because you’re a
damn
fox who
interrupts
my reading! How hard is that to understand?”
Han Wenwen shrank into the corner of the bed, burying herself under the blanket. Her fox-like eyes peeked out at him.
“For the first time, I think Zhengran-gege is
terrifying
. Why didn’t you say such an important thing earlier?”
Lin Zhengran gave her a deadpan look. “I literally said, ‘You’ll stay with me for life.’ You’d have to be an idiot not to know what that means.”
Han Wenwen suddenly realized something.
“Wait—so Zhengran-gege
said that
to all three of us?!”
“So what? You’ve always known I helped them too. It’s not like I hid it. Even He Qing told you before.”
Han Wenwen huffed in jealousy, hugging the blanket. “How are you so
confident
about it?” She muttered under her breath, “I
knew
my instincts were right… Zhengran-gege is
such
a flirt.”
She sulked, twisting the blanket in her hands. And not just
any
flirt—a
major
one.
A few days later, Lin Zhengran, Jiang Xueli, and Han Wenwen carried their luggage and set off for their high school in the city.
But after that conversation, Han Wenwen had a new plan for high school.
New goal: Make sure Zhengran-gege never says that to another girl again. Otherwise, what happens after graduation?!