The laughter on the other end of the line grew louder. “You’re acting weird, A-Jing. Why are you suddenly curious about Zhou Xusi? What’s going on? Are you two fighting over a girl?”
The last sentence was full of teasing and sly probing.
Although Ren Yanjing was the only son in his immediate family, the Ren family was huge. He had many cousins, and among them, he was closest to his younger cousin.
The last time he borrowed a car to attend a robotics competition in another city, it was this same cousin he borrowed from—and that time, the cousin had grilled him for ages. And now, here he was again.
Ren Yanjing didn’t answer the teasing question. He simply said, “Just send me his information.”
The laughter came again from the other end. “Alright, A-Jing rarely asks his brother for help, so of course I’ll help. But if anything comes up, don’t forget to tell me. My mom even asked if you had a girlfriend the other day.”
Ren Yanjing replied calmly, “I’ll introduce you next time.”
“??? Wait—you’re actually secretly dating? Last time you borrowed a car, I had a feeling something was off! You’re dating and didn’t even tell me? Are we still best brothers or not?”
“Your sister-in-law—what’s her name? How old is she?”
Ren Yanjing, after saying, “Send me the info ASAP,” decisively hung up.
He knew his younger cousin’s personality: a big mouth. News that he had a girlfriend would likely spread through the entire family very quickly.
But let them know—so be it. They had been dating for over half a month now; it wasn’t exactly a secret.
After hanging up, Ren Yanjing ignored his cousin’s second call. Instead, he opened the private chat on the Media Arts Academy’s All-Purpose Wall and sent a message:
“I’m Tang Zhen’s boyfriend. Delete the post you just made immediately.”
Tang Zhen happened to see the post just as Ren Yanjing demanded it be deleted.
The photo was clearly taken from behind, which explained why she hadn’t noticed Lu Yu at the time.
It captured the moment she opened the passenger door, about to get into the car.
Scrolling through the comments, she recognized many of the people commenting.
“Isn’t this Tang Zhen from the freshman art program? She already has a boyfriend. Why is anyone even asking?”
“Driving a Rolls-Royce? What kind of family does Tang Zhen have?”
“Who’s in the driver’s seat? No white gloves—it doesn’t look like a chauffeur.”
There were also comments clarifying who was actually in the driver’s seat.
“I’m Tang Zhen’s roommate. That’s her brother in the driver’s seat. Don’t misunderstand.”
Tang Zhen had introduced her family to her roommates at the start of the semester. They all knew she had a stepbrother who was successful in his career, working in game development.
Recently, they occasionally played some of the casual games developed by Zhou Xusi’s company. Tang Zhen also used them to pass the time when bored.
She didn’t see any hostile comments. Even if there had been some, the student moderators on the All-Purpose Wall probably deleted them.
When she tried to continue scrolling, the post was gone. Fine. Nothing had happened anyway.
No sooner had she put her phone away than her mother came over to shoo her. “It’s still early. Go downstairs and spend some time talking with your big brother.”
Tang Zhen blinked. “Mom, you should lie down and rest more.”
Her mother was fine, but she didn’t need to tell Tang Zhen that. Her stepson was usually cold and indifferent. She had been married into this family for a year, and her stepson had never cared about her well-being. But today, he had gone out of his way to bring Tang Zhen home.
She decided to seize the moment and nudge her daughter’s relationship with Zhou Xusi forward.
“Don’t go back to school tonight. Your big brother probably isn’t leaving either. Go, spend some time with him, get closer.”
Tang Zhen had no choice but to go downstairs.
Zhou Xusi was seven years older than her, twenty-six this year. His handsome face rarely showed expression, and she had always felt he was unapproachable.
A few steps closer, she made a casual excuse. “Big brother, I’ve been walking around campus all day and am a little tired. I’ll go back to my room to rest. You should get some sleep too.”
Zhou Xusi’s dark eyes fixed on her.
Even though he was seated and she was standing, his gaze made her tense.
A seven-year age gap was like two generational steps. Coupled with Zhou Xusi’s composed personality, Tang Zhen always felt restrained around him.
He gave a slight nod. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
After exchanging goodnights, Tang Zhen turned to leave.
She whispered to 000 in her mind, Sanquan, talking to Big Brother is so stressful.
000 wasn’t surprised. 【Zhen, that’s normal. Big Brother is a mature, steady elite. Managing such a large company with thousands of employees naturally puts some distance between you.】
As she stepped onto the stairs, Zhou Xusi’s low voice came from behind.
“Tang Zhen.”
“Huh?”
She turned, eyes wide and slightly puzzled.
He stood from the sofa, dressed in a business silver-gray suit. Even though he had been home for over ten minutes, his buttons remained perfectly fastened, looking both disciplined and refined.
“When you talk to me, you don’t need to be so tense.”
Tang Zhen was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She bit her lip. “Ah… okay, Big Brother.”
Back in her room, after closing the door, Tang Zhen finally relaxed.
She wondered aloud, Sanquan, why would Big Brother say that to me?
000 assured her confidently. 【Because you treat Big Brother like an elder and get nervous. He feels old in comparison. You know, men and women alike care about their age.】
Ah, that made sense.
“I get it. Next time, I’ll try to treat him more like a peer.”
【Mm-hmm.】
At ten o’clock sharp, her mother went to sleep for her beauty rest.
By then, Zhou Xusi had also gone to his room, though the light remained on. Tang Zhen didn’t move hastily.
She had already turned off her own room’s light early. Around eleven, the light in Big Brother’s room finally went off.
Tang Zhen left a note explaining she was returning to school and tiptoed downstairs.
A nightlight in the living room provided dim illumination, helping her leave the villa and meet up with Ren Yanjing nearby. The entire escape went unnoticed by both her mother and Zhou Xusi.
First sneaky outing from home: accomplished. Male lead and supporting male lead—no encounters. Excellent.
Once in the car, Tang Zhen checked the time and worried. “At this hour, the dorm supervisor must be asleep. I’d feel bad asking her to open the door.”
Ren Yanjing glanced at her jacket and turned up the car heater. “Then we won’t go back.”
Tang Zhen’s eyes widened. “Huh?”
Ren Yanjing suggested, “Let’s go see the river view. How about that?”
She had been here so long but never seen the river view, so she agreed.
On the way, Ren Yanjing spoke little, his side profile slightly tense.
His cousin had said Zhou Xusi was low-key and introverted.
Low-key and introverted?
Would a “low-key introvert” appear at a university gate in the middle of the night driving a Rolls-Royce?
Would he use that car to pick up someone else’s girlfriend and get photographed for the school wall?
Ren Yanjing’s expression didn’t change, but he formed his own opinion of Zhou Xusi.
For a while, the car was silent, only soft music filling the air.
Tang Zhen, who should have been asleep hours ago, felt sleepy.
000, however, seemed anxious. 【Zhen, could the male lead be thinking of breaking up with you?】
Tang Zhen was instantly alarmed.
By rights, they were supposed to date at least three months before breaking up. Ending it early wouldn’t bode well for the second female lead.
“Sanquan, why do you say that?” she asked urgently.
【The male lead looks… off. Probably still affected by the argument you had this afternoon.】
Tang Zhen frowned. “But when he dropped me at the dorm, he wasn’t upset at all.”
【Some people just realize things late.】
“What should I do?”
Even if a breakup was inevitable, it couldn’t happen now.
000 was silent for a moment.
A minute later, Tang Zhen received her newest mission:
【Mission Twelve: Act Cute!】