What he really wanted to ask was—why hadn’t Lu Ran’s girlfriend arrived yet?
At that very moment, the Lu Ran he was thinking about was standing in a dim corridor.
A smile without warmth curved at the corner of his lips. His tall, imposing body completely trapped Xu Jingran in his shadow.
The elegant music from the castle reached this place only as faint, distant noise.
“Baby…”
Lu Ran suddenly lowered his body, his gaze burning with scrutiny and undisguised possessiveness.
His eyes swept over her fair shoulders, her slender neck, the slight rise and fall of her chest from nervousness…
Then he lowered his head and bit her lips, kissing her deeply as if he wanted to swallow that softness whole.
Xu Jingran didn’t have his stamina. Soon she was breathless, struggling for air.
Lu Ran sucked gently on her earlobe, his voice low, tinged with jealousy and pressure, sending a tingling sensation from her ear straight to her heart.
“Why aren’t you wearing the dress I gave you?”
When he saw her earlier, she wasn’t wearing the lavender dress he had chosen.
Instead, she wore this pure, elegant little white dress.
Although she looked beautiful in anything.
But why not the one he gave her?
Did some other man give her this white dress?!
One of his hands wrapped fully around her waist. His burning lips traveled from her earlobe down along her cheek, to her pale neck, then slowly brushed against her delicate collarbone.
Xu Jingran felt weak all over, realizing for the first time how great the difference in their size was.
She could only hook one arm around his neck and lean helplessly against him.
“The dress you gave me is too expensive… I want to treasure it… I—I was afraid I’d ruin it…”
She tried to push his head away as he pressed closer, feeling his hot breath against her chest, which seemed to drain all her strength.
Lu Ran clung to her as if glued to her body. Hearing her explanation, he lightly licked the faint teeth marks he had left on her collarbone.
It felt like comfort.
Or perhaps his anger fading.
“Silly girl. I’ll buy you many more dresses like that in the future. Even if they get ruined, it doesn’t matter. Everything your boyfriend has is yours.”
Hearing her careful tone, he ended up angry at himself instead.
Angry that he hadn’t prepared more dresses for her.
And hurt that she felt troubled over something so small.
Xu Jingran looped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of his mouth.
Softly.
Again and again.
Sweet and gentle.
“You’re not mad anymore, right?”
Her eyes were watery from the kisses, filled with instinctive tears that made her look innocent and pitiful.
Even the red tear mole beneath her left eye seemed to tremble.
Lu Ran was completely captivated. How could he still be angry?
His mind stayed calm.
Other parts of him were less so.
He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her more deeply. “I’m still mad. So I have to punish you—teach you what a real kiss is.”
His girlfriend was too innocent.
Every time they kissed, she only pecked his lips.
Or rubbed against him like a little kitten.
Lu Ran pressed down harder, biting her lips, stealing her breath.
Only when she pounded lightly against his chest did he release her so she could breathe—then he leaned in again, repeating the cycle.
“Have you learned? Come on. Kiss me properly.”
He let out a low, hoarse laugh and used his fingertip to wipe the moisture from the corner of her mouth.
Xu Jingran’s eyes were teary from the kisses, yet she obediently tried to comfort him, clumsily standing on tiptoe to kiss him back.
Neither of them noticed that in the dark corner of the corridor, a tall, slender figure had been standing there for a long time, staring at them without blinking.
[Lu Ran really knows how to act spoiled. He wasn’t even mad, yet he made his girlfriend coax him. What a scheming man!]
[Wow… the baby girl looks so pitiful with teary eyes. Poor thing. I want to run. So pitiful. I want to run…]
[Xu Jingran is way too obedient. How did she make Lu Ran fall for her this hard?]
[Hey, this is an open-air corridor, not a hotel room. If they lose control for a second, it’ll be fireworks…]
[Lu Ran’s hands aren’t behaving either. He’s obviously using this as an excuse to bully Baby Ran. Tsk tsk, he’s already gotten a taste.]
[I remember the most exciting part is coming up. The tradition of this Freshman Ball is… indescribable…]
[I remember too. In the book, this was when the three male leads really stepped into the game. Now I’m curious whose “table” it’ll be. It won’t be Baby Ran’s, right?]
[You guys are too much. That scholarship before was obviously arranged by the male leads for the heroine. Stop giving credit to the side character. Giving her money was just pity.]
[Then how about pity me and send me some money too?]
[Exactly. Money goes where love goes. The fact is, the side character got more money—and she got the kisses too.]
[Ahhh! Leopard baby, kitty baby, I want more! Keep kissing! Don’t stop!!!]
The comments had already turned into complete chaos.
Xu Jingran couldn’t even read them clearly anymore. She was dizzy from the kisses.
Lu Ran was totally using this as an excuse!
This wasn’t good!
She pushed him away and nervously covered her mouth. “Stop kissing. We need to go to the ball.”
If they kept going, her lips would be ruined.
Lu Ran was too fierce.
His pale gray-violet eyes curved with amusement. His dark suit was woven with subtle purple threads that shimmered faintly under the castle lights.
He had intentionally chosen a matching couple’s outfit.
Unfortunately…
His large hand gently stroked her waist, measuring her shape carefully.
He wasn’t oblivious.
The fabric of the dress she was wearing was extremely high quality—custom-made.
But since his baby didn’t want to explain, he wouldn’t ask.
He would investigate it himself.
Lu Ran gently held her forearm, noticing the slightly frightened look in her eyes from being kissed so much. He softly pecked her swollen lips and coaxed,
“Alright. I’ll be gentler.”
The moment they stepped into the ballroom, they immediately attracted countless gazes—both obvious and subtle.
Jiang Si stared at Xu Jingran’s visibly swollen red lips, his expression complicated as he clenched his jaw slightly.
He walked forward slowly and smiled at her.
“How’s living in Villa No. 2? Are you getting used to it?”
It sounded like a routine student council inquiry, nothing personal.
But his cool-toned eyes subtly swept over every inch of her body.
When he saw she was wearing the white dress, his smile widened. “If there’s anything you’re not used to, tell me. For my brother’s sake, I’ll take good care of you.”
“Thank you. I’m living well. The people there are very friendly and treat me nicely.”
Xu Jingran smiled gently.
In Villa No. 2, they mostly treated her like she was invisible.
Xu Laina had a sharp tongue but a soft heart and actually took decent care of her.
Jiang Si didn’t quite believe her words.
Villa No. 2 housed unquestionable aristocrats.
The academy was divided clearly into S, A, B, and C districts.
S District: old noble families.
A District: newly wealthy elites.
B District: ordinary civilians.
C District: special admission students—also cruelly called “low class.”
Arrogant nobles rarely treated special admit students kindly.
Xu Jingran must have swallowed her grievances alone.
Jiang Si had been waiting for her to complain to him and ask for help.
Instead, she stubbornly said everything was fine.
Concern appeared on Jiang Si’s handsome face, his tone gentle. “That’s good. If anything happens, you can come to my office anytime.”
Xu Jingran nodded.
Lu Ran wrapped an arm possessively around her shoulders. His expression toward Jiang Si softened slightly.
“Thanks.”