Lin Ran raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching her swollen lips, where the lingering pain of being bitten and Lu Feng’s scent still remained.
“Do you know that hate and love activate the same region in neurology?”
System: [I know.]
“Extreme hate is extreme care.” Lin Ran lowered her hand, her tone calm.
“I want him to hate me, to pour all his emotions into me.”
“Only then will that icy, unattainable flower melt for me.”
The system continued with concern: [Even if what melts is magma? Burning you beyond recognition, reducing you to ashes?]
Lin Ran chuckled softly, then immediately composed herself, speaking with unprecedented seriousness.
“Xiao Tong, when I chose to forcefully seize, I already sat down at the gambling table.”
“Those who sit at the gambling table must always face the final moment when the cards are revealed. I long to be the winner, but I’m also prepared to hand over all my chips.”
“Win or lose, accept the outcome; once the move is made, no regrets. If I lose everything, then you, this unlucky little system, will have no choice but to accept fate and follow me to hell~”
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow mischievously.
The system fell silent. After a long while, it slowly said:
[You really are a strange human.]
[But, I find myself liking you more and more.]
[We will defeat the plot force. I believe in you!]
Lin Ran curled the corner of her mouth, gazing at the rapidly receding street scenes outside the window as she responded faintly, “Thank you. I believe in myself too.”
＊
At six in the morning, Lu Feng’s phone rang.
It was the special notification tone Lin Ran had set in front of him before leaving yesterday.
Though it was a soothing melody, to Lu Feng’s ears, it sounded restless and unsettling.
It felt like Lin Ran’s relentless pressure closing in on him.
He opened his eyes, stared at the mottled ceiling for three seconds, then reached for the phone beside his pillow.
The screen lit up, revealing an interface so minimalist it felt cold and harsh.
Opening the messaging app, the pinned profile picture was an oil painting of a red rose, with a nickname consisting of just one letter: L.
[Eight o’clock, East Gate of Jing University.]
No inquiry, no discussion—just an order.
Like a master summoning a servant.
Lu Feng stared at the line of text, his fingers tightening.
For a moment, he wanted to smash the phone, rush out to find Lin Ran, and tell her—
To hell with that bet!
But reality was like a cold chain, tightening around his neck.
He slowly sat up.
Outside the window, the sky was just beginning to brighten. In the old district’s early morning, there were birds chirping and the faint, distant bustle of the morning market.
His foster parents were probably still asleep; last night’s chaos had exhausted the entire family.
His father’s unemployment, the unresolved loan shark debt, his mother’s medication that couldn’t be interrupted…
All of it hinged on that girl’s whim.
Lu Feng put on a plain white shirt and jeans, quietly washing up.
In the mirror, his lips still bore the tiny wounds from rubbing them raw yesterday.
He pressed his fingertips lightly against them, feeling a faint sting.
At six twenty, he left.
Without disturbing his parents, he left only a note on the dining table: [Out early, going to study.]
＊
The East Gate of Jing University was quite spacious, with residential areas across the street.
Students came and went in small groups, but not many.
Lu Feng stood still at the entrance, scanning his surroundings—nothing.
At exactly eight o’clock, a long, luxurious sedan silently pulled up in front of him.
The rear window rolled halfway down, revealing Lin Ran’s profile.
She wore a beige knitted sweater today, her long hair loosely braided into a side plait, looking much softer than yesterday.
If one ignored the unrestrained sparkle in her eyes.
“Get in the car,” she said.
Lu Feng didn’t move. “Where to?”
“Breakfast.” Lin Ran raised an eyebrow. “What, on your first day as a servant, you already want to defy your master’s orders?”
“Servants have human rights too.”
“You do,” Lin Ran chuckled lightly. “You can choose to eat in the car, or not get in and watch your home…”
“Enough.” Lu Feng cut her off, opened the car door, and got in.
The interior of the car was quite spacious, filled with the faint aroma of food and soy milk.
On the table in front of Lin Ran were exquisite transparent food containers.
Crystal shrimp dumplings, crab roe soup dumplings, bird’s nest porridge, and a cup of steaming soy milk.
“Yours,” she pointed at the food in front of her.
“So, how is it? Being my servant comes with pretty good perks, right?”
“Must be dreaming with joy, huh?”
Looking at her smug smile, Lu Feng lowered his gaze slightly. “I’ve already eaten.”
“Liar.”
“You just don’t want to eat my food, that’s all,” Lin Ran mocked lightly.
Lu Feng moved his lips but said nothing.
She was right.
He hadn’t eaten, but he didn’t want to eat her food either.
Lin Ran wasn’t annoyed. She leaned back in her seat casually and said leisurely, “Suit yourself. Just don’t complain about your master mistreating you when you’re hungry at work later.”
“Work?” Lu Feng caught the keyword. “What work?”
“Accompany me to class.”
“The art department has a big lecture this morning on Western art history.”
“You’ll sit next to me, take notes for me, serve tea and water, and fulfill all my needs.”
Lu Feng stared at her. “I’m in the architecture department.”
“So?” Lin Ran glanced at him sideways. “Since when do servants get to pick their tasks?”
“Lu, the bet was clear—be available at my call, obey my every word. If I tell you to accompany me to class, you accompany me. Or do you want to break the agreement?”
Her tone was light, but each word carried weight.
Lu Feng remained silent for a moment, then picked up the soy milk and took a sip.
It was rich and fragrant, completely unlike the kind he usually bought from roadside snack shops.
The food wasn’t at fault, but he found it hard to swallow.
He put down the cup and spoke calmly, “The loan sharks and my father’s job—you’ll handle them, right?”
Lin Ran’s eyes held a playful glint. “Are you begging me?”
“I’m confirming,” Lu Feng said, his voice tense.
“I lost the bet, and you got what you wanted. According to the agreement, you shouldn’t touch my family.”
“Easy enough~” Lin Ran drawled slowly. “I’ll cover the loan for your family first. As for your father’s job, I’ll arrange for him to work as a workshop supervisor at my family’s company today—good pay, light workload.”
“If you behave well enough, I might even cover your mother’s medicine expenses. Touched?”
Lu Feng’s hand clenched tightly.
She brought the storm upon him, then pretended to be charitable.
How utterly ridiculous!
“Don’t be so tense all the time,” Lin Ran smiled. “A servant should act like a servant. Who are you scowling at? Come on, smile.”
Lu Feng didn’t smile.
He loosened his clenched hand, his eyes as cold as a frozen pond.
Lin Ran met his gaze for a few seconds before suddenly losing interest.
She looked away, turning her attention back to the window, her tone growing slightly colder. “Don’t worry, your family is safe for now—at least for this month.”
For now.
Lu Feng caught that word, and his heart sank.
＊
The car drove into the campus and stopped in front of the art department building.
Lin Ran pushed open the car door and glanced back at him. “Follow me.”
She walked ahead with unhurried steps, proud and poised like a princess wearing a crown inspecting her fiefdom.
And indeed, she was a wealthy heiress.
Lu Feng followed a step behind, carrying the backpack she had shoved into his hands.
The combination of the campus heartthrob from Jingbei University and the belle of the art school drew countless sidelong glances.
“Isn’t that Lu Feng? Wow, why is he following Lin Ran?”
“I heard something happened to Lu Feng’s family yesterday, and Lin Ran helped settle it.”
“Helped? More like a transaction, I’d say. Look at Lu Feng’s expression—he clearly doesn’t want to be here at all…”
The whispers were like fine needles, pricking at Lu Feng’s back.
He straightened his spine, his expression as calm as still water, locking all emotions deep within his eyes.
Lin Ran seemed not to hear any of it, walking straight into the large lecture hall and taking a seat in the very center of the third row.
It was her usual spot—the best view and the most attention-grabbing.
But to her, these gazes meant nothing at all.
Lu Feng frowned slightly, having no choice but to sit down beside her.