Chapter 66 - 65: Intimate and Ambiguous

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Intimate and Ambiguous

Xiao Ran sighed.

To be honest, if it weren’t for the whole situation with Yan Li, he might have actually pursued Yan Xici.

Unfortunately, there were no ’what ifs’ in this world.

A ’what if’ was just a ’what if,’ and he had to face reality.

Some things were better left as thoughts. After all, they were both adults.

He pressed his lips together. "Let’s just change the subject. I’ve always seen her as a little sister."

’Well, he wasn’t lying. That’s really how it was for the first three years.’

Qiu Yuru gave him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Of course it’s true!"

The two of them happened to be passing the exercise equipment in the residential complex. After speaking, Xiao Ran walked over to it.

He walked up to the monkey bars, jumped up, and grabbed the rings above him with both hands. Then, he swung forward, nimbly grabbing the next ring with his other hand, and continued this pattern over and over.

Qiu Yuru wasn’t about to let him off the hook. She leaned against the bars, tilting her head as she watched him.

"Then what are you going to do if she likes you?"

Honestly, if the girl’s last name wasn’t Yan, she would’ve supported it with both hands.

But the problem was, this was Yan Li’s little sister.

If the two of them really did get together, it would be an incredibly awkward situation.

’I can’t possibly go to the Yan Family to propose another marriage, can I?’

’She wouldn’t have the face to say something like that!’

Although she wasn’t sure what their relationship was exactly, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Xiao Ran was clearly startled by his mom’s words, and his expression stiffened.

He immediately jumped down from the bars.

He retorted without hesitation, "How is that possible? A girl’s reputation is very important!"

’My relationship with her is completely innocent. I have no idea where Mom is getting these ideas.’

’Although I’ve been having those kinds of thoughts lately, I have to admit I’m controlling myself quite well!’

’He was very confident about that!’

Qiu Yuru looked helpless. "I was just asking. Besides, if she doesn’t like you, why is she so good to you?"

Honestly, this was something Qiu Yuru truly couldn’t figure out.

She felt their relationship wasn’t just a simple case of her staying over; it was more like they were cohabitating.

The two of them perfectly embodied the daily life of a young couple.

She was someone with experience; she could see this sort of thing very clearly.

Xiao Ran explained in a dead-serious tone, "She just feels that since her sister and I got divorced, she’s worried I might not be able to get over it, so she’s taking extra special care of me. Understand?"

"It’s just her way of thanking me for taking care of her these past few years!"

This was the reason the girl had given him before.

And it was indeed because of this that she had stayed.

Seeing Xiao Ran’s dead-serious expression, Qiu Yuru thought that maybe she really was overthinking things.

’But if that’s the case, then this girl really is a kind, good kid.’

’It seems I was the one making things too complicated.’

’I shouldn’t have misunderstood the girl’s good intentions.’

Qiu Yuru secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, alright. So Mom misunderstood you two, okay?"

’It seems Yan Xici really is a rare, good kid. I should be even nicer to her.’

...

After the two of them left, the girl at home didn’t stay idle.

First, she took a cloth to the room Qiu Yuru would be staying in and meticulously wiped down the table and cabinets.

Then, she brought in the bedsheets and duvet cover she had bought during the day and carefully made the bed.

She pulled all four corners neat and taut.

Looking at the peony pattern, she silently prayed, ’I hope Auntie likes the design I picked.’

After making the bed, the girl came out of the room and went back to her own bedroom.

She took out the clothes she had worn over the past two days, getting them ready to be washed.

After all, it was summer, and clothes generally needed a wash after being worn twice.

This was a habit of hers.

She went into the bathroom, opened the door of the front-loading washing machine, and put all her dirty clothes inside.

Remembering that Brother Xiao Ran didn’t seem to have done any laundry recently, she came back out and stood at the door of his room, peeking inside with her big, curious, doe-like eyes.

’This isn’t peeking, of course.’

’I just want to help him wash his clothes while I’m at it.’

But she had to admit, Xiao Ran’s living habits were quite good.

The bedsheets were neat, the comforter was folded to one side, and his desk was tidy, with his computer and cup placed in an orderly fashion.

His nightstand was also tidy, with no miscellaneous items like used tissues lying around.

Everything looked exceptionally neat.

However, there was a white short-sleeved shirt on the nightstand.

’I think he wore it yesterday. If I remember correctly, he wore it the day before yesterday, too.’

’Mhm, that’s right!’

’It’s ready to be washed!’

With that thought, the girl padded into the room in her little slippers. TAP, TAP, TAP.

With a flick of her slender arms, she unfurled Xiao Ran’s shirt in the air.

She examined it carefully. It didn’t seem to have any greasy stains.

But that wasn’t all. The girl then brought the shirt up to her delicate nose and took a sniff.

As the fabric drew closer, she didn’t smell anything strange—just Xiao Ran’s unique scent, a mix of sunshine and soap.

The familiar, pleasant smell made the girl involuntarily squint her eyes in contentment.

An involuntary feeling of joy and reassurance bloomed in her mind.

She didn’t know why, but she was particularly fond of this scent.

Whenever she smelled it, she was instantly filled with a sense of security and happiness.

The girl couldn’t help but greedily take a few more sniffs.

A blissful, sweet smile appeared on her face.

’Ooh, it smells so good!’

It has to be said: a guilty conscience needs no accuser. It’s a timeless truth.

The timid girl, terrified that Xiao Ran would suddenly return and discover her "perverted" hobby, clutched the shirt in her hand like a thief and scurried back to the bathroom.

She put his shirt in the washing machine, slowly poured in a little laundry detergent, and pressed the start button.

As the machine started, the clothes inside began to spin rapidly.

The girl lowered her head, her lively eyes fixed on the transparent window of the spinning drum.

Her clothes were now tangled up with Brother Xiao Ran’s, spinning rapidly together, round and round, like they were drawing a tai chi symbol.

Intimate and ambiguous.

For some reason, the sight made the girl’s heart beat a little faster.

As the water level began to rise, thick white foam started to appear.

The intertwined clothes were faintly visible, as if they were tucked under a blanket.

White foam had always been a thing of beauty.

Yan Xici naturally liked it too. Since she had nothing else to do, she simply sat down on the gray floor tiles, her fair-skinned wrists wrapped around her long legs.

She blinked her big eyes as she stared at the washing machine.

Strange and unusual images couldn’t help but pop into her mind, and her little face began to feel slightly hot.

The washing machine wasn’t very loud, just a low hum.

The girl didn’t find it noisy at all.

The dazed, cute girl watched for quite a while without realizing it, and half an hour slipped by in a flash.

By now, Xiao Ran and Qiu Yuru had already reached the front door. With a BEEP, the sound of the electronic lock disengaging was heard.

The mother and son walked in, all smiles.

Xiao Ran headed toward the bathroom.

He had intended to use the toilet, but he was startled the moment he walked in and saw the girl staring blankly at the washing machine.

He asked in astonishment, "Xici, are you okay?"

’Why is she sitting on the floor?!’