Mu Wan was unaware of the intense argument that had erupted between Kuang Xingran and Kuang Shuyu. When the call was abruptly cut off, she figured Xingran was just quick to act.

As soon as she set down her phone, a pair of arms reached out from under the blanket and wrapped around her. Kuang Ye, sounding a little aggrieved, hugged her tightly.

“You’re going out tomorrow? The team gave me ten days off, and I was planning for us to go on a date.”

He had spent the entire afternoon researching date spots in S City.

Mu Wan patted his head, coaxing him like a child. “Isn’t there still nine more days? Be good tomorrow, stay home, and eat properly. I’ll bring you a gift when I get back.”

Kuang Ye nuzzled into her neck, grumbling, “You’re leaving me to go on a date with someone else. Bad sister.”

Mu Wan: “…”

Was this childish man really the legendary Wild God of the HW pro scene, adored by fans of both genders who screamed about wanting to bear his children?

Considering his injured hand, Mu Wan indulged him a bit and soothed his temper. After hesitating, she finally brought up a question.

“Ah Ye, why has your relationship with Xingran suddenly become so strained?”

Kuang Xingran was a year younger than Mu Wan. Back when Mu Wan went abroad for her studies at eighteen, the two of them hadn’t seemed to be on bad terms. How had things deteriorated so much?

To this, Kuang Ye replied, “No clue.”

Mu Wan poked his cheek with her finger. “Be serious. Don’t dodge the question.”

Kuang Ye opened his mouth and gently bit her fingertip, applying slight pressure with his teeth before lightly licking her with his tongue.

“I’m serious—I really don’t know. One day, she just started treating me coldly, and then she teamed up with Kuang Shuyu to diss me.”

“I suspect it’s that brat Kuang Shuyu badmouthing me behind my back, but I don’t have proof.”

Mu Wan pulled her hand back. “Didn’t you ask her about it?”

Kuang Ye said, “Of course I did. She’s my sister, after all, and I’ve always liked her straightforward personality. I wanted to fix things between us.”

But asking only made things worse. Kuang Xingran had exploded at him, acting as if he had harmed her beloved idol or something. After repeated failed attempts, Kuang Ye stopped trying, unwilling to keep putting himself in that awkward position.

Hearing his description, Mu Wan gave him a light smack, annoyed by his exaggeration. Since she couldn’t get a clear answer, she decided she would ask Xingran herself tomorrow.

After chatting for a while, Mu Wan started feeling sleepy. She snuggled under the blanket, getting ready for bed.

Kuang Ye lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

“Should I turn off the light?”

Mu Wan hesitated for a moment, her gaze conflicted. In the end, she said, “Turn it off.”

With a click, the bedroom went completely dark.

Mu Wan blinked a few times. She had expected to feel scared, but with the warm presence behind her and his steady hold, she felt reassured.

She closed her eyes peacefully. The darkness didn’t seem so frightening anymore.

The Next Day at “One Cup Café”

This was a high-end café in S City. The coffee served here was flown in fresh from overseas each day. The shop offered both private rooms and open seating, with one side facing the street and the other overlooking a serene lake—an excellent view.

Kuang Xingran had reserved a private room in advance.

When Mu Wan opened the door and entered, she saw Xingran resting her chin on one hand, gazing wistfully out at the lake’s crystal-blue surface. The melancholy air about her was completely out of character for her usual bold and fiery personality.

“What’s this, little beauty? Trying out the brooding aesthetic these days?”

Xingran turned her head, her eyes still puffy from the events of the previous night.

Mu Wan immediately grew concerned. “Xingran, what happened? Who bullied you—”

“Wan wan, I’m sorry.” Kuang Xingran cut her off in a hoarse voice. The emotions she’d been trying to suppress all night began to resurface.

Mu Wan quickly moved from her seat across the table to sit beside her. Although Xingran was younger, her mature personality rarely showed such vulnerability.

“Xingran, tell me what happened. Take your time.”

Kuang Xingran gave her a glance, then recounted the events of the Yuan family’s birthday party and the heated confrontation at the villa the previous night.

“Wan wan, I’m sorry. I should have stood up for you immediately and cleared things up.”

“You always treat me as your best friend.”

“And Shuyu… Kuang Shuyu too. How did he turn out this way?” By the end, Xingran’s voice was already trembling.

Mu Wan patted her on the back. First, she was surprised to learn Xingran had been present that day; then she sighed at her apology.

It wasn’t just Xingran. Even someone like her, who had lived two lives, found Kuang Shuyu’s transformation terrifying.

But what truly touched Mu Wan was that, despite not having her unique second-chance perspective, Xingran had chosen her over Kuang Shuyu in the end.

“Xingran, it’s okay. Ah Ye already helped me vent my anger that day—he punched Kuang Shuyu hard.”

People aren’t heartless. Mu Wan didn’t blame Xingran for hesitating back then; she felt more sympathy for the difficult position she had been in.

After all, if the roles were reversed and Mu Wan had to choose between Xingran and her brother, how could she have made a decision so quickly?

That said, she believed her brother would never put her in such a dilemma.

“Wan wan, you really don’t blame me?” Xingran hugged Mu Wan, her voice still nasally from crying.

Mu Wan nodded. “Of course not. But in the future, don’t let Kuang Shuyu influence how you see my Ah Ye. He’s so aggrieved.”

Xingran, however, snorted indignantly. “It’s not because of Kuang Shuyu! It’s because he acts so recklessly and never spares me any face.”

Mu Wan blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“When I was eighteen, I had a classmate who liked me. He’d send me flowers and milk every day. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings either, so I was planning to let him down gently.”

“But somehow, Ah Ye found out. He cornered the guy in an alley like some thug and gave him a beating. The guy didn’t even take his college entrance exams because of it. And because of this, I became someone the whole class avoided.”

“In the end, it was Shuyu—Kuang Shuyu—who helped me clean up the mess.”

“Anyway, every time I think about it, I get furious.”

Xingran had attended university in S City, where many of her high school classmates were also enrolled. This incident had left her with lingering resentment that only grew over time.

It was only because Kuang Ye was her brother by blood that she let it slide. If it were anyone else, she would have dealt with them already.

Mu Wan, a little embarrassed, started to feel a twinge of solidarity with Xingran. But despite his mischievous tendencies, Kuang Ye usually had a sense of boundaries.

“Are you sure it was Ah Ye?”

Xingran assumed her friend was defending her brother and pulled out her phone, dialing Kuang Ye’s number.

“Don’t believe me? Let’s confront him right now.”

The call connected, and when Kuang Ye heard the story, he immediately swore.

“That’s nonsense!”

“That idiot made a bet with his buddies that he could win over you, the ‘ice queen,’ and save himself twenty years of hard work.^[1]It means he will make Kuang Xingran his sugar mommy I couldn’t stand listening to that crap, so I beat him up.”

“Wait—didn’t I tell Kuang Shuyu to explain this to you? He didn’t?”

Kuang Xingran froze, utterly dumbfounded.

“Huh?!”