Xia Ruan’s hand trembled, and the fish fillet she was holding fell onto the table. Seeing everyone staring at her, she forced a smile and said, “Sorry, sorry, my hand slipped.” Then, she glanced at Zhou Jingyi. This was really her biological mother! She couldn’t wait to keep her distance from the male protagonist, but here she was, inviting him over all the time. 

Lu Yan noticed Xia Ruan’s resentful little gaze, and a spark of interest flickered in his eyes. Her current attitude of avoiding him like the plague was actually quite amusing. 

By the end of the meal, both Zhou Jingyi and Xia Longchuan had a good impression of Lu Yan. They were even more pleased when they found out he was top in his class. Their little Fei had finally made a reliable friend, and they became even more enthusiastic toward him. 

Xia Fei, who had been forced by his parents to accompany Lu Yan, gritted his teeth and glanced at the calm-looking person beside him. “Aren’t you going back yet?” 

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “Wasn’t it you who invited me here by every means possible?” 

Xia Fei turned to check if Zhou Jingyi and Xia Longchuan were paying attention. Seeing they weren’t, he glared fiercely at Lu Yan. “You’ve eaten, so what else do you want?” 

Lu Yan shrugged, his expression innocent. “Your parents were so warm and welcoming, how could I refuse?” 

“You… you… you…” Xia Fei couldn’t believe how thick-skinned this person was. 

“My parents were just being polite. Don’t take it to heart, Lu Yan.” Xia Ruan, standing in front of Xia Fei, said softly to Lu Yan. 

Xia Fei quickly chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, they were just being polite. Don’t take it seriously.” 

Lu Yan looked at the brother and sister across from him. Xia Fei wore an impatient expression, while Xia Ruan remained calm and distant. A smile tugged at his lips as he slowly stood up and walked over to the siblings. In a low voice, he said, “It’s easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away. Do you understand?” 

Seeing him go to say goodbye to his parents, Xia Fei scoffed and muttered to Xia Ruan, “He thinks he’s a god. Tch, really shameless.” 

Xia Ruan looked at his tall, straight back, then turned to look at her silly brother and said expressionlessly, “Brother, don’t act impulsively in the future. Also, I really don’t like him anymore.” 

Xia Fei muttered under his breath, clearly not believing her. If she didn’t like him, why would she still be defending him? Hmph, she’s just being contradictory. But since I’m the older brother, I’ll make sure to deal with Lu Yan myself. 

Seeing that Xia Fei hadn’t taken her words to heart, Xia Ruan felt a bit exhausted. Just as she was about to say something else, Zhou Jingyi called out, “Xia Fei, Ruan Ruan, come say goodbye to Xiao Lu.” 

With him finally leaving, Xia Ruan couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The male protagonist really thought differently from others. Her brother was smitten by him, and yet he was still willing to stay for dinner. Seeing his smiling face made Xia Ruan nervous, but thankfully, he was finally leaving. 

The driver took Lu Yan home, and once the car was out of sight, Xia Ruan turned to look at Xia Fei and seriously said, “Brother, can we have a talk?” 

Xia Fei was confused. “What do you want to talk about?” 

“About our future?” Xia Ruan thought for a moment. Not only did she need to study hard, but Xia Fei did too, so she was preparing to reason with him, hoping to persuade him. 

Hearing this, Xia Fei looked even more confused. “The future? What future?” 

Xia Ruan lowered her eyes, hiding her expression from him, and spoke softly. “Brother, do you really plan on just drifting through high school, then go abroad to attend some mediocre university, and then come back to continue living a carefree life? Eventually, grandpa’s company will need someone to manage it. Do you really think this is okay?” 

Xia Fei seemed unconcerned. “I’ll just hire a professional manager when the time comes.” 

Xia Ruan had expected him to say that. In the story, their grandfather Zhou Yanheng had only one daughter, Zhou Jingyi. She met a gang member in college and was saved by Xia Longchuan, which led to their romance. Xia Longchuan, a poor guy who even dropped out of college, was opposed by Zhou Yanheng, but Zhou Jingyi was determined to be with him. Zhou Yanheng was so angry that he even rejected her as his daughter. He thought Zhou Jingyi, being spoiled, wouldn’t tolerate the hardships of life with Xia Longchuan, but Xia Longchuan worked hard to support her, and though he didn’t achieve great things, he did everything he could to ensure Zhou Jingyi didn’t suffer. It wasn’t until Xia Ruan was born that their relationship slowly began to ease.  

Thinking of this, Xia Ruan glanced at Xia Fei. The book mentioned that Xia Longchuan and Zhou Jingyi were so lenient with their siblings because they felt guilty for the hardships they had to endure in their childhood. 

Xia Fei saw that after he said this, Xia Ruan kept her head lowered and didn’t respond. He scratched his head, looking a bit uncertain. “Ruan Ruan, didn’t you used to think it was fine?” 

Xia Ruan lifted her eyes and glanced at him. “You did say ‘used to,’ right?” 

Xia Fei was even more confused. “What’s different now?” 

Xia Ruan sighed. “Brother, don’t you know how other people in our circle look at us?” 

Xia Fei looked at Xia Ruan with a more perplexed gaze. He knew people looked down on them, but that wasn’t a new thing. He used to be upset about it, but Xia Ruan had always comforted him, saying those people were just jealous of them. Jealous that they could live so carefree, without being forced by their parents to study things they didn’t like. Xia Fei had been persuaded by her and stopped worrying about other people’s opinions. But now, it seemed like she had changed her mind. Xia Fei tightened his fists, thinking this must have something to do with Lu Yan. 

Seeing the change in Xia Fei’s expression, Xia Ruan softened her tone. “Brother, think about it. Is it safer to hire a manager or to manage things yourself? The important things should stay in our hands. It’s not too late to change now, so let’s work hard together, okay?” 

Xia Fei scratched his chin. “But Ruan Ruan, you know, I get a headache just looking at books.” 

When Xia Ruan heard him say that, her tone softened even more. “Aren’t I the same? But whenever I think about what Mom, Dad, and Grandpa expect from us, I feel more motivated. So, Brother, let’s work hard together, okay?” 

Xia Fei looked at the determined Xia Ruan and thought to himself, What exactly did Lu Yan say to her that she even started giving herself motivational speeches? Looks like I’ll need to have a good talk with him tomorrow at school. Seeing Xia Ruan still looking at him expectantly, Xia Fei quickly nodded. “Alright, brother will work hard with you.” 

Xia Ruan could tell he was just humoring her, but she knew changing his mindset wouldn’t happen overnight. She gently sighed and thought to herself, It’s okay, there’s plenty of time. As long as I stop him from doing something stupid and don’t offend the male protagonist, everything should be fine. As long as the male protagonist doesn’t retaliate against us, the idea of finding a manager is still a good one. 

After the siblings returned home, Zhou Jingyi offered them some fruit and casually asked, “Why did you take so long?” 

Xia Fei grinned. “I was asking Lu Yan for study tips.” 

Zhou Jingyi gave him a teasing look. “I hope that’s true. You should really learn from him.” 

Xia Longchuan had just recalled who Lu Yan was. He had often heard Ruan Ruan mention this name, and the last conflict had also been because of this Lu Yan. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but frown. He wanted to say something but was afraid it would just lead to Ruan Ruan rebelling even more. He had been young once too and knew that the more parents opposed something, the more determined children became. Looks like I’ll have to have Xiao Fei pay more attention to Ruan Ruan at school. 

When Xia Fei heard Zhou Jingyi praising Lu Yan, he hummed in response, but inwardly, he made a note to keep track of Lu Yan. 

Xia Ruan was somewhat absentminded as she listened to Zhou Jingyi’s words, her mind still occupied with the story in the book. The male protagonist could not be offended, and the female protagonist should also be treated well.  

Of course, if she could be friends with the female protagonist, that would be even better. After all, the female protagonist was truly a golden lucky charm. Being friends with her, even if she only got a fraction of her luck, would be great. And most importantly, if she became friends with the female protagonist, the male protagonist would have to think twice before trying anything with their family.  

With this thought, Xia Ruan curved her lips into a smile. That’s the plan. My main task now is to stop my brother from doing anything reckless, and once the female protagonist appears, I’ll make sure to become friends with her. 

❖❖❖ 

Lu Yuwei heard the door open and walked out of her room, just as Lu Yan was bending down to change his shoes. She stepped forward. “Are you going to that Lu Jizhou’s house again for a free meal?” Earlier, she had received a message from Lu Yan saying he wasn’t coming back for dinner and would be eating at a classmate’s house. Lu Yuwei subconsciously assumed it was Lu Jizhou. 

Lu Yan curled the corner of his lips. “No.” 

Lu Yuwei became interested. “Got a new friend?” 

Lu Yan thought of the somewhat silly Xia Fei and the girl, Xia Ruan, who avoided him like the plague. A faint smile appeared on his lips. “I guess so.” 

Lu Yuwei pouted. “If it is, just say it’s a new friend. If it’s not, then say so. What’s with the ‘I guess so’?” 

“Did you skip meals again?” Lu Yan changed the subject. 

“I already ate.” Lu Yuwei quickly replied. 

“Is it more junk food?” Lu Yan turned and looked at her. 

“I still have to finish a draft. I’m going back to my room.” After saying that, Lu Yuwei hurried back to her room. 

Lu Yan watched her retreating figure, reminding him of the scene when Xia Ruan dragged Xia Fei away. He reached up and touched his cheek. Am I really that scary? As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips. 

Xia Ruan had a pleasant dream that night. In the dream, she not only became friends with the female protagonist but also became her close confidant. Lu Yan, for the female protagonist’s sake, was much kinder to her, and the female protagonist’s good luck seemed to rub off on her as well. Although it was just a dream, Xia Ruan felt it was a good omen, and even when she got on the car, she couldn’t stop smiling. 

Xia Fei saw her beaming with joy and thought she was so happy because she was going to see Lu Yan again. That made him even more annoyed. Ruan Ruan used to share everything with him, but now she wouldn’t tell him anything. Hmph, it’s all because of that damn Lu Yan. 

Xia Ruan’s good mood lasted until she reached school, until she encountered Lu Yan at the stairwell. He, unusually, waved at her. “Good morning, Xia.”