Xia Ruan stumbled and almost fell, but Xia Fei quickly caught her. In an innocent tone, he said, “Ruan Ruan, you need to be more careful when walking.” 

Xia Ruan took a deep breath. This guy really had a talent for getting himself into trouble. No wonder he ended up as cannon fodder in the book. Even now, he couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Fang Yinan. Xia Ruan tried to keep her tone gentle. 

“Brother, let’s focus on studying well for now, and not think about these unnecessary things, okay?” 

Xia Ruan thought he would be persuaded again like before, but Xia Fei looked at her mournfully: “Ruan Ruan, you’ve changed. You don’t care about me, your brother, at all.” 

Xia Ruan kept a polite smile on her face. “I care about you, that’s why I want you to study seriously.” 

But Xia Fei wasn’t satisfied and kept going. “Look, you said you liked Lu Yan, and I didn’t even question it. I just brought the guy back for you. Now I finally want to try falling in love for once, and not only are you not helping me—you’re even saying stuff like this. I’m really hurt.” 

As he turned and walked straight toward the seat next to Fang Yinan, Xia Ruan cursed under her breath. She felt totally helpless. 

Seriously, if he wants to experience love, can’t he pick someone else? 

When Xia Ruan walked over, Xia Fei was already talking to Fang Yinan, but basically, he said three sentences, and the other person replied coldly once. When Xia Fei returned to his seat, Xia Ruan quickly tried to reason with him: “Brother, you saw for yourself, she obviously isn’t interested in you. If you really want to experience love, should we try someone else?”  

Although Xia Fei was cannon fodder in the novel, he did have fans at school. After all, his bad-boy image attracted quite a few people. 

Xia Fei, either purposely sulking or for some other reason, flatly refused: “No need, I like her. Don’t you think it’s more challenging this way?” 

If he liked challenges so much, why didn’t he challenge Lu Yan to study? Xia Ruan thought this in her heart, but didn’t dare say it. After all, Xia Fei was angry now; it was better to go along with him. So she gently said: “Brother, she looks serious, so she’s probably just focused on studying. I don’t want you to be rejected, so about this matter, let’s think it over carefully?” 

Xia Ruan seemed to forget that sixteen- or seventeen-year-olds were the rebellious type. The more you opposed something, the more they wanted to do it. So Xia Fei refused outright: “No way, I want her. Ruan Ruan, you can refuse to help me, but you can’t stop me.” 

Xia Ruan wished she had a stick to knock him out with. Judging by his stubborn attitude, this would have to be handled slowly. If he did anything stupid and got on the male protagonist’s bad side, things could get messy. 

On the way home, a thought suddenly hit her. The book did mention Xia Fei chasing after the female protagonist, but it was just a brief scene. Apparently, he annoyed her with his flirting, the male protagonist saw it, and he got beat up for it. 

Glancing at Xia Fei, who was now sprawled across the backseat, Xia Ruan wondered— 
So… is he trying to “make up” for getting beat up early by going after the female protagonist again? 

❖❖❖ 

When Lu Yan returned, Lu Yuwei was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing the door open, she poked her head out: “Yan Yan, you’re back! Mom’s making ribs today.” 

“Mom, I really don’t mind if you just call me by my name,” Lu Yan said seriously. 

A smile flickered in Lu Yuwei’s eyes: “Wouldn’t that make us seem very distant as mother and son?” 

“No, not at all. It’s just a name,” he replied quickly. 

A mischievous glint flashed in Lu Yuwei’s eyes: “Well, since it’s just a name, then Yan Yan it is.” 

Lu Yan rubbed his forehead and thought, whatever, let her be. No matter how many times he stressed it, she wouldn’t change. As for the ribs in the kitchen, for dinner, he’d better just do it himself. 

As Lu Yan approached the kitchen, Lu Yuwei was scooping ribs out of the pot. Seeing him come in, she immediately sought praise: “Yan Yan, look, today I remembered to blanch the ribs first.” 

Lu Yan rolled up his sleeves and took the ingredients from her hands, saying lightly, “Let me do it.” 

She happily stepped aside and added,“No sweet and sour this time. Let’s do braised.” 

Lu Yan skillfully started adding oil and seasoning. Lu Yuwei stood by the door, sighing emotionally, “In the future, Yan Yan’s girlfriend will be really lucky.” 

Lu Yan didn’t respond, continuing to stir-fry the ribs. After a while, Lu Yuwei casually asked, “By the way, how’s the new friend you mentioned last time?” 

Lu Yan’s mind flashed to Xia Fei limping while walking, and a smile appeared on his lips: “We probably won’t keep in touch anymore.” 

“Oh!” Lu Yuwei sounded inexplicably disappointed. 

Lu Yan plated the ribs and handed them to her, adding a half-hearted reassurance, “Don’t worry. Your son’s not antisocial. I just like quiet.” 

Lu Yuwei looked at him hesitantly, and seeing his indifferent expression, she couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you have a girl you like?” 

As a romance writer, Lu Yuwei loved writing about teenage crushes and pure first loves, but her son seemed uninterested.  

Putting aside her writer’s imagination, she was also someone who had been through this age. It’s normal for teenagers to get curious about the opposite sex. It’s usually the time when feelings start to develop. 

Was it her fault? Had she raised him too differently? The guilt started to creep in. If she’d just listened to others’ advice back then, maybe he’d be more normal now? 

Lu Yan immediately picked up on her guilty look and gave her shoulder a quick pat.“Didn’t I already explain this before? It’s not your fault. I just haven’t met anyone I like. You know I’ve always been a little ahead of my age. The girls at school are way too childish. That’s why I’m not interested.” 

Her eyes were already red. When she heard his answer, she looked up. “Really?” 

Lu Yan nodded firmly: “Really, even more real than pearls.” 

Lu Yan thought this time would be the same as usual—that as long as he comforted her mother, the matter would be over. But after the meal, she pulled him aside, wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk. 

Lu Yan didn’t refuse and sat down beside her. “Mom, what do you want to talk about?” 

“All you’ve ever heard about me and him came from your grandma, and I’m sure she was a little biased. You’re older now, and I think it’s time you heard the story from me so you can make your own judgment.” Lu Yuwei slowly started recalling the past. 

Lu Yan felt it sounded like a dramatic soap opera story. In short, his mom and his biological father had problems because his father’s family disapproved. His father couldn’t withstand the pressure from his family and abandoned his mom to marry someone from a socially equal family. His mom had to leave quietly, and only after a month did she realize she was pregnant. 

Lu Yan glanced at Lu Yuwei’s calm face and then asked, “Did he never come looking for you later?” 

Lu Yuwei shook her head, indicating she didn’t know. “After I found out he married someone else, I left. When I discovered I was pregnant with you, I was afraid they might do something, so I moved here with your grandma.” 

Lu Yan nodded. “Mom, you really don’t need to feel sad about him. He couldn’t even stand up to his own parents. What a coward.” 

“I stopped being sad a long time ago. After all, back then, he had already made his choice between me and his parents,” Lu Yuwei said calmly, looking at him. Seeing he only frowned slightly, she continued, “I’m bringing this up again today not to upset you, but so you won’t fear relationships because of me. Yan Yan, you’re about to enter your senior year, so you should hurry and seize the tail end of youth to have a little early romance. After all, a life without early love is incomplete.” 

Lu Yan quietly watched her seriously spout nonsense. 

❖❖❖ 

Xia Ruan looked at the bag in Xia Fei’s hand and curiously asked, “Brother, what’s that?” 

Xia Fei shook the CD inside the bag and smiled, “I heard Fang Yinan likes this band, so I plan to give this to her.” 

Xia Ruan felt a headache coming on. So he was still going to throw himself into this mess. Before she could say anything, Xia Fei added, “Ruan Ruan, even if you don’t support me, at least don’t stop me. Think about how hard it was when you were trying to chase after Lu Yan.” 

Seeing his cautious expression, Xia Ruan felt speechless. To prevent him from messing up and angering the male protagonist, she forced a smile, “Alright, then can you tell me before you do anything, okay?” 

Xia Fei looked at her cautiously: “Why?” 

“Of course to give you some advice. After all, I’m a girl, and I probably know more about girls’ thoughts than you do,” Xia Ruan said helplessly. 

Xia Fei thought about it and agreed, “Okay.” 

On the way to school this time, the two were unusually quiet. Xia Ruan glanced at Xia Fei beside her, knowing he was probably really angry. So she leaned closer to him: “Brother, don’t be mad. I just don’t want people to look down on us, so I want to study hard with you.” 

Hearing her apology, Xia Fei also felt he might have overreacted. He reached out to ruffle Xia Ruan’s hair awkwardly, “I’m not mad.” 

The driver ahead, seeing the siblings finally reconcile, sighed in relief. After all, it had been unusually quiet on the whole trip. 

❖❖❖ 

Lu Yan tilted his head and glanced at the quiet person beside him, seeing Xia Fei bowing his head writing something. He lightly tapped the table with his fingers, feeling a bit unaccustomed to Xia Fei being so quiet. 

Xia Ruan was constantly watching Xia Fei, afraid he would upset the male protagonist. Luckily, he was quiet all day. When Lu Yan left with his school bag after class, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

Unlike the usual mood when heading to cram school, Xia Fei seemed unusually excited today. But when they got there, his face fell. Fang Yinan wasn’t there. And from what the others were saying, she probably wasn’t coming back. 

Compared to Xia Fei’s disappointment, Xia Ruan was more worried. The female protagonist leaving here probably meant she would appear at school, which meant Xia Fei’s chances of messing up would increase. She really couldn’t relax for a moment. 

Sure enough, the next morning during the first class, the head teacher said, “Today we have two new students joining the class. Everyone, please welcome them.” 

Author’s note:  

Guess who the other new student is? Also, the male protagonist’s dad isn’t a bad guy. His parents’ story is very dramatic and will be revealed slowly.