Before Xia Ruan could express her thanks, she heard Lu Yan’s cold voice: “Isn’t walking while keeping your eyes ahead something you should’ve learned in kindergarten?” 

The attention from the surrounding people made Fang Yinan feel a bit uneasy. She took a step forward and apologized to Xia Ruan, “I’m sorry.” 

Yang Xiaomi noticed Lu Yan’s cold expression and was a bit confused. Didn’t he dislike Xia Ruan? But now wasn’t the time to think about that. If it weren’t for her, Nan Nan wouldn’t have bumped into Xia Ruan, and Lu Yan wouldn’t have scolded her in public. She bowed to Xia Ruan: “Xia Ruan, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault for talking to Nan Nan, and she bumped into you.” 

Xia Ruan shook her head at them. “It’s okay, I’m fine anyway.” 

After Yang Xiaomi and Fang Yinan left, Xia Ruan turned to Lu Yan and sincerely thanked him. 

Lu Yan didn’t respond. He simply glanced at her lightly and walked away. Xia Ruan was puzzled. Then she couldn’t help but wonder—was that comment just now not aimed at Fang Yinan, but actually at her? 

“Ruan Ruan, spacing out again? Let’s go.” Xia Fei had returned to the classroom to retrieve something he forgot, so he hadn’t seen what just happened. 

Xia Ruan was still lost in thought about what Lu Yan meant. When she heard Xia Fei’s urging, she quickly snapped out of it. Forget it, Lu Yan’s thoughts were so hard to figure out. She decided not to overthink it. 

“Ruan Ruan, what event are you joining for the sports festival?” Xia Fei asked casually. 

“Do I have to participate?” Xia Ruan frowned instinctively. 

“Not really. Didn’t you sign up for long-distance running in past years? I thought you’d do it again this year.” Xia Fei replied while mentally going over which events he wanted to join. 

Relieved that it wasn’t mandatory, Xia Ruan relaxed. “Brother, I’m sitting this one out. I’d rather spend the time studying. The monthly exams are coming up soon, after all.” 

Afraid she’d start nagging about his grades again, Xia Fei quickly changed the subject. “Grandpa’s birthday is tomorrow night. Ruan Ruan, have you prepared a gift yet?” 

Xia Ruan didn’t have the original host’s memories, and the book hadn’t mentioned such side details, so she definitely didn’t know. She shook her head and looked at Xia Fei. “Not yet. What about you?” 

“I haven’t either. I still don’t know what to get,” Xia Fei said, sounding a bit guilty toward the end. He’d already spent most of his allowance for the month. 

“Then let’s not go home yet. Let’s pick out a gift first,” Xia Ruan suggested. 

Xia Fei hesitated and looked at her, as if he wanted to say something but held back. Xia Ruan frowned. “Brother, just say it.” 

“Well, Ruan Ruan… I kind of forgot to save money for Grandpa’s gift, so I’ve nearly spent all my allowance. Can you lend me some first?” Xia Fei struggled to get the words out—after all, he was the older brother. 

Xia Ruan smiled. So that was it. She still kept some of her old habits since arriving here—like not spending money recklessly—so her allowance was almost untouched. Seeing Xia Fei’s embarrassed expression, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, since when are you so polite with me?” 

Xia Fei cleared his throat awkwardly—it wasn’t politeness, it was embarrassment. 

Xia Ruan hadn’t decided on a gift yet, but she knew that someone like their grandpa, Zhou Yanheng, wouldn’t be lacking anything. So, the most important thing for their gift was the thought behind it. She suggested that they have the driver take their backpacks home and that they should just wander around and pick something out themselves, then take a taxi back later. 

Since Xia Fei was asking her for gift money, he didn’t have much of a say in the matter. 

As for the gift, Xia Ruan only had a basic idea: it had to be something she and Xia Fei made by hand to show their sincerity. But what exactly to make, she hadn’t figured out yet. 

Xia Fei hadn’t seen her looking so troubled in a while. He patted her head and said, “Alright, don’t frown. Let’s look around, maybe we’ll figure something out.” 

Xia Ruan initially thought of making a cake. She had worked at a bakery before and could handle most cakes, but just giving a cake felt a bit too simple. That’s why she was stuck thinking about what else to add. 

Autumn was settling in. The greenery along the streets had turned golden, and the leaves danced with the wind. Xia Ruan was momentarily lost in thought. Has she really been here this long? 

“Ruan Ruan, look at that guy.” Xia Fei tugged on her sleeve. 

“What about him?” Xia Ruan asked in confusion. 

“He’s been following that woman ever since he got out of the car. Do you think they know each other or not?” Xia Fei’s tone was uncertain. Maybe they had an argument? 

Xia Ruan remembered seeing similar news before and quickly looked in the direction Xia Fei indicated. She saw a woman in a dark gray coat walking toward an alley, and a man trailing about five meters behind her. His sneaky posture looked suspicious, so she pulled Xia Fei with her. “Brother, let’s go check it out.” 

Xia Fei followed her and said, “Yeah, that guy doesn’t look like a good person.” 

The alley was across the street. They had to cross to get there. Recalling stories she’d seen online, Xia Ruan quickened her pace. 

Few people ever walked into that alley, so it was especially quiet. As they approached, they heard a woman’s voice cry out, “What are you doing?” 

The man didn’t respond. He reached for her bag and even tried to grope her. Xia Fei rushed forward and kicked him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

Xia Fei had recently been learning Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), and he put it to full use against the man. Meanwhile, Xia Ruan quickly picked up the woman’s bag from the ground and handed it back to her. She asked softly, “Miss, are you okay?” 

At this moment, the lecherous man from earlier was being beaten by Xia Fei and repeatedly begged for mercy. He looked up at Xia Ruan and asked, “Ruan Ruan, what should we do with him?” 

Xia Ruan turned to the woman beside her for her opinion. “Do you think we should call the police?” 

Lu Yuwei had never imagined something like this would happen to her. She patted her wildly thumping heart and took the bag the girl handed over. Inside was the cash she had just withdrawn—several thousand yuan. She realized that the man must have seen her when she was on the bus taking out her phone. 

Seeing her silently staring down at her toes, Xia Ruan slightly raised her voice. “Sister, did you hear what I just said?” 

Lu Yuwei had calmed down by now. Meeting Xia Ruan’s gaze, she nodded. “Yes, we should call the police.” 

Her words made the smile on Xia Ruan’s lips deepen. Thankfully, she wasn’t a timid person; otherwise, Xia Ruan might have regretted what she and Xia Fei just did. 

Maybe because it was still daytime, the police arrived quickly. Xia Fei and Xia Ruan accompanied them to the station to give their statements. 

Lu Yuwei turned to Xia Ruan and Xia Fei and took the initiative to chat, “You two are still students, right?” 

Xia Ruan nodded. Then she heard her continue, “My son goes to Ming’an High School. Which school are you two from?” 

Xia Ruan looked at Lu Yuwei with surprise. She looked so young—her son was already in high school? 

Hearing this, Xia Fei was pleasantly surprised. So they had saved a classmate’s mom? He immediately perked up. “Auntie, we also go to Ming’an High School!” 

A smile spread across Lu Yuwei’s face. “What a coincidence!” She was about to ask which class they were in, but figured these two might be in a puppy love relationship and wouldn’t tell her the truth anyway, so she decided not to ask. 

Still unaware of being labeled as a couple, Xia Fei kept asking, “Auntie, what grade is your son in?” 

When Lu Yuwei said he was in the second year, Xia Ruan raised an eyebrow. What were the chances? There was a plot in the book where the female protagonist saved the male protagonist’s mom. Could they be this lucky? She and Xia Fei were just two side characters, they couldn’t be that fortunate. 

Meanwhile, Xia Fei and Lu Yuwei were getting along better and better. When Lu Yuwei finally mentioned her son’s name—Lu Yan—Xia Fei’s smile froze for a moment. Are you kidding me? Can this get any more coincidental? 

Lu Yuwei noticed the confused look on his face. “What’s wrong? You don’t know Lu Yan?” 

That couldn’t be right. Her Lu Yan wasn’t known schoolwide, but surely everyone in his grade knew him. 

“Heh… of course I know him. We’re in the same class,” Xia Fei replied, glancing at Lu Yuwei with a slightly odd tone. He had assumed someone who raised a guy like Lu Yan must be impressive, but now things seemed… off. 

Lu Yuwei was even more surprised. What an unbelievable coincidence! Her gaze toward Xia Ruan and Xia Fei became warmer. “Then come home with Auntie later. I’ll treat you to a meal, okay?” 

The siblings instinctively declined. Eat at Lu Yan’s house? No way. 

Lu Yuwei misunderstood. She patted Xia Fei’s shoulder and said sincerely, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your relationship a secret from Lu Yan.” 

Xia Fei and Xia Ruan both looked utterly confused. Dating? Them? 

Lu Yuwei continued to reassure them: “Really, Auntie was once your age too. I fully support healthy young love.” She even winked at Xia Ruan, then asked Xia Fei seriously, “By the way, have you noticed Lu Yan getting close with any girls at school? He’s not good at expressing himself, you should help him interact more with girls.” 

Xia Fei had thought his own parents were open-minded, but Lu Yan’s mom was on another level. He felt a little jealous. Lu Yan was really lucky. 

Xia Ruan, who had read the book, knew a bit about Lu Yuwei’s personality, so she remained more composed than Xia Fei. 

When they arrived at the police station, they followed the procedure for filing the report. After Lu Yuwei finished her statement, her phone rang. She answered it with an excited tone. “I’m at the police station. It’s your classmates who saved me. I’ll send you my location. Come quickly!” 

After hanging up the phone, Lu Yuwei turned to the two of them. Xia Ruan suddenly had a bad feeling. Could Lu Yan think this whole thing was just a setup?