Xia Ruan took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm, calm, and more calm. Next to her, Xia Fei kept adding fuel to the fire, saying, “He should take a while to wake up, so don’t rush.” 

Xia Ruan fought the urge to slap him and tried to control her tone. “What did you do to him?” 

“This guy is too ungrateful. I was being all nice, trying to talk to him, but he wouldn’t come with me. So I used that ‘sleeping medicine’ I bought online.” Xia Fei said smugly. 

Although Xia Ruan’s memory of the book was a little fuzzy, she clearly remembered the male protagonist’s thirst for revenge. “Brother, no matter what you heard before, send him back immediately.” 

Xia Fei was displeased. “Why? Didn’t you like this kid? Now that he’s here, you can take photos or do whatever you want. Otherwise, wasn’t all my effort wasted?” 

Xia Ruan suppressed the urge to scream and tried to reason with him. “Brother, do you know this is illegal?” 

“It’s not as serious as you make it sound. Even if something happened, it’s still him who benefits, not you,” Xia Fei thought Xia Ruan was overreacting. 

While the siblings argued, the person on the bed stirred and slowly woke up. Xia Ruan noticed it first and, before Lu Yan could speak, she quickly said, “Lu Bei, today was a misunderstanding. It was all my brother’s fault. I apologize on his behalf. Can I have someone send you home now?” 

Lu Yan slowly sat up on the bed and silently looked at Xia Ruan. The girl in front of him had confessed to him just a few days ago in front of everyone, saying she would try to become the kind of person he liked. But now, just a few days later, she even called him by the wrong name. If this was some new way to attract attention, then congratulations to her—she had succeeded. His black eyes glanced at her, then stayed fixed on her sincere face. Lu Yan curved his lips slightly, his tone lazily mocking, “My name is Lu Yan, not Lu Bei.” 

Xia Ruan’s most vivid memory of the book was of the cannon fodder female character who shared her name. Because time had passed, she mistakenly called the male protagonist by the wrong name. She paused for a second, ignoring the male protagonist’s creepy smile, and quickly corrected herself. “Ah, Lu Yan, right. Well, my brother will send you home right away.” 

Lu Yan’s tone carried a chill. “No, thanks.” 

Xia Ruan knew he wouldn’t be so easy to deal with and forced a strained smile. “Then, Lu Yan, how about you have dinner before heading home?” 

Lu Yan glanced at her with a playful look in his eyes and said, “You seem a bit reluctant?” 

Thinking about what the male protagonist might do later, Xia Ruan quickly shook her head. “Not reluctant, not at all.” 

Lu Yan smiled faintly. “Then I’ll gladly accept.” 

“Hey, kid, I’m not bringing you here to have a meal,” Xia Fei’s remaining words were cut off by Xia Ruan’s hand over his mouth. She smiled at Lu Yan. “Lu Yan, make yourself at home. My brother and I will go ask the aunt to add more dishes.” After speaking, she dragged Xia Fei out of the room. 

After Xia Fei and Xia Ruan left, Lu Yan’s emotions flickered briefly before he began inspecting the room. It was clearly a girl’s room, with pink and white as the main colors. The room was filled with delicate little items, suggesting she was well-loved at home. A plush toy sat on the bedside table. His fingers accidentally brushed the blanket, and he remembered he had just been lying on it. Lu Yan’s gaze darkened. 

Once they left the room, Xia Fei broke free from Xia Ruan’s grip. “Ruan Ruan, you can’t do this. Listen to me, and we’ll be able to win him over for sure.” 

Xia Ruan rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Brother, I don’t like him anymore. I just want to focus on studying now.” 

Xia Fei didn’t believe her. He sighed deeply and said, “Ruan Ruan, even if you study hard, he still might not like you. Trust me, we can’t ignore the reality. Don’t you remember the saying ‘don’t seek eternal love, just seek the moment of having it’?” 

Hearing his words, Xia Ruan looked up. Was she out of touch with the times? Is this how open high schoolers are now? 

Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Xia Fei scratched his nose and cleared his throat, speaking in a more persuasive tone. “Or, you could take some photos when he’s out of it and make it seem like you two are already a thing.” 

“Brother, where did you get these ridiculous ideas? You should stay away from your friends.” Xia Ruan frowned, remembering that Xia Fei’s friends came from all walks of life—some of them were even quite shady. 

Seeing that Xia Fei wasn’t taking her seriously, Xia Ruan didn’t rush to argue. She would keep an eye on him from now on. The immediate task was to tell him that Lu Yan, the male protagonist, couldn’t be messed with. 

“Brother, don’t do this anymore. I’ve thought it through. Lu Yan’s not my type. What we need to do now is study hard and get into a good university. There will be even better people waiting for me there.” Xia Ruan clenched her fists. That’s right—cherish life, stay away from the male protagonist, and look forward to a better future. 

Recalling her confession to Lu Yan a few days ago, Xia Fei thought it was just an excuse to avoid embarrassing Lu Yan. He casually said, “Got it. I won’t touch him, alright? I’ll go tell the aunt to add a few dishes, and after dinner, I’ll personally send him home.” 

Xia Fei entered the kitchen, where the aunt was preparing dinner. He glanced back to make sure Xia Ruan wasn’t following, then smiled at the aunt and left. 

Once Xia Ruan returned to the room, she saw Lu Yan standing by the window, seemingly lost in thought. The usual white shirt and black pants of his school uniform looked exceptionally good on him. At over 180 cm tall with a perfect figure, even from behind, he could attract a crowd of fangirls. Xia Ruan couldn’t help but sigh. Sure enough, he was the male protagonist. 

Lu Yan seemed to notice her presence and glanced back. Xia Ruan quickly smiled. “Lu Yan, would you like to watch TV?” 

“Yes, yes, yes. Let’s watch TV. It’s inappropriate for a guy like you to stay in a girl’s room.” Xia Fei, who had apparently gone upstairs without her noticing, suddenly picked up on her words and dragged Lu Yan downstairs. 

After Lu Yan left, Xia Ruan finally let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t her fault for being hesitant. She had just become someone who was being pampered, and she definitely didn’t want to be discarded so soon. Xia Ruan sat on the bed, thinking back on the story.  

The male protagonist had been raised by his mother. Once he reached university, his biological father would discover his existence and claim him, as his father was the heir of a prestigious family in Ancheng. At that point, the male protagonist would change into a powerful figure, and being someone who repaid every grievance, he would naturally start settling old scores. The first to bear the brunt of this would be Xia Ruan and her brother Xia Fei, the cannon fodder siblings. Xia Ruan was thankful that she had arrived at the right moment. Her foolish brother hadn’t done anything else to make the male protagonist hate him more. From now on, she would keep an eye on him and stay away from any dramatic plotlines. 

❖❖❖ 

Xia Fei, with an arm around Lu Yan’s neck, said to him with a harmonious expression, “Lu Yan, if you dare to secretly date anyone else behind Ruan Ruan’s back, you’re dead.” 

Lu Yan recalled what had happened earlier in the afternoon, and a flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes. He reached up to remove Xia Fei’s hand from his neck and sat down on the nearby sofa. 

Xia Fei was upset. He was ignored, so he reached out and pinched the person’s shoulder. “Hey, did you hear what I just said?” 

Lu Yan pressed his tongue against his teeth, and the smile at the corner of his lips carried a hint of playfulness. “What kind of death are we talking about?” 

Xia Fei squinted his eyes. Was he questioning him? “Don’t believe me?” 

Lu Yan shook his head, his tone light. “No.” 

“Good,” Xia Fei said. “Let me warn you. Our Ruan Ruan liking you is your good fortune. Don’t take advantage of it.” Xia Fei said, feeling upset thinking about how much his Ruan Ruan had changed these past few days. When had she ever been this humble? She had changed so many habits just for him. 

“Brother, what are you talking about again?” Xia Ruan raised her voice, warning Xia Fei with a look. 

Xia Fei quickly put on a smile and looked at her, “Nothing. I was just asking Lu Yan for some advice on studying.” 

Xia Ruan looked at him with some suspicion. “Really?” 

Xia Fei nodded sincerely. “Yes, you can ask Lu Yan if you don’t believe me.” He said, pushing Lu Yan. 

Lu Yan thought the brother and sister pair were really interesting. He wasn’t sure if they were truly this entertaining or if they were putting on a show for him. Seeing Xia Ruan’s gaze turn to him, Lu Yan nodded. “Your brother just asked me if I had any tips for studying.” 

Xia Ruan shot her brother a disapproving look. “Brother, there are no shortcuts to studying. Just study honestly.” 

Xia Ruan’s words made Lu Yan glance at her more closely. 

At that moment, Xia Longchuan and Zhou Jingyi came home together. When they saw Lu Yan standing next to Xia Fei, both were a little surprised. This was the first time the kids brought a classmate home. Zhou Jingyi, with a smile on her face, looked at Xia Fei. “Xia Fei, is this your classmate?” 

Lu Yan, who had already stood up, politely greeted them. “Hello, Uncle and Aunt, I’m Xia Fei and Xia Ruan’s classmate, Lu Yan.” 

“Lu Yan?” Xia Longchuan felt the name sounded somewhat familiar. 

Xia Ruan quickly stepped forward, “Lu Yan is very good at studying. My brother specifically asked him for study tips.” 

Zhou Jingyi, seeing that Xia Fei was actively seeking improvement, praised him and then thanked Lu Yan. 

Lu Yan, however, appeared quite humble. “Aunt, you’re too kind. We’re all classmates. It’s nothing.” 

Xia Ruan silently scoffed in her heart. Was this how the male protagonist acted nowadays? So shameless. 

During dinner, Zhou Jingyi noticed the table full of Sichuan food and seemed puzzled. Xia Fei quickly explained, “Lu Yan likes spicy food, so I asked Auntie to make Sichuan cuisine.” 

Zhou Jingyi felt relieved. Their family could handle spicy food due to Xia Longchuan’s preferences, but she was worried that Lu Yan might not be able to eat spicy food. 

Lu Yan looked at Xia Fei’s proud expression and curved his lips. “Xia Fei is thoughtful. My mom is from the Sichuan-Chongqing area, so I’ve loved spicy food since I was a child.” 

Xia Fei was a little frustrated. It seemed he had miscalculated. 

Xia Ruan could tell exactly what was going on from Xia Fei’s expression. She rolled her eyes internally. My dear brother, how could you, the cannon fodder, possibly win against the male protagonist?” 

By now, Zhou Jingyi had already started chatting happily with Lu Yan. Just as Xia Ruan picked up some fish, she heard Zhou Jingyi say, “Xiao Lu, come over and visit us often when you have time.”