Chapter 41

She's seducing me. She is definitely seducing me, Jun Zishu thought to herself. Though, she had to admit that she was a little tempted.

However, Jun Zishu chose restraint and refused to budge. Meanwhile, Qin Youran tried to play it cool and sipped the juice by herself.

In the end, the one who had her self-control crumble first was Qin Youran.

Before the main course even arrived, the two had already kissed.

"My victory in three years is assured, right?"

"Would there even be anyone who would compete with you?"

"Nobody can say for sure. However, you can bet that I'll do my best to chase away anyone who tries. Currently, the biggest problem I am facing is only you," Qin Youran said as she licked her lips seductively.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu formed a discreet smile with her mouth but did not speak.

However, although Jun Zishu's smile was hard to notice, Qin Youran still caught sight of it.

"You just smiled, right? I'll take that as your acknowledgment of my victory!"

"Your victory in three years is assured," Jun Zishu gave an irrelevant answer.

Even so, Qin Youran grew ecstatic when she heard Jun Zishu's reply.

Perhaps it wouldn't even take three years before she got to seal the deal.

The subsequent meal was incredibly sweet and romantic. Although Qin Youran took the initiative on most occasions, the interaction between the two girls was still lovely to behold.

While Jun Zishu tried her best to maintain her poker face, hints of warmth still appeared in her eyes.

…

After leaving the restaurant, Qin Youran took Jun Zishu out for a drive on her motorcycle. Then, they stopped by a river and enjoyed the evening view of the city.

"You've always lived such a disciplined life before, so you've probably never seen what the city looks like at night, right?"

Jun Zishu shook her head. It was true that she had never taken a good look at the city at night.

"Sometimes, I think it's bad that you go to bed so early. I'm not trying to tell you to stay up late all the time, but you should at least break your routine sometimes. You don't know how much you're missing out on life," Qin Youran said as she leaned against the railing and looked at the lights across the river.

"I always stay up late during New Year's Eve," Jun Zishu truthfully answered, only to have Qin Youran drag her into an embrace and rub her head. Then, feeling her hair getting ruffled, she complained, "My hair will get messy."

"It's fine. I'll comb it for you later."

"Okay."

The two continued enjoying the evening breeze for a while longer before Qin Youran brought Jun Zishu back to her house.

After getting off the motorcycle, Jun Zishu sent a message to Qin Xiaoman, reporting her safe arrival.

Father Qin and Mother Qin were easy-going people. At the very least, they behaved that way in front of Jun Zishu and Qin Youran. After Jun Zishu greeted them, she obediently stayed by Qin Youran's side.

"I got the servants to prepare a room for you already, Yaoyao. I've also placed your luggage inside. I'll take you to the room to look around and see if everything is to your liking," Mother Qin said with a warm smile.

"That won't be necessary, Mom. She'll sleep with me," Qin Youran said.

"Why do you need to squeeze in the same room? We have plenty of rooms available in our house," Mother Qin asked, stunned by her daughter's words.

"Isn't it normal for girls their age to behave this way? It also shows that they're close to each other," Father Qin said as he tugged at Mother Qin's sleeve. Then, he turned to Jun Zishu and asked, "What do you think, Yaoyao? Do you want to sleep by yourself or sleep with Ranran?"

Jun Zishu hesitated. However, she quickly made up her mind when she noticed a certain someone staring at her with hopeful eyes.

"We'll sleep together, then. We're staying in the school dormitory anyway, so we won't be spending much time at home," Jun Zishu said, going along with Qin Youran's wishes.

Qin Youran's heart skipped a beat when she heard Jun Zishu's reply.

Although they haven't officially started dating yet, she was satisfied with the current situation. Moreover, the thought of boldly staying together right under her parents' noses was incredibly exciting.

…

Qin Youran was two months younger than Jun Zishu. Sometime after the third monthly exam ended, she celebrated her 16th birthday.

Jun Zishu prepared a drawing she drew as a present. She drew the riverbank scenery she saw together with Qin Youran that night. Qin Youran loved the drawing so much that she framed it and displayed it on the cupboard next to her bed.

Near the end of the year, Qin Xiaoman and Jun Qi flew back to the country and took Jun Zishu back from the Qin household. Then, when it was time for them to visit the Qin family's old mansion, they brought Jun Zishu with them.

While subjected to a bunch of curious stares, Jun Zishu calmly greeted the relatives she met at the old mansion. The atmosphere was warm and peaceful. Afterward, the adults and younger members of the family gathered together in their respective groups.

Although Qin Youran was often regarded as the leader of the Qin family's younger generation, she was only the second eldest among the group. The eldest among the younger generation was Qin Youran's elder brother, who had already married and moved out from the house.

After greeting the adults, Qin Youran took Jun Zishu to meet with her elder brother and sister-in-law. She even had Jun Zishu refer to them as "Big Brother" and "Sister-in-law." Fortunately, Qin Youran's elder brother and sister-in-law were good-natured people, so they didn't notice Qin Youran's ulterior motives in doing so.

Afterward, the Qin family's younger generation gathered around Qin Youran. This time, though, Qin Youran chose not to mingle with them and become the center of attention. Instead, she chose to stay by Jun Zishu's side.

Under Little Fairy's hints, Jun Zishu found which one of these children would band together with the scumbag male lead to betray Qin Youran and took a mental note of these traitors. Then, once they moved away from the group, she brought up these people to Qin Youran, saying that she didn't like them.

Qin Youran didn't even ask why Jun Zishu disliked those people and simply said that she would stop interacting with them in the future.

Thus, thanks to Qin Youran's fondness for Jun Zishu, Jun Zishu managed to resolve some of Qin Youran's future trouble with relative ease.

…

"Let me bring you to my secret base."

"Hm? You have a secret base?"

"It's not exactly a big secret since my parents prepared it for me. To be precise, they made it on my grandpa's suggestion right before I was born."

"Oh?"

"Let's go."

Qin Youran took Jun Zishu by the hand, their fingers intertwined as they walked up a flight of stairs.

"When I was thirteen, I moved out of this mansion after my grandpa passed away. We moved because my parents said that this place is too far away from my school and their company, which made traveling an inconvenience."

After arriving at the mansion's top floor, Qin Youran pulled Jun Zishu into a room.

Jun Zishu looked around and saw that the room was just an ordinary bedroom. She couldn't tell if there was anything special about it.

However, that quickly changed when Qin Youran pushed aside a wall painting and pressed the button hidden behind it.

Suddenly, one part of the wall in front of them opened up, forming an entrance to a narrow passage. The entrance was roughly two meters above ground, so Qin Youran pulled out a stepladder from a nearby cupboard and placed it under the entrance.

"Come."

Qin Youran got onto the stepladder and beckoned to Jun Zishu.

"The servants don't know about this place, so there should be a lot of dust here."

"It's fine."

Jun Zishu crawled behind Qin Youran. Fortunately, the passage was short, and they quickly arrived at Qin Youran's secret base.

There was an entirely different world beyond the passage. After climbing out of the passage, Qin Youran turned on the lights, illuminating the situation inside.

Sure enough, a lot of dust covered the hidden room. Moreover, as there was no airflow here, the room had an unbearable smell.

Quickly, Qin Youran opened the only window in the room, allowing fresh air inside.

Jun Zishu choked a little because of the dust, so she covered her mouth before scrutinizing the room.

The room was small but had furnishings that gave it a warm appearance. Looking down through the triangular window, Jun Zishu could tell that they were very high up from the ground.

"I used to come here whenever I get upset. But after a while, I'll become happy again when my parents or grandpa comes to comfort me with food and drinks.

"I also like to come here at night and look at the stars. Looking at the stars from here makes me feel that I'm very close to them."

Qin Youran spoke with a smile, a gentle expression forming on her face as she reminisced about her childhood.

This was the first time Jun Zishu had seen such an expression on Qin Youran's face. It was as if Qin Youran had stripped off the tough outer shell she typically wore, revealing her soft and fragile insides.

"I miss my grandpa."

Qin Youran and Jun Zishu sat down on the dirty floor together. However, neither of them minded it.

Jun Zishu didn't know how she should comfort Qin Youran. The only thing she knew to do in this situation was to hold Qin Youran's hand.

Qin Youran smiled at Jun Zishu and embraced her.

The two stared into each other's eyes as they embraced, the warm lighting casting a shadow of their silhouettes onto the floor.

"I watched him fall," Jun Zishu muttered as she rested her head on Qin Youran's shoulder. "The police shot and killed him on the spot. He collapsed right beside my parents."

Qin Youran realized that Jun Zishu was telling her about her past, and she couldn't help but feel her heart ache. Immediately, she pulled Jun Zishu into a tight embrace.

"But my current parents are very good to me. I am already satisfied with my life," Jun Zishu continued. Although she hadn't spent much time together with Qin Xiaoman and Jun Qi, she could feel the love they had for their daughter.

So long as one was still alive, one needed to learn how to move forward. One couldn't keep on dwelling on what was already lost.

Jun Zishu felt that the efforts she made in her original world were useful. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to pass the Department of Transmigration's test after she died, let alone becoming a novice fate changer and living a new life.

"You still have me."

"Have you thought about the future, Ranran?"

"Of course. I'll take over the family business in the future, while you'll probably become a designer. If that's the case, we can remain together."

"But have you ever thought about how you would face your parents? Have you thought about how others would look at you?"

"Do you mind?"

"I don't."

"Great, then. So long as you're by my side, we can conquer all difficulties together. My parents pamper me a lot, so they won't force me to marry someone I don't like. They won't force me to break up with someone I like, either."

"My parents should agree to us being together as well."

"Doesn't that mean everything is alright, then?" Qin Youran said as she removed Jun Zishu's glasses. Then, she slowly leaned forward, sticking their foreheads and noses together.

"But you seem to be treating matters too lightly," Jun Zishu said, feeling a little exasperated by Qin Youran's attitude. Qin Youran had described what should've been a complicated matter as if it were child's play. Jun Zishu couldn't help but wonder if the girl fully comprehended the implications of her actions.

"Listen here, Jun Jiayao," Qin Youran suddenly said as she looked straight into Jun Zishu's eyes. Then, she gave Jun Zishu a peck on the lips before continuing, "So long as I like you, and you like me, everything will be fine. What I'm most afraid of isn't the interference of others, but the person by my side taking the initiative to give up instead, understand? Don't try to complicate things too much."

"I will stand on your side so long as you are in the right," Jun Zishu said, her eyes curving upward. "Meanwhile, your decision to like me is right."

"Why are you such a romanticist all of a sudden…" Qin Youran chuckled. Then, she gently planted kisses on Jun Zishu, starting from the forehead all the way down to the lips. "You're simply irresistible."

This kiss was warm and soft. There was no aggression involved, only tenderness.