Over the next few days, Si Qing came by to hang out with Lin Ruixue every day. The two of them chatted and laughed nonstop at home. At first, Lin Ran could put up with it, but eventually he couldn’t take it anymore. He told Lin Ruixue outright that Si Qing wasn’t allowed to come over again—or he’d kick both of them out.

Lin Ruixue didn’t dare say a word. Seeing her like that only made Lin Ran more irritated. What really pissed him off was that he could’ve just yelled at her, but every time he saw how scared and hurt she looked, the words got stuck in his throat. Lin Ran sneered inwardly. Women really were creatures who used their looks to beguile people. Look how well she was playing him.

Even Su Shijie couldn’t help asking if Lin Ran was twisted in the head. The difference was just too extreme.

Lin Ran offered no explanation.

Lin Ran also started ‘bullying’ Lin Ruixue on purpose. For example, Lin Ruixue hated carrots, so Lin Ran made sure to add them whenever he cooked. At first, she wouldn’t touch a single one. If the meal was just carrots, she’d only eat rice. She didn’t complain or tell on him—she just quietly put up with it.

His twisted mindset left Lin Ran feeling dissatisfied, so he forced Lin Ruixue to eat the carrots. He’d expected her to object and argue with him, but he never imagined she’d actually pick one up and take tiny bites. From her expression, though, it was obvious she really hated carrots.

Lin Ruixue’s meek, take-whatever-you-give-me attitude left Lin Ran at a loss. It even started to make him feel like he was going too far.

Su Shijie really couldn’t stand watching Lin Ran bully Lin Ruixue like that, so he took it upon himself to become her big brother and stand up to Lin Ran. The frustrating part was that he couldn’t understand why Lin Ruixue never fought back, or even asked him for help. But Su Shijie had started to figure it out. It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight back; she didn’t dare. It wasn’t that she couldn’t ask him for help; she didn’t dare. Lin Ruixue didn’t dare defy Lin Ran, ask him for help, or even talk to boys.

So, while Lin Ran was out buying groceries, Su Shijie sat down to talk with Lin Ruixue. But when he asked why she was so afraid of boys, she reacted strangely. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands tight. Her shoulders trembled a little, as if she’d remembered something truly terrifying. The sight made Su Shijie’s heart ache. He wanted to comfort her, but the moment his hand touched her shoulder, Lin Ruixue sprang up as if she’d been shocked. She stared at him in terror, then hurried back to her bedroom and slammed the door.

Su Shijie felt like this whole situation was seriously fucked up.

When Lin Ran came back, he sensed something was off, but didn’t ask about it. Su Shijie, for his part, volunteered to tell him what had just happened. Lin Ran remained completely calm—or, more accurately, he ignored him and walked into the kitchen.

While Lin Ran cooked, Su Shijie helped out beside him and kept running his mouth.

“A-Ran, I need to have a serious talk with you. I don’t know what Xiaoxue went through before, and neither do you. But after spending this much time with her, I can tell she’s terrified of getting close to boys. Do you understand? Think about how much courage it takes for Xiaoxue to talk to you or even see you. You bully her, and she still doesn’t dare fight back. She’s afraid! Seriously, be a little nicer to her. Even if you don’t care about her, at least stop picking on her. I’ll be blunt: one of these days, you might scare Xiaoxue into having a mental breakdown. I don’t care how much you hate girls or how prejudiced you are against them—just listen to me and try to get along with Xiaoxue. She’s nothing like the girls you think you know.” Su Shijie didn’t know whether Lin Ran would take any of it to heart, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying it. The truth was, Lin Ruixue was Lin Ran’s sister. Su Shijie was just an outsider, and it wasn’t his place to interfere too much.

Lin Ran didn’t reply. He acted as if he hadn’t even noticed Su Shijie, but in truth, he’d taken those words to heart.

As it happened, Dad called to ask how things had been going over the past few days. What he said made it clear that he hoped Lin Ran would look after Lin Ruixue. Anyone would need time to adjust to suddenly having a little sister, and Dad went on and on about it. Lin Ran wanted to punch himself.

He wasn’t some kid in his teens anymore. He was an adult, and he could understand how hard things were for Dad right now. But because of his damned twisted mindset, he kept causing trouble. Dad felt he’d let his son down, so he wouldn’t scold or hit him. And yet, even after being given another chance to make things right, Lin Ran was still acting like an ungrateful jerk. He really was the worst.

Lin Ran made up his mind. If nothing else, he’d ‘get along’ with Lin Ruixue so Dad wouldn’t have to worry about one more thing. He also wanted to find a way to cure his damned mental illness. After all, he’d already experienced firsthand what kind of life it could bring him.

For dinner, Lin Ran made a meal without carrots for the first time in days. There was a steamed sea bass and a plate of pork and potatoes.

Once the food was ready, Lin Ran served it and set it on the table. He wiped his hands, hesitated, then walked over to Lin Ruixue’s bedroom door.

“Knock, knock, knock.” Lin Ran tapped lightly on the door. It was the first time since Lin Ruixue had arrived that he’d knocked so ‘gently.’

“Dinner’s ready.” His voice still sounded the same, though.

Su Shijie nodded as he chewed on a steamed bun. Now that’s more like it. What kind of grown man picks on a little girl? Girls are meant to be cherished, not bullied. If you really need someone to pick on, go bully Bao Xinrou instead.

But Lin Ruixue didn’t respond. Lin Ran had thought too highly of himself. This time, though, he patiently knocked again and called out several more times.

Lin Ruixue still didn’t respond. Just as Lin Ran was about to run out of patience, she finally opened the door—slowly.

Lin Ran looked at Lin Ruixue’s slightly messy hair, red eyes, and frightened expression. He frowned and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. I’ve done a lot of things that went too far. I promise I won’t bully you anymore. I admit there’s something a little twisted about me, but I shouldn’t have taken my temper out on you. The old man was right. You’re my little sister now—my family. I shouldn’t take my anger out on family. I don’t know what happened to you before, or what made you the way you are now, but it won’t happen again.” Lin Ran’s voice wasn’t exactly gentle, but it was a lot better than the cold way he’d spoken to her before. He really didn’t want to say all this, but… well.

Lin Ruixue gave a small nod and murmured, “Mm.” A faint smile appeared on her face.

“Ahem. All right, it’s okay now. Come out and eat.” Lin Ran coughed to hide his embarrassment. Who knew how awkward it felt for him to say something like that to a girl?

Lin Ruixue obediently followed him to the table and sat down.

Beside them, Su Shijie chewed his steamed bun with a grin. He had to admit, Lin Ran might have a pretty twisted personality, but when he tried to be gentle, he had a certain charm.

After dinner, Lin Ran dragged a completely bewildered Su Shijie out of the house. Before they left, he made sure to tell Lin Ruixue that they had something to do and probably wouldn’t be back until nine-thirty. He told her to stay home, and if anyone knocked, to pretend nobody was there.

But once they were outside, Lin Ran wandered aimlessly down the street.

“So, what’s this all about? You dragged me out here. If there’s something we need to do, let’s go do it. Can we stop wandering around? If there’s nothing, I’m heading back,” Su Shijie said, exasperated.

“Now’s not the time to go back,” Lin Ran said flatly.

“If something’s up, just tell me. You don’t have to keep it from me. If there’s someone you can’t stand and you want to beat them up, we can go do it right now. If you want to buy something but don’t have enough money, I can lend you some,” Su Shijie said.

But Lin Ran still said nothing, leaving Su Shijie completely baffled.

Then, after wandering around until eight-thirty, Lin Ran suddenly spoke. “By the way, how much spare cash do you have? Money you don’t need right away.”

“You need a loan? Man, you should’ve said so earlier! You came to the right guy. I’ve got around ten or twenty thousand I can spend whenever, plus another thirty thousand set aside. If you need it, I can lend it to you.” Su Shijie shook his head and sighed. So after all that, Lin Ran just wanted to borrow money.

Lin Ran thought it over. “All right. Transfer it to me first.”

“How much?” Su Shijie took out his phone, ready to make the transfer.

“All of it,” Lin Ran said.

Su Shijie stumbled and nearly fell over.

“All of it? What the hell do you need fifty thousand for? Are you buying a gun to rob someone?” Su Shijie asked, eyes wide.

“I want to buy up some materials in a game. Their value will go up after the next major update,” Lin Ran said.

Su Shijie thought Lin Ran had gone crazy, but he didn’t refuse right away. Lin Ran had already made around two thousand by stockpiling items in a game before. Still, Su Shijie had doubts about whether Lin Ran knew what he was doing this time.

“Lend it or don’t. Just give me a straight answer,” Lin Ran said casually.

“I’ll lend it to you, but don’t take this the wrong way. What if you lose money instead of making it? How are you going to pay me back?” Su Shijie asked seriously.

“I won’t lose money,” Lin Ran said confidently.

“You’re that sure?” Su Shijie frowned.

“I am. I won’t hide anything from you. If you lend me fifty thousand, I’ll use it to stock up. Once the update comes and the materials go up in value, I’ll sell them and get my money back. I’ll make at least double,” Lin Ran said with a smile.

“You’re sure? How confident are you?” Su Shijie asked, a little stunned.

“One hundred percent,” Lin Ran said.

Su Shijie fell silent. Lin Ran’s answer was far too quick—so quick that he couldn’t help but be suspicious. If Lin Ran had said he was only sixty percent sure, Su Shijie would’ve dared to lend him the money and take a gamble. But to come right out and say one hundred percent…

After hesitating for a moment, Su Shijie gritted his teeth and decided to take the gamble.

When the transfer came through, Lin Ran smiled. “Thanks. I’ll pay you back in twenty days.”

Su Shijie shook his head, not sure whether to laugh or cry.