As soon as Lin Ran got home, he took off his coat. Starving, he rolled up his sleeves and went straight into the kitchen to make dinner.

Dinner was simple: two side dishes, a pot of porridge, and a few steamed buns. Once it was ready, Su Shijie plopped down at the table and started wolfing down the buns, while Lin Ran went to call Lin Ruixue.

What gave Lin Ran a headache was that Si Qing was still hanging around—and she was way too comfortable here for someone who barely knew them.

“Good thing I stuck around for two days. I finally get to try Xiao Xue’s brother’s cooking!” Si Qing said with a grin, patting her stomach.

“Come on, come on! I guarantee you won’t want to go home after you’ve eaten!” Su Shijie beckoned with a beaming smile.

“Seriously, bro, could you put your shoes on?” Si Qing said, eyeing Su Shijie with distaste.

Su Shijie froze. The bun in his mouth suddenly didn’t taste so good. “Hey, I washed my feet today! And I didn’t just wash them—I used soap! Besides, are my feet really that stinky? Do you all have to make such a big deal out of it?”

“You tell me. Don’t you know how bad they smell?” Lin Ran said with a look of disgust. But honestly, he hadn’t smelled Su Shijie’s stinky feet today. The guy really had washed them with soap.

Lin Ran casually asked, “Which bar of soap did you use?”

“The white one by the sink,” Su Shijie replied just as casually.

Lin Ran’s eyebrow twitched. That damn soap was for washing his face.

“Hey, we’re eating. Can we not talk about this? You’re ruining my appetite,” Si Qing complained.

“If you’ve lost your appetite, don’t eat,” Lin Ran said coldly.

Si Qing pursed her lips and muttered something under her breath.

After dinner, Si Qing couldn’t stop praising Lin Ran’s cooking. But Lin Ran was as impassive as a stone-faced monk. He cleared away the bowls and plates, then went back to his room to play games.

Si Qing stayed in the room with Lin Ruixue, complaining about Lin Ran nonstop.

“Your brother definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend, and there’s no way anyone likes him. Just look at that awful temper and twisted personality of his. Anyone who likes him must be an idiot! A huge idiot! The biggest idiot in the world!” Si Qing huffed.

“I told you not to provoke him.” Lin Ruixue was a little helpless. She’d gotten a rough idea of Lin Ran’s temper by now: as long as you didn’t provoke him, things were fine. Even ignoring him and not talking to him was better than going up to him and annoying him.

“How did you end up with a brother like that? Look at other people’s brothers—they practically spoil their sisters rotten. Then look at yours. Tsk. I don’t envy you anymore. I feel sorry for you!” Si Qing said, pouting.

“I think he’s pretty nice. Lin Ran’s actually a good person,” Lin Ruixue said with a smile.

“What’s so great about him? What’s good about him? Is he gentle? Does he have a good temper? The only thing he’s got going for him is his face. Everything else about him is terrible.” Si Qing was clearly holding a grudge against Lin Ran.

“I feel like I’m not as scared when I’m with Lin Ran. When I’m around other boys, I really can’t bring myself to talk. My mind gets all jumbled up. But when I’m with Lin Ran, I feel pretty comfortable,” Lin Ruixue said after thinking it over.

“Please. You’re such an idiot. Just wait—one of these days, he’ll get in one of his weird moods and beat you up. Let’s see if you still think he’s so great then!” Si Qing said.

“Hey, enough of that. Let me play with your phone for a while!” Si Qing said.

“Oh.” Lin Ruixue replied.

“Actually, your brother is pretty generous. He bought you a phone that cost two thousand yuan. I begged my mom for a whole month before she finally agreed to buy me one. If I weren’t in high school, she definitely wouldn’t have gotten it for me.” Si Qing touched Lin Ruixue’s phone enviously. She was starting to envy Lin Ruixue for having a big brother again. Sure, he had a weird temper and a twisted personality, but he was really generous.

“But you were just saying bad things about Lin Ran!” Lin Ruixue said with a smile.

“That was then, this is now. Hey, you’ve only known him for a few days, and you’re already taking his side? Are you falling for him?” Si Qing asked.

“You’re the one falling for someone!” Lin Ruixue shot back.

“Then why are you taking his side?” Si Qing asked.

“I’m not! I’m just stating the facts. You were bad-mouthing Lin Ran a moment ago, and now you’re saying he’s pretty good.” Lin Ruixue replied.

“Aww, you keep calling him ‘Brother Lin Ran.’ Don’t tell me you like him?” Si Qing teased.

“I don’t!” Lin Ruixue protested.

“Good. I’m telling you, anyone who likes him is an idiot!” Si Qing said.

......

Su Shijie ran back to the bedroom, trying not to laugh. He really hadn’t meant to eavesdrop; the two girls were just so loud that he could hear them from outside the door.

“Hahahaha! A-Ran, guess what your sister and that girl were talking about just now!” Su Shijie laughed, sprawled on his back with his arms and legs in the air.

“Not interested.” Lin Ran took a sip of water, completely indifferent.

“That little Si Qing said there’s no way anyone could like you, and that anyone who does is an idiot. Hahahaha! She really got that right. With your twisted personality and unpredictable temper, anyone who likes you really is an idiot!” Su Shijie burst out laughing.

Lin Ran glanced at him. “My dad likes me.”

“I don’t mean the family kind of love. I mean the kind between a man and a woman,” Su Shijie said with a laugh.

“That’s still liking someone,” Lin Ran said.

“Little Ran, my family’s construction site needs someone to haul stuff. You interested? Two hundred a day, paid on the spot!” Su Shijie said.

“I may not like girls, but I can put up with it long enough to call Bao Xinrou myself,” Lin Ran said blandly.

“Brother Ran, please, make yourself comfortable! I’ll go brew you some tea!” Su Shijie jumped to his feet, grabbed Lin Ran’s teacup, and hurried off to pour him some.

Lin Ran smiled and shook his head.

“Brother Ran, freshly brewed tea. Please enjoy!” Su Shijie said respectfully as he set the tea down beside Lin Ran.

Lin Ran nodded, then kindly reminded Su Shijie, “Why would you think I know Bao Xinrou’s phone number?”

“......” Su Shijie fell silent for a moment.

“Like hell you’re getting any tea! Go drink horse piss! You think you can drink tea I poured for you? Hah.” Su Shijie was back to his usual swagger. He even picked up the cup and took a sip himself...

“Pfft... It’s so hot! I’m burning up!” Su Shijie spat out the tea, splashing half of Lin Ran’s face.

Seeing Lin Ran’s face about to explode, Su Shijie immediately ran to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and hurried back. Grinning apologetically, he wiped the tea off Lin Ran’s face.

Lin Ran punched Su Shijie in the chest. The blow landed with a dull thud.

“Oof, Brother Ran, you hit so hard! Oof, ah, was that really necessary? We’re brothers, and you actually—ugh...” Su Shijie clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor like he was on his deathbed.

Lin Ran chuckled and tossed the towel onto his face.

Su Shijie immediately sprang up, yelping.

“Damn, why does this stink? Is this a foot towel?” Su Shijie flung it away in disgust. But then he stared at it, looking a little familiar. “Wait... I think that’s the one I use to dry my feet...”

Lin Ran had a headache. Su Shijie, did your parents know they’d brought such an idiot into the world? Aside from inheriting their excellent looks, you’ve wasted every last bit of their intelligence genes. Did you leave your brain behind when you were born?