Chapter 15

Yan Yang hesitated for a moment but finally decided to sit down. His gaze remained fixed on Jian Fanyu, filled with melancholy and grievance, while Jian Fanyu maintained a calm and composed demeanor, giving the impression that it was Yan Yang who had been abandoned.

Ruan Miao had no intention of getting involved in the love-hate drama between these two protagonists. He felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, his mind racing to come up with a way to escape. Xi You, being as unhelpful as ever, had created this situation and now wore an expression of amusement, holding Ruan Miao's hand to watch the spectacle together.

How could there be such a gossipy man?

Ruan Miao chose to forget that he had just been crouched behind the sofa, enjoying the drama.

Thankfully, someone came to his rescue soon.

"What are you doing here? Making a fool of yourself," He Shanglu approached, intending to pull Ruan Miao up. His tone sounded harsh, but to Ruan Miao, he was a savior.

"I'm leaving right away!" Ruan Miao was just about to get up and leave when Jian Fanyu spoke up.

"Sit down."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear. Despite his lack of expression, there was an implicit authority in his words that stunned the seventeen- and eighteen-year-old boys, even Xi You sensed something was off.

He Shanglu clearly didn't expect Jian Fanyu to challenge him. With his naturally bad temper, He Shanglu showed no goodwill even towards Jian Fanyu. "What do you mean?"

Jian Fanyu lazily glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to Ruan Miao, calmly repeating, "Sit down."

"Why?" Ruan Miao was puzzled. "You two have things to discuss. There's no need for a side character like me to stay."

"Side character?" Jian Fanyu seemed to be toying with the term, his mood inexplicably improving. "You certainly know your place."

Before Ruan Miao could react, He Shanglu got angry. "Jian Fanyu!"

Although He Shanglu often treated Ruan Miao harshly, he unexpectedly jumped to his defense in this awkward situation. Whether it was to protect family honor or for some other reason, this moment made Ruan Miao feel both surprised and grateful.

Though he wasn't sure what Jian Fanyu was thinking, Ruan Miao quickly tried to calm He Shanglu. "Don't be angry. He didn't mean any harm."

"Shut up." He Shanglu rolled his eyes. "Can't you see these guys are all bad news? How can you be even more brainless than before?"

After being scolded, Ruan Miao thought he must be crazy to argue with these rich kids. Let them fight amongst themselves.

"Who are you calling names?" Xi You was the first to protest. "How am I bad news? If I hadn't been protecting him, would he have stayed safe for so long?"

He Shanglu gave him a disdainful look. "Come on, you know exactly what kind of person you are. You and your brother are the same, don't think I don't know what you're up to."

"You see me as a sister-in-law, yet you treat me like this," Xi You sighed theatrically. "We're all family, why act like this?"

Ruan Miao's eyes lit up upon hearing this shocking revelation. He quickly turned to look at He Shanglu, who was red with anger, fists clenched as if about to hit someone. Ruan Miao hurriedly stepped aside to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

"This angle is good," Jian Fanyu said nonchalantly. "You can see everything clearly."

Ruan Miao had no idea what was wrong with Jian Fanyu, but he still moved over. Now he could watch the drama unfold.

But He Shanglu didn't end up fighting. He knew where they were and simply sat down with a cold face, grabbing the juice from Ruan Miao's hand and taking a sip. Then he complained, "Drinking something this sweet, it'll kill you!"

Ruan Miao looked at the now-empty glass and silently cursed him a hundred times. If you have the guts, don't drink it. You all just keep stealing other people's things.

This little drama ended up diverting everyone's attention away from Yan Yang and Jian Fanyu's issues. Ruan Miao couldn't help but feel that despite Jian Fanyu's seemingly mild attitude towards him, there was still something off. He had a strange feeling that Jian Fanyu was testing him, or trying to extract something from him. The way Jian Fanyu looked at him reminded Ruan Miao of a researcher observing a lab rat.

But what exactly was there about him that warranted such attention?

Ruan Miao couldn't figure it out. Was it because he had changed so much and was no longer competing with him for Yan Yang, thus earning Jian Fanyu's different kind of attention? However, Jian Fanyu's attitude didn't seem like he had developed any positive feelings towards him. Could it be that Jian Fanyu was suspicious of his identity?

The thought was alarming, but Ruan Miao quickly dismissed it. In the original plot, Jian Fanyu didn't have much interaction with him at this point. Apart from a few occasions when he had disrupted his dates with Yan Yang, they had hardly faced each other directly. If even those who lived with him every day, like He Shanglu, hadn't noticed anything, it was unlikely that a former rival like Jian Fanyu would know anything.

Just then, a girl walked over. She was wearing a custom-made evening dress, looking every bit the graceful, well-bred young lady. "Ayang, why haven't you come over yet?"

Yan Yang looked up, and his expression softened upon seeing her. "Yueyue, I won't be coming over for now. You all go ahead and have fun."

"Do you need to stay with Brother Jian?" the girl named Qi Yue looked at Jian Fanyu with innocent eyes. "You're always together. Could you lend him to us for today?"

Jian Fanyu remained indifferent, not even raising his head. It was as if the girl wasn't worth a glance, and he didn't respond to her playful request at all.

Qi Yue was clearly embarrassed, her hands fidgeting with her skirt as she looked to Yan Yang for help. "Ayang, is Brother Jian upset?"

Yan Yang looked troubled.

Ruan Miao couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority. This girl was clearly a green tea character, but her skills were still too immature. Compared to the original Ruan Miao, she fell short by a lot. A green tea act that everyone could see through was not a good one.

"He isn't upset," Ruan Miao said when he saw Yan Yang staying silent and everyone else quietly watching. He felt a sudden sympathy for Jian Fanyu and couldn't help but speak up. "Are you overthinking this?"

He Shanglu glared at him, likely thinking he was meddling, while Xi You propped his chin up, excited to watch the drama. Yan Yang looked surprised, and Jian Fanyu's expression didn't change, though there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Qi Yue dared not offend Jian Fanyu, but she had no qualms about bullying Ruan Miao. "Who do you think you are?"

Nuan Miao had a good temper but wasn't someone to be bullied. The confidence nurtured by his parents and brother made him unafraid of anyone trying to bully him. He held back He Shanglu, who was about to explode, and proudly lifted his chin. "I'm your senior."

"Little sister, when it comes to being a green tea, I have more experience."

"I have plenty of books, I can sell them to you at a discount."

He Shanglu: "..."

Xi You: "Pfft."

Qi Yue was furious. "Who are you calling names!"

Yan Yang seemed to finally realize what was going on. He looked at Ruan Miao and Jian Fanyu in a daze, then stood up and pulled Qi Yue away. "Yueyue, you shouldn't have been disrespectful to others. Apologize to Miao Miao."

"I won't!" Qi Yue no longer looked like the gentle and charming girl she had been earlier. She stomped her foot in anger and ran out crying with her dress held up, leaving Yan Yang helplessly chasing after her.

"See, that's what a central air conditioner is," Ruan Miao whispered to Jian Fanyu. "You should be able to see his true nature now, right?"

Jian Fanyu raised an eyebrow, surprisingly agreeing with a smile. "You're right."

For the first time, Jian Fanyu smiled at him, and Ruan Miao couldn't help but blush. "I wasn't badmouthing him, just...thought I should remind you. I wasn't a good person before, but I won't bully you anymore."

Xi You couldn't help but laugh again. "Who could you possibly bully?"

"Okay," Jian Fanyu surprisingly agreed.

He Shanglu watched the whole scene, still not understanding what they were talking about.

This little incident seemed to break some sort of barrier among them. Though they sat together in silence, they managed to coexist peacefully, almost like friends.

Xi You gave Ruan Miao a meaningful glance. Everyone knew that the reason they could sit together so calmly was because of Ruan Miao. Originally, Jian Fanyu didn't get along well with He Shanglu or Xi You. This was common knowledge.

But somehow, a small figure like Ruan Miao, who seemed ordinary, had strangely prevented them from clashing. There must be something noteworthy about him.

On the way home that evening, Ruan Miao sat in his family's car. Despite today's tentative reconciliation with Jian Fanyu, neither of them exchanged WeChat or contact information, mutually acknowledging that they belonged to different worlds and had no reason to stay in touch.

Still dazed after getting into the car, Ruan Miao was immediately lectured by He Shanglu. "Don't get involved with Jian Fanyu again. You're no match for him."

"That might not be the case," Ruan Miao argued. "Maybe he would suffer instead." He believed Jian Fanyu was gentle and pure; otherwise, how could the original Ruan Miao have bullied him into depression?

"Give it a rest," He Shanglu scoffed. "You exude stupidity from a mile away, and you think he would suffer? Jian Fanyu seems gentle, but he has his means. If he didn't like Yan Yang so much, do you think he would tolerate you?"

"Stay away from that fool Yan Yang, just like now. Run when you see him, got it?"

He Shanglu's brother, He Shangye, turned back to look at them. "What's wrong? Had an unpleasant day?"

"Pretty good," Ruan Miao answered, "the cake was delicious."

"I can see that," He Shangye nodded slightly, glancing subtly at Ruan Miao's plump stomach from all the eating.

He Shanglu couldn't be bothered to recount the day's events and lazily leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest.

However, Ruan Miao was itching with curiosity. He still remembered Xi You's teasing of He Shanglu today, calling him his sister-in-law, but He Shanglu's attitude didn't seem to acknowledge that. This gossip was too juicy for Ruan Miao to resist.

As a natural busybody, Ruan Miao wanted to dig deeper into this.