Chapter 56: Heh heh heh, Senior Sister, You Wouldn't Want Bei Bei...

"Do I like Bei Bei?"

Zhang Lexuan was stunned by the question.

She'd never really thought about it.

Did she like him? How was she supposed to know?

She'd been raised by Elder Mu, and from a young age, she knew she was meant to be Bei Bei's future partner. She'd promised Elder Mu to protect Bei Bei, and she'd never break her word, especially after all he'd done for her. To repay his kindness, she would never leave Bei Bei's side.

But did she like him? She didn't know.

"Senior Sister, you don't even know yourself, do you?" Qian Ran sighed with relief. Zhang Lexuan's reaction told him she was just as confused. In the original story, Zhang Lexuan never met the right person, so she ended up focused on Bei Bei.

She was more like an older sister, quietly watching over him.

To Qian Ran, their relationship felt more like sibling affection rather than romantic love.

She'd probably never loved anyone, so she didn't know what love was.

True love, to put it bluntly, involves a selfish, possessive desire to be with someone.

Love isn't just affection — it's wanting to be with someone, completely and exclusively.

When Zhang Lexuan watched Bei Bei pursue Tang Ya without any sadness or jealousy, it didn't seem like she was letting go of him; it was more like she didn't care.

Because she didn't genuinely love Bei Bei, seeing him with Tang Ya didn't bother her.

But Zhang Lexuan herself didn't understand this.

"Hmph. What does that have to do with you?" she replied coldly, trying to hide her confusion.

Qian Ran's words had disturbed her.

"Sigh. I wanted to teach you a thing or two. It's a shame not to understand love — youth passes by so quickly. If you miss the chance when you're young, you might lose the ability to love altogether," Qian Ran said with a grin, moving closer.

Zhang Lexuan really did have a fantastic figure.

Truly, a mature big sister type!

Zhang Lexuan was only around twenty-four or twenty-five — just a few years past college age in his previous life.

There was something so charming about women at this age! Who wouldn't be drawn to a gentle, nurturing big sister type?

If they got married someday…

He shook his head, mentally chastising himself. How could he think such impure thoughts about such a refined, elegant Senior Sister?

"Are you saying you understand love better than I do?" Zhang Lexuan wrinkled her nose, looking a bit lost for the first time.

To her, what did liking or not liking even matter?

She'd already promised Elder Mu to look after Bei Bei.

"I'll make sure Bei Bei stays out of your way. I hope you won't provoke him either," she said after a moment's thought. She would warn Bei Bei. Qian Ran was just too unpredictable; if Bei Bei pushed him too far, things might turn disastrous.

Elder Mu's health was deteriorating, and Zhang Lexuan was painfully aware of it.

Once Elder Mu passed, no one would be able to guarantee Bei Bei's safety.

"But what if he still provokes me? What if I can't hold back?" Qian Ran countered.

"If that happens, I could consider sparing Bei Bei, but… you'd have to compensate me, Senior Sister. How about that?" Qian Ran's eyes lit up.

Genius!

It was the classic "sibling debt, sibling payment" story.

In his previous life, he'd read tales of siblings paying for each other's mistakes. When a younger brother got in trouble, his older sister would come forward, sometimes paying a high price to protect him. It was always a moving, tear-jerking scenario.

Now, he felt like he was the "boss" in a school, and Zhang Lexuan, this beautiful Senior Sister, was here to clean up after her troublemaking little brother, Bei Bei. He could make a few reasonable but peculiar demands, which she might resist internally but ultimately couldn't refuse.

Agree to it, or I'll send Bei Bei to the infirmary.

He chuckled, imagining himself openly showing affection for Tang Ya in front of Bei Bei, provoking him to act, then dealing with him accordingly.

Heh heh heh…

Qian Ran imagined himself as the "big boss" character, filled with delight. He couldn't wait for the next stage of this story.

Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan, you wouldn't want Bei Bei to…

In this scenario, Zhang Lexuan's feelings would turn from protecting Bei Bei to resenting him.

Heh heh heh…

This perfect setup wasn't something Qian Ran had invented; it was inspired by countless stories he'd read in his previous life.

Qian Ran looked at Zhang Lexuan's graceful figure and swallowed. Just how stunning was her figure? He didn't even know.

After all, she was wearing a long dress, so he couldn't see much.

And those cursed safety shorts were one of humanity's worst inventions!

The last time she'd floated in the air, he'd looked up with excitement, only to see… black safety shorts.

How frustrating!

When he finally had Zhang Lexuan under his sway, he'd have her wear fitted pants or something to show off her figure. Maybe yoga pants? Sharkskin pants? Or perhaps tight jeans?

He was now eagerly anticipating Bei Bei's defiant behavior. He would let Bei Bei feel triumphant, only to be the one teasing Zhang Lexuan in return. Since Bei Bei treated her like a sister…

Why not have her perform a dance for him?

The idea of Zhang Lexuan, with her dignified personality, doing a dance would create an incredible contrast.

Qian Ran loved contrasts like this.

Bunny girl outfits? Role-play scenes?

Ahem… Qian Ran thought Ma Xiaotao might be a better fit for that. He mentally made a note.

"You!"

Zhang Lexuan shivered under Qian Ran's mischievous gaze. As the Senior Sister of the inner court, who dared look at her this way? Despite the age difference, his gaze felt like he was looking at her as a man looks at a woman.

Maybe she was imagining things.

Qian Ran was mischievous, but surely he wouldn't target her.

"Deal!"

She didn't know what tricks Qian Ran had in store, but her determination to protect Bei Bei left her little choice.

"I trust you'll keep today's events a secret, Senior Sister."

"Mm."

Zhang Lexuan knew that if Qian Ran's talents became public, it would cause quite a stir. His unique spiritual techniques would be coveted by many powerful individuals.

Still, it would be hard to keep it from the academy's elite, who had likely been watching their encounter.

"Ding! Host has impressed Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan. Reward: One million gold soul coins."

"Ugh. System, you're getting stingy. One million? That's barely enough for beggars. Should've been ten million, at least," Qian Ran muttered.

"If Host successfully woos Zhang Lexuan, the rewards will increase substantially," the system replied wickedly.

"How shameless… but I'm open to it," Qian Ran smirked.

Senior Sister wasn't going to be that easy to win over, was she?

Still, he was a bit excited.

Zhang Lexuan was exactly his type — gentle, caring, and perfect wife material. Having her by his side would make life unbelievably sweet.

(End of Chapter)