The Stepmother's Daughter Series

Chapter 31

After eating, Gu Ran wiped his mouth and dragged a resentful-looking Ye Jinliang back to the classroom.

"You better confess right now! How on earth did you hook up with Ye Zhenzhen?!"

"Uh... didn't I tell you? She's my newly acknowledged sister. You didn't believe me before, so is that my fault?"

"Sister? Not some kind of 'older sister figure'?"

Ye Jinliang narrowed his eyes. He couldn't help but feel that this guy with his thick eyebrows and big eyes wasn't up to any good.

"Seriously, she's my sister. Clear that dirty trash out of your head."

Ye Jinliang: "???"

You didn't have that attitude when you were begging me for torrent seeds before!

How infuriating!

"Where did you get a sister from?"

Even so, he was still suspicious. Gu Ran was always right under his nose. Getting to the bathroom at school was a hassle, and with nothing to do but study, where would he find the time to meet a sister?

Why couldn't he ever meet one?

"Didn't you see my stepmom yesterday? Ye Zhenzhen is the stepchild she brought with her."

Hearing this, Ye Jinliang's eyes widened. His mouth hung open, wanting to say something but hesitating.

As if knowing what he was about to say, Gu Ran nodded and said, "That's right, Ye Zhenzhen is my stepsister."

"Are you serious?!"

Ye Jinliang's eyes sparkled as he added, "That's so thrilling! The stepmother's daughter trope, hehe..."

Gu Ran: "???"

What the hell was in this guy's head?!

Japanese adult videos?

He was smiling creepily, probably thinking of some R-rated scenes, until a slap to the back of his head brought him back to reality.

Shaking his head, he got serious again. "Right, are you coming to my house for tutoring tonight?"

"Nope. I told you, I have the school beauty tutoring me, but you just won't believe it. Sigh, people these days never believe the truth..."

Gu Ran curled his lips, casually humblebragging, then put his hands in his pockets and walked toward the classroom.

Watching his back, Ye Jinliang froze for a moment. Then, as if realizing something, he quickly chased after him and asked, "Ye Zhenzhen?!"

"Yeah. It's so annoying. She insists on dragging me to her room to study. I can't even say no."

He even went into her bedroom...

The thought of Gu Ran going home to be tutored by the pure and stunning school beauty, while he had to face a man covered in acne, made him bite his lip. His chubby face immediately fell, lamenting the unfairness of fate.

Maybe... he should go home and tell his dad to divorce his mom, and then find him a stepmom too?

...

Ring, ring~

The afternoon dismissal bell rang. On the podium, Li Sinan put down her lesson plans right on time. Like a university lecturer, her main principle was leaving class earlier than the students.

Gu Ran was also punctual. As soon as the bell rang, he dropped his pen. Regardless of whether he had finished the problem he was working on, he absolutely could not delay his time to go home.

Standing straight up, he stretched lazily. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he remembered Ye Zhenzhen, who acted like a strict older sister.

If she saw him without his backpack again, she might think he hadn't listened to a word she said that morning. If she got mad and refused to tutor him, where would he go to cry?

Reluctantly putting on his backpack, he walked over to Ye Jinliang.

The little fatty was already raring to go, also wearing a backpack. The two looked at each other, both seeing the helplessness in the other's eyes.

But soon, Ye Jinliang realized something. He was taking his books home because his tutor demanded it. Why was Gu Ran wearing a backpack?

Ye Zhenzhen's demand?!

Damn it, this guy really deserved to die...

"Go on by yourself. I have to go pick up Ye Zhenzhen."

As Gu Ran's voice rang out, Ye Jinliang froze again, gnashing his teeth as he stared at his back.

He should be dragged out and executed by a thousand cuts!

His syndrome of "fearing his bro might suffer, but fearing even more that his bro might drive a Range Rover" was acting up again...

Ignoring the overwhelmingly jealous little fatty, Gu Ran kept his hands in his pockets and leisurely strolled over to the door of Ye Zhenzhen's classroom.

The classroom door was open, so he just leaned against the doorframe.

It was winter, around four or five o'clock, and the sun was already starting to set.

He just stood there. The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the hallway windows, spilling over him and highlighting his handsome face and upright posture.

However, the girl, who was focused on her class, didn't notice him. Instead, the math teacher on the podium saw him.

Gu Ran also noticed the lecturing teacher, who looked a bit familiar.

After looking for a moment, he remembered that this balding middle-aged man also taught math for their class.

The teacher glanced at him, intending to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut.

Towards this second-generation official's son, he maintained the same attitude as the other teachers: never actively discipline him, but never refuse to answer his questions.

Neither offending nor flattering him—this was the attitude the vast majority of teachers held towards him.

For other students who didn't study, according to First High's school ethos, they would have been disciplined to death by now. But not every bad student's father was a deputy bureau chief, nor did every bad student manage to avoid disturbing others.

Thus, Gu Ran became the only student in the entirety of First High whom no one bothered to manage.

The math teacher elegantly held a piece of chalk and drew a perfect circle on the blackboard with a backhand motion, looking as if it had been drawn with a compass. Gu Ran blinked in amazement.

Great skill, deserves a reward!

Genuine question, is this a skill all math teachers possess?

He didn't interrupt. Seeing that class wasn't over yet, he turned around, crossed his arms, and leaned quietly against the wall.

Finally, the sound of the lecture inside stopped. He let out a yawn and turned his head, just in time to see the balding math teacher walking out.

He gave a slight nod and smiled, greeting, "Hello, teacher." This startled the math teacher so much that he froze in place, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

After a moment of reaction, he nodded in astonishment and then hurried away.

Gu Ran turned his head to look into the classroom and noticed that not a single student was packing their bags. It seemed they all planned to stay for evening self-study.

He clicked his tongue, silently marveling. As expected of the advanced class students, this learning atmosphere was just on another level!

He saw Ye Zhenzhen pinching the bridge of her nose, her pale wrist supporting her cheek, her cold, clear eyes fixed on the test paper on her desk.

Gu Ran whistled softly, catching the attention of the girl sitting in the front row.

Seeing him, Ye Zhenzhen was also slightly taken aback. She then stood up elegantly and walked out of the classroom with light steps.

"Why are you here?"

A hint of confusion flashed in her clear eyes as she stared at Gu Ran and asked in bewilderment.

"To pick you up after school, of course."

Gu Ran sounded so self-righteous that the girl was slightly dumbfounded.

After school?

School wasn't even over yet!

But the guy's confident and justified demeanor made her feel a bit dazed for a moment.

Since when did skipping class become something to be proud of?

Although there were no teachers lecturing during evening self-study, for these top students, it was a great opportunity to review and fill in their knowledge gaps.

If they encountered questions they couldn't solve, they could ask a teacher at any time. After all, every night, a teacher from one subject would stay in the advanced class.

"Aren't you going to evening self-study?"

Gu Ran shook his head. "Nope. Why would I go to that?"

"You..."

Ye Zhenzhen: "???"

How on earth does he manage to say something like that without feeling a shred of guilt?