The Jiang Residence.
Jiang Yunlu had just returned home when Jiang Chengshan emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron.
"Sweetie, take a break and have some juice. Dinner will be ready soon."
Jiang Yunlu responded with a sweet "Okay" before settling on the couch and turning on the TV.
Even wealthy families watch TV.
A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice sat on the table, clearly prepared by Jiang Chengshan in anticipation of his daughter's return.
When Jiang Chengshan brought out the dishes, he said, "Go wake your aunt for dinner."
"Auntie hasn't gotten up yet?"
"Pfft, you know how she is."
Jiang Yunlu got up and knocked on the door.
After several raps, the door finally opened.
A woman in a silk nightgown, still bleary-eyed, looked at Jiang Yunlu.
"Oh, little Yunlu’s back already? Did I really sleep that long?"
Jiang Chengyue scratched her head.
Jiang Yunlu smiled. "I didn’t have evening self-study today. Hurry and get ready, Auntie. Dinner’s waiting."
Jiang Chengyue yawned, nodded, and went to freshen up.
Soon, the three of them were seated at the dining table.
As Jiang Chengshan served Jiang Yunlu some food, he asked, "Did you have fun at the school sports meet today?"
Jiang Yunlu sighed in frustration. "I thought I was pretty fast in the 100-meter dash, but the track athletes were way faster than me."
"Of course they were," Jiang Chengyue chimed in between bites. "That’s their future career, and they’ve got the talent for it. But hey, sports meets are about having fun, right?"
Yet Jiang Yunlu’s mind wandered back to the moment she was lifted—how her heartbeat had raced even faster than during the sprint.
"Hey, eat up. What’s on your mind?" Jiang Chengyue waved a hand in front of Jiang Yunlu’s face.
Jiang Yunlu shook her head.
"Just thinking about the race. But it’s over now."
She had also signed up for the 200-meter dash, outperforming the casual runners but still losing to the track stars.
Still, Lin Mo had watched her the entire time.
She felt he cared about her—but how much?
Her intuition told her that if she confessed now, he’d reject her.
Jiang Chengyue noticed her niece’s troubled expression but decided not to pry in front of her brother.
Knowing him, he’d probably hire someone to "take care" of the boy in question.
So after dinner, Jiang Chengyue didn’t leave. Instead, she slipped into Jiang Yunlu’s room.
"Auntie, what’s up?"
Jiang Yunlu’s desk was cluttered with study guides and reference books.
"Studying, huh, little Yunlu?"
"Yeah. My last exam results weren’t great. I need to work harder."
"You don’t have to push yourself too hard. If you’re leaning toward science, just focus on those subjects."
"But..."
But I want to get closer to him.
"You want to get closer to him, don’t you?" Jiang Chengyue chuckled.
Jiang Yunlu whipped her head around.
"Auntie! You... you..."
"Can read minds?"
"Who needs mind-reading? I’ve been a girl your age too, you know. Don’t forget, your aunt once had a crush on a top student."
Truthfully, Jiang Chengyue had been keeping tabs on Lin Mo. His second-place ranking in the entire school had surprised her—he was even more impressive than her old crush.
But right now, she was more concerned about her niece.
"Spill it. What happened today?"
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yunlu finally opened up.
She hadn’t spoken to Zhou Youbai in a long time. After getting dumped, Zhou had spiraled into self-destructive behavior, and Jiang Yunlu, being the rational one, had kept her distance to avoid getting dragged down.
That left her with very few people she could confide in.
Thankfully, her aunt was one of them.
"Actually... I thought about giving up on him today."
Jiang Chengyue raised an eyebrow.
"Thought about it, but didn’t, huh?"
"Yeah. During the 100-meter dash, my mind was a mess. Just as I was ready to let go, I tripped—and he rushed over and caught me."
Jiang Chengyue could easily picture the scene.
"And now you’re head over heels for him."
Jiang Yunlu’s face flushed instantly.
"N-not really! It’s just... I feel like..."
"Like there’s still hope, right? Like you can hold on a little longer."
Spoken like a true veteran.
But Jiang Yunlu lifted her gaze slightly.
"I think... I should at least confess before deciding whether to give up."
"Hmm. You’re chasing an answer, but you’re scared, aren’t you?"
Jiang Chengyue spoke as if they were peers, discussing Jiang Yunlu’s feelings openly.
"So why not just confess? Maybe he’ll choose you."
Jiang Yunlu shook her head.
"Because I feel like if I confess, he’ll reject me. Or... he’d reject anyone. He doesn’t even care if we walk away."
"Ah, a woman’s intuition. If that’s what you sense, it’s probably true. But like I said, you’re still young. Puppy love isn’t forbidden, but I wouldn’t recommend it."
Jiang Yunlu pressed her lips together. She hadn’t really planned on dating in high school anyway.
But...
------Let’s call this a divider------
After dinner, Lin Mo dusted himself off.
"I’ll leave Chu Miaomiao here for now. I’ll come back up when her mom calls."
Girls should spend more time with girls—it’s better than being too introverted.
So Lin Mo headed back downstairs to his rented place, catching up on international news and playing a couple of games.
Not League, though—he was into Landlords.
"You think you can beat me with just seventeen cards?!"
Airplane!
Six hundred and forty thousand Happy Beans vanished in an instant!
"GAHHH!!!"
Mid-game, his phone buzzed with a message—a name and an address.
Lin Mo read it, deleted it, and went back to his cards.
He kept playing until Chu Lintian called.
"Hey, Sis Chu."
"I’m here to pick up Miaomiao. Wanna join us for late-night snacks?"
"Nah, Miaomiao’s playing at my landlord’s place. I’ll bring her down."
"Alright, I’ll wait at the intersection."
After hanging up, Lin Mo dashed upstairs and rang the doorbell.
Auntie Zheng opened the door.
Seeing no sign of Chu Miaomiao or Xie Yuling in the living room, Lin Mo called out toward Xie Yuling’s room.
"Mom’s here to pick up the kid, Teacher Xie. Hand over the little hostage."
The door opened, revealing Chu Miaomiao—her eyes red and puffy.
Lin Mo shot Xie Yuling a look. "You bullied a kid?"
Xie Yuling playfully punched his arm and pulled Chu Miaomiao close. "Miaomiao, this is our little secret. Don’t tell Lin Mo, okay?"
Chu Miaomiao nodded vigorously, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
"I won’t tell him! It’s a sisterhood secret!"
Oh really? Trying to hide things from me, the mighty Lin the Immortal? Just wait till we’re downstairs—I’ll use Soul Search on you!