Meeting Again
Xu Ran had a big smile on his face as he left the Qin Family. It was obvious that he was in a good mood.
His pleasant mood, however, did not last long. Xu Ran sensed that someone was following him after he left the Qin Family. When he returned his gaze, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He was now on the street, surrounded by people, and no one seemed strange.
However, when Xu Ran continued to walk, this strange sensation grew stronger. He concluded that if he didn't find out who was stalking him, he wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably at night. As a result, he altered his walking style and accelerated his pace as if he were running for his life.
That man couldn't seem to catch up to Xu Ran at first. However, when Xu Ran saw he was approaching, he abruptly halted his pace. The man who had started rushing behind them did a double-take, but the distance between them had narrowed significantly.
Xu Ran turned around and saw him there clearly. He never expected that the stalker was an acquaintance of his.
It was Du Xin!
Actually, Xu Ran had seen him last time, but he supposed that he made a mistake.
Du Xin found that Xu Ran had seen him, so he did not hide anymore. He went up to Xu Ran and greeted, "Hey, Xu Ran, I didn't expect to see you on the street here."
Xu Ran smiled, "What a coincidence! You've been following me all the way here. Can it be a coincidence?"
Seeing that Xu Ran had seen him through, Du Xin felt a little embarrassed, "I just want to see where you're going!"
"Didn't you know who I was? You may have approached me personally and asked me the question. Why did you feel compelled to follow me?" enquired Xu Ran, who hugged himself and awaited Du Xin's response.
When Du Xin realized Xu Ran was seeking an honest answer, he scratched his head and apologized, "Xu Ran, I've come to seek sanctuary with my relatives, but they got my father's letter yesterday, stating that they will not accept me. As a result, I'm stuck with nowhere to go..." He bowed his head and looked miserable as a result.
Xu Ran stared at him in wordless surprise. Then he snarled, "Is my place your refuge? Why do you look so pitiful every time you come to me? Why did you come here to seek refuge with your relatives? Have you been driven out by your Dad?"
Du Xin pouted "It's because I previously received a poor test result and also had the unmentionable disease. I continued to take the medicine for a long time after I returned home. Finally, the doctor stated I was almost back to normal. My father then forced me to marry a concubine so that I might have children of my own. My father chased me out because I refused..."
Xu Ran, "..."
He vaguely recalls Du Xin exuding an air of having a card up his sleeve at the time. He was still afraid of being beheaded after leaving the examination hall due of his test responses. The unexpected outcome was that he performed poorly on the test...
Xu Ran really wanted to know how bad his test result was that his dad would be so angry.
"What's your ranking in the test? Why was your dad so angry? "Xu Ran asked.
Du Xin extended a few fingers in front of Xu Ran and shook them. Xu Ran was convinced that if he had a brick in his hand, he could easily knock him down.
What Du Xin held up before him was five fingers, not fifteen, not twenty-five, and not fifty. It was definitely five!
Xu Ran took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, "Isn't the fifth place already very good? Why did your dad insist that your result was too bad?"
Du Xin replied, "Because in my dad's eyes, as long as I didn't get the first place, it was a bad result .The worst score I ever got in the past was the third place.I was, however, in fifth place this time. My father was so angry that he forbade me from continuing my studies. He compelled me to return home and take over his business, as well as establish a large family with my concubine. It does not sit well with me. "
"Are you not willing to go back to do business or to take a concubine? Why do I feel that your favorite thing is running outside?"
"The person who knows me well is you, Xu Ran. I indeed like to stay outside, but my dad rejects it. I can only fight against him and do the opposite. Don't you think I'm very smart?" Du Xin said with a proud expression.
According to the view of modern times, Xu Ran thought that Du Xin must be going soft in the head!
He had no qualms about leaving his house. He was, however, so foolish that he did not bring any money with him. What if he ran into some bad guys and starved to death? He was the epitome of incompetence.
With this in mind, Xu Ran began to educate Du Xin in a harsh manner "You must have enough money with you when you come out in the future; otherwise, no one would care if you are hungry. You're also so foolish that you shouldn't come out alone. Your father is looking out for you. I wish I had a father like that..."
Xu Ran chattered. Du Xin obviously didn't listen to him at all. When Xu Ran was tired and stopped at last, Du Xin asked, "Xu Ran, I'm cold and tired now. Can you take me to your home?"
Du Xin looked a little pale and he didn't wear much. His condition was really not good.
"No," Xu Ran rejected very straightforwardly. Liu Tong had just given birth, so he didn't have any energy to take care of an outsider.
"If you just want to find a place to stay, I can help you find an inn. My house is inconvenient for you at the moment. I won't take you to my house for the time being," Xu Ran said with certainty.
"Has your partner given birth to a child? Is that the reason you won't let me go? Don't worry, I'm not in need of anyone's help. All I need is a bite of food and a place to call home. I can also assist you with whatever job you require. And I'm not going to charge you anything. Please take me to your house!" With a coquettish demeanor, Du Xin implored.
"No. If you agree to stay in the inn, follow me. If you don't, I'll leave. Anyway, you can't stay in my house," Without knowing why, Xu Ran insisted not to take Du Xin to his house. He couldn't even explain the reason. This was actually an unconscious defense.
Du Xin pouted, looking very reluctant, and he mumbled, "How can the inn be compared with your house? I can't even have a hot meal there."
Xu Ran walked straight forward, ignoring him. Du Xin hurriedly went up and followed him after noticing he was almost out of sight. Xu Ran had always given him the impression of being a laid-back person, according to his previous impressions of him. He hadn't expected Xu Ran to refuse so categorically this time.
Du Xin sighed. It seemed that he had to think of another way. The most important thing now was to find out where Xu Ran lived first.
When Xu Ran noticed Du Xin following him, he went to find him an inn. He finally obtained a medium-sized room and paid for a month's worth of lodging and meals. Xu Ran was irritated since all of this cost one-third of what he had earned today.
He said to Du Xin, "This month, I'll pay for your room and meals. If you want to go home, you can get the money back from the inn as travelling expenses home. However, you must return the money to me after you get back. Otherwise, if I see you next time, I will pay no attention to you. You can go and rest in the room now. I'll buy you a thick set of clothes. It's getting cold now. You have to wear more."
Xu Ran was humming around like an anxious father. Du Xin, on the other hand, seemed to relish it. Of course, he thought it would be much better if Xu Ran was a Ge'er. If he married such a Ge'er, he would be completely worry-free in the future!
Du Xin shook his head and murmured to himself, 'It's a pity, a pity...'
"What is a pity? Could it be that you still have other ideas? After I find Second Young Master, I will go back and persuade the prince to reward you with Xu Ran?"
"Wow! How can you eavesdrop on others' talking? You suddenly appeared from nowhere. Do you want to scare me to death?"
That man chuckled, "Haha, of course, I just want to scare you to death!"
"You, you, you are so vicious! How can you have such an idea?"
"I don't just have this idea. I even want to do so," he said as he moved up to seize Du Xin by the neck.
Du Xin was startled and immediately took a step back, "Lu Qi, what's wrong with you? Is it fun to tease me like this? If you have the ability, you think of a way to get to Xu Ran's house yourself!"
"Haha, didn't you say that you knew him well and volunteered to go yourself? Why?You wish to change your mind in such a short period of time? That's not a good sign. You'd best come up with a solution to the situation. Also, forget about all the negative ideas you're having. You won't obtain a positive result if the prince knows about it. I'll be the first to leave. Resolve the issue with him as soon as possible." With that, Lu Qi disappeared soon.
Du Xin muttered to himself as he looked behind him. Then he returned to the room Xu Ran had reserved for him. He did, in fact, wear very little, which was a source of embarrassment for him. He'd never do something so dumb again!
But why didn't Lu Qi allow him to care about Xu Ran? Did he fancy Xu Ran too?
Du Xin couldn't help but be frightened by his own speculation. He found he had an extra love rival before his love started. He felt very unsettled.
And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned restlessly, his thoughts wandering to Xu Ran. He was perplexed as to why Xu Ran deserved Lu Qi's attention. Actually, Du Xin didn't locate any other strong suits on Xu Ran besides cooking. He didn't appear too concerned because he knew Lu Qi didn't like to eat.
Du Xin spread out his hands. He then tossed and turned again. Finally, he fell asleep...
05.26.21