Chapter 23: Rumors Run Rampant
January 2nd, 2018. Lu Li didn’t wake up naturally. He was awakened by someone patting his face. He opened his eyes and saw An Baili lying on top of him. She traced the fuzz on his upper lip with her finger. “Honey, you’re awake? Look at the time… Lazybones, I’m starving… What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”
Lu Li checked his phone. It was already 11:30 am. He had slept for a long time. He looked around and saw An Baili, wrapped in the blanket like a little lamb, but no sign of Zou Yameng, the big lamb.
“Hmph, stop looking, she sneaked back to her apartment around seven or eight this morning.” An Baili said with a hint of schadenfreude. “You did that on purpose yesterday, didn’t you?”
“Nonsense…” Lu Li blushed. It was intentional, but it was just for fun, you know, fun?
Lu Li told An Baili to stay in bed and said he would make breakfast after checking on his sister. He changed into clean clothes and went to Sister Yameng’s door, knocking gently. There was no answer.
“Sister Yameng, it’s me, Little Li.”
Still no answer.
Just as he was about to knock again, the door suddenly opened. Sister Yameng appeared in front of him, her face etched with disdain. She rarely looked at him with such an expression. It seemed like he went a bit too far last night. Lu Li stood there awkwardly. “Um, Sis, have you eaten?”
“Just woke up?”
“Just woke up.”
“Hmph.” She snorted and didn’t invite Lu Li in, just stood there confronting him. “Little Li, I can’t believe you’re this kind of person…”
“What kind of person?”
“You… Don’t you remember what you did last night?” Zou Yameng gritted her teeth. “Where’s my pure and innocent little brother? You were deliberately being bad last night… you… and that girl next door… you all—”
Before she could finish, Lu Li rubbed his stomach pitifully, pretending to be hungry. As expected, Zou Yameng asked with concern, “Are you hungry?”
His sister still cared about him. It was just her maidenly modesty that prevented her from accepting last night’s debauchery. Lu Li felt like he deserved to be sent to the deepest level of hell. “Yes.”
“Hmph, I’ll lecture you after I make breakfast.” Zou Yameng raised her eyebrows, a hint of arrogance in her expression. Lu Li knew that his sister was just putting on a brave front. She was probably more flustered than he was. Zou Yameng let Lu Li in and then asked, “Did An Baili eat? Tsk, I thought she was a decent girl, but you tricked her into doing that kind of thing at such a young age…”
Lu Li quickly explained, “Sis, Baili is a good girl. I’ve actually known her for a long time. She’s a very affectionate and conservative girl.” This was actually true. An Baili was extremely loyal in relationships, almost to a fault.
Zou Yameng opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but she felt it was inappropriate to badmouth another girl, so she just sighed. “I hope you’re right.” As an older sister, although she had inappropriate feelings for her brother, she still hoped that he would find a virtuous and kind girl. It wasn’t about possessiveness, but simply a wish from an elder.
“So, did she eat?”
“…No, she just woke up too.”
Zou Yameng seemed to recall the epic battle with An Baili last night and clicked her tongue. “Call her over for breakfast later.” Her tone was casual, and Lu Li was relieved. This meant that Sister Yameng at least didn’t see An Baili as an outsider. As he was about to turn around and call An Baili, Sister Yameng stopped him. “Remember, don’t mention anything about last night. And I won’t do that again.”
Really? Lu Li smacked his lips, feeling a bit disappointed.
“Then can I do that with you in the future…”
“Don’t even think about it!” Zou Yameng’s reaction was extremely strong. She glared at him. “Little Li, until I’m sure you haven’t gone astray, don’t even think about that kind of thing.”
Lu Li secretly rolled his eyes. Who was the one who went astray? He knew that his bold actions last night must have frightened Sister Yameng. She even started to suspect that he had learned bad things from the other kids in the low-rent district. It was normal for her to react this way. After all, an older sister was like a mother.
But this was good too… Lu Li thought. At least it was a start. At least the relationship between Sister Yameng and An Baili was somewhat resolved. He suddenly thought of Silly Goose, who loved teddy bear underwear, and his head started to ache. She was the main event. Forget it, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
For the next few days, An Baili had meals with Lu Li and Zou Yameng, and the two girls gradually became more comfortable with each other. But Lu Li knew that this harmony was only superficial. No one mentioned what happened that night, neither An Baili nor Zou Yameng. A battle like that was bound to happen again… Only next time, Lu Li might not be the one enjoying it but the one suffering.
Perhaps out of fear of Zou Yameng, An Baili didn’t sneak over to sleep with Lu Li at night anymore. However, she became even more clingy on WeChat, chatting with him before bed every night. Sister Yameng kept her word. She stopped wearing her revealing tank tops and hot pants, opting for thick jackets and long johns, not showing an inch of skin. At night, she would even lock her door, leaving Lu Li with no opportunity.
Lu Li, who had been on a “rampage,” suddenly became quiet. Besides working on his game, writing the play script, and chatting with An Baili, he had nothing else to do. This continued until the end of the New Year’s holiday.
He didn’t know that at this time, a storm was brewing at Chuanhai No. 1 High School, a storm that would push him into the spotlight…
January 6th, the first day back to school.
The excitement of the New Year’s Eve party hadn’t completely faded. As Lu Li walked to school, he could hear students discussing the performances from that night. The most talked-about topic was, of course, the play Sleeping Beauty. They weren’t talking about Lu Li, but about Wen Hupo. They said she was like a goddess descended from heaven, a true princess from a castle. They even said she would replace An Baili from Class 1 as the new school beauty of Chuanhai No. 1 High School.
Lu Li didn’t pay much attention to these gossips. The final exams were only half a month away, and he still hadn’t decided where to spend the New Year. In the past, he never had this problem. After all, he only had one home, only Sister Yameng as his family. But this year, the Chu family had warmly invited him to spend the New Year with them. His future mother-in-law had asked through Secretary Long several times, and Lu Li felt it would be rude to refuse. Most importantly, Silly Goose seemed to be looking forward to spending the New Year with him too.
Lost in thought, Lu Li entered the classroom. He was used to entering through the back door to avoid attracting attention. But as he stepped into the classroom, he felt a sudden pressure. He looked up and saw that all his classmates were staring at him, whispering and pointing.
Did I forget to comb my hair or wear pants today? Lu Li stopped hesitantly and checked his clothes. It seemed fine. Why were they all looking at him with such strange expressions?
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