Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Silence hung between them.

The night deepened, the study shrouded in a grey dimness, the air growing thin and scarce.

Under the gaze of such eyes, Jin Ran felt a momentary enchantment.

Undeniably, Jiang Mingsuo possessed a powerful allure. Unlike Jiang Xuli, who was just stepping into adolescence—youthful, pure, seemingly rebellious yet transparent in his emotions—Jin Ran could easily read his every mood.

Jiang Mingsuo was his antithesis. He had lived through too much: a complex youth, a legendary entrepreneurial journey in his early years, and now, past thirty, the past's sharp edges and rust had been gradually smoothed by time, refining into a deeper, richer essence.

He was undeniably powerful and authoritative, yet his maturity was not his sole characteristic. Occasionally, Jin Ran would glimpse a suppressed, surging wildness beneath his composed exterior.

He was a naturally sculpted paradox of extremes, brimming with mystery.

Several times, she had yearned to unravel his secrets, but ultimately, a primal instinct for danger compelled her to halt.

Their gazes, almost tangible, intertwined in the quiet night. Two adults alone in a room, the soft mood lighting swallowed by darkness, breaths instantly amplified, bodies inevitably drawn close. Scents, textures, warmth—distinct yet inextricably entangled.

In such a perfect atmosphere, such an intimate posture, were this a novel, something indescribable would surely transpire.

But Jin Ran suddenly froze.

It wasn't a testament to her strong self-control against his masculine charm; rather, she remembered something crucial.

She had gone straight to bed after her shower, so she was currently wearing pajamas.

The thin fabric brushed against his shirt, igniting tiny sparks in the dry summer air. One careless move, and it could erupt into a raging inferno.

Jin Ran’s face tightened. In that instant, all fantasies vanished, replaced by an urgent desire to flee this compromising situation.

The reason was simple: she could actively flirt with men, she could play innocent and engage in playful banter for ages, but she absolutely could not be caught in such an embarrassing predicament!

Jin Ran instinctively recoiled. Sensing her movement, Jiang Mingsuo paused, then calmly helped her up without a change in his expression.

They naturally created some distance between them.

The solidified air began to flow again. In the darkness, Jiang Mingsuo’s voice regained its composure: "The light is broken. It’s a bit late, so I didn’t have the housekeeper come over."

Jin Ran also feigned nonchalance: "No wonder. I was puzzled why the light wouldn’t turn on. So it’s broken." She shook the book in her hand, regardless of whether he could see it, justifying her late-night visit to the study. "I came to get this. I didn’t expect you to still be working so late. I almost thought you were a thief."

"Apologies, some urgent matters required my attention."

Jin Ran understood. Even during his recovery, Jiang Mingsuo’s phone had been ceaseless, ringing at all hours and locations—he was truly a man of immense responsibilities.

Compared to him, she, a substitute teacher who taught at most two classes a day and spent the rest of her time in the office solving problems, had a far more relaxed life.

"In that case, I won’t disturb you further. But since the study light is broken, you might have to work elsewhere."

Jin Ran smiled as she bid farewell. This time, she waited a long moment after speaking before hearing a faint "Mm" from the other side.

Normally, she might have tried to decipher Jiang Mingsuo’s thoughts, but at that moment, she only felt the chill of the fabric against her chest, terrified that another second might lead to an accidental exposure. Clutching the book, she left the study without a backward glance.

Only after the sound of the door closing did Jiang Mingsuo, still standing in place, finally stir.

He reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his shirt. Whether it was from being gripped too tightly or some other reason, his efforts had little effect. As his fingertips brushed against the fabric, they seemed to retain traces of the warmth from moments before.

Noticing this, he paused, his eyes deepening like a bottomless abyss.

After returning to her bedroom, Jin Ran picked up the remote and set the temperature to its lowest.

A cold breeze swept over her, instantly dispelling the sticky sweat on her body.

It took a while for the heat in her cheeks to subside. Propping her chin in her hand, she replayed the earlier scene, finally confirming that he likely hadn’t seen anything he shouldn’t have.

As for what he might have seen… Jin Ran didn’t care. Was it wrong for her to have a good figure?

Confident and with her head held high, before bed, Jin Ran spent half an hour reviewing current affairs as usual. Studying always made her drowsy, so she slept soundly that night.

Naturally, she had no idea how the others in the villa spent their night.

Jiang Xuli got his new game console and couldn’t resist playing for a while. When he finally snapped out of it, it was already past ten o’clock.

He had school tomorrow, and if he remembered correctly, his first class was math.

Though only fifteen, Jiang Xuli suddenly felt world-weary and let out a deep sigh.

Truth be told, Jiang Xuli wasn’t addicted to games. Most games seemed simple to him; even if he wasn’t familiar with them at first, he could usually master them after playing for a bit.

More often, he played out of boredom, to kill time.

He put down the game console and was about to turn off the light to sleep when suddenly he heard a loud "clatter" from downstairs, followed by a woman’s short, sharp cry.

—Something happened?

Startled, Jiang Xuli rushed downstairs without a second thought.

Breathless from running from the third floor to the second, he reached the study door and saw two people embracing inside.

To be precise, it was his father holding his stepmom tightly in his arms, his tall frame almost completely enveloping her, leaving only a hint of soft fabric visible.

Jiang Xuli froze. In that moment, a medical miracle occurred: his feet, which had just stopped, twisted 180 degrees, and he fled the scene ten times faster than he had run downstairs.

A song drifted aptly into his mind: "He shouldn’t be in the room, he should be under the floor!"

When it rains, it pours. In his rush to escape, Jiang Xuli kicked over a half-finished carbonated drink by the door, spilling its contents all over his school uniform.

Jiang Xuli: "…"

Why was his luck so terrible?!

The next day, Jiang Xuli tossed his uniform into the washing machine, waiting for the housekeeper to take care of it, and had to wear something else from his closet.

The others gradually woke up too, heading off to work or school.

Jin Ran hadn’t forgotten that today was her duty week.

Wencheng High School’s duty system had a long history. Not only did student council members participate, but a teacher on duty also supervised daily.

During the morning shift, they were mainly responsible for checking students’ appearance and monitoring tardiness at the school gate.

So she finished breakfast faster than usual: "I have to get to school early today. I’ll head out first."

Jiang Mingsuo set down his chopsticks: "I’ll go with you."

Leaving only Jiang Xuli behind.

The teenager immediately announced, "I'll go by myself!"

Though he couldn't skip class, he absolutely refused to arrive even a minute early!

Jin Ran glanced at the teenager with panda-like dark circles, somewhat puzzled. With such heavy dark circles, anyone who didn't know better might think he’d been herding cattle all night.

She had no desire to control her stepson’s sleep habits.

But what if he dozed off in her class after staying up late?

Even if he didn’t fall asleep, staying up late would affect his concentration, hinder his cognitive development, and ultimately interfere with her "partner" learning method.

This was something Jin Ran absolutely could not tolerate.

So she made up her mind to find time to have a heart-to-heart with the young man.

—Life isn’t that big of a deal; if something’s on your mind, just talk it out!

The car drove away from the villa.

The groundskeepers at Shuoguo Bay had recently been working on landscaping, transplanting many weeping willows along both sides of the road. Jin Ran sat in the passenger seat, gazing absently at the soothing green scenery, when she suddenly heard Jiang Mingsuo say, "Tomorrow is your grandfather’s birthday. I probably won't be able to get there until evening. Butler Cheng has already prepared the congratulatory gift. If there’s anything else you’d like to give him, you can let me know."

To be honest, if Jin Jing hadn’t reminded her, she would have completely forgotten her grandfather’s birthday. She shook her head, "I don’t have anything particular in mind. I’ll leave it up to you."

Jiang Mingsuo nodded. "A stylist will come over tonight. Come home early after work."

Jin Ran was taken aback. "What stylist?"

Jiang Mingsuo glanced at her, seemingly puzzled by her question. "Your grandfather is turning eighty. A lot of people will probably be there. As his granddaughter, your attire for the banquet can't be too casual."

Besides, this would be their first public appearance as a married couple, which was bound to attract a lot of attention.

Hearing his words, Jin Ran belatedly realized something.

She had been presumptuous. In her imagination, the original host was a down-and-out young lady from a bankrupt family. She assumed the Jin family, though not living in a slum, would be struggling financially.

But now it seemed that even though they had gone bankrupt, they were still hosting a birthday banquet, with many people showing up to offer their congratulations.

For a moment, Jin Ran felt the world was truly magical realism.

But soon, another possibility occurred to her.

Although the Jin family had declined, their connections and deep-rooted social capital remained. The invited guests were likely wealthy or influential, far beyond what an ordinary middle school teacher like her could usually access, and certainly not people the teachers at Wencheng High School could easily rub shoulders with.

The principal had been recently stressed about companies pulling their funding. If she could seize this opportunity to network at the birthday banquet and help the school secure new funding…

Jin Ran grew more excited the more she thought about it, a gleam of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

—When the next round of selecting the department head comes around, the principal would naturally remember this favor!

"Okay, I’ll listen to you," Jin Ran nodded obediently, her eyes curving into crescents like the moon. Her bright smile spilled into the sunlight, capturing a touch of summer.

Jiang Mingsuo stared at her for a moment before looking away.

The collar of his shirt brushed against his Adam's apple, the itch making him swallow reflexively.

/

At the school entrance, Jiang Xuli braked his motorcycle and swung his long leg off.

Chen Xunliang had brought out his modified motorcycle today.

But upon seeing Jiang Xuli’s Icon Sheene, he couldn’t help but feel envious: "Brother Li, when are you gonna let me take Little Red for a spin?"

Jiang Xuli directly tossed the keys over. "Take it whenever."

Chen Xunliang was ecstatic. Seeing this, the other guys also begged for a turn, and surprisingly, Jiang Xuli agreed to all of them!

Finally, the guys noticed that Jiang Xuli seemed to be in a good mood today—no, an exceptionally good mood!

The latter said casually, "It’s nothing, just had a good time playing FLY last night."

"Dude! Isn’t that the game that only comes with TC’s latest console?! Brother Li, you bought the console? Must’ve cost over eight thousand, right!"

Jiang Xuli curled the corner of his mouth and said in a nonchalant tone, "My family bought it. I don’t know how much it cost."

The guys didn’t know the specifics of Jiang Xuli’s family situation. Hearing this, they all envied him for having such understanding parents. Only Chen Xunliang scratched his head in confusion.

He felt something was off about Brother Li.

It was as if he was deliberately saying it for their benefit.

But then he thought, even Brother Li’s stepmother bought him a game console, while his own biological mother had taken his New Year’s money. He kinda wanted a stepmother too—what was up with that?

A group of youths swaggered into the school.

"Hey, stop right there."

Just as they were about to step through the school gates, a young and beautiful teacher standing in the corner called out to them.

As their gaze shifted over, Jiang Xuli grew nervous upon seeing Jin Ran.

What did she want with him?

Although they had been getting along fairly well lately, he felt it was better to keep their distance at school.

But if he said that directly, would she get angry?

While Jiang Xuli was wrestling with his thoughts, Jin Ran walked up to him.

She pulled out a small notebook and asked in a businesslike manner, "What's your grade and class?"

"What?" He was stunned.

Jin Ran’s eyes had already darted to the name tag on his chest. She answered her own question: "10th Grade, Class 3, Jiang Xuli." Her hand quickly jotted something down in the notebook before she pronounced, "Not wearing the school uniform, violation of school rules, one demerit!"

Her clear, bright voice rang out decisively. Upon hearing this, the other guys behind him suddenly went completely silent.

A cicada on a tree began screeching its heart out. The dappled shadows of the trees swayed, speckles of light falling on Jiang Xuli’s shoulders.

And the tips of the young man’s ears visibly turned red.