Chapter 5 The Teasing Yandere Boy 5

Chapter 5: The Teasing Yandere Boy 5

He headed upstairs into the room, and Jiang Ran closed his book, asking, "Young Master, any orders?"

Qiao Ling pressed his lips together: "Put the book down and go get my food."

Jiang Ran gave a quick "okay" and headed straight downstairs.

Qiao Ling hopped in the shower, and by the time he came out, Jiang Ran had already transferred the dinner onto porcelain plates and set the table, waiting for him.

Jiang Ran was a bit frail, so Qiao Ling ordered dishes specifically for him.

There was meat, veggies, and soup—the works.

He scooped out a bowl of chicken soup with a drumstick and set it in front of Jiang Ran.

"Eat up. Look at you, all weak and frail—don't go passing out halfway on my bed later."

The system was speechless: "..."

Geez! His host really knew his stuff!

Jiang Ran just stared at Qiao Ling for a couple of seconds at that.

He genuinely wanted to see what a guy who could talk that much crap looked like.

Qiao Ling, after finishing his own big talk, felt a twinge of guilt under Jiang Ran's stare.

Had he been laying it on too thick?

Physically, he was totally fine!

He grabbed some veggies and put them on Jiang Ran's plate: "Eat up. Don't waste it."

With that, he finally dug into his own food.

The portions weren't big to begin with, and since both were really hungry, they polished everything off in no time.

Right as they finished dinner, Qiao Ling's phone rang—it was Jian Qingming.

Qiao Ling didn't hesitate and picked up: "Hey, Jian Qingming, calling people this late—you got no manners?"

Jiang Ran, who was washing the dishes, paused for a second when he heard that.

He kept his eyes down, pretending to focus on the dishes, but his ears were glued to Qiao Ling's voice.

Even though he hadn't been around Jian Qingming in years, his childhood memories were still crystal clear.

Jian Qingming, hearing how annoyed Qiao Ling sounded, was both surprised and confused.

He couldn't figure out why Qiao Ling had suddenly changed his tune—had Jiang Ran said something to him?

Jian Qingming had known Qiao Ling way longer than Jiang Ran had, and he refused to believe a few words from Jiang Ran could change how Qiao Ling felt about him.

"Xiao Ling, if you're mad at me, fine, but at least tell me why! If I did something wrong, I'll apologize, no questions asked."

Hearing that, a smirk tugged at the corner of Qiao Ling's mouth.

Back in the day, the original owner would've been thrilled to get a call from Jian Qingming—even at midnight, let alone at ten-something at night.

"No need to apologize. I just can't stand hearing your voice. I don't like hanging around liars, so I don't want to talk to you right now."

Just as Qiao Ling was about to hang up, Jian Qingming stopped him, quickly probing: "Xiao Ling, did Jiang Ran say something to you? Did he bring up... that we knew each other before?"

Qiao Ling smirked.

What was this? A guilty conscience spilling out on its own?

With that kind of brain, he dared to try and play him?

Qiao Ling let out a confused "Huh?" and said, playing dumb: "Wait, what? You and Jiang Ran knew each other before? Since when? I had no clue. Jian Qingming, I guess I really don't know you that well!"

Jian Qingming was stunned.

Jiang Ran hadn't said anything about their connection, so what was Qiao Ling even mad about?

While Jian Qingming was still reeling, a cold, clear voice came through the phone.

"Xiao Ling, we should get some sleep now."

Jian Qingming was shocked again—Qiao Ling was actually living with Jiang Ran?!

For all his holier-than-thou act, Jiang Ran was just another guy trying to latch onto Qiao Ling to get what he wanted!

"Qiao Ling, are you free? I want to talk to you in person."

A weird sense of danger crept into Jian Qingming's chest, like the fears he'd always imagined were actually coming true.

A wave of urgency hit him, desperate to stop it, but he had no clue that some things were already out of his hands.

Qiao Ling stretched lazily, his voice all soft and sleepy: "Sorry, I'm super tired and need to crash. But I'll be there on time for Uncle Jian's birthday."

And with that, Qiao Ling hung up.

When he turned around, Jiang Ran was standing right there. Qiao Ling asked, confused: "Didn't you say you were going to bed? Why aren't you upstairs yet?"

Jiang Ran pressed his lips together and headed upstairs.

The system, having caught Jiang Ran slipping up, was quietly snitching again: "Host, he called you 'Xiao Ling' just now. You gotta punish him."

Qiao Ling wanted to grab a hammer and smash the system to bits!

"System, you're way too petty!"

It was just a name—what's the big deal?

"Host, it's not me being petty—it's the original owner. If he heard Jiang Ran call him 'Xiao Ling,' he'd be livid."

Qiao Ling let out a helpless sigh: "And?"

The system: "Punish him, then!"

Qiao Ling followed Jiang Ran upstairs and then said flat out: "Jiang Ran, you're sleeping on the floor tonight."

Jiang Ran was caught off guard, but quickly figured out why the young master had suddenly flipped on him. He obediently answered, "Yes, got it."

Then he grabbed his pillow and set it on the floor.

Qiao Ling felt a pang of heartache seeing that he didn't even ask for a reason.

This damn system was way too evil!

After the lights were turned off, the room fell into complete darkness.

Qiao Ling felt bad just thinking about Jiang Ran sleeping on the floor.

Even though the weather wasn't that cold right now, he was still sleeping on the floor.

He had exams coming up—what if he got sick in the middle of it all and lost his scholarship?

The more Qiao Ling thought about it, the harder it was to fall asleep. He got up, grabbed his blanket, and laid it over Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran was already out cold, curled up on his side at the edge of the bed like a little puppy nobody loved.

Qiao Ling had to admit—it stung.

He crouched on the floor, hugging his knees, and gently reached out to brush the young man's cheek.

It was only a few months, anyway—it'd fly by.

Qiao Ling tucked the blanket around Jiang Ran snugly, then quietly pulled a notebook out of the drawer.

"Made Jiang Ran sleep on the floor today, and I nearly cried! Sorry, sorry, Jiang Ran!"

Qiao Ling put the notebook away and breathed a sigh of relief once he saw Jiang Ran was sound asleep.

He hugged his pillow and drifted off to sleep.

Only after the young master's breathing turned slow and even did the guy on the floor finally open his eyes.

He glanced up at the drawer, then coolly looked away.

The two resting here each had their own secrets, while over there, Jian Qingming—whose call had just been cut off—was already on the verge of losing it.

He thought about it for a long time—whether Qiao Ling was around or not, he honestly didn't care.

At this point, worrying about who Qiao Ling was close to would just be childish.

If he could, he'd just get rid of Jiang Ran outright—that was the most direct way.

One and done.

That way, he'd never have to worry about anyone finding out that secret, and he'd never have to fear someone stealing his spot as the young master of the Jian family again!