Chapter 13 The Teasing Yandere Boy 13

Chapter 13: The Teasing, Obsessive Young Master 13

Qiao Ling suddenly realized that being the center of everyone's affection wasn't all it was cracked up to be—having all eyes on him all the time was kind of a pain.

When Jiang Ran came home that evening, Qiao Ling noticed the young man's face looked a little pale, like he had no energy.

Qiao Ling shook his head helplessly and sighed.

See?

This is what happens to a kid who's been beaten down by the ocean of knowledge—worn out in both mind and body.

May heaven have no such suffering. Amen!!!

The system didn't think so: "The villain used to work three part-time jobs while studying and never looked this wiped out. Could he be in some kind of trouble?"

Hearing that, Qiao Ling got up, walked over, and asked straight up, "Jiang Ran, why are you so listless? Did someone bully you at school?"

After what happened last time, someone still had the guts to mess with Jiang Ran?

If he found out which bastard it was, they were dead meat!

Jiang Ran's pitch-black eyes were like an abyss that no light could reach. His face was calm, but it felt more like the calm before a storm—and it sent an inexplicable chill down Qiao Ling's spine.

"Jiang Ran, what's wrong?"

The young master asked without a care in the world, totally clueless that he was the reason Jiang Ran had ended up like this.

Jiang Ran dropped his schoolbag and slowly stepped toward Qiao Ling.

His lips were a deep red as he parted them softly: "Young Master..."

"Hm?" Qiao Ling noticed he was speaking hesitantly today. He was about to wait for him to continue when the young man suddenly reached out and pressed a hand firmly against the back of his head.

Qiao Ling's whole body was yanked toward him, his footing unsteady, and he could only lean on him to keep from falling.

The sudden closeness made Qiao Ling instantly catch a whiff of mint around his nose.

Then came a thin, cool pressure that was aggressively possessive.

Qiao Ling felt himself getting lost in it. Though he didn't know why Jiang Ran had snapped, this kind of move—

If he said he wanted to refuse, that would be doing his own conscience dirty.

By the floor-to-ceiling window, the young master, whose arm still hadn't healed, could only lean on him with effort.

Like he was clinging to Jiang Ran, and that seemed to please Jiang Ran directly.

Especially when he felt Qiao Ling respond to him, even just a little.

But after that, Jiang Ran only felt even more confused inside.

He realized he couldn't figure out what the young master was thinking.

Was he really just someone who could take him or leave him? Did he not mean even a tiny bit more than that?

When Qiao Ling was finally let go, he felt like the air around him had gotten thinner.

He looked at Jiang Ran with hazy eyes and asked, "Jiang Ran, who bullied you?"

Qiao Ling could tell he was in a terrible mood today—his lips were even chapped...

That wasn't the case when he left the house this morning.

Jiang Ran pressed his lips together and mumbled vaguely, "It's fine, I can handle it myself. Don't worry, Young Master."

Then he picked up his schoolbag and headed upstairs to do his homework.

Qiao Ling stared at his back, totally confused.

At that moment, the system, which had been facepalming for a while, suddenly put on a serious tone and spoke up: "Host, shouldn't you be scolding him for going too far?"

Qiao Ling frowned: "Jiang Ran's already upset enough. Can you stop making things worse?"

This damn system really loved watching the world burn.

Qiao Ling knew that while money could solve most problems, it couldn't solve everything, so now... he had no idea how to help Jiang Ran when he was feeling down.

System: "..."

"Hey! I told you that spoiling Jiang Ran would lead to him walking all over you. See, it happened just like I said!"

Qiao Ling snorted: "I! Don't! Care!"

System: "..."

It's a no-win situation, truly.

Even though Jiang Ran was in a bad mood, he didn't slack off on what needed to be done.

He went upstairs to read for a bit, then came down to make Qiao Ling a nutritious meal.

"You didn't eat lunch, so you should eat more tonight. Your injury hasn't healed yet, you need the nutrients."

Qiao Ling nodded at his reminder, but then couldn't help looking up and asking, "Hey, how did you know I didn't eat lunch?"

Jiang Ran's fingers paused, and he said flatly, "Because there were no dirty plates in the kitchen."

Hearing that, Qiao Ling couldn't help but laugh: "Didn't know you had me figured out that well."

He hated washing dishes, and since he wasn't hungry at noon and eating alone was boring, he just skipped it.

He was lazy, but he owned it!

After dinner that night,

Qiao Ling shooed Jiang Ran off to the study to do his homework.

This kind of life was a bit rough, but it wouldn't last much longer.

After all, the truth was already about to come out.

Qiao Ling took out his notebook out of habit.

"Jiang Ran seems really down lately, but what exactly is he upset about? It's seriously baffling."

He let out a soft sigh: "Should I ask him again?"

The system stayed quiet, choosing not to say anything at all...

The Next Day

Qiao Ling went to the hospital to visit the old director after Jiang Ran had left for school.

The old man had been recuperating well recently and was almost fully recovered.

Qiao Ling had arranged accommodation for him, right next to the community—if he was willing to do odd jobs occasionally to stay active, that would be a good thing.

The director looked at Qiao Ling and asked curiously, "Xiao Ling, has Xiao Ran been very busy lately?"

"Exams are coming up, so he's been burning the midnight oil!" Qiao Ling reassured him.

The old man chuckled and praised, "That kid's always been diligent since he was little—that's a good thing."

Then the director pulled out a photo from what appeared to be a worn, old-fashioned notebook.

"This is Xiao Ran when he first arrived at the orphanage. A stubborn-faced four or five-year-old—it took over two months before he gradually let his guard down around us."

Qiao Ling took the photo and glanced at it, and was taken aback.

Because it was summer, the child was only wearing a T-shirt, and a jade pendant hanging around his neck was clearly visible.

Qiao Ling asked, "Director Grandpa, are you sure this is Jiang Ran? It also looks a bit like Jian Qingming to me."

The director shook his head.

"That kid Xiao Qingming was well-behaved, nothing like Xiao Ran, who's been scowling since he was little. Besides, I wrote his name on the back of this photo after taking it. There weren't many kids at the orphanage—how could I get them mixed up?

Do you think I've gone senile?"

Qiao Ling laughed and buttered him up, "How could Director Grandpa be senile? Director Grandpa is sharp as a tack! Could I have this photo, Grandpa?"

The director hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Go ahead and take it! I originally kept this photo, waiting for Xiao Ran's parents to come find him, but so much time has passed, and even the orphanage is gone... I guess there's no hope left."

Qiao Ling didn't say much, just carefully stored the photo away.

Before going home, he had a small frame custom made, placed Jiang Ran's photo in it, and brought it back to set on the coffee table.

This photo was probably the most definitive proof of Jiang Ran's identity.

"Congratulations, everyone, on witnessing the birth of a madman!!!"