Chapter 14: Brother Zhu

Lin Xiyue’s mind went blank for three full seconds, then she began searching her memories for anything related to “Ran Zhu.”

At least in her previous life, although Lin Xi had heard of Ran Zhu, they’d barely interacted—practically strangers.

Ran Zhu was indeed a girl, but whether it was her clothes or her behavior, everything about her leaned “wild,” giving off a vibe somewhere between a little delinquent and a schoolyard troublemaker.

In this life, her gender had changed, so of course her social circle shifted too.
By some twist of fate, Lin Xiyue must have gotten to know Ran Zhu—and even become good friends with her.

On impulse, she sent Ran Zhu the address of Lin Entertainment.
Not long after, she heard the roar of a motorcycle from downstairs.

She turned off the office lights, locked the door, went down the stairs—and froze as soon as she stepped out of the company building.

Dressed in a denim jacket and ripped jeans, wearing a pair of flip-flops, hair cropped short, she looked androgynously handsome; the only thing revealing her gender was that beautiful face—equal parts delicate and striking.

Ran Zhu was straddling a motorcycle lined with blue neon lights, a rose held between her teeth, waving at Lin Xiyue.

“How is it? Isn’t your Brother Zhu handsome today?”

She took the rose out of her mouth and held it out to Lin Xiyue.

“Girl, your eyes never lie!”

With that act alone, the laughter Lin Xiyue had been desperately holding back finally exploded.
Forget all pretenses of ladylike behavior—she doubled over, hugging her stomach as she squatted on the ground, pointing at Ran Zhu.

“You’re way too greasy, Brother Zhu—!”

“Greasy? What greasy? This is what confidence looks like, okay?”

Ran Zhu clicked her tongue and awkwardly retrieved the rose from Lin Xiyue’s hand, then straightened up the motorcycle.

“Come on, hop on. We’re going to pick up Jin-nian.”

“But Jin-nian’s grounded… she probably can’t get out……”

At the mention of that, Lin Xiyue’s mood visibly sank.
Finally getting a chance for something romantic with Xia Jin-nian—and it was going to end like this?

“Who are you trying to scare? What era do you think this is? Jin-nian’s already grown—grounding her? Seriously?”

Ran Zhu immediately perked up.
A naturally rebellious soul like hers hated this kind of parental control the most.
She patted the back seat of the motorcycle.

“Just get on. It’s no big deal.”

“Oh…”

With no other choice, Lin Xiyue climbed onto the back seat, moving carefully—her delicate girl’s body felt inconvenient for everything.

But maybe because the Lin family young master in her previous life had also been the playful type, she felt an oddly natural sense of familiarity with Ran Zhu.

“Hold tight! Your Brother Zhu is about to hit the throttle—!”

“Eh?!”

Before Lin Xiyue could react, Ran Zhu twisted the handle.
The motorcycle shot forward like a launched missile, merging into traffic.

“Y-you—! Don’t drive so fast! It’s dangerous!!”

“Relax~ Trust your Brother Zhu’s driving skills.”

Ran Zhu clicked her tongue, and the glowing blue motorcycle sped down the road straight toward the docks, drawing stares from pedestrians.

“Whose kid is that? Driving that fast at night—does she not want her life?”

But Ran Zhu didn’t care in the slightest.
She didn’t even notice that the fragile girl behind her was already scared half to death.

“Xiyue, message Jin-nian. Tell her we’ll be right outside that big compound of hers. There’s a spot where the wall’s not that high—she can grab a stool and climb over. We’re all going to watch the meteor shower together tonight.”

“Huh? But……”

It took Lin Xiyue a moment to collect herself.
Compared to them, Xia Jin-nian was the textbook obedient girl.
In her home, Mother Xia’s word was absolute.

Which meant sneaking out like this would put a lot of pressure on Jin-nian—especially facing her mother’s wrath.

“Oh come on. Are you sending it or not? If you won’t, I will. Why’re you dawdling?”

Ran Zhu actually reached for her phone, fully prepared to text while driving.
Lin Xiyue nearly died of fright and lunged to stop her.

“I’ll send it! I’ll send it! Just—don’t move! Focus on driving! I’m still young, I don’t want to die—sob—”

She had finally been reborn, finally had a chance to change the future—if she died because of Ran Zhu’s joyride, wouldn’t that be the most pathetic joke?

So she sent Xia Jin-nian the full message Ran Zhu had dictated.
But Jin-nian didn’t reply.

Of course.
For Xia Jin-nian, sneaking out at night to play with friends—this really was too rebellious.

Soon, they reached the docks and stopped outside the shipyard workers’ dormitory compound.

The faint salty smell of sea breeze drifted by as they got off the bike and walked to the spot where Jin-nian’s house was just beyond the wall.

“Woof—! Woof woof woof—!”

Suddenly, Ran Zhu barked twice like a dog.
And she did it so realistically that Lin Xiyue’s mind blanked—she stared at Ran Zhu dumbfounded.

“Don’t laugh! It’s an agreed signal. If Jin-nian wants to come out, she’ll understand.”

Ran Zhu coughed, clearly aware she had damaged her own cool image, and pretended to casually pace back and forth.

A moment later, rustling sounds came from the other side of the wall.
Then a head peeked out—Xia Jin-nian.

“Who did those dog sounds? They were pretty good—pffft hahaha—!”

Lin Xiyue and Ran Zhu exchanged a glance.

Then, perfectly in sync, they both pointed at each other.

“She did it—”

Seeing their mutual betrayal, Xia Jin-nian burst into laughter.

But she clearly knew who the real culprit was.
Her own best friend would never do something this embarrassing—it had to be Ran Zhu.

“Come down, Jin-nian! I’ll catch you—!”

Probably afraid Mother Xia would appear, Lin Xiyue didn’t care to argue anymore.
She stood right under the wall and held her arms wide.

But she hadn’t fully thought it through—
With her current dainty girl’s body, there was no way she could catch Xia Jin-nian.

And Xia Jin-nian, not thinking much either, immediately leapt down to fall into her best friend’s arms.

One jumped.
One tried to catch.

By the time Ran Zhu tried to warn them, it was too late.

Thump!

Lin Xiyue was instantly tackled to the ground.

Thankfully, the outside of the wall was soft grass, and the wall wasn’t high, so neither of them were hurt.

But Lin Xiyue went absolutely still for a moment.

Because right now…
Xia Jin-nian was pressing her down, lying on top of her—?!