The slight physical strength Bai Tiantian possessed amounted to absolutely nothing against Jiang Ran.

With a swift flick of her wrist, Jiang Ran effortlessly pried Bai Tiantian’s hands away from her throat. “You honestly think you have what it takes to take me down with you? You’re not even in my league.”

“Tiantian, calm down,” Lin Xi sighed, her mind thoroughly exhausted as she stepped back into the fray to separate the two. “Both of you need to speak properly and stop throwing tantrums.”

“Ranran,” Lin Xi turned her gaze toward Jiang Ran, whose reaction had been entirely over the top. She raised a hand to press against her forehead, then cupped her cheek. “Did you drink way too much?”

Jiang Ran wrapped her arms tightly around Lin Xi, burying her face into her shoulder. “Xi’xi, I regret it so much. I should have packed you up and taken you with me the last time I saw you. If I had, you wouldn’t have been abducted by these absolute scoundrels.”

Lin Xi understood perfectly that Jiang Ran was simply acting out of an intense, protective instinct over her. In her eyes, neither Song Chen nor Song Xu was remotely acceptable; only a true, protective best friend would harbor the absolute conviction that no man on earth was worthy of her.

“Ranran,” Lin Xi murmured, gently patting her back. “In reality, Brother Chen and Song Xu are actually quite wonderful.”

“A massive amount of crises hit my life over the past two months. Song Xu stepped up and provided an incredible amount of leverage to pull me through. Honestly, if it weren’t for his intervention, I might not even be standing here to see you today.”

“Xi’xi, why on earth didn’t you reach out to me?” Jiang Ran asked, her heart aching with intense guilt. “I explicitly told you I would solve any problem for you.”

“You were trapped in a closed military training facility,” Lin Xi smiled softly, loosening her embrace around Jiang Ran. “I had absolutely no way of contacting you, and more importantly, I strictly didn’t want to drag you into my messy complications.”

“For that matter, that incredibly expensive designer bag you gifted me last time—I haven’t even dared to carry it outside, terrified I might scuff it,” Lin Xi noted, suddenly remembering the luxury import Jiang Ran had brought back from her travels. “I should probably return it to you.”

“If you don’t like it, throw it straight into the trash,” Jiang Ran grumbled, thoroughly displeased. “You can wear the clothes Song Xu purchases for you without a second thought, so why on earth can’t you carry a bag I gifted you? Are you deliberately looking down on me?”

“No, not at all! I’ve never harbored a single thought like that, you absolutely cannot slander me,” Lin Xi denied frantically.

“Then you keep it locked in your closet. From now on, whatever I buy for you, you are explicitly required to accept,” Jiang Ran commanded with absolute dominance.

“It’s not like I can just accept literally anything,” Lin Xi mumbled under her breath. “For instance… men.”

Jiang Ran burst into a sudden, booming laugh, the boiling rage in her chest instantly dissipating. “Even if you want to accept a collection of them, there’s absolutely no issue. Let’s see who possesses the courage to block you.”

Standing adjacent to them, Song Xu’s face had completely darkened to the color of a burnt pot. If Lin Xi weren’t standing directly between them, he would have launched forward to give this person named Jiang Ran a severe thrashing, completely disregarding whether she was a woman or not.

Right at that moment, Jiang Ran’s smartphone began to blare sharply from her trousers pocket. Pulling it out, her eyes caught the caller ID flashing across the glass, and her posture stiffened instantly. She rapidly swiped to connect the call. “Brother, what’s up?”

“Where the hell are you?” Zhou Jingming demanded from the other end.

“Just having dinner over at a friend’s place,” Jiang Ran replied, her tone instantly shifting into one of careful compliance.

“Get your ass home,” Zhou Jingming ordered, his voice leaving zero room for negotiation. “Do you have any idea how long Mom has been sitting in the living room waiting for you? You finally manage a trip back home and the first thing you do is sprint out the door.”

“Got it, I’ll head back right away.” Jiang Ran didn’t dare mount a single syllable of resistance.

Hanging up, she cast a reluctant gaze toward Lin Xi, wrapping her in a tight embrace. “Xi’xi, I have to head back to the estate. I’ll track you down again another day.”

“But you’ve consumed a massive amount of alcohol, you absolutely cannot operate a vehicle,” Lin Xi noted anxiously. She cast a suggestive glance toward Song Xu, hoping he might step forward to chauffeuring Jiang Ran back.

Song Xu smoothly averted his gaze, completely ignoring the hint. He wouldn’t drive her if his life depended on it. Jiang Ran thinks she’s so incredibly capable; is it even possible she can’t find her own way home?

“Don’t worry about it, my brother is coming to retrieve me personally,” Jiang Ran assured her, having already transmitted her live GPS coordinates to her sibling a moment ago.

“In that case, I’ll escort you down to the curb.” Lin Xi smoothly hooked her arm back through Jiang Ran’s.

Jiang Ran glanced over at Bai Tiantian, who was still standing to the side like an inflated balloon swelling with silent fury. “Are you coming downstairs to see me off? You might want to catch a glimpse of my brother; you two haven’t crossed paths in years either.”

The moment the offer left Jiang Ran’s mouth, Bai Tiantian looked like a balloon that had been brutally punctured, her entire explosive rage deflating in an instant. Her inner thoughts plunged into a chaotic tangle; while she no longer harbored a shred of romantic infatuation toward Big Brother Zhou, she still felt a distinct desire to see how he was doing.

She edged closer to Song Chen, grabbing his hand and locking her fingers tightly through his in a firm, ten-finger clasp. “Professor Song, will you accompany me downstairs, please?”

Song Chen attempted to shake her hand off, but their fingers were intertwined so securely that the physical adhesion was entirely too strong to break. “I have absolutely zero appreciation for him. Why on earth should I head down to meet him?”

“I don’t harbor any appreciation for him anymore either,” Bai Tiantian purred, rubbing her head affectionately against Song Chen’s shoulder. “Right now, my entire heart belongs strictly to you.”

Jiang Ran let out a theatrical dry heave. “Bai Tiantian, you are honestly sickening to the core.”

Ignoring her antics, Jiang Ran pulled Lin Xi straight toward the elevator.

Song Xu followed tightly on their heels. Jiang Ran was finally clearing out of his domain, but he remained thoroughly terrified she might somehow charm Lin Xi into leaving with her.

Bai Tiantian used her entire body weight to drag Song Chen along down the corridor. In truth, Song Chen himself harbored a mild curiosity; he wanted to evaluate exactly what kind of man his fiancée had been intensely infatuated with for six long years.

—

The group didn’t have to wait long at the curb before a sleek, obsidian-black Rolls-Royce Cullinan glided smoothly to a halt directly in front of them.

Noticing the substantial crowd gathered on the pavement, Zhou Jingming pushed open the driver’s door and stepped out, striding over to face them.

“Brother,” Jiang Ran said, pulling Lin Xi forward a step. “This is the exact Lin Xi I’m constantly raving to you about.”

Zhou Jingming was incredibly well-versed with Lin Xi’s name, though this marked their absolute first face-to-face encounter. The moment his gaze centered on Lin Xi’s features, his brow twitched imperceptibly. “Hello. Ranran truly speaks of you non-stop.”

“Hello, Big Brother Jiang,” Lin Xi greeted him with absolute politeness.

Standing beside her, Jiang Ran burst into a muffled chuckle. “Xi’xi, my brother’s surname is actually Zhou. I took our mother’s maiden name, so the two of us don’t share the same surname.”

A flash of intense embarrassment colored Lin Xi’s face. “I am so incredibly sorry… Big Brother Zhou.”

“Think nothing of it,” Zhou Jingming replied, his tone exceptionally warm and gentle. “Throughout the three years of high school, I am profoundly grateful for the immense care you directed toward Ranran. I’ve consistently desired to express my gratitude to you face-to-face, but unfortunately, the proper opportunity never materialized.”

“Big Brother Zhou is being entirely too modest,” Lin Xi noted, offering a warm glance toward Jiang Ran. “In reality, Ranran was the one who consistently shielded and took care of me.”

Zhou Jingming offered a faint smile. His analytical gaze swept smoothly across the rest of the group, ultimately locking onto Bai Tiantian. “Tiantian?”

“Jingming-Ge! You actually managed to recognize me after all this time?” Bai Tiantian beamed, waving an enthusiastic hand toward him. “I’ve finally crossed paths with you again.”

“It has been a long time,” Zhou Jingming smiled warmly. “What brings you to Jiangbei?”

“It’s an incredibly long story, but I can easily summarize it for you,” Bai Tiantian giggled mischievously. “Xi’xi and I happen to be university classmates and incredible friends. Jiang Ran came over to track down Xi’xi, which accidentally triggered this beautiful reunion between us.”

“Oh, right, I haven’t officially introduced you yet,” Bai Tiantian added, deliberately resting her head against Song Chen’s broad shoulder. “His name is Song Chen. He’s my university professor, and he’s also the exact man I’ve set my sights on. I’m right on the verge of successfully locking him down.”

Zhou Jingming glanced down at their tightly intertwined fingers, raising a cynical eyebrow. “Looking at this grip, hasn’t he been successfully locked down already?”

Song Chen offered a stiff, formal nod toward Zhou Jingming. “President Zhou. I have heard of your immense reputation for a long time.”

Zhou Jingming chuckled softly, his gaze calculating as it bounced from Song Chen over to Song Xu. “Today is truly a rare privilege—managing to cross paths with both of the formidable Song brothers simultaneously.”

Song Xu stepped up directly to Lin Xi’s side, extending a firm right hand across the space. “Hello. I am Lin Xi’s boyfriend, Song Xu.”

Zhou Jingming reached out, locking his grip with Song Xu’s in a solid handshake. “Hello. Zhou Jingming, Jiang Ran’s biological older brother.”

The three businessmen smoothly exchanged their premium corporate name cards.

Zhou Jingming was a rising commercial titan who had aggressively expanded his empire through the internet sector over recent years. No wonder Jiang Ran’s financial spending is so incredibly lavish, Lin Xi realized. It turned out she possessed a literal commercial prodigy for an older brother.

Without further delay, Zhou Jingming ushered Jiang Ran into the luxury SUV and accelerated away from the curb.

—

Bai Tiantian remained rooted to the pavement for an extended period, her eyes tracking the distant silhouette of the Cullinan until it vanished completely beyond the horizon.

“Haven’t you stared enough?” Song Chen’s icy, razor-sharp voice rang out from directly beside her. “Do you require me to summon a taxi so you can actively pursue his exhaust fumes?”

Bai Tiantian smoothly pivoted her head to look up at Song Chen’s rigid profile. “Chen’chen, you’re jealous, aren’t you?”