Chapter 262 - 140: Su Ran: Both Are My Girlfriends

Chapter 262: Chapter 140: Su Ran: Both Are My Girlfriends

"Hey, over here..."

Zhou Bailin pulled Su Ran aside. "Cousin, isn’t your girlfriend Liu Jinyu? How come it’s Xiao Wanqing now?"

Su Ran glanced at Xiao Wanqing through the car window, then turned back and muttered something to his cousin. Xiao Wanqing looked completely bewildered. ’I’m sure these two are talking about me. It’s so annoying!’

Su Ran said, "They’re both my girlfriends!"

"You..." Zhou Bailin leaned back in mock surprise. Looking at the shameless Su Ran, he laughed and gave him a light punch. "You’re really something else, you smooth devil. You got both of them? Not bad! The men from our family are all top-tier. I conquered the Shanghai Music Academy, and you conquered the Shanghai Dance Academy. We’ll start from our respective academies and eventually join forces at Fudan University. How awesome would that be?"

Su Ran: ’????’

Zhou Bailin was a total player, always breaking some girl’s heart. He was the type who couldn’t seem to live without a woman by his side.

"So you’ve conquered all of the Four Young Actresses?"

"What are you talking about, cousin?"

"Alright, alright. I won’t say another word."

"How’ve you been? The dark circles under your eyes are getting worse. You should take care of yourself."

"There’s nothing wrong with my health. Lately, I’ve been hanging out with a few girls from the Music Academy. Let me tell you, those girls... their bodies are unreal. Curvy in all the right places, and so... receptive..."

He immediately launched into a stream of sleazy remarks.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or not!" Xiao Wanqing pushed open the car door and yelled. "Zhou Bailin, it’s bad enough that you’re a player. Don’t go corrupting my Su Ran."

Zhou Bailin just smiled and waved Su Ran into the car so they could head home.

「On the road.」

Zhou Bailin’s phone was buzzing nonstop. One moment it was a call, the next a WeChat message. He was busy placating his girls one by one.

"Babe, I’m not free for lunch. How about tonight? T-Tonight I’ll take you to a movie."

"Ah, Lily! I was just about to call you, and here you are. We must be psychically connected." ℯℯ𝑙.

"Liuliu, I miss you too. Tonight? I can’t tonight, I have some important business to take care of. I’ll treat you to dinner tomorrow night instead."

He was a very busy man.

Listening to all this player-speak—every single call was about a date at night—Xiao Wanqing was left speechless. She turned to Su Ran. "Su Ran, don’t you dare learn from your cousin. He’s a player, but you can’t be one, understand?"

Su Ran said, "Don’t worry. I could never pull off that whole player act anyway."

Xiao Wanqing nodded. "Mm, that’s why you’re the best."

Zhou Bailin chimed in, "Oh yeah... your Su Ran is the best, the most devoted."

Xiao Wanqing said, "Of course he is."

...

They drove back to the old family house. The moment they stepped into the courtyard, Zhou Bailin shouted, "Mom, Dad, Su Ran brought his girlfriend over!" With that, he wandered off to the side to make another phone call.

His uncle and aunt came out of the house and saw Su Ran standing there with a beautiful young woman.

"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie. My name is Xiao Wanqing."

"So pretty," his aunt said, sizing up the young beauty. "You’re truly a knockout. Just gorgeous."

"You’re too kind, Auntie."

"From your accent, you sound like you’re from Shanghai?"

"Yes, I’m a Shanghainese."

"Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m from Shanghai, too."

The aunt gave her husband a look, and the uncle quickly pulled out a thick red envelope and handed it to Xiao Wanqing.

"Here, Wanqing. Please take it. It’s just a little something."

"Oh, Uncle, I couldn’t possibly."

"Just take it."

"Alright, then."

Xiao Wanqing accepted the red envelope, her heart fluttering with delight. ’Is this... a sign of their approval?’

Watching this from the sidelines, Zhou Bailin, still on the phone, had to stifle a laugh. ’Dad, Su Ran’s going to be bringing them home one after the other. Let’s see if that empties out your secret stash of cash.’

"Wanqing, come, let’s go sit over there." Taking a clear liking to her, the aunt took Xiao Wanqing by the hand and led her to a small table in the courtyard, where they sat down to chat and eat melon seeds.

The aunt’s fondness for Su Ran stemmed from a previous incident where he had managed to pinpoint the exact location of a place based on a single photograph. When her family went to check, they found the place was real. The more she thought about it, the more unnerved she was by his intelligence; Su Ran was simply too clever. If not for him, her father’s dying wish might never have been fulfilled. Because of that, she had naturally come to treat Su Ran as her own son.

While the women chatted and Zhou Bailin talked on the phone, Su Ran and his uncle also made conversation as they headed to the kitchen to help Stephen Chow.

For family gatherings, the old man always loved to cook himself. He was the Food God, after all, and cooking was his greatest strength.

Su Ran also frequently video-chatted with Stephen Chow to ask for cooking tips.

「Lunchtime.」

A spread of dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted divine was brought to the table. The presentation was exquisite, complete with garnishes all hand-carved by Stephen Chow.

Xiao Wanqing said, "Grandpa Zhou, you’re incredible! You truly live up to your name as the Food God."

"Incredible is one word for it, but this tofu..." Zhou Bailin, the resident party pooper, leaned in and sniffed the reclining Buddha carved from a block of tofu. "It’s gone bad."

Stephen Chow shot him a glare. "I carved it last night. Of course it stinks. Eat if you want to eat. If you don’t, go order takeout." He couldn’t be bothered with his grandson and turned with a warm smile to Xiao Wanqing. "Wanqing, if you like my cooking, feel free to come over anytime. I’ll cook for you."

"Mm-hmm," Xiao Wanqing nodded sweetly.

The lunch proceeded in a pleasant, harmonious atmosphere. Xiao Wanqing, however, was filled with regret. ’I have to act like a proper lady, so I can’t eat too much.’ It was her first time visiting, so she had to be restrained. She could only stare helplessly at all the delicious food, not daring to go back for seconds.

Luckily, Su Ran was very thoughtful. Throughout the meal, he kept asking his grandpa for the recipes. The old man was more than happy to deconstruct his culinary creations, never holding anything back. He knew that even if he gave the recipe to the whole world, it was unlikely anyone could perfectly replicate his flavors.

Su Ran wasn’t a professional chef, so of course his cooking couldn’t match the old man’s mastery of presentation, aroma, and flavor, but he was still quite good.

Xiao Wanqing loved this about him. Even though she couldn’t eat her fill here, Su Ran would remember how to make the dishes and cook them for her when they got home.