Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 78 Comparison Between Women (Long Chapter, Seeking First Subscription)

"Stop drawing now, you can do it after you finish eating."

"Right away."

She responded verbally, but Wen Yunwei, holding a pen, didn't even glance at the crew's boxed lunches.

Liu Changcun looked at the senior student who was completely absorbed in the activity, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say a few more words of advice.

Perhaps this is what it means to work so hard that you forget to eat and sleep?
They have such great enthusiasm for their work that they can even temporarily put aside something as important as eating.

It seems that my senior really loves designing jewelry.

Liu Changcun tore open the packaging of the disposable chopsticks, broke them apart, and rubbed the tips together to make sure there were no burrs before picking up a bite and putting it in his mouth.

She sat quietly to the side, watching Wen Yunwei's serious and focused expression.

With a thud, the heavy insulated box landed in front of him.

The noise not only attracted Liu Changcun's attention, but also made Wen Yunwei, who was focused on her design, stop.

The two looked to their sides, staring at the figure that had appeared out of nowhere.

An Zhaoran moved the insulated lunchbox away, her face chillingly cold.

He first glanced at Wen Yunwei, who was looking at him, then took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and slightly raised his face, focusing all his attention on Liu Changcun.

He curled his lip and said coldly.

"I even came all this way to bring you food, and I never expected this... Humph."

With a hidden meaning in her words, An Zhaoran carefully observed Liu Changcun's expression.

Try to find any signs of guilt.

Unexpectedly, after she finished speaking, the man in front of her did not respond hastily, but instead looked at her with a strange gaze.

After a while, he finally looked away and turned to look at Wen Yunwei on the other side.

He temporarily put down the boxed lunch he was holding and raised his hand to indicate that he was introducing the food.

"Senior, this is An Zhaoran, the daughter of the station director. She used to be in our high school, and she was in the same class as me."

"An Zhaoran? I remember her name!"

Holding a pen, Wen Yunwei sized up the woman who seemed to be sulking. After hearing Liu Changcun's introduction, memories of her student days suddenly flooded back.

Almost no one will remember the second place unless that person is always in second place.

And An Zhaoran, who happened to be standing right in front of me, perfectly fits this condition.

Wen Yunwei had heard of this name before and had seen the person a few times at the commendation ceremony.

However, An Zhaoran today seems to be somewhat different from her image during her student days.

Not only did she take off her glasses, but she also looked much more glamorous and attractive.

In layman's terms, Ahn So-ran has become beautiful.

She's not just beautiful in the ordinary sense.

He noticed that An Zhaoran had shifted her gaze from her junior to him, instead glancing at him sideways.

Wen Yunwei also put down her paintbrush, stood up, and extended her palm towards the other person.

"Hello, we used to be alumni."

After a pause, Wen Yunwei glanced at Liu Changcun beside her and then added.

"I'm one year older than you."

"..."

An Zhaoran kept his arms crossed, but his gaze lingered on the face of the woman who claimed to be an alumnus.

Looking at the other person's appearance, which was slightly inferior to her own, and seeing the other person extend their hand towards her, she reluctantly lowered her arms.

He extended his hand and shook hands with the other person.

As soon as she let go, Wen Yunwei turned around and took the drawing paper and pen, along with the lunchbox her junior had brought her.

He held his hands up, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, paused for a moment, and then spoke.

"I'll get back to work now. I'll give you a list of materials once I'm done drawing."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

"No, it's just what I should do."

With a smile, Wen Yunwei bid farewell to An Zhaoran before leaving, and then jogged away.

He ran and swayed as he went, right in front of An Zhaoran.

It was so striking that An Zhaoran, who was originally observing the other person's appearance, unconsciously lowered her gaze.

It would have been fine if she hadn't noticed, but when she realized that she had won in terms of looks, her relaxed expression immediately changed again.

Like two big, water-filled balloons, they were bouncy and swayed rhythmically as they ran away.

In an instant, the video footage I had seen in my father's study suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

She clearly remembered that the woman in that video... also had a pair of such large balloons.

Does such a thing really exist in reality?

Watching Wen Yunwei leave, and seeing her figure disappear into the distance, Liu Changcun finally turned his attention to An Zhaoran, who was standing silently beside him, looking surprised.

Seeing that the other person looked terrified, and that their face was getting redder and redder, even their ears turned bright red.

Feeling surprised, he couldn't help but ask.

"What are you thinking about? Your face is as red as a boiling teapot."

Seeing An Zhaoran looking at him, Liu Changcun couldn't help but tease her.

"Are you feeling discouraged because others are developing better than you?"

"You're the one who's taken a hit!"

An Zhaoran immediately retorted.

The video images lingered in my mind, coupled with the scale of what I had just witnessed that also existed in reality.

She was indeed very upset by the blow, and even when she looked at Liu Changcun, who was talking to her, she couldn't help but imagine herself in the video.

The thought of that lewd man in the video holding onto the object and refusing to let go made An Zhaoran feel increasingly depressed.

Do men really like that kind of thing?
If that's really the case, isn't that a bit too superficial?

He glanced down at his own.

My straight back unconsciously bent a little.

"Okay, okay, enough joking. Your aunt asked you to bring me food again."

Liu Changcun stopped joking and instead focused his attention on the insulated lunchbox the other person had brought.

I skillfully opened it and removed it layer by layer.

The meals were still plentiful, and soup was even made today.

The boxed lunch from the film crew beside him suddenly lost its appeal. Compared to the lunch prepared by An Zhaoran's mother, the film crew's boxed lunch clearly couldn't attract any interest from him.

"It's still so plentiful, there's too much. You should have some too."

"Oh……"

An Zhaoran responded and, with a slight bend in her back, sat down in the seat that Wen Yunwei had just occupied.

She took the rice Liu Changcun pushed towards her, picked up her chopsticks, and stared blankly with her head down.

Although a sumptuous meal prepared by her mother was laid out in front of her, she had no desire to taste it at all.

He held the chopsticks but hesitated to use them.

Liu Changcun didn't stand on ceremony and ate the boxed lunch from the film crew.

After observing An Zhaoran for a while and seeing that the other party had not touched his chopsticks, he finally spoke after swallowing the food in his mouth.

"The production team needed a fashion consultant, and my senior was a perfect fit, so I invited her to come and work part-time."

"..."

"You have absolutely no recollection of her?"

"No……"

Shaking her head, An Zhaoran responded in a soft voice.

During her school years, all she could think about was how to surpass Liu Changcun in academic performance. Apart from occasionally exchanging ideas with a few classmates, she devoted all her energy to studying.

Although she knew that Wen Yunwei was her and Liu Changcun's senior, An Zhaoran had no memory of her.

The same school, the same high school.

The only deep impression Wen Yunwei left on him was probably the scene he saw just before parting.

Thinking of this, An Zhaoran's already hunched back became even more stooped.

He shifted his gaze from the dishes laid out in front of him and instead asked a question.

"Liu Changcun... are you the kind of shallow man...?"

"Huh? What does that mean."

"that is……"

After much thought, An Zhaoran still couldn't find a suitable explanation.

He opened his mouth and uttered a few sounds, but the sounds coming out of his mouth could not form a complete sentence at all.

Seeing the questioning look Liu Changcun gave him, his already flushed face looked even more like he had just come out of a sauna.

Not only do I feel very hot, but my head is also spinning.

He resignedly raised the hand holding the chopsticks, picked up a bite, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"It's alright, let's eat!" "..."

Looking at An Zhaoran eating in front of him, he saw that she was eating even more wildly than usual.

It seemed she was filling her mouth with food to relieve her pent-up frustration.

----------

The door opened, and Liu Wanqiu walked out of the room yawning.

I walked towards the bathroom, but the door was closed. I closed my eyes and dozed off at the door for a while.

In mid-July, the primary and secondary schools of No. 16 had already started their summer vacation.

She stayed up late last night, watching the TV series her father had filmed.

Liu Wanqiu, who is still in elementary school, doesn't really like TV dramas set in modern cities. So much so that although she watched the whole thing on TV yesterday, she didn't remember any of the plot.

As if completing a task, I immediately turned off the TV and ran back to my room to sleep after the first episode ended.

She slept until noon, and if her stomach hadn't been so empty, she probably could have slept a little longer.

With her eyes half-closed, Liu Wanqiu, who was standing guard at the bathroom door, nodded her head from time to time.

After waiting for a long time and seeing that the door was still closed, he raised his hand and knocked, urging the door to open.

"Brother, hurry up, I need to wash up!"

"Wait a bit, someone is using it."

Liu Songyan's voice came from the dining table behind her. Upon hearing it, Liu Wanqiu simply said "oh," then rubbed her eyes and yawned.

As soon as the sound of the toilet flushing came from the bathroom, the door was opened and the person inside finally came out. Liu Wanqiu, who had been waiting for a long time, raised her hand as if in revenge.

Turn around and punch the other person in the butt.

"Yeah~!"

The girl's scream rang out, and Liu Wanqiu, who had successfully launched a sneak attack, hurriedly darted into the bathroom.

In Liu Wanqiu's eyes, who was not yet fully awake, her brother was deliberately stalling for time so that she would wait a little longer at the door.

The siblings, who are only three years apart in age, always bicker and fight at home.

Liu Songyan, as the older brother, would occasionally tease his sister. Whenever he angered her, he would only defend himself and never retaliate.

The bathroom door slammed shut.

Shen Ruzhi, who had just come out, stared wide-eyed, the pain in her buttocks making her gasp.

Looking towards the bathroom, I listened to the sound of running water coming from inside...

How could that petite girl throw such a powerful punch?
It hurts……

Shen Ruzhi looked away from the bathroom and instead looked at the boy sitting at the dining table with surprise.

Looking at Liu Songyan's face, which was also turned towards him, he spoke in disbelief.

Why did your sister suddenly hit me?

"Maybe he's still half asleep, his head is still foggy."

"She's so strong..."

Hearing the class monitor's puzzled murmur, Liu Songyan's lips curled up.

Even he, as the older brother, had to give way to his younger sister Liu Wanqiu's punches.

Shen Ruzhi actually took the hit head-on.

Looks like she's in for a rough time.

Just as Liu Songyan had predicted, Shen Ruzhi, who was still gently rubbing to relieve her pain, saw that the other party was no longer paying attention to her, so she went to the dining table instead.

I pulled out the chair to sit down, but the unbearable pain in my buttocks caused the chair to be pushed back in.

I simply stood to the side and continued to gently massage.

"..."

Hidden beneath his thick bangs, Liu Songyan glanced sideways at Shen Ruzhi standing beside him, staring at her rounded figure encased in light blue jeans.

As his deskmate, this was the first time he had ever observed something so closely.

Perhaps it was because the jeans were too tight, but the parts covered by the fabric were particularly noticeable.

Accompanied by the constant, gentle rubbing motion due to the pain.

It's like a lump of dough that's awakening.

With a slight blush, Liu Songyan looked away, listening to Shen Ruzhi's soft breathing beside him.

Before he could speak, the bathroom door, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened again.

Liu Wanqiu's head popped out, a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, and water from washing her face still lingered on her skin.

Staring with big, round eyes, she stared straight at the dining table.

Looking at my brother sitting there, and the woman I saw selling things at the square last time.

"Why did your brother bring one home too?"

As Liu Wanqiu spoke, she pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth, and a little toothpaste foam sprayed out.

Upon seeing this, Liu Songyan, the older brother, frowned, but his bangs covered the upper half of his face, so no one could notice his expression at that moment.

"Rinse your mouth before you speak, or you'll splash it everywhere."

"Sister, I'm sorry, I thought it was brother..."

Liu Wanqiu, clutching her toothbrush, apologized guiltily, while Shen Ruzhi, who was still gently rubbing her sore spot, immediately pretended that nothing had happened.

"It's okay, go rinse your mouth first."

"Uh-huh."

He nodded emphatically, then withdrew his head from the bathroom again, the sound of the faucet being turned on echoing back into the living room.

Seeing Liu Wanqiu go to rinse her mouth, Shen Ruzhi, who had just been pretending to be calm, instantly lost her composure.

A small fist, but surprisingly powerful.

Even after all this time, the pain shows no signs of abating.

"are you OK?"

"I'm feeling a little better..."

Responding in a low voice, Shen Ruzhi suddenly recalled the conflict she had with Liu Songyan in class.

She remembered that the other party had said something like, "You're not even as strong as his sister's fist." She had thought that was something Liu Songyan used to humiliate her, but now it seemed... the other party wasn't lying.

The girl, who looked to be just an elementary school student, was indeed stronger than her, a middle school student.

Upon hearing the class monitor's reply, Liu Songyan stood up from his seat.

Since her father instructed her to get along well with the other person, she should keep her promise to her father.

Looking at Shen Ruzhi, whose face was contorted in pain, Liu Songyan asked.

"What would you like to eat for lunch? Noodles or rice?"

"Rice, please..."

"Okay, you stay at my house, I'll go out and buy it."

"Why don't you make it at home? Buying it outside costs money."

"..."

Sometimes, Liu Songyan really felt that the class monitor in front of him, named Shen Ruzhi, was a bit dim-witted.

When she first arrived at my house, she was spouting nonsense, saying things like she wanted to match her father and mother together. That was one thing, but now she's asking such a stupid question.

There were still some ingredients that their father had bought at home, but the problem was that neither 14-year-old Liu Songyan nor 11-year-old Liu Wanqiu knew how to cook.

Looking at the girl who was almost as tall as him, Liu Songyan remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"You don't have to pay for it, I'll buy it for you."

"That costs money too. Uncle Liu works very hard to earn money, so let's save some money where we can."

"Then you do it?"

Liu Songyan didn't want to continue arguing with the other party, so he chose to simply pass the question back to them.

I thought Shen Ruzhi would look uncomfortable after hearing this.

To everyone's surprise, the other party acted as if nothing had happened, paused for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"Sure, I'll do it."

"..."

Is she... serious?
Looking the other person up and down, Liu Songyan didn't believe for a second that the other person could cook.

After a long silence, he sat back down, now convinced that the other person was just putting on a brave face.

"The kitchen is over there, so you can do whatever you want."

Do either of you have any dietary restrictions?

"No."

"Then I'll go and start cooking the rice."

After saying the last sentence, Shen Ruzhi walked towards the kitchen.

Liu Songyan was left alone at the dining table.

Watching the figure disappear into the kitchen, Liu Songyan just wanted to quietly watch the other person's performance.

He wanted to see what kind of delicious food the confident Shen Ruzhi could actually make.

(End of this chapter)