Seriously, sir? You can even pursue a professor?

"Your face is so red, like a monkey's bottom."

Tang Zheng looked at Lin Luoxi's face and said in a serious tone.

Lin Luoxi's face immediately turned even redder, and even slightly darkened.

"Tsk, this kid's got some nerve. He made that girl blush so much with just a few words. I wonder what he said?"

In the bedroom not far away, Tang Rui, with her bottom sticking out, secretly observed the situation in the living room through the crack in the door, her face showing the excitement of watching a melon.

"You're bad!" Lin Luoxi blurted out in embarrassment and annoyance, her voice trailing off softly, her tone clearly carrying a hint of coquetry.

Almost the instant the words left his mouth, Tang Zheng felt a tingling sensation run down his spine, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

"Take the chicken soup back with you. The doctor said I can only eat light food for a week and can't eat anything too nourishing." Tang Zheng moved to the side of the sofa, putting some distance between himself and Lin Luoxi.

The word "you're bad" he had just heard made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

The blush on Lin Luoxi's face faded a little, and she said softly, "Then... let my sister drink it."

"Sister? What sister?" Tang Zheng feigned confusion, raising an eyebrow.

"It's... your sister." Lin Luoxi lowered her eyelashes, her nose trembled slightly, and she looked a little shy.

Tang Zheng glanced at her. "She's on a diet lately and doesn't eat any meat."

"Then let your uncle and aunt drink it."

"The elderly couple went on vacation and won't be back until next month."

Lin Luoxi looked up at Tang Zheng, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "I...did I do something to upset you?"

"no."

"Then... I feel like you're a little different." Her gaze was timid, carrying a hint of confusion and grievance.

"Maybe he was in a car accident and hit his head so hard it opened up," Tang Zheng said casually.

Lin Luoxi glanced at Tang Zheng but didn't say anything more.

"Is there anything I can help you with today?"

"It's nothing, I just heard from Zhao Yihang that you were injured, so I came to see you."

"Really nothing else?" Tang Zheng glanced at her. "You seem to have something on your mind."

Lin Luoxi pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, "Um... could you lend me five hundred yuan?"

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Xiao Gang needs to pay for his tutoring classes..."

"I see." Tang Zheng nodded, his mind filled with the image of Lin Luoxi's good-for-nothing younger brother—always ranking last in exams and always causing trouble; he had cleaned up his messes countless times in the past.

"My parents aren't home, and I don't have much money right now. Here's what I'll do: I'll go find a part-time job this afternoon. Wait a few days, and I'll give you the money."

"No need, no need. You should focus on recovering. I'll figure something out myself."

"Hmm," Tang Zheng responded, without saying anything more.

A silence fell over the room.

A few seconds later, as if she suddenly remembered something, her eyes lit up again. She looked towards the bedroom and said in a very low voice, "Why don't you borrow from my sister first? I'll pay her back as soon as I have the money."

Tang Rui, who was watching the drama unfold, was startled and quietly closed the door.

This girl has a very keen sense of things.

"She has to pay off her credit card bills as soon as she gets her salary every month, so it's good enough if she doesn't ask me for money."

"Okay... alright."

Silence fell again. Tang Zheng yawned at the opportune moment, raised his hand to rub his sore eyes, and said with a hint of weariness in his voice, "Sigh, my chest hurt terribly last night, and I didn't sleep much."

"Then you should get some rest. I'll head back now." Lin Luoxi stood up.

"It's okay, let's stay a little longer."

"No, don't disturb your rest."

"Take this chicken soup back with you," Tang Zheng said. "Xiao Gang is still growing, so this is a good way to nourish him."

Lin Luoxi glanced at the insulated lunchbox on the coffee table. "Okay."

"I'm injured, so I won't see you off."

"Hmm." Lin Luoxi glanced at Tang Zheng, picked up the insulated lunchbox, and turned to leave.

No sooner had Lin Luoxi left than the bedroom door was quietly pushed open a crack once more. A pair of eyes swept halfway around the living room, and then the door was pulled open, and a head peeked out, searching around the living room again.

"Where is she? Did she leave?" Tang Rui came to the sofa and asked Tang Zheng, her expression somewhat displeased, like a monkey who hadn't gotten any melon.

"Otherwise, are we going to save it for dinner?" Tang Zheng glanced at his older sister and replied casually.

"Hey kid, what's with that tone?" Tang Rui said, plopping down next to Tang Zheng. "Tell me honestly, what's your relationship with that girl?"

"Classmate relationship".

"Classmate? Your classmate specially made soup to come see you?"

"She's actually my enemy; she brought the chicken soup to poison me."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Tang Rui reached out to tickle Tang Zheng's sole. "If you don't tell the truth, you'll face the family rules!"

Tang Zheng quickly pulled his foot back to avoid it, shouting, "Stop! I'm injured now!"

"I'm going to teach you a lesson, you wounded soldier!" Tang Rui grabbed her brother's soles again.

"Aunt Ruan!" Tang Zheng dodged the attack and shouted towards the bedroom.

A tall and beautiful figure appeared at the bedroom door.

"Help me! Aunt Ruan!" Tang Zheng waved to Ruan Hongzhuang as if he had seen a savior.

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at it, turned around, and walked straight towards the restroom.

Tang Zheng stretched out his hand and gave Ruan Hongzhuang the middle finger as she looked at her slender back.

"Not bad, young man, you dare to give your Aunt Ruan the middle finger." Tang Rui chuckled when she saw this.

Ruan Hongzhuang stopped at the bathroom door and turned to look at Tang Zheng.

"Aunt Ruan, you look so beautiful!" Tang Zheng quickly withdrew his middle finger and replaced it with his thumb.

Ruan Hongzhuang withdrew her gaze, opened the bathroom door, and went inside.

"This young man is quite fickle," Tang Rui chuckled and teased.

"What do you know? I call this 'a wise person adapts to circumstances.'"

"What 'hero' or whatever, just tell me the truth right now!"

"We would rather die than surrender!"

After a hard-fought and arduous battle...

Tang Zheng eventually gave in; after all, how could a man defeat a tigress?

"Her name is Lin Luoxi. She's my deskmate. She's always liked me, so she came to bring me chicken soup."

"Oh, I see." Tang Rui nodded. "So, do you like him?"

"dislike."

"real?"

"It's more real than pearls. Didn't you see I didn't even drink the chicken soup before letting her take it back?" Tang Zheng said seriously.

Tang Rui stared at her younger brother for a few seconds, then smiled. "Wow, you can't even get a girl as pretty as her. What kind of girl do you like then?"

Tang Zheng did not respond.

Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open, and Ruan Hongzhuang strode out, wearing a pair of cute bunny slippers.

Hearing the noise, Tang Zheng subconsciously looked over.

Seeing this, Tang Rui suddenly leaned close to Tang Zheng's ear and whispered:

"You wouldn't happen to have a crush on your Aunt Ruan, would you?"

Tang Zheng was taken aback, then turned to look at Tang Rui, "You can't joke like that, sis."

Tang Rui sized him up for a few seconds, then withdrew her body, looking uninterested. "Tch, you got all excited for nothing. I thought you were some kind of daredevil and was going to give you some advice."

Tang Zheng caught a glimpse of Ruan Hongzhuang approaching out of the corner of his eye, but his gaze remained fixed on the television screen, and he didn't say anything more.