He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

He couldn't quite explain what he was guarding against, but he felt that if he didn't put something in place, he would feel a suffocating sensation of being stared at from behind when he closed his eyes.

He had been like this since he was a child. After his mother passed away, he slept alone in the Zhou family mansion for more than ten years. In the huge room, there was no one to talk to.

He doesn't trust anyone.

Xia Ruo suddenly felt a slight tug at her heartstrings.

This pang of heartache came out of nowhere, and she quickly pressed it down.

Feeling sorry for Zhou Siyan?

Are you crazy?

This person could throw you into the Huangpu River to feed the fish at any moment. You feel sorry for him, but who will feel sorry for you?

But she couldn't resist and typed a line in the chat box.

In that soft, slightly earnest tone:

"Don't worry, brother. Just earn enough money to spend. Don't work so hard. Health is the foundation of everything."

"From now on, baby will put older brother to sleep and keep an eye on him~"

Then she went through the original owner's collection of emojis, picked out an emoji of a kitten snuggling in its owner's arms and dozing off, and sent it along with the previous message.

Zhou Siyan leaned against the headboard, the cold light from his phone screen reflecting on his face. He looked at the words and frowned slightly.

In the past, when Xia Ruo sent him messages, the content was nothing more than "Brother, I miss you", "Brother, what are you doing?" "Brother, did you miss the baby today?" and then she would wait for him to transfer money.

She never asked him if he was tired, never asked him if he slept well, and never asked about his life.

But today's news is different.

She said, "From now on, the baby will put his older brother to sleep."

It's not about demanding "brother earns money to support the baby," but about giving "I'll comfort you."

Zhou Siyan couldn't quite explain how he felt.

The feeling was very light, like a feather falling on the water, almost weightless, but the ripples spread silently.

He lowered his eyes, his fingers hovered over the screen for a moment, and then typed a line of text.

Zero: [I'll do whatever you say, baby!]

When Xia Ruo saw this reply, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

She thought that Zhou Siyan, putting aside the premise that "he might throw her into the Huangpu River," was actually... quite cute?

The contrast between the image of a wealthy heir to the Zhou Group in City A, who stays up late at night and tells someone on WeChat, "I'll do whatever you say," is undeniably endearing.

Xia Ruo was about to send a message saying "Brother, go to sleep" to end the chat when another message popped up on the other end.

Zero: [Let me know when your baby's interview time is set!]

Then came another one, this time with a noticeably tighter tone, even the punctuation conveying an unquestionable authority:

Zero: [We absolutely have to meet next week!]

Xia Ruo looked at the two messages, and the slight sense of relief she had just felt vanished instantly.

She stared at the words "no matter what," feeling that they were not just a simple modifier, but an ultimatum.

This means that if she tries to make excuses again next time, it might not work.

Xia Ruo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Okay, brother~ I'll tell you as soon as I've arranged my time~ Go to sleep now, brother, or I'll feel sorry for you later~"

After sending the message, she added a kissing emoji and then placed her phone face down on the table.

The phone screen went dark, revealing her own face.

Those peach blossom eyes blinked in the darkness, as if asking: What are you going to do?

Three seconds later, she picked up the dirty laundry basket and walked towards the laundry room.

Let's wash the clothes first.

Even the most important thing must be done first, like washing clothes.

-

Xia Ruo was serious about taking her roommate out to dinner.

She tentatively suggested, "Let me treat everyone to dinner," and Mu Zhizhi was the first to raise her hand in response, her eyes shining like a cat that had just spotted a dried fish.

Lin Wanzhi certainly had no objection; she had never had any objection to Xia Ruo.

The only obstacle is Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu remained seated, not even looking up: "I'm not going."

The tone was as crisp as if he were rejecting a sales call.

Xia Ruo had anticipated this.

She glanced at Lin Wanzhi, and the two exchanged a look—one of the few moments of tacit understanding they shared during their three years of university.

What followed was a protracted tug-of-war.

Xia Ruo tried to persuade her gently, while Lin Wanzhi persisted in her efforts.

Xia Ruo said, "It's just a meal, I'm not asking you to do anything for me." Lin Wanzhi said, "Yu Yu, you should go, otherwise Ruo Ruo will be sad."

Xia Ruo pretended to be wronged, and Lin Wanzhi followed suit by pretending to be pitiful. The two of them took turns acting as if they had agreed beforehand, and their cooperation was seamless.

Zhang Yu was so annoyed that his brows furrowed into a deep frown, but he finally let out a sigh of relief:

"...Okay. But I'll leave after I finish eating."

"Okay, okay!" Xia Ruo immediately knew when to stop, her aggrieved expression instantly switching to a triumphant smile, her change of expression so fast she could sing Sichuan opera.

Mu Zhizhi watched from the side, amused, and muttered under her breath:

"Zhang Yu is all talk and no action."

Zhang Yu shot her a glare, and Mu Zhizhi immediately shut up, making a gesture as if she were zipping up her mouth.

Before leaving home, Xia Ruo didn't forget something very important.

She stood in front of the full-length mirror in her dormitory, raised her phone, and took a picture of herself in the mirror.

She deliberately held her phone high, obscuring her face, revealing only her outfit and the tidied table behind her.

She wore a cream-colored knitted cardigan, light blue jeans, and white canvas shoes. Her hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and she looked clean and effortless.

The beauty of this photo lies in the fact that you can't see the face, but you can see the figure and the atmosphere, which is Lin Wanzhi's style!

Xia Ruo opened her chat window with Zhou Siyan, sent him the photo, and captioned it:

"Brother, I'm going out to eat with my roommate!"

Finally, I found a picture of a kitten with a heart shape in the original owner's emoji set and sent it over. The kitten's pink paw pads were facing the camera, accompanied by the words "biu~".

She simply couldn't bring herself to say "I love you, brother" like the original owner did. Just thinking about those words made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. She'd rather let the emojis take the blame for her.

The message was sent and received a reply within seconds.

Zero: [Be careful on the road!]

(Transfer: 50000 yuan)

Xia Ruo looked at the transfer, a slight smile playing on her lips, and silently sighed in her heart:

Hmm~ That's exactly the kind of male lead who treats money like dirt!

She received the transfer and left with her roommates in a good mood.

They went to a high-end Cantonese restaurant in a shopping district. The decor was understated yet luxurious, with soft, dim lighting and openwork screens separating the tables. The air was filled with the aroma of chicken soup and shrimp dumplings.

As soon as Xia Ruo entered the door, she smelled the scent of money—no, the scent of money that had been carefully prepared.

When the menu arrived, she glanced at the prices and silently calculated her daily wage at the rice company in her previous life, realizing that it would probably only be enough to order one serving of rice noodle rolls.

But it doesn't matter, she has money now.

Twelve million in embezzled funds.

The four of them ordered seven or eight dishes: shrimp dumplings, siu mai, char siu pastries, chicken feet, custard buns, and a pot of fish maw chicken with golden oil floating on top.

Mu Zhizhi's cheeks were bulging from eating, making her look like a hamster storing food. She mumbled indistinctly:

"Ruoruo, why are you being so generous today?"

Xia Ruo smiled but didn't reply.

She can't exactly say, "Because I just cheated out of more than ten million."

Halfway through the meal, the conversation somehow veered towards the school cafeteria.

Xia Ruo thought of the boy in the cafeteria that morning:

"By the way, have you guys seen a guy?"