It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

Chapter 54 Accidentally Entering the Imperial Family

You've really put me in a terrible situation!

Lu Ran almost sped out the door, hailed a taxi, bought six bowls of ice jelly at the night market, and returned unharmed.

"Um?"

Xia Liang raised an eyebrow.

Judging from Zuo Hanzhi's expression, he was calm as if he were talking about what to eat tonight, showing no sign of purging the rebel party.

With just this one casual remark, they were forced to clarify their boundaries with Lu Ran and publicly declare their sovereignty.

Holy crap! Could this girl be a cunning jerk?

In terms of political acumen, Yishuang is as naive as an elementary school student…

What kind of genius love brain battle...?

The pressure is on Zhao Yishuang. What will she say?

Xia Liang surveyed the entire area.

Li Xingping bit her nails, Di Lingyan opened her lips, and Lu Ran's legs trembled... The private room was extremely quiet.

"Oh." Zhao Yishuang said expressionlessly, "Lu Ran, do you like yourself?"

"Me?" Lu Ran replied like a top student whose name had been called on in class. "Of course I like you. I study hard, I'm athletic, I love literature, I'm not bad-looking, I have good values, I'm polite, and I'm kind-hearted..."

"That's enough." Zhao Yishuang's lips curled slightly. "Hanzhi, you lost."

"Oh." Zuo Hanzhi sat up straight.

The sudden reversal left Xia Liang dazzled—

On the surface, Zuo Hanzhi played a "Volley of Arrows" card, forcing every player present to play a "Dodge" card.

But in reality, Zhao Yishuang seized upon a loophole in the game's logic and played Lu Ran as an invincible card.

They avoided this round of questioning their conscience.

What exactly is Zhao Yishuang thinking? What are Xiao Di and Xing Ping's intentions? We have no way of knowing.

At least for now, Zhao Yishuang has regained the initiative.

"Lu Ran, you can ask now..." Zhao Yishuang glanced at him sideways.

"Go ahead and ask," Zuo Hanzhi said.

Wow, they actually got Lu Ran to ask... Xia Liang exclaimed with delight.

Regarding Zhao Yishuang's question earlier, Lu Ran said he didn't like any of them, but she didn't really believe him. He's just a stubborn, cool guy who can't win over anyone.

Now Zhao Yishuang has thrown the problem back at Lu Ran, and a tense atmosphere of danger lurks beneath the surface.

That's fantastic!

Xia Liang looked at Lu Ran.

"Is it time yet?" Lu Ran asked an unrelated question first.

"A few more minutes." Xia Liang checked the time.

"Then I'll ask one last question." Lu Ran breathed a sigh of relief; it was finally over.

Of course, the final, decisive blow is also an essential element to appreciate.

Lu Ran pondered for a moment: "Actually, I've always wanted to ask, that night by Jin Lake, were you looking for inspiration, or were you thinking of jumping in?"

That lake... isn't deep.

He only found out after going down there himself.

Lu Ran was very concerned about the girl's dangerous act of stepping on the railing under the moonlight.

"What?"

"What's going on?" Xia Liang was taken aback.

After Lu Ran explained the whole story, everyone felt both pity and heartache.

Zuo Hanzhi lowered her eyelids slightly, her voice like ripples: "I have a tiny bit of impulse, but I'm still so reluctant..."

"We're all here, don't do anything foolish!" Di Lingyan said, tears welling in her eyes, as she hugged Zuo Hanzhi tightly.

"Waaah... Zhizhi..." Li Xingping hugged them both.

In an instant, the girls all burst into tears.

Even Zhao Yishuang's eyes reddened.

Lu Ran sat there feeling uneasy; his only intention was to resolve the knot in his heart.

After all, the words Ning Ning gave him on the day she came were unusual.

Now he knew where the invisible gravitational field around Zuo Hanzhi came from...

Zuo Hanzhi comforted everyone, "I'm not that fragile."

"It's all because of me," Zhao Yishuang said guiltily. "If I hadn't quit the literary society back then..."

"It's not your fault. I didn't notice Hanzhi's abnormality at the time and said those angry words about disbanding the literary society," Xia Liang said.

"Hanzhi, why do you have that kind of thought? You must tell us if there's anything wrong," Li Xingping asked with concern.

Zuo Hanzhi said, "I had a fight with my mother that night, which is why I ran away from home and was so suicidal. I'm fine now, and my mother has agreed to let me live independently."

"Hugs." Li Xingping empathized. "Sigh, my mom's pretty much the same, she tries to control everything I do... but it's okay once you talk to her."

"Hanzhi, you just said you like Lu Ran?" Xia Liang frowned.

"Mm." Zuo Hanzhi smiled faintly, "I like Lu Ran, and everyone else too."

Everyone fell silent.

The "like" she spoke of was a liking without any romantic feelings, like liking poetry, liking the literary society, and liking everyone in the literary society...

"Isn't that how you are?"

"Yes."

The game had gone far beyond Xia Liang's expectations, so she quickly said, "It's getting late, and we have to prepare for the performance tomorrow. Let's go home and let you know when we get there safely."

Neon lights flicker under the night sky.

Lu Ran stood by the roadside, feeling as if he had escaped from a dead end.

The most ruthless problem is actually Zhao Yishuang's.

It's like when you're playing a visual novel, and an options box pops up—

If you answer incorrectly.

So even if you play this game to the very end, you still won't be able to enter that girl's heart, because you made the wrong choice from the start.

"Did you take a taxi?" Xia Liang asked.

"Yeah, one car is enough for the four of us," Lu Ran said.

At this moment, a military pickup truck slowly stopped, and a man in a suit got out and opened the side door. The license plate had red and black letters and a string of eights.

"We're leaving now, bye-bye~" Di Lingyan waved and pulled Zhao Yishuang into the back seat.

"Be careful on the road..." Lu Ran watched the pickup truck silently merge into the traffic, then turned his head blankly: "Did I see that right?"

"Now you know why nobody's chasing after Yishuang, right?" Xia Liang nudged him with a mischievous smile. "On the first day of school, the car that dropped her off came from Beijing, so stop fantasizing about anything."

"I have no illusions! Looks and money are just external things. What I'm looking for is my muse, a resonance of souls, you know...?" Lu Ran retorted stubbornly.

Damn! Why didn't anyone tell me I'd accidentally wandered into the Heavenly Palace?!

If he had known that Zhao Yishuang's family background was so outrageous, he definitely wouldn't have given her a second glance.

It's no use looking at it.

Li Xingping chuckled: "Hahaha, otherwise how do you think we became friends?"

"Yishuang's classmates were either too insecure or too obsequious, so she didn't like either of them. In the end, she just hung out with people like us who shared the same interests."

"Okay." Lu Ran felt relieved.

The fact that he wasn't taken away for investigation and detention for stepping into the school with his left foot first, despite being the apple of his eye from his family's wealth, is a testament to the fact that three generations of his ancestors have been clean.

"Are you two also?" Lu Ran suddenly asked alertly.

Zhao Yishuang's family background is just the tip of the iceberg, already beyond our reach; he had met Di Lingyan's parents, and they came from impressive backgrounds; Zuo Hanzhi's mother was a top writer...

"My family is just an ordinary family, the most ordinary kind. Xiao Di, on the other hand, might have some underworld connections," Li Xingping said with a grin. "Well, he's doomed~"

"Don't ask, you're way out of my league." Xia Liang arrogantly brandished a gun and shot Lu Ran.

"Very well, very well." Lu Ran said with his hands behind his back, "Heroes of this world are as numerous as carp crossing a river."

The taxi arrived, and Lu Ran sat in the passenger seat, while the three girls squeezed into the back. Listening to Lu Ran and Xia Liang's cheerful banter, Zuo Hanzhi also wore a serene smile.

Back at the doorstep, Xia Liang emphasized, "We're meeting at ten tomorrow, don't sleep in."

"Goodnight, goodnight." Lu Ran led Zuo Hanzhi back into the house.

……

Wow~

Once inside, Xia Liang found a sofa to lie on, reflecting on the night and laughing carefree, "Tonight was so exciting!"

"It's all because of that game of yours."

"Hehe, this is more interesting."

What do you think of Lu Ran? Was his answer true?

After Li Xingping changed into slippers, she suddenly asked.

"Hmm? To be honest, it surprised me quite a bit..." Xia Liang jumped up and analyzed the situation logically:

"At least other guys aren't as frank as him, admitting they have 'scumbag' thoughts. They'd definitely be disliked by girls."

So I think...