Chapter 1394: Chapter 1394: Brimming With Smiles

The girl didn’t care at all about the strange look in Jiang Guangrong’s eyes. She kept smiling as she said, "That night, someone tried to mess with me, and you saved me. You said you were some kind of ’transformer,’ and scared those guys off. Back then you told me your nickname, I remember. It was Northwest Wolf. Do you still remember?"

Jiang Guangrong slapped his forehead hard. He finally remembered: it had been so dark that night, no streetlights at all. So the girl he saved back then was this girl in front of him!

Jiang Guangrong gave an apologetic smile. "Oh, sorry, that ’Northwest Wolf’ thing was something I made up on the spot that night, and it’s been a while, so it took me a bit to react..."

"It’s fine." The girl happily reached her hand out to Jiang Guangrong. "My name is Qin Yanran!"

Jiang Guangrong reached his hand out, Qin Yanran gave it a light shake and then immediately pulled back, her face full of smiles. "Qin Yanran? Nice name. I’m Jiang Guangrong!"

Maybe it was because she’d run into her savior, or maybe because of Jiang Guangrong’s politeness, but Qin Yanran was extremely happy. "You’re probably older than me, right? Then I’ll call you Brother Jiang? Are you free? I want to treat you to a meal to thank you!"

Jiang Guangrong took out his phone and glanced at it. It was already 10 p.m., and the time when Jiang Rongguang should’ve left school had already passed. Maybe Jiang Rongguang was about to arrive.

Jiang Guangrong shook his head apologetically. "Then I’m really sorry. I’m here to pick up my little brother. He should be nearby. Next time, I’ll treat you when I have time!"

"No problem..." Qin Yanran was a straightforward person too. She wasn’t the least bit angry at being turned down by Jiang Guangrong. She was still smiling as she looked at him. "Then can I have your contact info?"

"Uh... this..." Jiang Guangrong hesitated for a moment. He had an indescribable feeling about the girl named Qin Yanran in front of him, a kind of instinctive resistance in his heart. As for why, he couldn’t say.

"Wow, that’s what people mean when they say girls are thin‑skinned—are you really going to turn me down?" Qin Yanran misunderstood Jiang Guangrong’s reaction.

Reluctantly, Jiang Guangrong told Qin Yanran his phone number. Qin Yanran snatched his phone, tapped a few times, then handed it back.

Jiang Guangrong glanced at it. Qin Yanran had just saved her own number into his phone.

"Bro!" A voice called out from not far away.

"Ah Guang!" Jiang Guangrong waved at Jiang Rongguang, and the two brothers hugged each other tightly.

Jiang Rongguang quickly noticed Qin Yanran beside them. He stared at her in surprise. "Qin Xuejie, hello!"

Qin Yanran smiled; that was a response on Jia Dalin’s behalf.

After parting ways with Jiang Guangrong, Qin Yanran headed to the south gate of City First University in Yanghe City.

Shu Ya

A big, heavily‑modified Hummer roared up, screeched to a stop, and braked hard right in front of Qin Yanran.

The driver was Qin Duanyang.

Qin Yanran’s eyes went wide. "Trying to kill me, are you?"

"Hahaha." Qin Duanyang laughed awkwardly. "Come on, Yanran, it’s winter break. Come home with your brother, yeah? You haven’t come back for Spring Festival in years..."

Qin Yanran folded her arms across her chest and turned her face away from him. "No! Back off! Drive away!"

Qin Duanyang opened the door and got out with a grin. "Yanran, my good little sister, if you want your big brother to do anything, just come home with me. If I have to tell the family again this year that I couldn’t find you, it won’t just be me—every single one of your brothers will suffer. Your dad, my dad, Second Uncle, Eldest Uncle, my mom, they’ll all kill me..."

Qin Yanran curled her lip. "Could you try having some dignity?"

Qin Duanyang grabbed her right arm and shook his head. "Good sister, please come back with me—no, no, no, you’re my little sister, I’m your big brother—no, no, no, no, you’re the little ancestor of the whole Qin Family. Please come back with me!"

Qin Yanran twisted her arm out of his grip, then stared at him with bright, unblinking eyes. "Can you have a little backbone? You’re the captain of the Ice Leopard Assault Team, Colonel Qin of the Northwest Region! Tell you what, if you’ll call me ’little dog,’ I’ll think about it."

Qin Duanyang caved instantly. "Wang Wang, I’m the dog. Little Ancestor, please come home with me!"

"Hahaha." Qin Yanran clutched her belly, laughing.

"Haha." Qin Duanyang scratched his head, laughing awkwardly too.

Suddenly Qin Yanran grabbed his right arm and spoke seriously. "Big Brother, I really don’t want to go back. Just tell my dad I’m fine. Say you did find me, that I slipped away from Southern Province."

Qin Duanyang glared at her. "If I don’t drag you back this time, I’ll have been covering for you for a year and a half for nothing. You didn’t see the look in the Old Man’s eyes last Mid‑Autumn Festival. It was like he was saying to me, ’You can’t even bring back one little girl, don’t bother coming home again, you useless brat!’ You really think the Gods of your Qin Family are idiots? That they truly can’t find you? They’re just giving you a chance to come back the gentle way with me! Sis, I’m telling you, if it were Duanmu instead of me, you’d have been tied up and bagged home long ago!"

"Cut it out. Last year, Brother Duanmu did want to take me home, but in the end he practically got down on his knees begging me."

"Damn. That spineless guy dares brag in front of me. He even said if it were him, he’d have you stuffed in a sack and hauled back in a few minutes!" Qin Duanyang said angrily.

"Brother, I really don’t want to go back. If I do, I’ll have to marry that so‑called Perfect Prince. Do you really have the heart to watch your simplest, kindest, cutest, most gentle little sister marry that so‑called Perfect Prince and fall into the abyss?" Qin Yanran clung to his right arm, looking up at him pitifully.

"Oh, come on, you... give me a break! It hasn’t even been five days since the Old Man announced the engagement, and that young master turned up at our house with a broken leg and his whole body wrapped in bandages, crying and begging the Old Man to let you go. That arrangement’s long dead." Qin Duanyang gave Qin Yanran a contemptuous look. He knew his sister and the entire Qin Family all too well. Of course he could tell she was putting on an act.

"That’s just the Old Man buying time. For all I know he’s already tricked me and lined up some other match! Brother, how can you be so heartless?"

Qin Duanyang thought about it and felt she had a point. He sighed. "So you’re really okay with making your brother go back and take the punishment alone?"

"You’re a man! A man should shoulder a man’s responsibilities! Think about it—getting punished for protecting your little sister, how heroic, how manly is that? Right? All the beauties in the capital will admire you. You’ll be the ultimate White Horse Prince! I bet everyone will be lining up to learn from your example!" Qin Yanran said, hands on her hips, face full of ’obviously.’

Qin Duanyang just stared at her for a moment, completely at a loss for words.

"So, you’re going to make it up to me, right?" Qin Yanran waved her hand impatiently.

"Make it up to you? Do I owe you money or something?" Qin Duanyang looked at her, baffled.

"I told you before, he’s my lifesaver. You were supposed to protect him at the Death Camp, but he almost got killed there. You owe me, because you didn’t keep your promise to me!"

"I failed to protect him, so I owe him, sure—what’s that got to do with you?"

"Come on, aren’t we family? If you owe him, don’t I owe him too? You’re making me owe him even more, aren’t you? And seriously, why are you being so petty, fussing with a little girl like me when you’re such a big man? Once I’ve had my fun, I’ll go back. Don’t worry!" As Qin Yanran spoke, she shoved Qin Duanyang into the car, then gently closed the door. "Bye!"

Qin Duanyang was completely dizzy from her twisted logic.

"Well, that’s good then." Jiang Rongguang knew his brother was a modest guy. Since he said it wasn’t difficult, it meant his professional skills were truly solid. "My brother had stuff going on this year and took a break from cross‑talk, so he hasn’t been back. I really haven’t taken good enough care of you. I’m sorry, that’s on me as your brother. From now on, I’ll definitely make it up to you. If you run into any trouble in the future, just tell him, all right? We brothers don’t stand on ceremony."