Bai Ziyuan excitedly shared her strategic breakthrough with her sister: "So, Ran Ran means I can start pursuing her in high school!"
Bai Zilu stared at her silly little sister in disbelief. "At home you're always sharp and calculating when it comes to me, but when it comes to your Ran Ran, you suddenly turn into an idiot?Love really does make people stupid."
She couldn't help but pour cold water on her: "But your Ran Ran doesn't seem to care at all about you liking her. You need to find a way to get her attention."
Bai Ziyuan was completely confused. "But the one I like is her!"
"She doesn't know that!" Bai Zilu was utterly exasperated. "The more she shows she cares, the more it proves she's invested in you."
Bai Ziyuan nodded as if half-understanding. Then she remembered a famous saying: if you want to win someone's heart, you have to win their stomach first.
Hehe, wasn't she good at making desserts? Dad, Mom, and Sister all scrambled to eat whatever she baked. Bai Ziyuan thought proudly to herself.
She decided to make cookies, thinking such a convenient and crisp snack would be perfect for Gu Qianran.
The crispy cookies, sprinkled with powdered sugar and decorated with colorful syrup, looked extra tempting when packed in a misty glass jar.
The next day at school, Bai Ziyuan eagerly handed the cookies to Gu Qianran. Gu Qianran twisted open the jar curiously. "What's this?"
Bai Ziyuan replied with pride, "Of course, these are cookies I baked! I can't keep mooching your milk tea. Sister said that's called a freeloader, which is really bad! So I made cookies instead. Try them!"
Freeloader… remembering how in her past life she always watched videos without ever tipping coins, Gu Qianran felt a little awkward. She quickly picked up a cookie and popped it in her mouth.
Her eyes lit up. "Delicious! Crisp, crunchy, and sweet!" She had never liked sweets much, but this little girl was influencing her step by step into loving sugar. Stroking Bai Ziyuan's head, she praised, "You really made these all by yourself? My little cutie is amazing."
Praised, the little girl was overjoyed and instinctively burrowed into Gu Qianran's arms again. They squeezed together in a single chair, Bai Ziyuan holding her politics book as she nestled against Gu Qianran like a tame cat. Gu Qianran scrolled through her phone with one hand and occasionally fed her a cookie with the other. Strangely enough, the scene looked harmonious.
It didn't take long before classmates noticed. Soon everyone was sneaking glances at the back row. After all, who didn't like watching two pretty girls together?
Some bold boy even started making teasing noises. Ji Tang glared at him and told him to shut up. Since the class monitor had spoken, he immediately clammed up.
That odd feeling in Ji Tang's heart grew stronger. She couldn't say what exactly felt off, but whenever she saw those two together, the atmosphere turned… strange.
She shook her head. Whatever. If the sky fell, Big Boss Gu would hold it up. Thanks to Gu Qianran's help, Ji Tang had even been sleeping better lately.
Much later, when Ji Tang looked back on her life, she realized there had been two especially wise decisions: chasing after Bai Zilu, and getting to know Gu Qianran.
Another month passed. The system appeared once, repeated its mission, then vanished again. Gu Qianran was perfectly satisfied with its frequency. Nag, then scram. Exactly how she wished certain kinds of people would behave.
"There are only ten days until the high school entrance exams, Ran Ran. Why aren't you nervous at all? You're making me feel sleepy." Bai Ziyuan's soft, sticky voice pulled Gu Qianran back from her thoughts. Bai Ziyuan had just napped against her, and now she sounded half-complaining, half-coquettish.
Gu Qianran gently massaged her acupuncture points on her head and asked softly, "Awake now?"
Half-drowsy, Bai Ziyuan leaned comfortably against Gu Qianran's chest, enjoying the head massage. Her voice was girlish and delicate. "Mm… I guess so… Ran Ran, you still haven't answered my question…"
Nervous? Honestly, Gu Qianran hadn't felt that in ages—not since her past life. Did they think a little entrance exam could trouble a former Tsinghua top student? She smiled at the little girl. "Nervous? No way. If an exam question can stump me, I'll eat the computer screen right then and there. But you, have you finished reviewing, little. cutie?"
Bai Ziyuan was still trying to process that strange metaphor, but by the time Gu Qianran called her "little cutie" word by word, her face flushed red. Then she noticed Gu Qianran's mischievous smile and realized she was being teased again.
She shouted in outrage, "Ran Ran, you're bullying me again! You're getting spoiled because of my affection!"
Gu Qianran blinked. "Huh? Which one of us is spoiled, really?"
She pointed at the now-empty cookie jar, looking reproachfully at the girl in her arms. "You cling to me every day! You mooch my milk tea! You even ate all my cookies! Tell me, who's really spoiled here?"
"T-That's only because you fed them to me…" Bai Ziyuan's voice grew smaller and smaller. Ran Ran pouting like this was just too cute. "Ahhh, Ran Ran's going to kill me with sweetness!" Her mind started running wild again.
Gu Qianran realized showing her childish side only fueled the little girl's imagination. Strange. Did Bai Ziyuan actually prefer her being cheeky and teasing? Could this little one secretly be a bit of a masochist?
Their wandering thoughts collided in bizarre ways, only to drift apart in opposite directions again.
Finally, exam day arrived. Why "finally"? Because their balding, responsible homeroom teacher had deliberately created an atmosphere of severity. The classroom felt bleak, like it was filled with dead branches, as if the old and weak were about to fight a desperate battle against a powerful enemy.
In such an atmosphere, the simple-minded little girl was completely infected. No matter how Gu Qianran teased her, she hardly blushed anymore, turning into a soulless study machine.
Gu Qianran pouted in boredom. Hurry up, exams, give me back my warm, lively little girl!
On the first day of the exam, during prep, Gu Qianran noticed that while Bai Ziyuan's face looked excited, her hands and feet were trembling. She patted the girl's shoulder reassuringly.
Bai Ziyuan looked at her with desperate eyes. Ahhh, she was so nervous, Ran Ran please comfort her! Then she saw Gu Qianran clasp her hand solemnly and say, "No matter what difficulties we face, don't be afraid. Face them with a smile. The best way to conquer fear is to confront it head-on! You got this! Ao li gei!"
Honestly, such motivational slogans completely clashed with Gu Qianran's cool and aloof face. Bai Ziyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter, and the panic in her chest eased.
She looked at Gu Qianran with sly eyes. "Ran Ran, that thing you said about eating the computer screen… does it still count?"
Gu Qianran nodded seriously. "Of course it counts. People like me, we have a special title: gambling freak." Seeing that the little girl still had the spirit to joke, Gu Qianran knew her silly antics had worked.
Bai Ziyuan giggled. "Then Ran Ran, if you score lower than me, you'll have to eat the screen. Be careful not to choke."
Gu Qianran ruffled her hair with indifference. "Relax. That day will never come. I'm a gambling freak. I won't die."
"Hot and rainy summers, cold and dry winters. Temperate monsoon climate." With the final question of the elective geography test answered, the grand battle of the high school entrance exams finally ended.
They were released a month earlier than other grades, with no homework at all. The suffering of the third-years was finally rewarded. Everyone chattered excitedly about vacation plans. Bai Ziyuan was going back to her hometown with her family, while Ji Tang was off to her father's company.
Gu Qianran nodded in relief. Having a teammate who didn't drag her around sightseeing was truly a blessing. The exams were over, and now her real monster-hunting journey could finally begin.
When she returned home, Gu Lian told her that in three days she would meet her so-called father. Gu Qianran silently went over her plan again in her heart.
Whether she succeeded or failed depended on this. Monsters… no, the Li family. The gambling freak has arrived!