"Ah! Sister!"

"Ouch, slow down!"

They had just arrived home. The moment Xu Ruyan got out of the car, she ran towards Xu Qingqiu.

"Sob, sob... Sister..." For some reason, Xu Ruyan buried her head in Xu Qingqiu's embrace and burst into tears.

"How old are you, still such a crybaby? Aren't you afraid your classmates will laugh at you?" Xu Qingqiu teased, gently stroking Xu Ruyan's hair.

However, she herself hadn't realized that her usually flawless singing voice was trembling slightly at that moment.

"I'm not~... Sister, I missed you..." Xu Ruyan sniffled.

"Missed me? You? The one who wouldn't even let me visit your school, and even threatened to block me—who was that again?"

Xu Ruyan, who had been crying her eyes out, suddenly stopped, a snot bubble even forming at her nose.

"Oh, Sister! What are you saying at such a touching moment?"

The tender atmosphere was completely shattered by Xu Qingqiu.

It wasn't that Xu Qingqiu had low emotional intelligence; she had to disrupt it. So many people were watching, and it would be mortifying if she started crying too.

"Come on, let's go inside. It's quite cold out here."

The November weather had already brought a distinct chill.

Xu Qingqiu, holding Xu Ruyan's hand, turned and gestured for her five classmates to come in as well.

"Everyone, please come in," Xu Qingqiu said. "Don't be formal; just treat it like a friend's house. I'm not fussy, so make yourselves comfortable."

Chu Tian helped carry some things, silently following Xu Qingqiu towards the entrance. Just as he was about to step inside, Xu Ruyan turned around, and her words silenced everyone.

"Mute Brother-in-law, are you two living together already?"

Damn! That single sentence was devastating. Everyone, from the driver who had dropped them off to Xu Ruyan's classmates, and even Xu Qingqiu and Sister Hua, was stunned speechless.

"What are you talking about?" Xu Qingqiu snapped, her face flushing red as she raised her hand to swat her sister.

"Oh, Sister, we're all adults here. What's there to be embarrassed about? Besides, you're not young anymore. We all understand."

"Understand my ass! What do you understand? Don't talk nonsense!" Xu Qingqiu retorted, her face crimson. However, she didn't deny it and even shot a subtle glance at Chu Tian.

That one look nearly made Chu Tian lose his composure.

He inwardly exclaimed, Holy crap!

What does this mean? A hint?

Although he was somewhat narcissistic, it didn't stop him from recognizing Xu Qingqiu's feelings for him.

But this was definitely not the time to admit anything, especially with outsiders present.

"You're overthinking it," Chu Tian said. "I just came over to drop something off and chat. Besides, your sister is primarily focused on her career right now."

After being scolded, Xu Ruyan didn't dare say much more, but her face still showed a hint of defiance as she muttered under her breath, "Tsk, it's so late and you're not going back. It's obviously not the first time. If you're together, you're together. What's there to hide..."

Nearby, Li Chunhua, having regained her composure, chimed in to smooth things over. "Ruyan, you've got it wrong there. Chu Tian's house is just next door. He can walk home in a minute."

This time, Xu Ruyan was genuinely shocked.

"Huh? Sister, you actually bought a house right next to Brother-in-law's? You're really something!"

At this, Xu Qingqiu couldn't help but offer a wry smile. "It's a coincidence. Your brother-in-law… Chu Tian moved in first. I only found out he was next door later. Besides, I'm renting this place; I don't have the money to buy it."

"You don't have money?"

Xu Ruyan looked at Xu Qingqiu in surprise. Although they had kept in touch over the years, she really didn't know much about her sister's financial situation.

Mainly because Xu Qingqiu never talked about her problems, always trying to solve any issues by herself.

As for money, Xu Qingqiu had never scrimped on family expenses, and their parents, both teachers, were upright individuals.

Apart from moving into a more spacious house, there hadn't been any other major expenditures.

Even that house was bought by selling their old faculty housing and adding a little extra money; it hadn't cost much at all.

In Xu Ruyan's mind, her sister was a big star and definitely wouldn't be short of cash. Buying a villa seemed perfectly natural.

Even though she knew Xu Qingqiu had faced work difficulties in recent years, she had never imagined things could get so tough that her sister could barely afford rent.

That's why she was so astonished when Xu Qingqiu said the house was rented.

Facing Xu Ruyan's skeptical gaze, Xu Qingqiu smiled and said, "All the money is tied up in the studio. You'll understand when you see it."

She kept her explanation vague.

People living away from home always report the good news and hide the bad, don't they? If you can handle things yourself, there's no need to make family worry unnecessarily.

The reason she had mentioned it just now was that with the recent improvement in her situation, Xu Qingqiu had gradually begun to relax, and the words had slipped out subconsciously.

After all, it was all in the past. Mentioning it occasionally was just recalling a memory; the pain and hardship had faded with time and didn't need to be constantly dwelled upon.

"So, he..." Xu Ruyan began.

Hearing her sister's explanation, Xu Ruyan probably understood. After all, pursuing arts was expensive, and she knew that music equipment could cost a fortune.

From Xu Qingqiu's words, she figured all the money must have been invested in setting up the studio.

But Chu Tian, in her impression, probably didn't have much money, right?

Yet Xu Qingqiu had just said he moved in first? Renting such a large villa without money—was that really necessary?

Li Chunhua, noticing Xu Ruyan's skeptical and somewhat complicated expression, immediately guessed her thoughts.

She probably thought Chu Tian was lazy, pretentious, and just trying to keep up appearances by renting such a grand villa.

Was he trying to pick up girls this way? If so, she might really have to advise her sister to reconsider him.

Li Chunhua's guess was correct; that was indeed what Xu Ruyan was thinking.

"Alright, stop your wild guessing," Xu Qingqiu interjected. "Chu Tian bought that house himself. You'll find out later. Let's go inside first."

"He... bought it himself?..."

Now, it wasn't just Xu Ruyan; even her roommates instantly fixed their gazes on Chu Tian.

Who would have thought? This brother-in-law, who, apart from being handsome, seemed rather unremarkable, was actually so wealthy?

Where did he get the money from?

Unfortunately, no one present offered an explanation, so Xu Ruyan had to suppress her questions and follow them inside.

Her roommates, however, were a different story.

The last time they had seen Chu Tian, he was driving a shabby old commercial van, a second-hand vehicle passed down from Xu Qingqiu.

Xu Ruyan had told them all about it.

But who could have imagined he was this rich?

This was the Capital! Even areas outside the Fifth Ring were worth their weight in gold, let alone a villa! It was beside the National Exhibition, near the airport, with great surrounding views, and close to the CBD to the south.

A place in this location had to be worth tens of millions, at least, right?

Yan Mingyu, in particular, looked as if she had just missed out on a hundred million, her eyes involuntarily glued to Chu Tian, her lips pouting.

A single thought kept replaying in her mind: This is the man I fancied! He's so outstanding! Why did I only meet him now, when he's already taken? Oh, when will my romantic luck finally kick in?!

Tong Shiya, noticing her friend's expression, silently rolled her eyes and surreptitiously pinched her, whispering, "What are you thinking? Stop dreaming. They've all gone inside."

"Shiya... sob, sob... my love is gone..." Yan Mingyu wailed.

"What love? You're just dazzled by money. Come on, let's go."

"Tsk, a woman with no sense of romance. You deserve to be single."

"As if you're any different."

The two sisters, engaging in their usual banter, finally ambled into the room.

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