Ruan Yu opened her eyes on the right side of the bed.
The sky was already bright, but though her eyes were open, she didn’t feel fully awake. Her body felt weightless, her mind still lingering on last night’s kiss—on the sound of Xu Huaisong’s heartbeat that had crackled like fireworks in her ears after that kiss ended.
She had stayed in his arms for a long time, talking with him about high school memories until she’d unknowingly fallen asleep.
The bedroom’s blackout curtains had been left open, and the sheer inner layer allowed the faint glow of morning light to seep in, casting the entire room in an unreal, dreamlike haze. It took Ruan Yu a long moment of staring blankly before she snapped out of it and slowly turned her head to see the person on the left side of the bed.
Xu Huaisong leaned against the soft pillow with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. He hadn’t gotten under her covers—still dressed in his shirt and suit pants, he sat atop the blanket, maintaining a polite distance between them.
Ruan Yu remembered asking him curiously last night how he’d first noticed her back then.
Xu Huaisong had said the answer wasn’t interesting, nothing like what she imagined, but eventually confessed under her persistent questioning.
It turned out the origin of everything was just a casual remark in the boys’ dormitory during military training, when his bunkmate had said: “Our homeroom teacher’s daughter is kinda cute. Any of you wanna take on the ‘teacher-to-father-in-law’ challenge?”
No dramatic romantic encounter. Just a careless joke among teenage boys.
It really was ordinary.
But just like this morning where the sun rose as usual—ordinary yet beautiful.
After watching Xu Huaisong for a while, Ruan Yu carefully climbed out of bed, intending to adjust him into a more comfortable lying position. But the moment her hand touched his shoulder, his eyes suddenly flew open.
She jerked her hand back with a start. “You scared me, waking up like that…”
Xu Huaisong blinked sleepily and smiled, lightly tilting her chin up. “What are you doing?”
“Telling you to lie down properly. I’m getting up.”
It was time for her to rise, but Xu Huaisong’s sleep schedule had been erratic lately. After sitting up half the night, he’d only grown drowsy at dawn and was now in need of proper rest.
He gave a quiet “Mmm” and said, “Then I’ll sleep a bit,” before lying down.
Ruan Yu got off the bed, drew the blackout curtains for him, then went out to wash up.
But Xu Huaisong didn’t get to rest for long. Just as he’d sunk into deep sleep, his phone buzzed insistently on the nightstand.
Eyes still closed, he groped around blindly for it, finally grabbing the device and answering with a groggy “Hello?”
Dead silence greeted him on the other end. After three beats of hesitation, a puzzled voice asked, “Huh? Wrong number?”
Xu Huaisong’s eyes flew open as he bolted upright, pulling the phone away to check the screen.
The caller ID read “Dad.”
But it wasn’t his father.
This was Ruan Yu’s phone.
Ruan Chengru hadn’t dialed the wrong number—he’d answered the wrong phone.
The voice continued uncertainly, “This is the right number though…”
Xu Huaisong drew a sharp breath. During Dragon Boat Festival, he’d meticulously prepared for a formal meeting, only for it to come to nothing. Now, the “teacher-to-father-in-law” challenge had ambushed him at this most inopportune moment.
To make first contact at such an ambiguous hour of the morning, before any proper visit could be arranged—this was far from an ideal start.
Caught between advancing and retreating, Xu Huaisong hesitated briefly before accepting the situation. Bringing the phone back to his ear, he cleared his throat and said, “Professor, you’ve got the right number. This is Huaisong. Please hold on a moment.”The line remained dead silent for a long while before faint rustling sounds emerged, as if Ruan Chengru and Qu Lan were holding some urgent meeting.
Xu Huaisong held the phone as gingerly as if it were a grenade, quietly stepping out of the room and sliding open the kitchen door.
Ruan Yu was inside frying eggs. She turned around in surprise when she saw him: "You're up already? Didn't you want to sleep a bit more—"
Xu Huaisong immediately gestured for her to stop, showing her the phone and mouthing: Your dad.
Ruan Yu's eyes widened in shock, mouthing back: Why did you answer?
Xu Huaisong: Wrong move.
She turned off the stove and rushed over to snatch the phone: "Hello, Dad?"
The sounds of the emergency meeting on the other end immediately ceased. Ruan Chengru cleared his throat, speaking as if nothing had happened: "Oh, Yuyu, where are you?"
Ruan Yu looked up at the ceiling in resignation: "At home..."
"Your own home?"
"Yes..."
Ruan Chengru made a thoughtful "hmm" sound.
An awkward silence fell.
Ruan Yu jabbed Xu Huaisong's shoulder hard with her finger, then heard Qu Lan take over the call: "Yuyu, your dad called to ask how Zhou Jun is doing now?"
"He's still detained in Hangzhou. I don't know the specifics," Ruan Yu glanced at Xu Huaisong, figuring since her parents had already guessed they'd spent the night together, she might as well go all in, "Why don't you talk to Huaisong about it?"
"Ah, alright."
Pouting, Ruan Yu handed the phone to Xu Huaisong.
Xu Huaisong cleared his throat and answered Qu Lan: "Teacher Qu, our law firm colleagues have taken over this case. We submitted a meeting request the day before yesterday and should be able to see him to understand the case details by noon today at the latest."
"So the boy can't be released?"
"No, the police are still investigating. Even if no further evidence emerges, given his circumstances, he wouldn't qualify for bail and would remain detained until the trial concludes with a verdict."
"How long until the trial?"
"That's hard to say. Even under the most ideal circumstances, it would take four to five months."
A sigh came through the phone: "That child... I just can't believe he'd do something like that..."
Xu Huaisong continued: "Please don't worry too much. I'll keep an eye on this. As the investigation progresses, our colleagues may visit you and Teacher Ruan to get more details about recent events."
After they finished talking and hung up, Xu Huaisong was about to return the phone to Ruan Yu when it vibrated again in his palm.
He looked down to see the caller ID this time: Li Shican.
Xu Huaisong gritted his teeth.
If only these two calls had come in reverse order, it would have been perfect.
Ruan Yu was also surprised by Li Shican's call: "He usually doesn't call me unless it's important." She reached out to take the phone from Xu Huaisong's hand.
Xu Huaisong held the phone firmly, his cool gaze silently resisting.
Ruan Yu found this both funny and exasperating: "What's with you? Fine, I'll put it on speaker!"
Only then did he relent.
Ruan Yu answered the call, and Li Shican's voice came through the speaker: "Senior, there's something urgent I need to tell you."
"What happened?"
"I might have been photographed," Li Shican's voice carried an apologetic tone, "On Dragon Boat Festival, after you left with the police, I took Lawyer Xu's sister back to her hotel."
Both Ruan Yu and Xu Huaisong froze simultaneously."Where in the hotel were they taken?" Ruan Yu panicked. "What's the situation now? Have the media released the photos?"
"Not yet, but it's definitely me. Check Weibo and notify Lawyer Xu too."
Ruan Yu glanced at Xu Huaisong, whose brows were tightly furrowed, and said, "Okay."
"Don’t worry, they can’t twist facts that don’t exist. I’ve already arranged for someone to retrieve the hotel surveillance footage, and a statement is being prepared. We’ll clarify this immediately. But right now, I don’t know the extent of the photos, and I’m worried someone might dig deeper into Xu Huaishi’s identity, affecting her school. So if possible, bring Lawyer Xu, and let’s meet soon."
Ruan Yu agreed and hung up, noticing Xu Huaisong’s darkened expression. "The joys of the entertainment industry," he muttered before heading to the bedroom for his phone.
She followed and heard him make two calls—one to Tao Rong, instructing her to confiscate Xu Huaishi’s phone and keep her away from the news, and another to his law firm, telling Liu Mao to draft legal documents as a precaution.
After giving orders, he turned to Ruan Yu. "I’ll freshen up. You get dressed."
Ruan Yu hesitated, then lowered her head. "I’m sorry..."
Xu Huaisong raised his hand, brushing his thumb over her bangs. "Priorities matter. In that situation, what was wrong with you going with the police? Could you have taken Huaishi along?"
Ruan Yu gave a quiet "Mm" before tidying up and leaving with him. On the way, she checked Weibo for updates.
Xu Huaisong drove while she explained from the passenger seat: "It’s a rookie paparazzi mimicking the pros with a timed exposé. Last night at nine, they posted a teaser saying they’d reveal news at nine this morning. Then at 8:50, they dropped another hint."
"What did it say?"
"That a certain male celebrity has been busy—first with an off-screen romance scandal, and now..."
Ruan Yu trailed off, finding the wording too vulgar. The post had said: "Now spotted with a schoolgirl at a hotel."
The vague teaser from last night had left Li Shican suspecting he was the target, but with only ten minutes until nine, emergency measures were all he could manage.
8:59.
Ruan Yu hoped Li Shican’s team could stop the news, but time was too short. A minute later, photos flooded in.
Four in total—two of Li Shican and Xu Huaishi waiting by the elevator in the lobby, and two in the hotel’s underground parking lot.
Xu Huaisong glanced at the photos. "Call Li Shican for me."
Ruan Yu quickly dialed.
With his earpiece in, Xu Huaisong got straight to the point: "This is Xu Huaisong. When will the surveillance footage be ready?"
"Within half an hour."
"Then have your studio team repost the paparazzi’s Weibo with this caption: 'Referencing Article 246, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law—once reposts exceed 500, see you in court.'"
After speaking, he removed the earpiece and slammed the accelerator.
Author's Note: Today’s Huaisong is in protective brother mode. (#^.^#)
OpenNovel