Tao Ran felt very entangled in his heart. He reached out, grabbed Ruan Jun's arms, and said, "Go to bed early. It won’t be good if your parents see us."
"What's wrong with this?" Ruan Jun grabbed Tao Ran's hand. She put her hand on the bulge in his shorts. At that moment, she had forgotten her shyness. She looked at Tao Ran's eyes affectionately and said, "It was like this back then."
Tao Ran turned his head away, forgetting the entanglement in his heart. It would be too disrespectful to Ruan Jun if he really didn't have a reaction at this moment but if he did have a reaction, it would be too disrespectful to himself. He tried his best to ignore the feeling that her hand was giving him, pretending to be calm as he said, "Really, on such a night, I think we should do something more meaningful."
Ruan Jun: "For example?"
"For example, we could lie motionless side by side, playing a game to see who would fall asleep first, okay?" Tao Ran sincerely suggested.
"..." Ruan Jun felt amused and helpless, and also a little complicated. "Do you have a psychological trauma?"
Tao Ran was stunned. "What?"
Ruan Jun said, "During our first time, I... When I treated you like that, did it create a trauma?"
Tao Ran looked at Ruan Jun. As long as he admits to it at this moment and pretends that he was really traumatized, he would be able to escape. But when the words reached his lips, he didn't know what to say, and suddenly he couldn't speak. If he said this, Ruan Jun would not try this again, but she would definitely blame herself.
In the last world, after he hooked up with Long Qiu, he also struggled with this problem. Later, as a result of their marriage, this problem was forcibly resolved by Long Qiu. After thinking about it; since he was already like that in the last world, acting this way in this world would be hypocritical, right?
If this continues, Xiaomei will definitely look down on me.
Tao Ran looked at Ruan Jun and saw the worry on her face.
He suddenly squeezed Ruan Jun’s hand that was on his pants and said, “I originally planned to do this after getting married. Since you are so hungry, then I will just tackle this difficult job.”
Ruan Jun's expression loosened but she didn't get angry. "I was afraid that you might have been traumatized. Are you aroused?"
Tao Ran immediately let go, with an innocent expression: "I'm not aroused, I can even fall asleep now.”
"You..." Ruan Jun glared at Tao Ran, pushed him onto the bed, and took a bite on Tao Ran's other collarbone. Tao Ran cried out in pain as he said, "If you dare to be so bad again like this, I will gnaw on your bones."
It was already deep in the night, so the two people in the room suppressed their voices. It wasn’t until the clouds were harvested and the rain halted without a sound to be heard that the two fell asleep soundly, snuggled together.[1]
The next morning, the sun shone through the warm-colored curtains and the whole room smudged with hazy light. Ruan Jun woke up on the bed, still holding Tao Ran in her arms.
How do I put this? Although it’s a little strange, it feels rather warm.
Some sounds could be faintly heard outside the room. It should be the sound of people walking. Ruan Jun got up soundlessly to put on her clothes then quietly opened the door to look outside. It was good that there was no one in the aisle. She looked back and saw that Jiayi was still asleep. He was tired last night. When they start living together in the future, she would give him stew tonics.
Ruan Jun went out as lightly as possible then turned and closed the door gently. She was about to return to her room when she suddenly found Ruan Zijian standing at the end of the aisle. Ruan Jun's eyes widened in fright, and she whispered angrily, "How long have you been standing there?"
Ruan Zijian: "From when you stretched out your head like a thief and sneakily peeked outside the door."
"I didn’t peek, I looked openly.” Ruan Jun lowered her voice and said, “Who’s being sneaky?”
Influenced by Ruan Jun, Ruan Zijian also lowered his voice and said, “Isn’t it you? I used my phone to record how you were coming out just now. Do you want to watch it with the whole family? Let’s judge together whether you were acting sneaky or not?"
Ruan Jun stretched out her hand to pinch Ruan Zijian, "You’re really hateful. Delete it for me."
Ruan Zijian: "Do you admit you were sneaking around?"
Ruan Jun glared at him for a few seconds, then said helplessly, "I was sneaking around, I was sneaking around alright. Now delete the video."
"I lied to you." Ruan Zijian: "I didn't record at all."
“..."
Ruan Jun hit Ruan Zijian a few times. Ruan Zijian let himself be beaten then whispered, "Let's go. Pouting our mouths and whispering here is really pathetic."
"Humph!"
The two of them finished their morning wash. After going downstairs, Ruan Zijian looked upstairs many times. Ruan Jun asked, "What are you looking at?"
"He hasn't gotten up yet." Ruan Zijian shook his head quite sadly. "It looks like he was exhausted last night."
Ruan Jun: "..."
Ruan Zijian said, "Brother-in-law is good everywhere but his thing doesn’t have diamond inlays, how can his flesh and blood withstand the torture of my sister?"
"..." Ruan Jun couldn't hold back, so she ruthlessly beat Ruan Zijian a few times again. Ruan Zijian laughed and said, "What are you doing? I’m your brother, I also have a body of flesh and blood."
Ruan Jun blushed and said, "Stop talking."
Ruan Zijian moved his head over and whispered: "Tell me the truth, how many times did you do it last night?"
Ruan Jun said with anger and shame. "Why should I tell you?"
"I'm afraid that you don't understand." Ruan Zijian said, the look on his face practically screaming ‘It’s for your own good’. "You little girl, do you know that for a man, it’s normal to do it several times a night? You can tell your brother and your brother will help you advise him. And just in case there’s really a problem, he can find out and solve it in time, isn’t that right?”
Ruan Jun felt that it sounded a bit reasonable. She looked at Ruan Zijian and asked suspiciously, “Are you serious? "
Ruan Zijian put up three fingers, "I swear. "
"Okay." Ruan Jun said, "Come over and I’ll whisper in your ear. "
Ruan Zijian leaned his ear close and Ruan Jun whispered something in his ear.
Then she squeezed her hands shyly, and looked at Ruan Zijian with embarrassment, only to see Ruan Zijian appear stunned for a while, then wearily lit a cigarette, his expression was rather bleak.
Ruan Jun said, "How about it? Didn't you say you’ll help me out?"
Ruan Zijian said sincerely, "Sister, if you really like him, then marry him. You won't regret it."
Ruan Jun: "???"
Tao Ran opened his eyes and sat up, preparing to stand. Right after, his expression twisted and he rubbed his waist before slowly getting up with resignation. He was no longer a teenage boy, so he should pay more attention to it, otherwise, it will be a lifelong regret of the two of them.
Tao Ran finished washing and went downstairs where the Ruan family were having breakfast at the dining table. He was a little embarrassed. It was really rude to be a guest at someone else’s house yet get up so much later than the host.
Mrs. Ruan laughed and said, "Did you get used to sleeping in another house last night?"
Tao Ran took a look at Ruan Jun, and then said, "I slept well."
Ruan Jun didn’t dare lift her head to meet his gaze so she stood up and said, "I'm going to prepare some bread for you."
After Tao Ran sat down, Ruan Xiongfei said, "What are your future plans with Jun Jun?"
With the foundation of last night's work, Tao Ran just wanted to settle things as soon as possible. He said, "I want to take Jun Jun to meet my mom and dad first, and then we will decorate the new house together, and then choose a good date to get things done. Well, uncle, do you think this works?"
Ruan Xiongfei thought nothing wrong with this. He said, "It’s your own business, you can do it however you like. If you need help, just say it and we’ll do our best to assist."
"Okay." Tao Ran looked at Ruan Jun coming out of the kitchen and smiled slightly. "Jun Jun is really a good girl."
After breakfast, Ruan Jun and Tao Ran went out together. Ruan Jun asked him in the car, "What did you say to my parents during the meal?"
Tao Ran: "I didn't say anything."
"Liar." Ruan Jun said, "You must have said something."
"I said I will treat Jun Jun well and asked them to give you to me without worry, that's it."
Ruan Jun couldn't suppress her smile. She exerted all her strength to restrain it for a while before saying, "You are so kind."
Tao Ran: "That’s a fact."
The car drove to the house they had chosen to buy, and the person who received them from the property agency came over and said, "Is this Mr. Zhou?"
Tao Ran nodded, "I am."
"Hello, Mr. Zhou. I am the person responsible for showing you the house." The man continued, "I will introduce you to this house. If you have any questions, please raise them and I will try my best to answer them for you."
"Okay, thank you."
Tao Ran took Ruan Jun's hand as they walked into the house. Ruan Jun looked around excitedly and kept asking the staff questions. Tao Ran opened the window at the back of the house. Outside was a lake, it’s clear and crystalline waves sparkling under the sunlight. He also saw tourists rowing boats on the lake. It's very good here, he thought, when they settle down in the future, he could take Ruan Jun boating.
Ruan Jun walked over and looked at the scenery behind the house. She was pleasantly surprised. "This lake is bigger than I thought. Jiayi, we can go boating together."
Tao Ran nodded, "Yeah."
"The front yard is also very large. I want to plant roses beside the courtyard wall and then watch the roses crawl across the entire wall." She thought about it and said, "Or you can plant other flowers. Jiayi, what do you want to grow?"
Tao Ran thought for a while. "The flowers are no longer needed. I’ll plant two fruit trees. I want to eat the fruits I grew."
Ruan Jun nodded, "Okay, what kind of fruit do you like?"
Tao Ran: "Strawberries, I like strawberries.”
"I love to eat that too." Ruan Jun said happily, "Then let's plant strawberry trees. In the summer, we can even enjoy the cool under these trees."
The representative from the real estate company finally couldn't listen anymore. He reminded them, feeling mildly entangled, "The mister and his wife, there is one thing I have to say, otherwise I will be suffocated."
Ruan Jun: "You say it, is there any problem with the house?"
"It's not like this; the house is totally fine.” He said, "What I want to say is that strawberries don't grow on trees. Your wish to enjoy the cool-off under the shade of the strawberry trees will probably not come true in this life."
"..."
Tao Ran changed the subject. "Tomorrow I will take you home to see my parents, my parents are very talkative people."
Ruan Jun: "Okay, you have to tell me what they like. I want to prepare gifts in advance..."
When living a whole life is long, it’s really long, and when it is short, it’s too short. After Ruan Jun died in the hospital, Tao Ran felt as if those things happened just yesterday. Before she passed on, Ruan Jun said that she could not let Tao Ran go, for fear that he would be alone. On her wrinkled face were eyes that were still glowing as softly as before, within them were exactly like the look she gave to Tao Ran when she was young.
The old her was verbose and always liked nagging Tao Ran. Most of the time, Tao Ran would let her words enter through his left ear and exit through the right, allowing her to be long-winded. But when Ruan Jun lay on the hospital bed, dying, and he once again heard her nagging, Tao Ran couldn't help but shed tears.
Ruan Jun said, "I'm leaving first, what would you do?"
Tao Ran held her hand as he said, "Don't worry, I can be fine alone."
Ruan Jun said with eyes full of reluctance: "I always feel that you are very lonely. You’d be very lonely if I'm not by your side. Who will accompany you?"
"Don't worry, I will be fine..."
It was evening when Ruan Jun left, and Tao Ran returned home alone. Pushing open the back window of the house, the setting sun was reflected into the house through the lake and imprinted in his mind with a warm feeling.
Xiaomei said: "Host, you have to prepare, you are about to enter the next world."
Tao Ran said: "Is this really just a virtual world? Why does it feel so real?"
"This is a virtual world, but the host invests too many feelings."
"It seems like this." Tao Ran said: "Do you have the function of eliminating feelings? I don’t mean eliminating memories, just forgetting these feelings. I think I’m full, and I’ll overload if we continue again. "
"You may, host. This feature became available when the system's first upgrade was unlocked. Host, are you sure you want to use it? " Xiaomei prompted.
"I'm sure." Tao Ran closed the window, and the golden afterglow was blocked outside. "Let's get started."
Xiaomei: "Okay. Starting the Emotion Suppressing process..."
Nanoni Notes:
[1] clouds and rain mean sex. According to a friend, it’s from a poem by Song Yu “宋玉,” in which a mortal king met a beautiful goddess in a mountain. That goddess introduced herself as the Cloud during daytime and Rain at night. She is probably a goddess of cloud and rain. “旦为朝云，暮为行雨” The poem describes the king falling in love with her (and they have sex).