Most people feel a sense of excitement when they do something wrong. Although what Tao Ran did cannot be considered as entirely wrong, he still went to Si Shao's house, lied to her parents, and even hit her younger brother. After that, he shamelessly flirted with her in front of her family. This feeling was just too thrilling for him.
He enjoyed the rush of adrenaline it gave him, as it made his otherwise gradually dull soul feel alive again.
Tao Ran eventually returned to his dormitory. As he was about to wash up and go to bed, his mother called him on the phone.
"Hello, son."
Tao Ran, who was picking out clothes from his cabinet with one hand and holding the phone with the other, replied, "What's up, mom?"
His mother asked casually: "What were you doing just now?"
Although the question was not particularly good, Tao Ran didn't mind as he knew that many mothers around the world would ask similarly. He replied, "I was watching TV just now, and now I'm about to take a shower."
"Oh." His mother paused for a moment and then asked, "Are you free tomorrow? Why don't you come home for a visit?"
Tao Ran, holding a towel, asked in concern, "What's the matter? Is everything okay at home?"
His mother reassured him, "Yes, everything is fine. I just miss you. I'll make chicken wings for you to eat."
Tao Ran glanced at his schedule on the wall. While his classes were full tomorrow, he realized that he didn't have any major classes the day after tomorrow, so he could go home tomorrow night. "Tomorrow night, I..." he began.
As he spoke, he remembered that he would go to Si Shao's house to torment Si Qi at night. He paused for a moment and then said, "It may be late when I go back tomorrow. I won't be free until after 9 in the evening."
"It's okay, Mom will wait for you." Jing's mother said, "Is there anything you want to tell me about lately?"
"No." Tao Ran said.
"Really? Your older brother had already been on several dates by your age. Do you have a crush on anyone?"
He didn't like any girls, but there was one young lady he was fond of. Tao Ran smiled and replied, "Not yet, I'll tell you when I do."
After ending the call, Tao Ran felt touched by Jing's mother's genuine concern for her child. As he headed towards the bathroom, Zhang Da asked, "What did your mom want to talk to you about?"
Tao Ran looked at him, feeling strange because his roommates who never cared about it before, took an interest in his conversation with his family now. Tao Ran looked at him strangely, then Zhang added, "Auntie called me before you arrived and inquired if you were in the dormitory and who you've been with recently. It's really strange. Why didn't she call you directly?"
Tao Ran thought that he had already been exposed. Jing's mother knew that he was not in the dormitory, but he lied to her and said that he had been watching TV all along. This shows that Jing's mother knows something. He deduced that Jing's mother contacted Zhang first because she suspected that he might lie to her, and she didn't believe him.
However, if Tao Ran's relationship with Si Shao had been fully exposed, Jing's mother would not have inquired about his situation in such a roundabout manner. She was probably just suspicious and had not yet confirmed anything.
Tao Ran was not overly concerned, especially about Jing's family. Firstly, he did not depend on them much, and secondly, he was not the original owner, Jing Yu. Thus, he would not generally compromise for Jing's family. He did not reveal his relationship with Si Shao publicly only because Si Shao cared about it, and he did not want to create difficulties for her.
After taking a shower, Tao Ran climbed into bed and started texting Si Shao.
"Are you already asleep?"
Si Shao had been anticipating his message and immediately replied, "You were very brave today. What if my parents found out?"
"I actually kind of hope to be found out," Tao Ran said.
Si Shao: "You."
"Let's talk business," Tao Ran said. "It seems like my mother has discovered our relationship. She wants me to come home tomorrow."
Lying on the bed, Si Shao's mind exploded, and her heart started pounding. "What should we do? What did aunt say?"
"She hasn't said anything yet. Perhaps she wants to wait until I'm there to talk about it," Tao Ran replied. "I think she might have overheard something and is not entirely convinced about our relationship. So when I go back tomorrow, I have two options: to be truthful about our relationship or to continue to keep it hidden."
Si Shao was sweating nervously. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
"It's up to you. Do you want me to be honest about our relationship?" Tao Ran asked.
Of course, Si Shao wanted him to, but she had more concerns. She was afraid her family wouldn't approve, and even more afraid that Jing Yu's family wouldn't either. Jing Yu was still a student and wasn't independent yet. He couldn't afford to fall out with his family at this point.
Si Shao hesitated before saying, "Let's keep it a secret for now. Our relationship... let's wait until you graduate, at least."
Tao Ran was a bit disappointed. He felt that Si Shao was too hesitant and didn't value him enough. Compared to her family, he could only be in the back seat. In this world, he was willing to sacrifice everything for Si Shao, but she seemed to only love him as long as it didn't disrupt her current lifestyle.
He had been feeling irritable, a feeling that often surfaced lately, especially at night when the lights were turned off. He would lie in bed, listening to the sounds around him, but feeling disconnected from everything. Nothing in this world seemed to have anything to do with him. No one understood him or knew him, and they didn't even know his real name.
When anyone looked at him, they were seeing someone else.
Xiao Mei crawled over to Tao Ran's pillow and said, "Host, your current thoughts are very dangerous right now."
Tao Ran looked at him coldly.
"Many hosts experience various psychological issues in the later stages of their missions," Xiao Mei said. "This is very common, and with me, the cute Xiao Mei here to help you, you don't have to face it alone."
Tao Ran also felt that he had a problem. He asked, "How can you help me?"
Xiao Mei replied, "We can cleanse your emotions. All of your discomfort and negative emotions right now are emotions. The system can cleanse not only your feelings for a character in this world but also your negative emotions."
Tao Ran stared at Xiao Mei, feeling dazed. He had never thought that one day he would need to cleanse his emotions midway through a mission. Xiao Mei, thinking he was worried about something else, reassured him, "Don't worry, Host. This won't affect your mission. It's just cleansing your emotions, and your memories won't be reduced."
Tao Ran was stunned for a long time and began to think about everything that had happened since arriving in this world. He came to realize that Jing Ma and Si Shao still cared for him in their own way. Although Si Shao refused to make their relationship public, Tao Ran could feel that she still loved him. He turned over, deciding to postpone the emotional cleansing, he said, "Let's wait a bit longer. I'll let you know when I need it."
On the following day at 5 pm, after finishing his classes and realizing that final exams were just around the corner, Tao Ran noticed that Zhang Da and his friends weren't goofing off all day like their usual carefree selves. After class, they invited him to eat and study at the library, but he refused and returned to his dormitory to collect Si Qi's test paper before heading to Si Shao's house.
Si Qi was visibly distressed and could not eat because he knew his violent and crazy tutor would be coming over at night. With a face full of pain, he said, "Mom, he really hit me."
Si Mom calmly said, "But your sister said he didn't."
Si Qi said angrily, "Sister is lying."
"What's the reason?" inquired the enlightened parent, Si's Mom, "What reason does your sister have to help a stranger tutor bully her own brother?"
"She's forgotten family loyalty for lust!" Si Qi pointed at Si Shao and continued, "She's attracted to the tutor's beauty and wants to please him."
Si's Mom: "......"
Si Dad put down his newspaper and interjected, "I told you to study hard. How can you use 'beauty' to describe a man? You should use 'handsome' or other similar words."
Si Shao sat on the sofa, visualizing Tao Ran's face in her mind. Suddenly, she felt that Si Qi's words were still quite fitting, and Tao Ran could indeed be described as beautiful.
At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Mr. Si exclaimed, "That must be Xiao Jing. Si Qi, go and open the door."
Si Qi turned his head and stated, "I absolutely won't!"
Si Shao couldn't contain her excitement and jumped up, rushing to the door and saying, "I'll open it."
The person standing outside the door was indeed Tao Ran. Si Shao looked at him, her eyes glistening, and said, "Mr. Jing, you're here."
"Hmm," Tao Ran responded, "Hello, Miss Si."
Si Qi glared at Tao Ran with intense dislike and thought, you two were obviously flirting with each other, but now you're pretending to be all formal. How shameless!
Tao Ran entered with a smile and took out Si Qi's exam paper, saying, "I've corrected your test papers. They're not very good."
Mr. Si took the paper and saw that it was covered in shocking red marks. He was so incensed that he stumbled back and exclaimed, "Making so many mistakes is not something an ordinary person can do."
Si Qi took a step back in fear, but Tao Ran quickly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Si Qi and saying, "Uncle, please don't be like this. Isn't this why you invited me here? It doesn't matter that his grades are poor right now. As long as he's willing to put in the effort, the situation will surely improve."
Mr. Si rolled up his sleeves and said, "He'll work hard? That's a joke."
Tao Ran turned to Si Qi and posed a question, "You will work hard, won't you?"
Si Qi looked at Tao Ran and felt that his gaze and tone were quite menacing, reminding him of the Shura battlefield. Si Qi shuddered and wanted to argue, but then he saw Mr. Si, who was ready to come and beat him up, he hastily affirmed, "Yes! I will work hard!"
Tao Ran expressed contentment and replied, "Great, then bring me the six test papers you worked on today, and let me assess them."
Si Qi: "......"