The next morning, Lin Jichen got up and saw Ren Lan also awake. He pretended nothing had happened and greeted her with a "Good morning."
Ren Lan blocked his way, staring into his eyes suspiciously. "Weren't you sleeping on the sofa all night? How did you come out of the bedroom?"
Lin Jichen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly yawned. "Oh, that? My sister woke me up in the middle of the night. I took a shower and went back to my room. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."
Just then, Gu Qiuxue walked by and smiled, "Yes, Little Chen was on the sofa all night. Luckily, I checked on him once. Otherwise, he might have frozen there."
With Gu Qiuxue as a witness, Ren Lan's doubts were dispelled.
Lin Jichen felt secretly pleased and even asked, "What’s the matter? Did something happen last night?"
Ren Lan blushed and quickly shook her head, "No, I was just asking."
She then hurried into the bathroom to wash up. Lin Jichen chuckled to himself, feeling quite satisfied. Although yesterday was risky, his quick thinking kept him safe. Plus, he got the upper hand, making that silly girl suffer a bit, which felt like payback for last night's ordeal.
After breakfast, Lin Jichen took Niu Naitang to school. When he returned, Ren Lan had already packed her bags and was ready to head back to school. The students had returned yesterday, and she had classes this morning, so she had no choice but to leave.
"Qiuxue, Little Lin, I'm heading back to school. I'll visit when I have time," Ren Lan said, pushing her luggage out the door.
Gu Qiuxue advised, "Let Little Chen take you."
Ren Lan shook her head, "No, he's quite famous now. If he's recognized at school, it won't be safe. I'll go by myself; it's not far."
"Alright, be safe, study hard, and come over when you can. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll cook for you."
"Sure thing! Qiuxue, you're so kind. Whoever marries you will be incredibly lucky. Good thing I'm not a guy, or I'd definitely chase after you," Ren Lan joked.
She then turned to Lin Jichen, "Little Lin, I'm leaving. Take good care of Qiuxue. If anything happens to her, I'll hold you accountable!"
Lin Jichen rolled his eyes, "Do you need to say that? Is she my sister or yours?"
"Your sister is my sister," Ren Lan quickly corrected herself, "I mean, I've already considered Qiuxue my sister."
"You're just craving my sister's cooking. It's not like we won't cook for you when you come over," Lin Jichen teased.
Ren Lan didn't argue this time, laughing and chatting a bit more before leaving with her luggage.
Lin Jichen reminded her not to forget about the game and to play whenever she had time. Ren Lan agreed and left the house. Lin Jichen and Gu Qiuxue walked her out of the neighborhood, watching her get into a taxi before returning home.
"By the way, Little Chen, Ren Lan is going to school. Why aren't you?" Gu Qiuxue suddenly remembered. She had always thought Lin Jichen was just playing games to make money during the holidays. Now that she thought about it, Lin Jichen and Ren Lan were schoolmates. Why was Ren Lan going to school while her brother seemed indifferent?
Lin Jichen knew he couldn't hide it any longer and confessed, "Because I... dropped out."
"What? You dropped out?" Gu Qiuxue stood up from the sofa, looking incredulous, then anxiously said, "How could you drop out? What will you do without a diploma?"
Even though Gu Qiuxue was anxious, her voice remained gentle. However, her tone revealed that she was genuinely upset.
Lin Jichen quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the sofa to calm her down. "Sis, listen to me. Since I've decided to become a full-time player, a diploma isn't important to me anymore."
"How can it not be important? What if the game industry collapses? You need other options. Come on, let's go to the academic office and talk to them. Your college entrance exam scores were excellent. I'm sure the school will let you re-enroll."
Gu Qiuxue tried to drag Lin Jichen to school, but he remained rooted to the sofa. She had to use all her strength to try and pull him up, but he effortlessly pulled her into his arms instead.
"Ah!" Gu Qiuxue exclaimed, her face turning crimson. Embarrassed, she said, "Little Chen, let me go."
Lin Jichen, however, held her waist tightly, grinning, "No."
Gu Qiuxue felt electrified, realizing they were alone in the house. Alone, a man and a woman...
Lin Jichen held her close, their faces just inches apart. His gaze was intense as he began to persuade her.
"Sis, isn't it better if I don't go to school? Ren Lan is gone, and Niu Naitang will go home soon. It'll just be the two of us here."
Gu Qiuxue felt like she wanted to disappear into the ground, her eyes shimmering with emotion. She bit her alluring red lips and whispered, "Little Chen, stop fooling around. School is important."
"You can apply for a commuter student status. After classes, you can come back, and we can still see each other..."
By the end, Gu Qiuxue's cheeks were burning, almost fainting from the heat.
Lin Jichen patiently explained, "Sis, if I go to school, I won't have time to be a professional player. If I fall behind, I won't make money. Look at how well the gaming industry is doing. Many pros are making a fortune. Why can't I?"
"But... you can't just drop out. You've worked so hard for nine years to get into college. How can you just give up?"
Gu Qiuxue still couldn't accept Lin Jichen dropping out.
Lin Jichen was grateful that Ren Lan had arranged for him to take a leave of absence. Otherwise, this would be a tough situation to resolve.
"Sis, I didn't drop out. I took a leave of absence, and the school agreed."
Lin Jichen revealed, hoping to give Gu Qiuxue the worst-case scenario first. Once she got used to that idea, the actual situation would be easier for her to accept.
Sure enough, hearing it was just a leave of absence, Gu Qiuxue's expression softened.
"Of course. You can ask Ren Lan. Her dad is our school principal. This is absolutely true," Lin Jichen assured.
Gu Qiuxue sighed in relief. "Alright, then I'm relieved."
"Sis, don't worry. I'll take a year off. If the game industry collapses or I can't make money from it, I'll go back to school. It's not too late then, right?"
"Yes, that sounds reasonable," Gu Qiuxue nodded, finally agreeing.
But the next second, she felt Lin Jichen slowly leaning towards her. Somehow, she found the strength to push him away, retreating to the other side of the sofa like a startled deer, breathing heavily.