Xu Huo tossed Qin Yi’an into the passenger seat, not bothering with any “gentle handling.”
Perhaps because of the cramped space in the sports car, Qin Yi’an bumped into things during the process and let out a “delicate” groan.
The otherwise serious “moving a body” scene suddenly became hilarious.
Han Xiao skipped along, all traces of her previous bitterness gone.
She covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling in a smile, “Xu Huo! Be careful! Waking him up means more trouble…”
Xu Huo panted, “You wanna try? A bag of rice is fifty catties; carrying a drunk person is no different from carrying three bags of rice.”
“Pah! He reeks of alcohol. I’m not touching him.”
“Heh heh, you’re just like Ranran, both brave only at home… Just now, when he was awake, you didn’t say a word. Now you’re bullying me, Han Xiao.”
“When was I ever ‘brave only at home’?”
Her persona was unexpectedly exposed, and Jiang Ran’s pretty face instantly flushed.
She glanced at Han Xiao in a panic, only to find Han Xiao also frowning at her, with a hesitant and embarrassed expression.
“You’re the one who always makes me angry… Stinky brother! You’re bullying people! Ow!”
Xu Huo cried out, “A gentleman uses words, not fists! How could you be so vicious and bite me?”
“Hmph! I’m not a gentleman to begin with. If I can’t outtalk you, can’t I at least out-bite you?”
“You’re so fierce, how will you ever get married later?”
“None of your business! I’ll cling to you even after I die!”
“Alright, alright, stop messing around. I’ll move the car. Even though there aren’t many people here, we can’t leave it in the middle of the road. It’ll be real trouble if it gets hit.”
Xu Huo gently pushed Jiang Ran to Han Xiao, looking at the teeth marks on his arm, truly finding it both annoying and amusing.
His sister was definitely a dog, confirmed.
Behind him, Jiang Ran’s cheeks were flushed, but she pretended to gaze at the starry sky as if nothing had happened.
Han Xiao, on the other hand, was quite worried and stopped him, “Can you drive? If this thing gets a scratch, at worst I’ll pay for it, but if something else happens… don’t mess around. If you can’t drive it, find a trash can to block it from behind and just wait for the designated driver to arrive honestly.”
“It’s no big deal… Huh, a manual transmission?”
After getting into the car, Xu Huo discovered it was a manual and couldn’t help but complain.
He’d gotten his driver’s license right after graduating high school, but because he didn’t own a car, he usually took the subway, so his license just sat in a drawer as a souvenir.
When he finally could drive, he encountered some unforeseen circumstances…
He hadn’t touched a steering wheel in years.
Now, reconnecting with a manual transmission felt like returning to those youthful days when his instructor constantly lectured him.
“Xu Huo?”
“Don’t disturb me.”
How do you drive a manual car again?
Xu Huo thought for a moment, then began operating according to the procedures in his memory.
Adjust the seat back, fasten the seatbelt, turn the key, signal left…
Oh, I’m parking, so it should be the right turn signal, lightly press the clutch, shift into first gear, then slowly release the clutch…
The headlights suddenly flashed on, startling the girls.
Even though Han Xiao knew Xu Huo was different from most people, at this moment, she still looked at him blankly, unsure what he was up to.
“Jiang Ran, aren’t you worried about your brother?”
“Worried about what?”
The Porsche slowly started, gradually approaching the side of the road.
“There’s no way he’s learned to drive at his age, right? Aren’t you worried about any danger?”
Were these siblings’ brains filled with mush?
And Xu Huo, so methodical yet seemingly unfamiliar, like a novice driver who just got their license.
“Because he’s big brother!”
“Huh?”
What kind of reason was that?
Jiang Ran didn’t explain, her eyes sparkling with adoration as she gazed at her brother…
She loved the feeling of being able to confidently hand anything over to her brother when she was at a loss.
Of course, she couldn’t say that directly.
Xu Huo looked at the fifteen-centimeter gap between the tire and the curb, a little proud, “How about it? Pretty good parking, right?”
“Brother! You’re amazing!”
“Has the designated driver arrived?”
Xu Huo asked Han Xiao.
“Almost.”
The three waited a bit longer.
The designated driver rode over on a folding electric bike.
Seeing the Porsche, he was half-intimidated, never having driven a luxury car, but Han Xiao’s financial persuasion swayed him.
It wasn’t until Han Xiao finished giving instructions and watched the roaring Porsche drive away that she let out a long sigh of relief, “Done. Let’s hurry to the subway station. There won’t be any trains later.”
Xu Huo pulled out his phone to check the time, “We should indeed hurry.”
After walking two steps, Han Xiao suddenly called his name.
Turning around, he saw Han Xiao with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating.
“…Thank you.”
Xu Huo raised his right hand and smiled, “In your words, it’s just a small favor. But it seems like you’re quite helpless against him… Is he that difficult to deal with? You can’t even break ties with him?”
Han Xiao remained silent.
Xu Huo shook his head, pityingly, “How pathetic.”
Han Xiao was unhappy, as the pity in Xu Huo’s eyes stung her pride.
But it was the truth, and she couldn’t refute it, so she just pouted silently.
Xu Huo turned his head, and without thinking, swung his hand down to chop her head.
Thump!
Han Xiao was stunned by the chop, then rubbed her head, wincing, and angrily said, “What was that for?!”
“Looking so gloomy is annoying to see.”
Han Xiao glared at him for a moment, trying to kill him with her eyes.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work, so she reluctantly gave up.
Puffing out her cheeks angrily, she turned her face away, sulking and ignoring him.
This man was truly annoying.
Every time she started to change her opinion of him, he’d do something outrageous.
Could he just randomly hit her head?
What if she stopped growing taller?
“It’s true, though. Just find a reason to make him stop bothering you, right?”
Han Xiao was still sulking, huffing, and deliberately ignoring him.
Xu Huo raised his hand again.
“What reason could possibly work?!”
Han Xiao flinched, yielding without backbone.
Xu Huo sighed, “Say you’re a lesbian~~ Unless your parents also push for it, isn’t it easy to lie? I don’t see you intending to get a boyfriend anytime soon…”
Han Xiao had given him the impression of being a very poised “older sister” type, but it was all just an illusion.
Essentially, she was no different from other girls, occasionally throwing little tantrums.
“I’m a celebrity, being a lesbian wouldn’t be good for my image.”
“Then say you’re a single-life advocate. It’s better than now, where people think they have a chance.”
“Is that so?”
“Ugh~~”
A heavy sigh.
“You… why are you sighing?”
Han Xiao instinctively felt a little nervous, a sudden fear of disappointing him rising without reason.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go. It must be hard for someone like you to try and make it in the entertainment industry. No wonder you always get slandered.”
Han Xiao was startled, “How do you know I’ve been slandered?”
“Nonsense! I refuse to believe that someone who does charity work where there are no cameras could be what the internet says, unless you have a split personality. Unfortunately, you’re not a deity, you can’t control what others say. When slandering someone becomes the accepted norm, even if you prove your innocence, new falsehoods will always emerge. So-called ‘truth’ is mostly just the story others are more willing to believe.”
“Otherwise?”
Xu Huo’s tone was matter-of-fact.
Han Xiao just stared at him blankly.