Chapter 7: Seven Fires

After the family happily finished their meal, they moved to the sofa to relax. Yan Yi took the initiative to prepare tea, while Yan Duo went upstairs to pick out clothes for the afternoon.

The tea had just finished brewing when Yanduo’s voice drifted down from the second floor, “Mom, I can’t find my outerwear!”

Xu Yarou remained seated, looked up at her daughter leaning on the railing, and said, “Go search in my room.”

Yan Duo giggled happily and loudly said, “Mom is the best!” before heading into her parents’ bedroom.

When she got married and moved into Ji Ran’s place, most of her clothes had been taken there, leaving nothing suitable at home. At this point, her mom suggested she wear hers, and Yan Duo didn’t hesitate—after all, it wasn’t the first time she’d worn her mother’s clothes.

Watching his sister’s retreating figure, Yan Yi couldn’t help but complain again, “Is this how Ji Ran takes care of her? He doesn’t even buy her clothes.”

Xu Yarou shot her son a glare, while Yan Xuenian silently calculated how much of his private savings he could leave for his daughter. He then said to Yan Yi, “You must take good care of your sister in the future.”

Though the words didn’t outright criticize Ji Ran, the underlying implication was clear.

Yan Xuenian is a professor of architecture at T University. He often takes on side projects, handing over most of the earnings to the public sector while keeping a small portion in his personal account. He occasionally buys little gifts for his wife and daughter to surprise them. However, since Yan Duo got married, Yan Xuenian has been taking on more and more private jobs.

Xu Yarou looked at the father and son pair, feeling somewhat speechless. After all, it was just a piece of clothing—there was no need to make such a big deal out of it. But in the end, she sighed and said, “Don’t say these things in front of Duo’er.”

Although Duo’er made the decision to be with Ji Ran herself, the Yan family still harbored some distrust toward Ji Ran, who was taking Duo’er away in such a short time.

Neither father nor son spoke, silently sipping their tea.

Before long, Yan Duo came clattering down the stairs and stood in front of everyone, twirling around. “Does it look good?”

Xu Yarou had bought her a dark gray woolen dress, form-fitting with a mermaid silhouette that reached her calves. Wearing it out in April wouldn’t be too bad, but the neckline was a bit low. Yan Duo wanted to cover it up with a jacket and, after some deliberation, settled on Xu Yarou’s short maroon jacket with a ruffled collar.

People who are good-looking and have great figures look good in anything, but in the eyes of the Yan family, it still seems like she’s being wronged.

“My daughter looks good in anything, but I think you look even better in brighter colors,” Yan Xuenian said.

“After all, it’s Mom’s clothes—the style doesn’t suit you,” Xu Yarou said.

Yan Yi was the most straightforward. He picked up the car keys from the table and said to Yan Duo, “Come on, I’ll buy it for you.”

Yan Duo was both amused and exasperated. “I’m just wearing it casually for the afternoon. There’s no need to buy it.”

Most importantly, she would leave right after watching—Yan Duo had no intention of meeting Ji Ran, so what she wore didn’t matter at all.

How can you just wear anything casually!

The doting brother Yan Yi was the first to object, “No more talking, come with me.”

But Yan Duo genuinely felt there was no need to buy it, making an excuse that she was sleepy and wanted to sleep, then turned and went up to the second floor.

Yan Yi watched his sister’s fleeing figure, turned toward the door—since he had already taken the car keys, how could he not go!

When Yan Duo woke up, she had two more sets of clothes.

The movie screening was scheduled for 3 p.m., and by 2:30 p.m., Yan Yi had already dropped Yan Duo off at the cinema entrance.

“I’ll pick you up at five.” If it weren’t for the afternoon appointment Yan Yi had to attend, he would have stayed waiting here the whole time, worried his directionally-challenged little sister might get lost.

“You go ahead and get busy.” Yan Duo waved at him, urging him to leave quickly.

Yan Yi looked at his sister with great concern, but in the end, he had to leave as the phone kept urging him.

After watching her brother’s car disappear, Yan Duo wandered around near the cinema for a while before taking out her phone to call An Yixin.

“Duoduo, our car is still stuck in traffic, so we might be late. How about this—I’ll have Shi Lei bring the tickets to you, and you can go in first.”

Seeing no other choice, Yan Duo told An Yixin her exact location. Before long, a short and stout middle-aged man approached her.

“Hello, Brother Shi,” Yan Duo greeted him proactively.

Because of his formidable subordinate Ji Ran, Shi Lei’s reputation in the industry has soared, and everyone greets him with a respectful “Brother Shi.”

Shi Lei grinned like the Maitreya Buddha, handing Yanduo a ticket, and casually remarked, “After the movie screening, Ji Ran still has an interview, and then there’s the crew dinner in the evening. Whether he can even make it home is still a question… Will you be alright going back alone?”

Yan Duo shook her head, “My brother is picking me up.”

Shi Lei chuckled again, “That’s good. You should head home early, so your parents don’t worry.”

After speaking, she didn’t chat much with Yan Duo, excusing herself by saying she had other matters to attend to before preparing to leave.

“Brother Shi,” Yan Duo called out to him, “Have I offended you in the past?”

At their first meeting, he had hinted that she shouldn’t publicly disclose her relationship with Ji Ran. Later, every time Shi Lei smiled at her, his eyes remained cold. Yan Duo wasn’t foolish—how could she not notice his indifference?

Shi Lei turned to look at her, still smiling. “How could that be? We didn’t even know each other before.”

With that, Shi Lei walked away without another word.

Yan Duo glanced at his retreating figure before entering the cinema with her ticket. But when she found her seat—the very last row, the corner spot right next to the exit—she finally understood the meaning behind his earlier words: they hadn’t known each other before, and she hadn’t offended him then. But now that they did know each other, she had clearly crossed him.

As for the reason for offending, Yanduo was very clear.

At five to three, a crowd surged through the entrance of the screening hall, and cheers immediately erupted from the audience seats as many excitedly stood up.

“It’s Ji Ran! Ji Ran is here!”

“Ahhh, he’s so handsome in person!”

“This ticket may be expensive, but it’s totally worth it—honey, I love you!”

Some fans even chanted their private slogan: “Ji Ran, Ji Ran, burning for you, yeah!”

……

The air was filled with excited shouts, but in Yan Duo’s eyes, there was only the man in the dark suit waving to the audience.

After their hurried farewell in City N, another week had passed without seeing each other. Through the gaps in the crowd, Yanduo gazed at the increasingly handsome man from afar, her ears gradually turning crimson. Such a gorgeous man—and he’s already taken!

After the movie officially started screening, the main creators of the film took their seats in the first three rows, and the audience settled down as well. The noisy chatter gradually faded, leaving only the dialogue from the movie echoing in the theater.

This film was a highly popular military-themed movie about evacuation operations in recent years. Ji Ran played the sniper Guo Huai in the action team—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, clad in camouflage gear with yellow goggles, making his resolute gaze even more striking and his demeanor even more charismatic.

In the first half of the movie, the little voice in Yan Duo’s heart kept screaming excitedly, while in the second half, her tears never stopped. One by one, her comrades fell, and the severely wounded Guo Huai, his face cold and unyielding, remained steadfast at his post until reinforcements arrived. Only then did he collapse, unconscious, in a pool of blood…

By the end, the theater was filled with sobs. Yan Duo wiped away her tears, took one last glance at Ji Ran sitting in the front row, then hunched over and slipped out through the back door.

An Yixin didn’t make it to the premiere due to traffic congestion. She sent a message halfway telling Yan Duo not to wait for them and to do whatever she wanted. Yan Duo found the seemingly suggestive message odd but didn’t dwell on it. She went downstairs, found Yan Yi’s car, and went home with her brother.

Yan Xuenian had estimated the time his daughter would return and had already prepared dinner. As soon as the children arrived home, they sat down to eat.

Yan Duo had a happy day at home. The next day was a workday, and everyone in the family had to go to work. Yan Duo didn’t ask anyone to accompany her. After breakfast, she packed her luggage and left with her suitcase. As the weather gradually warmed up, the clothes she originally brought to the film set were no longer sufficient. Yan Duo planned to first return to Ji Ran’s home to fetch more clothes. bjkj66.com

Ji Ran’s home was in the villa area on the other side of T City, quite far from the Yan family’s residence but closer to the airport. Yan Duo planned to pick up the clothes first before heading to the airport.

When Yan Duo unlocked the door with her key, the villa was quiet and empty. She went straight upstairs, heading directly to Ji Ran’s room.

To be honest, Yan Duo hadn’t spent much time living here. Shortly after getting married and moving in, she and Ji Ran both left for their respective film sets. However, the place had always been cleaned by housekeepers, so it never became messy.

The master bedroom has a large walk-in closet. When Yan Duo moved in, Ji Ran specifically had someone clear out half of the clothes to make space for her.

After packing the clothes she needed to take with her, Yan Duo glanced at the double bed covered with a bright red bedspread. Estimating the time, she decided to take a nap before heading to the airport. Rolling around on the bed a couple of times, she soon fell fast asleep on the bed that carried Ji Ran’s distinct scent.

She slept until 1:30 p.m., when the alarm woke her. In high spirits, Yan Duo went to the bathroom to wash her face, humming a wildly off-key tune while applying light makeup.

Once her makeup was done, Yan Duo looked at herself in the mirror, turning left and right, swaying her hips, quite pleased with the reflection. On a whim, she started playing her favorite childhood game in front of the mirror.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”

Then, switching roles, she pinched her throat to mimic the witch’s voice: “The fairest of them all is you, my queen.”

Yan Duo tossed her hair and winked at the mirror. “Ah, you really have good taste, mirror!”

After indulging in her vanity, Yan Duo walked contentedly toward the door. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, a deep voice tinged with amusement came from the side.

“The most beautiful queen in the world?”

Recognizing the owner of the voice, Yan Duo stumbled in her high heels and nearly fell.

Author’s Note:　　　Mini Theater (Just for Laughs Series):

Ji Ran: The most beautiful queen in the world~

Yan Duo stretched out her foot towards Ji Ran: Here, you can lick it for a bit~

Pfft hahaha~~

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