Chapter Seven: I Am Your Brother

“Whew!” Qin Ruhua exhaled deeply, her body once again going limp. I quickly pulled her closer, feeling the softness and warmth of her against me. Well, it was summer, so calling it ‘warmth’ was an understatement; where our bodies touched, it was scorching hot, sweat already breaking out, the scent intoxicating.

“Ah!” Suddenly realizing the strength of my firm arms, Qin Ruhua snapped back to awareness and quickly broke free, straightening up. Although I had held her for quite some time, she clearly had no mind for it now; her expression mixed with anger and fear as she shouted at me, “Why are you so impulsive!”

Having just dealt with Liu Xiaofeng, I felt much better and laughed lightly, “Your brother asked me to look after you, so I have to be responsible. If someone bullies you, I’ll stand up for you, even if it’s the king of heaven himself!”

Qin Ruhua was momentarily speechless, glaring at me in frustration.

I smiled and said, “When I was riding earlier, you thought I was messing around, but the truth is, I have the means to compensate. Now that I’ve beaten him up, I have the confidence to back it up. I told you, you should trust your brother; the person he entrusts is absolutely reliable.”

Qin Ruhua was slightly taken aback, looking me over again, still somewhat hesitant. She said, “But he’s the son of the chairman of the Golden Land Group.”

“So what?” I smiled faintly. “I notice your friend still hasn’t shown up. If he really wanted to force you to drink and get you drunk, what would you do? Have you forgotten what your brother did for you?”

Her brother had accidentally killed someone for her, fleeing his hometown. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten.

Mentioning this, Qin Ruhua fell silent, her gaze dropping, a hint of sadness in her eyes. After a moment, she lifted her head and stared at me quietly, whispering, “This is different though. You’re not my brother.”

At that moment, I saw a flicker of emotion in her eyes that touched me deeply. I smiled and said, “Your brother asked me to look after you. Since he’s not here, I am your brother now.”

Qin Ruhua bit her lip tightly, staring at me without blinking, her eyes moist. After a pause, she softly responded with a hum.

I smiled gently and said, “Alright, let’s get in the car.”

Qin Ruhua hesitated, glancing around secretly. The crowd seemed still stunned, their eyes lingering on us.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. She asked, “How did you get here?”

“I drove. But I was worried you’d shake on the bike, so I thought I’d take you back first.” I smiled softly, admiring the delicate flush on her fair face—it was utterly charming.

At that moment, a white Toyota Corolla pulled up nearby, and a neatly dressed young man in a suit stepped out.

“Qin Ruhua,” the suited man hurried over. “Xiao Qing told me you scratched a Maserati CEO’s car. Where are you?”

I sized him up; he was about twenty-two or twenty-three, about Qin Ruhua’s age, likely a classmate.

Judging by his eagerness, he was probably pursuing her.

Qin Ruhua’s expression returned to normal, a reserved, polite smile on her lips. “It’s already been settled. Thank you.”

The man’s gaze swept over me, then he smiled, “Scratching a CEO’s car probably costs tens of thousands, right? I brought the money over. You must have borrowed from other friends, yes? You can pay them back first. We’re old classmates; owing me is better than owing others!”

Qin Ruhua glanced at me, smiling. “No need. I don’t owe anyone. Thank you, Ma Hou.”

The man called Ma Hou looked slightly surprised, then turned to me, extending his right hand with a smile. “Hello, I’m Qin Ruhua’s university classmate, Ma Hou. You must be her friend?”

“Hello, I’m Chu Fan.” I smiled and shook his hand.

“Did you lend her the money?” Ma Hou’s smile was gentle. “How much in total?”

“Twenty thousand.”

“Oh!” Ma Hou grinned. “I’ll pay you back on Qin Ruhua’s behalf. What’s your Alipay? I’ll transfer it.”

“Ma Hou!” Qin Ruhua’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction. “No need. I told you, I don’t owe money.”

Ma Hou’s smile faltered as he sized me up again, then took out his phone with a smile. “Well then, I’ll thank you on her behalf. What’s your WeChat? Let’s add each other—I’ll buy you a drink sometime.”

“I haven’t learned WeChat yet.” I smiled faintly.

That was true. Having just returned for a bit over half a month, I hadn’t learned WeChat yet.

“No way!” Ma Hou’s expression exaggerated suddenly. “In this day and age, which young person doesn’t have WeChat?”

“Ha ha.” I laughed as if watching a clown’s act. “Looks like I’m outdated, not keeping up with the times.”

Ma Hou sighed. “You’re truly innocent. Where are you from?”

“I’m from the countryside.”

“Ma Hou!” Qin Ruhua frowned deeply. “If you have nothing to do, you should go back. We still have things to do.”

She had been hesitant to get in the car, but now she said this and climbed into the back seat, less than ten centimeters from me.

Ma Hou’s eyes widened as he looked at the narrow gap between me and Qin Ruhua, showing a subtle mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment. He smiled awkwardly but was reluctant to leave, hesitating before saying, “Where are you going? I can drive you there.”

He pointed to the white Toyota by the roadside.

“No need.” Qin Ruhua said coldly.

“Click!”

At that moment, a camera shutter sounded.

A traffic officer walked over and started taking photos of the Toyota.

Ma Hou hurried over, bowing respectfully. “Officer, I’m leaving right away.”

The officer glanced at him, put away the ticket, and said sternly, “No parking here. Move your car.”

“Right away, just a minute, please.” Ma Hou nodded repeatedly.

The officer ignored him and walked toward my BMW.

Ma Hou was about to run over to us when I twisted the throttle and rode my motorized bike over to the BMW, smiling, “Officer, I’m moving my car to the garage now.”

“Is this your car?” the officer scrutinized me.

“Yes.” I smiled and nodded.

“No parking here. Move it quickly.” The officer said flatly and left.

I got off the bike, and Qin Ruhua followed suit.

Ma Hou stood there awkwardly, face flushed as he looked our way.

After hesitating, he smiled sheepishly and walked over, eyeing the BMW. “Friend, is this your car? Not bad!”

I smiled faintly, pressed the unlock on the key, and said, “Luckily this officer is reasonable.”

Seeing me unlock the car, Ma Hou finally gave up hope. He must have thought I was just pretending by randomly borrowing a car on the street.

“I have something to do. Let’s talk another time.” Embarrassed, he smiled awkwardly, greeted us, and hurried into his car.

I smiled slightly, about to get into the car when Qin Ruhua suddenly said, “Chu Fan, it’s no trouble. I’ll ride my bike back myself.”

Leaning against the car, I looked at her graceful figure and delicate, fair face, smiling. “When did you learn to ride a bike?”

Qin Ruhua blushed, smiling shyly. “Just learned a few days ago.”

“Your riding skills need improvement! What if you crash into a plane next time?”

“No need you to say that. I’ll practice a lot myself.” Qin Ruhua shot me a glare, then turned her gaze to the BMW. “This is Mr. Ling’s car, isn’t it?”

I laughed. “I’m now Mr. Ling’s driver. I just take her car out to show off sometimes.”

“Hmm.” Qin Ruhua’s big eyes showed a trace of gratitude and apology as she lowered her head, blushing softly. “Thank you. I was anxious earlier and wasn’t very polite. When you rode the bike just now, you really scared me, so I pushed you.”

I waved my hand. “We’re family; no need to quarrel. You didn’t knock me down, so you were very polite.”

Qin Ruhua smiled shyly, her beautiful eyes studying me seriously. “This is my fault. I’ll be sure to repay you.”

Money?

Though Qin Wei’s money hadn’t arrived yet, he had promised to transfer it, and although it might not be as much as mine, it was still an astronomical sum! Logically, that money belonged to Qin Ruhua, but I couldn’t explain it now, so I could only use it to show off and take her on a ride.

“I told you, you’re my sister now. Don’t sweat small money.” I waved my hand generously. “If you want to buy something, just say so. Anything under a hundred million, spend freely.”

“Ah?”

“Ha ha, just joking. But anything under a hundred thousand, don’t hesitate.” I had heard from Qin Wei that Qin Ruhua was a good girl who didn’t waste money, so a limit of a hundred thousand was already very generous.

Qin Ruhua studied me and smiled. “Are you really just a driver? Or maybe a security guard?”

“Genuine.”

Qin Ruhua chuckled lightly, a look of disbelief on her face. She turned and climbed onto the motorized bike, tilting her head with a smile. “Uncle driver, I’m heading back now!”

“I’ll follow behind and see you off.”