CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 206: XU RUYAN’S LITTLE SECRET

Chu Tian lifted his head with a glum expression, just in time to meet the wary gaze of the security guard, which only dampened his mood further.

He hurriedly explained himself to the man, then deliberately stepped back a bit, moving to the side of the road, dutifully waiting for this sister-in-law he had never met.

About half an hour later, seeing that no one had arrived, Chu Tian was nearly out of patience.

Is it that she doesn’t want to come and console me, or does she not know where I am?

But that doesn’t seem right either. If she didn’t know where I was, she should have called me, right? So, does that mean she doesn’t want to come?

As he was debating whether to call her again, a sneaky figure to his right eyed him intensely, slowly making her way over.

Chu Tian caught a glimpse of someone looking at him from the corner of his eye.

He looked up, unsurprised. After standing there for so long, many students had passed by, glancing at him. However, this person was a bit unusual.

The person was dressed in casual attire: gray sweatpants, a gray hoodie, sneakers, and a black windbreaker jacket.

It was almost November, so her attire was reasonable enough, albeit a bit casual.

What caught his attention was that she had the hood of her hoodie pulled up and her face covered with a mask, completely obscuring her features. She looked socially anxious or introverted.

So, Chu Tian gave her a second glance but paid no further attention.

After all, considering the photos I’d seen, Xu Ruyan dressed more elegantly and appeared quite cheerful. This image had never crossed my mind.

But just because he wasn’t looking at her didn’t mean she wasn’t observing him.

Xu Ruyan frowned, sneaking closer. She felt this person looked somewhat familiar, but she hadn’t gotten a clear view earlier.

As she got closer, she tentatively asked, "Are you a friend of my sister?"

Hmm?

When Chu Tian heard the voice, he turned around. He saw the socially anxious individual he had noticed earlier standing beside him, looking completely bewildered.

"Are you Xu Ruyan?"

"Yes, that’s me. You... eh? You’re... that mute brother-in-law?"

Chu Tian’s face immediately darkened. He looked at this sister-in-law before him, who only showed her eyes, filled with an irritation he couldn’t voice.

What the hell is a ’mute brother-in-law’? What kind of nickname is that? Who came up with that label?

This wasn’t over. He hadn’t even said a word yet, but she seemed intrigued.

"I remember now! You’re that mute brother-in-law, right? Oh? But you can talk, can’t you? Why did my sister say your throat was bad?"

Chu Tian was about to retort, but an idea suddenly flashed in his mind. He seemed to realize something was different.

It was fine for Xu Ruyan to call me ’brother-in-law’. After all, I’m with Xu Qingqiu now, so calling me ’brother-in-law’ is just a bit premature, at most. But this ’mute’ part doesn’t seem right. And she also said my throat was bad, but that was over six months ago. Could it be she doesn’t know about my recent changes? Meaning Xu Qingqiu didn’t tell her? If so, then why would she call me ’brother-in-law’?

With these questions in mind, he immediately asked something else, "Do you know me?"

Xu Ruyan scratched her head and said, "Um... not really, I guess. My sister sent me your photo. I just thought you looked a bit familiar earlier."

So this means she really doesn’t know I’m with Xu Qingqiu? Looks like Xu Qingqiu really didn’t tell her.

Although he had some doubts, he didn’t dwell on them.

"Hello, I’m Chu Tian. Your sister asked me to come and check on you. Is your injury any better?"

Whether out of embarrassment or unfamiliarity, Xu Ruyan lowered her head, her right foot drawing circles on the ground as she muttered, "It’s really nothing. It’ll be fine in a couple of days. You’re making such a fuss..."

Seeing this, Chu Tian knew he wouldn’t get much information out of her, so he decided to act directly.

"Take off the mask so I can see. Also, which hand is injured? Let me take a look."

Seeing him reach out to grab her, Xu Ruyan panicked, quickly stepping back two paces and shouting loudly, "What are you doing? Don’t touch me!"

"Hey, I’m just checking your injury. Why such a big reaction? Has someone been bullying you? I’m here to help you. How can I help if you won’t tell me?"

"Help with what? It’s really nothing. It’ll heal in a couple of days. There’s really no need."

Seeing she was being uncooperative, Chu Tian had no choice but to use his trump card.

"Alright, if that’s how it is, then I have no choice. I’m calling your sister now. I’ll have her take tonight’s flight back and go straight to your teacher to find out exactly what happened."

When Chu Tian actually pulled out his phone, Xu Ruyan grew anxious.

"Hey, don’t... Is that really necessary? Who goes running to their family over every little thing?"

Seeing this tactic was effective, Chu Tian struggled to suppress the smile on his face and said, "Then let me see how your injury is. At least I need to understand the situation so I can explain it to your sister, right? Otherwise, if I go back knowing nothing, wouldn’t your sister have to come here herself anyway?"

Knowing she couldn’t avoid it any longer, Xu Ruyan reluctantly stuck out an arm, her head still lowered, and said, "Here, go ahead and look..."

Chu Tian ignored her attitude. He carefully held her slender arm, gently rolled up the sleeve to check it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The injury wasn’t severe; just a purplish bruise with some superficial abrasions. None were deep, just a slight scrape of the skin. It would heal in less than two weeks.

And judging by its appearance, it seemed no bones were hurt. It wasn’t a major issue.

"And the mask, take it off too so I can see."