I Found My Future Wife Next Door - Chapter 7

Ranran, did I cause trouble?…

“Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~”

The sudden doorbell shattered the quiet afternoon. Yu Qianran wasn’t interested and let Aunt Wang answer it.

“Hello, I’m here to see Yu Qianran,” said the little boy outside, drenched in sweat and looking rather disheveled.

Aunt Wang immediately recognized him as Lu Zhishen from a while back and smiled. “Oh, Young Master Lu! Come on in. Ranran is playing in the living room.”

Lu Zhishen shook his head. “No, he’ll be angry. Could you ask him for me?”

Aunt Wang, well aware the two children were having a tiff, agreed with a cheerful smile.

She didn’t actually leave Lu Zhishen outside, though, she brought him inside and handed him a bottle of water.

Aunt Wang quickly walked over to Yu Qianran, acting as the messenger between them. “Ranran, your friend Young Master Lu is here to play. Should we let him in?”

Yu Qianran glanced sideways at the figure by the entrance. He had clearly overheard their conversation earlier. Still upset with Lu Zhishen, he chose not to forgive him just yet and pouted angrily, “He’s not my friend. Send him away. I don’t want to play with him.”

Big liar. He probably has no other kids willing to play with him, that’s why he came back to me. The more Yu Qianran thought about it, the angrier he became.

Aunt Wang returned to the doorway and repeated Yu Qianran’s words.

Though they weren’t far apart and could hear each other perfectly well, they insisted on having a middleman relay their messages, as if that created a barrier between them.

Lu Zhishen took off his backpack, rummaged inside, and pulled out a box of cookies, handing it to Aunt Wang. His tone was sincere. “Please tell him I didn’t mean to not come, I just couldn’t get out. Today, I brought his favorite cookies to apologize.”

Aunt Wang smiled. “Of course, Young Master Lu.”

Before she could relay the message, Yu Qianran stopped her. “Don’t bring them over. I don’t like them anyway.”

Bad guy, bad guy, bad guy.

Ranran wouldn’t forgive Lu Zhishen so easily, unless Lu Zhishen apologized one more time… no, two more times.

Mom said that in ancient times, someone had to visit three times before the person they wanted to invite would agree to come out. So, Lu Zhishen needed to apologize three times too.

Lu Zhishen took a step forward, poking his head in earnestly. “Ranran, I really didn’t mean to. Would you believe me if I said my mom locked me at home to study?”

“You finished studying and still didn’t come,” Yu Qianran snorted, turning his back to avoid looking at Lu Zhishen.

“That’s because I don’t live here anymore,” Lu Zhishen said anxiously, afraid that if he delayed even a moment, Yu Qianran would never speak to him again. “I sneaked out today while they weren’t home. I haven’t eaten or drunk anything all day. I walked for a long, long time just to find you.”

This was the truth. It was his first time out without an adult, and he didn’t know the way. He’d asked many people, but no one seemed to know this address. Finally, after figuring out where it was, he took several bus transfers and then walked under the scorching sun from the bus stop for what felt like ages to get here.

The security guard hadn’t wanted to let him in at first, it was only after he gave his family name that he was allowed through.

Yu Qianran turned his head slightly, secretly sizing up Lu Zhishen to see if he was lying.

Drenched in sweat, messy hair, clothes unclear if they’re torn… It seems like what Lu Zhishen said might be true.

Most of Yu Qianran’s anger melted away. He pouted, “I waited for you for days.”

“I’m sorry. It was my fault,” Lu Zhishen said, lowering his head.

Yu Qianran’s eyes lit up instantly. That’s three apologies!

He pushed himself up from the ground with both hands and walked step by step to Lu Zhishen, saying in a fierce yet childish tone, “No next time.”

Lu Zhishen suddenly hugged the person in front of him, his eyes crinkling with joy as if he had just drunk a cola, his voice turning cheerful: “Ranran, you’re so nice.”

Yu Qianran’s lips curved upward as he lightly pushed Lu Zhishen away, a hint of disdain in his voice: “Let go, let go, you’re so dirty.”

Lu Zhishen obediently released his grip.

The two children were almost the same height. Yu Qianran took Lu Zhishen’s hand and led him to the bathroom in his own room.

He pointed to the shower and said, “Go take a bath. I’ll find you some clothes.”

Lu Zhishen nodded, “Mm-hmm.”

The walk-in closet was spacious, filled with countless clothes, so many that they could have opened a children’s clothing store.

The layout of the clothes in the closet was organized according to Yu Qianran’s preferences. He liked to sort them by color, so he quickly found the yellow section and picked out a set of clothes in the same color, printed with a little yellow dog pattern.

Yu Qianran was very satisfied with this outfit, it matched his own perfectly. After all, good friends should wear matching clothes.

Lu Zhishen quickly put on the clothes Yu Qianran had prepared for him. Standing side by side, the two children could easily be mistaken for brothers by anyone who didn’t know better.

Eager to know what Yu Qianran had been up to, Lu Zhishen stared intently with his dark eyes, “Ranran, what have you been doing lately?”

Yu Qianran glanced at him and answered slowly, “Playing with puzzles, watching TV.”

Lu Zhishen asked, “Can I play puzzles with you?”

Anything was better than those tedious lessons.

Yu Qianran nodded, retrieved the puzzle he had partially assembled a few days earlier, and gestured for Lu Zhishen to join him on the carpet.

The sections that were already pieced together didn’t quite match the pattern, they were just randomly assembled. The remaining puzzle pieces were scattered all around.

“Wow, Ranran, you have so many puzzle pieces!” Lu Zhishen grabbed a handful. Each piece was only about the size of his two eyes, unlike the oversized puzzles he usually played with. He had never seen anything like this before. “Do you really know how to put them all together?”

Yu Qianran tilted his head, his voice soft and proud: “Of course. I’ve already finished several puzzles.”

“Can I see them?” Lu Zhishen let go of the puzzle pieces, his eyes shining brightly.

Yu Qianran: “Mm-hmm.”

The family had dedicated a room specifically for Yu Qianran to store his puzzles. Yu Qianran led Lu Zhishen to his treasure trove.

The moment the door opened, Lu Zhishen was captivated by the puzzles hanging all over the walls. Each puzzle was enormous, composed of countless tiny pieces.

There were Pleasant Goat, Ultraman, Boonie Bears, Tom and Jerry…

All the cartoon characters he loved were there.

“Ranran, you’re amazing.” Lu Zhishen was genuinely impressed. It must have taken a long, long time to complete so many puzzles, so long that he probably didn’t even have time to play with friends.

Yu Qianran’s eyes curved into crescents, a smile on his face as he said in his soft, childish voice, “It’s easy. I can teach you.”

Puzzles were his favorite toys. He didn’t need to play with others to have fun, and after finishing them, his parents would always praise him and give him new puzzles as gifts!

Lu Zhishen looked at him expectantly, “Really?”

“Of course.” Yu Qianran nudged Lu Zhishen out of the room and closed the door behind them. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Lu Zhishen: “…”

“I really didn’t mean to.”

“I know.”

“If Ranran is so amazing, why was the puzzle earlier all messed up?”

“I’m not telling you, hmph.”

Lu Zhishen wasn’t someone who enjoyed quiet. After working on the puzzle for a while, he wanted to wander around or play with other toys, he had already lost interest in the puzzle.

But he was afraid that saying so would make Yu Qianran angry, so he forced himself to endure for another half hour.

“Shenshen, why do you keep staring at me?” Yu Qianran asked, puzzled. Many times when he looked up at Lu Zhishen, Lu Zhishen would immediately lower his head to look at the puzzle.

Moreover, Lu Zhishen hadn’t added any new pieces to his puzzle for a long time, there was no change at all.

Lu Zhishen’s eyes sparkled as he grinned. “You’re prettier to look at.”

Yu Qianran lowered his head slightly, embarrassed, his voice softening like a little kitten’s. “But you still can’t keep staring at me. Hurry up and work on the puzzle.”

Lu Zhishen agreed absentmindedly. “Mhm, I know.”

Time ticked by, the clock’s hands falling to point at half past three.

Since Gu Kexin had stopped working as much, she had gradually developed the habit of taking afternoon naps. But who could tell her why there was an extra child in the house, wearing clothes similar to her Ranran’s? She almost thought she hadn’t woken up yet and was still dreaming.

Hearing light footsteps from the stairs above, Yu Qianran immediately turned around. He wanted to be the first person his mother saw when she woke up.

“Mom, you’re awake,” he said, looking up at the person walking slowly toward him.

Gu Kexin smiled, glancing at the other child with his back to her, and said dizzily, “No, I’m not awake yet.”

Lu Zhishen stood up and turned around, greeting politely, “Hello, Auntie.”

“Oh, it’s Lu Zhishen,” Gu Kexin sighed in relief. After Yu Qianran hugged her legs, she bent down, picked him up, and kissed his cheek. “Why haven’t you come for so long? Ranran waits for you at the door every day.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhishen felt both delighted and guilty.

“I’m sorry, Auntie. My mom made me study. I sneaked out today.”

Gu Kexin was shocked. She hadn’t expected Lu Zhishen to dare to run out alone. As a mother, she could understand the anxiety, panic, and despair Ji Nuan would feel upon discovering her child was missing.

She said seriously, “Your mom doesn’t know you’re here. I have to tell her.”

“No, Mom will drag me back to study,” Lu Zhishen panicked, hugging Gu Kexin’s legs and pleading. “Auntie, don’t let my mom know. She’s a bad mom, she won’t let me play with Ranran.”

Gu Kexin felt overwhelmed. She patted Ranran in her arms, telling him to wait a moment before hugging him again, then crouched down to meet Lu Zhishen’s gaze. Word by word, she reasoned with him.

Lu Zhishen looked pitiful. “But I don’t want to go back.”

Gu Kexin tempted him. “What if Auntie talks to your mom and lets you stay to play with Ranran?”

“Really?” Lu Zhishen’s face lit up with hope, wishing his mom would agree right away. “You won’t lie to me, right?”

Gu Kexin nodded. “Of course. I’ll do my best. Otherwise, I’ll send Ranran to your house to play with you every day.”

Lu Zhishen extended his pinky finger, looking at Gu Kexin with sparkling eyes. “Then it’s settled. We have to pinky promise.”

Gu Kexin hooked her pinky with his. “It’s settled.”

After making the promise, Gu Kexin let the two children play on their own while she called Ji Nuan to tell her that Lu Zhishen was at her house.

Yu Qianran kept looking back, somewhat worried about his mom.

Lu Zhishen glanced around uneasily. “Ranran, did I cause trouble?”

Ranran shook his head. “Dunno.”

But he thought that if his mother couldn’t find him, she would definitely be very worried.

He patted Lu Zhishen’s back as a small gesture of comfort.

Gu Kexin talked for a long time, so long that Lu Zhishen began to think his mother wouldn’t agree.

When Gu Kexin turned around, two little figures in the distance were staring at her with hopeful eyes.

So adorable.

Gu Kexin walked over, bent down, and said with a smile, “Little Zhishen, your mother agreed.”

Lu Zhishen nervously clenched his small hands and asked softly, “Is it just for today or can it be forever?”

Gu Kexin smiled gently, “Forever.”

“Thank you, Auntie. I like Auntie the most!” Lu Zhishen jumped up happily and joyfully hugged Ranran.

Gu Kexin teased, “Then is Ranran your second favorite?”

“No, Ranran is the most, most, most favorite,” Lu Zhishen shook his head and said, “But the most, most favorite is my bad mommy.”

“Lu Zhishen, you little rascal!”

Ji Nuan pointed at Lu Zhishen, who was hiding behind Yu Qianran, and scolded.

Lu Zhishen peeked out from behind Yu Qianran and retorted, “Mommy is the bad one.”

Ji Nuan snorted coldly, knowing exactly what her son feared most, “If you run away secretly again, I’ll send you to Grandpa’s house and make you study every day.”

Lu Zhishen stiffened, as if frozen in place by a spell.

After the mother and son finished arguing, they still had to hold hands and go home together.

Yu Qianran watched Lu Zhishen leave, feeling a little reluctant inside.

No other child had ever played with him before.