18 : Kiss anyone?

 The restaurant for the gathering in wass indeed not far from the school. 

Turn left after exiting the back gate and walk down a street; it was one of the two storefronts. It was a Chinese restaurant with a wide variety of dishes, good quality and inexpensive, a popular spot for nearby students to dine.

The proprietress was young and enthusiastic. Seeing Lu Ran and Yin Luo enter, she smiled broadly: "Why are there only two of you today? Isn't the team having a gathering?"

Lu Ran: "I came to order first, they'll be here soon."

"There are private rooms upstairs." The proprietress led the two upstairs, her gaze falling on Yin Luo. "A new face? Is he your younger brother?"

"You also think he looks very young, right?" Lu Ran agreed with the proprietress's opinion, which was why he had been quite surprised to learn that Yin Luo was two years older than him.

The proprietress knew she had guessed wrong. Seeing the two standing very close, she hesitated and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Lu Ran paused, secretly pleased, his lips unable to suppress a smile: "Does he look like him?"

Yin Luo gave him an impatient look.

Lu Ran coughed lightly, afraid the other person would feel awkward, "Just kidding."

The proprietress smiled, didn't ask any more questions, and gave Lu Ran the menu. Before leaving the room, she praised Yin Luo, "You're really good-looking."

Yin Luo was usually very proud, but she would get shy when praised by someone like an elder, and her ears and cheeks were already flushed pink. When Lu Ran saw all this, he thought she was secretly pleased because of the comment "You're my boyfriend."

Lu Ran wavered a little.

Actually, it didn't necessarily have to be a girl; a boy was fine too, like someone like Yin Luo. She was pretty, had a sweet and soft scent, and her lips looked very kissable.

Yin Luo noticed Lu Ran staring at him after a long gaze. He patted Lu Ran's arm and said, "What are you daydreaming about? Are you going to sit down or not?"

Lu Ran was still lost in unrealistic fantasies about kissing when he suddenly heard Yin Luo ask him in a coquettish voice, "Are you going to do it or not?" His shoulders tensed instantly, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably. "Do...what?"

"Sit on a chair." Yin Luo gave him a disdainful look and chose a seat for herself. "Are you going to stand and eat?"

Lu Ran finally snapped out of his reverie, coughed to cover it up, and sat down next to Yin Luo.

The team often had group meals, so Lu Ran knew their tastes, but he had never eaten with Yin Luo before. So he would ask about each dish before ordering, and eventually, he knew pretty much what they wanted.

Yin Luo disliked anything too oily or spicy, but also didn't want anything too bland or tasteless

.

It sounded picky, but Lu Ran patiently edited the original menu, eventually ordering dishes specifically for Yin Luo.

Meanwhile, the system notification in Yin Luo's head kept ringing.

[Bullying Value +3!]

[Bullying Value +2!] [

Bullying Value +3!]

...

If it weren't for the necessary plot points, Yinluo would have preferred to stay at school and exploit Xiaoyangyang alone. Just

as the two finished ordering, a group of over a dozen people from the team entered, surprised to see another person in the room. They had assumed only Lu Ran had arrived first.

Some of them gave him unfriendly looks.

Yinluo was well-known at school for his appearance and behavior, and many rumors circulated about him. Some who had heard the rumors didn't have a good impression of him, but seeing he was Lu Ran's friend, they didn't say anything.

Once everyone was there, Lu Ran briefly introduced Yinluo to them.

Most of the boys who didn't know Yinluo maintained a friendly attitude; after all, with such a beautiful face, they couldn't bring themselves to speak ill of him.

After the dishes were served, everyone discussed today's game, while Yinluo quietly ate his meal. Suddenly, a plate of peeled shrimp appeared in front of him.

Yinluo paused, then looked up. Lu Ran was sitting lazily in a chair: "So thin, eat more."

Had he peeled them for him?

Yin Luo was surprised: [Did he not wash his hands?]

System: [Possibly.]

However, before Yin Luo could refuse, several people around him started to tease him: "Hey, we've never seen you peel anything for us guys before, you're always the one ordering us around."

Lu Ran laughed and joked: "Get lost, if there's anything, you'd have already snatched it all, why would I have to peel it?"

Although he said that, everyone understood Yin Luo's position in Lu Ran's heart. After dinner, several people got drunk and clamored to play games. Yin Luo glanced at his phone, realizing that the time for his allergy medication was about to pass, and told Lu Ran that he had to leave. Seeing that he was going back, Lu Ran asked: "Going back to the dorm? I'll go with you."

Yin Luo: "Okay."

Suddenly, a boy spoke up: "What's wrong? Young Master, you can't even play games that ordinary people like us play?"

Everyone present could tell that the tone was not good. Lu Ran's face darkened, and he was about to speak when he saw Yin Luo sit back down, his expression arrogant: "What games don't I know?"

[I'm really a qualified working person, always remembering my persona.]

As a villain, Yin Luo not only enjoys picking fights but

is also easily provoked, which is the main reason for his tragic end.

Seeing that Yin Luo, whom they always clashed with, was going to participate, the group egged them on and immediately chose a riddle game.

Lu Ran knew Yin Luo's temper and didn't stop him.

This game was similar to Truth or Dare, but with some differences. The person spun by the bottle had to ask a question, and everyone present had to answer. If everyone answered correctly, the questioner had to drink a penalty shot; conversely, those who couldn't answer also had to drink a penalty shot.

Therefore, the questioner usually asked some rather provocative questions.

Yin Luo became the unlucky one, being chosen in the very first round.

When he was seriously thinking, he would lower his eyelashes and purse his lips. However, this expression, placed on his beautiful face, surprisingly gave him a pure and innocent look.

Even those who initially had a bad impression of Yin Luo couldn't take their eyes off him, wondering if the rumors were true. It wasn't

until the fair-skinned boy in the seat, with pink earlobes and a serious expression, asked, "Have you all failed your retakes?" that they finally realized—the rumors were false.

The young master of the Yin family, who frequented nightclubs and changed boyfriends according to the forum, would actually ask such a question.

This didn't seem like someone who liked to party.

A burst of laughter erupted in the room, but no one answered the question. Yin Luo's ears burned with shame.

Had none of them failed their retakes?

Was he the only one so clueless?

Someone kindly said, "Looks like you're not very good at this. How about this, consider this practice. Next time it's our turn, you listen carefully to how you ask."

Yin Luo quietly said "Oh."

This time it was the others' turn. The other person smiled and said, "Raise your hand if you're a virgin!"

Yin Luo: "..."

Was it really that serious?

He slowly raised his arm, glanced around, and saw that only he, Lu Ran, and a boy with black-rimmed glasses had raised their hands.

Someone didn't believe it and asked Yin Luo, "Is the young master still a virgin?"

Yin Luo was already embarrassed, and the question made his blood rush to his head: "I can't just sleep with anyone, can I?"

Lu Ran's pupils contracted slightly, then his lips involuntarily curled into a smile, and he conveniently helped to defuse the situation: "Quick, drink up, then next!"

The second question still didn't reach Yin Luo, but it was clearly aimed at him—

"Of the virgins just now, has any of them kissed?"

Amidst the noise

, Lu Ran spoke first, his voice slightly hoarse from the alcohol, sounding much more magnetic than usual: "I haven't."

Immediately afterward, the boy with black-rimmed glasses also answered: "Me neither."

Yin Luo felt countless gazes on him; his face grew increasingly hot, like white jade blushing pink, and he nervously bit a small patch of soft flesh on the corner of his lip.

Only when that soft flesh turned a bright red and raw did Yin Luo lower his eyes and softly "hmm."

This breathy "hmm" instantly made the atmosphere in the room ambiguous.

Some even whistled—

"Hey, when?"

"Just a kiss?"

"Did you make the first move or did he?"

...

Yin Luo was startled and immediately took a sip of his drink, but the glass contained strong liquor, and a spicy taste hit him immediately, burning his mouth.

He had to open his mouth and take small breaths,

attracting even more attention.

Lu Ran's smile froze at the corner of his mouth, his lips tightened, his eyelids were lowered, his wrinkles were deep, and his eyes were obscure, making him look very cold.

Just then, Yin Luo's phone rang; it was Duan Muze calling. He came out of the room to answer the phone: "Hello?"

The man's voice was low: "Are you at school?"

Yin Luo hummed in agreement: "What's up?"

"I'm at the back gate of the school, in a black car."

Yin Luo was stunned; Duan Muze had actually come to give him a free ride. He didn't want to be asked about "kissing" here anyway, so after agreeing to meet him, he hung up the phone and was about to leave when he noticed Lu Ran leaning against the wall.

He didn't know when Lu Ran had come out.

The lights outside weren't bright, and half of Lu Ran's face was in shadow. He leaned down and stared at Yin Luo: "Are you going back?"

Yin Luo didn't notice anything unusual about him: "Yeah, a friend is looking for me, I'm going back now."

Lu Ran's gaze was fixed on his lips, and he couldn't discern the tone in his voice, but it was very different from usual.

"What friend?"

"The one you kissed?"

Yin Luo paused, assuming he was drunk and talking nonsense, and left without saying anything.

Lu Ran was left standing there alone, his back looking somewhat forlorn.

*

A black sedan was parked at the back gate of the school. As Yin Luo approached, the passenger door opened from the inside.

Duan Muze was looking at him.

Yin Luo got in: "Didn't you just finish filming today? You're back already?" "Yeah, something came up

." Duan Muze gripped the steering wheel with one hand and started the gas.

Yin Luo was slightly surprised: "Where are you going?"

"There are a lot of people here."

Yin Luo understood; after all, Duan Muze had many fans, and the back gate was crowded, making it easy to be recognized. Duan Muze drove a short distance before finally stopping in a quiet alley.

The surrounding light was too dim, so Duan Muze turned on the interior light. Yin Luo then noticed a dark patch under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't had much rest. She asked him how filming was going and if he'd eaten.

Duan Muze answered, but his mood didn't seem good.

It seemed tonight wasn't a good time to increase her favorability.

The system chimed in: [Host, the desensitization medication is almost worn off.]

"I have to go back,"

Yin Luo said, about to open the car door, when the man suddenly spoke—

"Your lips are very red." Duan Muze's eyes were deep, his voice unreadable. "Did you kiss someone?"

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