61: Indescribable sounds?

He looked at the girl before him, whose face screamed "I've seen through everything," and let out a helpless sigh.

"Little sister."

He changed how he addressed her.

"Do you... not remember your mother's period?"

This question was like a bolt of lightning, striking Lan Qingyu right in the head.

She was completely stunned.

"P... Period?"

She subconsciously started counting on her fingers.

"I remember it!"

After finishing her calculations, she immediately retorted.

"My mom's should be the day after tomorrow..."

Before she could finish, she paused.

It seemed... it seemed that morning, her mother had mentioned something about her stomach feeling uncomfortable and that it might have come early... Seeing the expression on her face turn from certainty to confusion, and then from confusion to suspicion, Lin Chao knew he had guessed correctly.

He spoke slowly; his voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to make even the wind at the mouth of the alley feel awkward.

"Then you might not know that your mother's period arrived early that day."

"She had severe menstrual cramps, so painful she was rolling around on the bed."

"I went over that day to massage her acupoints and relieve the pain."

"As for that... 'strange sound' you heard..."

Lin Chao deliberately drew out his words.

"That was your mother groaning because she couldn't take the pain."

Boom!

Lan Qingyu felt the blood in her entire body rush to her head in an instant.

With a "whoosh," her face turned red from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears.

Her whole body was like a large shrimp thrown into boiling water.

So... so that was it?

She had spent so much time imagining things, thinking she had stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret.

In the end... it turned out to be this?!

She stammered, her lips trembling for a long time, unable to utter a single complete word.

"I... that... so..."

Embarrassing!

It was absolutely mortifying!

Lin Chao, on the other hand, leisurely crossed his arms and squinted, sizing her up from head to toe once more.

His gaze held a hint of scrutiny and a touch of teasing.

A playful curve hooked the corner of his mouth.

"You're so young, yet you certainly have a lot on your mind!"

"Boom!"

Another sound.

Lan Qingyu felt as if the steam of shame was about to blow the top of her head off.

She had completely lost face!

Seeing her look as if she wanted to find a hole to crawl into, the slight unpleasantness in Lin Chao's heart vanished.

He put away his teasing expression and, after a thought, grew a bit more serious.

"Alright."

"Since you're Sister Yanran's daughter, I can't just ignore this matter."

The change in his tone made Lan Qingyu abruptly look up from her boundless embarrassment.

Her face was still red, but her eyes already held a hint of defiance.

"What do you want to manage?"

"What business of mine do you need to manage?"

She stiffened her neck, as if trying to reclaim a bit of the dignity she had just lost.

"Besides, what right do you have to manage me?!"

Lin Chao looked at her—clearly in the wrong, yet still stubbornly acting like a hedgehog—and suddenly laughed.

He asked back leisurely.

"By what right?"

He acted as if he had heard a huge joke, lightly raising an eyebrow.

"Your mother and I are friends, aren't we?"

"A friend's daughter is about to step into a pit and be a total sucker."

"Can't I, as someone of your uncle's generation, give you a hand and lecture you a bit?"

He said this as if it were only natural, even giving himself a promotion in seniority while he was at it.

Lan Qingyu's face turned another shade redder.

"Who... who wants you to manage me!"

Her lips moved, but her rebuttal seemed so weak and feeble.

Lin Chao didn't bother arguing with her further.

"Standing here isn't going to solve anything."

He jerked his chin toward his black SUV.

"Let's find a place to sit and talk."

With a soft "beep."

He pressed the unlock button on his car key, and the lights flashed twice.

Lan Qingyu bit her lower lip, a trace of hesitation flashing in her eyes, but her body was honest.

Without another word, she walked straight to the car, consciously pulled open the passenger door, and sat inside.

A thud.

The car door closed.

Seeing her lack of resistance, the smile on Lin Chao's lips deepened.

This girl was a typical paper tiger.

He chuckled, got into the car as well, and expertly started the engine.

The car slowly drove out of the old alley filled with the scent of everyday life.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat silent.

Lin Chao kept his eyes on the road ahead and asked as if in casual conversation.

"Have you had lunch?"

Watching the street scenery rapidly recede outside the window, Lan Qingyu gave a muffled response.

"I ate at Xiao Ru's house."

Lin Chao nodded. "Alright."

"Then let's find a cafe."

Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of an elegantly decorated cafe.

The two found a booth by the window and sat down.

A waiter soon brought over two steaming lattes, the aroma of coffee filling the air.

Lan Qingyu held the warm cup in both hands but didn't take a single sip.

She looked up, staring straight at Lin Chao across from her.

"What exactly do you want to say? Can you say it now?"

Lin Chao picked up his cup and took a slow, deliberate sip of coffee.

His unhurried manner made Lan Qingyu feel a surge of anger.

He set down his cup and finally spoke, his gaze calm and sharp.

"What exactly is going on between you and that girl named Zhong Xiaoru?"

"Why are you willing to pay back that money for her?"

At the mention of Zhong Xiaoru, Lan Qingyu's tense expression softened slightly.

She seemed to think Lin Chao had misunderstood her friend and was eager to explain.

"Actually... Xiao Ru and I have only known each other for a little over a month."

Lin Chao raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and gestured for her to continue.

"On the day I finished the Gaokao, I was on my way home in the evening when I ran into some thugs trying to rob me. They even broke my phone."

"She happened to pass by and, seeing what was happening, held up her phone and said she was calling the police, which scared them right off!"

As she spoke, Lan Qingyu's eyes sparkled with admiration and trust for her friend.

"That's how we met."

"I later found out that her family's situation is very poor and she has a hard life."

"So I often take her out for good food and buy her some clothes and things."

She paused, her voice dropping.

"As for the debt..."

"Yesterday was the first time I heard her mention it through tears."

"She said that three years ago, her mother fell seriously ill and needed money urgently, so they borrowed twenty thousand yuan."

"But because her family was so poor, they were never able to pay it back."

"It just... dragged on until now."

There was a hint of unquestionable determination in Lan Qingyu's tone.

"She saved me once."

"That twenty thousand yuan isn't much to me."

"I'll just consider it... returning the favor."