"Sister Duo, whatever's fine if there aren't any kids in the house, but Ran Er is still young and you should lead a good example."

Ye Xuan was not worried at all that she might ban him from visiting!

He knew they were very attached to Liu Ran and would want what was good for him. Liu Ran had taken a liking to him too, so he had nothing to fear.

Hehe, Liu Duo slightly frowned. It seemed this man did not think that she would do anything to him.

She was about to say something when Liu Ran's voice rang out. "Brother Xuan, I've got the bag here."

Within a few seconds, he reappeared in the scene. "Sis, what are you doing with Brother Xuan here? Sis, shouldn't you sit down and eat? Where are you going with that bowl?"

He saw the two of them facing each other, and there were weird vibes all over the place.

By the time he finished speaking, he had arrived at the table and put down his bag.

Before Liu Duo could open her mouth, Ye Xuan spoke first. "Nothing, your sister and I were having a discussion." He promptly changed the topic. "Ran Er, practice your writing when you get your textbook out. I shall explain in detail whatever you didn't understand yesterday."

"Yes." Liu Ran's attention was quickly diverted. He laid out his brush, ink, and paper as he was told and focused on his writing.

Liu Duo was not very pleased to see her brother obeying Ye Xuan's instructions, but she would tolerate the man for his sake.

Liu Duo spotted an opportunity when Liu Ran had his head in his work and was not paying attention to them. Holding the bowl in her hand, she deliberately stepped on Ye Xuan's foot, forcing him to give way.

She silently mouthed the words, "Good dogs don't block the way!"

She turned and headed to the kitchen, but before that she rolled her eyes at him, not hiding her annoyance at all.

She would wait until Liu Ran finished his studies for the semester. Then, she planned to transfer him to the schoolhouse in town to avoid contact with Ye Xuan!

Ye Xuan looked at her go. He resisted the pain reluctantly, not making a sound, as he made his way to Liu Ran and sat down beside him.

"Brother Xuan, I'm going to Yuan Fang's house tomorrow. It's his birthday and he invited me." Liu Ran glanced at Ye Xuan, reminding him that he need not come to tutor him.

Ye Xuan was slightly caught off guard when he heard that. That would mean he had no excuse to come tomorrow.

And then he thought of something else, to which he laughed, "Then you'll have to ask your sister to take you there. You don't want to repeat what happened last time, do you?"

"Liu Qing's been arrested. I don't have to trouble my sister. I can go to Yuan Fang's house myself." Liu Ran did not understand why Ye Xuan wanted Liu Duo to walk with him.

"Ran Er, it's true that Liu Qing has been arrested, but he still has a father! Don't forget his father came to beg your sister for mercy. She didn't agree, so he probably holds a grudge and may take it out on you, like his son did!"

Er...

As he heard that, Liu Ran stared at Ye Xuan with a look of disbelief. Would Uncle do something like that?

Ye Xuan raised a hand and touched the boy's head as he continued, "Ran Er, do you know what it means to nip it in the bud? If your uncle really pulls something like that, won't it make your family worry again?"

Liu Ran recalled the time he was kidnapped by Liu Qing, and the dreadfully worried look on Liu Duo's face when she found him. He nodded.

How could he make them worry again?

"Brother Xuan, thank you for your reminder. I'll ask Sis to take me to the party tomorrow."

"That's alright, you don't have to thank me. What's the nature of our relationship anyway? Saying that is like we aren't close at all." Ye Xuan smiled gently. "Ran Er, continue with your writing. We'll leave it at that. Just remember what to do tomorrow."

"Right." Liu Ran smiled too. He put the matter behind him and returned to focus on his writing...

Ye Xuan observed Liu Ran as he wrote. Something flashed in his eyes as they filled with glee.