An Ran stood in front of her wardrobe, pulling one blouse after another only to toss them aside.
Too plain. Too bright. Too formal.
Her reflection stared back at her, lips pressed thin. It was ridiculous, she was only going to a study session. And yet the thought of stepping into Jiang Yueran's world made her chest tighten. She didn't want to look careless, didn't want to leave the wrong impression.
In the end, she chose a soft cream sweater and a skirt that brushed her knees. Safe. Neutral.
By the time she slid into the back seat of the car, clutching her bag tightly, her nerves hadn't eased. Silence stretched between her and the chauffeur. At home, silence was all she knew, the cold, empty dining table, the way her parents moved around her like strangers.
But when the car turned into the neighborhood Yueran had texted her, the world shifted.
The house was sprawling and bright, laughter spilling from every corner. Children darted across the yard, adults gathered in lively conversations, and warm scents drifted from the kitchen.
An Ran stared, momentarily frozen. The contrast to her own home was so sharp it stung.
The car stopped at the gate just as Yueran came jogging down the steps. She waved with infectious energy, ponytail bouncing.
"An Ran! You're here!" she called, pulling the gate open. "Sorry if it feels crowded. Usually we're not this many. It's kind of a family house, but they're celebrating something today, so all the aunts and cousins are here."
Before An Ran could reply, Yueran took her wrist lightly and tugged her inside, chatting all the way. "Don't worry, though, we're upstairs. My room's quiet."
Inside, the house hummed with warmth. Relatives greeted Yueran as they passed, teasing her, laughing, handing her plates of fruit. An Ran followed silently, her chest tightening at how effortlessly Yueran belonged here.
When they reached the room, the door was already ajar.
Li Shiqing sat by the desk, one leg crossed over the other, scribbling in a notebook. She glanced up as they entered but didn't move to greet them.
Yueran flopped onto her bed and patted the space beside her. "Come on, An Ran, let's start before I get dragged into kitchen duty."
Hesitant, An Ran sat. She fiddled with her sleeve. "…I almost didn't come."
"Why?" Yueran tilted her head.
"I… wasn't sure what to wear."
That earned a laugh so bright it startled An Ran. "What to wear? An Ran, it's just us! You could've shown up in pajamas."
An Ran flushed. "Still… I didn't want to look sloppy."
"Sloppy? You look adorable. Right, Shiqing?"
"Mm." Shiqing didn't lift her eyes.
Yueran waved it off, already pulling out practice papers. "Don't mind her. She's in a mood."
Yueran flipped through her stack of papers, tapping a pen against the cover.
"Oh, right. The results for the audition are coming out next week."
An Ran's hand stilled on her sleeve. "…So soon?"
"Mm-hmm." Yueran grinned. "I'm dying of nerves already."
From the desk, Shiqing's voice cut in flatly. "You talk as if you've already passed."
Yueran rolled her eyes. "Positive thinking won't kill anyone, Shiqing."
Li shiqing also rolls her eyes."Because of how loud you are, even if your acting is bad, you'd definitely pass."
The air between them tightened, but Yueran quickly turned back to An Ran, lowering her voice as if to shut Shiqing out. "Anyway, don't stress. You'll be fine."
An Ran smiled faintly, though the knot in her chest didn't ease.
They spread the practice sheets between them, pencils scratching quietly. The atmosphere softened, until Yueran suddenly glanced up, eyes gleaming mischievously.
"By the way, you know my cousin brother, right?"
An Ran blinked, caught off guard. "…Who?"
"Jiang Cheng." Yueran said it as if it were nothing, already scribbling on her page.
The pencil slipped from An Ran's fingers. Her pulse spiked. Jiang Cheng… her cousin? Heat rushed to her cheeks before she could stop it.
"Y-you mean… him?"
"Of course." Yueran's grin widened as she caught An Ran's expression. "Do you guys talk much?"
An Ran fumbled to gather her pencil again. "we only spoke a few times."
"Only a few?" Yueran leaned in, teasing. "Should I arrange a date for you two?"
"Yueran!" An Ran's ears burned.
"What? He's single." Yueran laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "And you're cute. I bet he wouldn't say no."
Across the room, Shiqing's pencil ground so hard into the paper that the tip snapped, nearly tearing the sheet beneath it. She stiffened, muttered something inaudible, then shoved her chair back.
"I'll get some water," she said abruptly, not meeting their eyes.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Yueran only shrugged, unfazed, and nudged another worksheet toward An Ran. "Ignore her. She gets sulky when she feels left out."
Minutes later, Shiqing returned, a glass in hand. Her gaze flicked between the two of them, sharp and unreadable, before she lowered herself into the chair again.
"Okay, question five," Yueran said cheerfully, waving her pen. "I swear this one gave me a headache yesterday."
An Ran leaned closer, pointing lightly at the diagram. "You misread the instruction. See? They wanted you to calculate the angle here, not here."
"Ohhh," Yueran groaned, smacking her forehead. "No wonder my answer was insane. You're too sharp for your own good, An Ran. Honestly, you make me look dumb."
An Ran shook her head quickly. "No, I just… read it carefully."
"Carefully?" Yueran laughed, then leaned back, her ponytail brushing against the pillow. "If I could borrow half your brain, I'd be top of the class by now."
For the first time that evening, An Ran's lips curved into a small, genuine smile.
From the desk, Shiqing's eyes lingered on her, narrowed, calculating, the corner of her page still scarred where her pencil had nearly torn through it.