Chapter 17: You Broom Star, Why Don't You Just Die!

Jiang Ran's voice was hoarse to the point of being unusable, carrying an almost pleading urgency; without waiting for Su Ruan to answer, he impatiently lowered his head and seized her lips.

This kiss was unlike the boastful, impulsive one in the Billiard Hall yesterday, and unlike the tentative, half‑hearted probing in the fitting room.

It was filled with suppressed longing and an almost barbaric possessiveness.

Jiang Ran's tongue forcefully pried open her clenched teeth, greedily drawing her sweetness, entangling her softness, with such force that it seemed ready to swallow her whole.

Su Ruan, overwhelmed by the sudden fierce onslaught of the kiss, felt her whole body go limp, her brain starved of oxygen; the hand pressed against his chest gradually lost strength, only able to cling feebly to his shoulder, emitting a faint whimper.

That sound further provoked Jiang Ran.

His kiss grew deeper, more unrestrained.

One hand tightened around her waist as if to fold her into his body, while the other hand began to act mischievously.

That large hand, sheathed in a thin callus, had originally only been caressing the slender curve of her back, feeling the alluring line.

Gradually, he began a clumsy probing, reaching through the thin knit shirt to cover that soft, perky curve.

Su Ruan's body suddenly stiffened, letting out a more pronounced whimper, trying to twist away.

But Jiang Ran, now clouded by desire, not only failed to let go, but pressed further, kneading forcefully; the plump, soft feel made his scalp tingle.

His hand even tried to slip beneath the hem of her clothes, aiming to touch the delicate skin directly.

The moment the icy fingertips brushed the skin at her waist, Su Ruan snapped awake!

This place is still outside! Though the Alley is dark, someone could pass by at any moment!

She began to struggle fiercely, turning her head to evade his scorching kiss, her voice trembling with breathlessness and a hint of panic: "Stop… Jiang Ran… someone could see…"

Her struggle and words were like a bucket of cold water, slightly dousing Jiang Ran's blazing desire.

He froze, breathing heavily, his forehead pressed against hers, his gaze wrestling in the darkness for a moment before reason finally prevailed.

He couldn't be here… couldn't treat her like this.

He abruptly withdrew the wayward hand, clutching her tightly, burying his scorching face in the hollow of her neck, his voice muffled, full of restraint and pain: "I'm sorry, RuanRuan… I… I couldn't help it…"

Su Ruan could clearly feel a hard, burning part of his body pressed against her, as well as the tension and tremor rippling through his muscles.

She sighed inwardly, extended a small hand, gently patting his back as if soothing a large dog: "I understand, you… first… calm down."

Jiang Ran held her for a while, then gradually steadied his rapid breathing and restless blood.

He lifted his head, using the faint distant light, watching Su Ruan's lips, swollen and glossy from the kiss, and her cheeks flushed with a red hue, his gaze still dark.

His thumb gently stroked the corner of her mouth, his voice hoarse: "I really want to go get the certificate tomorrow…"

Su Ruan's cheeks heated, she pushed him away: "Go back quickly, it's late."

Only then did Jiang Ran reluctantly release her, helping tidy her disheveled clothes and hair, and after confirming no one was outside, he escorted her out of the narrow alley.

He kept her company until they reached the dim streetlamp at the Su Family's doorstep, then Jiang Ran left, looking back every few steps.

Su Ruan watched his silhouette fade into the night, exhaled softly, touched her still‑warm lips and the waist‑hip area that seemed to retain his palm's heat, silently cursing the little wolf‑dog for his stamina yet reckless approach.

She steadied her emotions, then pushed open the oppressive front door.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ran, walking in the night breeze, let the cold wind blow for a while, and the heat in his body gradually subsided.

But his mind was filled with the image of Su Ruan, soft and fragrant in his arms, yielding to his every request… He muttered a low curse and quickened his steps home.

It seems the coming days will be extremely hard to endure.

Su Ruan pushed open the creaking wooden door, and before she could fully step inside, sharp cries and shouting surged out like a tide, instantly scattering the faint, ambiguous warmth she had gathered in the alley.

"I don't care, I'm going to marry him! What's wrong with Liu Wen Bin? He's a teacher, that's a secure job, a cultured person! He's far better than those second‑rate thugs who only know how to fight!"

It was Su Yanhua's high‑pitched, tear‑tinged scream, her voice stretched to a painful pitch by emotion.

"Nonsense! As if!" Da Zhuang's angry roar followed, accompanied by a thundering sound like a table being slammed, "A teacher earns only a few bucks a month? Can that compare to the Jiang Family?"

"Even the tiniest gaps between our fingers earn more in a year than he does! Are your eyes blind? Look at the things people have sent us! That's the real deal!"

Wang Juhua's voice was sharp and cutting, full of a bitter, iron‑to‑steel resentment: "Yanhua, why are you so stubborn! What's so great about Liu Wen Bin? He fled in public, too ashamed to even let out a fart!"

"What good life could you have marrying that spineless loser? You'll just be on the receiving end! Listen to Mom, cut him off quickly, Mom will find you someone better!"

"Better? There's no better! You all ruined it! All you see is money! That little slut Su Ruan hooked up with a rich kid, I refuse! I'm marrying Liu Wen Bin, I won't marry anyone else!"

Su Yanhua sobbed, her voice filled with despair and rebellion.

"I'll turn the tables on you! Still dare to talk back? Watch me kill you!" Da Zhuang's roar rose, accompanied by the swishing sound of a feather duster.

Then came Wang Juhua's gasp and Su Yanhua's even louder wail.

The chaotic scene, the moment Su Ruan stepped into the inner room, seemed to hit a pause button.

Inside, the room was a mess: a chair toppled, the enamel jar on the table shattered onto the floor.

Su Yanhua's hair was disheveled, her face bore a slap mark, her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

Da Zhuang's face turned iron‑blue with anger, still clutching a feather duster.

Wang Juhua was pulling and urging from the side, her face full of agitation.

The three of them shot glances at Su Ruan, who had just entered.

Especially when they saw the obviously new clothing on her, their gazes instantly turned as if laced with poison!

Jealousy, resentment, displaced anger… all the negative emotions instantly found an outlet!

"How dare you come back?" Wang Juhua was the first to attack, pointing at Su Ruan with a sharp, cutting tone: "Dressed like a Fox Spirit, still trying to lure men? You've disgraced our family! If it weren't for you, Yanhua wouldn't be like this?!"

Su Yanhua, as if she had found the culprit, cried out, "It's all you, you Broom Star! Why don't you just die!"

"If you hadn't gotten involved with the Jiang Family, could Mom and Dad look down on Wen Bin so much? It's all your fault, you stole everything from me!"

Da Zhuang didn't utter a direct insult, but his dark, loathsome gaze fixed on Su Ruan, as if all the trouble stemmed from her…

If it were daytime Su Ruan, she might bow her head and submit meekly.

But now Su Ruan no longer intended to play the scapegoat for them.

She walked slowly into the house, casually setting the bag of old clothes aside, her posture relaxed, even with a hint of laziness.

She lifted her gaze, her calm eyes sweeping over the three snarling faces, the corner of her mouth curling into a faint, mocking arc.

"Sister, that remark is really interesting." Her voice remained soft and glutinous, yet sounded as if wrapped in ice shards, "What did I snatch from you? Did I take your old clothes, or your leftover food?"