Xu Fan was a bit excited, having searched for so long for a place to live, he finally encountered one here.
Xiao Lan smiled slightly and said, "The apartment is right across from where I live. Today, the tenant told me they were preparing to move out, and I was just planning to find another renter. Meeting you, little brother, must be fate between us."
"That's great! Beautiful sister, when can I come to see the apartment?"
Xu Fan smiled, he was exhausted by now and couldn't wait to lie down on a bed.
Xiao Lan had quite a favorable impression of Xu Fan and looked at him with indulgent affection, saying with a laugh, "Silly little brother, come with me now."
After finishing her sentence, Xiao Lan said goodbye to a few of the supermarket employees and then led Xu Fan out of the supermarket's entrance.
Xiao Lan's place was on the floor above the supermarket. Now, she led Xu Fan up to the third floor, took out a bunch of keys from her bag, opened the door, and led Xu Fan inside.
As they entered, a fragrant breeze wafted towards them. Xu Fan took a quick look around, noting that the apartment was a not-so-large three-bedroom with a living room, decorated in a European style, very exquisite.
There was not a single item of men's belongings to be seen in the apartment. Xu Fan couldn't help but ask, "Lan sister, were all the previous tenants women?"
Xiao Lan looked at Xu Fan amusedly and said, "Silly little brother, this is your sister's home!"
"Ah?"
Xu Fan was startled. Wasn't it said to be across the door?
"Lan sister, you don't mean to... live together with me, do you?"
Seeing Xu Fan's surprised look, Xiao Lan covered her mouth and chuckled, pretending to be annoyed, "What? Don't tell me you wouldn't like to live with me?"
Xu Fan touched his nose and grinned, "On the contrary, I'm just afraid that living with a great beauty like Lan sister could lead to sparks flying in all sorts of shame-shame ways."
"You!"
Xu Fan was completely unabashed, and Xiao Lan's cheeks blushed with shame.
This sensation, which she hadn't felt in years, made her glance at Xu Fan with a hint of grievance and she scolded, "Little rascal! You're not learning good things at such a young age!"
"You helped me out today, so I must at least treat you to a simple meal, right? You big dummy! Go sit properly, sister is going to make you something delicious!"
Xiao Lan said this while changing her shoes. Xu Fan made himself at home, walking over to the living room couch, sitting down with a contented stretch.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly feeling something underneath him, he frowned, reached down, brought the object up to his eyes and inspected it,
Upon closer inspection, Xu Fan found that there were quite a few pieces of women's intimate clothing on the couch!
Xu Fan scrutinized them and subconsciously nodded his head; Lan sister's taste wasn't bad at all.
"Eek!"
Just then, Xiao Lan, who had changed her shoes, saw this scene. Her face flushed red, she hurried over, snatched them away, and immediately gathered up all the clothes from the sofa.
It had always been just her living there, without much thought given to such matters, but now Xu Fan had seen her private things, Xiao Lan gave him a stern look and scolded, "You little rascal! Haven't you seen them before?"
Xiao Lan pouted like a young girl and glared crossly at Xu Fan; then, clutching her clothes, she twisted her full hips as she went into the bedroom.
After putting away the clothes, Xiao Lan went into the kitchen alone and started to get busy.
Having not cooked for someone else in a long time, she spent nearly half an hour bustling about the kitchen before coming out with an array of exquisite dishes.
"Little brother, it's time to eat!"
The blissful smile on Xiao Lan's face was like that of a newlywed wife calling for her husband. After Xu Fan sat down at the table, she diligently began serving him food.
Xu Fan also happily indulged. Seeing Xu Fan eat his fill, a trace of bitterness flashed in Xiao Lan's eyes as she laughed and said, "Hehe, it's been so long since we've eaten together like this…"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Xu Fan put down his chopsticks and turned to look at Xiao Lan, whose mood seemed a little off. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Lan Jie, what's wrong?"
Xiao Lan wiped her eyes and chuckled, "It's nothing, just reminded me of my husband…"
"Uh, your husband…"
From Xiao Lan's expression, it seemed that her husband might have encountered some misfortune…
She gave a wry smile and said, "He's gone, three years ago, a car accident…"
"Uh… Lan Jie…"
Xu Fan grimaced, unsure how to comfort her, and saw Xiao Lan force a smile on her face, "Silly little brother, why be sad for me? An old widow like myself has gotten through these years, haven't I?"
"Lan Jie, you're not old at all."
Xu Fan retorted, Xiao Lan had just reached thirty, and she had taken good care of herself, time had not left a single trace on her. Instead, it had added to her maturity and charm, as beguiling as a ripe peach.
"Silly little brother."
At that moment, Xiao Lan's eyes intently gazed at Xu Fan, her red lips slightly parting as she said, "Could I lean on my little brother's shoulder for a while?"
"..."
Feeling the helplessness behind the charming demeanor of the woman in front of him, Xu Fan quietly stood up, walked over to Xiao Lan, and pulled her into his embrace.
Xu Fan carefully brushed her hair from her cheek to behind her ear and, moving closer to her ear like carved jade, whispered with a smile, "Anytime you need to."
This sentence completely broke through Xiao Lan's emotional defenses. It had been years since she had relied on the shoulder of a man, having endured much hardship alone.
Feeling her shoulder getting increasingly damp, Xu Fan half laughed, half cried as he gently caressed Xiao Lan's back, consoling her, "Silly sister, don't cry. If you need anything in the future, I'll be there to help."
Suddenly, Xu Fan playfully tickled Xiao Lan under her arm, causing the young widow to laugh and tremble in his arms.
Xiao Lan wrapped her arms around Xu Fan's solid waist, her cheeks flushing with girlish crimson as she scolded, "Hmph, you little rascal, always knowing how to cheer me up!"
Smelling the masculine scent on Xu Fan, she immediately blushed and quickly let go, retreating.
"I—I'm going to take a shower!"
Being embraced by a man so much younger than herself made Xiao Lan nervous and flustered. After giving Xu Fan a lingering look, she bolted into the bathroom like a rabbit.
...