I Married My Love Rival (GL) - Chapter 14

In the bathroom of the bedroom.

The location was the same as a few days ago. That day, Ji Ran had resisted her closeness, and today, Ji Ran was standing behind her, clumsily blow-drying her hair.

Looking in the mirror, Luo Simo tried her best to smile without being too obvious.

Although she still couldn’t recall when she had ever blow-dried Ji Ran’s hair.

“Should I use this purple jar of oil for the essence?”

Her hair was mostly dry. Ji Ran pointed to a collection of bottles and jars in the cabinet.

“Yes.”

Luo Simo reached out, took the jar of essence, twisted it open, and handed it to Ji Ran.

Ji Ran took it, glanced at the mirror unintentionally, and couldn’t help but smile.

Looking at the two of them in the mirror right now, they seemed like an old married couple, radiating a strange sense of warmth.

After applying the hair essence, Ji Ran washed her hands on the side. Luo Simo, with silent understanding, handed her a hand towel.

This… doesn’t this make them look even more like an old married couple?

Ji Ran nodded internally, praising her efforts to foster their partnership!

Strive to be an excellent partner, let’s all be happy together!

But when it was time to sleep, Ji Ran looked at Luo Simo in the bed and finally timidly slipped into her own covers. Her efforts could only go so far for now.

However, they no longer went to bed in silence as they had before. At least they could chat for a few minutes, talk about the day’s events, and discuss the plans for tomorrow.

For example, since tomorrow was Sunday, Luo Simo wouldn’t need to go to the company again.

So Ji Ran missed out on sleeping in again. Luo Simo used the method Ji Ran herself had taught her, turning the music up to the maximum volume and pulling her out of bed.

“Get up, wash up, eat breakfast, and then we’ll walk August together.”

“Didn’t you complain about walking August being tiring yesterday? I’ll teach you how to use the balance scooter today.”

Ji Ran sighed, scratching her hair, and crawled out of bed.

“This reminds me of my high school days, when I was forcefully woken up every morning at a fixed time, sometimes even before sunrise.”

Yawning, Ji Ran dejectedly headed to the bathroom.

“And every morning after waking up, I had to run for exercise, and after running, I had to rush to the cafeteria to grab food.”

Listening to Ji Ran’s mumbling, Luo Simo frowned. She didn’t remember them running every day in high school?

It was only twice a week, and it was a rotation between grades, with the seniors only having to run one day.

That meant it must have been after Ji Ran transferred schools in her senior year. But Luo Simo didn’t know where Ji Ran had transferred to.

“But the breakfast back then wasn’t as delicious as it is now.”

Sipping the millet porridge, Ji Ran felt healed.

Luo Simo, meanwhile, was contemplating how to discreetly inquire about Ji Ran’s past.

She was afraid that if she asked, Ji Ran would turn around and ask, What was your high school like?

She didn’t want to lie to her, but she was even more reluctant for Ji Ran to realize the truth because of her honesty.

While she was still debating, Ji Ran had already finished eating, played with August, and was waiting for her, holding the leash.

Without overthinking it, Luo Simo collected the dishes and instructed Ji Ran to get the balance scooter from the storage room.

Hearing this, August ran even faster than Ji Ran, leading her to the storage room.

“It looks like you didn’t slack off on walking August when you were doing it yourself.”

That’s why August reacted so strongly to the scooter.

“August has too much energy, so I have no choice. Remember to put on the protective gear too!”

Hearing Luo Simo’s reminder from the kitchen, Ji Ran rummaged around for the protective gear nearby.

“It’s covered in dust!”

“It’s bound to be dusty if no one has used it!”

The house was large, so they communicated by shouting.

“Just take it out and wash it!”

“Can I just skip it? The tutorial looked pretty easy!”

“No!”

Ji Ran looked helplessly at the protective gear in her hands. Fine, I’m getting old. I can’t handle falls like I used to.

I’ll just compromise.

After wiping them down twice with wet wipes and then once with a dry towel, Ji Ran put the protective gear on her knees and elbows. Just then, Luo Simo emerged from the kitchen.

“There’s also a helmet.”

Ji Ran was utterly speechless.

“I’m just learning a balance scooter! Do you think I’m a kid? Wearing a helmet in this heat would kill me.”

“It wouldn’t kill you, but I’m afraid you’ll fall.”

In the end, due to Ji Ran’s strong resistance, the helmet was not taken out.

Walking past the small garden, there was a stretch of flat road right by the entrance, with a soft lawn beside it.

“Go play on the lawn by yourself. I’ll come and play with you after I’ve practiced the balance scooter.”

Luo Simo squatted down, rubbed August’s face, and let him go. There weren’t many households here, and August wouldn’t wander far, so she didn’t need to worry.

“Come on. We’ll practice here until you get the hang of it. The road will be downhill later, and you won’t be able to control it.”

“Got it.”

Ji Ran nodded, then pressed the power button on the scooter. She lifted her foot to step on it but was blocked by a sneakers-clad foot.

“What are you doing?”

Ji Ran looked at Luo Simo in confusion.

Why is she blocking me?

“Hand.”

Luo Simo extended her hand and gestured with her eyes to Ji Ran.

Holding hands?

Ji Ran, the eternal loner, suddenly felt a little shy.

“I think I can manage by myself. I probably won’t need you to support me.”

Luo Simo didn’t speak, but her outstretched hand didn’t retract. She just quietly looked at Ji Ran.

“Uh, this… isn’t this a little much…”

Ji Ran was fidgeting, but Luo Simo was too lazy to waste words. She grabbed Ji Ran’s right hand and held her right arm.

“Lift your foot.”

“No, lift your right foot first.”

“Step on slowly, then put your left foot on. Keep your balance. Don’t wobble.”

“I’m holding you, so don’t be afraid. Don’t wobble!”

Ji Ran, who had just been refusing to hold hands, unconsciously shifted her weight onto Luo Simo as soon as she stepped onto the scooter, gripping Luo Simo’s hand tightly.

“It’s moving! Why is it turning on its own?”

“Ah! I didn’t mean to turn!”

Luo Simo helped Ji Ran make a small turn in place, then Ji Ran finally stood steady and started moving forward.

“Lean your toes forward, and your body slightly forward, to accelerate. Press your heels to stop…”

The balance scooter was easy to learn. After two laps around the small road with Luo Simo, Ji Ran was already able to ride slightly without Luo Simo’s support.

But Luo Simo stayed by her side the whole time, protecting her, her hand always close to Ji Ran’s, afraid she might lose her balance and fall.

“I think I’ve learned it!”

Gradually, Ji Ran felt confident. She pushed her toes, easily leaving Luo Simo behind. Then, she made a turn and smoothly stopped in front of Luo Simo.

“Nice. You learn fast.”

“Is it really this simple?”

She made me wear protective gear and even wanted me to wear a helmet, but I only wobbled a few times. There was no chance of falling.

“It is simple, but you’re a beginner. Don’t change to a higher gear, and be careful when you encounter a downhill slope later.”

As she instructed, Luo Simo put her thumb and index finger to her mouth and let out a loud whistle. August, in the distance, quickly came running.

“That whistle is pretty cool.”

Standing on the balance scooter, Ji Ran was eye-level with Luo Simo, her eyes sparkling as she complimented her with a smile.

“How do you whistle like that? Teach me!”

Clearly, Ji Ran was very interested.

Luo Simo pinched her fingers and showed off the skill again. Hearing the sound, August ran even faster.

Ji Ran imitated the finger position, but could only produce a whooshing sound.

“How do you make the sound come out?”

“Why do you want to learn that?”

“Seriously, it’s so cool!”

What Ji Ran didn’t say was that when Luo Simo whistled like that, she found it damn attractive.

A girl who can whistle cleanly and smoothly is so cool and captivating!

Especially one with such a beautiful face.

“It’s cool, but you won’t be able to learn it.”

“Why?”

“You don’t have the genes.”

Picking up August’s leash, Luo Simo spoke casually. In reality, she just didn’t want to teach, nor did she want Ji Ran to learn.

“There’s a theory for that?” Ji Ran was skeptical. “How do you know I don’t have the genes?”

“You just don’t.”

“Fine.”

Luo Simo had already started jogging with August. Ji Ran quickly followed on the scooter, continuing to press her.

“Then how did you learn it?”

How did I learn it?

There were some things she could share with Ji Ran about that.

“I learned it unintentionally while studying abroad.”

“They teach whistling while studying abroad?”

“Of course not.”

Luo Simo chuckled. What kind of logic is that?

“When you walk in a small alley abroad, or when there are some hooligans in your class, you’ll hear that sound often.”

So, Luo Simo’s impression of whistling wasn’t very good.

It usually carried contempt, lewdness, or malice. At the very least, it was mockery.

“There was a big guy in my class who sent me a date text. After I refused, he whistled like that at me and said some vulgar things when I walked past him wearing a short skirt.”

Just hearing about it made Ji Ran furious, and she showed a look of disgust.

“And then what did you do?”

“I hit him with my backpack and kicked him.”

Speaking of the result, Luo Simo couldn’t help but show a slight smile.

“Well done! You have my style back then. People like that deserve to be hit!”

Ji Ran couldn’t help but imagine the scene of Luo Simo hitting him—a beautiful and handsome girl in a short skirt fighting. What a great sight.

“Yes, but there’s a sequel.”

“Later, when he wore shorts to class, I whistled at him too. It was very loud, with variations, and I told him, ‘Boys, don’t wear such short shorts. You might get snatched by a strange uncle.’ The whole class burst into laughter.”

Even now, Luo Simo found it funny. The big guy’s embarrassed expression was satisfying revenge.

Ji Ran gave a thumbs up.

“Relieving!”

“My high school was similar to yours, even fiercer. If anyone dared to bully me, I dared to fight them. I got into several fights and never lost. I was really fit back then—first place in the school’s 800-meter race.”

Subconsciously, Ji Ran assumed Luo Simo was talking about high school and couldn’t help but share her own similar experiences.

“But one time, I fought too fiercely and was forced to transfer to a very remote, closed-management school. I heard it was specifically for difficult students with complex issues. Many of the administrators were ex-military. Everything there had to follow orders. No causing trouble. But it was quite peaceful.”

“But the physical training was too much. As a result, once I got to college, I lost all interest in exercise…”

This was a very distant memory, one Ji Ran had barely shared with anyone.

Ji Ran’s tone was light, but Luo Simo, beside her, lowered her eyes.

She had personally witnessed Ji Ran being expelled back then.

But at the time, she did nothing, and she couldn’t do anything.