Chapter 49

Wang Mama and Lu Lu felt an instant connection, chatting all the way in the car. It wasn't until they were almost at their destination that Wang Mama remembered she needed to introduce them. To avoid startling the girl, she decided to break the news gently: "By the way, Lu Lu, it's quite a coincidence, but Auntie only found out a few days ago that you and my son, your cousin, are classmates."

Lu Lu's heart skipped a beat. _No way, how could this be? There's a relative in my class? A cousin? A boy..._ Unfortunately, it seemed she would still have to stay in the dormitory. _I wonder if I'll even be able to sleep on the floor at Auntie's house._

"Oh? Really? What's his name?" Lu Lu asked, trying to sound casual.

"His name is Wang Bo, hehe..." Wang Mama smiled as she delivered the news, which hit Lu Lu like a bolt of lightning, making her eyes widen. "You two can study together. I heard you're one of the top students in the class. When you have time, you can help him improve, okay?"

"Um, um..." Lu Lu nodded absentmindedly, her shock indescribable. _Wang Bo is my cousin? Are we related by blood?_ She began to calculate frantically in her mind: _My grandmother is his mother's aunt, so my father's grandfather is his great-grandfather. That means... we're related, third cousins? Or fourth? Can we get married?_

_No!_ She couldn't help but slap her forehead. _What am I thinking? Why am I even thinking about marriage? I don't even know him well. But I'm going to live in the same house as Wang Bo now. Does that mean something?_

Seeing her lost in thought, Wang Mama assumed she was still processing the sudden news. "Don't worry, Wang Bo already knows you're his sister, and he's promised to take good care of you. If he ever bullies you, just tell Auntie, and I'll deal with him."

Lu Lu was not used to the old-fashioned way of speaking. She reminded her softly, "I'm your niece, not your sister..."

"Oh, we're all family," Wang Mama chuckled. "No need to be so formal. Technically, I'm your aunt, but it's much more affectionate to call each other brother and sister at home."

After dropping this bomb, Wang Mama added, "Oh, right. There is a small room at home, but it's used as a storage space and can't be cleaned out right away. For a few days, you'll have to share a room with your cousin. Don't worry, I'll have him sleep on the floor. As the older brother, he should be considerate, right? I'll clean out the small room as soon as possible and move Wang Bo in there."

Lu Lu, pale and slender, followed Wang Mama home, and the latter's maternal instincts overflowed. She felt like she had gained a lovely daughter, while her own son seemed to be treated like a stepchild, sent to the small room.

Before she could fully digest the news of living in the same house, she was told she would be sharing a room! Lu Lu felt her fragile nerves on the verge of breaking. _If Yu Jia finds out, she'll never let me live it down. I just said I wouldn't have anything to do with Wang Bo, and now we're living together!_

She looked at her excited aunt and said weakly, "That doesn't seem right... Actually, I can sleep in the living room, even on the sofa..."

"That's not possible, the living room is too cold," Wang Mama said firmly. She had only made her husband sleep in the living room once, and he had caught a cold (though she didn't know he had done it on purpose to gain sympathy). She suddenly realized, "Oh, are you embarrassed? In that case..."

Wang Mama pondered for a moment. "How about we have Wang Bo move out?"

If Wang Bo had been there, he would have wanted to strangle himself. _Mom, are you serious? Did you adopt me?_

This was essentially kicking Wang Bo out of the house. Lu Lu shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, no, that's not right. Okay, we can share the room. As long as he doesn't mind, I don't mind either. When I was younger, I used to share a room with my cousin, so I'm used to it."

But she forgot that she was only a child then, and now she was a grown woman, and the other person was Wang Bo.

The taxi arrived at Shuiqiao Jingyuan neighborhood. Lu Lu followed her aunt to the stairs of the building she had visited before, looking up at the window above, hesitating whether to take this step.

As she was hesitating, Wang Mama grabbed her hand. "Come on, this will be your home from now on. Your uncle and brother will be thrilled."

Only they knew if the father and son were truly happy, but seeing Wang Mama return with a lively girl in exchange for a basket of eggs was a genuine surprise.

Especially Wang Bo, who almost dropped his jaw when his mother said Lu Lu would be living with them. "So, where will she sleep?" The small room was piled high with stuff and couldn't be used immediately.

"In your room," Wang Mama said matter-of-factly.

"Then where will I sleep?" Wang Bo was confused. "You'll sleep in your room too," Wang Mama said, causing Lu Lu's face to turn red. This time, even Wang Dad couldn't help but cough, "The kids aren't little anymore."

Wang Mama glared at her husband, thinking he was up to no good. "I mean, you should be considerate and sleep on the floor. Once your father cleans out the small room and buys a bed, you can move in there."

_So, I end up in the small room?_ Wang Bo's heart sank.

"Why should I clean it?" Wang Dad felt a bit wronged. Wang Mama glared at him again, and Lu Lu quickly offered, "I'll help clean it. Since I'll be moving in, Wang... Brother can stay in his room."

Hearing this, Wang Bo felt he should be modest. "You can have the big room, I just need a bed."

Wang Mama was delighted. "That's the spirit! That's what a family should be like. Don't worry, staying in the small room is only temporary. We'll buy a bigger house soon, and you can choose any room you like!"

Wang Bo asked, "Why the rush to buy a house? Can't we wait? I'm not getting married anytime soon."

"It's a good deal now. House prices are always rising. If you wait until you get married, you'll only be able to afford a small house."

Lu Lu's heart skipped a beat. _You're already planning a wedding house for me? Is there something else going on?_ She didn't know about Wang Bo's lottery win, or she wouldn't have misunderstood.

With a new family member, Wang Mama wanted to celebrate. She left the two children at home to do their homework while she and her husband went out to buy groceries.

The door slammed shut, leaving the newly recognized siblings staring at each other. Wang Bo broke the silence first. "Hehe, what a coincidence, you're my cousin."

"Yeah..." Lu Lu nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Even she was unsettled by this situation.

"This is hard to explain to our classmates..." Wang Bo said, and Lu Lu quickly added, "We can't tell anyone!" She decided that their cohabitation must remain a secret, or she would be too embarrassed to face her classmates.

"Agreed," Wang Bo nodded. "Let's keep it a secret for now. At school, we'll just call each other by our names to avoid misunderstandings."

"Sure, I'm used to calling you by your name, but Auntie insists I call you brother."

Her hesitant "brother" almost made Wang Bo's soul leave his body. He shuddered and quickly changed the subject. "Forget it, how much homework have you done?"

"Not much." She had been too preoccupied with the move to focus on homework, but now that things had settled down, she felt motivated to start.

Wang Bo chuckled. "I've finished. Do you want to copy?"

Lu Lu rolled her eyes. "No, I can do it myself."

Wang Bo, who had momentarily forgotten that Lu Lu was one of the top students in the class, scratched his head. "Alright, go to my room to do your homework. There's a desk there." He led her into his room.

Lu Lu picked up her bag and followed him in, noticing a distinct boyish smell. She waved her hand in front of her nose. "Don't you ever open the windows to ventilate?"

Wang Bo quickly opened the window. "Your nose is really sensitive. I can't even smell anything."

_It's all your smell,_ Lu Lu thought to herself. She looked around the room. The last time she was here, she had only stayed in the living room and hadn't entered his room.

The room was relatively tidy. There was a wardrobe by the door, a large bed on the other side of a narrow aisle, a desk against the east wall, and a computer desk next to the bed on the west side. The space between the two desks was spacious enough for a sleeping mat. There was also a row of low cabinets by the south window, filled with books.

The room had a computer and an air conditioner but no TV. Lu Lu was quite satisfied with it, as it was much better than her previous living conditions. She looked around, and Wang Bo, standing beside her, rubbed his hands nervously. "Sit down, don't stand there." He then tidied up the scattered homework and wiped the desk, patting the chair for her to sit.

Lu Lu put down her bag and sat at the desk. Wang Bo busied himself making tea, not sure why he was being so attentive, perhaps because it was the first time a girl had visited his room, making him a bit nervous.

By the time he returned with the tea, Lu Lu had already started her homework. She didn't even say thank you. "Just put it there, you can go do your own thing."

Wang Bo nodded, standing there, unsure what to do.

"Are you still standing there? Go do something."

"Well, I usually just stay in my room, read books, and stuff..." Wang Bo explained, now that his space was occupied.

"Then just read your books. Just don't disturb me," Lu Lu said, focusing on her homework, a bit impatient.

Wang Bo nodded and picked up a reference book, sitting on the bed. But with a beautiful girl sitting in front of him, he couldn't concentrate. He kept glancing at Lu Lu, from head to toe, still unable to believe he would be living with her.

As he flipped through the pages, the advertisement began and ended.