Chapter 16

"Cluck, cluck, cluck~ Xiaoru, you're already a grown-up, why are you still as playful as when you were a child?" Xia Yuechan said with a rosy face and a gentle laugh. "Alright, stop causing trouble for your big sister. I've been busy all day and want to rest. Listen to your big sister and go home now, say hello to everyone, and if you want to live with me, come back after you've packed your things."

"Um~ Alright, Big Sister Yuechan..." Li Mengru pouted her rosy lips and nodded obediently. The usually spoiled and willful Li Mengru was surprisingly obedient and well-behaved in front of Xia Yuechan!

...

Twenty minutes later.

Chu Nan arrived at the so-called Yayan Apartment Complex and made his way to the building where he would be staying.

However...

Before he could take a few steps into the building, he suddenly saw a familiar yet unfamiliar beautiful face approaching him!

Uh! What a coincidence, it's... Li Mengru!

Chu Nan recognized Li Mengru, but Li Mengru did not recognize Chu Nan.

Chu Nan also remembered what Uncle Zhao had reminded him: it would be best to protect Li Mengru without her knowing his true identity.

As for what kind of protection... Chu Nan was very clear about that.

As the granddaughter of Li Bandao, Li Mengru was a star among stars. Most importantly, the Li family's true military members were now only Li Bandao and Li Mengru's eldest brother. The other family members had long ago entered the business world.

Now that Li Bandao was getting old, once he stepped down from his current position, the Li family would no longer be as domineering as before. While business had brought the Li family a lot of financial gains, it also brought many commercial rivals.

With the Li family's declining influence and public relations capabilities in certain areas, many commercial competitors were now more daring in their underhanded tactics.

Moreover, Li Bandao's position in the military was now more symbolic than powerful, making these commercial rivals even more brazen. Last year, Li Mengru suddenly encountered a long-planned kidnapping. Although the kidnappers failed, the clues were lost when the criminals committed suicide. At the time, Chu Nan was in the Dragon Bone and heard the news. It was the first time he saw Li Bandao lose his composure, and the only person who could make Li Bandao so flustered was his granddaughter, Li Mengru.

So, the old man's intention was clear: he wanted Chu Nan to protect his granddaughter while also trying to uncover the mastermind behind the kidnapping.

This... was very difficult!

Both the old man and Chu Nan knew that the mastermind behind such a sophisticated kidnapping plan must be a highly skilled and powerful person.

In the past ten years, the Dragon Bone, which was initially a well-known special forces unit, gradually shifted to secret operations and became a covert force. As a result, the old man's influence in the capital had significantly diminished.

Now, when people mentioned the Li family, they mostly referred to the Li International Group, seeing the Li family as a business dynasty.

So, when Chu Nan saw Li Mengru walking slowly to the entrance by herself, he was speechless—this young lady really had no idea about her situation. However, according to Chu Nan's understanding, there were always bodyguards secretly protecting Li Mengru. His main role was likely to catch the tails of certain unscrupulous individuals, not just to provide simple protection.

"Probably nothing will happen in the near future."

Chu Nan thought to himself.

Because when he looked at Li Mengru's face, with her rosy lips, white teeth, fair skin, and smooth, bright forehead, he saw no signs of misfortune. So, he decided to follow this young lady and take the opportunity to quietly and low-key check out his new residence and the surrounding area while she was away.

But...

Where was room 2108?

Thinking about this, Chu Nan walked to the reception desk in the lobby with his old and worn-out cloth bag. This was a hotel-style apartment.

"Excuse me... where is my room?" Chu Nan smiled at the security guard at the front desk.

"2108?... Are you the guest in room 2108? This room was just rented out today. Is it you? You rented the room but don't even know where it is?" The security guard was a man in his thirties, and he looked at Chu Nan with suspicion. Chu Nan's appearance did not seem like someone who could afford to rent an apartment here, so the guard's attitude was somewhat condescending.

"Yes, but my uncle rented it for me. I'm a student at Jinghua University, so I'll be staying here."

"Jinghua University?" The security guard looked at Chu Nan again with suspicion. The university was very close, and it seemed he wasn't lying.

A high-achieving student from Jinghua University, even if he looked a bit like a bumpkin, he was from the top university and had a promising future.

Understanding this, the security guard's attitude improved. "It's on the 21st floor. You can find it by following the room numbers."

"Thank you." Chu Nan turned and walked away.

At that moment, Chu Nan's appearance inadvertently caught Li Mengru's attention as she was about to leave the lobby.

"2108?—Isn't Big Sister Yuechan's room 2107?" Li Mengru was taken aback. "2108 means the 8th room on the 21st floor, right? How can someone who doesn't understand such a simple logic claim to be a student at Jinghua University? Am I a schoolmate with such a weirdo?

And... a neighbor?

Glancing at Chu Nan, Li Mengru had no good feelings towards this somewhat old-fashioned-looking boy. He wasn't the type to initiate conversations, so she just walked out of the lobby.

...

Soon, Chu Nan arrived at the 21st floor.

"Click."

Opening the door, Chu Nan pushed it open and looked around. Huh, not bad.

The decoration wasn't luxurious, but it had a simple and elegant charm. This was a high-end apartment, and after the renovation, it naturally exuded a unique atmosphere, regardless of its size. Although the space was a bit small, about 40 square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room, it was enough for Chu Nan.

"The feng shui of this room... is acceptable. Although it doesn't bring good luck, it also doesn't bring bad luck. That's fine." Chu Nan scanned the room and didn't bother to rearrange the furniture. He slowly walked to a slightly larger and more comfortable room, which he would use as his bedroom. He threw his cloth bag onto the bed and stretched out.

"Next door... should be Li Mengru's room, right?..." Chu Nan thought, "The old man wants me to protect her, but I'm not a superhero. What if she gets into trouble at home while I'm at school? Maybe... I should set up some small arrays in her room?"