Sheng Qingxi scrutinized herself in the dream.
It was clearly a dream, yet even the date was vivid.
On the table sat a desk calendar, with only one day circled in red ink—June 1st, 2020.
It was already summer. In the dream, she was wearing a pale yellow floral dress, which should have been the coming-of-age gift from Sheng Lan. Sheng Lan had once said that every girl needed a beautiful floral dress.
Aside from her school uniform, she rarely wore such dresses.
Sheng Qingxi looked into the mirror. The girl in it had long, jet-black hair, and her small, delicate face held an expression somewhat different from her usual self. Deep in her eyes was a trace of shy emotion.
She smiled slightly at the reflection.
The girl in the mirror smiled back at her.
Sheng Qingxi walked to the closet, taking out a black trench coat that had been hidden away for almost half a year. Her slender, pale fingers gently brushed over the fine fabric, which seemed to still carry the fresh, clean scent of a young boy.
Carefully, she placed the coat into a clean paper bag.
Before leaving, Sheng Qingxi called out to Sheng Lan, who was busy bathing the little ones in the courtyard, “Mom, I’m heading out. I’ll be back before 10 p.m.”
Sheng Lan, too busy to free her hands, held down a slippery little troublemaker and reminded, “Be safe! Call me if anything happens!”
“Got it!”
The girl’s voice carried a hint of joy, and the sound of her footsteps gradually faded away.
Sheng Lan tilted her head, listening to the light and cheerful steps for a moment. She smiled and shook her head, wondering what the girl was up to, as she rarely seemed so happy.
On the bus, Sheng Qingxi sat by the window, holding the trench coat tightly in her arms.
Outside, the shadows of trees flickered under the faint glow of a crescent moon. The silver moonlight softly illuminated the ground, and the night breeze, mingled with the heat of summer, blew through.
Her destination was Nancheng Garden, where Lin Ran lived.
Sheng Qingxi had been to Lin Ran’s house a year ago.
That night had been Christmas Eve, and it had snowed. Lin Ran had saved her from a group of thugs, and his coat, stained with blood and dirt, was casually tossed aside as she suddenly found herself in his embrace.
Warm and clean.
When she woke up, she was already in his home.
As her thoughts wandered, the announcement on the 290 bus interrupted: “Dear passengers, we have arrived at Nancheng Garden. Those disembarking, please exit through the rear door.”
Sheng Qingxi quickly stood up and walked toward the rear door.
Nancheng Garden was a newly built villa complex from two years ago, nestled by the mountains and water, peaceful and beautiful. Usually, such neighborhoods were quiet most of the time, but tonight something seemed different.
The entrance of the community was crowded with people. Residents gathered around the security office, asking questions. From time to time, they pointed in a certain direction as they spoke, and their expressions looked grim.
Hesitant, Sheng Qingxi approached to overhear some of the conversation.
“How did such a big fire start?”
“Is there a risk for our homes too?”
“I heard the house that caught fire was only occupied by a brother and sister. So tragic.”
“The fire department has arrived, hopefully no one is hurt.”
Sheng Qingxi suddenly froze, belatedly turning toward the direction of the billowing black smoke. She frantically pushed through the crowd, running madly toward the scene.
The villa, once luxurious and beautiful, was now engulfed in flames, its former elegance unrecognizable. The surrounding area was filled with onlookers, but none dared to approach.
Out of breath, Sheng Qingxi reached the villa entrance, trying to rush inside, but someone stopped her, repeatedly asking, “Who are you looking for? What’s your relation to this family? You can’t go in…”
A firefighter, seeing the girl crying uncontrollably, tried to get her attention, but she was too absorbed in the hellish scene before her to hear. He had to raise his voice, repeating, “The little girl has already been taken to the hospital by ambulance. We are still searching for the others inside.”
But in the end, what Sheng Qingxi waited for was Lin Ran’s charred, unrecognizable body. She only had a moment to glimpse him before his broken form was covered by a white sheet.
Lin Ran was dead.
She didn’t know how long it took her to come to her senses. By then, the fire had been extinguished, the villa reduced to ruins, and the crowd had long since dispersed, leaving her alone, kneeling on the ground.
Weak and drained, Sheng Qingxi crawled toward the inside of the villa. The lawn at the entrance had been scorched, and in a distant corner, a small teddy bear lay on the ground, one of its ears singed gray from the heat. She looked around, panic rising in her chest.
It was June 1st, just six days before the college entrance exams.
Sheng Qingxi knew that from this day forward, her life would no longer intersect with Lin Ran’s. Today, she had come to confess her feelings to him, bringing all her joy and cautious anticipation to see him.
But she hadn’t even gotten the chance to say a word to him.
Even though the flames had been extinguished, Sheng Qingxi still felt as though the fire was burning on.
“Lin Ran—”
Sheng Qingxi jolted awake, sitting up in bed, her forehead slick with cold sweat. Her eyes were unfocused, and it took her a long time to gather her thoughts.
She had another nightmare.
This nightmare had haunted her for ten years, right up until the day she accidentally died during a police operation. At that moment, her only thought was that she was finally free.
As she was about to lose consciousness, a voice had asked her, “Do you want to go back? I can send you back, back to when it all began.”
How had Sheng Qingxi responded?
She remembered saying, “I don’t want to go back. I want him to live again.”
The next time she woke up, she was back ten years earlier.
Back to when Lin Ran was still alive, and when nothing had yet begun.
—
7:30 a.m.
At the entrance of Chucheng No. 1 High School, Sheng Qingxi sipped from the carton of milk Sheng Lan had stuffed into her backpack. Her class was supposed to be in the classroom by 7:45, and she usually arrived more than half an hour early.
But today, she had already been sitting at the bus stop for twenty minutes.
She was waiting for Lin Ran, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
He Mo and Xie Zhen strolled toward the school gate, arms slung around each other’s shoulders. Both of them immediately noticed Sheng Qingxi sitting on a bench, her head turned toward the road in Lin Ran’s direction.
He Mo glanced at Sheng Qingxi and muttered, “Ah Zhen, what do you think the fairy is doing sitting there?”
Xie Zhen, rubbing his flat stomach, weakly replied, “No idea. All I know is that I’m starving. I missed my late-night snack last night, and I feel like I’ve betrayed it—betrayed my one true love.”
He Mo couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Eat, eat, eat! Is food all you think about? Did you even do your homework yesterday?”
Xie Zhen was bewildered. “Huh? Did we already have homework on the first day back? I just finished copying my winter break homework yesterday morning. My hand almost broke.”
He Mo scolded him, “You don’t know anything. You’re clueless about everything.”
As they spoke, the sudden roar of a motorcycle filled the air. This familiar sound made both He Mo and Xie Zhen turn their heads in unison.
Lin Ran rode up on his sleek, attention-grabbing motorcycle, swaggering as he approached the school gate. Several parents who hadn’t yet left leaned out to see what the commotion was about—some were already used to the sight, while others, seeing it for the first time, looked astonished.
He Mo sighed, “Man, Lin Ran really knows how to make an entrance. If we don’t hear that engine one day, the whole school will know he skipped class.”
Suddenly, Xie Zhen let out a surprised “Hey!” and said, “Look, the fairy is standing up. Damn, is she walking toward Lin Ran?”
He Mo’s expression froze, and Xie Zhen’s face showed pure shock.
At the school gate.
Lin Ran casually undid Lin Yanyan’s helmet and helped her down from the bike. After she steadied herself, he patted her backpack, signaling her to hurry to class.
Once on the ground, Lin Yanyan couldn’t help but bounce twice. Lin Ran had been driving fast, and she still felt as if she were floating. Once she felt gravity’s pull again, she waved obediently at Lin Ran, “Bye, brother!”
Lin Ran gave her a faint nod, watching as the little girl hopped toward the school building.
Lin Yanyan was still as innocent and carefree as ever, but Lin Ran couldn’t stop thinking about how, in just a month, his little sister would be almost taken from him by a monster.
The thought made Lin Ran narrow his eyes, concealing the dark emotions churning within. This time, he wouldn’t let those bastards get close to Lin Yanyan again.
Just as Lin Ran was about to turn and get back on his bike, he felt a light tug on his sleeve. The pull was so gentle, like when Lin Yanyan would grab him, though even she had more strength than this.
Frowning, Lin Ran instinctively looked down.
A pale, delicate hand was lightly clutching his school uniform, the fingers thin and slender.
Not far away, He Mo and Xie Zhen stared, dumbfounded, at Sheng Qingxi. She had walked right up and grabbed Lin Ran! The scene was so shocking that the people around them quickened their steps to avoid witnessing what might happen next.
No one wanted to be there if Lin Ran started throwing punches.
Lin Ran frowned, and He Mo and Xie Zhen took a step back in unison.
He Mo couldn’t bear to watch, while Xie Zhen, with his jiggling belly, hesitated about whether they should intervene before Lin Ran snapped.
The words “Let go” were still stuck in Lin Ran’s throat when he heard the soft voice of the person holding his sleeve ask, “Lin Ran, can I have a hug?”
Lin Ran: ?
Was he still half-asleep?
He looked up at the girl with her eyes cast down, momentarily wondering if the pressure he’d been under lately was causing him to hallucinate. But before he could get a clear look at her, the small, delicate figure suddenly lunged into his arms.
She moved so quickly he didn’t even have time to dodge.
Lin Ran froze, the soft warmth of her body pressing against his. Her sweet, feminine scent filled his senses.
She was small and soft, like a cherry-flavored cake.
But in the blink of an eye, the little figure released him and ran off, disappearing without a trace.
Leaving Lin Ran standing there, his expression complex.
It was an odd feeling for Lin Ran—no one had ever dared to get this close to him. There was no particular reason other than his terrible personality. Even Lin Yanyan, his little sister, only dared to hug him when they were riding on the bike
Xie Zhen: “What the hell.”
He Mo: “Damn.”
Sheng Qingxi dashed away, running faster and faster. The wind lifted her long hair, and the expression on her face gradually lightened as her heart began to beat again in her chest.
Lin Ran was warm. He was alive.
After ten years without him, it was only at this very moment that she truly felt the reality of Lin Ran being alive.
Lin Ran, still standing in place, reached out to touch the fabric on his chest. That little thing had even slightly rubbed against him earlier, and the strength with which she had hugged his waist was far greater than when she tugged on his shirt.
She had held on tightly, as if afraid he would run away.
Lin Ran’s gaze was dark and unreadable as he watched Sheng Qingxi’s retreating figure.
If he found out who she was, he would definitely catch her and give her a proper lesson. After all, the weather hadn’t turned cold yet, Wang’s business hadn’t gone bankrupt, and there was no reason for Lin Ran to let a girl hug him for no reason.