After the tent flap was pulled down, the visibility inside dropped sharply. The confined, dim space left Lin Ran’s thoughts in disarray as he nervously stared at the person sitting in front of him.
Sheng Qingxi didn’t quite understand why Lin Ran had closed the flap, but she didn’t ask.
Sheng Qingxi glanced up at Lin Ran and extended her right hand, her pale palm facing upward.
Lin Ran swallowed nervously, his heart pounding. “W-what are you doing?”
Sheng Qingxi sighed helplessly. “Give me your right hand.”
Instead of complying, Lin Ran pulled his right hand behind his back, sulking as he asked, “Sheng Qingxi, if it weren’t for this, would you just ignore me?”
Sheng Qingxi’s hand remained steady. “Hand.”
Lin Ran: “…”
Honestly, her stern, icy expression was rather intimidating. In the past, Lin Ran would have been tempted to tease her, but now he didn’t dare.
He was afraid she would really stop talking to him.
Like a lion that had been pacified, Lin Ran finally extended his right hand and gently placed it in her palm.
Sheng Qingxi lowered her gaze, taking in the sight of Lin Ran’s hand covered in scratches and bloodstains, with tiny wooden splinters embedded in the wounds. He had let himself be hurt like this without any care for himself.
Her warm, soft hand cradled his, and Lin Ran suddenly felt nervous.
The tent grew eerily quiet as she stared at his hand for a long time without speaking.
Lin Ran couldn’t take the silence any longer.
Just as he was about to say something, the quiet Sheng Qingxi in front of him suddenly spoke. “Lin Ran, what were you thinking the last time at the Guangnian Club? Why didn’t you stop?”
She paused for a moment, and her tone became slow and soft as she asked, word by word, “Lin Ran, do you not want to live?”
Lin Ran froze completely, her words making him feel as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.
He struggled to move his fingers and turned his head to avoid her gaze. When he spoke again, his throat was dry, and his explanation was weak. “I was just seeking a thrill. I knew what I was doing.”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t respond. She lowered her head and used tweezers to carefully pick out the wooden splinters from his hand. Then she dampened some gauze with mineral water, wiping the blood and dust from the back of his hand. Finally, she disinfected his wounds with a cotton swab, and Lin Ran didn’t dare move an inch.
After disinfecting his hand, Sheng Qingxi remained still for a moment. She didn’t let go of his hand, merely holding it quietly.
Lin Ran’s hands were beautiful—broad palms, long, slender fingers, and clearly defined knuckles. The small wounds on the back of his hand didn’t seem like injuries but rather marks that belonged to him.
After a brief pause, Sheng Qingxi suddenly lowered her head, leaned in close to his hand, and gently, ever so lightly, pressed her lips to the back of his hand.
Lin Ran’s pupils contracted slightly, and for a moment, his mind went blank.
It was just an instant, and then she pulled away.
All that remained was the warmth of her breath lingering on his skin.
Her voice was soft, like clouds in the sky. “Lin Ran, don’t hurt yourself anymore.”
Lin Ran felt as though tiny electric currents were surging through every vein in his body. His temperature rose rapidly, and every pore on his body seemed to be screaming—he couldn’t breathe.
His only sensation left was the touch of her lips.
This was the second time.
But it felt completely different from the first. Last time, she had accidentally brushed against his chin when turning away. This time, however, she had intentionally leaned in, leaving a tender kiss on the back of his hand, filled with care.
Lin Ran couldn’t think anymore; he was completely stunned.
By the time he snapped back to reality, Sheng Qingxi was long gone. He sat there in the tent, dumbfounded, as if the little kitten who had just kissed him nonchalantly wagged her tail and strutted away.
Sitting in the dim tent, Lin Ran lifted his hand to cover his eyes.
He let out a low, self-deprecating laugh.
Lin Ran, you’re done for.
—
3 p.m.
The entire camp had fallen into a near-silence. Lin Ran searched around Class Six for a while but couldn’t find Sheng Qingxi. When he asked, he learned that the girl had gone hiking with others.
Lin Ran wasn’t in a hurry. He returned to the tent to take a look, finding He Mo and Xie Zhen tangled together in sleep, sprawled in a mess.
Lowering his gaze, Lin Ran stared at the back of his hand for a long moment before deciding to head up the mountain to find Sheng Qingxi. He couldn’t maintain his distance from her anymore—every fiber of his being craved to be near her.
However, Lin Ran had barely taken a few steps out of the camp when someone called out to him.
He lazily glanced back over his shoulder, and that glance stopped him in his tracks, his mouth twitching slightly.
Zhao Shuyue had wrapped herself up entirely—her head and neck were swathed in a brightly colored, patterned scarf, she wore sunglasses, and her long-sleeved clothing and gloves ensured not a single patch of skin was exposed to the sun.
Sister Zhao truly lived up to her reputation for elegance.
Lin Ran casually raised his right hand to greet her. “Yo, Sister Zhao.”
Everyone called her “Sister Zhao” behind her back, but Lin Ran always addressed her that way to her face. Over time, Zhao Shuyue had grown used to it. Sister Zhao was fine, even if it didn’t sound particularly flattering. At least it had a certain street charm.
Zhao Shuyue walked up to him and pulled the scarf down a bit from her face, eyeing him. “Lin Ran, what’s up with your right hand? Did you get into another fight?”
She sighed, her tone full of concern. “You’re not a kid anymore. Sophomore year is almost over, and senior year will be here in the blink of an eye. Don’t you have any plans for yourself?”
Lin Ran walked alongside Zhao Shuyue up the slope, responding absentmindedly, “I’ll just go with the flow.”
At that, Zhao Shuyue glanced sideways at him through her sunglasses. Is what I heard recently all false? The other day, Old Qu and Old Jiang had come to her, asking for a spot in a study room for Lin Ran.
After probing further, she learned that Lin Ran had been studying with a certain girl. At first, she didn’t believe it, but when she went to check for herself, there he was—the notorious troublemaker—sitting quietly at a desk working on a test. And the girl? She was the same one Zhao Shuyue had seen at the start of the semester.
Zhao Shuyue muttered quietly, “What about that little girl?”
Lin Ran, standing close to Zhao Shuyue and with better hearing than most, caught her words. He froze. “Sister Zhao, what did you say? Who?”
Zhao Shuyue didn’t hide it now that he’d heard her. “That girl who’s been tutoring you in the study room. You know she likes you, right? If you’re not interested, don’t lead her on.”
Lin Ran was silent for a moment. This news had even reached Zhao Shuyue?
Could he admit this in front of her? Absolutely not.
Lin Ran seemed to hear something funny. “Sister Zhao, where did you hear that rumor? That girl spends every day in the study room working hard, not breaking any rules. Don’t believe the gossip.”
Zhao Shuyue snorted. “Still trying to cover it up? That girl came to me on the first day of school and admitted it herself. And you, the so-called king of the school, can’t even be honest. Embarrassing.”
Lin Ran: “…”
How does Zhao Shuyue know everything?
Lin Ran couldn’t tell whether Zhao Shuyue was telling the truth or trying to coax a confession out of him.
Seeing his uncertain expression, Zhao Shuyue knew he thought she was bluffing. She couldn’t just stand by and watch Lin Ran get involved with Sheng Qingxi without fully understanding the situation—this wasn’t a trivial matter, especially given how stubborn a girl like Sheng Qingxi could be.
Her tone lost its casualness as she said more seriously, “Lin Ran, the first day that girl transferred, I asked her why she came to No. 1 High with her grades. She told me she came because the person she likes is at No. 1 High.”
Lin Ran was taken aback.
Zhao Shuyue continued, “But she also promised me that she wouldn’t get into a relationship during high school. She just… just wanted to be closer to you. Lin Ran, she’s not like any of the other kids I’ve met.”
It wasn’t just Zhao Shuyue who felt this way—Lin Ran did too.
He had never met a girl like her before.
Who confesses to their school director on their first day that they transferred because the person they like is there? How could someone… like him so much, more than they liked themselves?
Zhao Shuyue knew Lin Ran understood the weight of the situation, so she didn’t press further. She just gave him one last piece of advice: “You need to figure out what you really want. A crush at this age is the purest, most precious thing. If you don’t like her, then stay away.”
Lin Ran murmured his agreement.
They didn’t mention the topic again and instead shifted to other conversations as they continued their walk up the mountain.
By this time, Sheng Qingxi had already reached the summit. Chen Yi and the others were panting in the pavilion, resting. Sheng Qingxi stood outside, gazing at the distant city of Chucheng, which appeared younger and more vibrant from this vantage point.
The wind at the mountaintop was strong, cooling the sweat at her neck and adding a hint of chill.
The wind tousled Sheng Qingxi’s dark hair, and her oversized school uniform flapped in the breeze. Her thin frame looked like it could be swept away at any moment.
Chen Yi, after swallowing some water, looked toward Sheng Qingxi—slim and quiet.
There was something unique about Sheng Qingxi, a quality that was hard to pin down. It was just a feeling, but Chen Yi always thought there might be a secret hidden within her.
After taking photos for a while, the girls grew bored.
They didn’t linger at the summit, as the sky was beginning to darken and the wind was picking up. Wanting to head back quickly, they chose a shortcut down the mountain.
As Sheng Qingxi and her friends descended, Lin Ran and Zhao Shuyue had just reached the summit.
Lin Ran scanned the area but didn’t see Sheng Qingxi. The pavilion was occupied by students from other classes.
Zhao Shuyue, noticing the litter left in the pavilion, couldn’t help but walk over to scold the kids. Lin Ran, not wanting to stick around if Sheng Qingxi wasn’t there, told Zhao Shuyue he was heading down first.
As Sheng Qingxi’s group reached the middle of the mountain, they heard the sound of rushing water. The wind seemed to carry the mist from a nearby waterfall, refreshing and cool.
The girls stopped, excitedly chattering about whether to check out the waterfall. While they were still deciding, a shout rang out from below—
“Someone’s fallen in the water!”
Before Chen Yi and the others could react, Sheng Qingxi had already grabbed a nearby tree branch with one hand and leapt down a steep slope. Moving swiftly through the dense forest below, she raced toward the waterfall.
Chen Yi was dumbfounded. Was this the same quiet, fairy-like desk mate of hers?
By the time Sheng Qingxi reached the waterfall, someone had already jumped into the pool to help, while two boys who couldn’t swim stood helplessly on the shore. Upon seeing her, they didn’t care who she was and frantically explained, “A girl from our class accidentally fell in!”
The boy in the water surfaced, wiped his face, and shouted, “I can’t find her! Get someone for help!”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t hesitate. She immediately instructed, “Go back to the camp and get a teacher.”
After speaking, Sheng Qingxi leaped into the water, creating a modest splash.
The pool wasn’t very deep—only about two meters—but it was quite wide.
Sheng Qingxi dove underwater like a fish, heading for the bottom. The water was clear, offering high visibility below. She turned and saw the boy who was also searching, and then she swam further into the deeper part of the pool.
Chen Yi and the others, now fully aware of the situation, ran back to the camp to call for help.
The camp quickly descended into chaos.
Just as Lin Ran returned to the camp from the mountain, he saw Chen Yi pulling Gu Mingji toward the waterfall, her face filled with panic and worry. “Class President, Sheng Qingxi seems to have jumped in to save someone!”
Lin Ran abruptly stopped in his tracks. He whipped around to face Chen Yi, staring at her intently as he asked, “What did you just say?”
Before Chen Yi could respond, Gu Mingji exclaimed in disbelief, “That’s impossible. Xiao Xi doesn’t know how to swim.”
Fuck.
Lin Ran cursed under his breath.
Without hesitation, his body moved. He sprinted toward the pool, running so fast that the mountain wind couldn’t keep up with him.