By the time Lin Ran finished washing the dishes and came out, He Mo and Xie Zhen were still standing at the entrance, staring wide-eyed at Sheng Qingxi, who was sitting on the sofa. The two boys at the door looked as if their eyes were about to pop out.
Xie Zhen also noticed Lin Ran, who was now leaning against the kitchen doorway, watching them with a calm expression. Water droplets hung from the slender fingers of the boy in the white t-shirt.
Xie Zhen was horrified to realize that Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi were actually wearing matching outfits?
He couldn’t hold it in any longer and looked over at Lin Ran. “Brother Ran? What did you do to the goddess?”
Lin Ran let out a mocking laugh, casting a gaze filled with obvious possessiveness towards Sheng Qingxi. The curve of his lips was both arrogant and brazen. “Didn’t you see everything?”
Xie Zhen swallowed nervously. Why was Brother Ran smiling like some kind of creep?
By this time, He Mo had already figured things out. The goddess had a fever last night, after all. Even if Lin Ran were a beast, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of her in that situation.
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Sheng Qingxi greeted them in a friendly manner, “He Mo, Xie Zhen. Good morning.”
The moment she finished speaking, all three boys turned to look at her simultaneously, each with a different expression on their face.
Sheng Qingxi was taken aback by their reactions, unsure of what she had said wrong.
He Mo and Xie Zhen were surprised that Sheng Qingxi even remembered their names, while Lin Ran was clearly displeased that she had remembered He Mo and Xie Zhen’s names at all. After all, they hardly ever appeared in front of her.
He picked her up from school every day, rain or shine. How could she still remember someone else’s name?
Lin Ran gave the two of them a displeased look. “What are you doing here so early? Aren’t you usually just getting to bed around this time?”
He Mo: ?
Xie Zhen looked confused.
What’s wrong with Brother Ran? Couldn’t he let them keep a little dignity in front of the goddess? Didn’t he himself sleep at this hour every day during break?
But He Mo and Xie Zhen only dared to think this silently. Neither had the courage to voice their questions in front of Lin Ran.
Xie Zhen hesitated and awkwardly sat down on the edge of the sofa, deliberately putting some distance between himself and Sheng Qingxi, just in case Lin Ran, the king of jealousy, lost his temper and went off on them.
Both Xie Zhen and He Mo were still so young, full of life and energy. Only Sheng Qingxi knew what they would become after Lin Ran passed away.
Every year during Qingming, they would always meet at Lin Ran’s grave.
For ten years, rain or shine, they never missed a visit.
Because of this, Sheng Qingxi grew close to them over time. Occasionally, they would even go out for late-night snacks after work. So when they sat down, Sheng Qingxi smiled at them almost reflexively.
He Mo: “…”
Xie Zhen: “…”
Lin Ran: ?
He Mo and Xie Zhen exchanged a panicked and bewildered glance, then both turned to Lin Ran at the same time. They shook their heads frantically. “Brother Ran, we’ve got nothing to do with this. We don’t know anything.”
Lin Ran frowned, staring at the soft curve of Sheng Qingxi’s smile. Why did this little thing smile so beautifully no matter who she was talking to?
Lin Ran knew that Xie Zhen and He Mo were here because Song Xingyu was coming to the Guangnian Club tonight. But early this morning, he had promised Sheng Qingxi that he would stay by her side for the next year.
So he wasn’t worried about losing face. Right in front of He Mo and Xie Zhen, he asked Sheng Qingxi lazily, “Officer, can I go to Guangnian tonight to drive? The kind of driving that stops at the finish line.”
Sheng Qingxi’s bright eyes fell on Lin Ran’s face. His dark eyes held a trace of scattered laughter, the light in them soft, as he waited for her response.
Sheng Qingxi pressed her lips together and said, “If you want to go, then go. You don’t need my permission.”
Lin Ran chuckled lowly, gazing at Sheng Qingxi with a half-smile, teasingly saying, “That won’t do. For the next year, if you tell me to go east, I won’t dare go west.”
He looked deep into Sheng Qingxi’s eyes, enunciating each word clearly, “From now on, you’re in charge of everything about me.”
Lin Ran’s gaze was too intense, and Sheng Qingxi could only hold it for a few seconds before looking away.
The expressions on He Mo and Xie Zhen’s faces clearly said, ‘We’re just here for the drama.’
But Lin Ran wasn’t used to having people watch him. He glanced sideways at the two sitting on the other side of the sofa and said, “We’ll talk about this later this afternoon. For now, I’m taking her home, then I’ll pick up Yanyan and meet you guys at the garage.”
The implication was obvious: Get lost.
He Mo and Xie Zhen sighed, throwing their arms around each other’s shoulders as they headed out.
He Mo said, “Ah, the fragility of brotherhood.”
Xie Zhen replied, “Let’s go hide out in the cold palace.”
Lin Ran added, “I’ll count to three.”
Before the words were even fully out of his mouth, He Mo and Xie Zhen ran out as fast as they could, disappearing in a flash.
After they left, Lin Ran went upstairs, grabbed a school uniform, and tossed it over Sheng Qingxi’s head. He ruffled her black hair through the fabric and said, “Put on your clothes. I’ll take you home.”
It was the weekend, and on weekends Sheng Lan usually took the kids to the park in the west part of town and didn’t bring them back until after dinner. So Sheng Qingxi wasn’t worried about running into her.
Lin Ran didn’t leave until he saw Sheng Qingxi go inside and close the door behind her.
—
A silver motorcycle roared as it made its way towards the villa in the hills of Chucheng. The guard at the base of the hill saw the infamous troublemaker approaching and didn’t dare to stop him. Even though it had been years since they had last seen Lin Ran cause a scene, every time he came, it was guaranteed to be a big deal.
Just like now.
The quiet hillside villa became lively as many of the servants peeked out to see who had arrived.
Lin Yanyan was still sitting at the dining table when she heard the unmistakable sound of Lin Ran’s engine. She put down her spoon and said to Lin Youcheng, who was sitting across from her, “Dad, brother’s here to pick me up.”
Lin Youcheng removed his glasses and glanced out the door, then turned to Xu Yirong and said, “Ah Rong, go get an extra set of utensils for Xiao Huo.”
There was a hint of unease in Xu Yirong’s eyes. Ever since she married into the Lin family, she had always been a little afraid of Lin Ran. Even though he had been just a child back then, the way he looked at her had always been unsettling.
Fierce, unruly, like a wounded wolf cub.
Before their marriage, Lin Youcheng had told her that he didn’t want to have any more children, and Xu Yirong knew he made this decision for Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan’s sake.
At the time, she had agreed without a second thought, willing to treat these two poor children as her own. But things didn’t turn out as she had hoped. Neither child liked her.
Over the years, she had come to regret her decision. Lin Youcheng didn’t love her, and in the Lin family, she had almost nothing.
Being Mrs. Lin was only an empty title.
—
The sound of screeching brakes echoed at the door. The servants had already opened the door, waiting to welcome Lin Ran.
But Lin Ran had no intention of coming in. He lazily glanced toward the dining room where the three of them were seated, holding his helmet in his arms. From the doorway, he called out, “Lin Yanyan, let’s go. Time to head home.”
Lin Yanyan cautiously raised her eyes to look at Lin Youcheng.
Lin Youcheng’s expression stiffened slightly as he set down his chopsticks. The boy standing at the door seemed to divide them into two distinctly separate worlds. Ever since Lin Ran left home, he had never stepped foot in this place again.
In a low voice, Lin Youcheng said, “Xiao Huo, this is your home.”
Lin Ran’s expression didn’t change at all upon hearing this. His mood had been good up until Sheng Qingxi left, and he didn’t want to ruin it over old, irrelevant matters.
The atmosphere in the air turned awkward and tense.
Lin Yanyan bit her lip uneasily before getting up and softly saying to Lin Youcheng, “Dad, I’m going now.”
After speaking, Lin Yanyan quickly grabbed her backpack from the sofa and rushed outside, afraid that Lin Youcheng and Lin Ran would start arguing again. Although these two could have a calm conversation when alone, the presence of Xu Yirong made it impossible for Lin Ran to compromise.
Lin Youcheng was about to say something when Xu Yirong gently held his hand and said softly, “Youcheng, Xiao Huo rarely comes by. Don’t get mad at him.”
The roar of the engine outside sounded again, gradually fading into the distance.
It wasn’t until the sound completely disappeared that Lin Youcheng let out a deep sigh, fatigue written on his face as he removed his glasses and placed them on the table. “That incident… Xiao Huo still hasn’t forgiven me.”
Xu Yirong squeezed Lin Youcheng’s hand tightly and said, “That incident was my fault.”
Lin Youcheng shook his head. “It has nothing to do with you.”
This was a matter between father and son.
—
7 p.m., Guangnian Garage.
Lin Ran lowered his eyes and was messaging Sheng Qingxi.
[Firegun]: Officer, I have a race at eight.
[Firegun]: Don’t you think you should come supervise me?
[Xiao Xi]: I promised the kids I’d play with them tonight, so I can’t come.
[Firegun]: Officer, I’m a kid too.
[Xiao Xi]: Be good.
Lin Ran stared at those two words, as if entranced. He felt an overwhelming urge to see her right now, even if it was just from a distance. Just one glance at her would be enough to calm the boiling restlessness in his blood.
His slender fingers moved slightly as he typed a few more words, then set the phone aside.
Tonight, Song Xingyu was coming to the club, something Lin Ran had agreed to earlier. The two had made a deal—regardless of whether he decided to join “Addiction,” they would have a race together on the track.
Lin Ran grabbed his racing suit and headed towards the club next door.
In both his past life and this one, Song Xingyu had always been patient with Lin Ran. In the previous life, after something happened to Lin Yanyan, Song Xingyu personally led a group to deal with the people responsible.
Song Xingyu had constantly been trying to make it up to them. That year, he scoured the country for the best psychologists, and Lin Yanyan got better with each passing day. In terms of both emotions and reason, Lin Ran felt he owed Song Xingyu at least one meeting.
Not long after Lin Ran left, his phone, left downstairs in the garage’s living room, started ringing incessantly. At that time, there was no one in the garage except Lin Yanyan, who was on the second floor; everyone else was in the club next door.
When the phone rang for the second time, Lin Yanyan came downstairs, picked it up, and ran towards the club. She rushed quickly, and as she turned a corner, she wasn’t paying attention to the road and ended up crashing right into someone.
The impact dazed Lin Yanyan. The force of the collision caused her to lose her balance, and just as she was about to fall, the person grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back up.
Holding her head, Lin Yanyan looked up to see a young man wearing glasses looking down at her. His amber eyes were filled with a touch of concern, and his refined features appeared even more gentle under the corridor lights.
After helping the girl steady herself, Song Xingyu let go and asked in a soft voice, “Are you okay?”
Lin Yanyan shook her head and whispered a soft apology before running off.
After she had run a good distance, she finally stopped, clutching her wildly beating heart. The phone in her hand had long since stopped ringing. Other than Lin Ran and Lin Youcheng, this was the first time she had been so close to another man.
Lin Ran, having changed into his racing suit, hadn’t even reached the stands when he noticed Lin Yanyan crouched quietly in a corner like a little mushroom, her head bowed.