Lin Ran found out where Song Shiman lived and went straight there with Sheng Qingxi and Dudu.
Song Shiman only learned that Dudu had sneaked out after receiving Sheng Qingxi’s call, and she was terrified. Upon hearing that Dudu had taken a car to the children’s amusement park, she hugged Dudu and started sobbing uncontrollably.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi just stood to the side, watching the two crybabies whispering to each other.
Sheng Lan and Dudu’s adoptive parents soon arrived at the scene.
Sheng Lan looked at the situation in front of her with difficulty. She had raised Dudu and knew exactly what the child was thinking.
Song Shiman, with tears in her eyes, looked at Sheng Lan and asked softly, “Aunt Sheng, can I…”
Dudu’s adoptive parents watched quietly for a moment and then sighed heavily. Perhaps they weren’t destined to be with this child. To them, what mattered most was the child’s wishes.
The three of them huddled together and discussed for a while.
This wasn’t a small matter, and they couldn’t decide on Dudu’s future so quickly. But for tonight, things could be temporarily settled, and Song Shiman took Dudu home.
Song Shiman had originally wanted Sheng Qingxi to stay, but when she saw the unfriendly look in Lin Ran’s eyes, she swallowed her words.
She hated Lin Ran!
Sheng Lan didn’t ask how Sheng Qingxi was going to get home and simply left in the adoptive parents’ car.
Sheng Qingxi was left standing there, a little stunned. She looked at Lin Ran in confusion.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Ran chuckled softly, took her hand, and led her outside. His voice was lazy, “Your mom is just giving you more time to enjoy yourself outside. No need to rush home.”
Sheng Qingxi’s palm was cool, and holding it felt comfortable.
In contrast, Lin Ran’s hand was hot and burning.
Sheng Qingxi struggled a little, “I don’t want to hold hands.”
Lin Ran: ?
Lin Ran’s first reaction was surprise. This little girl rarely rejected his requests. Lately, she had developed a bit of a temper, and Lin Ran found it amusing.
He deliberately chuckled flirtatiously, “But I’m holding it anyway.”
After a while, Sheng Qingxi’s palm started to sweat from being held, and seeing that struggling didn’t work, she stopped resisting.
The two of them slowly walked side by side toward the exit.
“Lin Ran, this weekend we’re going to No. 1 High School, so we won’t be able to tutor Yanyan.”
Time flew by, and soon, it was time for their summer camp to begin.
Lin Ran responded lazily. He wasn’t very concerned about school matters. In his previous life, he hadn’t even gone to this summer camp. He casually asked, “Where’s the camp being held?”
Sheng Qingxi thought for a moment, recalling the information she had seen in the group chat a month ago, “It’s in the northern suburbs of the city. We can’t go home on weekends, and we’ll have to stay there for a month. Lin Ran, what about Yanyan?”
Lin Ran frowned. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving the little girl alone, especially since the car shop would be busier than usual during the summer. After thinking about it for a while, he decided that the best solution was to send her to her grandfather’s house.
Lin Ran’s car was parked not far from the entrance.
As Lin Ran carried Sheng Qingxi into the motorcycle, he responded, “I’ll drop her off at her grandpa’s house tomorrow morning, then pick you up afterward. Do you want to head back to Shengkai now or come with me for some late-night food? He Mo and Xie Zhen are there too, in the west of the city.”
Sheng Qingxi adjusted herself in the seat and looked at Lin Ran.
Although the young man was asking for her opinion, his eyes clearly conveyed that even if she didn’t want to go, she still had to follow him. However, Sheng Qingxi knew that if she insisted on going back to Shengkai, he would compromise.
Softening her heart, Sheng Qingxi quietly replied, “I’ll go with you.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Ran reached out and put a helmet on her, tapping her head gently as the corner of his mouth curved into a smile. “Brother will take you to experience the summer night.”
From inside the helmet, Sheng Qingxi’s muffled voice came out, “You’re not my brother.”
Lin Ran ignored her. After getting on the bike, he grabbed her hand and placed it around his waist. “Hold on tight.”
Unlike the spring, they were both dressed in light summer clothes. When the girl’s soft arms wrapped around him like vines, Lin Ran suddenly froze.
On his back.
He felt something different.
He cursed internally.
Lin Ran’s hands tightened on the handlebars; at that moment, he realized he might not be able to drive after all.
…
Half an hour later.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi got out of a taxi. As for his beloved bike, he had called someone to tow it back to the shop.
Sheng Qingxi followed behind him in confusion. Tugging on Lin Ran’s shirt, she softly asked, “Lin Ran, why did we suddenly take a taxi?”
Lin Ran responded gruffly, “The bike broke down!”
Sheng Qingxi pressed her lips together.
Alright, if Lin Ran said it broke down, then it broke down.
Because of the unspoken thoughts in his mind, Lin Ran spent the whole evening avoiding looking at Sheng Qingxi.
Sheng Qingxi quietly sat beside him, eating her bowl of ice jelly, occasionally glancing up at him.
Lin Ran, on the other hand, was busy peeling crayfish for her, not eating a single one himself.
He Mo and Xie Zhen were peeling their own crayfish while whispering to each other, “Mo, what’s going on with Brother Ran? If I were the fairy, I would’ve dumped him ages ago.”
He Mo, chewing on a piece of spicy shrimp, asked vaguely, “Did Brother Ran manage to win over the fairy?”
Xie Zhen froze for a moment before realizing, “Oh right, Brother Ran hasn’t even won her over yet.”
As they kept talking, Xie Zhen felt something wasn’t quite right. He turned to He Mo, looking a little bewildered. “If Brother Ran hasn’t even won her over yet, how can he act like this?”
He Mo snorted, “It’s because he spoils her. The fairy’s personality doesn’t seem like one that would get angry.”
He Mo and Xie Zhen thought they were speaking quietly, but Lin Ran heard every word clearly.
Hearing this, Lin Ran glanced at the well-behaved Sheng Qingxi sitting beside him. Although this little girl was usually good-tempered, once she got stubborn, no one could change her mind—she was like a little bull.
Her decision to transfer schools was a perfect example of that.
Lin Ran suddenly felt grateful.
Grateful that on that night, he was the one who saved her.
Seeing that Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi weren’t talking, He Mo and Xie Zhen took the initiative to bring up the summer camp.
Xie Zhen popped open a bottle of soda and placed it in front of Lin Ran with a grin. “Brother Ran, are you going to the summer camp? If you’re not, Mo and I were thinking of going abroad for a bit.”
He Mo rolled his eyes. Was this chubby guy being stupid?
Sheng Qingxi was going—how could Lin Ran not go?
Lin Ran knocked on the table and glanced at the chubby boy. “Ah Zhen, we’re about to start our senior year. If you don’t start studying seriously, how do you plan to face Old Qu?”
Xie Zhen scratched his head, looking troubled.
Old Qu had always been good to them. Whenever something happened, he would cover for them first, not to mention his support with their studies.
At their age, their pride was strong. While they might act like they didn’t care what others thought, deep down, they did. Old Qu had never criticized them in front of others and had never forced them to focus entirely on academics in private either.
Xie Zhen sighed, “Brother Ran, what should I do then?”
Lin Ran gave a lazy smile. “Do what I do—study hard and improve every day.”
Xie Zhen: “…”
Lin Ran was not only unpredictable with his moods, but his academic performance was also all over the place—sometimes high, sometimes low. What determined his grades wasn’t even Lin Ran himself, but Sheng Qingxi.
Xie Zhen sincerely thought Sheng Qingxi had it rough.
How could she have fallen for someone like Lin Ran?
He Mo, cracking open some peanuts, teased, “Ah Zhen, with your intelligence, I think it’s time to say goodbye to studying.”
Xie Zhen’s chubby face sank.
He wasn’t happy hearing that, so he withdrew his hand from the pile of crayfish and challenged He Mo, “Let’s bet. Whoever scores lower on the next exam has to call the other ‘dad’—one time for each point they’re behind.”
He Mo, now offended, threw down the peanut shells. “Fine, let’s bet!”
Then both of them turned to Lin Ran. “Brother Ran, are you in?”
Lin Ran: ?
What does this have to do with me?
Lin Ran was about to refuse when he saw Sheng Qingxi’s eyes shining brightly as she stared at him, clearly intrigued by the idea of a bet involving calling someone ‘dad.’ His refusal got stuck in his throat.
Clearing his throat, Lin Ran arrogantly said, “You guys better prepare yourselves—you’ll both be calling me ‘dad’ at least 200 times each. Oh, and I think the bet needs more stakes. You should have to run laps around the track while calling me ‘dad.’”
He Mo and Xie Zhen: “…”
That’s so humiliating.
But then they thought, if they could make Lin Ran call them ‘dad,’ wouldn’t that be a huge win?
With that thought, they suddenly felt much better about the whole thing.
By the time they finished their late-night snack, it was already close to eleven. He Mo and Xie Zhen, being tactful, headed back to the garage first.
The oppressive heat of the summer day had softened into something more bearable by nightfall.
On the street, chilled watermelons were sold everywhere, their bright red flesh glistening as if sprinkled with crushed ice. The moment the cooler was opened, the cool air would spill out, only to be quickly swallowed by the lingering heat.
A tired little dog lay lazily by the roadside, tongue lolling out.
Under the dim streetlights, the summer evening began to feel more alive.
Sheng Qingxi walked slowly beside Lin Ran, and he slowed his pace to match hers.
Summer always made Sheng Qingxi sleepy, and after eating, she appeared even more lethargic, her energy drained. She resembled the wilting flowers and plants along the street.
Lin Ran glanced at her.
The girl had droopy eyes, her lashes fluttering like little fans. She pressed her lips lightly together, her small face slightly tense, looking rather unhappy. Her walking pace was much slower than usual.
Lin Ran paused in his steps and reached out to hold her wrist, stopping her from moving forward.
Sheng Qingxi halted and blinked at him slowly, as if asking what he was doing.
Lin Ran stared at her for a moment without saying a word, then suddenly crouched down in front of her.
Still a bit confused, Sheng Qingxi asked softly, “Lin Ran, what are you doing?”
Without turning around, Lin Ran answered in a low voice, “Get on. I’ll carry you home.”
Sheng Qingxi quietly watched Lin Ran’s crouched figure for a moment before bending down and letting all of her weight fall onto his back. At that instant, she felt her whole body relax.
Lin Ran knew Sheng Qingxi was thin, but the feeling became even more pronounced when he carried her.
They were closer now than they had been in the car.
But Lin Ran didn’t entertain any other thoughts. Her warm, soft breathing against his neck was even more gentle and obedient than the little creature he had at home.
He carried her steadily into the night.
Sheng Qingxi slowly closed her eyes, leaning against Lin Ran’s back.
They had been closer before, but at this moment, Sheng Qingxi felt that their hearts were the closest they had ever been.
In the stillness of the night, faint light disappeared inch by inch into the shadows of the trees.
Sheng Qingxi’s soft voice reached Lin Ran’s ear, her tone calm and steady, “Lin Ran, I’m sorry. I lied that day. I’ve liked you for ten years.”
Her arms tightened around his neck.