“Lin Ran, I have something to do. I’ll be gone for two hours.
I’ll be back before seven. I’ll meet you in the classroom.”
Perhaps worried that he might get angry, Sheng Qingxi had drawn a short, chubby little rabbit at the bottom of the note. The little rabbit looked pitifully at the matchstick in its hand, its big eyes filled with tears that were just on the verge of falling.
With that, Lin Ran couldn’t get mad, even if he wanted to.
—
Class One Classroom.
When Lin Ran entered through the back door, He Mo and Xie Zhen were sitting with gloves on, eating pizza. They had pushed two empty desks together with their own, forming a long rectangular table.
At this moment, the table was covered with nothing but food.
Lin Ran walked over and glanced at it.
The table was loaded with everything: crayfish, duck neck, duck feet, sushi, fries, burgers, fried chicken, pasta, cola, milk tea, and more.
Seeing Lin Ran return alone, Xie Zhen widened his small eyes in surprise. “Brother Ran, where’s Sheng Qingxi? How come you’re alone? We even got milk tea for her, the kind with ice cream.”
Lin Ran pulled out a chair and sat down casually. “She went out. You guys go ahead and eat, I’ll wait for her.”
He Mo and Xie Zhen didn’t ask any more questions after hearing this.
Summer nights darkened late, and even at 6:30, it was still mostly bright outside.
Although Sheng Qingxi said she’d be back by 7:00, Lin Ran couldn’t sit still until then. He kept checking the time, and a little after 6:30, he decided to head to the gate early to wait for her.
The streetlights on campus had already lit up.
The sky tonight was clear and crisp, with a few eager stars already twinkling.
Lin Ran found a bench facing the school gate and leaned back lazily, not bothering with his phone. He sat there, staring at the entrance like a figure carved out of stone, waiting patiently.
At 6:57, a slim figure appeared at the school gate.
Perhaps worried about being late, Sheng Qingxi jogged in.
The moment Lin Ran saw her, he jumped up and headed towards her. In the dim light, he quickly noticed she was carrying a large, square box that looked quite heavy, and she was sweating from the effort.
“Lin Ran!”
Sheng Qingxi spotted him soon after she entered.
Lin Ran instinctively reached out and took the box from her arms without even looking at it, then wiped the sweat from her forehead with his other hand.
Raising an eyebrow, he teased, “What, you’re scared of me? I wouldn’t eat you if you were a few minutes late.”
Sheng Qingxi tilted her head up and gave him a sweet smile. “I promised you I’d be back on time. I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”
Her clear eyes sparkled with joy and warmth, catching the soft, flickering light from the streetlamps, as if tiny stars were reflected in her gaze.
Lin Ran’s heart felt like it was wrapped in cotton candy.
With one hand holding the box, he gently took her hand with the other and led her inside.
After they walked a short distance, Lin Ran finally asked, “Where did you go?”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t know much about surprises, so she answered plainly, “I went to buy you a gift.”
Then, after thinking for a moment, she added, “A Qixi gift.”
Lin Ran’s steps came to an abrupt halt. He hadn’t expected Sheng Qingxi to prepare a Qixi gift for him. When he heard she’d gone out earlier, he assumed it was because she had something else to do.
It hadn’t even crossed his mind that she was getting him a gift. After all, she hadn’t shown any signs of celebrating Qixi all day.
Lin Ran stared at the box in his arms, then raised his eyes to look at Sheng Qingxi.
After a long pause, he finally asked, “Can I open it now?”
Sheng Qingxi nodded.
Lin Ran couldn’t imagine what Sheng Qingxi might have prepared for him, and every second of unwrapping the box was filled with anticipation and excitement. Lin Ran thought, no matter what Sheng Qingxi gave him, he would love it.
As long as it was from her, he’d love it.
But that thought only lasted until he saw Sheng Qingxi’s gift.
Inside the square box lay a brand-new motorcycle helmet.
A limited edition, autographed helmet.
Expensive and stunning.
Lin Ran stared silently at the beautiful helmet. He examined it closely several times, carefully confirming the signature before he was sure. It was the exact same helmet he had received on his 18th birthday in his previous life.
Identical.
Back then, Lin Ran had assumed one of his friends had given it to him. The helmet wasn’t cheap, costing at least 20,000 yuan, so he hadn’t thought much of it and simply accepted it. And now, tonight, this same helmet appeared in front of him again.
Could this be a coincidence?
Clearly not.
Lin Ran slowly lifted his head, his gaze fixed firmly on Sheng Qingxi.
Seeing his unreadable expression, Sheng Qingxi grew a bit uneasy and asked, “Lin Ran, don’t you like it?”
Lin Ran didn’t voice the question in his heart.
He knew this was just the tip of the iceberg of Sheng Qingxi’s ten-year-long crush.
Suppressing the emotions in his eyes, Lin Ran smiled at the silly girl, his voice hoarse. “I like it. I really like it.”
He closed the box and took her hand again.
But this time, his fingers forcefully intertwined with hers, locking them together.
Lowering his gaze, he buried all the sourness welling up in his chest.
So that time, when she said she was saving money on the island…
She had always given him everything she had.
—
By the time Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi returned to the classroom, the movie had already started. The lights were off, and the dim glow from the screen cast eerie, pale shadows across the students’ faces.
Lin Ran ordered fresh takeout since everything He Mo and Xie Zhen had ordered had gone cold.
Silently, they walked to the back of the classroom and sat down.
He Mo and Xie Zhen noticed the movement behind them and sneaked a glance. Their eyes immediately landed on the box Lin Ran was holding.
Noticing their stares, Lin Ran quickly moved the box behind him.
He Mo and Xie Zhen: “……”
Did he really need to be so protective? It’s not like they had X-ray vision!
After sitting down, Lin Ran tucked away his precious box and only then realized that the class was watching a very famous horror movie.
At that moment, Lin Ran couldn’t help but think that there was a good reason why so many in their class were still single.
Turning his head, he glanced at Sheng Qingxi. She was wide-eyed, staring intently at the screen, showing no signs of fear. He remembered the last time they went to the cinema together—she hadn’t been scared then either.
Lin Ran’s gaze shifted to He Mo and Xie Zhen in front of him.
Xie Zhen was clinging to He Mo like a scared bird, trembling as he held onto He Mo’s arm. He Mo had grown accustomed to Xie Zhen’s antics and remained completely indifferent to the whole situation.
Lin Ran thought for a moment before suddenly lowering his voice and whispering to Sheng Qingxi, “Sheng Qingxi, I’m a bit scared. Could you hold my hand?”
For a second, Xie Zhen thought he had gone deaf. He forgot his fear and immediately perked up his ears to eavesdrop.
He Mo was equally bewildered.
What? What?! Did Lin Ran really have no shame? He was actually using this tactic?
Sheng Qingxi, however, didn’t think too much of it. After all, Lin Ran was always holding her hand as they walked here and there. Without hesitation, she reached out and, in the dark, found his hand with ease.
Her warm palm was instantly wrapped in his.
Sheng Qingxi whispered, “Lin Ran, if you’re scared, just stay closer to me.”
Lin Ran: “?”
Wasn’t that exactly what he wanted?
He Mo: “?”
Was Sheng Qingxi being naive or what?
Xie Zhen let out a long sigh. He knew it would turn out like this.
Although Lin Ran wanted to be even closer to Sheng Qingxi, he restrained himself since they were still in a classroom. For the next half-hour, his attention was nowhere near the movie. Instead, he kept fidgeting, toying with Sheng Qingxi’s fingers, over and over again.
His fingertips traced the length of her delicate fingers, slowly brushing over each joint.
Her hands were beautiful.
Slender and elegant.
From her hands alone, Lin Ran could tell that Sheng Lan had taken great care of her. There wasn’t a trace of calluses. Even though she was an orphan, she had grown up cherished, into the person she was now.
That was where Lin Ran’s love began.
Her very being was what he loved.
When Lin Ran had first been reborn, there were many things he feared. He feared that he wouldn’t be able to save Lin Yanyan like in his previous life. He feared that everything that had happened to her might happen again. He feared that if he disappeared, his friends and family would grieve.
But he had never feared death itself.
However, Sheng Qingxi’s appearance gradually made him afraid.
Afraid of losing his chance to live. Because everything he wanted, all the future he envisioned, rested on the foundation of being alive.
Nothing that happened in the classroom fazed Lin Ran, until he received a call from the food delivery person.
Lin Ran didn’t plan to have dinner with Sheng Qingxi in the dark classroom. It was Qixi, after all, and he wanted a quiet, private moment with her, even if just for a little while.
—
The rooftop of the boys’ dormitory.
The night sky was filled with countless stars.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi sat under the starry sky, facing each other on the small terrace. The round table between them was crowded with takeout boxes, and Lin Ran gently placed a cup of warm milk in front of Sheng Qingxi.
This was his first Qixi festival spent with the girl he loved.
It was simple, yet he was incredibly happy.
They ate quietly, only exchanging a few soft words now and then. Afterward, Lin Ran spread a blanket on the ground, and they lay down together, gazing up at the vast, infinite sky.
Qixi was the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl reunited on the Milky Way.
The moon was bright and clear tonight, and the stars shone brilliantly in the night sky.
For a moment, neither Lin Ran nor Sheng Qingxi spoke.
Lin Ran had many questions he wanted to ask Sheng Qingxi. She had asked him several times about the future—what university he wanted to attend, what his dreams were—but Lin Ran had always hesitated to answer.
However, tonight, he felt a bit braver.
He turned his head to look at Sheng Qingxi.
She was staring intently at the stars above.
Lin Ran thought, if his little Xiao Xi were a star, she would surely be the most beautiful one in the sky.
After watching her for a long while, he finally asked softly, “Sheng Qingxi, what do you want to do in the future? Is it still the same as before?”
Sheng Qingxi turned her head to look at Lin Ran.
His face was one she knew so well, alive and vivid.
The reason she had chosen her career in her previous life was right in front of her.
Sheng Qingxi wasn’t sure what she wanted for the future anymore.
So, she answered honestly, “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. Before… I don’t want it to be like before.”
Lin Ran sensed the negative emotions that stirred in Sheng Qingxi when she recalled her past career. Clearly, it had left her with unpleasant memories.
She had once told him that her job had led to an accident.
But Lin Ran didn’t press further. This wasn’t the right moment for that conversation.
They were close, so close that Lin Ran could easily reach out and hold Sheng Qingxi’s hand.
His fingers moved slightly, and he effortlessly grasped her hand, holding it firmly in his palm. After a long silence, Lin Ran whispered, “Sheng Qingxi, happy Qixi.”
He spoke each word clearly and carefully, “I hope we can spend every Qixi together from now on.”
This was the first time Lin Ran had made her a promise about the future.
Sheng Qingxi tightened her grip in response, matching his strength.
In the quiet night, she softly replied, “Okay.”
Happy Qixi, Lin Ran.