Lin Ran’s expression was cold, his eyes locked on Sheng Qingxi, who lay on the bed.
The school nurse was applying medicine to her wounds. Sheng Qingxi’s hands and feet were scraped in several places, and her white nightgown was covered in black soot. Her long black hair hung messily over her shoulders.
She kept her head down, sitting quietly.
Xie Zhen nudged He Mo and whispered, “Brother Ran looks like he’s ready to kill someone. Do you think he’ll hit the fairy?”
He Mo whispered back, “Shut up.”
Five minutes later, the school nurse put down the tweezers and cotton swabs, saying, “Alright, make sure to keep the wounds dry for the next couple of days. If there’s any sign of infection, come back to the medical room.”
As soon as the nurse finished speaking, Lin Ran stepped forward and scooped Sheng Qingxi up from the bed.
Without a word, he carried her out of the medical room.
Xie Zhen and He Mo didn’t follow this time. They exchanged worried glances, both letting out a synchronized sigh.
Throughout it all, Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi hadn’t said a single word to each other.
It’s over, they’re going to argue again.
—
In Sheng Qingxi’s dormitory.
Lin Ran’s dark eyes glimmered coldly as he looked at Sheng Qingxi, curled up on the couch like a small bundle. His voice was ice-cold as he spoke, “Sheng Qingxi, do you even know what you were doing?”
At first, she didn’t react. After a long while, she finally nodded.
Lin Ran had to exert tremendous self-control to keep his tone from sounding too terrifying, but inside, his emotions were raging—fear, worry, guilt—all tangled together, making his heart ache.
How could she do this?
How could she disregard her own safety like that?
Lin Ran stood up and slowly approached Sheng Qingxi.
His tall figure loomed over the couch, casting a shadow that completely engulfed her.
They were now very close.
When Lin Ran reached out and touched her chin, he realized her face was wet and sticky with tears. Despite the heat of summer, her skin felt as cold as if it were the dead of winter.
His breath caught—she was crying.
Lin Ran gritted his teeth, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly.
He forced himself not to look at her tear-streaked face, and when he spoke again, his voice was devoid of emotion. “Sheng Qingxi, do you even know what you mean to me?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, another question popped into his mind.
What about him?
What did he mean to Sheng Qingxi?
If their roles were reversed, would he have gone upstairs to find her?
The answer was an undeniable yes.
Before Lin Ran’s heart could soften, he saw the small girl on the couch shake her head.
He almost laughed in disbelief.
With a slight increase in pressure, Lin Ran pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
Her once fair face was smudged with soot, and her tears were a mess across her cheeks. She didn’t look beautiful in that moment, but her tear-filled eyes remained bright and clear, just as they always had been.
Her eyes reflected his figure.
Right now, she could only see him.
Lin Ran leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing against her trembling ones as he whispered, “Sheng Qingxi, who am I?”
Through the haze of her tears, Sheng Qingxi looked at the boy in front of her. Her Lin Ran had faced the fire without fear, and even though life had been so unfair to him, he had kept his heart pure.
She closed her eyes, and her unshed tears rolled down her cheeks.
Softly, she called his name, “Lin Ran.”
Lin Ran lowered his gaze, his voice hoarse as he replied, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
At this moment, Lin Ran didn’t need a response from Sheng Qingxi. He only wanted to do what he felt like doing.
The warmth of the boy’s breath gradually brought Sheng Qingxi’s body temperature back to normal. All the images in her mind were replaced by the vibrant presence of Lin Ran in front of her, and the shadows in her heart were slowly driven away by him.
He was more like fire.
Her fire.
—
The summer camp was cut short due to the fire incident.
Sheng Lan was terrified when she heard the news and couldn’t recover for several days. So, during this time, Sheng Qingxi obediently stayed at the Shengkai Orphanage, and Lin Ran, being considerate, didn’t come to see her.
There were only two days left until the new semester began.
Sheng Qingxi remembered that during the extra classes at the beginning of the month, she hadn’t had the chance to give Lin Yanyan a test paper due to the accident. So, she called Lin Ran to ask if it was convenient to pass it along to Lin Yanyan.
Lin Ran agreed without even asking Lin Yanyan.
Sheng Qingxi could only sigh helplessly as she hung up.
The next morning, Lin Ran arrived to pick her up, bringing a few gift boxes for Sheng Lan as well.
When Sheng Lan saw Lin Ran, she greeted him with a warm smile, “Xiao Huo, you don’t have to be so formal. Yuan Yuan just finished her breakfast and is out in the yard washing her dolls. You can go straight in and find her.”
Lin Ran put down the gift boxes and exchanged a few pleasantries with Sheng Lan before heading to the backyard to find Sheng Qingxi.
By the end of August, the summer heat had yet to subside, and the scorching sun baked the earth.
Sheng Qingxi, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and skirt, was crouched in the shade of a small tree, carefully scrubbing a small white bunny doll. The doll looked like a small, fluffy ball of snow, and Sheng Qingxi’s serious and focused expression as she cleaned it made Lin Ran want to laugh.
He squatted down in front of her and joked, “Little animals cleaning little animals, huh?”
Sheng Qingxi glanced up at him but didn’t reply. Instead, she lightly flicked her hand in his direction.
Water droplets flew into the air with her movement, but Lin Ran made no attempt to dodge them. Instead, he leaned in and shamelessly said, “Feels nice and cool. Do it again.”
A small smile curved Sheng Qingxi’s lips.
Only then did Lin Ran reach out to take the doll from her hands. “Let me wash it. You go inside and grab your little bag. We’ll be leaving soon.”
Sheng Qingxi obediently handed him the doll, but instead of going inside, she stayed by his side, watching him wash it. Lin Ran’s movements were practiced, and it was clear that life hadn’t been easy for him and Lin Yanyan when they first left their old home.
Cool water flowed over his long fingers, and the sunlight played on the water droplets, making them sparkle.
The two of them squatted in the corner, chatting softly as if no one else existed.
Sheng Lan leaned against the gate, quietly watching the two of them. At first, she thought Lin Ran wasn’t a good match for Sheng Qingxi. Lin Ran was too sharp, too blunt, with no concept of hiding his emotions. But now, she felt that this was exactly what Sheng Qingxi needed—someone who wouldn’t let her be wronged.
Sheng Qingxi was too quiet.
She kept too many things, too many words, to herself.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi were polar opposites, and yet, seeing them like this now, it seemed perfect and rare.
—
It was the weekend.
As Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi stepped into the villa, they immediately noticed movement coming from the kitchen.
Aunt Chen was facing away from them, sorting things in the fridge, and the living room already looked spotless, as if it had been freshly cleaned. Upon hearing their footsteps, Aunt Chen turned around and smiled warmly, “Xiao Huo, bringing a classmate over?”
Lin Ran responded with a nod and waited for Sheng Qingxi to change her shoes and come inside.
However, after waiting for a while and seeing no movement, he turned to see her standing frozen, lost in thought.
Gently, he ruffled her hair and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Sheng Qingxi’s gaze was fixed on Aunt Chen in the kitchen. Aunt Chen, looking much younger now, was a far cry from the weary figure she would become ten years later. Sheng Qingxi slowly looked away and shook her head, “Nothing, where’s Yanyan?”
Lin Ran nodded towards the stairs, “That lazy girl’s still asleep. Every time she’s on break, she loves to sleep in. Don’t worry about her; just take care of me.”
Sheng Qingxi sighed and replied, “Then bring me your summer homework so I can check it.”
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow. Summer homework? He’d made a lot of progress this summer, and if he were to take an exam now, getting into the top 50 wouldn’t be a problem.
He casually walked into the living room and picked up the sleeping 2018, placing the little black cat in Sheng Qingxi’s arms. “Play with this little thing for a bit. I’ll go get my homework from the study.”
2018, who had been in the middle of a peaceful nap, blinked in confusion at Lin Ran. Soon enough, though, the little cat nestled back into Sheng Qingxi’s embrace and fell asleep again.
Sheng Qingxi carefully cradled the soft kitten and sat down on the couch. Aunt Chen glanced back at her a couple of times.
This was Aunt Chen’s first time seeing Lin Ran bring someone over—especially a sweet-looking girl. She couldn’t help but wonder if she should inform Mr. and Mrs. Lin about this.
But Aunt Chen hesitated, fearing Lin Ran might find out that she had said something.
Over the years, Aunt Chen had come to understand Lin Ran’s personality well—he was fiercely protective of those close to him.
After some thought, Aunt Chen decided to act as if she hadn’t seen anything, not wanting to provoke the boy. With that, she sliced up some fruit and placed it on the coffee table. Smiling warmly at Sheng Qingxi, she said, “Young lady, have some fruit. Xiao Huo will be down shortly.”
Hearing the nickname Xiao Huo caught Sheng Qingxi’s attention.
Xiao Huo.
So that’s what Aunt Chen called Lin Ran.
Sheng Qingxi didn’t respond, nor did she look up at Aunt Chen. She simply continued to cradle the soft kitten in her arms, acting as if she hadn’t heard a word.
Sheng Qingxi knew that this was impolite.
But she chose to behave this way nonetheless.
Aunt Chen’s expression stiffened. Even Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan had never been so blatantly dismissive.
From the second-floor landing, Lin Ran stood watching the scene unfold with an inscrutable expression. He had been standing there for a while, ever since Aunt Chen had spoken to Sheng Qingxi. He had seen everything clearly.
His gaze shifted to Aunt Chen.
He could sense it.
Sheng Qingxi was rejecting this middle-aged woman, even to the point of visible dislike.
Sheng Qingxi usually kept her feelings deeply hidden—both her love and her hate. For her to show such overt emotion meant that something had struck a deep chord. Yet, before this, the two of them hadn’t even known each other.
So, it had to be from her past life.
In their past life, these two must have had some interaction after his death.
Lin Ran suddenly remembered something Sheng Qingxi had said—that after his eighteenth birthday, she would tell him everything. But what could be so significant about his eighteenth birthday?
Lin Ran couldn’t quite recall the details of his birthday. He only remembered celebrating it at a car dealership with Lin Yanyan, Xie Zhen, He Mo, and Song Xingyu.
There wasn’t anything particularly memorable about that day.
Lowering his gaze, Lin Ran buried his thoughts. His footsteps descending the stairs caught the attention of the two people below.
Aunt Chen hesitated, looking at Lin Ran with a conflicted expression.
Walking behind the couch where Sheng Qingxi was sitting, Lin Ran spoke in a calm voice, “Aunt Chen, you can head home for today.”
Aunt Chen nodded, gathering her things without saying a word. Her expression was sour, and if Lin Ran wasn’t blind, he could easily tell that there had been some friction between her and Sheng Qingxi.
After Aunt Chen left, Lin Ran gently patted Sheng Qingxi on the head, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “You don’t like her?”
Sheng Qingxi was silent for a moment before replying in a muffled voice, “No, I don’t.”
Lin Ran chuckled softly, “If you don’t like her, I won’t let her come here anymore.”
Sheng Qingxi pressed her lips together.
Without Aunt Chen, there would always be someone else—a Mrs. Zhang or Mrs. Li. The person didn’t matter; what mattered was that there would always be someone playing that role in Lin Ran’s life. If someone had to fill that space, she’d rather it be someone she could get used to.
Without looking back at Lin Ran, she quietly responded, “No, just leave it as it is.”
Lin Ran let out a soft laugh.
This little girl was always so adorably stubborn when she was being difficult.
He tossed his completed summer homework beside her and leaned lazily against the couch, grinning. “Officer, my mission is complete. Can I get a reward?”
Sheng Qingxi blinked, turning her head curiously, “What kind of reward do you want?”
Lin Ran had only been teasing her, trying to lift her mood, and hadn’t actually expected her to offer him a reward.
Without missing a beat, he pressed down on the back of the couch, flipping over it to sit beside her. With a mischievous smirk, like a little rogue, he said, “If it’s not a kiss from you, I don’t want any other reward.”
Just then, Lin Yanyan, having just woken up and come downstairs, froze in place.
Lin Yanyan: “…”
Who is she? Where is she? And what on earth did she just overhear?