At this moment, many people inside the teaching building hadn’t gone to eat yet. They curiously poked their heads out to see how the situation would unfold, all thinking to themselves how fearless freshmen could be.
Even Lin Ran’s girlfriend dares to be provoked.
Sheng Qingxi suddenly found herself stuck in an awkward position, not knowing whether to leave or stay.
She took a small step back, creating some distance between them, before speaking, “I…”
“Hey, are you Ding Minghui?”
A casual voice came from behind. Although Lin Ran’s tone was as indifferent as usual, Sheng Qingxi keenly sensed that he wasn’t pleased.
She quickly turned to look.
Lin Ran’s sharp brows and eyes still carried a hint of nonchalance, even a smile.
Yet, from his expression, others might think he was greeting an acquaintance rather than dealing with a romantic rival.
It was still summer.
The golden sunlight casually bathed Lin Ran’s face, making his dark pupils gleam brightly. The tiny specks of light in his eyes appeared cold, even though his emotions seemed calm.
Sheng Qingxi noticed that although Lin Ran was talking to Ding Minghui, his gaze remained fixed on her.
He was very quiet, quietly watching her.
This wasn’t quite the Lin Ran she was familiar with.
Sheng Qingxi felt uneasy.
Unable to help herself, she tugged at the hem of Lin Ran’s shirt.
Seeing the unease in her eyes, a faint smile appeared on Lin Ran’s face. He raised his hand and pulled the little girl by the nape, tugging her behind him.
Only then did Lin Ran finally turn to look at Ding Minghui, who was now staring at him in a daze.
In the past, Lin Ran would have likely asked, “Do you know who I am?”
But now, he clearly wouldn’t say something so foolish. He just looked at Ding Minghui with a subtle expression, not in a hurry, simply waiting for Ding Minghui’s response.
Ding Minghui had no idea who the boy who suddenly appeared was, but it was clear that he had a close relationship with Sheng Qingxi.
Moreover, this boy didn’t give him a positive feeling. His instincts told him that this boy had a bad temper, and the calmness on the surface was just restrained.
Nervously, Ding Minghui pushed up his glasses, meeting Lin Ran’s gaze. “Hello, senior. I’m Ding Minghui from Class 5 of the first year. I fell in love with Senior Sheng at first sight, and I want her to remember me.”
Lin Ran paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. “Your feelings are your own. Sheng Qingxi has no obligation or responsibility to respond to your emotions, whether to accept or reject them.”
His smile faded.
Lin Ran pulled the little girl from behind him and asked softly, “Are you hungry? Let’s go eat.”
Sheng Qingxi was still holding onto the hem of his shirt. She nodded and didn’t look at Ding Minghui again.
Ding Minghui stood frozen, watching as Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi walked away side by side.
In the classroom, there were constantly glances drifting outside. It slowly dawned on Ding Minghui that saying such things to Sheng Qingxi in public may not have been the best decision.
He lowered his head, looking at the crumpled love letter in his hand.
His nervousness had caused him to wrinkle the edges of the envelope.
Then, Ding Minghui made a new decision.
He would find time to apologize to Sheng Qingxi and finish what he hadn’t been able to say.
Some students from the second year who were passing by couldn’t help but interject, finding it hard to watch, “Bro, don’t you ask about someone’s relationship status before chasing them?”
Ding Minghui looked at the speaker in surprise.
What?
…
“Sheng Qingxi, you’ve got legs of your own. Can’t you walk or run? You just stood there like a block of wood, are you stupid? Just because someone talks to you, do you have to listen?”
“Even that little brat Lin Yanyan knows how to flaunt her brother’s reputation in middle school, but what about you?”
Lin Ran furrowed his brows as he scolded the dejected Sheng Qingxi.
Sheng Qingxi’s voice was soft, but her tone was firm, “This isn’t my fault.”
Of course, Lin Ran knew it wasn’t her fault, but he was still furious. He had been keeping a close eye on her, and yet someone still had the nerve to approach her. If it had been six months ago, he would have dragged the guy aside for a lesson long before letting him talk to Sheng Qingxi.
Falling in love at first sight?
Love at first sight, my ass. What does that guy know about love at first sight?
Lin Ran suddenly pinched Sheng Qingxi’s face, forcing her to look at him.
The coldness in his expression was completely gone as he faced Sheng Qingxi. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Sheng Qingxi, let me ask you. If this happens again, what are you going to do?”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t even need to think before answering, “I’ll say my brother is Lin Ran, and he doesn’t let me date early.”
Lin Ran: “…?”
Well, damn. That could actually work.
After a moment of thought, Lin Ran let go of her soft cheek and decided to let her off—for now.
—
Afternoon class.
For the first time, Sheng Qingxi felt that attending class had become a torturous experience. The teacher’s voice came from the podium, and the classroom was quiet, not much different from when she was in Class Six.
The only difference was that the person sitting next to her had changed to Lin Ran.
Lin Ran spent most of the class with his body turned toward her, staring at her so intently that Sheng Qingxi felt like he was about to burn a hole through her face.
Originally, Sheng Qingxi had sat on the side of the aisle. But when they came back from lunch, Lin Ran had switched their desks, claiming he preferred sitting by the window because it was better ventilated.
It was such a lame excuse that He Mo and Xie Zhen didn’t even want to hear it.
His possessiveness was ridiculously strong, like a wild beast dragging his prey back to his den to keep an eye on it. Anyone who dared take a second look at her would get bitten.
So now, Sheng Qingxi had the wall to her left and Lin Ran to her right.
The presence of Lin Ran surrounded Sheng Qingxi at every moment, distracting her slightly.
Five minutes later, Sheng Qingxi quietly sighed.
She took out a sticky note, scribbled a sentence on it, and added a few simple doodles. Just as she finished and was about to push it to Lin Ran, he domineeringly reached over and snatched it away.
Sheng Qingxi: “…”
Why is he so hard to manage?
Lin Ran quickly glanced over the note: “Lin Ran, pay attention in class.”
In the bottom right corner, there was a little drawing of an angry bunny puffing its cheeks while blowing out a match, looking quite displeased.
Seeing the little bunny made Lin Ran chuckle.
He quickly scribbled back: “I am paying attention in class. You focus on your own, don’t worry about me.”
Sheng Qingxi looked at the response, which nearly filled up the entire sticky note, and wrote back without mercy: “I promised He Mo and Xie Zhen this morning that I’d help tutor them after class. If you keep staring at me, you’ll have to find someone else to tutor you.”
Lin Ran: ???
Those two had taken advantage of his distraction to steal his Xiao Xi?
Lin Ran immediately turned to glare at He Mo and Xie Zhen, trying to kill them with his icy gaze.
He grabbed a pen from his desk and flung it over to the next row.
He Mo deftly dodged, pretending not to notice, and Xie Zhen played along, acting completely unaware. After all, now that Sheng Qingxi was around, they had someone to keep Lin Ran in check, so they had nothing to fear.
The English teacher, who had been tolerating Lin Ran for most of the class, had been relieved that, at least, Lin Ran had not disturbed Sheng Qingxi, even though he’d spent half the class staring at her. But now, seeing him causing trouble with He Mo, the teacher finally had enough.
“Lin Ran! He Mo! Both of you, get out and stand in the hallway!”
Lin Ran: “…”
He hadn’t stared at his Xiao Xi enough yet.
He Mo: “…”
What did I do wrong this time???
Sheng Qingxi sighed softly and discreetly hooked her pinky around Lin Ran’s.
The warmth of her touch slipped lightly across his fingertip, soft but lingering. In an instant, Lin Ran felt a shiver spread across the skin behind his ears, like tiny electrical currents running down to his nerve endings.
His Adam’s apple bobbed with a harsh gulp.
Almost in a rush, Lin Ran dashed out of the classroom, leaving the English teacher bewildered. What was going on with that kid? Did he like standing outside so much?
At the back door of the classroom, Lin Ran stood there, fuming.
At this age, curiosity ran wild, especially when the boys’ dorm was often filled with no-holds-barred conversations. Lin Ran had never been interested in those topics before, but lately, things were different.
Thinking of Sheng Qingxi’s face—pale, gentle, and with such clean, innocent eyes—his mind was a whirl.
Lin Ran’s earlier thoughts faded, replaced by a new one.
In those ten years, had Sheng Qingxi ever been in a relationship? Or even married?
These questions suddenly flooded Lin Ran’s mind.
She rarely mentioned those ten years. If she didn’t bring them up, he didn’t ask.
Did it matter? Not really.
But Lin Ran wanted to know.
—
Evening self-study session.
He Mo and Xie Zhen somehow heard about Ding Minghui’s confession to Sheng Qingxi. In less than ten minutes, they had all the information on Ding Minghui. While Sheng Qingxi went to the bathroom, He Mo and Xie Zhen gathered around Lin Ran, eagerly sharing what they had learned.
“This kid transferred in from the affiliated school, with the top score in the entire city.”
“Never heard of him having a girlfriend before. He’s been focused solely on his studies.”
“His classmates said he cuts out Sheng Qingxi’s exam results every time and sticks them on his desk. Weird guy.”
“Hey, Mo, do you think this is that thing you guys always talk about… what’s it called, ‘admiration for the strong’?”
“Admiration, my ass. He’s just into her looks.”
“Okay, fair enough.”
Top scorer in the city?
Lin Ran’s face darkened. Even the top scorer in the country wasn’t worthy of his Xiao Xi.
After listening to their chatter for a while, Lin Ran suddenly stood up. As he walked out, he casually said, “If she asks, just say I went downstairs to buy some milk tea. I’ll be right back.”
He Mo quickly called after him, “Brother Ran, don’t beat him up! Those bookworms can’t handle a fight!”
Lin Ran didn’t even turn back as he left.
Xie Zhen scratched his head. “Mo, you think something’s going to happen?”
He Mo leisurely sat down, took a sip of water, and said confidently, “Nothing’s going to happen. Brother Ran has been as tame as a kitten lately.”
—
First floor, Class 5 of the first years.
“Ding Minghui! Someone’s looking for you!”
It was break time, and Ding Minghui was sitting at his desk doing homework. It wasn’t until his classmate called him a second time that he tore his eyes away from his notebook and looked out the window.
The boy from lunch was leaning casually against a column, his gaze drifting elsewhere.
It was Lin Ran.
The hallway felt like the boundary between two worlds.
On the left was the bright, spacious classroom, and on the right stretched the endless darkness of the night.
Dim light fell diagonally on Lin Ran as he looked nonchalantly at Ding Minghui, who had walked up to him.
Unlike the fearless look he had at noon, Ding Minghui’s eyes now held traces of fear and nervousness.
One glance, and Lin Ran knew—he had done his research on Lin Ran’s “glorious track record.”
Hmph, just this much nerve?
With his hands in his pockets, Lin Ran looked away, no longer interested in Ding Minghui. In a calm voice, he asked, “You like Sheng Qingxi?”
Ding Minghui swallowed and answered, “Yes, I like Sheng Qingxi. Lin Ran, I know who you are. Do you think you and Sheng Qingxi have a future? Can you both get into the same university? I analyzed your grades over the past two years this afternoon—you treat exams too casually. I don’t think you’re suitable for someone like Sheng Qingxi. A girl like her deserves a better future.”
After finishing his piece, Ding Minghui added, as if to encourage himself, “I… I’m not afraid of you.”
Hearing this, Lin Ran finally gave the nerd a proper look. He had thought someone who was the top student in the city would at least have some sense.
Straightening up, Lin Ran’s dark eyes turned cold. “Whatever analysis you did is your own business. I’m here for one reason: Don’t let me see you pestering her again.”
Lin Ran had already figured out at noon that this guy was stubborn and wouldn’t give up easily.
Ding Minghui didn’t respond, just clenched his fists tightly.
Without saying another word, Lin Ran walked away—he still had to buy milk tea for his Xiao Xi.
—
When Sheng Qingxi returned to the classroom, Lin Ran still hadn’t come back. She looked around for him, didn’t see him, and sat down to work on a tutoring plan for them.
Now that they were in their third year of high school, the atmosphere in the classroom had grown tense, with most of the students studying quietly even during break times.
Lin Ran returned just as the second evening self-study session started. He set the milk tea on the desk. When he looked down, his eyes met Sheng Qingxi’s, her bright eyes sparkling as she gazed at him.
Lin Ran smirked and lowered his voice, “Were you waiting for me?”
Sheng Qingxi nodded.
Lin Ran inserted the straw into the milk tea and handed it to Sheng Qingxi, then casually ruffled her hair.
For the rest of the time, Lin Ran focused on his homework, occasionally glancing at Sheng Qingxi. Each time he looked over, the little girl would turn and smile at him.
Even after the whole afternoon, Lin Ran still felt like today had been a dream.
A magical and enchanting dream.
And the dream continued even as night fell.
When Lin Ran drifted off to sleep, he found himself in a new dream.
—
The scene in front of him wavered slightly.
It took Lin Ran a moment to realize he was on a bus, but his perspective felt strange. It seemed like he was sitting on the bus, in a seat near the aisle.
Instinctively, he scanned the bus, but all he could see were blurry figures and fragmented images.
Lin Ran slowly turned his gaze back to his left, to the seat closest to him.
A person sat beside him.
A young woman with short hair.
Narrowing his eyes, Lin Ran took a quick glance and immediately recognized her. She was the same woman he had seen in Lin Yanyan’s dream. She sat straight, as if it was a habit, possibly due to her personal or professional background.
The road was bumpy, and Lin Ran’s dream moved forward slowly.