“And that’s not even the most important part. The most important part is that there’ll be lots of people chasing after you! My brother will be super jealous, and when he gets mad, he’ll lose his temper. You two could end up fighting! It’ll be a disaster!”
Lin Ran: ?
Is this really his biological sister? He had every reason to suspect that Lin Yanyan was picked up from somewhere.
Sheng Qingxi shook her head and said seriously, “That won’t happen. I’ll go to whatever university he goes to. Whatever school he applies to, I’ll apply to as well.”
Lin Yanyan hesitated for a long time before asking in a soft voice, “Sister Sheng, I hope you and my brother stay like this forever. But… what if he falls for someone else in the future?”
Is she even speaking like a human?
Lin Ran clicked his tongue. He couldn’t take it anymore. Just as he was about to step out and teach that little brat Lin Yanyan a lesson for spouting nonsense, Sheng Qingxi’s gentle voice rang out at just the right moment: “He won’t fall for anyone else. He only likes me.”
In an instant, Lin Ran felt like a puppy being petted the right way.
He calmed down immediately, and a smile crept uncontrollably onto his face.
Hmph.
At least this girl had some sense.
Lin Ran decided not to eavesdrop any longer, for fear that Lin Yanyan might say something else to infuriate him.
With long strides, Lin Ran casually walked up to where Lin Yanyan was sitting on the sofa, stopping behind her. He could already see the little girl stiffen, too afraid to turn around.
Lin Ran lazily said, “Lin Yanyan, repeat what you just said to your sister Sheng, word for word.”
Lin Yanyan swallowed nervously. “…”
“Ahhh—Brother, I’m sorry!!”
With a sharp scream, Lin Yanyan bolted upstairs, running off to hide.
Sheng Qingxi curiously poked her head out to watch Lin Yanyan flee. Lately, Lin Yanyan had become much more lively. In their previous life, she had rarely seen this side of her; it wasn’t until after they got married that Lin Yanyan slowly came out of her shell.
Lin Ran reached out and gently turned Sheng Qingxi’s head back toward him, bending down so their eyes met. “Why did you come over so early?”
Sheng Qingxi blinked. “To celebrate your birthday.”
She reached out and poked Lin Ran’s chin, which was dotted with fine stubble. “Lin Ran, you didn’t shave this morning.”
With Lin Ran’s pale skin, even the short, dark stubble stood out starkly.
Lin Ran grabbed her hand and held it in his palm, frowning as he scolded her, “Why are you always touching me first thing in the morning?”
Sheng Qingxi paused, then tugged her arm free from his grasp with a small force.
She looked at Lin Ran with a pure and innocent expression. “Lin Ran, Mom Sheng told me yesterday that if you like someone, you should boldly express it. So if I want to kiss you, I’ll kiss you.”
Lin Ran: “…”
That’s just nonsense. He didn’t believe for a second that Sheng Lan would tell her something like that. After all, just yesterday, Sheng Lan had chased him out of the house—probably because he’d “stolen” her precious daughter for New Year’s Eve.
Lin Ran snorted softly. “What are you even thinking, you little troublemaker?”
Sheng Qingxi had done it on purpose.
She was still upset that Lin Ran had threatened her in the morning.
After they teased each other for a while, Sheng Qingxi finally pulled a small gift out of her pocket. She handed the little box to Lin Ran. “Lin Ran, happy birthday.”
Lin Ran’s gaze lingered on her sparkling eyes, and he raised an eyebrow. “You’re this happy about it?”
Sheng Qingxi smiled brightly at him, her eyes curving with joy.
Lin Ran pinched her cheek lightly and whispered, “Silly.”
The small box in her hand looked tiny, and Lin Ran couldn’t figure out what might be inside. When he finally opened it, he still didn’t understand what it was supposed to mean.
Inside the small box was a key.
Lin Ran looked up and held up the key, shaking it slightly. “What’s this?”
Sheng Qingxi smiled, her eyes crinkling. “It’s the key to my room. It’s your birthday gift.”
What?
Lin Ran’s expression froze. Did he just hear that right?
For a moment, Lin Ran couldn’t figure out her intentions. Giving him a key to her room—did that mean what he thought it meant, or was it just his imagination?
Lin Ran gritted his teeth, his face darkening. “Sheng Qingxi.”
Sheng Qingxi propped her chin on her hand, leaning against the sofa as she looked at him. “I’m right here.”
Lin Ran had been holding back a lot of things he wanted to say to scold her, but when he saw her beautiful eyes, he couldn’t get any of the words out. He frowned. “Sheng Qingxi, do you give your room key away to anyone as a gift?”
Sheng Qingxi blinked her eyelashes and muttered quietly, “You’re not just anyone, plus, you didn’t have the key last time and broke the window to get in. Now that I’m giving you the key, you’re still not happy. You’re really hard to please.”
Lin Ran: “…”
Damn.
Wasn’t she just out to steal his heart?
Fine, she could have it.
—
At noon, Lin Ran didn’t stay at the garage for lunch. Instead, he took Sheng Qingxi out.
On the second day of the New Year, the garage was bound to have a lot of visitors dropping by for well-wishes. Lin Ran worried that Sheng Qingxi wouldn’t feel comfortable, so he took her out to eat. This time, Lin Ran didn’t ask her what she wanted to eat, to avoid messing things up. After lunch, he had planned to take her to the movies, but when he thought about the crowds at the mall, he dismissed the idea—she didn’t like being in places with too many people.
Lin Ran turned his head and asked, “What did you used to do when you weren’t working?”
Sheng Qingxi tilted her head, thinking for a moment. “Sometimes I’d go out with colleagues, and during long holidays, I’d go back to Shengkai to help Mom Sheng or take care of other things. Most of the time, I was really busy.”
Whenever she talked about work, her expression was always calm.
Every now and then, Lin Ran could catch a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but those moments were rare.
He had a hard time imagining how someone like her managed to get along with her team or how she had mustered the determination to enroll in the police academy, fully aware of the path she was choosing.
He didn’t dare think too deeply about it.
Eventually, Lin Ran brought Sheng Qingxi back to the villa at Nancheng Gardens. No crowds, no noise—just the two of them spending quiet time together. It felt perfect.
But before long, Lin Ran insisted on taking Sheng Qingxi for an afternoon nap. He watched her settle under the blanket and didn’t leave; instead, he sat on the sofa by the bed, staring at her.
Sheng Qingxi, still struggling, tugged at Lin Ran’s sleeve and whispered, “Lin Ran, I don’t want to take a nap.”
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow slightly. “Did you go running again this morning?”
Sheng Qingxi pressed her lips together before nodding.
Lin Ran knew her habits. She must have gotten up early again today. Over the past few days, she had been restless, and the closer his birthday got, the clingier she became—like a ball of cotton candy.
Using a tone that left no room for negotiation, Lin Ran repeated, “Close your eyes and sleep.”
Sheng Qingxi looked at him pitifully for a while, pulling at the blanket corners, but when she saw that there was no room for discussion, she huffed in frustration and yanked the blanket over her head, ignoring him.
Lin Ran didn’t say anything either, simply sitting there watching her quietly.
Half an hour later, the sound of slow, even breathing filled the room.
Lin Ran stood up, walking softly to the bedside. He bent down and gently pulled the blanket down from over her head.
Her small, palm-sized face was nestled in the soft blankets, her long eyelashes resting delicately on her cheeks, and her brow furrowed slightly. Even in sleep, she still seemed worried about him.
Lin Ran gazed at her for a long time before leaning down to place a soft kiss on her forehead.
He had never intended to take her back to the villa at the foot of the mountain. That place was somewhere he never wanted to set foot in again, much less let her witness the ugly chaos inside.
After leaving the villa, Lin Ran made a phone call.
Five minutes later, a black motorcycle sped off like the wind.
…
At the hillside villa.
Lin Youcheng sat on the sofa, nervously watching Lin Ran, who was looking through the document handed to him. Lin Ran had been reading it for a while now, but his expression remained unchanged.
The silence in the study grew heavier with each passing moment.
Lin Ran read every word of the document. This was the birthday gift Lin Youcheng had prepared for him.
If he signed it, he would become the sole heir of the Lin family.
In addition to the Lin family business, the majority of the assets were left to Lin Yanyan, with only a small portion reserved by Lin Youcheng for his own retirement.
Lin Youcheng had signed a prenuptial agreement with Xu Yirong before their marriage, leaving her with nothing.
In his previous life, Lin Ran hadn’t come to see Lin Youcheng, so he had never seen this document.
Now, Lin Ran realized where it had all begun. The starting point wasn’t this document, nor was it Lin Youcheng’s attitude toward the family. The true beginning was the day his family was shattered—ten years ago, when his mother, He Wanqiu, passed away.
From that moment on, his family had fallen apart.
Lin Youcheng had never been a good father, nor a good husband.
And this document was merely the spark.
Lin Ran thought back to Sheng Qingxi’s reaction when she met Aunt Chen, her refusal when he mentioned taking her to see Xu Yirong, and how she insisted on returning to the hillside villa today.
All these scattered pieces were starting to fit together. It wasn’t hard for Lin Ran to piece together how the fire from his previous life had occurred. Sheng Qingxi had been carefully, step by step, confirming whether the events of their past life would repeat themselves, doing her best to avoid hurting innocent people.
Lin Ran let out a mocking laugh.
He showed no particular reaction to the document in front of Lin Youcheng. Closing it, he stood up, casually saying, “I’m leaving. I won’t stay for dinner.”
Lin Youcheng was taken aback and quickly said, “Xiao Huo, if you don’t want to stay, I won’t force you. But can you at least let Yanyan stay and have dinner with me?”
With a soft *click*, the door to the study opened.
Without looking back, Lin Ran replied, “She’ll come by later.”
Lin Yanyan had no idea about what Lin Youcheng had done, and Lin Ran intended to keep it that way. The soft-hearted little girl had long since forgiven what happened, and had even been talking about wanting to visit her father just a few days ago.
After Lin Ran left, the spacious and empty study was once again left with only Lin Youcheng.
He slumped back on the sofa, as if all the strength had drained from his body. This document wasn’t meant to be a form of compensation for Lin Ran; he had prepared it long ago, knowing that no matter what happened, Lin Ran was still his and Wanqiu’s child.
Downstairs in the living room.
Xu Yirong was busy in the kitchen. Lin Youcheng had been excited about Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan coming for dinner, and he had dragged her to the market early that morning to personally pick out the ingredients.
Hearing footsteps at the stairs, Xu Yirong instinctively turned around with a smile.
But a few seconds later, the smile froze on her face. Lin Ran hadn’t stopped at all, leaving the villa immediately, holding what seemed to be a document in his hand.
Xu Yirong wanted to ask what had happened, but by the time she made it to the door, Lin Ran’s car had already driven away.
Worriedly, she looked in the direction Lin Ran had gone, then glanced back at the second-floor staircase.
Did the father and son argue again?
—
When Sheng Qingxi woke up, the room was shrouded in darkness. She lay in bed for a long time, dazed, before realizing that she had unknowingly fallen asleep. Instinctively, she wondered, What time is it? Where’s Lin Ran?
The sound of the blanket shifting filled the silence.
Just as she sat up, she noticed a faint figure at the foot of the bed.
His silhouette was hidden in the shadows.
Deep and lonesome.
In a soft voice, Sheng Qingxi called out, “Lin Ran?”
The figure moved slightly, and a hoarse voice responded, “Yuan Yuan, come here, let me hold you.”