The room was dimly lit.
In the suffocating air, the sound of soft, heavy breathing could be heard.
Sheng Qingxi was tightly held in Lin Ran’s arms.
He said nothing, just held her silently. She had no choice but to gently stroke his back, from top to bottom, again and again, just like Sheng Lan used to comfort her when they were younger.
After a long while, Sheng Qingxi hesitated before asking, “Lin Ran, did… did you go to the villa on the hillside?”
Lin Ran didn’t answer her question.
Holding onto the only warmth in his arms, he finally spoke, his tone filled with certainty and a sigh, “Sheng Qingxi, in our past life, after you graduated, you applied to the police academy, didn’t you? It’s no use denying it, I know.”
It was the first time Lin Ran had laid everything out like this.
Things between them had reached this point, there was nothing left that couldn’t be said.
Sheng Qingxi stiffened. She had never told Lin Ran about this and had never expected him to be fixated on it. She didn’t really want to share those memories with him.
But Lin Ran wasn’t about to let it go and followed up, “Why did you apply to the police academy?”
Lin Ran knew that the Sheng Qingxi from their previous life was completely different from the one in front of him now. Back then, she was fragile and delicate. He still remembered the warmth of her tears that Christmas Eve. But now, she was entirely different.
In their previous life, under such circumstances, she applied to the police academy, graduated, and entered the public security system.
She must have worked much harder than anyone else. She could have had a different future.
Talking about their past lives made Sheng Qingxi momentarily dazed.
Why did she apply to the police academy? It was really just because of something Lin Yanyan had said.
Sheng Qingxi responded softly, “Because… Yanyan said that neither of you had been in the kitchen that day. The fire was caused by a gas leak when using the stove. If neither you nor Yanyan went into the kitchen, then it had to be someone else.”
Lin Ran’s grip on her tightened suddenly.
He opened his mouth but found himself unable to say anything.
After a long silence, Lin Ran finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “So, because Yanyan said that, you believed her.”
Just… just one sentence.
Sheng Qingxi remained silent for a long time before whispering, “Lin Ran, that night, I went looking for you.”
Lin Ran knew what night she was talking about. He had dreamt about Sheng Qingxi on that night.
The slender, fragile figure in his dream was her. The cry that echoed through the streets merged with the scenes from his dream. It was her calling his name. It was her, crying.
She had witnessed him in his most wretched state.
Lin Ran couldn’t bear to imagine how cruel it must have been for her.
As the bitterness of that night rose in her throat, Sheng Qingxi spoke with difficulty, her voice full of pain yet clarity, “Lin Ran, that night, I went to find you, just to tell you that I really liked you.”
At that time, Sheng Qingxi hadn’t expected anything in return from Lin Ran.
She simply wanted to say it: I really, really liked you.
But she never had the chance to let him hear it.
Lin Ran’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. He lowered his head and cupped Sheng Qingxi’s face, gazing directly into her tear-filled eyes.
In the dimly lit room, only her eyes shone brightly, filled with love. These eyes that looked at him had never changed and would never change.
Lin Ran lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers. In a soft and low voice, he responded, “Yuan Yuan, I heard you.”
The words you never said aloud—I heard them all. Everything you told me, I remember.
Sheng Qingxi froze for a moment, then tightly embraced Lin Ran, unable to control the trembling of her body. It was as if the emotions she had suppressed for two lifetimes all surged forth in that instant. She broke down and cried uncontrollably in his arms.
The boy she loved was here by her side.
Lin Ran’s eyes reddened as he gently stroked Sheng Qingxi’s hair, soothing her continuously. “It’s okay. I’ll always be by your side. I’m not going anywhere.”
Sheng Qingxi cried for a long time before she finally stopped.
Once she calmed down, she turned her face away, feeling a little embarrassed to look at Lin Ran. She was a grown woman, yet she cried like a child.
Lin Ran scooped her up, sat down by the head of the bed, and turned on the light. He grabbed a few tissues and carefully wiped away her tears. When he saw her eyes swollen like a little rabbit’s, he couldn’t help but tap her nose gently.
His hoarse voice carried a trace of affection, “You little crybaby.”
After drying her tears, Sheng Qingxi buried her head in Lin Ran’s chest and said nothing, like a child throwing a tantrum. She wriggled in his arms, unwilling to face anyone.
Lin Ran chuckled softly, and the heavy emotions in his heart slowly began to lift.
For him now, it was a blessing.
Whether it was getting a second chance at life or having Sheng Qingxi by his side.
Sheng Qingxi was quiet for a moment, then she raised her head to look at Lin Ran and asked, “Lin Ran, did your father give you documents today regarding inheritance rights and property division?”
Lin Ran replied in a low voice.
This could indeed serve as a motive for Xu Yirong, but it wasn’t enough. After all, Xu Yirong had signed an agreement with Lin Youcheng before their marriage, and she knew very well that Lin family’s wealth had nothing to do with her.
Sheng Qingxi pursed her lips and hesitated before saying, “Lin Ran, Xu Yirong… she might be pregnant.”
In their previous life, after the incident with Cheng Jiayue, Xu Yirong deeply realized that she couldn’t rely on men. She became determined to have a child that belonged to both Lin Youcheng and herself, so she took matters into her own hands.
In February, when Xu Yirong confirmed her pregnancy, she was overjoyed and wanted to share the news with Lin Youcheng. However, she accidentally found those documents in his study—the documents Lin Ran had yet to sign. If those papers became effective, Xu Yirong and her child would get nothing.
So that night, Xu Yirong confronted Lin Youcheng, but what she couldn’t believe was that he demanded she abort the child. He was even furious, accusing her of violating the prenuptial agreement.
This was the final straw that broke Xu Yirong.
As Sheng Qingxi spoke, Lin Ran listened quietly, his expression unchanged.
Whether it was learning about Xu Yirong’s pregnancy or Lin Youcheng’s insistence that she abort the child, none of it mattered to him anymore.
Recalling the strange scenes from his dreams, Lin Ran gently patted Sheng Qingxi’s head and confirmed as if asking, “Aunt Chen is from Qingshui Town?”
Sheng Qingxi nodded. “Aunt Chen’s son was sick and needed an expensive surgery. At the time, Xu Yirong approached her, lying that she only wanted to scare you all. For the sake of her son, she agreed.”
In the end, Lin Ran died, and Aunt Chen’s son didn’t survive either.
Aunt Chen lived in regret for ten years. It wasn’t until Sheng Qingxi sent her to prison that she finally felt relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart.
At this point, the truth of their previous life had become clear.
But for Lin Ran, none of that was what truly mattered.
What haunted him was the scene he had seen in his dream—Sheng Qingxi sinking to the bottom of the sea. It was a hurdle he couldn’t overcome, something he couldn’t just bury deep inside and forget.
Lin Ran lowered his gaze, staring intently into Sheng Qingxi’s eyes without blinking.
He spoke, “Sheng Qingxi.”
Sheng Qingxi blinked at him.
Lin Ran raised his hand, gently brushing her cheek, his fingers sliding over the soft skin. He gazed at her for a long, long time before speaking in a low voice, “I sometimes dream. In these dreams, strange and surreal, there’s always one constant—a woman.”
“She has short hair, is very thin, and wears a police uniform.”
Lin Ran was so close to Sheng Qingxi that he could clearly see the stillness in her eyes, the emotion freezing in place.
His arm around her tightened, pulling her even closer. Their hair brushed lightly against each other’s necks as Lin Ran whispered into her ear, “I saw you falling into the sea. You let yourself sink deeper and deeper. Sheng Qingxi, tell me, what were you thinking at that moment?”
Sheng Qingxi looked at Lin Ran in confusion.
How could he know about that?
The boy’s eyes were dark, his expression unreadable, the veins in his neck faintly visible. His gaze remained fixed on her face, allowing her no escape. He was clearly demanding an answer.
Sheng Qingxi turned her head away, avoiding Lin Ran’s pressing stare.
Her mind was a chaotic mess, countless thoughts racing through it in an instant.
After a pause, she quietly said, “Lin Ran, I wasn’t really thinking about anything. I just suddenly felt very tired. After finding out the truth, I seemed to lose my sense of direction. The monotony of life wore me down. From the chase to the moment I fell into the sea that day, I didn’t have the strength to fight.”
Sheng Qingxi lied.
In that moment, as she sank into the sea, she had been thinking about Lin Ran.
She missed him so much.
Perhaps when she opened her eyes again, she would see him.
Lin Ran silently stared at her for a long time.
He didn’t say anything more.
It was unclear whether he believed her in the end, but he didn’t push the matter further, and that gave Sheng Qingxi a moment of relief.
…
When they went downstairs, Sheng Qingxi realized she had slept for almost three hours. The sky had completely darkened, and through the windows, she could see lights twinkling beneath the night’s heavy gloom.
The lights outside each house had been turned on.
Lin Ran went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and saw it was fully stocked with food. Aunt Chen had been by before the holidays. He heated up a small cake and handed it to Sheng Qingxi to eat, then took off his jacket and prepared to make dinner, locking her out of the kitchen in the process.
Sheng Qingxi stood by the kitchen door, holding her little cake, watching Lin Ran through the transparent glass.
For some reason, she felt a bit aggrieved. It’s not like she couldn’t cook; she just wasn’t good at it, and it wasn’t as if she’d burn the kitchen down. Yet, Lin Ran guarded the kitchen like a fortress, as if afraid she’d cause chaos if she stepped inside.
Thud—
A slender hand gently tapped on the glass door.
Lin Ran looked helplessly at Sheng Qingxi’s sulking face. This girl had become so pampered by him lately, just like that little 2018, feeling wronged the moment he wasn’t paying attention.
Lin Ran pointed at the cake in Sheng Qingxi’s hand, signaling her to obediently finish it.
Sheng Qingxi stared at him for a moment, then suddenly bolted, deliberately running to a place where he couldn’t see her.
Lin Ran stood at the door, quietly watching her retreating figure. His heart gradually settled. For both him and Sheng Qingxi, this was the best time. They should learn to let go of the heavy past.
He was alive, and so was she.
And that was the best thing that could happen to him.
—
After the new year, time flew by in the blink of an eye, and their break was pitifully short.
Before they could shed their heavy winter coats, the students in their senior year had already started the new semester, cutting short their fleeting holiday and stepping into the campus together with the slow arrival of spring.
Lin Ran carried Sheng Qingxi’s schoolbag, his hands in his pockets, following behind her as they got out of the car.
It was too cold, so he had stopped riding his bike to take her to school since December.
There were few people on the road, but after just a ten-day break, Sheng Qingxi felt like everyone she saw seemed to have gained a little weight. Absentmindedly, she pinched her own cheeks and then touched her chin.
She hadn’t weighed herself in days, and the heavy winter clothing always gave her a false sense of size.
After thinking for a while, Sheng Qingxi suddenly stopped walking.
“Hm?”
Lin Ran noticed her stop and halted as well.
The little girl in front of him slowly turned around, lifting her small face. Her bright eyes were wide open, looking at him seriously, as if she was holding back something important.
Lin Ran felt a bit uneasy under her gaze, thinking he hadn’t done anything wrong recently. He had even finished his winter homework obediently, so logically, he shouldn’t have upset her.
He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “What’s wrong?”
After a moment, Sheng Qingxi puffed up her cheeks, touched her chin, and said with dissatisfaction, “Lin Ran, I’ve gained weight.”
Lin Ran: ?
He had been racking his brain, and this was what she wanted to say?
Lin Ran clicked his tongue softly, raising his hand and giving her a light tap on the forehead, unceremoniously. “What do you mean, ‘gained weight’? You’ve barely put on a couple of ounces. If you don’t eat a full bowl of rice at lunch today, you can just stay in the cafeteria and not leave.”
Sheng Qingxi pushed him, glaring at him angrily. “I don’t care what you say! You stay if you want to!”
After pushing him, she turned and left, not even looking back at Lin Ran.
Her legs moved surprisingly fast.
Lin Ran stood there, momentarily stunned. The students passing by glanced at him, some covering their mouths as they giggled. It was obvious that everyone was amused, wearing looks of playful interest.
Lin Ran stood in place for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and smiled.
His little kitten.
How could she be so cute?