Recently, He Mo and Xie Zhen noticed that ever since Sheng Qingxi’s birthday, Lin Ran had changed somewhat. They couldn’t quite put their finger on it, but in summary, Lin Ran had become increasingly bold.
But Lin Ran had always been this way, so after pondering it for a few days, they pushed the thought to the back of their minds.
After all, they had only one week left until the college entrance exams.
Today was May 31st.
At Chucheng No. 1 High School, there was always a tradition of giving students time off before the exams, so they spent the entire week in school reviewing. From tomorrow until the exams, they could choose to review either at home or at school.
Because of the exams, Lin Yanyan and her classmates were already on break, so He Mo and Xie Zhen assumed they’d spend the week reviewing either at the garage or at Chengnan Garden. With the garage being busier with people coming and going, chances were high they’d go to Chengnan Garden.
During the lunch break, Xie Zhen sidled up to Lin Ran and asked, “Brother Ran, where are we going these next few days?”
Lin Ran was leaning sideways, watching his Xiao Xi work on a test paper. He replied absentmindedly, “To the garage. I’ve got something to do tomorrow, so make sure Yanyan stays put. She’s not allowed to leave the house, not even downstairs.”
Xie Zhen was confused. “Huh? Not even downstairs?”
Lin Ran lazily responded, “Mhm.”
Xie Zhen, still puzzled, went back to his seat and whispered to He Mo, “Mozi, Brother Ran said we’re going to the garage. But get this, he also said we’ve got to keep an eye on Yanyan tomorrow. She’s not allowed to leave the house, not even go downstairs.”
He Mo lowered his voice. “Here we go again.”
Both Xie Zhen and He Mo sighed in unison.
Meanwhile, Lin Ran had no idea what the two of them were thinking. He reached out and wrapped Sheng Qingxi’s black hair around his finger, his gaze never leaving her profile.
Ever since that night, he hadn’t even had the chance to hold her hand.
The little girl had stopped talking to him the next day. Everything else remained the same, except that she wouldn’t speak to him. It had taken him about a week of coaxing to finally get her to come around, and he hadn’t dared to touch her since.
Thinking about tomorrow, Lin Ran cleared his throat and asked, “Sheng Qingxi, do you want to go out with me tomorrow?”
Tomorrow?
Sheng Qingxi paused. Tomorrow was June 1st, and the last time she’d mentioned this to Lin Ran, he’d ignored her all evening. Yet this time, he brought it up himself.
Sheng Qingxi turned her head slightly. Lin Ran’s expression didn’t look like he was joking. He seemed serious, as if saying, ‘If you want to go, I’ll take you.’
She immediately nodded, worried that Lin Ran might change his mind.
Lin Ran knew exactly what she was thinking. Chuckling, he gently pinched her soft cheeks. Silly girl.
–
June 1st, Children’s Day.
Sheng Qingxi woke up at five in the morning. She didn’t dare tell Lin Ran. She wasn’t in the mood for her usual run, so after a quick breakfast outside, she made her way to the garage to find Lin Ran.
By the time Sheng Qingxi arrived at the garage, it was only six o’clock. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the garage doors were still closed.
She exhaled softly and sat down on a bench by the roadside.
Lately, it seemed as though Lin Ran had forgotten about this. After that day, he hadn’t mentioned it again until yesterday, when he brought it up himself, and his attitude was completely different from before.
Had Lin Ran… done something?
Third floor.
Lin Ran came out of the bathroom after his shower, his legs slightly bent as he closed the door behind him.
He hadn’t slept well last night, his thoughts a tangled mess that had haunted him the entire night. In fact, he didn’t fully remember the events of that day—many details had become blurry over time.
For instance, why had he returned to Chengnan Garden on this very day in his previous life?
These details were vague to him now. Did Aunt Chen visit that day? From what Lin Ran could recall, he hadn’t seen her, which meant she probably came after he had left.
That day, he should have stayed home. It was Lin Yanyan who had pouted and begged for a Children’s Day present, which led him to go out and buy her a teddy bear.
The only unexpected part of that day was that he hadn’t left through the front door or ridden his bike. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a cat meowing from the backyard. A kitten had gotten stuck on the vines in his backyard.
The little kitten had been hanging from the railing, so after rescuing it, Lin Ran decided to leave through the railing instead.
He didn’t remember any more of the details afterward, nor had he asked Sheng Qingxi about it. She had cried so much that day, and he couldn’t bear to press her further. He only hoped she could move on from the incident as soon as possible.
Irritated, Lin Ran rubbed his still-wet black hair and walked over to the window, casually pulling open the curtains.
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
The sun had barely risen.
Just as Lin Ran was about to turn away, he suddenly froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone who shouldn’t have been there at this hour—a small figure, sitting alone on a bench.
A vein throbbed at Lin Ran’s temple. This little thing would climb onto the roof if he didn’t discipline her for just one day.
It was the time of day when workers and students were just getting up, so many of the shops along the street were still closed. The streets were empty except for a sanitation worker sweeping from one end to the other.
Sheng Qingxi was resting her chin on her hand, leaning against the back of the bench, staring blankly at the street, her eyes vacant.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear the sound of the garage door slowly rising behind her. The person inside unlocked the door and walked straight toward her. It wasn’t until the footsteps grew nearer that Sheng Qingxi slowly turned her head to glance behind her.
Before she could even make out Lin Ran’s face, she suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air. Lin Ran had picked her up.
Instinctively, Sheng Qingxi wrapped her arms around Lin Ran’s shoulders, still a bit dazed. Her voice wavered as she asked quietly, “Lin Ran, why did you come downstairs?”
Lin Ran glanced at her, his tone neither light nor heavy. “If there’s a next time, you’ll see if I don’t kiss you.”
Sheng Qingxi silently shut her mouth.
After they went upstairs and Lin Ran confirmed that she had already eaten breakfast, his expression softened. He went to the kitchen, heated up a glass of milk, and handed it to Sheng Qingxi, who sipped it slowly. Only then did he go back to the kitchen to cook himself a bowl of noodles.
Once he finished eating, Lin Ran brought up the matter of Xu Yirong from their previous life.
At the mention of Xu Yirong, Sheng Qingxi’s expression shifted for a moment.
She lowered her gaze and remained quiet for a long time before speaking about what had happened in their past life. “At first, Xu Yirong denied everything. But when the evidence was laid out in front of her, she had no choice but to plead with your father, Lin Youcheng.”
“That year, she couldn’t keep her child. She was already a high-risk pregnancy at her age, and when Lin Youcheng told her to terminate the pregnancy, she was devastated. She thought that afterward… Lin Youcheng would let her keep the baby. But after you died, Lin Youcheng never returned home. He moved out, and aside from Lin Yanyan, no one knew where he was. He had no intention of taking care of the unborn child.”
“Xu Yirong was consumed with guilt and worry, and she lost the baby.”
“When she confessed, she said she chose that day because both you and Lin Yanyan had come home. Before that, she hadn’t found the opportunity. Either you were at the garage, or there were always people around you and Yanyan.”
…
In their past life, on the night of June 1st at 7 p.m.
Aunt Chen opened the door with a bag in hand, just like any other day.
Lin Yanyan was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, watching TV with a lollipop in her mouth. When she saw Aunt Chen, she greeted her through the candy, “Aunt Chen.”
For a moment, Aunt Chen’s expression became slightly unnatural as she met Lin Yanyan’s clear eyes. She smiled, trying to hide it, “Yanyan, you’re home from school. Where’s your brother? Is he not here?”
Speaking of Lin Ran, Lin Yanyan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
She was already this grown-up, yet she had begged Lin Ran for a Children’s Day gift, something she now found too embarrassing to admit.
Lin Yanyan pursed her lips and didn’t tell the truth. “He’s upstairs.”
Aunt Chen nodded and didn’t press further. She headed straight into the kitchen with the bag.
The bag was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, which Aunt Chen began to unload, filling up the nearly empty refrigerator. After closing the fridge, her gaze fell on the half-empty bag.
Inside, there was a scented candle.
It had been given to her by Xu Yirong, who told her to light it. After they had breathed in the scent for a while, they would fall asleep. Then, Aunt Chen was to start a fire and leave. Xu Yirong had promised to handle the rest.
Aunt Chen stared at the candle, her eyes filled with conflict. But then, thinking of her critically ill son in the hospital, she clenched her teeth.
With a calm expression, Aunt Chen finished slicing the fruit and placed it on the coffee table. She lit the scented candle and placed it nearby, all in a natural manner. Lin Yanyan didn’t particularly notice Aunt Chen’s small actions, as it wasn’t unusual for her to place flowers or scented candles around the house from time to time.
After lighting the candle, Aunt Chen went back to the kitchen, as usual, to prepare dinner for the two children.
Ten minutes later.
Aunt Chen cautiously glanced back, and sure enough, Lin Yanyan had already fallen asleep on the sofa.
She looked toward the second floor, the staircase eerily empty.
Better not go and call Lin Ran.
Following Xu Yirong’s instructions, Aunt Chen completed all her tasks. As she was about to close the door to leave, she hesitated for a moment, looking at the sleeping Lin Yanyan on the sofa. *Would Yanyan be alright?*
With Lin Ran around, nothing too serious should happen.
With this thought, Aunt Chen quietly closed the door behind her.
Xu Yirong’s people had been waiting. They didn’t dare approach the villa at this time. After all, even if they took the money, they still wanted to live to enjoy it. They were waiting for the fire to grow, for the situation to get chaotic, so they could sneak away unnoticed.
Just as the fire began to spread, and they were preparing to act, an unexpected piece of news came in.
The person watching the gate said that the boy had just walked in—he hadn’t been inside the villa!
They didn’t dare proceed with their plan and called Xu Yirong instead. Xu Yirong was furious that Aunt Chen hadn’t confirmed whether Lin Ran was actually there, but there was no way to continue with the plan at that point. She had no choice but to tell them to withdraw.
Xu Yirong originally thought the plan had failed.
But it hadn’t. Lin Ran had returned to the villa to retrieve a photo and ultimately died in the fire.
For Sheng Qingxi, recalling these details was particularly painful, but these were memories she couldn’t forget, no matter how much she wanted to. These were the things Xu Yirong had confessed, kneeling before Lin Ran’s grave.
Later, Sheng Qingxi learned that Lin Ran had climbed out of the backyard that day, after rescuing a kitten that had gotten tangled in the vines.
Chengnan Garden was filled with surveillance cameras, and Xu Yirong’s people hadn’t dared get too close. No one had seen Lin Ran leave the villa. All they saw was Lin Ran returning through the front door, holding the teddy bear in his arms.
Sheng Qingxi had copied that surveillance footage and watched it over and over again.
Sheng Qingxi remembered every single movement Lin Ran made that day—the clothes he wore, the pants, even the shoes. She also recalled how, when he bent down to release the kitten, he petted its ear.
Her Lin Ran had always been so kind.
As soon as Sheng Qingxi finished speaking, Lin Ran pulled her into his embrace.
This was the first time Lin Ran had heard the full story of what had happened that day. He found it both absurd and ridiculous.