He Mo and Xie Zhen had already settled down in the leisure car, enjoying afternoon tea. They were both quietly chatting away, engrossed in a game on their phones. Lin Yanyan wasn’t around, likely still in her room.
Lin Ran walked in, one hand casually in his pocket. Though his expression remained cool and aloof, anyone familiar with him could see the subtle satisfaction radiating from the corners of his eyes.
He Mo and Xie Zhen noticed Lin Ran sitting down and exchanged knowing glances, both rolling their eyes.
They had seen Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi walk into Lin Ran’s room earlier. The idea that Lin Ran hadn’t had any ulterior motives was something not even a fool would believe.
Now, looking at the faintly content look on Lin Ran’s face, they knew exactly what was going on.
He Mo discreetly rolled his eyes. This dog!
Xie Zhen muttered under his breath, “Beast!”
Lin Ran couldn’t care less about the two of them. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through the photos he had taken of Sheng Qingxi during the trip, and ordered some afternoon tea for the two girls.
When Sheng Qingxi had been leaning against the train window earlier, Lin Ran had openly taken a picture of her back.
Her light yellow dress made her slender, pale arms look even more strikingly white under the sunlight. Her black hair fluttered in the breeze, revealing half of her side profile. Her smooth forehead, fluttering lashes, and lips that curved ever so slightly below her delicate nose painted a picture of quiet happiness.
Lin Ran could tell from the photo: she was happy.
He opened WeChat and, with a proud grin, posted the picture to his Moments.
Firegun: My summer.
[Photo]
After posting, Lin Ran exited WeChat, but just as he was about to close the app, he noticed the red notification dot—someone had commented on his post almost immediately.
Since it was about Sheng Qingxi, Lin Ran naturally couldn’t ignore it.
He clicked back into WeChat to check.
Firegun: My summer.
[Photo]
Song Shiman Always Unhappy: Rear camera shot? And no filter? Are you even human?
Lin Huang: What are you so proud of?
Lin Ran: What?
What was with these two?
Yes, Song Shiman had reluctantly re-added Lin Ran for the sake of her senior. However, seeing her comment made Lin Ran snort in annoyance. With practiced ease, he promptly blocked Song Shiman again.
Lin Ran: Hmph, think you can mess with me?
—
In the room.
Lin Yanyan looked on in confusion as Sheng Qingxi dashed through the door, hurriedly grabbing clothes from her suitcase. She called out once before rushing into the bathroom, her movements so quick that Lin Yanyan barely had time to react.
Why is Sister Sheng in such a hurry?
Lin Yanyan hadn’t napped at all that afternoon. She had spent the whole time chatting away with her classmates in the group chat. Before Sheng Qingxi returned, she had been happily munching on the little French cookies left on the table, enjoying some peaceful alone time.
Outside the window, the scenery changed, and a cool breeze flowed into the train, following its steady path.
Lin Yanyan exited her chat and began scrolling through her WeChat Moments. The post she had made before boarding the train had garnered quite a few replies. As she scrolled through the comments, she suddenly froze when she saw a certain name.
Song Xingyu had commented on her post.
She had nicknames for everyone else—she called Xie Zhen and He Mo “Brother” in their notes—but for Song Xingyu, she used his full name. It had been that way since the beginning.
Lin Yanyan couldn’t quite explain how she felt about Song Xingyu.
From the moment she accidentally bumped into him at the car dealership, he had stood out from everyone else. Even though Lin Yanyan was still somewhat naïve, she understood that the distance between them was too great.
Song Xingyu had always treated her like a little kid, and on top of that, her identity as Lin Ran’s little sister added an extra layer of separation. Without Lin Ran, they probably wouldn’t have crossed paths at all.
Lin Yanyan sighed quietly.
She sat in silence for a while before returning her attention to her phone.
She replied to everyone’s comments, but when she reached Song Xingyu’s comment, “Have fun,” she deliberately skipped over it. In her sulking mood, she had forgotten that Song Xingyu and Xie Zhen were also friends, so her non-reply would be very obvious to him.
The omission was glaringly noticeable.
Setting her phone down, Lin Yanyan lost her appetite for the cookies. Her once carefree mood had evaporated. Propping her chin in her hands, she stared blankly out the window, her mind completely empty.
Even when Sheng Qingxi came out of the bathroom, the movement didn’t stir Lin Yanyan.
Sheng Qingxi had changed into a short-sleeve shirt and long pants. The rainbow-colored knit shirt had two buttons at the collar, covering her neck as much as possible, though a faint mark was still visible.
She had also removed her makeup while showering.
With the heat, she decided not to reapply makeup and let her hair down to further hide anything suspicious before stepping out of the bathroom.
The moment she opened the door, Sheng Qingxi noticed Lin Yanyan lying on the couch, looking lost in thought, her face clouded with some unspoken worry. It was clear that the young girl was dealing with the troubles of first love.
Sheng Qingxi suddenly recalled the time Lin Yanyan had asked her what it felt like to like someone.
After a moment of hesitation, she sat down beside Lin Yanyan and gently asked, “Yanyan, what’s wrong?”
It took Lin Yanyan a while to come back to reality. She looked up at Sheng Qingxi with a confused expression, clearly still lost in her thoughts. She pursed her lips and asked in a small voice, “Sister Sheng, what did you just say?”
Sheng Qingxi patiently repeated her question, her concern for Lin Yanyan growing.
Lin Yanyan was usually well-behaved, and both she and Lin Ran worried that, if something was really bothering her, she might keep it to herself—just like the time with the boy who was pursuing her. Lin Yanyan had only sought Sheng Qingxi’s help when she felt she couldn’t handle it anymore.
Seeing the worry in Sheng Qingxi’s eyes, Lin Yanyan pouted, her voice filled with frustration. “Sister Sheng, I’ve been heartbroken.”
Sheng Qingxi blinked in surprise. Yanyan has someone she likes?
Normally, Sheng Qingxi wouldn’t have had any idea, but because of her experiences from her previous life, the moment Lin Yanyan said this, Sheng Qingxi’s mind immediately went to Song Xingyu.
In this lifetime, what would become of them?
Before Sheng Qingxi could ask more, Lin Yanyan suddenly grabbed her by the hand, grumbling, “Forget it! Who cares about men! Sister Sheng, let’s go out and eat something delicious! Let those men go to hell!”
Lin Yanyan puffed out her cheeks, determined not to like Song Xingyu anymore!
Sheng Qingxi: “…”
This little one sure is dramatic.
…
By the time Sheng Qingxi and Lin Yanyan arrived at the first carriage for afternoon tea, quite a few people had already scattered around the room. Lin Ran and his group were seated at the far end, with Lin Ran’s strikingly handsome appearance standing out from the crowd.
Sheng Qingxi wasn’t any less eye-catching.
The moment she appeared, Lin Ran noticed her. She was like a glowing beacon in the crowd, and no matter where she was, he could spot her immediately.
He raised his brows as he looked over. Sheng Qingxi, hiding behind Lin Yanyan, met his gaze but hesitated, dragging her feet and not daring to approach.
Lin Ran’s lips curled into a brief, subtle smile before he masked it with his usual indifferent expression. His voice carried lightly, “Lin Yanyan, hurry up. You’re blocking the way for people behind you.”
Lin Yanyan glanced back, confused. There was no one behind her, just empty space.
Although she found it strange, she still grabbed Sheng Qingxi’s hand and quickly led her toward their table.
Being considerate, Lin Yanyan left the seat closest to Lin Ran for Sheng Qingxi, her attention already captivated by the delicious treats on the table. Her earlier worries were swiftly pushed aside.
As soon as Sheng Qingxi sat down, Lin Ran captured her left hand in his palm.
She turned her head, locking eyes with Lin Ran’s intense gaze.
He pushed the desserts and drinks toward her, his voice low as he asked, “Want to eat something?”
Sheng Qingxi shook her head slightly and replied, “Dinner’s soon, I don’t feel like eating.”
Seeing that she wasn’t in the mood for snacks, Lin Ran didn’t insist. Instead, he started talking about a recent charity project his family’s company was involved in, one that had a direct connection to Sheng Qingxi.
It had been Lin Ran’s idea to start the project, inspired by Sheng Qingxi.
On the day of the August fireworks festival, her attention had lingered on a little boy, which had set off a series of events that led to the project’s creation.
Lin Ran, lightly squeezing her fingers, smiled and said, “That little guy wrote me a letter a few days ago. He said he didn’t want to disturb me with a phone call, so he wrote a thank-you letter instead. If someone over there hadn’t mentioned it, I might not have even known about it.”
It had been years since Lin Ran had received an actual letter.
Sheng Qingxi’s attention was drawn to Lin Ran’s story. She still remembered the look in that little boy’s eyes from that day.
The truth was, Sheng Qingxi did think about her parents sometimes. She would wonder what her life would have been like if the flood hadn’t struck her small town, if her parents were still alive. Would her life have been completely different?
And if so, would she and Lin Ran have still met?
Fate was unpredictable, and no one could truly foresee what life would bring.
Sheng Qingxi had seen too many innocent, unfortunate children during her years at the Shengkai Welfare Home. Later in her work, she encountered countless broken families. But even with all the uncertainty, she still held onto hope for the future.
During her time at Shengkai, she hadn’t been able to do much for those children. In her previous life, she hadn’t been able to help many people either. One person’s power may be small, even negligible, but she still wanted to try.
That was why she chose to study anthropology.
Sheng Qingxi leaned slightly closer to Lin Ran, her voice as soft as the wind. “How’s his grandma doing?”
Seeing her move closer, Lin Ran felt a surge of satisfaction. He swiftly pulled her, along with her chair, even closer to him. Since she wasn’t in the mood for snacks, there was no point sitting around the table, so he guided her to sit beside him and look out at the scenery.
Now, they could enjoy the view and have some quiet time together.
Sheng Qingxi whispered softly, “…Lin Ran.”
She glanced up at him, her eyes clearly expressing a reminder to be mindful since they were in public.
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Lin Ran couldn’t help but want to laugh. His eyes gleamed with amusement, completely unbothered by whether others might hear him. “What are you worried about? Come here, I’m not going to kiss you.”
Lin Ran often thought about how bold this little troublemaker could be. She had no hesitation when it came to hugging or kissing him. But at other times, she seemed so shy, like earlier when she felt embarrassed about simply holding hands in public, even though they were already together.
Sheng Qingxi: “…”
I shouldn’t have even tried to reason with him, she thought.
Lin Yanyan silently tucked away her curiosity, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing. Her brother really has no shame.
Meanwhile, Xie Zhen and He Mo were mentally cursing Lin Ran, this shameless man who flaunted his relationship at every opportunity.
Of course, Lin Ran wasn’t about to kiss Sheng Qingxi in front of everyone in the carriage. There was no way he’d let anyone else see her shy, blushing face or hear those soft, breathy sounds that drove him crazy. Those moments belonged to him and him alone.
Outside the window, the train tracks twisted and curved as the scenery receded into the distance.
Beneath the lush greenery of the mountains lay vibrant neighborhoods full of life. Long power lines stretched across the sky beside the tracks, with wide fields in between. Occasionally, a small animal darted through the grass.
Sheng Qingxi sat by the window, watching everything bathed in the intense summer sunlight.
In her ear, Lin Ran’s cool voice continued softly, telling her more about the little boy’s story. “His grandmother is able to get out of bed now. They had the old house renovated, and sound-activated lights were installed in the hallway. As for his school fees, Lin Group will cover them from now on.”
Lin Ran understood Sheng Qingxi well. He knew what was on her mind.
She loved this world, and he was determined to make it better for her.
Without realizing it, Sheng Qingxi tightened her grip on Lin Ran’s hand. His strong, solid hand had always given her the strength to move forward. Whether it was during the past year or in the future, she knew one thing for certain:
Lin Ran would always be there.