Everyone in the racing circle knew about “Addiction” backing out of the investment deal, but no one knew the exact reason. While “Addiction” passed on the deal, neither did “Poison” secure it. In the end, it went to a small, unknown team.
Xie Zhen and He Mo didn’t understand the details, but Lin Ran knew perfectly well.
He was, after all, replying to a message from Song Xingyu at that moment. Upon hearing Xie Zhen’s news, Lin Ran only responded with a calm, “Got it.”
Song Xingyu had been trying to get Lin Ran to join “Addiction,” and his persistence didn’t wane even after Lin Ran’s rejection. When he found out that “Poison” had been causing trouble for Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan, he had even apologized in person. That incident had been the reason Song Xingyu decided to forgo the investment. It was the rivalry between the two teams that had dragged Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan into the mess, though fortunately, neither of them had been hurt.
Song Xingyu’s sincerity was evident, even offering Lin Ran very favorable terms to join.
Yet, Lin Ran still had reservations. In the end, he only said he’d think about it.
After replying to the message, Lin Ran tossed his phone aside. He then glanced at Xie Zhen and He Mo, who were noisily devouring their crawfish. Watching them for a while, he found his mood lifting a bit.
Grabbing his phone again, Lin Ran casually muttered, “I’m off to bed,” and headed upstairs without another word.
The moon outside was slowly slipping behind a veil of clouds.
Night had deepened.
—
The weekend flew by in the blink of an eye.
This week was especially busy as Qingming Festival approached. The entire school was abuzz with activity.
The seniors were preparing for their second mock exam, while the first- and second-year students were organizing their spring field trip for next week. This meant the school would dismiss early on Thursday afternoon, and with the Qingming Festival followed by the weekend, they’d have a three-day break.
From the start of the week, Song Shiman had been a nervous wreck. She could barely eat, only taking a few bites before setting down her chopsticks to nervously recite formulas on her fingers.
She used to be more relaxed during exams than in regular classes, but now, even mealtimes couldn’t calm her.
Sheng Qingxi softly tried to reassure her, but instead of feeling comforted, Song Shiman became even more anxious. Resting her chin on her hand, she sighed dejectedly and drooped her eyelids. “Xiao Xi, what if I don’t do well on this exam?”
Sheng Qingxi placed a piece of meat in her bowl. “It’s okay if you don’t do well. We still have two more months. Just treat it like the practice tests we do at Shengkai. Don’t get too nervous, and if there’s a question you don’t know, skip it and come back later. Just make sure you can at least see the last question.”
“Ahhhh!”
Song Shiman groaned in frustration, grabbing her chopsticks and shoving the meat into her mouth. She had no choice—there was no escaping the exam. If she was this nervous now, what would she do when the college entrance exam came?
What she cared about most, though, was not letting Sheng Qingxi down. She was afraid that Sheng Qingxi would be disappointed in her efforts.
After a few bites of food, Song Shiman cautiously asked, “Xiao Xi, what if I don’t do well in the college entrance exam either? Will you be mad at me?”
Sheng Qingxi put down her chopsticks and looked into Song Shiman’s worried eyes with sincerity. “Shiman, do you trust me?”
Song Shiman’s voice was full of self-doubt. “I don’t trust myself.”
Sheng Qingxi curved her lips into a gentle smile. “Whether you do well or not, I believe you’ll take this exam seriously, right?”
Song Shiman nodded eagerly.
Sheng Qingxi reached out and pinched her cheek. “That’s good. Now, eat your food properly.”
By now, everyone in the cafeteria was used to this sight. Many of them doubted the rumor that the transfer student, Sheng Qingxi, had a crush on Lin Ran—how else could she be so close to Song Shiman?
On Tuesday morning, the seniors began their second round of mock college entrance exams.
For the first- and second-year students, recess bells and physical exercise sessions were canceled. Even though the exams were happening in another building, they were required to keep their school building quiet. The entire place was hushed all day.
Sheng Qingxi, concerned about Song Shiman, quietly went to check outside her exam room.
Song Shiman was diligently working on her paper, and she seemed to be in good shape.
Satisfied, Sheng Qingxi didn’t linger and left after a brief glance.
That evening, Song Shiman didn’t show up in the study room. The entire senior year stayed in their classrooms to prepare for the next day’s exam, so the study room felt unusually empty. The tense atmosphere had affected even the first- and second-year students.
Today’s study discussions were particularly quiet, with hardly anyone speaking.
Lin Ran was struggling with math formulas.
Gu Mingji had managed to get two copies of the mock math exam from the seniors, and both he and Sheng Qingxi were working through them. As a result, Lin Ran didn’t pester Sheng Qingxi with questions.
During her breaks between solving problems, Sheng Qingxi would glance over at Lin Ran. He was always frowning, looking impatiently at the test paper in front of him, while his scratch paper was already full of notes.
Lin Ran hadn’t paid attention in class since his first year of high school, so starting from scratch now felt like an uphill battle.
For anyone, starting over is hard. But having the chance to start over is also a blessing—both for Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi.
They were both working hard to change their lives.
Yet, the future remained uncertain. Many things were already different from their previous lives. Not just their own paths, but the lives of others around them were also changing because of their actions. None of them could say if these changes were for better or worse.
Sheng Qingxi put down her pen and glanced at Lin Ran’s test paper. He had completed the questions he could, but the ones he didn’t know remained blank. It looked like he had gone through the entire paper, but now he was stuck.
Sheng Qingxi quietly called out to him, “Lin Ran, stop writing. I’ll explain the questions to you.”
Lin Ran glanced at her nearly half-blank test. “You’re not finishing yours?”
Sheng Qingxi nodded. “I’m taking a break.”
Lin Ran: “…”
How was this any different from that time she said, “I don’t know how to sort trash”?
…
At 9:50 p.m., the bell rang to signal the end of evening self-study.
Lin Ran had just stood up when he saw Sheng Qingxi dash out the back door, running like the wind. He followed to take a look and saw her racing downstairs, leaving her backpack behind.
Frowning, Lin Ran wondered why she was running off like a rabbit.
Gu Mingji, however, knew exactly where Sheng Qingxi was going. She had started checking the time around 9:45. When he asked, she told him she was going to buy a cake for Song Shiman.
Sheng Qingxi hurried downstairs and managed to snag the last piece of chocolate cake. After grabbing the small box, she joined the line at the nearby milk tea shop.
Lin Ran walked over to the classroom window on the other side and looked down. It was right after class, and there weren’t many people around the shops. In a single glance, he spotted Sheng Qingxi standing in line behind someone.
He stood there, leaning against the window, holding her backpack, his gaze calm as he watched her.
Just then, a boy ran up to the milk tea shop, gesturing and saying something to Sheng Qingxi. She gave up her spot for him without hesitation.
Lin Ran’s brow furrowed. Sheng Qingxi was always kind, soft-hearted even, and it seemed like someone had just taken advantage of her to cut in line.
Without a second thought, he turned and headed downstairs.
At the milk tea shop.
Sheng Qingxi was now standing behind the tall boy who was still thanking her. “Thank you, classmate. My deskmate hasn’t been feeling well these past few days, terrible stomach pains. Maybe something warm will help.”
Sheng Qingxi responded softly, “It’s okay.”
She could guess why his deskmate wasn’t feeling well. Many girls suffer during their periods. She herself used to be healthy and pain-free, but after starting work, her body became weaker, and now she suffered two days of discomfort every month.
After placing her order, Sheng Qingxi stepped aside.
The boy’s milk tea was ready, and before leaving, he thanked her again.
Sheng Qingxi was about to reply but froze.
Lin Ran had appeared behind them at some point. Without a word, he grabbed the boy by the collar, ignoring his struggles. Looking at Sheng Qingxi, he asked, “Did he bully you? Did he cut in line?”
The fierce expression lingering on Lin Ran’s face made his sharp eyes even more striking under the night sky.
Sheng Qingxi quickly shook her head. “No, Lin Ran, I let him go ahead. His friend isn’t feeling well, he wasn’t bullying me.”
She hurried over, grabbing Lin Ran’s wrist. “Lin Ran.”
Lin Ran glanced at the boy, whose face had turned bright red as he stammered, “Ran… Brother Ran, I really didn’t cut in line.”
Lin Ran let go of the boy’s collar, and, grabbing Sheng Qingxi’s hand, he calmly said, “My bad.”
The boy, who hadn’t been too frightened earlier, suddenly became even more scared after Lin Ran apologized.
He shot Lin Ran a terrified look, clearly wanting to say something but deciding against it, then bolted away as fast as he could.
Watching the boy’s retreating figure, Sheng Qingxi sighed and bit her lip. “Lin Ran, I won’t be bullied. They can’t beat me; I can protect myself.”
Lin Ran stared at her for a moment, speechless.
He bullied her all the time, and this silly girl still didn’t see it.
His gaze shifted to the milk tea shop. “Next time, if you want milk tea, just tell me. You don’t need to come down here yourself.”
Sheng Qingxi shook her head. “It’s for Shiman. She’s been feeling down all day.”
Lin Ran let out a soft scoff. “She’s old enough to stop being afraid of exams. Yet here you are, treating her like a little kid.”
Song Shiman had always had a bit of a princess complex, and hardly anyone in school dared to mess with her. Back when girls used to chase after him, one glare from Song Shiman would scare them off, and Lin Ran had to admit it made his life quieter.
But in front of Sheng Qingxi, Song Shiman always reined in her temper and behaved.
She could only give him and Gu Mingji secret glares.
At that moment, Lin Ran didn’t realize that he was exactly the same in front of Sheng Qingxi.
Lin Ran accompanied Sheng Qingxi to the fourth floor to deliver the cake and milk tea to Song Shiman.
The moment Song Shiman saw Sheng Qingxi, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Ignoring Lin Ran’s presence, she threw herself into Sheng Qingxi’s arms. “Xiao Xi, I went over the answers with the others tonight, and guess what? I passed my math exam!”
This was the first time in three years that Song Shiman had passed a math exam.
She was so emotional she was on the verge of tears. Studying was really hard.
Lin Ran wasn’t too thrilled about watching the two of them hugging like little kids. They weren’t in kindergarten anymore, so why were they clinging to each other?
What was Song Shiman’s problem?
After enduring five minutes of their chatter, Lin Ran finally couldn’t help but speak up. “It’s almost 10:10. If you keep talking, your class is going to end soon.”
Reluctantly, Song Shiman let go of Sheng Qingxi. She took the small cake and milk tea and shot Lin Ran a glare before turning back into the classroom, not sparing him another glance.
Lin Ran: “…?”
Once Song Shiman went inside, Sheng Qingxi asked Lin Ran for her backpack. But Lin Ran wasn’t planning to hand it over just yet. He slung the light bag over his shoulder and headed toward the stairs. “Let’s go. I’ll give it to you when we get to the bike.”
By now, the bruising on Sheng Qingxi’s right hand had completely healed. Tomorrow was Wednesday, and she remembered what Lin Ran had said last week, so she couldn’t help but ask, “Lin Ran, do I still need to watch you play basketball tomorrow?”
Lin Ran responded, “Focus on walking down the stairs. Don’t talk.”
Sheng Qingxi: “…Oh.”
When they reached the bottom and were walking on flat ground again, Lin Ran glanced down at her and asked, “Why don’t you want to go?”
Sheng Qingxi raised her right hand to show him. “My hand’s healed, so I can go for a run.”
Lin Ran gave her hand a quick look. “Running or watching me play basketball—you pick one.”
Sheng Qingxi hesitated for a moment. “Then I’ll watch you play basketball.”
Lin Ran let out a faint huff. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
Sheng Qingxi responded softly, “Mm.”
The tall boy and the petite girl walked one after the other, their silhouettes stretching long under the dim streetlights. Sheng Qingxi playfully stepped on Lin Ran’s shadow, trying to keep up. Every few steps he took, she would hurry forward to chase his shadow.
Without turning around, Lin Ran said, “Sheng Qingxi, watch where you’re going.”
Sheng Qingxi quickly retracted her foot and obediently followed behind him.
As they entered the narrower path, the shadows began to fade away. The path was dark, and Lin Ran slowed his pace.
The road was quiet. Apart from their footsteps, the only other sound was the faint chirping of insects. It was as if the world had left behind the noisy, crowded school day.
Amidst the silence, Lin Ran suddenly asked, “Sheng Qingxi, what do you like about me?”