Monday morning, school assembly.
Lin Ran stood under the sunlight with his eyes closed, hands in his pockets, looking lazily indifferent. Around him, Xie Zhen and He Mo were noisily bickering.
On the stage, Zhao Shuyue was announcing an incident where a student accidentally fell into the water during Saturday’s spring outing. Lin Ran had already discussed it with her beforehand—Sheng Qingxi herself didn’t want her name mentioned at the assembly.
Although the rescuer’s identity was kept vague, it didn’t stop some people from finding out about it.
Song Shiman hadn’t expected that in just a brief moment during the outing, Sheng Qingxi would encounter such a big incident. She scolded her with a stern expression, “Xiao Xi, there were so many people there. Why did you have to be the one to jump in and save someone?”
The assembly wasn’t over yet, and Song Shiman’s voice wasn’t exactly quiet. Several students from Class Six turned around to look at them.
Sheng Qingxi tugged on Song Shiman’s sleeve and whispered, “Shiman, I’m fine.”
Gu Mingji, standing nearby, also spoke up for Sheng Qingxi. Adjusting his glasses, he explained, “The situation was urgent. The two boys on the shore didn’t know how to swim. Xiao Xi acted on impulse.”
Song Shiman glared at him, “You, shut up.”
Gu Mingji: “…”
He obediently shut his mouth, clearly not wanting to make the young lady any angrier.
When she spoke again, Song Shiman consciously lowered her voice. “I didn’t ask you much yesterday because I wanted you to rest. But what’s this about Lin Ran jumping into the water to save you? And you still dared to jump in and save someone?”
Sheng Qingxi hesitated, unsure whether to tell Song Shiman the whole truth about what had happened the other day. It wasn’t just the underwater plants; there was a deeper reason, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Before she could make up her mind, a tall figure suddenly cast a shadow over her.
Lin Ran’s lazy voice came from above her head, and her black hair was gently tousled by his warm hand. “Song Shiman, why are you so fierce? I didn’t jump in to save her.”
Song Shiman looked at Lin Ran, puzzled, “Then why did you go in the water?”
Lin Ran responded nonchalantly, “It was hot, so I wanted to go for a swim. Is that not allowed?”
Song Shiman: “…”
What the heck, is Lin Ran out of his mind?
Thanks to Lin Ran’s interruption, Song Shiman stopped obsessing over Sheng Qingxi jumping into the water. She simply reminded her, “Next time, call for help. You need to ensure your own safety first.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Ran raised his eyebrows, “You could follow that advice too.”
He gave Sheng Qingxi a light pat on the head, “I’m heading back. Be good.”
Song Shiman glared at Lin Ran’s retreating figure with frustration. She couldn’t even have a conversation with Sheng Qingxi without him butting in.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Lin Ran had been deliberately avoiding Sheng Qingxi, but now here he was, running over to interfere. Song Shiman really couldn’t understand what was going on in Lin Ran’s mind.
Hmph, men.
—
Not long after the spring outing, the first monthly exam of the 2019 school year arrived at No. 1 High School. Normally, such events had nothing to do with Lin Ran and his group, but this time was different.
Especially after Lin Ran found out that he’d be in the same exam room as Sheng Qingxi.
When he first got the news, Lin Ran was on the basketball court with Xie Zhen and the others. During the break, He Mo opened the group chat and took a quick look, where they were sharing the seating arrangements for the monthly exam.
The seating arrangement was based on the final exam results from last semester, and it was obvious that Lin Ran, who didn’t even bother writing his name, was ranked last.
After looking at the seating chart, He Mo couldn’t help but grin. He deliberately read out loud, “Exam Room Ten, Row Six, Seat Seven, Lin Ran.”
Lin Ran: ?
What’s this guy doing?
He Mo paused for a few seconds after reading that, glanced at Lin Ran, and continued, “Exam Room Ten, Row Six, Seat Eight, Sheng Qingxi.”
Lin Ran: “……”
The water in his mouth neither spat out nor swallowed down. Lin Ran froze on the spot. Did he hear that right? His little Xiao Xi was sitting behind him during the exam?
Xie Zhen, upon hearing this, found it odd. “How could the little fairy be sitting behind Brother Ran?”
He Mo, with a straight face, said, “The little fairy just transferred here, so of course, she’s placed in the last exam room. Don’t worry, it’s just this once. After this, Brother Ran won’t ever meet the little fairy in the exam room again.”
Xie Zhen immediately gave He Mo a thumbs up. “Bravo, brother, saying that right in front of Brother Ran.”
But Lin Ran couldn’t focus on their banter anymore. He frowned and took He Mo’s phone, zooming in on the image and repeatedly confirming it. Only after doing so did he believe that Sheng Qingxi was really sitting behind him during the exam.
At this moment, Lin Ran couldn’t help but recall what he usually did during exams.
He would enter the classroom, sit down, and promptly lay his head down to sleep. Once the bell rang, he’d leave—swift and efficient. He even felt proud of himself, thinking there was no one in the entire school who kept their exam papers cleaner than he did.
But clearly, this time things would be different.
The moment Lin Ran returned to the classroom, he pulled out the exam review notes Sheng Qingxi had made for him. He practically wanted to take them with him to the bathroom. In the evening self-study room, he was more focused than ever. Even when the evening bell rang, Lin Ran was still frowning, scribbling away on a practice test.
Gu Mingji couldn’t help but wonder if Lin Ran had been possessed.
Seeing how seriously Lin Ran was working, Sheng Qingxi didn’t disturb him and continued to compile important problem types for him.
The monthly exams were scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and tomorrow, Thursday, the school had canceled classes to allow students time for review. However, there wasn’t much time left for Lin Ran, considering he hadn’t been paying attention in class at all.
By the time Lin Ran finished his math test, it was almost 11 PM, and the self-study room was practically empty, save for him and Sheng Qingxi.
Since the senior students had just finished their classes, the Minxue Building was still brightly lit.
Lin Ran glanced down at his watch, then turned to look at Sheng Qingxi, who was just putting away her pen. Frowning, he asked, “Why didn’t you call me?”
Sheng Qingxi blinked. “I was waiting for you to finish.”
Lin Ran packed up the papers on the desk, then swiftly stuffed Sheng Qingxi’s notebook and pen into her backpack. He slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed Sheng Qingxi’s hand, pulling her toward the door.
Sheng Qingxi hurriedly turned off the lights and closed the door behind them.
Lin Ran had figured it out—this girl’s limit was him.
When they reached his motorcycle, Lin Ran lifted Sheng Qingxi onto the back seat with ease, expertly fastening her helmet. After doing all that, he didn’t move on to the next step. Instead, he just stood there, staring at her.
Sheng Qingxi felt a bit uneasy under Lin Ran’s gaze. Just as she was about to say something, Lin Ran suddenly raised his hand and knocked gently on her helmet.
Perhaps because of the helmet, the sound that reached Sheng Qingxi’s ears was different from Lin Ran’s usual crisp voice. It had a slightly deeper tone, and his voice even carried a hint of indulgence as he said, “Not obedient.”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t respond. She simply patted the seat in front of her, signaling him to get moving.
Lin Ran’s dark eyes reflected her small figure. At first, his expression was neutral, but seeing her obedient demeanor now, he couldn’t bear to scold her.
He sighed softly and, as she wished, climbed onto the motorcycle.
After he got on, he waited for Sheng Qingxi to wrap her arms around him. Only when he felt her grip tighten did he start the engine.
He thought to himself how hard his life was. Just when he no longer had to play babysitter to his little sister, Lin Yanyan, he had willingly walked into this new responsibility.
And yet, he didn’t mind it at all.
—
The first day of the 2019 academic year’s first monthly exam at Chucheng No. 1 High School.
Sheng Qingxi followed behind Lin Ran, nibbling on a steamed bun.
Lin Ran frowned as he reviewed the key problem types she had written down the night before. He had pulled an all-nighter going over his mistakes. This time, Lin Ran was determined that if he didn’t rank in the top 300 of the grade, he wouldn’t deserve to be called Lin anymore.
Oh, right—the total number of students in the second year was 308.
Lin Ran was so focused on reviewing his mistakes that he didn’t realize they had already reached the staircase.
Sheng Qingxi quickly grabbed the back of his uniform, stopping him from walking forward, lest he trip in front of everyone. She reminded him, “Lin Ran, lift your feet, we’re at the stairs.”
Lin Ran lifted his feet and started climbing, still keeping his head down.
Sheng Qingxi stared at his back with concern. If only he were half as serious in class as he had been these past two days. According to He Mo, Lin Ran only worked hard on his homework in the self-study room.
After thinking for a moment, Sheng Qingxi softly asked, “Lin Ran, what university do you want to attend in the future?”
Lin Ran’s steps paused, and the notebook in his hand lowered slowly. He didn’t turn around to look at Sheng Qingxi.
The future. Did he even have one?
Lin Ran couldn’t answer her question. He had no idea what his future held—he couldn’t even see it.
After a long moment, he started walking again. Sheng Qingxi couldn’t see his expression, but she heard him say calmly, “I haven’t thought about that yet.”
Sheng Qingxi responded in a low voice, “When you figure it out, tell me.”
Lin Ran’s dark eyes dimmed slightly, and his mood became a bit heavy. “Tell you, and then what?”
Behind him, the little girl seemed delighted by his response. She immediately grabbed his sleeve and shook it, her voice bubbling with excitement. “I’ll go with you.”
Lin Ran’s throat tightened. He wanted to say yes, to promise her that they would always be together. But he couldn’t say anything.
He couldn’t make that promise, couldn’t take that step toward her. He could only wait.
Lin Ran closed his eyes slightly. How had his life ended up like this?
—
At 8:30 AM, students began entering the exam hall.
In the final exam room for the second-year students, everyone was a familiar face, and there was a mutual understanding among them. They all made sure to keep as quiet as possible because Lin Ran had already arrived at the door.
But this time was different from previous exams—there was a little girl walking in front of him. Anyone who had been following the latest school gossip knew about the ambiguous relationship between this transfer student and Lin Ran.
Everyone seemed to be quietly minding their own business, but their glances couldn’t help but drift toward Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi. Their very eyelashes seemed to strain to observe them.
Lin Ran led Sheng Qingxi to their seats. He glanced around briefly and noticed that, apart from himself, no one else had brought a notebook into the exam room—not even Sheng Qingxi. Everyone’s desks were clean, with nothing but two pens neatly placed on top.
Lin Ran: “……”
Damn, this felt like he was in the top exam room or something.
The first exam was Chinese, and Lin Ran had never realized how exhausting writing could be. He had to constantly remind himself of Sheng Qingxi’s words: don’t write too sloppily.
By the time he finished his essay, his hand felt like it was going to fall off. Writing an essay had almost suffocated him.
What on earth was there to write so much about?
He put down his pen and glanced at the clock. There were still 45 minutes left until the exam ended.
Lin Ran couldn’t help but turn to look at his little Xiao Xi. Her head was slightly lowered, sitting properly in her seat, and she was writing on her paper with careful, deliberate strokes—more seriously than an elementary school student doing their homework.
Lin Ran looked at her for a moment before turning back. Just as he shifted, a crumpled ball of paper landed on his desk with a soft but noticeable thud.
It was impossible to miss, given how big it was.
Off to the side, Xie Zhen was winking at him.
Lin Ran’s long fingers touched the paper, and with an indifferent expression, he unfolded it and glanced at the messy handwriting: Brother Ran, what are we eating for lunch?
Before he had a chance to respond, Zhao Shuyue’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the window—
“Lin Ran! What’s that in your hand?”
Everyone in the exam room turned to look at Lin Ran, including Sheng Qingxi.
Lin Ran: “……”
Fuck.