The light in the courtyard was dim, with only a few scattered lights glowing from the building not far away.
Sheng Qingxi stopped in her tracks, and Lin Ran dared not turn around to look at her.
The two of them stood in silence, maintaining their previous positions—one in front and the other behind—less than a meter apart.
Since her rebirth, Sheng Qingxi had never considered the question Lin Ran just asked. In her previous life, Lin Yanyan had told her that Lin Ran had never been in a relationship, or perhaps he never had the time to be.
Would she feel sad if Lin Ran liked someone else?
She would be sad, but she wouldn’t do anything about it.
Just as Lin Ran had quietly distanced himself from her, he would drift further away, but she would still be able to see him. That was enough for Sheng Qingxi. The wild and pure love of her youth had, over the course of ten years, gradually deepened.
Sheng Qingxi stood in a daze, thinking: as long as he’s alive.
As long as Lin Ran could keep living, it didn’t matter to her who he was with.
Sheng Qingxi’s eyelashes fluttered lightly. She remained silent for a long time before quietly responding, “That would be nice.”
As her words fell, Lin Ran tightened his grip on his hand.
A sour, stifling feeling spread from his chest, twisting his insides with pain.
This was not the answer he had wanted.
Lin Ran closed his eyes, suppressing the emotions that surged within them. He let out a small laugh, turned, and took Sheng Qingxi’s hand as he started to walk forward. “I was just asking casually, don’t take it seriously.”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t respond.
As usual, Lin Ran watched her until she entered the house, the door slowly closing behind her.
Although Lin Ran had brushed off the conversation with a joke, both he and Sheng Qingxi could keenly sense a subtle shift in the atmosphere between them after that night.
Lin Ran still came to pick her up, and they communicated as they always had.
But something felt off.
Both Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi could sense the change, but neither of them knew how to deal with the new tension between them.
And it wasn’t just the two of them who noticed; even Xie Zhen and He Mo could feel it.
Xie Zhen propped his head on his hand, glancing over at Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi.
They had an English exam this morning. English was the only subject that Lin Ran didn’t need tutoring in, but since he never even wrote his name on his exams, everyone assumed Lin Ran was just hopeless when it came to academics.
Xie Zhen and He Mo, however, knew better. They knew what Lin Ran was really capable of.
So when they saw him napping at his desk, both of them found it odd. By all logic, Brother Ran should have been clinging to the “little fairy” right now, not sleeping. Why nap at a time like this?
The “little fairy” didn’t seem right either. Yesterday, she hadn’t even looked at her books during the exam.
But today, as soon as she sat down at her desk, she opened her notebook and started reviewing, looking like she wanted to focus quietly and didn’t want to be disturbed.
But it didn’t seem like the two of them had fought. Just this morning, Xie Zhen had seen Lin Ran carrying Sheng Qingxi out of the car at the school gate. The two of them were speaking in low voices, and everyone around them acted as if it was no big deal.
Xie Zhen leaned over and whispered to He Mo, “Mozi, did you notice anything?”
He Mo’s lips twitched slightly. How could he not notice?
The moment Lin Ran entered the exam hall, he exuded an aura that warned others to stay away, making their tenth exam hall the quietest of all. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think this was the top-ranked exam hall.
He Mo shook his head and mouthed four words: Mind your own business.
It was Saturday, and after their science exam in the afternoon, they could head straight home. Lin Ran wouldn’t need to take Sheng Qingxi home today since Song Shiman was going to her house for tutoring.
A few minutes before the science exam ended, Song Shiman was already waiting outside the tenth exam hall with her backpack on. When she saw Lin Ran, she pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
How did this guy get so lucky to sit in front of Sheng Qingxi?
And how could he be such a poor student? She had never even come close to last place.
It was only then that Song Shiman realized she didn’t feel the same way about Lin Ran anymore—in fact, she might even dislike him a little.
She couldn’t quite tell whether she had been trying to win over Sheng Qingxi or if Sheng Qingxi had been winning her over.
Whatever the case, Lin Ran’s image in Song Shiman’s mind had been steadily crumbling over the past two months.
In the past, there had always been a long distance between them, but over the past two months, because of Sheng Qingxi, they had gotten closer. And now, Song Shiman was seeing Lin Ran without the filter she once viewed him through.
This person was domineering and stubborn, often acting without reason or regard for others. His temper was awful, too.
If it were her, she would have been furious! What was the “little fairy” for? Obviously, someone to be pampered! If she were with Lin Ran, she’d probably die a few years early. This man wouldn’t give an inch.
Song Shiman sighed to herself: Looks really can be deceiving.
When Sheng Qingxi returned to her seat after handing in her exam, Lin Ran was still sitting there, not having left yet. When he saw her come back, he acted naturally and spoke casually, “Be safe on your way home, and send me a message when you get there.”
Sheng Qingxi nodded, “I will.”
Lin Ran looked away, “Alright, I’m off then.”
Sheng Qingxi softly responded, “Okay.”
Lin Ran paused at his desk for a moment, but said nothing more before getting up and leaving.
Xie Zhen and He Mo only moved after Lin Ran left, silently following him out, both of them keeping quiet as if they had an unspoken understanding.
When Song Shiman saw Lin Ran and the others come out, she acted like she didn’t see them at all, standing by the railing and waiting for Sheng Qingxi without even glancing their way.
He Mo caught a glimpse of the poised Song Shiman. He noticed that ever since Sheng Qingxi transferred to No. 1 High School, Song Shiman hadn’t been clinging to Lin Ran anymore. Lin Ran, too, had gone from being an unstoppable troublemaker to a diligent, well-behaved “kitten.”
He couldn’t make sense of how things had developed this way.
Maybe the “little fairy” really did have some magic.
—
On Monday, the monthly exam results were posted on the announcement board on the first floor.
Sheng Qingxi slowly followed behind Lin Ran, holding a rice ball. As they walked up the steps, they could hear the commotion from above.
A large crowd was gathered in front of the announcement board.
Lin Ran wasn’t particularly interested in his ranking or grades. He tilted his head and asked Sheng Qingxi, “Do you want to check the rankings?”
With her cheeks puffed out, Sheng Qingxi chewed her rice ball and shook her head, indicating she had no interest.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi walked past the announcement board, heading straight toward the staircase. They didn’t notice that the crowd had fallen silent for a moment as they passed, and only after they had walked away did the hushed conversations resume.
“Was that Sheng Qingxi who just walked by?”
“Holy crap, I think it was.”
“Of course it was! Who else would be walking with Lin Ran?”
“That’s insane—she was just two points shy of a perfect score.”
“God Gu’s been dethroned from the top spot.”
Rankings:
- Sheng Qingxi, Class 6, 11th grade: Chinese 142, Math 150, English 150, Science 300, Total 742.
- Gu Mingji, Class 6, 11th grade: Chinese 135, Math 150, English 150, Science 298, Total 733.
The difference between first and second place was only 9 points.
But everyone knew that those 9 points marked a significant gap.
Sheng Qingxi only found out about her score when Jiang Mingyuan entered the classroom to distribute the rankings. Since both the top two students were from Class 6, Jiang Mingyuan was in an exceptionally good mood.
He generously gave everyone a copy of the grade-wide ranking sheet.
Sheng Qingxi instinctively searched for Lin Ran’s ranking.
She found it toward the lower middle of the list.
- Lin Ran, Class 1, 11th grade: Chinese 102, Math 87, English 145, Science 183, Total 517.
Sheng Qingxi was a bit surprised when she saw his ranking. Aside from English, Lin Ran’s scores in the other three subjects were better than she had expected, especially his science score.
Lin Ran had been working really hard lately.
And all these changes were because of her.
Sheng Qingxi lowered her gaze. She could tell that Lin Ran was bothered by something.
But she…
Sheng Qingxi sighed inwardly.
The bell rang, and Jiang Mingyuan didn’t even have time to hand out the math papers before he started praising Sheng Qingxi. He was clearly pleased and couldn’t stop smiling. “Although Sheng Qingxi only transferred to our class a few months ago, her hard work and dedication have been evident to everyone! And our class president has also been doing an excellent job managing class discipline and other affairs. In this exam, he performed as expected. Let’s give a round of applause to both of them!”
*Clap clap clap—*
The students of Class 6 clapped obediently, though many of them were quietly grumbling to themselves.
No one had really noticed Sheng Qingxi studying so diligently, but the fact that she spent so much time with Lin Ran and still managed to score so high—that was true talent.
Gu Mingji’s lips twitched slightly at the teacher’s words. “Performed as expected,” he thought.
After all, he had just been knocked off his pedestal by Sheng Qingxi.
While Jiang Mingyuan was praising Sheng Qingxi in Class 6, on the other end of the hallway, Old Qu was also commending Lin Ran.
Old Qu felt that he was witnessing a miracle in his lifetime—Lin Ran actually took an exam seriously, and he did quite well. He ranked 198th in the grade and 31st in the class.
Deeply moved, Old Qu’s voice was full of enthusiasm. “Look at this! Lin Ran ranked 31st! What excuse do the rest of you have not to work hard? I suggest the whole class follow Lin Ran’s example! Give him a round of applause!”
Lin Ran sat at his desk, expressionless.
He felt utterly embarrassed.
Xie Zhen and He Mo struggled to suppress their laughter.
This was just too funny. The once feared “boss” of the school had suddenly become a role model for academic excellence.
So, do all the fights Brother Ran won still count?
The students of Class 1 clearly understood that Lin Ran didn’t want to be treated like an exhibit at the zoo. They gave a brief, restrained round of applause before quickly quieting down, careful not to provoke his temper.
After the monthly exams, the tense atmosphere of study gradually eased up.
However, the distance between Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi remained the same as it had been during the two days of the monthly exams.
Even so, Lin Ran continued to dutifully show up in the study room every day.
At first, Gu Mingji didn’t notice anything unusual between Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi. He continued discussing questions with Sheng Qingxi as usual. But then, he started feeling someone’s gaze on him. When he looked up, he met Lin Ran’s cold stare.
Gu Mingji paused, and instinctively turned to look at Sheng Qingxi.
Sheng Qingxi didn’t seem to notice Lin Ran’s gaze. She remained calm and focused, explaining another method to solve the problem.
This awkward situation persisted until the evening self-study session ended.
When the bell rang, Lin Ran, as usual, picked up Sheng Qingxi’s backpack. As they walked out, he asked, “When are you going to Ningcheng next month? I’ll take you to the airport that day.”
Sheng Qingxi softly replied, “My flight’s on May 4th, I’ll be back on the 8th.”
May 4th was the last day of the Labor Day holiday, and flights were both scarce and expensive.
The event organizers must have spent a lot of money, which meant it was likely a large-scale competition.
Lin Ran hadn’t asked about the competition before, but now, hearing Sheng Qingxi mention it, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is it for a math competition, an English speech contest, or maybe an essay competition?”
Sheng Qingxi hesitated for a moment, then softly replied, “It’s the National Gomoku Championship.”
Lin Ran: “……”
For a moment, he wondered if he had heard her wrong.
What kind of competition?