After the end of April, the May Day holiday arrived, and soon after, it was the beginning of summer.
The summer season hastened its approach towards them.
Xie Zhen had been thinking about the May Day holiday for quite a while. The last camping trip didn’t go as planned, and they didn’t fully enjoy it. So, he discussed with Lin Ran the idea of camping on an island during the holiday.
Lin Ran recalled that last time, when they watched The Island Sacrifice, Lin Yanyan, that little girl, seemed quite interested in the island. After some thought, he agreed.
That little girl had been cooped up at home for months, so it was time for her to go out and explore.
Seeing Lin Ran agree to the idea, Xie Zhen and He Mo immediately started making arrangements.
While He Mo was on the phone, Xie Zhen sneaked a glance at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran was sitting on the floor tinkering with his beloved car. Xie Zhen cleared his throat and casually asked, “Brother Ran, what do you think the goddess will be doing at home during the May holiday? Should we invite her to join us?”
Lin Ran didn’t stop what he was doing and responded without looking up, “She’s busy.”
Back in the study room, Song Shiman had already boasted proudly that she and Sheng Qingxi would be staying at Shengkai during the holiday. All four of them knew about Sheng Qingxi’s background, so they spoke without any reservations.
It seemed they would also be looking after the kids at the orphanage.
Xie Zhen, hearing Lin Ran’s response, quickly dismissed the idea. It made sense—after all, the goddess was the type of person who would finish all her homework on the first day of the holiday.
Where would she find the time to hang out with them?
Since everyone was on holiday, the Guangnian Club was lively.
Some people even showed up uninvited, heading to the second floor to find Lin Ran.
Song Xingyu arrived, carrying a bag full of qingtuan (sweet green rice balls), looking for Lin Ran. Even though he was the head of the club, he still dressed as casually as ever.
He wore a light-colored hoodless sweatshirt, loose black pants, and a pair of sneakers.
Seeing that Lin Ran was busy, Song Xingyu didn’t call out to him.
Xie Zhen raised his hand to greet, “Hey, Brother Song.”
Song Xingyu smiled gently, “Ah Zhen.”
Song Xingyu had dropped out of high school, and he had been involved in the car scene since middle school, around the same age as Lin Ran.
Now, it had been almost ten years, and Song Xingyu was four years older than Lin Ran. When he looked at Lin Ran now, it was like seeing a younger version of himself. Because of this, he had more patience with Lin Ran than with others.
Song Xingyu’s story was well-known in the scene, and Xie Zhen had secretly admired him.
Now that he had the rare chance to talk to him up close, Xie Zhen poured him a cup of tea, and they started chatting.
With a sheepish grin, Xie Zhen asked, “Brother Song, how are you planning to spend the holiday? I heard that ‘Addiction’ is preparing for a competition, so you must be pretty busy.”
Song Xingyu replied softly, “The competition prep is their responsibility. I don’t have any plans for the holiday yet. Since I have some free time today, I thought I’d come by to see you guys and talk to Lin Ran about next month’s race at Yangshan.”
When Xie Zhen heard that Song Xingyu didn’t have plans, he eagerly extended an invitation, “Brother Song, we’re going to an island tomorrow. They’ve just built a new water park there, and it’s not officially open yet. We got some internal passes, so there won’t be too many people.”
Song Xingyu glanced at the focused Lin Ran, thought about his open schedule, and agreed.
He smiled and said, “I’ll drive you guys tomorrow. After all, none of you are old enough to drive.”
Xie Zhen slapped his thigh in excitement and said, “Alright, Brother Song. See you tomorrow then.”
Since they had already planned to go out together, there was no need for Song Xingyu to talk to Lin Ran about the Yangshan race at that moment. After all, there would be plenty of chances to discuss it on the island.
Song Xingyu didn’t stay long. After finishing the tea that Xie Zhen had poured, he got up to say goodbye.
As he reached the stairway, Song Xingyu had a strange feeling that someone was watching him. He lifted his head and glanced in a certain direction.
All he saw was an open glass window on the third floor—there was no one in sight.
Retracting his gaze, Song Xingyu left Guangnian Club.
On the third floor, Lin Yanyan was crouched against the wall, hiding under that open window. Her heart was racing with nervousness. Fortunately, she had reacted quickly, or he would have caught her spying on him.
It was a little embarrassing, especially for her brother.
Lin Yanyan hadn’t expected the man she bumped into at the club last time to actually know Lin Ran and his friends. She had recognized his voice and curiously peeked out, catching a glimpse of the man smiling softly.
Lin Yanyan slowly stood up from the floor.
Absentmindedly, she thought to herself, *He seems so gentle.*
It wasn’t surprising that Lin Yanyan felt this way. After all, her brother, Lin Ran, was the type of person who could explode at the slightest provocation. She had never seen Lin Ran act gently.
The closest thing to gentle she had ever seen from him was when he was in front of Sheng Qingxi.
—
After having dinner at home, Song Shiman wasted no time in packing up and heading to Shengkai. Once she arrived, her first stop wasn’t to see Sheng Qingxi, but to the play area to find Dudu.
When Sheng Qingxi came over, Song Shiman was sitting with Dudu, both of them watching cartoons and laughing while munching on snacks.
Meanwhile, Sheng Lan was busy packing for the kids. Last week, Song Shiman had come to Shengkai to discuss with her about taking the kids out during the May Day holiday.
The Song family’s new yacht had just returned from Europe, and Song Shiman thought it would be fun to take the kids out on the yacht for a few days.
There was also a nearby resort island that was in its trial phase, so Song Shiman had asked her dad to make arrangements with them.
In Song Shiman’s mind, this holiday was bound to be an incredibly fun experience.
She was in an excellent mood.
At 8:30, Sheng Lan and the nannies gathered the kids to get them ready for their baths.
Song Shiman, on the other hand, slumped her head in defeat, following Sheng Qingxi back to the room for tutoring, sighing all the way.
Seeing how cheerful Song Shiman had been earlier, only to now look so downcast, Sheng Qingxi couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. She gently comforted her, “Shiman, there’s only one month left. Hang in there.”
She paused for a moment, then added, “And during the two days we’re on the island, you don’t have to do any practice exams. You can just have fun.”
Song Shiman’s eyes lit up at those words, and she threw her arms around Sheng Qingxi’s, excitedly asking, “Really?”
Sheng Qingxi patted her head, “Yes, really.”
Because Sheng Qingxi had promised her she could fully enjoy herself during the holiday, Song Shiman was much more enthusiastic during the evening’s study session than she usually was.
After finishing two practice exams, Song Shiman felt like she could still tackle more problems. “It’s just more questions!” she thought.
It was close to 11 p.m. by the time she finally set her pen down and made her way to Sheng Qingxi’s bathroom to take a shower. Sheng Qingxi had already showered and was now busy grading her papers.
When Song Shiman came out of the bathroom, she still had thoughts of asking Sheng Qingxi to go over the questions with her. However, when she opened the door, she was surprised to find Sheng Qingxi already lying in bed.
Song Shiman blinked in confusion, “Xiao Xi, aren’t we going to go over the exam?”
As she approached, Song Shiman had a moment of disorientation. The soft, warm light illuminated Sheng Qingxi’s fair face. She was dressed in simple cotton pajamas, her black hair draped neatly over her shoulder. Her eyes were clear and gentle.
Hearing Song Shiman’s question, Sheng Qingxi turned her head slightly and looked at her, a small smile forming on her lips as she softly said, “I’ve already explained everything. I sent you a voice message on WeChat. You can correct it when you go home.”
“Ahhh—!” Song Shiman let out a squeal and ran toward the bed, diving under the covers.
With her head buried under the blanket, she muffled a declaration, “Xiao Xi, I love you!”
Sheng Qingxi’s bed was just a simple single bed, not quite large enough for the two of them to sleep comfortably. Sheng Lan had offered to prepare a separate room for Song Shiman, but she had refused.
After all, if she wasn’t going to sleep with Sheng Qingxi, what was the point of coming to Shengkai tonight?
Because of that, Song Shiman finally found a reason to clear away Sheng Qingxi’s stuffed animals. She gathered up the pile of plushies and stacked them on the chair, then took out her phone to snap a picture of them.
Even after photographing the plushies, Song Shiman wasn’t satisfied. She sneaked a shot of Sheng Qingxi’s back, though the image ended up blurry and out of focus.
Immediately, she opened WeChat and found a contact named “Lin Dog” in her friends list.
[Shiman is Always Unhappy: *Image*, *Image*.]
[Shiman is Always Unhappy: I’m about to sleep with Xiao Xi.]
[Shiman is Always Unhappy: Sharing a bed, too.]
Song Shiman sent all these messages in rapid succession, without pausing for breath. Feeling smug, she added—
[Shiman is Always Unhappy: I’m going to cuddle with Xiao Xi.]
But in the next moment, she received a system message: “Message sent, but delivery was refused.”
Song Shiman: “???”
Frustrated, she tossed her phone onto the table and quickly dove under the blanket.
With Song Shiman now on the bed, the already narrow single bed became even more cramped, forcing the two of them to press closely together.
Sheng Qingxi had never shared a bed with anyone before. Even as a child, she, like other kids, had slept on her own. And in her working life, even when she traveled for work, she shared a standard twin room with her colleagues.
Now, she felt a little stiff as she sensed Song Shiman getting closer.
Without hesitation, Song Shiman naturally wrapped her arms around Sheng Qingxi’s arm, resting her head near Sheng Qingxi’s neck and staying perfectly still.
When Song Shiman was with Sheng Qingxi, she often felt an illusion, as though Sheng Qingxi were older than her. Most of the time, it was Sheng Qingxi who took care of her.
After a long silence, Song Shiman quietly asked, “Xiao Xi, do you have any really close friends?”
She had been to Shengkai many times but had never seen Sheng Qingxi play with anyone else.
In a soft voice, Sheng Qingxi replied, “I didn’t have any before, but now I do.”
At first, Song Shiman didn’t quite understand. She paused for a long moment before hesitantly asking, “Xiao Xi, are you talking about… me?”
Sheng Qingxi smiled slightly.
In her eyes, Song Shiman was a simple person—born into a wealthy family, raised with the love and affection of her parents. Although she could be a bit spoiled at times, she was genuine and pure.
Sheng Qingxi had known from the beginning why Song Shiman had approached her.
Initially, she thought this little girl might try to intimidate her, just as she had done with other girls in the past. However, things didn’t go as Sheng Qingxi had expected. Song Shiman had kept true to her very first words: Do you want to play with me?
Sheng Qingxi pulled the blanket up a little higher and then reached out to turn off the light.
Song Shiman, unable to wait, asked her the question again, this time with more persistence.
With a sigh, Sheng Qingxi resignedly responded, “Yes, it’s you.”
Song Shiman: Hehe.
In her mind, she felt like she had, in some way, already won over Lin Ran.
While Song Shiman held Sheng Qingxi and drifted off into a sweet sleep, things weren’t going as smoothly for Lin Ran.
He stared at his phone, a deep frown on his face, fixated on the blurry image of Sheng Qingxi’s back. Even though it was just a vague silhouette, he could easily imagine her gentle expression and soft eyes at that moment.
He had once been that close to her.
He could still remember the sweet scent that lingered on her.
Lin Ran’s expression remained emotionless as he thought to himself: Should I go to Shengkai and drag Song Shiman out of there?