The last day of the May Day holiday break, 6 a.m.
The green buds on the branches had grown into thick foliage. Flower buds swayed in the morning breeze, and soft sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, falling on the ground.
Summer was approaching.
Lin Ran lazily leaned against his motorcycle. He hadn’t driven into the yard early in the morning, fearing he would wake up the little kids inside.
He didn’t even bother to notify Sheng Qingxi after arriving. Instead, he waited at the gate, chewing gum with his hands in his pockets.
He looked like a complete little rascal.
When Lin Ran first came to pick up Sheng Qingxi, all the neighbors and passersby would give him a second glance. If it weren’t for his school uniform, they’d think he was some local hooligan looking for trouble.
A rather handsome little hooligan.
But as he came more frequently, the neighbors got used to him.
Sometimes, after a trip back from the market, the neighbors would even toss a few fruits into Lin Ran’s arms.
This morning was no exception. Grandpa Zhang from next door returned from his morning walk and immediately saw Lin Ran slouching against his motorcycle. This young man was sharp and striking.
Grandpa Zhang casually pulled out a box of strawberries from his basket. “Lin Ran, here, take these. Xiao Xi told me you like strawberries.”
Lin Ran accepted them without hesitation, his usual casual demeanor in full display as he curled his lips at Grandpa Zhang. “Grandpa, did Xiao Xi really tell you that? She’s probably too embarrassed.”
This comment would keep him in a good mood all day.
Grandpa Zhang waved it off. “Oh, Xiao Xi didn’t tell me directly. A while back, when I was delivering fruit to Shengkai, she was chatting with Xiao Lan. I just happened to overhear.”
“You picking her up for the competition?”
Sheng Qingxi’s competition was no secret in the neighborhood. She’d been exceptional since she was little. Over the years, everyone had watched her grow from a tiny tot into a lovely young woman.
Besides school, she spent much of her time participating in competitions.
Every kid in the area knew Sheng Qingxi because she was the “model child” that all parents talked about.
Lin Ran nodded, “Taking her to the airport.”
Grandpa Zhang pointed toward Shengkai and gave Lin Ran a thumbs up. “Xiao Xi’s been remarkable since she was a child. Don’t worry, she’ll definitely bring that trophy back this time.”
Lin Ran smiled faintly, “That doesn’t matter.”
Grandpa Zhang gave Lin Ran another look after hearing this, as if trying to see him more clearly. In the end, he patted Lin Ran on the shoulder, didn’t say a word, and hummed a little tune as he turned into the alley to go home.
Young folks should handle their own matters.
They were getting old.
Lin Ran’s gaze followed Grandpa Zhang until he disappeared around the corner, and even after that, he stood there in a daze, staring at the alley for a long time.
The alleys on the west side of the city were different from those elsewhere. Because of the bustling food street nearby, almost every alley entrance was decorated with colorful murals, each one representing a different type of food.
Lin Ran always felt these alleyways looked familiar, like he had seen them somewhere before.
When was that?
“Lin Ran!”
Sheng Qingxi’s shout interrupted Lin Ran’s thoughts.
She waved at him from behind the iron gate, her backpack bulging, as she ran toward him.
Lin Ran straightened up and quickly stepped to her side.
Grabbing the strap of her backpack, he lectured her, “How many times have I told you? Wait for my message before coming out. Running off on your own again, are you being disobedient?”
Sheng Qingxi tilted her head up, her bright eyes staring at him without a word.
She just curved her lips into a smile.
Lin Ran stared at her for a moment, then chuckled, “You look obedient, but you’re the most defiant.”
With that, he took her backpack off and led her out of the gate of Shengkai.
Sheng Qingxi was now very skilled at putting on her helmet, and without Lin Ran’s help, she had it secured in no time.
Lin Ran wrapped his arm around her waist and gently lifted her onto the bike, “Hold on tight in a bit.”
Sheng Qingxi nodded.
Actually, the event organizers had arranged for a car to pick her up today, but Lin Ran insisted on taking her himself, so she had no choice but to call and decline their offer.
It was incredibly difficult to get Lin Ran to change his mind once he made a decision.
Because it was the last day of the holiday, the road to the airport was especially crowded. But it didn’t seem to bother Lin Ran. He sped through the traffic with ease, his flashy, eye-catching motorcycle drawing plenty of attention along the way.
At 7 a.m., Lin Ran pulled up to the airport in Chucheng.
The entire way there, he had been nagging Sheng Qingxi, “Call me when you arrive, send me the hotel address once you’re settled in, and make sure to always keep your phone on you. Oh, and is there a live stream of your competition?”
A live stream?
Sheng Qingxi paused for a moment. In her previous life, she hadn’t paid attention to whether the event was live-streamed or not.
She thought for a moment. “I’ll ask about it tomorrow morning.”
Lin Ran gave her all the reminders he could think of, but even after finishing, he still didn’t feel at ease. He rubbed his temples in frustration. This girl worried him even more than Lin Yanyan.
In theory, Sheng Qingxi should be more capable of taking care of herself compared to Lin Yanyan.
But Lin Ran couldn’t shake the anxiety hanging over him, as if he wished he could follow her onto the plane.
After Sheng Qingxi got her boarding pass, she was ready to go through security. Unaware of the internal struggle and worry in Lin Ran’s heart, she smiled and waved at him. “Lin Ran, goodbye.”
Lin Ran clenched his teeth.
This little heartless one.
In the end, Lin Ran didn’t say much. He just ruffled her hair and said, “Go on. If you get bored while waiting to board, text me. I’m not leaving yet. I’ll stay until your flight takes off.”
Sheng Qingxi stood still for a moment, blinking as she looked at Lin Ran.
Just when Lin Ran thought she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly took a small step forward, closing the already short distance between them. Now, they were close enough to embrace.
Lin Ran didn’t move. He simply raised an eyebrow at her.
He was curious to see what she planned to do.
The next second, her soft hands wrapped around his waist, her small face pressed against his chest.
She even rubbed her face gently against him, just like the first time she hugged him at the gate of No. 1 High.
Lin Ran looked down, his eyes darkening as he gazed at the girl in his arms.
He didn’t move, suppressing the restlessness inside. With restraint, he raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder. “Go through security. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”
It wasn’t until Sheng Qingxi’s figure completely disappeared that Lin Ran finally walked out of the terminal.
He stood quietly by his motorcycle and smoked a cigarette.
—
Lin Ran left the airport and headed straight to the garage.
It was still early, and the garage was nearly empty. Lin Ran entered through the front door and went up to the second floor. He found He Mo and Xie Zhen still asleep, but the little girl Lin Yanyan was awake, sitting on the couch watching TV with her tablet.
Seeing Lin Ran come back, Lin Yanyan waved at him. “Brother, has Sister Sheng gotten on the plane?”
Lin Ran tossed his keys onto the coffee table and replied, “Yeah. Did you have breakfast?”
Lin Yanyan nodded, then asked curiously, “Brother, what competition is Sister Sheng going to? Is it a math competition?”
Lin Ran hesitated for a moment.
He wasn’t sure if he should tell Lin Yanyan the truth. After a few seconds of internal debate, he spoke as casually as he could. “She’s going to the National Gomoku Championship.”
Lin Yanyan was stunned. It was the first time she had heard that Gomoku even had championships.
After thinking for a bit, she praised, “Brother, Sister Sheng is amazing, she knows how to do everything.”
Lin Ran smiled slightly. “Stay here and behave. I’m going to sleep for a while.”
With that, he headed to his room.
After showering, Lin Ran dried his black hair carelessly as he walked out. His gaze fell on the worn-out little bear plush sitting by the bedside.
It was the one he had stubbornly exchanged with Sheng Qingxi for. Next to it lay a smug little tiger plush.
In the past, there would never have been soft toys like these on Lin Ran’s bed. But now, after sleeping with them for more than a month, they strangely fit right in.
Lin Ran tossed the towel into the laundry basket and climbed into bed, pulling the plushies into his arms as he drifted off to sleep.
—
At 2 p.m., a stranger arrived at the garage.
Someone downstairs called up to the second floor, “Ah Zhen! Someone’s here looking for Brother Ran!”
Xie Zhen and He Mo had just gotten up, the two of them debating what to order for lunch. Hearing the shout, Xie Zhen threw his phone aside, stood up, and walked over to the railing to peer down.
He craned his neck. “Who is it?”
A girl in a floral dress looked up at him. Her face was gentle and pretty, with distinct black-and-white eyes, and the curve of her eye corners was soft. She was the kind of girl who grew more beautiful the longer you looked at her.
At first glance, she wasn’t stunning, but she had a lasting charm.
She seemed a little older than them.
Xie Zhen couldn’t shake the feeling that her eyes reminded him of someone, and her overall presence somehow felt like Sheng Qingxi.
Xie Zhen scratched his head. “Who are you looking for?”
The girl spoke softly, “Is Lin Ran here?”
Oh, damn.
At the mention of Lin Ran, Xie Zhen finally noticed that the girl’s eyes looked a lot like Lin Ran’s.
Without hesitation, Xie Zhen refused, “Lin Ran’s not here. If you have something important, just give him a call.”
Xie Zhen was used to dealing with situations like this. Over the past couple of years, girls often came to the garage looking for Lin Ran. After Song Shiman publicly declared she was pursuing Lin Ran, these occurrences had decreased.
This girl was the first one this semester.
However, the girl didn’t leave. Her voice was firm. “I have something important to discuss with Lin Ran. Tell him it’s about his father. He’ll come down to see me once he hears.”
About Lin Youcheng?
Xie Zhen sighed, feeling a headache coming on as he turned to walk back. Whenever something involved Lin Youcheng, Lin Ran always blew up. Recently, their father-son relationship had finally eased a bit, but lately, even mentioning his father was off-limits.
Lin Ran had also been smoking more heavily lately. When Sheng Qingxi was around, he was better, but as soon as the weekends hit, he couldn’t control himself.
At this hour, Lin Ran was still asleep, and Xie Zhen didn’t want to wake him up. He had a bad feeling that this girl’s arrival was going to turn this peaceful afternoon into chaos.
He Mo noticed Xie Zhen’s troubled expression as he returned and asked, “Who was it?”
Xie Zhen shook his head. “Someone looking for Ran. She said it’s about Lin’s father.”
He Mo, who had just placed their food order, instantly sobered up. His face darkened. “About Lin’s father? Was the girl around twenty years old?”
Xie Zhen was surprised. “How did you know?”
Xie Zhen might not be aware of the situation with Lin Youcheng, but in their social circles, secrets didn’t stay hidden for long. Word had spread quickly, and people were already gossiping about Lin Youcheng’s intentions.
Xu Yirong, Lin Youcheng’s wife, was especially worried about whether her position as Mrs. Lin was at risk.
He Mo thought for a moment. “We can’t wait. I’ll go wake Ran up.”
Xie Zhen trailed behind He Mo as they headed upstairs, mentally preparing themselves for the scolding they were about to get. But once they reached the door, both hesitated, exchanging nervous glances, neither wanting to knock first.
He Mo nudged Xie Zhen. “Ah Zhen, haven’t I always been good to you?”
Xie Zhen forced a smile. “Last night, I helped you rank up in the game, and I also bought us supper.”
He Mo, clearly dissatisfied, retorted, “That’s not the point. We can’t keep score on things like this.”
Xie Zhen was about to argue further. “I—”
Before he could finish, the door suddenly swung open.
Lin Ran leaned against the doorframe, his gaze coldly fixed on the two of them, clearly curious to see how long these two clowns could argue outside his door.
Both He Mo and Xie Zhen immediately fell silent.
Lin Ran had just finished getting ready, and he knew something was up; otherwise, these two wouldn’t have come to find him.
He stepped past them without a word and headed downstairs. “What’s going on?”
He Mo sighed inwardly, “Ran, someone’s downstairs looking for you.”
Lin Ran didn’t react much, casually asking, “Got it. What’s for lunch?”
Xie Zhen quickly responded, “We ordered some private kitchen dishes. It should be delivered soon.”
He Mo, worried that things might get out of hand, decided it was better to give Lin Ran a heads-up. If Lin Ran lost his temper, it would be a bigger issue. He irritably scratched the couch, thinking how everything seemed to be happening while Sheng Qingxi wasn’t around.