After the midterm exams, time seemed to speed up, and in the blink of an eye, December arrived.
By this time, most students on campus were already wearing their winter uniforms. Some even wore down jackets over their uniforms, while others were still in their fall uniforms.
For example, Lin Ran.
Recently, the temperature had been hovering just above freezing every day.
The students in Class One shivered just watching Lin Ran in his thin autumn uniform. Winter was always when they admired him the most—being the boss wasn’t easy, especially maintaining style in such cold weather.
Sheng Qingxi had also been startled when she saw Lin Ran this morning, but his palms remained warm.
Was he really not cold?
In the past, many of the young men at her workplace had to bundle up like bears during winter.
Sheng Qingxi rested her chin in her hand and stared at Lin Ran, gradually becoming lost in thought.
When Lin Ran turned his head, he saw Sheng Qingxi staring blankly at him. Her big eyes were bright and clear, but unfocused—clearly daydreaming. Her little face even had a red mark from resting on her hand.
Lin Ran reached out and flicked her forehead.
It took a moment for the girl to react, raising her hand to cover her forehead, then looking at him with a pitiful expression.
Lin Ran chuckled, “What are you thinking, staring at me like that? Is it something that would pass censorship?”
Sheng Qingxi didn’t understand what Lin Ran was talking about. She blinked in confusion before asking, “Lin Ran, you always wear so little in winter. Have you always been like this? You’re not cold all day?”
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow. “Always?”
Sheng Qingxi whispered, “Yeah. The day you saved me, you were wearing a thin windbreaker, black.”
Lin Ran couldn’t remember what he had worn that day. He barely recalled Sheng Qingxi’s face and voice, only remembering that he saved a girl and brought her home. But to Sheng Qingxi, the memory was entirely different.
Lin Ran ruffled her hair. “I’m not cold. Focus on your morning reading.”
Sheng Qingxi pulled her hands inside her sleeves and began memorizing English words. On her lap was a hot water bottle Lin Ran had prepared for her, with a small blanket draped over it.
She was warm all over.
In truth, Sheng Qingxi wasn’t particularly afraid of the cold. Her body temperature just tended to feel a little lower than usual.
This December was colder than usual in Chucheng, but the cold air couldn’t stop them from looking forward to Christmas and Christmas Eve. A week before Christmas Eve, the convenience store on campus started selling beautifully packaged apples, and the shelves were full of colorful candies.
Seeing the excitement among the students, Old Qu went ahead and secretly set up a Christmas tree in the classroom the night before Christmas Eve after the students had left. He hung shiny little bags all over it, and inside were candies and snacks.
On Christmas Eve, when the students of Class One entered the classroom, they went wild. Everyone gathered around the tree, cheering.
For a moment, they forgot they were secretly carrying their phones, hastily taking them out to snap pictures with the tree. The commotion in Class One was loud enough to attract students from other classes to join in the fun.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi were still on their way.
It had rained a little the night before, and the ground was covered in a thin layer of frost. Lin Ran held onto Sheng Qingxi’s hand firmly as they walked slowly forward. She was in a particularly good mood today.
Lin Ran could tell she seemed to really like winter. The white pom-pom on her red hat swayed with her movements, looking for a moment as if snow had fallen on it.
Sheng Qingxi stood out particularly today.
She wore a red hat, paired with a green scarf, creating quite the lively sight.
The green scarf was prepared by Sheng Lan, while the red hat had been forcibly put on her by Lin Ran early that morning. Although Sheng Qingxi had tried to refuse, Lin Ran had ruthlessly overpowered her objections.
Seeing her happily stepping on the frost, Lin Ran couldn’t help but ask, “Do you like winter?”
The pom-pom on her hat bounced as she nodded.
Chucheng, being in the south, rarely saw snow. Even when it did snow, it usually lasted only a day. But that one day of snow could excite people for days, making them wish they could take a snowball home and keep it like a treasure.
Thinking of this, Lin Ran casually asked about Sheng Qingxi’s past, “Sheng Qingxi, have you always stayed in Chucheng? What about college? Where did you go to school?”
From what Sheng Qingxi had told him before, Lin Ran figured she had probably attended Ningcheng University for college.
The pom-pom on her hat swayed from side to side again as she shook her head, answering, “No.”
After playing on the frost a bit longer, Sheng Qingxi finally replied, “I went to college in Hecheng.”
Lin Ran froze.
Hecheng?
The most famous university in Hecheng was the People’s Public Security University, which was clearly not Sheng Qingxi’s choice. The other schools didn’t seem to match her academic level. Could it be that she had underperformed on the college entrance exam?
The more Lin Ran thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
After all, just before the exam, he had died in the fire. With her stubborn nature, it was entirely possible that the incident had affected her performance.
Lin Ran was about to say something when he suddenly remembered Sheng Qingxi’s fighting stance on Song Shiman’s family boat. At the time, he had thought she might have learned self-defense from neighbors, as many retired police officers lived in the western district of the city.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if the trauma from that night had left too deep of a mark on her?
Lin Ran’s gaze dropped, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He tightened his grip on Sheng Qingxi’s hand and, in a hoarse voice, asked, “Sheng Qingxi, are you still afraid?”
Sheng Qingxi turned back to look at him. Lin Ran was gazing down at her, his eyes filled with intense emotion.
She stood on her tiptoes, lightly pinched his earlobe, and whispered in his ear, “Lin Ran, I’m not afraid. From the moment you entered that alley that night, I stopped being scared.”
Sheng Qingxi smiled softly and added, “You’re my hero.”
Lin Ran, not caring that they were still at school, pulled the small, penguin-like girl into his arms. He rested his chin on her forehead, his breathing heavy.
In a low, raspy voice, he spoke as if making a solemn promise, “From now on, I’ll protect you.”
He wanted to be her hero forever.
When they returned to the classroom, they saw the Christmas tree. Before Lin Ran could say anything, Sheng Qingxi had already run over, her steps quick and light. She bent down and stared at the little bags hanging on the tree for a long time.
Sheng Qingxi could almost smell the sweet scent of the candies inside.
Neither Lin Ran nor Sheng Qingxi had much of a sense for holidays, but Christmas Eve held special meaning for them.
They both knew that the school would announce early dismissal for day students that afternoon due to the potential for heavy snowfall later that evening. For the students’ safety, they would be allowed to go home early.
So that night, Sheng Qingxi went to buy candy.
For Sheng Qingxi, the memories of that night were all a blur. The only thing she clearly remembered was the strength and warmth of Lin Ran’s embrace.
She glanced around the classroom and noticed that many people had apples on their desks.
As she was lost in her thoughts, Lin Ran came over, picked her up by the collar, and brought her back to her seat without a word. Then he left. When he returned, he was holding two bags of candy.
Lin Ran placed the candy on Sheng Qingxi’s desk like he was coaxing a child, “Don’t be envious of others. Your brother bought you candy.”
Sheng Qingxi blinked and stuffed the candy into her pocket. After she unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, she suddenly realized she hadn’t prepared anything for Lin Ran.
She looked up at him, his smile gentle as he watched her, and mumbled, “Lin Ran, what do you want as a gift?”
Hearing the word “gift” made Lin Ran’s scalp tingle.
Up to now, Sheng Qingxi had given him three gifts.
The first was a pair of boxing gloves meant to placate him after he childishly asked her if she liked him or Song Shiman more.
The second was the little stuffed tiger. He had watched her try to grab it from the claw machine fifty-one times before finally winning it, and now it sat on his motorcycle.
The third was the limited-edition helmet, expensive and the same one he had received in his past life.
Thinking about it made Lin Ran chuckle softly.
Perhaps this was how he gradually fell for her step by step. She knew exactly how to hit his soft spots, making him fall harder with every move, leaving him nowhere to escape.
This time, Lin Ran decided he couldn’t let her figure out another gift to give him. If this kept up, he might just hand over his life to her.
Lin Ran reached out his hand and said, “Give me your hand.”
Sheng Qingxi obediently extended her hand, palm up, towards Lin Ran.
Lin Ran casually grabbed a pen from the desk. Holding her warm, fair hand, he slowly wrote: “Xiao Xi, Lin Ran’s Christmas Eve gift.”
The pen’s tip tickled as it moved across her palm, making her feel slightly itchy.
Sheng Qingxi pursed her lips and watched Lin Ran write. Just as she was about to ask what he meant by that, Lin Ran suddenly tossed the pen aside, bent down, and kissed her palm firmly.
Not satisfied with just that, he reached up and pinched Sheng Qingxi’s cheek. “My little apple, so red.”
Sheng Qingxi: “…”
Her face instantly turned scarlet.
At that moment, Old Qu happened to walk to the classroom door to check if the kids liked the Christmas tree. As soon as he stepped in, he saw Lin Ran holding the girl’s hand while her face blushed deeply.
Just like the apples for Christmas Eve.
Old Qu knew these two kids liked each other, but doing this in the classroom was a different story. Not to mention, the cameras were on. His face immediately darkened, and he shouted, “Lin Ran! What are you doing, you rascal? Let go of her right now!”
Lin Ran reluctantly released Sheng Qingxi.
Old Qu hadn’t intended to interfere in their relationship, but since he had seen it, he felt the need to talk to Lin Ran. He waved Lin Ran over and said seriously, “Lin Ran, come with me for a moment.”
Lin Ran ruffled Sheng Qingxi’s hair to reassure her not to worry before following Old Qu out of the room.
Old Qu originally planned to have a quick word with Lin Ran in the hallway, but the cold wind hit him, making him shiver. Huddling his shoulders, he headed to the office instead, with Lin Ran following behind.
The office was still mostly empty that early in the morning, as most teachers had wandered off to check on the students in their classrooms.
Old Qu gestured for Lin Ran to sit. He took a slow sip of his hot tea before speaking, “Lin Ran, I’m not saying you’re wrong. Think about yourself, and think about the girl too. In the future, you know… it’s not that I don’t wish you well, but sometimes reality is what it is. I just want you to be mindful. The school is still a public space, and this can affect the girl’s reputation.”
Lin Ran was already unhappy after hearing the first few sentences. He stood up, pushed the chair in lazily, and said, “Old Qu, what’s mine is mine. I’ll invite you to the wedding banquet in the future. I’m out.”
Old Qu froze mid-sip of his tea.
A wedding banquet? This rascal is already thinking about that?
By the time Old Qu snapped out of it, Lin Ran was long gone. After a moment of silence, he burst into laughter. What a mischievous kid.
—
That afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened, and snow began to fall outside the windows. At first, it was just tiny flakes, but soon it grew heavier, like thousands of feathers floating down.
Sheng Qingxi had barely leaned by the window to watch the snow when Lin Ran grabbed her and pulled her back, closing the window as well.
She immediately turned to stare at him, her big eyes wide with a clear message: I want to watch the snow.