At midnight, the bell tolled.
Magnificent fireworks bloomed in the sky, yet the lively living room remained just as noisy as before.
The TV screen was filled with excitement.
Lin Yanyan and Sheng Qingxi had long since stopped paying attention to it. The two girls were leaning against each other, staring at their phones. They must have seen something amusing because both of them started laughing.
He Mo and Xie Zhen were bickering through the whole moment, completely unaffected by the fireworks. Their argument was louder than the noise outside.
Lin Ran lazily reclined on the sofa, his gaze quietly resting on Sheng Qingxi. His hand absentmindedly stroked the cat in his lap. The black cat lay on its back, belly exposed, flicking its tail lazily.
At this time, it seemed that everywhere was filled with a lively and joyous atmosphere.
Only those still on the road in the city paused to look up, gazing at the brilliant yet fleeting moment. A new year meant a new beginning, and a new beginning represented hope.
After midnight, the two girls, having worn themselves out, began to feel sleepy.
Lin Ran grabbed the energetic cat, “2018,” and dropped it on the floor, ignoring it after that. The little thing had been ruling over his stomach all evening, so the fact he’d tolerated it this long was already impressive.
Lin Ran walked over to the sofa and lightly tapped each girl on the forehead. “Go upstairs, wash up, and get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you both out to build snowmen. If you get up early, there’ll still be snow. Sleep until noon, though, and it’ll all be gone.”
Build snowmen?
Sheng Qingxi immediately turned her head to look at Lin Ran.
Yanyan’s eyes lit up as she eagerly stared at him. “Brother, really? Build snowmen?”
Lin Ran glanced at the two girls and then nodded toward Sheng Qingxi. “Your sister Sheng will just watch us build. If you get up early, I won’t have to wake you.”
Lin Yanyan nodded enthusiastically.
Sheng Qingxi: “…”
She puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Lin Ran unhappily.
Ever since Lin Ran started paying attention to her menstrual cycle, she hadn’t had a chance to play in the snow these past few days. The other day, when she’d secretly made a snowball, Lin Ran scolded her for the entire afternoon.
Sheng Qingxi sulkily lowered her head. She wanted to play in the snow too.
The snow in Chucheng wasn’t thick, and it would usually melt by noon after the snowfall stopped.
Lin Ran ruffled Sheng Qingxi’s hair. “Once the holiday starts, I’ll take you out to play in the snow. Be good for now.”
Sheng Qingxi hadn’t thought much of it at first, but after Lin Ran’s words, she felt a little childish. Technically, she had lived ten years longer than Lin Ran, but in front of him, she always felt like a little girl.
After shooing them off to bed, Lin Ran went to sleep as well, leaving the bickering He Mo and Xie Zhen in the living room, whom he had no desire to deal with.
…
The interweaving lights flickered, drawing closer, then fading away, forming unpredictable glass-like patterns.
In the next instant, icy, tumultuous seawater engulfed him. The scenes around him blurred and began to drift away, as the light gradually dimmed, and a suffocating sensation slowly crept over him.
Lin Ran thought, he was in the sea. But why was he in the sea?
There seemed to be something not far away.
Lin Ran knew he was dreaming. He struggled, desperately trying to move in that direction.
As Lin Ran drew closer to his target, he suddenly froze. Despite the confusion clouding his mind, he recognized the figure of the woman in the distance at first glance. Yes, it was a woman.
It was Sheng Qingxi!
Sheng Qingxi was sinking. He could see her wide-open eyes, blankly staring up at the surface of the sea. She made no effort to save herself, simply letting herself drift downward, sinking deeper and deeper.
The scene in front of him overlapped with what he had seen that day in the pond.
Lin Ran wanted to shout her name, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open his mouth or make a sound. Like a madman, he swam toward her.
Sheng Qingxi, Sheng Qingxi, Sheng Qingxi!
“Sheng Qingxi!”
Lin Ran awoke from the dream in a cold sweat, drenched and gasping for breath. Everything around him told him he was in his room. There was no sea, and there was no Sheng Qingxi sinking into the deep waters.
Panting heavily, he glanced at the clock on the side. It was five in the morning.
The memories of the island suddenly flooded back.
That night, Sheng Qingxi had woken up from a nightmare. He had asked her if she’d had a bad dream. How had she replied?
She had said, *I dreamt I sank into the ocean.*
Lin Ran’s nerves were taut, his hand clenched tightly into a fist at his side. He was now utterly certain that what she had mentioned that night wasn’t just a simple dream.
She had once told him that she had died in a work-related accident.
What kind of accident?
This was the accident.
In his dream, Sheng Qingxi had short hair and was wearing a police uniform. She had said she went to university in Hecheng, so she must have attended the People’s Public Security University and became a police officer.
Lin Ran gritted his teeth, trying with all his might to suppress his emotions.
The woman who had appeared in his dreams before had always been Sheng Qingxi.
–
The sound of a “click” echoed.
Sheng Qingxi opened her door and peeked out. The hallway was quiet, so she carefully closed the door and tiptoed out.
Both Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan’s doors were open; they were already awake. They had agreed the night before to build snowmen together, but Lin Ran hadn’t come to wake her up this morning, even though they’d planned for her to watch from the side.
Sheng Qingxi ran all the way to the backyard.
A small but perfectly shaped snowman had already been built. It was short and snow-white, with a round head connected to an even rounder body. It looked clumsy yet adorable.
Lin Yanyan was pressing a cut carrot into the snowman’s face. Just as she finished tying the scarf, she saw Sheng Qingxi standing at the door.
Lin Yanyan smiled and waved, “Sister Sheng!”
Lin Ran had been watching Lin Yanyan dress up the snowman when her shout left his mind blank for a moment. His neck tensed as he turned to look at Sheng Qingxi.
Sheng Qingxi smiled at Lin Yanyan, but when she saw Lin Ran, her smile vanished. She glared at him fiercely before turning on her heel and running back into the living room.
Lin Ran’s gaze lingered on her until she disappeared from sight, and only then did he speak softly, “Yanyan, Brother is going to make breakfast. Play for a little while, then come inside to eat. Keep your gloves on.”
Lin Yanyan nodded obediently.
Lin Ran stepped into the living room. As he entered, Sheng Qingxi was squatting by 2018’s little nest, playing a game of paw-patting with the cat. The little thing always behaved so well whenever it saw Sheng Qingxi.
In the brief moment since, Lin Ran had already composed himself.
“Are you upset?” Lin Ran asked with a hoarse laugh.
Sheng Qingxi glanced up at him and muttered softly, “You said I could watch you guys build the snowman, but you didn’t even call me.”
Lin Ran crouched down beside her, gently patting her head, his voice soft as he explained, “It was too cold this morning. I didn’t want you to get sick and have stomach pains later. What do you want for breakfast?”
Sheng Qingxi pursed her lips, deciding not to hold a grudge against him. After a moment, she replied, “I want rice balls.”
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow. “Sure, wait here. Brother will go buy them for you.”
When Lin Ran returned with breakfast, Sheng Qingxi and Lin Yanyan were already sitting on a small blanket, with Sheng Qingxi helping Lin Yanyan with her homework. After taking a quick glance at them, he headed straight to the kitchen.
Lin Ran warmed up two cups of milk and placed them on the dining table before calling out, “Come eat breakfast.”
Because of the cold, Sheng Qingxi and Lin Yanyan stayed inside the villa after breakfast. It wasn’t until the afternoon, when the weather cleared up, that Lin Ran decided to take Sheng Qingxi back home. Meanwhile, He Mo and Xie Zhen were still sleeping like pigs, not yet out of bed.
For many, this month marked the start of a new year.
But for Sheng Qingxi, this month held far more significance than just the new year. It was Lin Ran’s birthday month, the month he would become an adult. In her previous life, everything that had gone wrong began with events in this month.
The sound of the car braking broke the silence.
Lin Ran had driven Sheng Qingxi back to Shengkai.
Just as Lin Ran was about to get out of the car, Sheng Qingxi hugged him tightly from behind.
She removed her helmet, her cheek pressing against his back, and remained silent for a long time.
Lin Ran slightly turned his head, stopping his movements and relaxing his body, letting her hold him. After what seemed like an eternity, the person behind him spoke in a soft voice, “Lin Ran, on your birthday, did your father call you and ask you to come home?”
Lin Ran was taken aback.
He could no longer remember the details of his birthday in his past life, but hearing Sheng Qingxi’s question, he thought carefully. Yes, that morning, he had received a call from Lin Youcheng, but he hadn’t gone home.
Lin Ran placed his hand on hers, which was wrapped around his waist, and asked quietly, “I didn’t go. Why?”
Sheng Qingxi whispered, “Lin Ran, you need to go.”
Lin Ran didn’t ask why. If she said he should go, he would go.
After agreeing, he gently patted her hand. “It’s cold outside. Let me take you inside. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
Sheng Qingxi slowly released her grip, waiting for Lin Ran to help her out of the car.
Lin Ran watched as Sheng Qingxi entered the house, his gaze darkening the moment she disappeared inside.
Everything that had happened over the past year was beginning to connect in his mind. He no longer wondered why Sheng Qingxi had become a police officer. Everything she had said and done was telling him one thing: the fire wasn’t an accident.
Someone had deliberately set the fire, intending to kill him and Lin Yanyan.
After New Year’s, it wasn’t even two weeks before No. 1 High School entered the final exam period. Since the winter break was only ten days long, Xie Zhen and the others weren’t too excited about it, so they focused on preparing for their exams instead.
This first half of senior year had brought significant changes, not just for Lin Ran, but also for He Mo and Xie Zhen.
Teacher Qu, seeing the progress these three had made, had privately become quite emotional, even wiping away tears on occasion. After all, in his eyes, they were all good kids, and every one of them deserved the chance to grow and change.
For this short chapter of their lives, he wanted them to live as well as possible.
This time, the final exams were the ones Lin Ran had been most looking forward to, as it was the first time in a year that he would be in the same exam room as Sheng Qingxi. The last time they had been this close was during the first monthly exam of the second semester of their sophomore year, when she sat right behind him.
Since then, he hadn’t even been near the first exam room.