Lin Youcheng didn’t notice anything special about that timeline; he simply assumed it was because Lin Ran would be preparing for college after his exams and wouldn’t have the time to focus on family matters.
Nodding, he patted Lin Ran’s now broader shoulder and said, “I’ll handle those people and that club. They won’t bother you again.”
Then, with a faint smile, he added, “During the New Year, Ah Zhen told me you like riding motorcycles. If you’re interested, I can help you start your own team, even build your own club.”
Lin Ran’s eyes briefly flickered with a hint of sarcasm. His own club? He didn’t even know if he’d survive the next year.
Lowering his gaze, Lin Ran suppressed his emotions and said, “I’m not considering that right now. You should head back and get some rest.”
Realizing that Lin Ran didn’t want to continue the conversation, Lin Youcheng glanced at the dimly lit living room and softly said, “Xiao Huo, say goodnight to Yanyan for me. I’ll be leaving now.”
Lin Ran silently watched as his father walked away from the villa, step by step.
In Lin Ran’s eyes, that fire had been an accident.
He didn’t know if a similar accident would happen again, and he couldn’t risk sending Yanyan back to the Lin family, at least not until they’d safely avoided the fire.
Once Lin Youcheng left, in the quiet of the night, Lin Ran finally closed his eyes in exhaustion.
At that moment, his thoughts mirrored Sheng Qingxi’s from earlier.
At least the future could be changed—just like today.
—
Inside the living room.
Lin Yanyan was sitting cross-legged on the soft carpet, quietly working on her homework. She was being extra careful, making almost no noise. Every time she finished a few questions, she would glance up at the sleeping Sheng Qingxi.
For some reason, every time she looked at Sheng Qingxi, she felt a strange sense of familiarity. Even the scene in front of her seemed oddly familiar, as if there had been a day in the past when Sheng Qingxi had also slept on their sofa just like this.
But clearly, they hadn’t known each other before.
On the sofa, Sheng Qingxi slept deeply—perhaps it was because she was in Lin Ran’s home. In her sleep, she dreamed of her past life, of the first time she met Lin Ran.
It was Christmas Eve.
December had already ushered in the winter season. Sheng Qingxi, wrapped in a thick sweater and a red wool coat, was walking along the street, carrying a pile of candy boxes. The orphanage also celebrated Christmas Eve, and the children were running wild. All the snacks Sheng Lan had prepared had already been eaten, so Sheng Qingxi went out to buy more candy for them.
The west side of the city was remote, and many shops had closed for the night in the cold winter. After searching through several neighborhoods, she finally found a convenience store outside a residential area that sold cute, boxed candies.
That night, it snowed. Flakes drifted down softly from the sky.
Sheng Qingxi shivered from the cold and quickened her pace to head back.
She passed by a small alley painted with colorful murals of different foods—one of the charming features of the west side of the city.
As she hurried forward, she heard footsteps behind her, matching her speed. Sheng Qingxi hesitated, her movements slowing. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw three young men trailing behind her.
One of them was holding a beer bottle, and they were laughing.
Sheng Qingxi pressed her lips together in unease, glancing nervously at the road ahead. The dark night was lit only by the street lamps, with all the nearby shops closed and not a single car in sight.
Panic set in, and she sped up, starting to run.
As soon as she began to run, the footsteps behind her grew chaotic.
A drunken voice called out behind her, taunting, “You’d better run faster, little sister, or we’ll catch up to you soon.”
Laughter echoed in the night, filled with malicious intent.
At that moment, the roar of a motorcycle engine could be heard at the end of the street.
But Sheng Qingxi didn’t have time to care. She ran faster, clutching the candy boxes to her chest, which scattered across the ground as she fled. Yet, the footsteps behind her grew closer. Her breathing became labored.
Back then, she was just a girl who didn’t know any self-defense.
Sheng Qingxi was eventually caught by the three drunken men, trapped in a narrow alley. The alley was even darker than the street, but she kept struggling, throwing anything she could grab at them.
But her resistance only seemed to excite them more.
Sheng Qingxi held back her tears. She grabbed whatever was near her and threw it at them, shouting at the top of her lungs, “Get away!”
When she had just started kindergarten, she had been bullied by other kids because she didn’t have parents. They’d mocked her for being an unwanted child. Back then, Sheng Qingxi had also picked up stones and thrown them, telling them to get lost.
Young Sheng Qingxi had always been well-behaved, but she had a fierce side too.
She had rarely cried growing up.
In that dead-end alley, Sheng Qingxi was quickly cornered. In the chaos, she felt one of the men touch her face, and she couldn’t help but scream.
Their laughter grew louder.
Sheng Qingxi had never felt so desperate. She stared at the oppressive darkness and the twisted faces in front of her. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing, mingled with their jeering voices.
In her hand, she tightly gripped a sharp, jagged piece of broken glass.
She had already prepared herself for the worst.
A cold hand reached for her collar, while someone else held her legs down tightly. Sheng Qingxi bit her lip and raised the shard of glass in her hand, intending to stab the person in front of her.
At the critical moment, the roar of an engine sounded again, and the sharp screech of tires scraping against the ground pierced the air.
Someone had parked a motorcycle at the entrance of the alley.
Everyone froze in place. The drunken men turned around, irritated by the interruption. One of them smashed a beer bottle on the ground, cursing, “Who the hell’s this?”
The person at the alley’s entrance glanced lazily into the darkness, leaning against the motorcycle. He said nonchalantly, “If you don’t want to spend your holiday in a cell, better get lost now. It’s your fault for being such eyesores out here.”
Judging by the voice, it sounded like a young man.
The men, now agitated, released Sheng Qingxi and began walking toward the entrance.
As they reached the alley’s mouth, the light illuminated their greasy, leering faces. The young man let out a sneer. “A bunch of ugly bastards like you don’t even deserve to look at a girl.”
“You little punk! You’re asking for it!”
“Damn brat, I’ll beat you senseless!”
Lin Ran casually stretched his neck and flexed his hands, previously gloved. He glanced lightly at the men before him, then raised his fist and rushed at them.
As he moved, the black trench coat he wore fluttered slightly.
Sheng Qingxi, still in the alley, stared in a daze at the boy standing at the alley’s entrance. She knew she should get up and run, but her body seemed to have lost all strength. She could only sit limply on the dirty ground.
She didn’t know how long it took for the fight outside the alley to end.
In a daze, she saw the boy approaching, his figure backlit by the streetlights. He casually tossed off his coat as he walked toward her, and finally, he crouched down in front of her.
“I’ve called the police. Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”
His voice was clear and pure, like snow.
Sheng Qingxi’s mind grew hazy. Home? She couldn’t go home. She couldn’t let Sheng Lan see her like this, so she instinctively shook her head. Not long after, she fainted.
Before losing consciousness, she caught a whiff of the pleasant scent clinging to the boy—slightly sweet yet with a strong, bold edge.
But most importantly, he was warm, unlike the cold, filthy hands that had just touched her.
…
On the sofa.
Sheng Qingxi slowly opened her eyes, momentarily unable to tell if she was in a dream or reality. The scene before her—the dimly lit living room and the light-colored ceiling—was just like what she had seen that night when she woke up.
She subconsciously whispered, “Lin Ran.”
“Lin Ran.”
“Lin Ran.”
She didn’t even realize she had said his name several times, but in the living room, both Lin Ran and Lin Yanyan froze. Lin Yanyan sneaked a glance at her brother, who was staring intently at the girl on the sofa.
In her mind, Lin Yanyan began counting how long her brother could hold out. Three…
Lin Yanyan: “…”
Before the count of three even finished in Lin Yanyan’s mind, Lin Ran couldn’t help but get up and walk toward Sheng Qingxi.
Lin Yanyan sighed in worry. It seemed her brother had finally met his match. But with his bad temper, she wondered how long any girl could actually tolerate him, even though there were always girls chasing after him every month.
The dim light was blocked by his shadow as Sheng Qingxi’s unfocused eyes slowly began to adjust, and she saw Lin Ran leaning over her, his expression carrying a hint of barely noticeable tension.
Seeing her finally look at him, Lin Ran let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Frowning, he asked, “Does something hurt? Are you feeling unwell?”
Sheng Qingxi gazed at his blurry outline and softly called his name again, “Lin Ran.”
“I’m here,” he replied.
Lin Ran watched as tears suddenly welled up in Sheng Qingxi’s eyes, turning her once-bright gaze misty and blurred. Her voice choked as she asked, “Lin Ran, does it hurt?”
Lin Ran didn’t quite understand what she meant. He patiently answered, “I’m not hurt. Are you in pain?”
But the girl, stubborn as ever, looked him straight in the eye and insisted, “I’m not in pain, you’re in pain.”
Lin Ran sighed softly. Had she woken up confused?
He glanced over at Lin Yanyan, who was watching the scene unfold with wide, curious eyes. When she met his gaze, she immediately looked down guiltily. Lin Ran scoffed lightly, “Yanyan, wake up your sister.”
Lin Yanyan immediately dropped her pencil and rushed over. Without waiting for Lin Ran to move aside, she squeezed herself in front of him, blocking his view.
Lin Ran stepped back and headed for the kitchen. Sheng Qingxi hadn’t eaten much dinner, so he decided to make her a bowl of noodles. Their kitchen was always well-stocked with ingredients.
When Lin Ran returned with the noodles, Sheng Qingxi was already fully awake, sitting on the carpet with Lin Yanyan, wrapped in a small blanket and seemingly helping her with her homework.
Just as he set the bowl down, Lin Yanyan exclaimed in awe, “Sister, you’re amazing! My brother’s never passed an exam in his life. I’ve always had to do my homework by myself.”
Lin Ran: “…”
Sheng Qingxi blinked slowly. “Has Lin Ran really never done well in school?”
Yanyan nodded enthusiastically, “Yep!”
Lin Ran’s expression darkened further.
He knocked on the table with his knuckles, drawing the attention of both girls. With a cold expression and a tense voice, he ordered, “Sheng Qingxi, come eat your noodles. Yanyan, focus on your homework. Why are you talking so much?”
Yanyan tugged on the edge of Sheng Qingxi’s blanket and whispered, “Sister, go eat. My brother’s cooking is really good.”
Sheng Qingxi stood up and walked over to the table. Lin Ran had made her a small bowl of simple vegetable noodles, with no meat at all—he had noticed earlier that she hadn’t eaten the fish.
She tried moving her right hand and found that as long as she didn’t use too much force, it didn’t hurt.
While she was eating slowly, Lin Ran grabbed the blanket she had set aside and, without a word, draped it back over her legs.
Sheng Qingxi paused mid-bite and looked up at him through the steam rising from the bowl.
Before she could thank him, Lin Ran cut her off with a stern voice, “Just eat. No talking.”
After finishing her noodles, Sheng Qingxi went back to sit with Lin Yanyan, helping her with her homework.
It was only nine o’clock, and Lin Ran knew he’d have to take her back home soon. Seeing the two girls sitting together, he decided to head upstairs to take a shower. For the three of them, this chaotic day was finally coming to an end.
Standing under the showerhead, Lin Ran closed his eyes, letting the warm water cascade over him. Soon, steam filled the bathroom, and the humid mist blurred everything around him.
For some reason, Sheng Qingxi’s words seemed to echo in his ears once more.
She had asked—
Lin Ran, does it hurt?
Suddenly, Lin Ran froze, and the sound of the water stopped abruptly.
A thought, unbelievable and unexpected, surfaced in his mind.