The corridor stretched across the sky like a long cloud pathway, as a slanting wind carried a fine drizzle into the hall. The cool raindrops, mingled with light pink flower petals, drifted in from the vast expanse of the heavens.
Lin Ran, his expression indifferent, brushed past Sheng Qingxi. The wind lifted the girl’s jet-black hair, and a faint, elusive fragrance lingered in the moist air.
In the brief moment when they passed each other, Sheng Qingxi’s gaze abruptly halted.
The cold, aloof boy didn’t notice that the girl beside him had gradually stopped in her tracks.
Not far away, He Mo and Xie Zhen were stunned. They had been leaning on the railing, watching the scene unfold, and saw the “fairy” stop and silently turn to gaze at Lin Ran’s retreating figure.
She looked as if she were sad.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes drooped slightly, her eyes reddening at the corners, but before long, she lowered her lashes, withdrew her gaze, and turned, walking step by step toward the end of the corridor.
They were walking in opposite directions.
He Mo and Xie Zhen exchanged a horrified glance, each recalling the words she had spoken in Zhao Shuyue’s office.
So… the person the “fairy” likes is their Brother Ran?
As Lin Ran approached the entrance to Class 1, he glanced at the two casually leaning against the railing, but said nothing and was about to enter the classroom when He Mo hastily called out, “Brother Ran!”
He didn’t dare touch Lin Ran so early in the morning, relying only on words to make an impact.
Lin Ran stopped, tilting his head to look at him. His long, narrow eyes were cold and indifferent. The message was clear: Say what you need to say.
He Mo immediately shoved Xie Zhen forward. “Brother Ran, Ah Zhen has something to ask you.”
Xie Zhen: “…?”
What kind of brother is this?
The flesh on Xie Zhen’s face twitched slightly. After a moment of inner struggle, he gritted his teeth and asked, “Brother Ran, do you know that transfer student? The girl was just looking at you like she was about to cry. Did you…?”
Did you reject another confession?
Lin Ran frowned, his lips tightening into a line, an unmistakable expression of impatience.
He Mo and Xie Zhen simultaneously took a step back.
“I don’t know her. No.”
With those few cold words, Lin Ran turned and walked into the classroom without looking back.
At the other end of the corridor, Sheng Qingxi clenched her hands involuntarily. The plastic bag wrapped around her school uniform rustled loudly under the pressure. She lowered her gaze and continued walking forward.
Just before reaching the classroom, she suddenly let out a heavy breath. The moment she saw Lin Ran, she had forgotten to breathe, as if time had frozen, with only her heart pounding violently in her chest.
This was Sheng Qingxi, seeing Lin Ran again after ten years.
A living Lin Ran.
.
Today was the first day of the second semester of their second year of high school, and every classroom was lively, as there was no morning reading session that day. The students of Class 6 were chattering away, talking about where they went during the break, who had gained weight, and endless other topics.
Right before Sheng Qingxi entered the classroom, Jiang Mingyuan called out to her, “Sheng Qingxi, the teacher will take you inside. Once you’re in, can you introduce yourself to the class?”
Jiang Mingyuan was different from the math teachers Sheng Qingxi had encountered before. He had thick hair, wore black-rimmed glasses, looked to be around forty years old, and had a gentle temperament.
Sheng Qingxi nodded.
After entering the classroom, Jiang Mingyuan picked up the giant triangular ruler from the podium and knocked it on the blackboard, signaling everyone to quiet down. Sheng Qingxi quietly followed behind him and stood beside the podium.
All eyes in the classroom were immediately focused on Sheng Qingxi.
At that moment, Sheng Qingxi had not yet changed into her school uniform and was still wearing a plain white sweater. She appeared thin and fragile, her chin tucked into the collar, and her legs were straight and slender. Even her white sneakers looked as pristine as she did.
Her fresh and stunning aura captivated nearly everyone’s gaze.
A strange silence filled the classroom, broken only by a sudden clattering sound from the back row, as if someone had knocked over a chair. The room fell silent once again.
Jiang Mingyuan cleared his throat, “This is the new student who has transferred into our class. Everyone, please offer her your support, whether it’s with her studies or in life. Let’s make sure she feels that Class 6 is a warm and welcoming family!”
After speaking, Jiang Mingyuan looked expectantly at the students, but no one responded. They all continued to stare at Sheng Qingxi.
Jiang Mingyuan: “…”
For a moment, he didn’t want to admit that this group of kids were his students.
Amid the awkwardness, Sheng Qingxi scanned the unfamiliar faces below and softly said, “Hello, my name is Sheng Qingxi. I look forward to getting to know you all.”
Her voice was soft yet audible, and given the quietness of the room, everyone heard her clearly.
Sitting in the crowd, Gu Mingji’s expression became complicated as he observed the current Sheng Qingxi. Compared to when they were children, she seemed to have changed a lot. How long had it been since he last saw her?
It had been almost eleven years since he was adopted and had lost contact with Sheng Qingxi. She was younger than him by a few months and had always followed him around, calling him “Big Brother Mingji.”
Gu Mingji still vividly remembered the morning he was taken away. All the children from the orphanage came to see him off. By then, he had already changed into a brand-new set of clothes.
The other children gave him gifts—some were toys, others were drawings or letters.
But Sheng Qingxi was different. She gave him five pieces of candy.
The more you love something, the more you hesitate to touch it. Sheng Qingxi had kept those five pieces of candy for a long time, reluctant to eat them, yet she gave them all to him at once. The silly girl didn’t even know that the candies had melted inside the wrappers.
Back then, they both had the surname Sheng, like all the children at the orphanage, who shared the surname of the director. Now, Sheng Qingxi hadn’t changed her surname, so had she stayed at the orphanage all this time?
Gu Mingji’s thoughts grew increasingly complicated.
…
The day passed in the blink of an eye, and there were only thirty minutes left before the last class of the afternoon ended. At the back of the classroom, Lin Ran’s seat was already empty.
He Mo glanced at Lin Ran’s vacant spot and couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Ran went to pick up Yanyan from school again? Didn’t that little girl always stay in class to finish her homework and wait for us to pick her up after class?”
He was confused. “Didn’t this start when Brother Ran wasn’t himself for a while?”
Xie Zhen’s expression grew serious as he thought back and said, “It really did seem to start then. Do you think something happened to Yanyan that Brother Ran hasn’t told us about?”
For a moment, He Mo was speechless.
Given Lin Ran’s personality, no matter what happened, he would always bear it alone.
…
In the boxing gym, on the third floor of the private area, the heavy sound of impacts echoed repeatedly.
The young man, shirtless and wearing boxing gloves, looked entirely different from his usual lean figure in his school uniform. Underneath his clothes were well-defined muscles with beautiful contours, a broad chest, and a slender waist, drawing attention.
Beads of sweat glistened, sliding unabashedly down the smooth lines of his muscles.
The rough, heavy breathing throbbed in Lin Ran’s ears as he tightly focused on his opponent’s punch trajectory. A fierce fist sliced through the air, aiming directly at his face.
Lin Ran moved swiftly to the side, tucking his chin slightly.
With a quick step forward, he powered up from his waist, shifting his right shoulder forward, and launched a straight right punch directly at his opponent’s head.
Lin Ran couldn’t see his own expression, but his opponent could.
The boy’s gaze was fierce, like a leopard lurking in the dark forest, watching its prey—dangerous and intense. He deliberately restrained the fierceness in his eyes, but at this moment, it was impossible to hide.
The man, dazed by the impact of the punch, was on the verge of tears. No wonder people avoided fighting when they heard Lin Ran’s name. But because Lin Ran was a friend of their boss, they had no choice but to send someone, and unfortunately, he had become the unlucky one.
Not far from the boxing ring, Lin Yanyan was obediently leaning over a desk, doing her homework. She was used to this kind of scene. Lin Ran had been like this ever since a certain day.
Wherever he went, he would take her with him.
Lin Yanyan quietly lifted her head to glance at her brother.
She knew Lin Ran had been in a terrible mood recently.
Lin Yanyan sighed softly and returned her focus to her homework.
Two years ago, Lin Ran had taken her and moved out of the Lin family home.
When Lin Ran was seven, their mother passed away. Their father, Lin Youcheng, remarried, and after that, everything changed. As Lin Ran grew older, the conflicts within the family only intensified. Two years ago, something happened that brought their family conflict to a head.
So, Lin Ran had taken her to live in the house their mother had left behind. Since then, Lin Ran had been the one taking care of her. He was three years older than her and had managed everything for the household.
At this moment, Lin Yanyan thought, ‘If only I could grow up faster.’
If she grew up quickly, her brother wouldn’t have to work so hard.
When the clock struck six, the sounds of impact on the boxing ring gradually faded.
Lying on his back on the floor, Lin Ran closed his eyes, panting. The rage in his heart hadn’t subsided after the release; instead, it had intensified.
His whole body felt like it was burning.
Lin Ran suddenly opened his eyes, his dark pupils deep and somber.
Above him, the lights on the gym ceiling shone brightly, and everything around him was quiet. Occasionally, someone passed by, their footsteps steady and slow. Though the scorching heat of the fight had dissipated, the fire inside Lin Ran still threatened to consume him.
His pupils constricted as if he had thought of something.
He immediately stood up and looked in the direction of Lin Yanyan. Only when he saw the small, fragile girl sitting there doing her homework did he finally exhale in relief.
Lin Yanyan was still alive. She was still here, right in front of him.
Lin Ran jumped off the ring, removed his gloves, and walked toward Lin Yanyan. Flexing his fingers a bit, he glanced at her homework and said, “I’m going to take a shower. Once I’m done, I’ll take you out to eat.”
Then, as if to threaten her, he added, “Stay put and wait for me here. If you run off, I’ll confiscate all your comic books at home.”
Lin Yanyan obediently nodded.
After Lin Ran left, Lin Yanyan furrowed her small face in frustration. For the past two months, the two phrases Lin Ran had said to her the most were “Don’t run off” and “Wait here for me.”
What exactly was wrong with her brother?
.
At 9:50 p.m., the bell signaling the end of the evening self-study session rang.
Carrying her backpack, Sheng Qingxi walked alone toward the stairwell.
On the third floor, there were two stairwells—one near the office and one near Class 1, located at the corner of the corridor.
The Minxue Building was situated at the foot of the mountain. Below it was a wide open space, leading to a sloping path that connected to the student garage built under the building. Some students took the path to retrieve their bicycles and ride home, while others hurried toward private cars parked on the slope—this was the most common way for day students to go home.
But for someone like Sheng Qingxi, she took the bus.
After walking down the slope, Sheng Qingxi didn’t take the main road but opted for a shortcut. The shortcut ran behind the gymnasium, with few people and no streetlights. Aside from being quicker, it had no other advantages.
As she entered the darkness, Sheng Qingxi noticed someone following her at a distance—not too close, but not too far either. It seemed like he was unsure whether to approach her or not.
After a while, he slowed his pace, increasing the distance between them.
Sheng Qingxi lowered her eyes and continued walking, her pace unbroken.
The night was deep, and the streetlights on either side of the road glowed faintly. Shadows of trees swayed gently on the ground. She could hear the subtle sound of the wind, the cheerful conversations of girls, and the crisp jingling of bicycles.
The last bus, Route 113, to the Shengkai Orphanage ran until midnight. Sheng Qingxi took the 10:10 p.m. bus, and by the time she got off at her stop, it was already 11 p.m. As she stepped off the bus, she saw Sheng Lan waiting for her.
A slight smile curved Sheng Qingxi’s lips, and her face showed a rare expression of youthful liveliness. She ran up to Sheng Lan and cheerfully called out, “Mama Sheng!”
Sheng Lan looked her over carefully before taking her hand to walk home, grumbling as they went, “You just had to transfer schools, and now it’s so far from home. How is the new school? Is the food in the cafeteria any good? Are your classmates easy to get along with?”
Sheng Qingxi obediently answered each of Sheng Lan’s questions in detail.
The dim and hazy streetlights stretched their shadows long and far.
At 11:30 p.m., after finishing her shower, Sheng Qingxi lay down in her small bed.
The lights were off, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Sheng Qingxi kept her eyes open, staring into the boundless blackness for a long time before slowly closing them.
As soon as her eyes shut, all she could see was a sky full of flames.