After dinner, Aunt Ying warmly invited Lin Jinran to stay at her place for a while, but unfortunately, Lin Jinran declined. She stubbornly insisted on going back.
Aunt Ying didn't dare to upset her. After the meal, the group accompanied her home.
In the dim stairwell, Lin Jinran walked up step by step expressionlessly. She felt so tired, just like these never - ending stairs with no end in sight.
She opened the door and entered. The room was pitch - dark. The dark curtains completely blocked the moonlight outside, and the air was filled with a stifling atmosphere.
As usual, she suffered from insomnia. Lin Jinran lay on the bed in a daze, her eyes wide open, staring intently at the ceiling.
The sun rose above the horizon again, marking the start of a new day.
The WeChat groups were bustling, and the Moments were even more lively. They were filled with the tearful joy of being liberated from the college entrance examination or travel locations from all over the country.
Su Qinian chose a place and time. They were going to take a walk by the nearby river tomorrow evening, and everyone agreed.
Lin Jinran replied with a tired "Okay".
Her friend Tao Wan sent her a special message to remind her.
【Tao Wan】: "We're going to take photos tomorrow. I must take the most beautiful photos of each of you. So Jinran, you must dress up nicely."
Lin Jinran felt nothing inside and just perfunctorily agreed.
The next day, she put on a simple white dress and just applied a bit of lipstick before going out.
The sunset was romantic. The golden - glowing sun slowly sank below the horizon. Lin Jinran arrived at the place they had agreed on, beside a river.
There was no one there.
Lin Jinran calmly stood by the river, looking down. Suddenly, there was a change by the river. A face emerged - the face of her mother.
Then her mother's face transformed into those of the people who had laughed at and ridiculed her. They were mocking her over - ambition, and her mother was complaining why she didn't come down to accompany her.
Lin Jinran was in a daze. She seemed to hear a voice calling her.
"Ranran, Ranran, I'm right here. Will you take a few steps forward..."
Lin Jinran's mind was hazy. She obediently took a step forward following the voice.
"Yes, that's it. Take a few more steps, and we mother and daughter can meet."
She took another step forward.
Her other foot was right next to the river, about to step out.
"Ranran!"
Accompanied by a panicked call, her arm was suddenly grabbed. The haze in Lin Jinran's eyes faded, and she instantly came to her senses. She looked down at the river, and there was nothing there, just a calm surface.
"You really scared me to death. What's so interesting about the river? How could you get so distracted?" Su Qinian tightened his grip on her arm and patted his chest in relief.
He didn't even dare to imagine. If he hadn't arrived in time, what he might have seen...
No, no, he mustn't think like that.
"I'm sorry." Lin Jinran's lips twitched slightly as she whispered an apology. She had caused trouble for Su Qinian again.
It seemed that it had always been like this. She was always causing trouble for Su Qinian, while on the contrary, Su Qinian had never troubled her...
"Why are you saying sorry to me? Ranran, are you silly after the college entrance examination?" Su Qinian let go of her hand and tapped her forehead, half - amused and half - annoyed.
Only then did Lin Jinran notice that the boy in front of her was dressed gently and casually. He was wearing a simple white shirt and light - blue long pants, with the cuffs slightly rolled up, adding a bit more casualness.
Su Qinian seemed a bit embarrassed and let out a dry laugh: "Um... Haven't the others arrived yet?"
"I don't know." she replied.
When she came, she was the only one there.
Su Qinian took out his phone and pretended to check a message. Then he said mysteriously: "Ranran, they said they're in front of the river. They told us to go find them."
Lin Jinran didn't suspect anything and slowly followed Su Qinian.
She still talked very little, and it was very quiet between the two of them.
Su Qinian couldn't help but wonder. Before the college entrance examination, Lin Jinran had been almost silent and quietly endured the countdown. At that time, the atmosphere in the class was tense, and it was much quieter than usual.
Later, she suddenly fainted and was hospitalized. Su Qinian guessed that it was due to stress and anxiety, which made her unable to sleep or eat.
Now that the college entrance examination was over, getting rid of the former gloom, all the senior - three students were celebrating, with more or less a relieved smile on their faces.
But Lin Jinran was different. She was still quiet, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. There was no joy after the college entrance examination, and the gloom still lingered around her.
Su Qinian paused for a moment, his heart skipped a beat.
Could something have happened in between that could completely change a person?
"Ranran, what... happened during this period?" Su Qinian quickly caught up with her, looking at her sideways. He carefully chose his words and asked.
"Nothing. Nothing happened." Lin Jinran forced a smile at the corner of her mouth and stared at him very seriously. "I'm just a bit tired and confused after finishing the college entrance examination. I've lost all my motivation and don't know what to do next."
Rarely had she said so many words at once. Lin Jinran gasped slightly, her eyes flickering.
Half - truths were the most convincing.
So that was it. Su Qinian let out a sigh of relief: "It's okay. If you stay in Wannanshi, I'll be here too. Before the college - entrance - examination results come out, we can look at some universities."
"Isn't Qingbei University already in your pocket? Do you still need to pick and choose?" Lin Jinran half - joked, smiling at him, but deep inside, her heart was empty.
"Ranran, you're the same. I... I was just giving an example. No, this example wasn't good. I'll change it." Su Qinian rested his chin on his hand and thought for a while. "I know. There are still many places in Wannanshi you haven't been to. I can take you to the most fun places and eat the most delicious food."
Lin Jinran's eyes dimmed slightly as she quietly listened to him imagining the future.
Maybe she wouldn't be able to be part of this future. She had a premonition that she wouldn't stay in Wannanshi for much longer.
The two walked along the river. At sunset, the sky was dyed a soft amber color. The silky sunlight fell on them, mysterious and distant.
Lin Jinran quietly thought that her life had been unfortunate. Her mother had jumped from a villa, leaving behind her young daughter. The blood had soaked the lawn, and she had witnessed it all, feeling utterly desperate.
Later, she had suffered from depression. Her mother had become a vegetable, her father had divorced and remarried, and there was a stepsister almost the same age as her.
Home was no longer a home. She had lived on tenterhooks in her own home. Her stepmother and stepsister had deliberately picked on her, her biological father had truly hated her, and her mother had been lying alone in the hospital, sleeping all day.
Later, she had escaped from that home and come to Wannanshi. Her mother had had a chance to wake up, and her grades had been improving. Everything had seemed to be heading towards a bright future.
But then, her mother had passed away, she had failed the college entrance examination, and she was in such a mess.