Devastated by her mother's sudden death, she took consecutive days off to handle the funeral alone.
The pillar of faith in her heart crumbled.
Hands clenched into fists at her waist, Su Qinian lowered his eyes and looked at her, who was casually gazing into the distance. He also saw the girl who had walked alone in the darkness for the past few years.
His heart ached densely, as if being gnawed by thousands of ants.
He was fortunate enough to see Lin Jinran still happy today. Even though life had worn away all her edges, she was standing right in front of him.
This was already lucky enough to outshine 88% of the people in the country.
"Ranran... I'm sorry," Su Qinian said, his eyelids drooping. His thick and long eyelashes cast a shadow, and his eyes were much dimmer than before, the depths of his eyes dark and obscure.
Sorry for not noticing something was wrong with you when you were at your most difficult.
Sorry for not being by your side when you were at your saddest.
Sorry for only truly finding you after all these years and treating you stubbornly due to misunderstandings after the reunion.
Lin Jinran, I'm sorry.
Lin Jinran was slightly stunned. Her eyes, filled with a glimmer of water, turned to look directly at the boy beside her. He was the same as before, yet seemed different in some ways.
She gently shook her head and said firmly, "Su Qinian, you don't need to apologize. It should be me saying sorry to you. I shouldn't have run away in a hurry because of my lack of confidence back then."
It was that which had trapped you in a cage for the past ten years.
"Ranran, I've apologized, and you've apologized too. Does that mean we're back to how we used to be?" Su Qinian asked expectantly and cautiously.
Lin Jinran pursed her lips and smiled, then gently nodded. "Yes, back to how we used to be."
Just like that midsummer years ago. The old-fashioned fan creaked, and the air - conditioner on the back wall sent out a cool breeze. The shrill cries of cicadas and the sweltering summer heat formed colorful memories, becoming the irreplaceable youth in everyone's minds.
"Can I ask a question?" Su Qinian asked obediently, raising his hand.
Lin Jinran curved her eyes and smiled. "What question?"
"Why didn't you look for me during the four years of college?" He spoke slowly and clearly, raising his eyes to carefully observe the girl's expression, as if afraid of touching the critical point of their relationship.
"We promised each other back then to get into Qingbei University together. I was the top scorer in science in the province that year, and the university publicized it widely. Ranran, you should have heard about it."
A look of sadness appeared on Lin Jinran's face. When she took a sabbatical, she once sneaked into Qingbei University to look for him and saw his flamboyance. There was someone else in the position that used to belong to her.
But Lin Jinran didn't want to lie to Su Qinian. She was silent for a while and then said nonchalantly, "I did look for you in your freshman year, and I did see you."
Su Qinian was stunned. "Where was it? Why didn't you call out to me?"
During the four years of college, he thought she had forgotten him long ago.
The bright sunlight shone on her body. Lin Jinran stared at a spot on the back of her hand that was almost glowing white. After a pause, she said, "It was in the pavilion downstairs of your major's teaching building. I saw you around four or five o'clock in the afternoon that day. There was a girl with you back then."
"Girl? Who?"
Nearly ten years had passed. Lin Jinran squinted her eyes and tried to recall carefully. "I don't know who she was. It seemed that you were walking together and discussing something. You even playfully called her something like Luo."
"Was it Miss Luo?" Su Qinian looked at her nervously.
Lin Jinran said, "It seems so."
Su Qinian let out a sigh of relief. "You're talking about Luo Xiyao, the one with tens of millions of fans on the whole internet. Do you still remember when Zhang Qiaozhi splashed dirty water on you in senior year? It was Luo Xiyao who helped find out Zhang Qiaozhi's true face and spoke up for you on the internet."
"Really? It was her?" Lin Jinran slightly opened her mouth and was stunned for a long time.
"I didn't date anyone during college. Luo Xiyao has a boyfriend of her own. It's just that her boyfriend is in the School of Medicine, which is quite far away."
"Ranran, did you misunderstand the relationship between me and her, so you didn't take the brave step?" Su Qinian sighed.
"No, that was only a small part of it." Lin Jinran shook her head. Her eyelashes filled with sunlight trembled slightly, and the smile in her glass - like eyes faded a bit. "The real reason I didn't call out to you was that I saw you so confident, flamboyant, and high - spirited. It seemed that we were from two different worlds."
A bitter taste spread on the tip of her tongue, and she swallowed it with difficulty. "That's what made me back down. I'm just a coward."
She saw the sunlight pouring down, half bright and half dim, splitting their lives into two completely different paths.
If not for the accident, it would have been the two of them getting into Qingbei University together, doing postgraduate studies together, working together, and finally getting married at the right time.
But there was never an "if" in life.
She felt scared and timid and watched him drift further and further away.
"Lin Jinran, you're not a coward. You're very excellent now, and there are many people who like you. For example, me, and also He Jiao and Xie Yun. They see your goodness and are willing to be your friends."
"It's the capital that's causing trouble behind the scenes, preventing more people from liking you. You have to believe that one day the world will see your brave pursuit."
"Lin Jinran, I still like you very much, just like I did ten years ago." The boy's gaze was hot and passionate, like two dancing and burning sparks, crashing straight into Lin Jinran's long - silent heart.
She covered her mouth, the corners of her eyes turning red. Through the boy's eyes, she seemed to see her past self, flamboyant and free, like the wind.
"I, I like you just as much as before. I've always liked you and never changed my heart."
Her red - rimmed eyes gradually filled with tears. A big, shiny teardrop rolled down her cheek. Then, like a floodgate opening, countless big tears poured down from her face to the ground.
Su Qinian felt heart - broken. He took a step forward and wordlessly bent down to hug her tightly.
It seemed that this wasn't enough. He tightened his arms, as if afraid that this was just a dream and the girl in his arms would disappear when he woke up.
[What's going on? What did the two of them say? Why did Su Qinian suddenly hug Lin Jinran? Judging from Lin Jinran's appearance, it seems that she's crying?]
[Could it be that my "Seven - Year Love for Ranran" is going to have a bad ending? No! I just started shipping them and haven't had enough yet.]
[Hey, everyone, be rational. From another perspective, could it be that Su Qinian said something that really touched Lin Jinran and made her cry?]
[Could it be a confession? But that doesn't seem right. Tomorrow night is the confession night. It would be more appropriate to confess tomorrow. I'm so anxious. What on earth is the content that only VIPs can see!]