The morning sun was gradually rising, and the rosy dawn spread across the land. Sunbeams, like broken pieces of gold, filtered through the gaps in the leaves and dappled the ground in a beautiful pattern.
Lin Jinran stood at the apartment gate with a suitcase in hand.
Ten minutes later, a black sedan pulled up. The driver got out and helped put the suitcase in the trunk. Lin Jinran got into the car and rubbed her hands. "I didn't expect it to be a bit cold so early in the morning."
Su Qinian fetched a blanket and handed it to her. "You're only wearing a dress. Of course you're cold. Cover yourself with it quickly."
Lin Jinran spread the blanket around herself. Suddenly, she burst into laughter as if reminded of something. The smile on her lips was like a blossoming gardenia on a branch, pure and beautiful.
She turned to him and said, "Do I look like a little penguin now, all round and chubby?"
Su Qinian leaned over to smooth out the wrinkles at the edge of the blanket. Hearing her words, he flashed a gentle smile. "Yes, you're so cute."
"I saw a news article this morning. It was about Lin Tingnian," Lin Jinran said, leaning slightly towards him. She took out her phone, opened the news link, and scrolled through the screen with her finger.
"It's some negative news about Lin Tingnian. It says she's a spoiled brat with a terrible temper. She bosses around the employees just because she's the daughter of the Lin Group's chairman. She has no manners at all."
"I wonder who the brave soul was who dared to write this article and risk offending Lin Cheng. Reading it really makes me feel good."
The smile on Su Qinian's lips deepened. "Maybe she offended someone she shouldn't have."
"You're right. It's a miracle she hasn't offended everyone with that temper of hers. It's a pity this news article will be taken down soon." Lin Jinran sighed. Lin Cheng was very concerned about his reputation. Hurting Lin Tingnian's reputation was the same as hurting his own.
"No, it won't." Su Qinian said firmly.
"Why?" Lin Jinran asked. Several images flashed through her mind. Her eyes gradually widened as she stared straight at Su Qinian. "Did you arrange for this article to be published?"
"Yes," Su Qinian admitted calmly. "She almost hurt you yesterday noon. She thinks she can do whatever she wants just because her parents protect her. She really needs to be taught a lesson."
"My Ranran has someone to protect her, too."
Lin Jinran's cheeks flushed quickly, and the tips of her snow - white ears hidden under her long hair also turned bright red.
Taking advantage of the fact that the driver was focused on driving, she quickly turned her head and gave Su Qinian a gentle kiss on the cheek. Then she grinned playfully. "Thank you, Su Qinian."
Su Qinian was slightly stunned. He reached out to touch the place where he'd been kissed, as if the warmth of her lips still lingered there.
He glanced at the driver out of the corner of his eye and whispered, "Ranran, you're playing with fire."
"Come and get me then! Come on!" Lin Jinran giggled and scurried to the other side of the car, putting as much distance between them as possible.
Su Qinian was both angry and amused. He put his hand down. "You'll pay for this when we get out of the car."
As a result, when Lin Jinran and Su Qinian arrived at their destination at noon and met Xie Wanyu and Jiang Xiubin, Lin Jinran's lips were swollen from kisses.
Xie Wanyu greeted Lin Jinran with a warm hug. When she let go and looked up, she saw Lin Jinran's obviously swollen lips.
Xie Wanyu hesitated. "Jinran, what kind of lipstick are you wearing? Your lips look..." strange?
Lin Jinran glared at Su Qinian fiercely. Still not satisfied, she reached around his waist and pinched the soft flesh gently but firmly.
Su Qinian, who was chatting with Jiang Xiubin, grimaced slightly but managed to maintain his smile and continue the conversation.
Thankfully, that naughty hand didn't stay long, and Su Qinian let out a sigh of relief.
Lin Jinran said, "Just some random lipstick. I don't remember the shade."
Xie Wanyu looked back and forth between Lin Jinran and Su Qinian. A bold thought popped into her mind.
Could it be from kisses?
Is the class monitor really that passionate?
Xie Wanyu suppressed her laughter and invited them into the new house she shared with Jiang Xiubin. "The wedding is tomorrow. I didn't have time to prepare a bridesmaid's dress for you."
"It's okay. I'll stay downstairs and be your guardian angel." Lin Jinran replied with a smile.
"It's such a pity. I fantasized about my wedding in high school, and I even thought about who my bridesmaids would be. You were one of them, Jinran." Xie Wanyu sighed, but she quickly perked up.
"I'm really happy you could come to my wedding, Jinran. I thought I'd never see you again. After the college entrance exam, we all looked for you but couldn't find you anywhere."
Lin Jinran lowered her eyes and said softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"It's okay. It's more than enough that you're here for my wedding. I've booked a hotel room for you at the same hotel where the wedding will be held. If you're free these two days, spend more time with us. It's rare for us to get together."
Xie Wanyu pulled her to sit on the sofa. Jiang Xiubin went to pour tea, and Su Qinian sat quietly on one side, listening to his girlfriend chatting with her friend. His smile was gentle and affectionate.
Lin Jinran nodded with a smile. Her eyes flitted between Xie Wanyu and Jiang Xiubin. She couldn't help but ask,
"After graduation, how did you two get together? We all could tell you liked Jiang Xiubin, Wanyu. But I had no idea if Jiang Xiubin liked you."
Xie Wanyu blushed shyly and exchanged a glance with Jiang Xiubin. Jiang Xiubin smiled and took the initiative to say,
"Actually, I noticed Wanyu liked me during our senior year of high school. At that time, I was only focused on the college entrance exam and didn't think about anything else. Maybe I liked her a little, but just a tiny bit. After the college entrance exam, Wanyu chose a college close to mine."
"Xie Wanyu is brave. Her persistence touched me, and I gradually opened my heart to her. Naturally, we got together."
He summed up his story with Xie Wanyu in just a few words, simply and purely.
Jiang Xiubin took a sip of the warm tea. "I'm really lucky to have met Xie Wanyu."
"How romantic!" Lin Jinran clapped her hands. "It really is true that the brave enjoy the world."
If only she hadn't been so timid, they wouldn't have lost touch for nearly a decade.
As if guessing what his girlfriend was thinking, Su Qinian took her hand that was resting on her leg and held it tightly. "It's not too late for us. It's just right."
Yes, it was just right.
The four of them chatted in the living room for a while longer when the doorbell rang. Jiang Xiubin got up to answer it. It was Lu Youchuan and Tao Wan.
They immediately spotted Lin Jinran sitting on the sofa. Tao Wan's eyes welled up with tears. She nodded. "Jinran, you're getting more and more beautiful. It's so good to see you again."
The memories of being deskmates that year were indelible.
"Of course! Sister Lin is a big star now, and so is Brother Su. They're such a perfect match. They're like a match made in heaven," Lu Youchuan said proudly, as if he had been the one to bring them together.