Opening the dorm door, Lin Ran bumped right into Wu Zhishang, who was carrying a meal back.
"Bro Lin, why didn’t you go to military training today? The instructor asked me to check on you."
Lin Ran: "Military training my ass. Later, we’ll talk when I have time. Lend me your backpack."
"Eh? Bro Lin, where are you going? If you’re heading to an internet café, wait for me!"
"I’m going to find my wife."
Wu Zhishang froze behind him, then calmly walked back into the dorm, muttering under his breath.
"When the hell will that idiot Liu Ruxue just drop dead? Look what she’s done to my bro Lin."
Suddenly, Wu Zhishang paused. "Wait… why does Bro Lin seem different? Like… older?"
Don’t misunderstand—Wu Zhishang meant his age.
Walking through the youthful campus, Lin Ran had no mood to admire the scenery.Right now, he wasn’t the infamous simp in everyone’s eyes—he was even a candidate for the new heartthrob, drawing covert glances wherever he went.
At this point, the only people who knew about his infatuation with Liu Ruxue were Wu Zhishang, Lin Jian, and of course, Liu Ruxue herself.
Lin Ran checked the date again—September 10th. Correct.
This was the day he met Luo Yao—or rather, the day he met the grown-up Luo Yao for the first time.
September 10th of his freshman year.
It was already noon. Lin Ran clearly remembered that Luo Yao had come looking for him in the morning.
Her first words to him were: "Ah Ran, I’ve caught you. I’m going to marry you… take me as your wife!"
Lin Ran was not only baffled but outright shocked.
He even dismissed Luo Yao as some delusional admirer.
Though Luo Yao was stunning, for Liu Ruxue’s sake, he gently refused. He still remembered the disappointment and pain in Luo Yao’s eyes.
Sigh. All thanks to the tricks of time.
[Little Black: Where the hell are you going?]
[Lin Ran: I want to find Luo Yao.]
[Little Black: Holy shit! Let me go, please let me go, I’m begging you—let me go! I don’t wanna go, wuwuwu meow meow meow!]
Ignoring Little Black’s wails, Lin Ran only cared about seeing Luo Yao now.
The current Lin Ran had already rejected her. He needed to talk to her—it was crucial for her next three years.
[Lin Ran: Stop crying. You’re draining all the luck from this household. I have to see Luo Yao.]
[Little Black: You’re overthinking this. You’re just a regular college student now. You think you can just waltz into a chaebol’s life? Dream on. Let me go, meow meow meow!]
Lin Ran shook his head. [No. If I want to see her, Yao Yao will definitely meet me.]
Ignoring Little Black’s agonized howls, Lin Ran strode out of campus.
Suddenly, he froze.
This was the exact spot where Luo Yao had found him—and where he had rejected her.
The memory made him slow his steps. He pulled out his phone, picked the perfect angle, and asked a passing student to snap a photo of him.
In the picture, he smiled brilliantly, tenderly, with a hint of shyness.
This was the place where he first met the grown-up Luo Yao. It deserved commemoration.
"Lin Ran gege, where are you going?"
Lin Ran stiffened again. He hadn’t expected to run into Liu Ruxue—he thought he’d never see her again in this lifetime.
Too lazy to engage, he pocketed his phone with a look of disdain. "Going home."
Liu Ruxue beamed. Say what you will about her—call her trashy, call her dumb, call her awful—but you couldn’t call her ugly.
At this time, Liu Ruxue was the picture of youthful radiance: lively, sweet, and effortlessly captivating. Any man would be smitten.
But not Lin Ran. He wanted to slap his past self.
"Then I’ll go with you! It’s been a while since I visited Uncle. If not for him, I’d never have gotten into this university. We can even swing by Huatian Plaza tonight."
Lin Ran stopped walking. He decided to waste ten seconds on a parting gift for Liu Ruxue.
At this point, Huo Haini hadn’t yet become her shadow. Otherwise, Lin Ran might’ve wasted another ten seconds on him too.
"Liu Ruxue, I hope you blossom into a star in Southeast Asia soon. And since your eyes are basically surveillance cameras, I hope three years from now, they see nothing at all."
With that, Lin Ran bolted, leaving Liu Ruxue behind.
Two blessings in ten seconds—more than generous.
A fitting farewell for their acquaintance.
Liu Ruxue stood at the school gate, utterly baffled, dissecting his words.
"Was Lin Ran gege… complimenting my eyes?"
Hailing a cab, Lin Ran headed "home."
Of course, the home in his heart wasn’t the Lin residence—it was wherever Luo Yao was.
Where was Luo Yao? Checking the time, Lin Ran estimated a 90% chance she was at Luo Corporation, 10% at her estate.
Still, he wanted confirmation.
Pulling out his phone—currently devoid of his beloved’s number, though he remembered it by heart—he froze at the automated message:
"Sorry, your balance is insufficient."
"Damn it!"
Lin Ran barely held back a curse.
[Lin Ran: Why didn’t you bring my phone back properly?]
[Little Black (from the backpack): Huh? No idea. Maybe just give up? Why obsess over Luo Yao anyway?]
Lin Ran sighed. No point arguing with a cat.
It didn’t understand love.
"Driver, Luo Corporation, please."
The cabbie drove like the wind, soon arriving at Luo Corporation’s towering headquarters. Just as Lin Ran reached for his wallet, reality struck.
No data, no scan-to-pay.
"Sir, really sorry—my phone’s out of credit. I’m a Jingda University student. Could I get your WeChat and pay you back once I top up?"
The driver shook his head. "Nah. Leave something as collateral."
Lin Ran: "I’ve got a cat in my bag. Super cuddly. You can keep it."
The driver waved him off. "Forget it. Just go. What am I gonna do with a damn cat? Consider it a good deed."
Lin Ran almost smiled. This guy was oddly kind.
"Thanks, bro. May your roads be smooth, your wealth abundant, and your nights never lonely."
The driver cut in: "Change the blessing. Wish for my son to grow up happy, my mom to live long and healthy, and my wife to love me forever."
Lin Ran blinked. "Uh… bro, are you making wishes at me? Fine. May your son grow up happy, your mom live long and healthy, and your wife love me—I mean, love you forever."
In the end, Lin Ran delivered the blessing.
Who’d have thought? The future husband of a top chaebol heir, riding a cab without paying.
The driver finally looked satisfied. "Alright, go on. Get busy."
"Thanks, bro."
As Lin Ran walked away, he felt an inexplicable warmth toward the driver.
Something familiar.
Sigh.
Some dads out here worrying if their kids are happy.
His dad? Only worried if he’d kneel.
What a damn gap.
He hoped this driver got everything he wished for.
Much later, looking back on this moment, Lin Ran would cringe—and ache.
He should’ve given the man a few more blessings.