Chapter 85 The Ring

After asking that question, Lu Ran was shocked by his own trembling voice.

His voice trembled, and he felt an unprecedented sense of fear.

But……

Fear? What was he afraid of? Was he afraid of such a worthless ring? Lu Ran found it laughable, but even though he thought that, he found that he couldn't take his eyes off the ring.

want to……

I want to go...

Lu Ran's fingers tightened, trying to stop his wavering rationality.

Pei Ci, who was beside him, naturally noticed Lu Ran's gaze. Following his gaze, Pei Ci saw the ring on her finger, an ordinary white opal ring, which shimmered and sparkled in the light, just like any other gemstone.

She remembered the ring. Before the world restarted, she had given it to Ye Zhaoxue twice. The first time, the ring caused trouble; the second time, she landed safely, and Ye Zhaoxue always carried it with her. Now, nothing had happened between her and Ye Zhaoxue, so why Lu Ran's gaze…

Why is he looking at this?

"Is it pretty?" Pei Ci asked.

Lu Ran's eyes flickered, and he loosened his grip on Pei Ci's fingers, his expression hesitant as he pondered how to explain.

How could he explain his sudden urge to destroy the ring? But it sounded so absurd, so nonsensical.

Thinking this way, his thoughts stretched endlessly. In the long silence, Lu Ran's hand suddenly warmed, and looking down, he saw A-Ci's fingers covering his own, and then…

She took off her opal ring and placed it in his palm.

The opal ring wasn't heavy, it felt incredibly weightless to him. This scene was so much like the moment a bride and groom exchange rings. No, even the current scene… it had to be said, resembled a wedding moment.

"This is..." Lu Ran felt his blood boil and his heart race at his own association. His voice was hoarse as he stared at him intently, "For me?"

“Mm.” Pei Ci nodded.

Lu Ran pursed his lips and softly hummed in agreement.

But it was just an ordinary object. A ring, a ring given to him by A-Ci. Why did he find it so objectionable and feel an unusual anger? If there were sulfuric acid right now, Lu Ran would want to throw it in and dissolve it immediately, even if a few drops splashed onto his hands, he wouldn't care.

Intense emotions churned within him. Lu Ran held the ring in silence, about to put it in his pocket, when Pei Ci suddenly took the ring and threw it into the trash can.

That was too fast.

"No, I..."

Lu Ran rushed to pick it up, but Pei Ci grabbed his clothes, and the tall young man stood rooted to the spot like a wooden stake.

Did I show my dissatisfaction?

He pursed his lips. "It's not that I don't like it..."

“You don’t like it,” Pei Ci interrupted him.

“No, I…” Lu Ran fell silent in response to Pei Ci’s calm voice.

A deathly silence.

He really doesn't like it.

But this was given to him by A-Ci. He hadn't given him a ring yet. Just as he was thinking this, a ruby ​​ring suddenly appeared in front of him, held by a pale hand.

It was Pei Ci's hand.

He looked up in disbelief and saw Pei Ci with a calm expression. The ruby-red light reflected on her face, making her beauty as dazzling as a diamond. Her gaze lightly fell on his face, and then he said, "This ring suits you better."

Lu Ran was completely stunned.

No, what did he just hear? Pei Ci... was she trying to coax him? She had picked out a ring for him, a ring that suited him. In this setting, in this situation, with these actions...

She cares about him.

Upon reaching this conclusion, Lu Ran was completely stunned, as if he had been hit by a cotton cart, and couldn't think of anything. By the time he came to his senses, Pei Ci had already taken several steps.

Lu Ran blinked again. He took a few steps forward and stood beside Pei Ci. His heart was pounding, but his handsome face remained remarkably calm. His hand, however, became restless, gently pulling her arm as he said:

"Brother Chi is waiting for us outside."

Pei Ci's eyelids twitched at the mention of "we," and she turned her head to look. She saw Lu Ran's profile, with his beautiful jawline and high nose bridge. The light from the side of his face gave him a sculpted, almost sculpted beauty.

Pei Ci thought that she looked better this way.

She didn't let go.

They walked out of the airport hand in hand, with Anderson and Shao Ying following behind, and then the accompanying medical personnel. After they left, the huge airport became deserted.

Airport staff relaxed.

"As expected of a wealthy and prestigious family, their looks and temperament are truly impeccable."

"That's right, I don't even dare to speak loudly."

"To be honest, just to pick someone up at the airport, they canceled all other flights, and even made planes already in the air turn back. That's really something..."

"The airport is where other people talk about those things."

"These despicable rich people."

"But...didn't that lady just throw a ring in the trash can? It looked pretty nice, what do you mean by this—"

Several people were still hesitating when they awkwardly walked over, only to find that someone had already picked up the ring.

She was a tall girl with a ponytail, wearing the same employee uniform, but she always stood out more.

"Ye Qingyu, this ring isn't something we can keep for ourselves!! If the guest comes back and demands it, we're doomed!!" The colleague who was a step behind said, his voice trembling with fear.

Ye Qingyu didn't speak, but instead looked at the ring. Even though it was the first time she saw the ring, she had a strong urge to have it.

It's like...

This should have belonged to her.

Suppressing the absurd thoughts in her mind, Ye Qingyu gripped the ring tightly and said calmly, "I'll give it to the captain."

*

On the other side, Pei Ci and Lu Ran walked out of the airport and saw Pei Chi's car.

Lu Ran had always respected Pei Chi. He carefully released Pei Ci's hand and kept a suitable distance from her.

Sitting in the car, Pei Chi had already received the message from Lu Ran that Pei Ci was to be picked up at the airport. However, since it was Pei Ci's order, although he felt displeased, he did not take any action and just silently watched this young master do all this ridiculous and laughable thing.

He figured his sister wouldn't like these things, so seeing the two holding hands stirred a long-forgotten displeasure in him. He sized up Lu Ran, stared at him for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and coldly asked, "What are you doing here?"

Pei Ci knew this was Pei Chi's displeasure, but she had to bring Lu Ran home, not only to keep an eye on his safety, but also because she felt Lu Ran could help him with things.

Pei Ci then explained, "Brother, I sent him."

"You?" Pei Chi looked over.

Pei Ciyi looked into his eyes and immediately thought of his cold and indifferent demeanor in the operating room. She pursed her lips and said, "Yes."

Without giving Pei Chi any reaction, she said to Lu Ran, "Come sit here."

Lu Ran took it all in. He had a gut feeling that something was off about the brother and sister; the atmosphere was off. But he would only stand by Pei Ci's side. As for the consequences of offending Pei Chi, that was a matter for later.

Lu Ran obediently sat down.

The car started moving, and the brother and sister remained silent. The atmosphere was quiet and still. Lu Ran didn't speak, but he paid close attention to Pei Ci's reaction, ensuring he could perfectly execute any instructions she gave.

However, the scenario Lu Ran had anticipated did not occur. The suffocating silence was broken first by Pei Chi, whose voice was lower and had a hint of ingratiation, "Tired on the way?"

Pei Ci: "..."

Pei Ci, who had originally planned to give Pei Chi the cold shoulder, deflated. Even though she knew what kind of person Pei Chi was, she still couldn't distinguish between personal and gratitude. She shook her head, "It's nothing."

"That's good." Pei Chi said softly, "Rest for a while, and I'll tell you about what has happened in the Pei family over the past three years."

Because of Pei Chi's softened attitude, the atmosphere afterwards was quite good. Pei Chi slowly and methodically recounted what had happened in the Pei family, mentioning Pei Ze who had been found, but it was all a flat narration, devoid of emotion.

Pei Chi's true nature has never been well hidden.

The people he doesn't care about are no different from the garbage that can be found everywhere in his eyes.

While Pei Chi was speaking, Pei Ci was also observing Lu Ran.

She noticed that Lu Ran was different this time.

Although his personality remained the same, he would suddenly look out the window for a moment, silent, as if deep in thought. And sometimes he would suddenly stare at her, also without saying a word.

“Lu Ran is acting strange,” Pei Ci said.

Something's definitely not right. He was staring blankly at the ring at the airport. Logically, he shouldn't recognize it. This reaction is really strange.

No, that's not right—

【I've got it!! I know it!!】

[I should have realized this sooner, host. Lu Ran might have memories from before the reboot, perhaps not many, but they will still have an impact.]

[In reality, the characters do not have memories after the reboot, but these reboots occurred when the world was on the verge of collapse and destruction, and the world's ability to reshape itself was greatly weakened. Therefore, some characters may retain memories from the reboot.]

This also explains why Lu Ran committed suicide.

[Perhaps it was Ye Zhaoxue's suicide in the previous reboot world that caused him severe psychological trauma. This trauma followed him to the previous reboot world, where, subjected to multiple stimuli, he ultimately chose to commit suicide like Ye Zhaoxue.]

This is the real reason he committed suicide.

The code the system was using was practically smoking.

I see.

If he really does inherit memories, then Lu Ran's dislike for "Ye Qingyu" makes sense.

Perhaps Zhou Songyin even factored in reincarnation. In each reincarnation, Ye Zhaoxue's hatred for Lu Ran grows stronger, and Lu Ran feels the same way. The two are destined to hate each other until one of them dies.

Will Lu Ran commit suicide this time?

Pei Ci frowned as she asked the question in her mind.

She felt inexplicably unwell, but didn't know why, though she knew she should address it. In short, she couldn't give Lu Ran time to overthink things.

"Lu Ran," Pei Ci asked, "Lu Ran, guess why I blocked you?"

Sure enough, Lu Ran's expression changed when the question was raised.