rely

Since the last "disappearance incident," Qingran's treatment at school has noticeably improved. Sister Jin no longer dares to be careless, and the other teachers in the office are also still shaken. They have spontaneously formed a "monitoring group," and no matter who is there, their eyes will always unconsciously glance at Qingran to make sure that the little girl in the pretty dress, quietly playing with her toys, is still within their sight.

Qingran seemed to have some awareness of this, but she was still oblivious. She continued to obediently follow Sister Jin to school every day, spending the whole day in the small recliner and toy corner specially prepared for her.

That afternoon, the sun shone brightly, casting a warm, golden glow through the large office windows. Qingran sat on the carpet, a thousand-piece landscape jigsaw puzzle spread out in front of her. She had already pieced together a small section of blue sky and clouds in the lower right corner, and was now holding a piece with a dark green edge, her brows slightly furrowed as she carefully searched for its place.

Sunlight fell on her long eyelashes, casting small shadows on her rosy cheeks. Today she wore a pale yellow sweater, which made her little face look exceptionally fair and adorable, like a soft, fluffy little dumpling.

Sister Jin sat at her desk not far away, wearing glasses, engrossed in grading a thick stack of Chinese language test papers. The scratching sound of the red pen across the paper, mixed with the faint noise from the playground outside the window, created the unique tranquil background sound of the office in the afternoon.

"Knock knock." There was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Please come in." Sister Jin didn't even look up.

The door opened, and a tall figure walked in carrying a thick stack of exam papers. The person was dressed in a simple light gray wool sweater and black trousers, with an upright posture and clean features; it was Shen Ci.

With a gentle smile on his face, his gaze swept around the office, first landing on Sister Jin, and then, quite naturally, on the small, focused figure on the carpet.

“Teacher Jin, I’m sorry to bother you.” Shen Ci walked to Sister Jin’s desk and gently put down the test paper. “These are the unit test papers from last week for Class 3 and Class 4 of Grade 1. I have already finished grading them and also scored the essays. Please tell the group leader.”

"Oh, okay, put it here. Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Shen." Sister Jin then looked up, adjusted her glasses, and replied politely.

Just then, the little dumpling on the carpet seemed to hear a familiar voice, and its little hand holding the puzzle piece stopped.

She slowly raised her head and looked in the direction of the voice. When she saw who it was, her eyes, which always seemed a little bewildered, instantly lit up, like stars that had been suddenly ignited.

"Brother Shen!" she called out in a clear voice. Before Sister Jin could even react, she jumped up from the carpet. Without even bothering to put on slippers, she ran barefoot, like a light little bird, straight towards Shen Ci.

Shen Ci was clearly not expected to be so enthusiastic. He paused for a moment, then his smile deepened. He naturally bent down, opened his arms, and steadily caught the small, pale yellow figure running towards him.

"Hey, slow down." His voice rang out with a smile, and with a slight effort, he easily lifted the little girl who had jumped into his arms.

Qingran was very light, and holding her was effortless. Shen Ci looked down at the little face in his arms, which was upturned and filled with undisguised joy and trust. He couldn't help but reach out his index finger and gently pinch her soft cheek. The touch was delicate and cool. "Qingran, it's been a long time."

His voice was soft, carrying a gentle patience typical of children.

Qingran wasn't shy at all in his arms. Instead, she stretched out her little arms and affectionately hugged his neck, rubbing her little face against his shoulder with satisfaction, like a kitten that had found its owner.

Then she started chattering away, her words coming out fast with excitement, her voice soft and sweet: "Brother Chen! I built such a big castle these past few days! Brother Huaiyu bought it for me!... Aunt Jin made me a little cake yesterday, it was so delicious!... I also saw a white butterfly fly onto the window..."

She recounted incoherently the little things that had happened in the past few days: what she had eaten, what she had played, and what she had seen.

Shen Ci held her like that, without the slightest impatience on his face. He tilted his head slightly and listened quietly, occasionally humming in agreement when she paused, or asking, "And then?" His eyes were gentle and focused, as if he were listening to something very important.

Sister Jin next to him: "..."

She took off her glasses, rubbed her temples, and watched her daughter snuggle in Shen Ci's arms without any hesitation, while Shen Ci seemed to enjoy it immensely and was completely at ease with it. She felt a mix of emotions.

On one hand, she could see that Shen Ci genuinely liked Qing Ran and was indeed patient and attentive to her; on the other hand... she couldn't help but think of her own son, Qi Shuo, who was a hopeless sister-obsessed man and had almost exploded on the spot because of the words "Brother Shen" last time.

Thankfully, Qi Shuo is at the factory and not here. Sister Jin silently wiped away a bead of sweat in her heart. If he saw this scene of "brotherly affection" (?), he would probably tear Chen Ci apart on the spot.

Shen Ci seemed completely unaware of Jin Jie's complex inner thoughts. He carried Qing Ran to the carpet where she had been playing with the puzzle, and naturally sat down on the chair next to her. However, he did not put Qing Ran down, but instead let her sit sideways on his lap.

He looked at the unfolded puzzle and pointed to the dark green piece that Qingran was holding in her hand: "Are you looking for where to put this piece?"

"Mmm!" Qingran nodded vigorously, pointing her little finger to a blank spot on the puzzle. "Here! It's the color of a tree! But I don't know which tree it is..."

Shen Ci looked at the puzzle as a whole, then at the spot Qing Ran was pointing to. After a moment of contemplation, he picked out a few pieces of similar color from the pile of fragments beside him: "Try these? Look, the jagged edges seem to match."

"Really?" Qingran's eyes lit up. She took the fragment and began to carefully compare it.

Two heads, one big and one small, huddled together, focusing intently on tackling the complex jigsaw puzzle.

Shen Ci's fingers were long and slender, and he would occasionally offer some pointers, but he mostly let Qing Ran try and discover things for herself. Sunlight shone from behind them, creating an exceptionally harmonious and warm scene.

Qingran would occasionally let out a small cheer when she pieced something together correctly, and Shen Ci would smile, pat her hair, and praise her, "Qingran is so smart."

As Jin Jie watched this scene, the worry she had felt for Qi Shuo gradually dissipated.

Shen Ci is a good teacher and a person of good character. He treats Qing Ran with pure kindness and patience. Qing Ran is simple-minded, and it's rare for her to meet someone who doesn't treat her as a special child but simply plays with her and is kind to her. It's normal for her to rely on him so much.

However… it will probably take some effort to figure out Qi Shuo’s situation. Sister Jin sighed inwardly, put her glasses back on, picked up her red pen, and continued grading the papers. The office fell silent again, with only the scratching sound of the pen tip, Qing Ran’s occasional mutterings and laughter, and Shen Ci’s gentle, low response.

The sunlight moved slowly, lengthening the shadows. This ordinary autumn afternoon was made exceptionally peaceful and beautiful by a reunion as pure as the first snow.

Shen Ci helped Qing Ran finish piecing together the "most difficult" tree, and together they put the scattered clouds in the sky back in their places.

Qingran was so happy to have completed a small piece of the puzzle that her eyes crinkled into crescent moons. Shen Ci glanced at his watch; it was almost four in the afternoon, and he had class next.

"Qingran," he gently patted the little girl's back in his arms, his voice gentle, "Brother Chen is going to class."

Qingran was immersed in the joy of completing the puzzle when she heard this. She immediately looked up, her little face full of reluctance: "Is Brother Chen leaving?"

"Okay, I'll come back to see your puzzle after class, alright?" Shen Ci promised with a smile, carefully helping her slide off his lap and stand up himself.

"Pinky promise!" Qingran immediately extended her little finger, looking very serious.

Shen Ci chuckled, then extended his little finger, hooked it around her slender, short finger, and gently shook it: "Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred years."

"Stamp!" Qingran gave a thumbs up again.

Shen Ci cooperated by pressing his thumb against hers, completing this solemn ritual among children. "Alright, it's stamped. Brother Shen wouldn't lie to you."

With the assurance in hand, Qingran nodded in satisfaction, but still followed Shen Ci closely to the office door, gazing at him expectantly.

Shen Ci turned around and nodded to Sister Jin, who was still grading papers: "Teacher Jin, I'll go to class now."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Teacher Shen, spending so much time playing with Qingran." Sister Jin looked up and thanked her politely.

"You're welcome, Qingran is very cute." Shen Ci smiled and ruffled Qingran's hair. "Be a good girl and listen to Aunt Jin. I'll come back after class."

"Okay! Goodbye, Brother Chen!" Qingran waved her little hand vigorously.

Even after Shen Ci's figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Qing Ran lingered by the door frame for a while before slowly walking back to the carpet and sitting down. She picked up another puzzle piece, but her eyes were noticeably unfocused, not as attentive as before.

Sister Jin took off her glasses and looked at Qingran's absent-minded appearance, feeling both amused and touched. She got up, poured a glass of warm water, sat down next to Qingran, and handed her the glass: "Ranran, have some water."

"Thank you, Aunt Jin." Qingran obediently took the drink and sipped it.

"Do you really like Brother Shen?" Sister Jin asked tentatively.

"Yes!" Qingran nodded without hesitation, her eyes lighting up again. "Hello, Brother Chen! He played puzzles with me, didn't mind that I was slow, and even taught me! His voice is so nice, like...like a prince in a story!" She tried her best to describe him with her limited vocabulary.

Prince? Sister Jin couldn't help but chuckle.

This metaphor... is quite apt.

Shen Ci was a handsome young man with a clean and refined appearance. He was gentle and polite, and very popular among the students. He certainly had the air of a "campus prince." It was just unexpected that even Qing Ran, whose mind was like that of a child, could sense his "good looks" and "gentleness."

"So, which do you think is better, Brother Shen or Brother Huaiyu?" Sister Jin asked half-jokingly.

Qingran tilted her head and began to think seriously, her little face scrunched up like a bun.

This question seemed a little difficult for her. "Brother Huaiyu...that's fine too. He bought me dresses, crowns, and even hugged me. But..."

She tried to organize her thoughts, "But sometimes, Brother Huaiyu would stare at my brother blankly, his eyes sparkling. Brother Chen... Brother Chen's eyes only have me in them."

She pointed to herself, her tone carrying a childlike, innocent certainty.

Jin Jie was stunned. She hadn't expected Qing Ran to say such a thing, and she hadn't expected that Qing Ran could be so perceptive as to capture the complex and profound emotions that Tan Huaiyu looked at Qi Shuo, emotions that even he himself might not fully understand, and to be able to clearly discern Shen Ci's pure and unadulterated tenderness towards her.

A child's eyes can sometimes be surprisingly clear.

"Then... what about my brother?" Jin Jie suppressed the shock in her heart and continued to ask, "Between my brother and Brother Shen, who do you like more?"

"Brother!" This time Qingran answered decisively without the slightest hesitation, "Brother is the best in the whole world! I love brother the most!"

But then, somewhat embarrassed, she added in a low voice, "But... Brother is very busy, he has to go to work. Brother Chen... will play with me for a long, long time."

Sister Jin understood. In Qingran's simple and pure world, Qi Shuo was an irreplaceable, blood-related reliance and her dearest love.

Shen Ci, on the other hand, is a novel and warm presence who can provide her with ample companionship, patience, and joy. The two are not in conflict; they simply fulfill different emotional needs of hers.

She sighed softly, pulled Qingran into her arms, and stroked her hair: "Ranran, Aunt Jin knows that Brother Shen is good to you. But you must remember, you can't leave school with Brother Shen casually. You have to tell Aunt Jin or the other teachers in the office where you're going first, okay? Just like you promised him last time."

"I know!" Qingran nodded vigorously. "I promised my brother I wouldn't run around. Brother Chen also said he can only come to play with me when he's at school."

"Yes, Ranran is such a good girl." Sister Jin smiled with satisfaction. It seems that Shen Ci had also spoken to Qingran, and the child was indeed thorough in her work.

The setting sun cast a warm orange glow through the windows, bathing the office in its golden light. Qingran lowered her head again, focusing intently on finding the next puzzle piece.

As Jin Jie looked at her serene profile, the worry in her heart caused by the possible "storm" that Qi Shuo might cause was gradually replaced by a more complex emotion.

Perhaps, for Qingran, having someone as pure and gentle as Shen Ci to offer care and companionship isn't a bad thing, as long as the boundaries are kept in check.

But... we really need to find some time to have a good talk with Qi Shuo. About Qing Ran, about Tan Huaiyu, and perhaps... also about Shen Ci, who suddenly entered their lives and whose eyes hold Qing Ran.