Chapter 51: Everyone in the base knows
That good friend is your father Jiang Yize.
Having already guessed it, Jiang Ran murmured, "You mean..."
"Do you think Seventh Brother hates the Shen family just because of Pei Wan'er—the Pei sister who has no blood relationship with him?" Wei Yage sneered, "It's because of your father, Jiang Ranran—your father, who sent the child entrusted to him by his best friend to the lab! All of Seventh Brother's misfortune and pain are because of your father!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Jiang Ranran didn't have many memories of her parents, but in her heart, Jiang Yize had always been a gentle and knowledgeable person. How could he do such an excessive thing?
"How did you know such a private matter? Si Xu would never tell you such a thing!"
"Of course not, Seventh Brother." Wei Yage's eyes were filled with even more sarcasm. "After Pei Wan'er passed away, the Pei family came here to take her ashes—Mrs. Pei, Huo Zhiju, also came along—and Huo Zhiju came specifically to meet Seventh Brother."
"You eavesdropped on them?"
"I just happened to be passing by." Wei Yage brushed off the topic lightly, then sighed deeply. "I'm telling you this simply because I hope you won't continue to bother Seventh Brother. You've already returned to the Shen family, and they'll protect your safety. Jiang Ranran, you must know that every time Seventh Brother sees you, he'll be reminded of all the misfortunes he's endured, and of how he, despite being deceived, protected the daughter of the very enemy who had wronged him so much."
Jiang Ran: “…”
I have to admit that Wei Yage's words are very clever.
She simply explained Si Xu's life experience without any emotional remarks. Everything she said was centered around Si Xu and was for Si Xu's good. She completely excluded herself from this fight. If it was the real Jiang Ranran who liked Si Xu, she would definitely back down at this moment and never bother Si Xu again in her life.
Unfortunately, the person standing in front of her now is Jiang Ran, whose soul has traveled through time and space.
"I didn't know my father had done such a cruel thing..." Jiang Ran's eyes were red as she murmured, "I am sorry to Si Xu..."
Having easily dealt with her love rival, Wei Yage's eyes flashed with pride, and she said coldly, "It's getting late. I'll take you back to the Shen family so your family won't worry."
Oh, while caring about Si Xu, he also didn't forget to do favors for the Shen family. Jiang Ran wiped away her tears and choked up: "Thank you, Captain Wei."
"Let's go..."
"I can't leave!" Jiang Ran clenched his fists and said firmly, "My father did such a terrible thing. I want to apologize to Si Xu and work like a slave for him! I want to give my whole life to Si Xu as compensation!"
Ignoring Wei Yage's suddenly pale face, Jiang Ran continued, "Thank you, Captain Wei, for telling me this. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what the conflict between Si Xu and I is. I'm going to apologize to him right now! He'll kill me or cut me up, and I'll do whatever he wants!"
After the girl finished speaking, she turned around and ran upstairs, disappearing around the corner of the stairs in a blink of an eye.
Wei Ya Ge: “…”
She told her about Si Xu's past out of consideration for the Shen family, in order to save her life. Since she insisted on hitting the wall, there was no need for her to stop her.
Haha, Si Xu already said "throw it away", but she still expected Si Xu to treat her as before?
A man like Si Xu simply cannot love another person—it’s time for Jiang Ranran to wake up from her sweet dream.
…
Shaking off Wei Yage, Jiang Ran ran back to the third floor, put his ear to the door and listened for a while, then knocked on it.
"Si Xu, you are home, right? Can you please open the door? I can explain."
"Si Xu~Si Xu~Can you please open the door~"
"Brother Si Xu, can you please give me a chance to explain?"
“…”
The girl's voice was not very clear through the door, but he could hear her tone, soft and gentle, a tone he had never heard before.
The anger he had originally felt at being deceived had almost dissipated. Si Xu stared at the pages of the book in his hand for a long time without moving.
She was Jiang Yize's daughter and Shen Lang's granddaughter—all the way from Shenmu City to Xiling Base, she had many opportunities to tell him the truth, but she said nothing.
Why didn't she say anything? What was she worried about?
Knowing that he and Shen Lang were not on good terms, she was afraid that he would kill her or abandon her after learning about her life experience?
Or maybe...
The man was suddenly stunned and slowly put the book on the table.
What was he thinking? What was he thinking about her?
When did he start to care about her thoughts?
The noise outside the door continued. The girl seemed tired, and the knocking sound became much quieter.
"Si Xu, do you know that Jiang Ranran grew up with her parents? After her parents passed away, the Shen family arranged for a housekeeper to take care of her."
Since he refused to come out, she would explain it to him at the door.
"Jiang Ranran and the Shen family hadn't seen each other for many years. In the beginning, she almost forgot that she still had relatives living in this world.
"When disaster struck, she fled with Xie Chengzhi, was betrayed, deceived, and hurt... and then, she died.
"Si Xu, Jiang Ranran is already dead—Jiang Yize and Shen Muxin's daughter. The moment you met her—the moment you had no time to rescue her from the water, she was already dead."
Dead? What does dead mean? Jiang Ranran is dead, so who was the person he had been protecting all this time? Who was speaking now?
A wandering ghost?
Haha, why didn’t he realize before that this girl was so good at making up stories.
In the study, the young man frowned slightly, paused for a few seconds, and refocused his attention on the pages of the book.
Outside the door, the knocking had stopped, but the girl's voice was still continuing the story.
"The world I originally lived in was very similar to this one, but also completely different—it was a very peaceful world, without viruses or zombies. Like many of my peers, I studied, took exams, and went to college...
I don’t know why I woke up in Jiang Ranran’s body - when I woke up, I became Jiang Ranran.
"I didn't explain the things about the Shen family to you, nor did I explain my relationship with the Shen family to you, because I feel that I am not Jiang Ranran, and the Shen family is just strangers to me with no blood relationship.
“Although after actually meeting Shen Yang today, I found that things were not as simple as I thought.
But Si Xu, in this world, no one is more important to me than you."
“…”
No one is more important than you.
The warm yellow light cast a soft shadow, falling on the young man's long, curled eyelashes. The falling shadow masked the emotion in his eyes. Only the slight curve of his pale, blood-red lips silently softened the sharp aura around him.
Si Xu hummed softly, put down the book, stood up and walked to the door.
"Jiang Ran."
"Hey?!" A crisp response came from outside the door, and he could almost imagine the girl's expectant expression.
"Go back." Si Xu didn't open the door and said lightly, "I want to rest."
Jiang Ran: “…”
Well, she knew that no one in their right mind would believe the story she told, but this person had come out, and they were only separated by a door, but he still refused to open the door and let her in!
Too much!
She was shouting until her mouth was dry and Si Xu refused to open the door. Jiang Ran got up from the ground angrily and went downstairs with thumps on his feet.
He had originally thought that if the little girl begged him softly like she did just now, he would open the door and let her in.
Who knew...
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs outside the door.
Si Xu: “???”
The man opened the door and looked at the empty corridor in shock. The anger that had finally subsided broke out again.
With a gloomy face, he slammed the door shut and went back to the study in his slippers to continue reading.
Okay, okay, Jiang Ran, even if she comes to coax him again tomorrow, he will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not forgive her!
…
Si Xu made too much noise in the residential area, and Shen Yang was thrown over Jiang Ran's shoulder and then stepped on the face. Soon, everyone who was well-informed knew that the young lady of the Shen family who had been living away from home had returned.
With the Shen family's status as a supporter, Jiang Ran naturally became the focus of attention from all forces in the base.
As a result, the gossip that Miss Shen's daughter Jiang Ranran was pursuing Professor Si spread throughout the base within an hour.
After learning that Jiang Ran had been sitting on the flower bed downstairs of Si Xu's apartment building for more than an hour and that it was getting dark, Shen Yang had no choice but to go and pick up his sister in person.
"Ranran~" Shen Yang drove away the deputy captain who followed him and squatted in front of Jiang Ran. "Since Si Xu refuses to see you, why don't you come back to the Shen family with me first? Your grandfather is clamoring to see you."
"I'm not going back." Jiang Ran rested his hands on his chin and stared at the balcony on the fifth floor. He replied absentmindedly, "I'm meditating. Don't disturb me."
"What are you meditating on?"
Shen Yang poked her shoulder, earning a fierce slap from Jiang Ran: "Go away! Leave me alone!"
Having long been accustomed to getting along with this sister, Shen Yang nimbly shrank back and avoided Jiang Ran's slap.
"Girl, can you be more ladylike? You will never be able to win over Si Xu with your current state..."
The girl's ferocious gaze was fixed on him. Shen Yang's self-righteous voice gradually became quieter, "Si Xu likes gentle, cute, and cuddly people like Pei Wan'er..."
Jiang Ran: "Hmm?"
"I won't like a vicious woman like you..." The voice disappeared completely.
"Si Xu likes Pei Wan'er?" Jiang Ran bared his teeth. "How did you know?"
"If he didn't like her, why would he be so partial to Pei Wan'er? Look, even after Pei Wan'er died, he still couldn't forget her and looked at me like an enemy..."
"Shen Yang!" Jiang Ran grabbed the man's ear deftly and glared at him. "How dare you say that! It's only been half a year since the end of the world, and your moral character has been thrown to the dogs! Do you feel fulfilled when you bully girls? You killed someone! A life! A living life!"
"Oh my, oh my, that's really not my fault!" Shen Yang cried out, not daring to fight back. "How could I have known that Yu Huang, that idiot, would go so far? If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have helped him! I..."
"You're a bastard!" Jiang Ran interrupted the man's defense and clenched her fists and hit him. "It's all because of you! Si Xu doesn't want me anymore! It's all your fault!"
"Hey, hey, hey? How is it my fault?" The little girl's fist was weak and it didn't hurt at all. Shen Yang groaned twice, feeling puzzled. "Ranran, why do I feel like you've changed a lot..."
Jiang Ran was startled and stopped, pretending to be stupid: "Has it changed? What has changed?" Well, in her memory, Jiang Ranran and Shen Yang got along in this way, and this body has long been accustomed to this way of getting along - she beat him without mercy.
"Hey, you've become the same as before." Shen Yang pinched her face, "Do you know that you became very strange for a while, not talking, not laughing, and not even interested in beating me - I thought you were possessed by evil spirits."
Jiang Ran: "Ah?"
"Fortunately, everything is normal now." After saying this, he patted his chest seriously.
"Um, cousin."
"What?"
"How long have you lived with me?" In Jiang Ranran's memory, she was not close to the Shen family and they did not live together when they were young.
Shen Yang counted on his fingers: "It's quite a lot. The total time we meet is 360 days in a year."
Jiang Ran: "Hehe."
"Fuck you!"
"It's been less than a year, how can you tell what kind of person I am?" I can't let the Shen family find out, at least not now. "Haven't you heard that girls change a lot when they grow up?"
If the Shen family discovered Jiang Ranran's abnormality now and she failed to preserve her strength, she would most likely be sent to the laboratory for dissection and research... It's too scary.
Shen Yang: "..." What you said makes a lot of sense, I am speechless.
"Hey? Cousin." Seeing the lights on the third floor go out, Jiang Ran stood up suddenly and pulled Shen Yang's clothes, "Quick, ask your team members to bring me a ladder!"
"What what?" Shen Yang thought he had misheard.
"Ladder!" Jiang Ran rubbed his hands eagerly, "The longer the better!"
"No, Ranran, you..." After understanding Jiang Ran's plan, Shen Yang was dumbfounded, "You want to attack Si Xu at night?"
He will be beaten to death, he will definitely be beaten to death by Si Xu!
"What nonsense! Hurry up!" Jiang Ran stomped his feet, "Cousin, please, please, help me~"
Shen Yang had a sour expression and took two steps back: "Little cousin, I'll go find a ladder for you right now. Please don't disgust me like this, really."
Jiang Ran returned to normal in a second and said expressionlessly: "I'll give you ten minutes."
Shen Yang: “…”
…
With Shen Yang's instructions, the team quickly found an extended escalator for Jiang Ran. Two people carried the ladder and placed it outside Si Xu's balcony.
Looking at the trembling ladder, Shen Yang hesitantly stretched out a finger and tapped Jiang Ran's shoulder: "Ranran, I think this ladder is not very solid. If it breaks when you are halfway up..."
"Cousin." Jiang Ran's almond-shaped eyes curved and she smiled softly, "Are you questioning my weight?"
Shen Yang stepped back and made a gesture of invitation: "Miss, please feel free to do as you please."
Jiang Ran climbed up the ladder. Halfway up, he looked back at the group of people whose expressions were indistinguishable under the night sky: "Cousin, you can go back now. If grandpa asks, just say that I have important matters to attend to today and will pay my respects to him tomorrow."
Shen Yang's figure disappeared into the night, his outline blurred. Only his voice floated clearly into her ears: "Are you sure you're okay? I'd better wait. If Professor Si throws you down, I can still catch you and you won't break your leg, right?"
Jiang Ran replied with one word: "Get lost!"
…
With Shen Yang, the heir of the Shen family, standing downstairs, people passing by would always stop and take a second look.
So, the news that the young lady of the Shen family climbed onto the balcony late at night in order to pursue Professor Si spread like wildfire in the base again.
When they received this news, the three captains of the Superpower Brigade were gathered together drinking, eating melon seeds and chatting about life.
After listening to Song Rong's vivid description, Chu Yuan spat out a mouthful of wine on the spot.
"That girl, did she climb onto Brother Seven's balcony?"
Song Rong nodded with sorrow - that's right, even with Ranran's skinny body, she wasn't even big enough for Professor Si to slap.
"It seems like Seventh Brother is destined to have a sleepless night, hahahahahaha!"
Chu Yuan, the captain of the first brigade, has a baby face and two small fangs when he smiles. He looks pure and cute, like a high school student who just walked out of the school gate.
However, Song Rong knew that this seemingly harmless captain had just chopped a troublemaker into two pieces before coming here.
"Did Ranran climb in?" Gu Yunqing said worriedly, "If she falls and loses her arms and legs... Si Xu will be heartbroken!"
"How could that be?" Chu Yuan picked up a peanut and put it into his mouth, saying with a smile, "That girl is from the Shen family. It's a rare mercy that Seventh Brother didn't twist her neck. You don't really think that after knowing her identity, Seventh Brother will still look at her differently, right?"
Gu Yunqing and Su Qin looked at each other and fell into silence in tacit understanding.
"Eh?" Chu Yuan put down his chopsticks after noticing the two's abnormal reactions. He held a can of beer between three fingers of his right hand and shook it, hinting, "Seventh Brother, he really..."
Su Qin sighed: "I'm afraid it's true."
Chu Yuan frowned, and a hint of hostility appeared on his fair, baby-like face.
After a moment of silence, he raised his head, drank the beer, and exhaled: "How about that woman?"
Gu Yunqing ate his food quietly, as if he didn't hear the question - he wasn't stupid enough to praise other girls in front of Su Qin.
Su Qin thought about it seriously and felt that she shouldn't judge others behind their backs. She just said, "I quite like her."
"Oh?" Chu Yuan smiled. "Since Su Qin likes her, I'm suddenly curious about what that girl is like."
"We should be able to see her tomorrow." Su Qin said, "She made such a big fuss, the Shen family will not sit idly by."
"Speaking of the Shen family..." Chu Yuan opened another bottle of beer, "Why hasn't Shen Yao come yet?"
Shen Yao works in the laboratory and is Si Xu's right-hand man. So, although her blood relationship is deeper than Jiang Ran's and the Shen family's, she surprisingly has a good relationship with Chu Yuan and his group.
Su Qin said: "I asked Yaoyao, she hasn't finished work yet, so she might come late."
"Work, work, that woman is so boring." Chu Yuan muttered and raised his can of beer, "A good show goes well with good beer, cheers!"
…
After the inspection, Wei Ya Ge returned to his office in the Military Control Commission Building, took off his black uniform, and prepared to go home after get off work.
"Hello, Captain Wei."
"Captain Wei, is the patrol over? Thank you for your hard work!"
"Captain Wei, are you going home?"
"Captain Wei..."
After greeting the team members who greeted her one by one, Wei Yage tied her scarf, pushed open the door to the first-floor lobby, and was about to go out when she heard two girls talking in a low voice coming from a distance.
"Really? That girl really crawled in?"
"I heard she was blocked on the balcony, and it was Professor Si who carried her inside."
"Well, I can only say that the young lady of the Shen family is willful—even Professor Si has to give her face."
"Who says it's not... If it were someone else, Professor Si would have thrown them off the building long ago."
“…”
The two girls walked away, talking and laughing quietly.
Wei Yage pushed the door open and walked out. The wind outside was howling wildly, and cold snowflakes flew onto her face.
The coldness seeps from the skin to the bones.
Wei Yage tightened her scarf, and the noisy sounds coming from the residential area just across the wall filled her ears.
The woman listened quietly for a moment, forced a smile without any emotion, and walked down the stairs in the opposite direction of the noisy place.
First update, there are four more~
(End of this chapter)
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