After dinner, Lin Yuan and Xu Lan strolled leisurely side by side along the riverbank, the fine sand beneath their feet making soft, rustling sounds, as if whispering their secrets.
Xu Lan turned her face to the side, her gaze gently fixed on Lin Yuan, and began to tell him some everyday stories.
"Over the years, I've actually been living a pretty good life."
Her voice was soft and delicate, drifting gently on the breeze by the river.
Lin Yuan's gaze was focused, locking onto her face.
Would you like to share it with me?
Xu Lan took a breath, her breath filled with deep nostalgia for the past.
"Stanford University, the name sounds glamorous, but in reality, the story behind it is much more than that..."
Her voice once again blended into the night air, carried by the gentle breeze, taking them back to that distant memory.
"Actually, when I first arrived there, I almost broke down. The language barrier, cultural differences, and the loneliness were enough to drive anyone crazy."
Lin Yuan frowned slightly, a pang of heartache flashing through his heart, but he did not interrupt her, offering silent support.
Xu Lan continued, "At first, I couldn't even understand the lectures. The professional terms the professors used were like gibberish to me. I stayed up late every night in the library, frantically memorizing vocabulary and reading textbooks, trying to keep up with the pace. During that time, I hardly slept a good night's sleep, and I lost a lot of weight."
She sighed softly, her sigh fleeting like morning dew, before returning to the tranquility of a lake.
"However, I have a stubborn streak in my bones. The more thorny the road, the more determined I am to forge ahead and conquer it. As time went by, I gradually found a foothold in this foreign land. During this time, I was fortunate to meet a group of friends from all over the world. With each other's support, my life gradually found its own rhythm."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's lips curved into a gentle smile, his eyes gleaming with undisguised pride.
"I knew it, it has to be our Lanlan."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lan's cheeks unconsciously flushed red.
Her eyes sparkled, like the gentlest starlight in the night sky.
"Actually, I've had many thoughts of giving up. But every time that happens, I think of you all and the days we spent together. I tell myself that I can't just give up like this. I need to become better so that when I return to China and see you again, I can give you a surprise."
She paused, then lowered her voice: "I want to tell you that we deserve a better life."
Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and a tender emotion flickered in his eyes.
He reached out and patted Xu Lan's head, his voice deep and full of affection.
"Silly girl, you have already given me countless surprises."
He paused briefly, a genuine look appearing in his eyes.
"In my long journey through life, you have long been etched into my eternal memory, never to fade."
A gentle smile appeared on Xu Lan's lips.
“In recent years, I have been working hard, not only for myself, but also to be able to stand on my own two feet in society. I don’t want to be dependent like before. I want to be the pride of the orphanage.”
Lin Yuan was momentarily stunned, a complex and unreadable emotion flashing across his eyes, the softest corner of his heart being touched unintentionally.
After all, the system is a unique entity.
He slowly stopped, turned around, and fixed his gaze on Xu Lan with intense intensity.
"Lanlan, you are already my irreplaceable pride."
Each word seems to be squeezed out by surging emotions, brimming with feelings hidden deep within over the years, eager to be expressed.
Xu Lan met his gaze, her cheeks blushing slightly, but her determination remained unwavering.
"Brother Lin Yuan..."
Then, Lin Yuan began to recount his experiences over the past few years, and Xu Lan listened intently, her eyes fixed on him.
When Lin Yuan mentioned that he and Zhao Lili were discussing marriage, Xu Lan's eyes dimmed, and her fingers tightened, as if she was suppressing something.
Lin Yuan keenly noticed her change, smiled slightly, and patted her head.
"Ha, the deal fell through. That woman and her family are a joke."
“They think they’re so great, asking me for a million-dollar dowry and wanting me to be the one who takes the fall.”
"In the end, I simply broke off the engagement. This kind of woman doesn't deserve me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lan's eyes lit up instantly.
Lin Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes full of disdain: "Do you really think I would look at that kind of woman differently? What their family has done is simply disgusting."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lan's face blossomed into a gentle smile, a smile that held a deep sense of relief and determination: "I knew it. With me by your side from now on, you can be fearless and use me as a shield. I will never let those kinds of people have a chance to get close to Brother Lin Yuan again..."
Just then, a sudden cell phone ringtone shattered the tranquility of the night, the untimely notes leaping through the air.
Xu Lan glanced at the caller ID on the screen, interrupting her conversation. "Mom, what's wrong?"
The voice of Xu Lan's mother came through the phone, forceful and urgent: "Lanlan, where are you? Why aren't you home yet, it's so late?"
Lin Yuan stood to the side. Although he couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the phone, he could sense Xu Lan's assertiveness from her reaction.
A picture involuntarily formed in his mind.
On the other end of the phone, the elegant woman from my memory sat gracefully on the sofa, her hands elegantly folded in front of her chest.
Xu Lan parted her lips slightly in a shy voice.
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