Early in the morning, Lin An saw a red message notification on WeChat. He casually clicked on it, and it was Liu Ruyun again. He pretended not to see it, and proceeded with his usual routine of washing up, changing into his school uniform, and getting ready to leave.
A knocking sound came from the door, followed by a girl's clear voice:
"Lin An, are you up yet?"
Lin An opened the door and saw Leng Lin's smiling face in the morning light, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curled up.
"I'm up early, let's go to school."
Leng Lin handed over a plastic bag with the words "Yongji Ramen Restaurant" printed on it: "Here you go, these are pancakes my mom made."
Lin An opened the plastic bag, and the steam from the pancakes, mixed with the aroma of flour, wafted out. He began to eat them in large bites.
"How's my mom's cooking? Delicious, right?"
Lin An's cheeks were stuffed full, and he replied indistinctly, "Delicious."
"The Zhou family banquet you attended yesterday was great, wasn't it? Were there lots of beautiful and wealthy women there?"
"I didn't notice."
"Tch, fine, don't tell me then. Such an impressive banquet must have many rich heiresses."
"They must all be wearing beautiful dresses and high heels."
Leng Lin's watery eyes revealed an expression of envy.
After finishing the pancake, Lin An unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle, took a big gulp of water, and his superior jawline was clearly visible when he looked up.
"You also want to wear a skirt and high heels?"
Leng Lin blushed and nodded shyly, "Of course I want to! I heard that the private school on the next street will have a coming-of-age ceremony next month. I'm so envious!"
"If you pass the next math test, I'll let you participate in the coming-of-age ceremony."
"Really?" Leng Lin asked excitedly.
“Really, I promise.” Lin An said firmly.
"How could that be? We're not a private school, and the atmosphere is old-fashioned. Just think about our school motto and you'll know it's impossible."
Lin An recalled the school motto of No. 12 Middle School: "Diligence, Rigor, Unity, Progress." It was unoriginal and indeed old-fashioned.
Leng Lin's eyes dimmed, her gaze filled with disappointment. Lin An patted her head and said, "Just focus on your studies, and you'll definitely have your coming-of-age ceremony."
Leng Lin thought Lin An was just trying to comfort her, knowing in her heart that it was impossible, but she was still a little happy that he was willing to comfort her.
Leng Lin listened attentively to the lectures and diligently took notes throughout the morning.
During her lunch break, Liu Ruyun, who had been holding back all day, finally snapped. Lin An's phone must be broken; she couldn't think of any other possible reason. She sent three friend requests to the same person—a first in her life.
Liu Ruyun got up and walked towards Class 7. The key class and Class 7 were at opposite ends of the corridor on the same floor. Liu Ruyun's school uniform had been altered by a tailor, which accentuated her slender waist. Combined with her beautiful face and nearly 1.7 meters tall, she attracted the attention of many boys and the discussion of many girls along the way.
"She's Liu Ruyun, the school beauty. She's so slim, tall, and fair-skinned—she's gorgeous!"
"I want to look like this in my next life."
"Anyone who can be her boyfriend must have saved the world in their past life."
"I heard that even students from the private school next door came to confess their love to her, but our school beauty is very aloof and didn't take a liking to any of them."
Liu Ruyun stopped at the door of Class 7, and the boy sitting in the first row at the door stared at her.
"Excuse me, could you call Lin An for me?" Her voice, as her name suggests, was as soft and gentle as a cloud, stirring the hearts of others.
Seeing that the classmate sitting by the door was sitting there blankly without reacting, Liu Ruyun waved her hand in front of him: "Classmate? Classmate?"
"Ah, ah, okay, I'll call him for you right away." The boy realized he had lost his composure and quickly called Lin An for her.
"Lin An, someone is looking for you."
The students in Class 7 looked towards the door upon hearing the sound.
"Hey, look, it's the school beauty."
"She actually took the initiative to come to Lin An. I heard that she usually keeps strangers at arm's length."
"Lin An is so lucky to have the opportunity to get close to the school beauty."
Lin An saw Liu Ruyun standing at the door and roughly guessed why she had come. He calmly stood up amidst the envious gazes of his classmates.
"Liu, is there something you need?"
Liu Ruyun adjusted her bangs and replied, "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if your phone is broken."
"It's not broken."
Liu Ruyun's eyes widened in shock: "What? Then why didn't you accept my friend request?"
"Uh... I didn't check my phone." Lin An's excuse was perfunctory and obviously fake; it's impossible for a modern person to go a whole day without checking their phone.
A flash of anger crossed Liu Ruyun's eyes. "You poor wretch! If it weren't for the fact that you're somewhat useful in the competition, do you think I would even bother with you? You're not even qualified to carry my shoes, yet you dare to play me for fools."
After a few seconds of silence, Liu Ruyun forced out a smile that made Lin An uncomfortable: "Lin, could you please approve this? I don't usually bother you, I just wanted to discuss competition problems with you occasionally."
"What's there to discuss with me? If you have a question, ask the teacher," Lin An thought to himself.
A soft voice came from behind: "Say yes, say yes..."
Lin An turned around in surprise to find a bunch of classmates huddled on the door, their gossipy little heads forming a string along the door frame.
Lin An didn't want to embarrass Liu Ruyun in front of everyone, because the boys who liked her might hold a grudge against him and want to beat him up. If every boy who liked Liu Ruyun wanted to beat him up, wouldn't he be getting beaten up endlessly until graduation?
Lin An said calmly, "Okay, I'll add you when I get back."
Having received a satisfactory reply, Liu Ruyun smiled sweetly: "Then I'll head back now."
As soon as Lin An sat down, a group of male classmates gathered around him, all of whom were loyal admirers of Liu Ruyun.
"Genius, please teach me how to do it, achieving success in both love and studies."
"Brother, please treat her well."
Lin An's face was utterly speechless; he truly had no interest in being a sycophant.
"Hey, it's lunch break, aren't you all going to rest? Lin An needs to rest, so go back now." Leng Lin said rudely, shooing everyone away.
Lin An lay on the table, preparing for a nap, when his phone screen lit up. It was Liu Ruyun again, and this time he accepted the request.
Soon after, Liu Ruyun sent a message with a heart emoji. At the same time, Xu Mo also sent a message with a video of a house layout.
"Lin An, this is the layout of my grandfather's house. What do you think?"
Lin An's face darkened as he watched the video. No wonder the Xu family had been so unlucky in recent years.
He originally intended to offer some casual advice, but judging from what he saw, he would probably have to make a trip to the Xu family in person.
"Xu Mo, if you're free tomorrow, pick me up and take me to the scene."
"Okay, where do you live? I'll pick you up first thing tomorrow morning."
Lin An sent the location of the old house.
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