Chapter 25 Jin Ran almost couldn't stand up.
Chapter 25
It was supposed to be a supermarket, but when we arrived, we found it was actually a five-story shopping mall.
The scene was somewhat different from what Jin Ran had imagined—a basement level where she could explore the entire area in two minutes.
But I'm even more excited!
In her past life, Jin Ran often went to supermarkets. She liked the lively atmosphere, walking among the rows of shelves, surrounded by oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, with promotional lists coming from loudspeakers.
People come here from all walks of life: office workers getting off work, housewives buying groceries, and children begging for snacks. All aspects of life can be glimpsed here.
At this time of year, Jin Ran would feel a profound sense of how insignificant life is, and all her weariness and worries would vanish like smoke from a cooking fire.
But this was the first time in my life that the three of us had gone grocery shopping together.
As soon as she entered, she went straight to where the shopping cart was.
Whether you buy anything or not, you have to push the cart. It's more like a ritual, as if you can only truly feel part of the everyday life if you have a shopping cart.
However, since she was wearing a skirt today, it was not convenient for her to push the stroller, so she asked Jiang Mingxu, "Could you help me push it?"
The latter nodded and took it.
Jiang Xuli, who witnessed all of this, had a somewhat complicated expression.
He never dreamed that one day he would be shopping at the supermarket with his father, oh, and there was also a woman who was nominally his stepmother.
The air was filled with the incessant noise of people, and the nasal passages were filled with the smells of vegetables and fruits.
And the father in his memory, who was always busy with work, was now pushing a shopping cart, walking leisurely between the shelves, just like he had imagined countless times when he was a child.
Jiang Xuli unconsciously held her hands and feet, as if the dream before her eyes would shatter if she moved even slightly. At this moment, Jin Ran, who was walking in front, suddenly turned around and shouted, "Hurry up, let's go buy you a game console first!"
The dream shattered suddenly, but the images remained. Jiang Xuli blinked her dry eyes, came back to her senses, and her feet involuntarily followed.
...
At 6 p.m., during the evening rush hour, the supermarket was bustling with people.
Jin Ran carefully led the two through the area. In fact, Butler Cheng would do the shopping every day, so the villa had everything she needed. She went to the beverage section first and chose a few of her favorite fruit-flavored milks.
Then he turned to the two silent people and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"
Jiang Mingxu refused. Jiang Xuli paused for a moment, then reached for a few bottles of carbonated drinks.
Well, might as well take it.
The three then moved on to the snack section, taking a little bit of this potato chip and a little bit of that chocolate. As the shopping cart slowly filled up, Jiang Mingxu had to speak up to stop them: "Chef Wang won't let you eat too much."
Jin Ran stopped, quite regretfully.
She also knew that Chef Wang, who was a skilled cook at the villa, was good at everything except for one particular habit—he couldn't stand seeing others eat junk food. Although he wouldn't stop you directly, he would always stare at you with resentful eyes until you gave up on your own.
Jin Ran had the misfortune of experiencing it once, and she still feels lingering fear. In the past, she would never have indulged herself, but she hadn't been to a supermarket in so long that she couldn't control herself for a moment.
Coming to her senses, she looked at the snacks in the shopping cart and belatedly realized that it was a bit excessive, especially since most of them were snacks that she and Jiang Xuli liked, while Jiang Mingxu, who was in charge of spending the money, hadn't taken anything.
Jin Ran paused. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she thought about it, she realized she had never seen this man eat snacks at home.
Jiang Mingxu's life is simple and regular, going back and forth between the company and the villa, seemingly always revolving around work, calm and restrained to the point of being almost inhuman.
But Jin Ran remembered the lemon cookies from a few days ago and thought that perhaps she was just too embarrassed to eat them because of her status.
Imagine a mature and domineering CEO who is 1.88 meters tall. One second he is giving a serious speech at a meeting with dozens of people, and the next second he is picking up a cute bear cookie and putting it in his mouth—the scene is enough to make everyone's jaw drop.
Jin Ran felt a little guilty about her belated conscience, so when Jiang Mingxu made an excuse to make a phone call, she said to Jiang Xuli, who had been looking around since entering the room, "Let's go buy some cookie cutters."
Jiang Xuli: "?"
"Don't you want to eat some sweet and crumbly cookies?"
The taste of cookies flashed through Jiang Xuli's mind, and she snorted, "I don't particularly want to eat them."
Jin Ran ignored his coy behavior and continued to coax him gently: "Chef Wang's cookies are delicious, but the shapes are a bit ordinary. If you make some bear cookies, rabbit cookies, and flower and cat cookies, your dad can take them to the company..."
"Ugh, I suddenly have a craving for food again."
Jiang Xuli coughed as she changed her address, her serious demeanor revealing her deep love for her elderly father.
It's nothing, just repaying his dad for his game console.
Seeing this, Jin Ran couldn't help but burst out laughing.
/
The dessert section is on the third floor of the supermarket, and it is probably mostly frequented by women and children. As soon as Jiang Xuli went upstairs, she noticed that there were quite a few parents with young children.
One of them was particularly eye-catching—an eight- or nine-year-old boy with a chubby face was placed in a shopping cart by his parents. His chubby body swayed from side to side in the cart, but because his two little legs were stuck in the gap, it did not stop him from licking the lollipop in his hand at all.
Jiang Xuli had never seen such a big child sitting in a shopping cart before, so she couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Jin Ran followed his gaze and teased with a smile, "What, you want to sit too? I could reluctantly push you around, but the supermarket cart probably can't fit someone your size..."
Jiang Xuli withdrew her gaze and glanced at her lightly: "Childish."
They were talking about this behavior, but also about the joke Jin Ran made.
Jin Ran raised an eyebrow, saying meaningfully, "Is it childish? I wonder who was it that praised me behind my back for being pretty and having a nice voice, even saying I'm a million miles better than Jin Jing~"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuli's ears immediately burned, just like a little calico whose tail had been stepped on.
He opened his mouth to refute, but unusually, he hesitated, because those words were indeed his own. In the end, he could only manage to stammer out, "...Don't flatter yourself, I have never acknowledged your identity."
Jin Ran didn't care at all: "Oh, don't worry, at school we're just teacher and student, I'm very clear about that."
Jiang Xuli choked again.
That's not what he meant. Although he said it to refute Jin Jing, not all of it was a lie.
He was about to explain when the woman turned to choose a mold, leaving him feeling like he'd punched a pillow, and he could only shut his mouth in the end.
/
The other end of the supermarket.
Wei Ya walked in, looking exhausted.
When she learned that her younger brother was being bullied at school, she had just been notified at the last minute that the actor would be replaced. She wanted to argue her case, but she accidentally saw the director bowing and scraping to the man.
At that moment, Wei Ya felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She didn't understand why these rich young men were targeting her and making fun of her. Was it because she was poor? Or because she refused their unreasonable demands? All she wanted was to work a few more jobs to support herself and her younger brother.
When she arrived at school and saw her younger brother's bruised eye, she desperately told herself that it was okay and that she had to keep looking forward. But in reality, the road ahead only seemed to get darker and darker, as if she could never see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Wei Ya felt so tired.
Nevertheless, in order to calm her younger brother down, Wei Ya dragged her tired body to the supermarket to buy dessert ingredients after finishing her dance practice.
Jin Ran and Jiang Xuli are both exceptionally good-looking. Although Jiang Xuli is only a first-year high school student this year, he is already over 1.8 meters tall. Among a group of children, he stands out as a tall kid.
Wei Ya spotted them immediately.
Listening to their conversation, I recalled how my brother's autism wasn't as severe when we were little, and how we used to play and fight together. I said with some envy, "You and your brother have such a good relationship."
Jin Ran was selecting cookie cutters when she heard someone speaking beside her. She turned her head and her eyes lit up.
What a beautiful and elegant woman!
Perhaps it was a fictional world, but since transmigrating into the book, Jin Ran had seen many people with outstanding appearances.
For example, the Jiang family father and son are both handsome and outstanding. The original owner of this body was also a beautiful woman. The girl in front of you may not be the most beautiful, but she has a unique temperament.
Jin Ran couldn't help but praise, "You're really good-looking."
Wei Ya was slightly taken aback.
Her cheeks immediately turned bright red. This was the first time she had received such a straightforward compliment. The entertainment industry is full of beautiful women and handsome men, but she was not outstanding among them. She was even criticized by directors many times for her plain appearance and lack of presence in the crowd.
She shook her head and whispered, "You're the really beautiful one."
If Jin Ran hadn't been not wearing a mask from the start and hadn't acted so casually, Wei Ya would have thought she was also someone in the entertainment industry.
Jin Ran smiled. No one dislikes being praised, especially by a beautiful woman: "I think I'm pretty too."
Aesthetic sense is a very personal matter. She has a slightly sexy and sweet look, with big almond-shaped eyes and delicate features. She looks even sweeter and more charming when she smiles, so much so that people who don't know her well always think she is innocent and harmless.
It wasn't until they started trying to cross the line and were fiercely countered by her that they realized even sweet girls have thorns.
However, Jin Ran's personal aesthetic leans more towards a slender and aloof appearance.
Her slender eyes and arched eyebrows, even with just a touch of vermilion, seemed to hold countless stories. Her temperament was like that of a lady who had stepped out of an ancient painting, possessing a detached beauty.
“Really, you have to believe me,” Jin Ran noticed Wei Ya’s dejection. She didn’t know what had happened, but such a beautiful girl should be happy every day. “You have a very classical style and a scholarly air about you. Several famous internet celebrities are classical beauties, and I think you are even more beautiful than them. Moreover, you have slender limbs, so you would definitely look beautiful dancing classical dance!”
Wei Ya's face grew increasingly red, but after hearing about the dance, she showed a thoughtful expression.
Her company teaches pop dance. She is quite thin with long limbs, and her dancing looks awkward, like a stick insect. Moreover, Wei Ya is not confident in her appearance and only applies to modern drama productions, and has never tried period dramas.
Perhaps she really could change the direction of her efforts...
Jin Ran had no idea that her few words would change the future trajectory of the original female protagonist.
Even after Jiang Mingxu finished her phone call and returned, she was still exclaiming, "You don't know, she's incredibly beautiful. Have you seen the 1987 version of Dream of the Red Chamber? I thought Lin Daiyu was standing right in front of me."
Jiang Mingxu looked at Jin Ran, who was speaking fluently.
Her eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles, and the shallow dimples at the corners of her lips seemed to hold all the sunlight: "Really?"
He remained calm.
“Of course,” Jin Ran said, displeased with his skepticism. “Why don’t you ask Xiao Li?”
Two pairs of eyes fell on him at the same time, and Jiang Xuli's scalp tightened. He really couldn't understand why such a thing could arouse a woman's interest.
Finally, he muttered under his breath, "What's so interesting about it? You're even better."
With that, he turned and walked out of the supermarket without looking back, his stubborn pride as a young man still bearing the weight of his words.
Yes, he didn't forget to carry his five big bags of snacks.
Why not take advantage of a free lunch?
/
Although it was just an ordinary encounter, Wei Ya's incident gave Jin Ran an inspiration.
Since giving a trial lesson, Jin Ran has discovered the benefits of this method. If there are important knowledge points the next day, she will practice at home the day before, but instead of recruiting others, she will record them directly with a camera.
Right now, she's dug out those videos, picked out a few good ones, edited them slightly, blurred her own image, and then uploaded them online.
The account ID is simple and easy to understand—[The Cat's Math Class]
After sending the message, she didn't continue paying attention. Instead, she closed her laptop, got up, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she arrived home, Jin Ran had already filled the bathtub with water, added essential oils, and sprinkled flower petals that the maid had picked from the garden. She tested the temperature with her toes and found it to be just right.
She stepped barefoot into the water, which slowly rose above her calves, knees, and waist... She sighed contentedly, and as the steam rose, her fatigue gradually eased.
When Jin Ran came out of the bathroom, she had changed into her pajamas.
The silk fabric is smooth and comfortable, and feels cool against the skin, relieving the summer heat. However, the neckline is a bit low, revealing a deep cleavage when moving.
After that came the routine skincare. When it was all over, Jin Ran felt like she'd rolled through a flower garden, smelling wonderful. She lay down on the bed, ready to do her usual half-hour of political analysis before sleep, only to find that she'd taken the reference book to the study.
Jin Ran: "..."
She now has two choices in front of her.
First, if you get up and go to get it, you might encounter Jiang Mingxu.
Second, give up studying and relax by lying down and playing on your phone. People who have worked hard all day can have a short break.
Jin Ran hesitated for only two seconds before decisively throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.
Lying down is naturally comfortable, but for someone like her, having her plans disrupted is even more maddening. Besides, she can use her phone anytime, but the civil service exam waits for no one.
Those who take exams should have the self-awareness to take exams!
Fortunately, after leaving the bedroom, she found that the study lights were off, which relieved Jin Ran. She didn't go back to change her clothes, but went in directly in her pajamas.
...
Jiang Mingxu was still somewhat dazed when the chandelier above his head broke in the study.
The night was shrouded in shadow, and in the dim moonlight, only the incessant chirping of insects could be heard outside the window.
He rubbed his temples, put down his pen, and prepared to contact the butler. Just then, the study door opened…
Jin Ran tapped the switch a few times, wondering why there was no light. Too lazy to go back for her phone, she simply groped her way to her desk in the dark.
She remembered that the reference book seemed to be on the left side of the table, because after she put it down, she went to get a drink of water. Sure enough, Jin Ran quickly found the book next to the water glass. As she picked it up and was about to leave, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of her eye.
Without exaggeration, Jin Ran got goosebumps all over her body in an instant.
She suddenly stepped back, but her knee hit something and a sharp pain shot through her. Her legs buckled, and she was about to fall.
A strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and steadily supported her.
A crisp, woody scent wafted over, like a blizzard carrying winter snow and pine branches. Jin Ran instinctively grabbed the other person's clothes, crumpling the shirt in her hands.
Male hormones forcefully penetrated, the man's chest felt like a burning wall, and through the thin clothing, his steady heartbeat pounded against my eardrums.
"Be careful."
He comforted her in a low voice.
In the darkness, Jin Ran's ears tingled from hearing it.
Never before had a man's voice felt so sexy.
A deep voice descends from above, causing a slight vibration in the chest cavity. While vision is limited, other senses are amplified infinitely.
The arm that gripped her lower back was as strong as iron, its bulging muscles pressing against her delicate waist. Its large, powerful hand had calluses that seemed to be etched onto her skin through her clothes.
Jin Ran could barely stand.
She looked up and met a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Like a ruthless beast, their eyes met, and the darkness suddenly turned fiery, scalding their bodies and the air.
She paused, but didn't look away.
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