Many years ago, Xu Lai had already learned that Lin Ruoruo’s father, Lin Tunan, was a respiratory physician who had stood on the front lines during that sudden outbreak of the virus.
Yet a man with such infinite possibilities for the future had fallen while on the job. On December 24, 2002, Lin Ruoruo’s father was diagnosed, but he never recovered. Soon, his pulmonary infection worsened, and on January 1, 2003, he left this world forever.
Lin Ruoruo’s mother was also an elite graduate of Jiangcheng University. Although she had become a full-time homemaker after giving birth to Lin Ruoruo, she certainly possessed the capability. This was precisely what puzzled Xu Lai the most; logically speaking, even with the passing of Lin Ruoruo's father, it should not have reduced the family to such a state.
Though Xu Lai had learned from the elderly woman at the orphanage that Lin Ruoruo and her mother had gone to Jinling, he did not know their specific whereabouts there.
Forcefully reigning in his thoughts, Xu Lai watched the mother and daughter walk back inside. He did not rush to follow them. At the very least, he now knew where Lin Ruoruo lived; rushing over directly now would undoubtedly be overly abrupt, which would do him no good in trying to close the distance between them.
Xu Lai turned and left. On his walk back, he made a phone call.
"Have two people go rent a house in the residential area near No. 1 High School that's slated for demolition."
"Building number 35. As close as possible."
Hanging up, Xu Lai’s thoughts drifted back to certain matters.
"If things follow their previous trajectory, Ruoruo’s mother..."
He remembered his past life. When he was reunited with Lin Ruoruo in that life, she had been entirely alone—so much so that until the day she passed away from illness, he had never met a single relative of hers. This was why he had been unable to track her down for over a decade.
Xu Lai shook his head, trying to shake off those thoughts. Now that he had found Lin Ruoruo, he would inevitably change the entire course of events.
Leaving the vicinity of Lin Ruoruo's home, Xu Lai did not return to school. His sole purpose in transferring there was Lin Ruoruo, and since she had taken a leave of absence, he saw no reason to go back.
As for his studies, Xu Lai had long since mastered all high school coursework. Having won multiple gold medals in the Mathematical Olympiad, he had repeatedly received overtures from top universities like Huada University and Peking University, but Xu Lai had rejected every single one of them.
His most important task now was to find Lin Ruoruo, and he had finally achieved his first goal.
"Ruoruo, you look so beautiful in a wedding dress."
"Brother, are we really getting married? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Of course not, my Ruoruo is going to marry me."
"Beep... beep, beep..."
Still deep in sleep, Xu Lai was jolted awake by his alarm. He picked up his phone to check the time—it was already seven in the morning. For the first time in all these years, he had woken up only after the alarm went off; normally, he would wake up before it even rang. This time, he had slept for nearly ten hours straight.
Pulling back the curtains of his hotel room, he could see the main entrance of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School in the distance. Seeing that a fair number of students were already bustling into the campus, Xu Lai changed his clothes and headed toward the school.
Today, Lin Ruoruo looked rather out of place walking among the crowd. Not only were her eyes swollen, but she wasn't carrying a schoolbag either, which made her stand out rather uniquely among the senior grade buildings.
In truth, until this very moment, Lin Ruoruo had no idea how she was going to face Xu Lai, so she decided she would simply pretend she didn't know him at all.
*Perhaps he didn't even recognize me? He just happened to transfer here, and with a name as common as Lin Ruoruo, even if he knows my name, he probably wouldn't connect it to me.* The thought seemed to give Lin Ruoruo immense courage, and her pace as she walked into the classroom grew a bit firmer.
In Jiangcheng in March, the sky was still faintly lit a little past seven in the morning. The campus of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was already full of pedestrians. Illuminated by the campus streetlamps, their smiles were radiant; even though the light was dim, the determination and anticipation for the future in their eyes remained clearly visible.
Their youthful aura burned like a blazing fire, radiating endless passion.
When Xu Lai walked into the classroom of Class 27, Senior Grade Three, he already saw Lin Ruoruo engaged in morning study.
Or rather, it was more like silent reading.
"Morning, deskmate." Xu Lai greeted Lin Ruoruo with a radiant smile.
"Morning." Lin Ruoruo parted her lips slightly, uttering only a single word.
"I don't know your name yet?" Xu Lai asked with a smile.
Lin Ruoruo was taken aback, then stammered, "Lin... Lin Ruoruo."
Xu Lai wore a look of surprise. "What a coincidence, I had a friend when I was little who had the same name."
Pausing for a moment, Xu Lai added with a deadpan expression, "It's true, I'm not using this lame line to chat you up."
"Mm." Lin Ruoruo replied in a low voice, thinking to herself, *As expected, it's just a coincidence. He didn't recognize me.*
Even as Lin Ruoruo felt a wave of relief, a trace of disappointment seemed to mingle with it.
Xu Lai looked at Lin Ruoruo with pity. After steadying his emotions, he said with a light chuckle, "Classmate Lin Ruoruo, I just arrived in Jiangcheng, and you're the very first classmate I've gotten to know. It's nice to meet you."
Lin Ruoruo appeared somewhat at a loss, keeping her head lowered slightly. "Thank you."
With that, Lin Ruoruo even pushed down the locks of hair on either side of her cheeks, trying to hide her entire face.
*Thank you? What is she thanking me for? For saying it's nice to meet her?*
Looking at the pitiful girl before him, Xu Lai was momentarily at a loss for how to continue the conversation.
Hearing no further sound from beside her, Lin Ruoruo curiously raised her head and glanced sideways, only to find Xu Lai looking right at her.
"Classmate Xu... Xu Lai, why are you looking at me like that?"
Regaining his composure, Xu Lai gave two light coughs and said, "Oh, I saw a piece of grass in your hair and was just about to tell you."
Hearing this, Lin Ruoruo instinctively patted the top of her head, but felt nothing. She then looked at Xu Lai with a puzzled expression.
Xu Lai chuckled softly. "Shall I help you?" With that, he reached out toward the top of Lin Ruoruo's head, pretending to brush away the stray blade of grass.
He accidentally brushed against Lin Ruoruo's scalp.
Lin Ruoruo's face instantly flushed crimson, and she lowered her head to press her face against her desk.
"All done, Classmate Lin Ruoruo."
"Th... Thank you." A moment later, a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz reached Xu Lai's ears.