"You... you've got the wrong person, I... I..."
Hearing what Xu Ke called her, Lin Ruoruo was both startled and embarrassed. This left her naturally timid and introverted, unable to say another word.
More than a dozen years of hardship had left Lin Ruoruo completely devoid of self-confidence; even her voice was trembling.
Seeing Lin Ruoruo look as if she were about to cry, Xu Ke felt she had stirred up trouble and turned to look at Xu Lai.
"I'll deal with you when we get back." Dropping these words to Xu Ke, he turned his attention back to Lin Ruoruo.
"Ruoruo, I'm sorry. Xu Ke doesn't know any better." In his sudden anxiety, Xu Lai even forgot the name he had always used for Lin Ruoruo.
*Ruoruo?*
Lin Ruoruo stared blankly at Xu Lai. "You... you..."
Looking at Xu Lai, Lin Ruoruo could not force out another syllable for the longest time. Then, catching sight of the entire class staring at her, she blushed crimson and bolted out of the classroom of Senior Three, Class Twenty-Seven.
Xu Lai hurriedly ran out after her.
Xu Lai followed right behind Lin Ruoruo, chasing her all the way to a narrow path by the playground.
This landscaped walkway had been built to help students with their morning reading during the summer, and the thick foliage completely blocked the direct glare of the sun.
Since classes were already in session, there were no other students around.
Having rushed out of the classroom without any idea where she should go, Lin Ruoruo had simply run aimlessly, eventually ending up here without realizing it.
Seeing that there were no other students nearby, she finally slowed to a stop.
Xu Lai also slowed his pace, walked up to Lin Ruoruo, and called out softly, "Ruoruo."
Lin Ruoruo raised her head to look at Xu Lai and asked timidly, "You... you recognized me a long time ago, didn't you?"
Xu Lai nodded slowly. "Yes."
Lin Ruoruo asked no further. Instead, she lowered her head, letting the tears welling in her eyes slip down her cheeks.
"What happened today—Xu Ke was in the wrong. I..."
Xu Lai felt a sudden panic. Being thrown off rhythm like this left him unsure of how to explain.
Before he could finish, however, he heard Lin Ruoruo's soft voice:
"I... actually..." Halfway through what she wanted to say, Lin Ruoruo's timidity got the better of her.
Xu Lai panicked even more, having no idea what Lin Ruoruo wanted to say.
"Ruoruo, I'm sorry. If today's events brought you any trouble, I can gather the whol—" Seeing that Lin Ruoruo had fallen silent again, Xu Lai hastily tried to offer comfort.
It was as if Lin Ruoruo had finally mustered her courage, though her eyes kept darting away. Interrupting Xu Lai mid-sentence, she said, "Actually, I missed you so much too, but I was afraid to see you."
"My dad is gone, our home doesn't look like a home anymore, and I'm not the person you remember either."
"I don't want a battered and bruised me standing in front of you."
"I really am not the old me anymore."
It must have taken an immense amount of courage for Lin Ruoruo to say so much in one breath. Even though she had never seen Xu Lai after he grew up, she had recognized him on the very first day.
Yet she was timid, and she suffered from low self-esteem.
When she realized Xu Lai hadn't recognized her, she had even intended to keep up the act.
At least that way she could share a desk with Xu Lai, and for that, she would have been content.
Yet now, it had all been shattered by Xu Ke's sudden arrival.
She finally understood that Xu Lai had come for her right from the start; in this world, how could there be so many coincidences?
Watching Lin Ruoruo, who was now sobbing uncontrollably, Xu Lai desperately wanted to step forward and pull her into an embrace, but this was a school—he couldn't.
Xu Lai gently stroked Lin Ruoruo's hair as countless memories flooded his mind. "Ruoruo, you will always be the Ruoruo I've known."
"Have you forgotten? When we were little, I was a crybaby too, too scared to even talk to people. Who was the one who always insisted on dragging me along to play every time she came to the orphanage?"
Guiding Lin Ruoruo's thoughts back to the happy little moments of their childhood, Xu Lai watched as her emotions gradually stabilized. Seeing that this approach was working, he continued:
"Do you remember? Back then, you said you wanted me to acknowledge you as my older sister and that when you grew up, you'd protect me—even though I was clearly three months older than you."
Lin Ruoruo's mood seemed to ease somewhat. She wasn't crying over anything else; it was because her life was in such a mess, and the fragile paper barrier between them had been suddenly punctured today.
"Alright, let's go back to class. I have so, so much to say to you, and we can take our time in the future. How does that sound?" Xu Lai said softly, reaching out to lead Lin Ruoruo back to the classroom.
Lin Ruoruo didn't speak. Instead, she wiped the tears from her cheeks, walked toward the teaching building, and dodged the hand Xu Lai had extended to hold hers.
"Too aggressive," Xu Lai muttered with a wry smile, scratching his head as he followed behind Lin Ruoruo.
With Xu Ke kicking up such a fuss, Xu Lai's original plan had been completely disrupted, but it seemed to have turned out even better than expected—at least they had recognized each other.
At that moment, he didn't know whether to curse Xu Ke or reward her.
......
Xu Lai and Lin Ruoruo returned one after the other to Senior Three, Class Twenty-Seven. Before they even reached the classroom door, they heard voices inside.
"We really don't know where they went."
"Teacher, why don't we go out and look for them?"
Apparently, Fan Wenyi had already brought Principal Ma Kuishan to the classroom. Naturally, the purpose was to calm Xu Lai down, but upon returning, they had found a group of students engaged in a heated discussion. It was only after class monitor Zhao Kai offered an explanation that Ma Kuishan and Fan Wenyi learned what had happened.
Ma Kuishan immediately turned to Xu Ke:
"Xu Ke, you need to mind your tongue in the classroom. In three months, you'll be taking the college entrance exam. It concerns every single one of you; you can't just act on your whims."
"I know, Teacher. There won't be a next time." Xu Ke lowered her head, knowing she was in the wrong.
"They're back."
Students looking out the window had already spotted Xu Lai and Lin Ruoruo.
Seeing that both the principal and the homeroom teacher were inside, Xu Lai took two steps in one and strode ahead of Lin Ruoruo. Slipping into the classroom in front of her, he said to Ma Kuishan, "Principal Ma, it was all just a misunderstanding. Classmate Lin Ruoruo and I have cleared everything up. There's nothing else going on."
"Good to hear. Classmate Xu..." Ma Kuishan paused for a moment when addressing Xu Lai, then dropped a pointed remark before leaving the classroom.
This period was supposed to be history class, but with all the commotion, half the time had already passed, leaving the history teacher with no choice but to have everyone study on their own.
Xu Ke also found an empty seat and sat down. Her deskmate was a girl with straight-cut bangs and slightly dark skin named Zhou Yi. The two exchanged greetings and each took out their scratch pads to work on exercises.
As soon as class ended, Xu Ke hurried over to Xu Lai's side. "Big Brother, move aside for a second."
Xu Lai looked at Xu Ke and asked in a low voice, "What are you up to now?"
"I'm going to apologize to classmate Lin Ruoruo." Xu Ke rubbed her nose, looking a bit sheepish.
"N—no need to apologize to me," Lin Ruoruo interjected softly from the side.
"Sister Ruoruo, I'm really sorry. I'm just too used to bickering with my brother, so I..." Xu Ke said with a heavy sense of guilt.
"It's... it's fine," Lin Ruoruo replied briefly, then went back to her homework.
Xu Lai suddenly chimed in, "Who approved your transfer?"
Xu Ke couldn't be bothered to entertain him. "I'm sleepy and need to take a nap."
With that, she retreated to her desk, buried her face in her arms, and fell asleep.
Xu Lai was left speechless, muttering to himself that it was all his fault for spoiling the girl rotten. Then he thought better of it—wait, it wasn't him who spoiled her. Well, true, it really wasn't him; it must have been Granny. He would have to go back and have a serious talk with Granny about this girl making arbitrary decisions to transfer schools.