She really couldn't figure out whether she was unlucky or lucky.
First came the forbidden love between siblings, then the forbidden love between teacher and student, and now there's even a forbidden love between an older sister and a younger brother waiting for her.
Why should God treat her so kindly?
Before she could even think, Xiaoxin called, saying he was waiting for her in front of the dormitory.
You Ran decided to ignore it. Anyway, in order to prepare for the Education Bureau's once-every-five-years inspection, the school was going to rectify the school's atmosphere. The new rule was that boys were not allowed to enter or leave the girls' dormitory at will.
However, girls can still freely enter and exit the boys' dormitory.
The rule was met with strong opposition from many male students, but to no avail. As a result, the boys could only swallow their saliva in front of the girls' dormitory.
You Ran didn't believe that Xiao Xin would dare to disobey the school rules. Even if he did, it wouldn't reach the burly aunties at the dormitory entrance, who could knock down a girl with one slap, a man with two slaps, and an elephant with three slaps.
So she stayed peacefully in her dorm room and continued playing online games.
Not long after, roommate A returned and said, "You Ran, your little brother Long Xiang is waiting for you downstairs. He asked me to pass on a message that he'll see you there."
Ignoring everything, he continued stealing vegetables.
Not long after, roommate B returned and said the same thing: "You Ran, your little brother Long Xiang is waiting for you downstairs. He asked me to pass on a message that he'll see you there."
Not long after, roommate C returned and said the same thing: "You Ran, your little brother Long Xiang is waiting for you downstairs. He asked me to pass on a message that he'll see you there."
You Ran was optimistic. She thought, since there were only three people in the dormitory and they had already used up all their tricks, she didn't believe Xiao Xin had any other magic weapons.
Unexpectedly, Shin-chan had many tricks up his sleeve—and then, people from the next room, the upstairs room, the downstairs room, and the rooms to his left and right all came one after another.
They all said the same thing: Long Xiang is waiting for her down below.
In the end, the dormitory aunt was still shouting repeatedly through a megaphone: "Li Youran, Li Youran from room 402, there's a boy named Long Xiang waiting for you here. He said he'll see you there."
The aunt's loud, booming voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, successfully created a brain-piercing effect, even causing the glass in the principal's office in Zone A to tremble.
Unable to remain calm any longer, You Ran rushed downstairs as fast as she could.
Xiao Xin was leisurely standing with his arms crossed at the dormitory entrance, waiting for her.
"Let's find a place to talk." To avoid being seen, You Ran pulled Xiao Xin away and quickly went outside the school. They ordered something at a fast food restaurant, sat down, and began negotiating.
You Ran decided to get straight to the point: "I've thought it over, and the answer is no."
Shin-chan disagrees: "That's not the right answer. Keep thinking."
You Ran was speechless. Did this kid think he was doing an exam?
"I've always treated you like a younger brother." You Ran didn't want to hide anything: "It's impossible for me to have romantic feelings for you right now."
"How do you know it can't be done if you haven't tried?" Shin-chan persisted.
“This is something you can’t try.” You Ran shook her head: “I’m not agreeing to it because I don’t want to do the same thing as him.”
He refers to Qu Yun.
The carefree spirit of the past was just like Shin-chan is now, rushing forward with boundless enthusiasm, completely disregarding the consequences.
Having been hurt before, You Ran understands how painful it is to be with someone who doesn't love you, and she doesn't want Xiao Xin to fall into that kind of misfortune.
"What happened between us has nothing to do with Qu Yun." Xiao Xin frowned slightly, as if trying to shake off some unwelcome impression.
“It’s the same, all the same.” You Ran smiled wryly. “I regret my past recklessness and enthusiasm. I almost fawned over his coldness and indifference. It’s shameful.”
"Even if you're a fool, being able to give your all for the person you love makes you a happy fool," Shin-chan said.
"Maybe." You Ran looked at the water glass in front of her, her eyes slightly confused.
"So, I also want to be that kind of fool." Shin-chan's voice was unusually gentle, like willow catkins in March brushing against your face.
You Ran shook his head without saying anything, but the meaning was clear.
Seeing that all her nagging had no effect, Xiaoxin snapped: "Li Youran, what do you want from me to agree?!"
You Ran yelled back, "Long Xiaoxin, I absolutely will not agree to this!!!"
The time for warmth has come to a complete end.
"If you don't agree, I'll stand downstairs at your dorm every day and wait for you!"
"If you dare come, I'll just throw boiling water on you!"
"If you dare to spill it, don't even think about bringing hot water to the dorm again, or I'll snatch it every time I see you."
"If you dare to steal it, I'll go straight to the school radio station and tell the whole school that you're wearing cartoon underwear!"
"If you dare say that, I'll drag you to the bed and push you down!"
"If you dare to knock it over, I'll just cut up your little Shin-chan, add sesame oil and MSG, microwave it until it's crispy on the inside and tender on the outside, then sandwich it between two layers of bread and force you to eat it!!!"
"If you dare do that, I'll tear you down again and again before I'm completely wiped out, and we'll all perish together!!!"
This not-so-pure topic could have been explored further—if not for the stiff expressions on the faces of the other customers in the fast-food restaurant.
Not wanting to be turned into pandas and surrounded by onlookers, You Ran and Xiao Xin immediately made a coordinated escape through the door.
I later heard that the fast food restaurant's hamburger sales plummeted that day.
After a difficult and lengthy negotiation and argument, the two barely reached an agreement—to at least admit to being a couple in front of outsiders.
Xiao Xin's reasons were quite valid: First, rumors about them were already rampant, and many people considered them a couple. Second, You Ran had taken his girlfriend's place, which would help him avoid the tedium of blind dates. Third, You Ran could warm up beforehand, allowing her to fully appreciate the advantages of being his girlfriend.
You Ran was originally unwilling, but she couldn't resist Xiao Xin bothering her all day long, so she had no choice but to agree.
But there's a condition: this game can only be played until the end of this semester. If You Ran is still unwilling by then, then Xiao Xin must let go.
An agreement was reached through mutual compromise.
Everyone on Earth knows that Li Youran has become Long Xiang's girlfriend.
Having finally found a boyfriend she could publicly acknowledge, You Ran naturally wouldn't let him go to waste. So, Xiao Xin was busy spinning around like a top every day.
Get hot water for You Ran, get meals for You Ran, save seats for You Ran at the library, accompany You Ran shopping, play online games with You Ran...
He's the perfect boyfriend, leaving everyone around him amazed and envious.
No one expected that Long Xiang, who had a temper as volatile as if he ate a pound of dynamite every day, would do such a thing.
You Ran hadn't expected this either.
She originally thought that Xiaoxin would quit or go on strike after only two or three days, but to her surprise, he didn't complain at all.
You Ran discovered that although Shin-chan had a sharp tongue and a bad temper, he was actually quite thoughtful.
After saying, "We are all of the same origin, why are you so eager to harm each other? Why do you never spare pork at every meal?" he would serve her a steaming, fragrant braised pork.
After saying, "Your snotty nose sounds awful," he would remind her that it would be colder tomorrow and she should wear more clothes.
After saying, "You're so afraid of getting hit because you have a lot of subcutaneous fat, huh?" he would pull her, who liked to walk on the side of the road, to his side and protect her.
Actually, Shin-chan is indeed quite good, Yuran admitted.
But... You Ran no longer has the courage to love.
The popular post about Shin-chan and Yu-ran's relationship was featured on the school forum for three days before finally sinking to the bottom.
And everyone in the school knew about it.
Including Qu Yun.
After his arm healed, he returned to school. You Ran had heard about this before, but she didn't really care.
She doesn't want to think about it anymore.
That day, You Ran was immersed in the library studying for the postgraduate entrance exam. As usual, Xiao Xin sat next to her, reading on his notebook, acting as her study companion.
Xiaoxin would occasionally show You Ran funny posts to distract her.
Finally, You Ran couldn't hold back any longer, so she took out a note and wrote: "Go out first, don't disturb me."
The note Shin-chan returned read: "Don't even think about it."
Leisurely and patiently, she turned away, intending to ignore Shin-chan.
Unexpectedly, Xiaoxin suddenly forced her head to turn and made her look at the computer screen.
You Ran had already prepared two fingers, intending to stab Shin-chan's eyes to vent her anger, but when she saw the post on the computer that collected ugly photos of celebrities, You Ran burst out laughing.
Because the post was so funny, You Ran and Xiao Xin started browsing it together. When they came across some really funny parts, You Ran couldn't help but laugh so hard that she could only lean on Xiao Xin to catch her breath.
Originally, the two did not want to be too high-profile, so they chose a spot in the corner of the library.
But because they were a popular couple on the campus forum, the dimness of the corner couldn't hide them, and many people were secretly watching them.
One of them was an acquaintance.
After browsing through the pages, You Ran wiped away a string of tears that had welled up in her eyes from laughing. She looked up unintentionally and found that Qu Yun was watching her and Xiao Xin not far ahead.
Qu Yun was tall and slender with an upright posture. His long legs made him look like a man from Shinohara Chie's paintings, exuding a sense of aloofness and mystery.
Long legs on this man are damn sexy.
You Ran then realized that Qu Yun's appearance was quite similar to the image of the prince charming she had dreamed of when she was a child.
Their melodramatic story illustrates one thing: fairy tale endings can only be achieved through phone calls.
You Ran felt very calm. She had fulfilled her childhood dream, even though it wasn't successful. But at least she had dated her Prince Charming, and that was enough.
As their thoughts gradually settled into calm, Qu Yun arrived before them.
You Ran glanced at Qu Yun's arm, which seemed to be able to move freely again, and asked, "Is your hand better?"
Qu Yun looked at her quietly. In that vast silence, countless fragments fell, eventually settling into a single sentence: "I want to talk to you alone."
You Ran shook her head: "There's nothing to talk about. We already said everything we needed to say at the hospital that day."
"It's about class matters," Qu Yun said in a voice inaudible to others. "Or perhaps you're just scared?"
I'm afraid to face him alone; my hard-won peace of mind will become chaotic again.
Before You Ran could speak, she heard Xiao Xin's voice from the side: "Teacher, it's not a good idea to be a third wheel."
Shin-chan's eyes were fixed on the computer screen. He didn't look up, and his tone was cool.
The early spring air vanished instantly, replaced by gusts of cold wind.
It's so cold, so cold. I instinctively hunch my neck.
“You mean…” Qu Yun asked.