Chapter 34: I’m Going to Be Rich!

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: I’m Going to Be Rich!

Xiao Heqing bought two bunches of bananas and carried them to Lin Zhengran’s house.

After four years, carrying a nervous heart, she finally returned to this familiar place. She knocked on Lin Zhengran’s door. His home wasn’t much different from four years ago. At a glance, although some appliances and detailed layouts had changed slightly, everything still felt so familiar.

Lin Yingjun and Lin Xiaoli, who were sitting on the sofa watching TV, saw a female classmate arrive. At first, they thought their son had hooked up with another girl and brought her home. But when they recognized her, they were speechless with surprise.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lin," He Qing greeted shyly.

Hearing her voice, Lin Xiaoli in particular stared at the little girl who used to be so shy every day and didn’t even reach her thigh. Now, she had grown into a pretty, sweet girl standing a meter and a half tall. She couldn’t help but exclaim, "Is this... is this Qingqing?! Qingqing, it’s been so many years! How did you grow up to be so beautiful?!"

Lin Yingjun also let out a sound of surprise, sitting up straight as he marveled, "It really is Qingqing! After a few years, Qingqing has grown so tall!"

Xiao Heqing pursed her lips in embarrassment and handed the bananas to Mr. and Mrs. Lin. "Mr. and Mrs. Lin, it’s been a long time. I bought these for you. They aren’t expensive, but it’s the thought that counts. Thank you so much for taking care of me when I was little."

Lin Xiaoli laughed heartily and walked over to Xiao Heqing. "Oh, Qingqing, you didn’t have to buy gifts when coming to our home! Look how distant you’re acting with us now. Didn’t I tell you when you were little to just treat this place as your own home?"

Xiao Heqing nodded with an embarrassed smile. "I remember."

Lin Xiaoli examined her sweet appearance, clicking her tongue in admiration. "Qingqing, you’re really pretty now. Are you and Ranran together every day now?"

Xiao Heqing slowly shook her head. "No, Mrs. Lin. Because we aren’t in the same class, we usually aren’t together, but we do eat and leave school together."

Lin Xiaoli nodded. "I see. Well, that’s pretty much the same. Ever since you left, Ranran has been missing you every day, constantly hoping for your return." She looked up at her son. "Isn’t that right, Ranran?"

Xiao Heqing looked back at Lin Zhengran in surprise, wondering if it was true. As it turned out, Lin Zhengran looked completely confused. From the moment he walked in, he had started changing his shoes and headed to the bathroom to wash his face, completely oblivious to what they were talking about. "Huh? What did you say, Mom?"

Lin Xiaoli didn’t repeat herself. Instead, she whispered directly to Xiao Heqing, "See, he just said ’huh’. ’Huh’ means he’s nodding."

Xiao Heqing was too shy to speak. She didn’t know if Lin Zhengran had missed her, but she had truly missed him, hoping every day all these years to see him again.

Lin Zhengran washed his face and went to his bedroom, just like any other day when he came home. Lin Xiaoli gestured for Xiao Heqing to follow him. Xiao Heqing let out a tiny murmur of agreement and followed behind Lin Zhengran.

Lin Xiaoli quickly called out, "I’ll call you two when it’s time for lunch!"

After the two of them entered the room and closed the door, Lin Xiaoli exchanged a glance with her husband, Lin Yingjun, before smiling and sighing. "To think Qingqing has become so pretty. I really never expected the two of them to end up together again after four years."

Lin Yingjun replied, "Girls really do blossom as they grow up. She and Ranran share quite a bond."

In the bedroom, Lin Zhengran unceremoniously sprawled out on his stomach on the bed. Xiao Heqing stood by the edge of the bed. "Um... are you going to rest now? Should I give you a massage? It’s really comfortable."

Lin Zhengran kept his eyes closed. "Thanks."

Hearing his response, Xiao Heqing looked extremely happy. She shook her head back and forth like a rattle drum. "It’s no trouble at all! I’ll massage you right now. I used to massage my grandma a lot at home, so I’m really good at it." Biting her lip, she hurriedly sat down beside Lin Zhengran, her small hands kneading his shoulders.

He Qing’s arrival today made Lin Zhengran’s parents exceptionally happy. They even prepared a large feast for lunch. During the meal, everyone chatted and laughed for quite a while.

Just like when she was little, when eating shrimp, Xiao Heqing would secretly place the body of her first peeled shrimp onto Lin Zhengran’s plate, while she herself sucked out the remaining meat from the shrimp head. However, just like when they were little, Lin Zhengran complained, "Are you a picky eater? If you’re not going to eat it, why give it to me?"

Xiao Heqing was too startled to speak loudly. "I’m not picky. I just wanted you to eat it first..."

Mr. Lin and Mrs. Lin burst into laughter upon noticing their whispering. "It’s exactly like back when Ranran and Qingqing were in kindergarten! They’d always chat secretly like this."

After lunch in the afternoon, Lin Zhengran mentioned he needed to go out to buy something, so Xiao Heqing tagged along. She was curious about what Lin Zhengran needed to buy that required a long trip all the way to the mall.

Lin Zhengran answered casually, "I’m buying a birthday gift for a certain someone. She got me one last year, so I can’t just not return the favor. Besides, my mom told me to buy you some snacks while we’re at it."

That Saturday, Xiao Heqing spent the entire day with Lin Zhengran before waving goodbye. On her way back, she felt incredibly happy.

However, a smile wasn’t something everyone wore on their face all the time. For instance, in another residential complex just one street across, a teenage girl wearing casual shorts sat cross-legged on her bed, her bare thighs exposed as she played a guitar. Her long twin tails cascaded down over her chest, occasionally swaying gently in time with the strumming of her fingers. The pinkish, delicate decor in her room usually felt dreamy, but today, the girl simply couldn’t appreciate it.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder..." Jiang Xueli strummed the strings, her melodious voice drawing out the words. "...what you are."

She stared out the window. In reality, she could only see other apartment buildings through the glass, but it was as if she could envision a certain idiot chatting and laughing with a certain girl in a bedroom.

A knock sounded at the bedroom door, followed by her mother’s voice. "Sherrie, are you busy?"

Jiang Xueli replied, "Go ahead, Mom."

Through the door, her mother asked with a smile, "Tomorrow is your birthday. Are you planning to go out to have fun, or do you want Mom and Dad to celebrate it with you at home in the evening?"

Jiang Xueli froze for a moment. "Let me think about it. The birthday celebration isn’t until tomorrow night anyway, so there’s no rush."

Her mother didn’t think much of it. "All right. I don’t have anything going on this afternoon, and work is off. It won’t be too late to decide later."

"Okay, thanks, Mom."

Hearing her mother’s retreating footsteps, Jiang Xueli strummed the guitar strings once more. Suddenly, she flopped backward onto the bed, her body straight. Even her twin tails seemed to lose their usual vitality, silently overlapping and crossing over each other.

"You big idiot, what have you been doing with He Qing all day? You’re probably having the time of your life... Even getting a massage!" she huffed indignantly. "What kind of decent guy asks a girl to give him a massage? Can’t you just sleep a little longer in bed?!"

She laid the guitar flat, her bright, watery eyes gazing into the distance.

Jiang Xueli barely slept that Saturday night. Lying in bed with her legs bent, she held the two movie tickets up in one hand and her phone in the other. She agonized over it, alternating between lying down and sitting up. Tossing and turning, she wanted to call Lin Zhengran multiple times to tell him that tomorrow was her birthday. She wanted to invite him to watch a movie with her. But every time her finger hovered over the call button, she lacked the courage to press it.

She even considered sending a message. She typed the words out one by one: [You big idiot, did you know tomorrow is my birthday? Although it’s not like I absolutely need you to accompany me, I just happen to have two extra movie tickets lying around. Do you want to go together so they don’t go to waste...]

Blushing fiercely, she squeezed her eyes shut and quickly deleted it, unable to bring herself to hit send. "Doesn’t this look like a confession?! Anyone would misunderstand!"

She buried her head under her pillow and pulled up the covers to escape reality. "How am I supposed to tell him?! Why hasn’t humanity invented a technology to send messages through dreams yet? If I could, I’d just tell him in his dreams." A moment later, she caught herself and grumbled quietly, "Yeah, right. Knowing me, I’d probably be too embarrassed to say it even in a dream."

The next morning, birds chirped on the roofs of the residential complex. Sporting dark circles under her eyes, she was still staring blankly at her phone and the two movie tickets.

It wasn’t until her mother called out from the living room, "Sherrie, your father and I are heading to work. Remember to take your keys if you go out," that she finally sat up.

Staring at the bright world outside her window, realization dawned on her. "It’s morning already?! What was I doing all night?!" She gritted her teeth and glared at her phone. "No, I’m going to send a message! I have to send it! Otherwise, I’m really going to lose!"