Chapter 67: Absolute Trust

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Absolute Trust

Lin Zhengran saw her tear-filled eyes and figured the floodgates were about to burst. But when he grabbed Jiang Xueli’s arm, though tears were still streaming from her eyes, she clamped her mouth shut and stared at him.

"Explain... Explain, now..."

Lin Zhengran broke out in a sweat. ’What kind of people have I gotten myself involved with?’ "Explain what? I’m the one who wants an explanation. What was all that nonsense you were just spouting?"

Jiang Xueli looked at him with red-rimmed eyes, her expression full of grievance. "What am I supposed to explain, you big dummy? I need *you* to explain! You big dummy, you stupid dummy."

"Say that again?"

"I won’t!" she mumbled, not daring to.

Seeing Lin Zhengran staring at her, Jiang Xueli spoke up again. "Anyway, I definitely saw her proposing to you just now. The two of you..." She poked Lin Zhengran’s arm. "Let go of my hand. I’m going to state the facts, and I want to see how you talk your way out of this."

Lin Zhengran released his grip.

Jiang Xueli immediately began to act out the scene, imitating He Qing’s every move—wrapping the scarf and even dropping to one knee.

"When I got here, I saw you two go like this, and then like this, and then like *that*. Then, she dropped to one knee! And in the end, you said you were going to the Civil Affairs Bureau this week to get married. You can’t deny it, can you?"

Lin Zhengran let out a puzzled "Huh?"

Even though Jiang Xueli’s description was abstract, he could somehow understand her, perhaps because he had known the girl his entire life.

The gist of it was that she believed she had just witnessed a marriage proposal.

Lin Zhengran wanted to ask, "Leaving aside the fact that nobody can understand a word you’re saying with all your ’this’ and ’that,’ what’s this about us going to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get married this week? Do you think a couple of teenagers in junior high can even get a marriage license?"

Jiang Xueli was about to retort, but her brain suddenly short-circuited.

She stared at him, tears still in her eyes, and blinked blankly. "Oh, right. I think you have to be in your twenties to get married. So why would you say you were going to get a license?"

Lin Zhengran couldn’t resist giving her a flick on the forehead.

"Ouch!" Jiang Xueli yelped, clutching her head with both hands. The crying stopped. "Why’d you hit me, you big dummy!"

Lin Zhengran shot her a disdainful look. "This... incredible scenario you just described. Did you actually hear it with your own two ears? Don’t tell me you just made it all up in your head."

An "Ermm..." sound rumbled in Jiang Xueli’s throat. "I... made it up."

Lin Zhengran tapped her on the head again.

In truth, neither tap was painful, but it was enough to snap Jiang Xueli out of her daze. She pointed at Lin Zhengran’s scarf. "You hit me again! Well... then what about the scarf you’re wearing? How do you explain that?! He Qing gave that to you, didn’t she!"

"Oh," Lin Zhengran said. "This?" He spoke deliberately, "Alright, fine. You weren’t wrong. Everything you imagined just now was true."

Jiang Xueli’s eyes flew wide open. Suddenly, she balled her small hands into fists and started hammering them against Lin Zhengran’s chest.

"Lies, lies, lies! I didn’t hear a thing just now, it was all in my head! You two aren’t together at all! And how could you possibly get married when you’re so young? Tell me what really happened! I don’t believe you’d break your promise. My big dummy isn’t that kind of person!"

Lin Zhengran calmly caught her flurry of tiny phantom fists, a motion born of long habit. "I’m only going to say this once. He Qing got her clothes dirty, so she went to my apartment to wash them. Once they were done, I walked her downstairs. That’s it."

Jiang Xueli’s fists froze. Then, without any transition, her face broke into a radiant smile.

She clasped her hands behind her back, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, so that’s all it was! You should’ve just said so, you big dummy!" Her face was practically glowing. "I knew it. Even though you’re a mess in every other way, you’re always honest. You’ve never lied to me, and I trust you completely."

In Jiang Xueli’s heart, Lin Zhengran might be a flirt, but he would never, ever be a liar.

And if the facts ever conflicted with Lin Zhengran’s words...

...then in her heart, his words were the truth, and the facts were wrong. Ever since that theft incident back in elementary school, Jiang Xueli had decided that her "big dummy" was the only person in the world she could trust without question.

When it came to trust, both Jiang Xueli’s and He Qing’s faith in Lin Zhengran was maxed out—a unique passive trait, you could say, granted to childhood friends.

Suddenly, a car approached in the distance and pulled up to the gate of the complex. The driver’s side window rolled down.

The driver was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties.

"Jiang Xueli? What are you doing here? I’m on my way to the studio for a recording session. I can give you a ride."

Hearing the voice, Jiang Xueli turned and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "Sister Zhang! Great! I was just about to head over anyway."

She didn’t forget to make introductions, all her previous suspicions about He Qing completely forgotten.

"Sister Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Lin Zhengran. He’s my childhood friend."

Lin Zhengran smiled. "Hi, Sister Zhang."

Sister Zhang acknowledged him. "Hey, handsome. I feel like I’ve seen you at the studio. You’ve come with Jiang Xueli a few times to pick things up or watch her record, haven’t you?"

Lin Zhengran nodded. "That’s right. I’ve been there with her a few times."

Sister Zhang smiled wistfully. "Childhood sweethearts, huh? How nice. Well, why don’t I give you both a lift?"

Jiang Xueli giggled, a little embarrassed.

After thanking Sister Zhang, she turned to Lin Zhengran. "You big dummy, want to come along?"

Lin Zhengran agreed, and the two of them got into the car, heading for the Child Star Studio.

When they arrived, Jiang Xueli went straight into the recording booth, since she had to get the song done sooner or later.

Lin Zhengran sat in the lounge area in front of the booth, his arms crossed as he listened to Jiang Xueli sing.

The moment she stood before the mic, Jiang Xueli’s natural talent for singing took over. It was just... because of what had just happened, her voice wasn’t quite right today.

The sound engineer asked, "It was fine at the start, but as she got further into the song, Lili’s voice didn’t sound like it usually does. It’s a little raspy. Why don’t you take a break? We can let someone else record for a bit."

Jiang Xueli held the microphone. She knew it was probably because she’d been crying earlier.

"Alright, I’ll take a break and come back to it."

She put down the microphone and glanced down, only to see two other aspiring singers standing next to Lin Zhengran, asking for his number.

"Hey, cutie, what school do you go to? You’re really handsome. What’s your phone number?"

"Yeah, what’s your number? Are you here to support someone at their session today?"

Lin Zhengran had no interest whatsoever in these thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls. "I don’t have a phone. I’m here with her," he said, gesturing toward the booth, "the one who was just singing."

Seeing the girls trying to poach her man, an agitated Jiang Xueli waved her fists and rushed over.

When the girls saw Jiang Xueli approaching, they glanced at each other with a hint of disappointment. "Oh, so you’re with Lili? Never mind, then. Wait, so Lili has a boyfriend?" They walked away, chatting amongst themselves.

Jiang Xueli, of course, heard what they said. Her face suddenly turned red, but she didn’t deny it.

’Boyfriend~~’

She marched up to Lin Zhengran. "You big dummy! What was that all about?!"

Lin Zhengran said, "Sitting here listening to you sing, what else? Speaking of which, this studio seems to have a constant revolving door of new talent. A lot of the older ones seem to leave, too."

Jiang Xueli hummed in agreement. "That’s true. A lot of people sing here for a while and then leave when they don’t get famous. This studio doesn’t have any powerful backing, after all. I don’t think any of the singers here have ever made much money."

After she said that, she got worked up again. "Wait! That’s not what I wanted to talk about! I meant to ask why girls are always hitting on you every time you sit here! Are you really that much of a magnet for them? I mean, I’ll admit you’re really handsome, and capable! But..."

Lin Zhengran cut in, "But what does them asking for my number have to do with me? Besides, it’s not like I was going to give it to them."

Hearing this, Jiang Xueli sat down beside him, pouting. "Hmph. That’s more like it. At least you’re acting respectable." Her eyes fell on the handmade scarf around Lin Zhengran’s neck, and her lively gaze took in its exquisite craftsmanship.

"So, what’s the story with this scarf? He Qing gave it to you, didn’t she..."

He glanced down at it. "Yeah. She said it was a gift to get me through the winter. But I’ve been wearing it all afternoon and it’s getting too hot. I’ll find a box to store it in when I get home tonight."

’It’s just a gift for the winter?’ Jiang Xueli thought. Although she was still jealous, her heart lightened. ’So it wasn’t a love confession?’

She suddenly remembered that she’d wanted to invite him to the zoo.

Lin Zhengran asked, "Weren’t you trying to tell me something yesterday? I saw you holding some kind of flyer."