Chapter 15

In the morning, in the villa area, accompanied by the crisp chirping of birds, a new day began.

When Ji Ran went downstairs, Ji Qingli was already dressed and sitting at the dining table. He had an important meeting in the morning, so he woke up early.

Usually, when Ji Ran went to school, she didn’t see Ji Qingli.

“Good morning, Dad,” Ji Ran greeted softly and sat down obediently across from him.

When Ji Ran came downstairs, Zhao Aunty quickly brought breakfast to the table. Ji Qingli, upon seeing this, expressed his concern, saying, “Ran Ran, make sure to have a good breakfast, or you won’t have much energy in the morning.”

He rarely said such things to Ji Ran because they rarely saw each other. When Ji Ran went to school in the morning, he hadn’t come downstairs yet. When Ji Ran rested in her room in the evening, he had just arrived home. Ji Qingli was different from Pei Yuan; he was more lenient with Ji Ran.

Soon after, Jiang Yi was brought down by Jiang Liqi.

Originally, Jiang Yi was muttering about the dress she saw Ji Ran wearing, which was so elegant and beautiful. She was jealous to the core and had been pestering Jiang Liqi to buy her a similar dress.

Jiang Liqi was exasperated by her antics, but upon seeing the father-daughter duo in the dining room, she scolded Jiang Yi in a low voice, “Stop messing around.”

Jiang Yi rarely saw Ji Qingli in the morning, so she quickly let go of Jiang Liqi’s arm and followed her into the dining room.

Ji Ran had excellent table manners and was eating her breakfast slowly and quietly, without making a sound.

When she picked up the glass of milk on her side and took a sip, she looked up at Ji Qingli and said, “Dad, can I discuss something with you?”

Ji Qingli nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Starting today, I don’t want to take the family car to school anymore. Please don’t have the driver take me,” Ji Ran said, her long lashes trembling slightly as she spoke softly.

Ji Ran’s decision to stop taking the family car to school piqued Jiang Yi’s curiosity as she sat across from her.

Why would she refuse to ride in the luxury car? Is she planning to take the bus or something? What’s going on?

Jiang Yi had a look of anticipation on her face.

Ji Ran didn’t pay her any attention, though. She just lowered her gaze slightly, lightly tapping her glass on the table.

Ji Qingli asked, “Why don’t you want to take the car anymore?”

“Previously, I wasn’t familiar with the way to school, but now I’m quite familiar with the area around the school, so I’d like to challenge myself,” Ji Ran replied in a calm, gentle voice, which sounded particularly soothing.

Ji Qingli nodded in agreement.

Jiang Liqi expressed her concern, saying, “Public buses can be quite crowded. It’s more comfortable to take the family car.”

Ji Ran continued to look at Ji Qingli and said, “Dad, I’m a student. Going to school in the family car every day attracts too much attention from others, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingli enthusiastically agreed. He liked Jiang Liqi because he felt she wasn’t after his money and had a low-key personality. Men, regardless of their age, preferred simplicity and naturalness.

He was pleased to see that Ji Ran had no inclination toward comparison, which made him even happier.

So he said, “Ran Ran’s idea is the right one. High school students should look like high school students. Constantly comparing and not focusing on your studies doesn’t make you seem like a student.”

After hearing Ji Qingli’s words, the people at the table had various expressions.

Ji Ran lifted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Soon after, Ji Ran finished her breakfast and got up to leave for school.

Jiang Yi was still eating slowly, but she didn’t have to catch the bus, so she had plenty of time. Jiang Liqi turned to her and said, “Jiang Yi, hurry up and get ready. You’ll leave with Ran Ran later.”

There was a crisp sound as she dropped her spoon.

Jiang Yi’s dinner knife fell onto the marble floor of the dining room, making a harsh noise.

Seeing Ji Qingli’s displeased expression, Jiang Liqi quickly scolded Jiang Yi in a low voice, “Jiang Yi, what’s gotten into you?”

Jiang Yi had been so absorbed in hearing Ji Ran say she wouldn’t take the car to school that she accidentally dropped the dinner knife. In fact, she rarely used knives and forks in her daily life, except when occasionally eating Western food outside.

However, since she came to the Ji family and they usually had a Western-style breakfast, she chose to use knives and forks to avoid seeming uncultured, even though she wasn’t very skilled with them.

Her lack of expertise was evident as the knife and fork clattered to the floor.

But the awkwardness of the utensils hitting the ground couldn’t stop the shock on Jiang Yi’s face. She hadn’t expected her mother to insist on her taking the bus with Ji Ran.

Fortunately, she had some presence of mind and remembered Ji Qingli was present.

After Jiang Yi got up, Jiang Liqi made an excuse to follow her outside. When Jiang Yi had her backpack in hand and reached the doorway, she couldn’t help but express her grievance: “Mom, I don’t want to take the bus. It’s crowded and smelly.”

“Lower your voice.” Jiang Liqi glanced around and straightened her school uniform collar, whispering, “Ji Ran is taking the bus. Are you going to keep taking the family car?”

“I don’t want to go through the same hardships as her,” Jiang Yi objected, feeling it wasn’t fair to be subjected to the same inconveniences as Ji Ran.

Jiang Liqi was getting exasperated. She looked at Jiang Yi and said, “Do you want Ji Ran to take the bus while you continue using the family car? How do you think Ji Qingli would perceive you? How would he perceive me? If Ji Ran can take the bus, why can’t you?”

Jiang Yi felt even more wronged. She understood what Jiang Liqi meant: since Ji Ran was Ji Qingli’s biological daughter and was willing to take the bus, she, as the stepdaughter, couldn’t continue using the family car.

But she couldn’t accept it.

She had been upset because of the dress issue to begin with. Now, she had an idea and decided to act coquettish, saying, “Mom, if I take the bus, will you buy me that dress?”

Ji Ran’s long dress was just too ethereal, and it was a custom-made international designer piece.

If she could wear it to Xu Yihang’s birthday banquet, the other girls would be at her feet. What could they possibly compare to her?

Jiang Liqi frowned and responded without much thought, “Didn’t you hear what Ji Qingli just said? High school students should look like high school students. Why would a high school student need a formal gown?”

Jiang Yi remained dissatisfied: “Ji Ran keeps buying all these things. Why can’t I have just one?”

Jiang Liqi sighed as she looked at her envious expression.

In the end, it all came down to Ji Ran being Ji Qingli’s biological daughter, giving her a sense of confidence.

Jiang Liqi was feeling a bit anxious, not knowing whether it was due to her age or some other reason, as she had been unable to conceive for a while.

In the end, Jiang Yi had no choice but to carry her backpack and go to the nearby bus stop.

Ji Ran stood in front of the bus stop sign, watching Jiang Yi reluctantly approach. When Jiang Yi saw Ji Ran, she couldn’t even maintain her usual fake smile.

In Ji Ran’s heart, she couldn’t help but feel like laughing. How could Jiang Yi not hold back?

When she undermined herself in front of others, she should have thought about this day.

As long as she was willing, with just a word from her, Jiang Yi could go from riding in the Bentley to taking the bus.

Today was Friday, and it was a tradition at their school that there were no classes during the fourth period on Fridays, except for the high school seniors. Instead, the entire school had a thorough cleanup. Although nobody liked cleaning, it was preferable to attending classes.

Wen Qianxia stared at the assigned cleaning area for Class 8 and said angrily, “Why do we have to clean such a large area?”

To reduce the burden on the school’s cleaning staff, the school assigned different areas outside the academic buildings and the playground to various classes. Class 8 happened to be assigned the basketball court area, including the main walkway next to the court.

Unfortunately, He Mingshan was the labor committee member for Class 8.

On the day Shen Zhi made things difficult for He Mingshan in front of everyone, He Mingshan didn’t dare to retaliate against Shen Zhi directly, so she resorted to underhanded tactics to trip up Ji Ran.

Coincidentally, it was the day for the school-wide cleanup, and He Mingshan assigned Ji Ran the area that everyone hated the most.

Ji Ran didn’t argue with her. Wen Qianxia couldn’t stand it and volunteered to help Ji Ran.

Even though she was mentally prepared, when Wen Qianxia saw the vast area they had to clean, she couldn’t help but complain in frustration, “It’s okay, I’ll take care of it.”

Ji Ran knew she was doing this for her, so she replied, “How can I let my little sweetheart clean such a large area alone? I’d feel sorry for you.”

Wen Qianxia made her laugh; although Ji Ran was a few months younger than her, she still considered Wen Qianxia the little girl. After all, Ji Ran’s mental age was much older than hers.

Ji Ran saw that the basketball court was crowded with people playing, and she decided to start cleaning from the farthest point.

The school-wide cleanup didn’t affect the basketball court at all; instead, it was a chance for many students to sneak out and play. The court was lively, with adolescent boys using this opportunity to release their boundless energy.

Shen Zhi was originally on the court as well. However, when he looked up and saw someone seriously sweeping the ground not far away, he froze in his tracks.

“Zhi-Ge, pass the ball!” Xia Jiangming shouted anxiously from the side.

Shen Zhi was distracted, so he simply passed the ball to Chen Song, who was waiting by the sidelines, and said in a low voice, “I’m done playing.”

After Chen Song took his place on the court, Shen Zhi casually leaned against the basketball hoop and stared straight at Ji Ran in the distance. The young girl was very dedicated to her work, carefully sweeping the ground inch by inch.

After Xu Yihang went off the court, he also sat down next to Shen Zhi. He followed Shen Zhi’s gaze and suddenly slapped his thigh. “How could I forget the most important person?”

“What?” Shen Zhi raised his head, looking at Xu Yihang.

Xu Yihang smacked his thigh, filled with regret. “I haven’t invited Ji Ran to my birthday yet. I can’t believe I forgot such an important thing.”

So Xu Yihang waved to Ji Ran and shouted, “Little sister Ji.”

However, as soon as he shouted, his shin received a sudden kick, and Xu Yihang lowered his head to find Shen Zhi looking at him with a cold gaze.

Xu Yihang: “Classmate Ji Ran, could you please come over?”

Ji Ran heard someone calling her, raised her head, looked around, and saw Xu Yihang frantically waving at her from the basketball court not far away. She thought for a moment, put down the broom, and walked over.

When she reached him, Xu Yihang said, “Classmate Ji Ran, I’m celebrating my birthday this weekend. Could you do me the honor of attending my birthday banquet?”

Xu Yihang was being especially polite.

Ji Ran bit her lip. She was well aware of Xu Yihang’s upcoming birthday banquet, but she also knew that Jiang Yi would be attending. If she went, Jiang Yi might dare to sneak into her dress.

So she thought for a moment and said softly, “Happy birthday to you, but I have other plans this weekend and won’t be able to make it.”

Both Shen Zhi and Xu Yihang could tell she was making an excuse.

Xu Yihang scratched the back of his head and said, “No problem, no problem.”

Ji Ran walked a few steps away, and after she left, Xu Yihang sighed and looked at Shen Zhi, saying, “Ah Zhi, don’t be discouraged; it’s not a big deal. Ji Ran is such a well-behaved girl; she’s different from the girls we usually know.”

Xu Yihang wasn’t intentionally trying to cool Shen Zhi’s enthusiasm. He just felt that Ji Ran was the type of girl who was very well-behaved and didn’t flaunt her looks as a capital. She was different from the pretty girls at school, and these types of girls were often the most challenging to pursue.

He could tell that Shen Zhi had genuine feelings for Ji Ran, but he was also worried that Shen Zhi might make a big mistake with Ji Ran.

Shen Zhi remained silent with a cold expression on his face.

Suddenly, he stood up, and Xu Yihang took a step back in surprise. By the time Shen Zhi caught up, Ji Ran had walked to a path next to a flowerbed. There was a scaffold over there, left behind by workers who had pruned branches earlier and, for some reason, hadn’t removed it immediately.

All of a sudden, a basketball flew over from the basketball court, but it didn’t fly towards Ji Ran; instead, it hit the scaffold directly.

The scaffold shook and then suddenly toppled to the other side.

Coincidentally, it fell in the direction Ji Ran had just walked.

Ji Ran hadn’t reacted yet when Shen Zhi, who had run up from behind, lunged at her, carrying her and falling into the nearby flowerbed.

As she was being brought down, she instinctively closed her eyes.

It wasn’t until she heard a muffled thud in her ear—the kind of dull sound as the frame hit their bodies—not too loud, but it felt excruciating.

Ji Ran’s heart raced with the intensification of this thud until the person on top of her made a muffled groan, causing her heart to skip a beat as if it had missed a beat. She instinctively opened her eyes and looked at him.

Shen Zhi’s lower back had been hit, and it hurt like hell—the kind of pain that felt like tearing at the core.

Even though he clenched his teeth hard, his handsome face still twisted with pain.

When Ji Ran looked at him, Shen Zhi saw the fear in the depths of her eyes, thinking that she had been frightened. He lowered his gaze and spoke softly, “Don’t be afraid.”

Ji Ran finally came to her senses and took a small, hushed breath, asking, “Shen Zhi, are you hurt?”

When Shen Zhi saw the worry in her eyes, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

Did she care about him?

After a while, he smiled, and his dark eyes stared directly at her. “It hurts.”

But in his heart, a sweet sensation spread out in tiny, intricate waves.

So sweet.