In the quiet, enclosed hallway, the senses seemed to be infinitely amplified. The distance between his lips and her ear felt close, and his warm breath gently brushed against her cheek.

Suddenly, the lights in the hallway dimmed.

These are motion-activated lights, and they automatically turn off after a certain period of inactivity.

Surrounded by complete darkness, Ji Ran, who was already tense, found Shen Zhi standing too close. She may appear easygoing on the surface, but she has always had a strong sense of personal space and a heightened sense of alertness towards others.

When the lights went out, her instinct was to push Shen Zhi away.

But the moment her hand pushed, Shen Zhi suddenly grasped her hand. His hand was large, nearly enveloping her hand, and his soft skin lightly touched hers.

Ji Ran froze in that instant.

This wasn’t the first time Ji Ran’s hand had been held by Shen Zhi, but the last time it happened was due to an elevator malfunction in the company. Coincidentally, they were the only two in the elevator at that time.

Even though Ji Ran was a strong-willed girl, when the elevator plummeted, the man beside her reached out and held her hand. When the elevator stopped, a thought flashed through her mind.

His hand is so warm.

At this moment, her hand was held tightly by Shen Zhi, and the warmth in the palm was scorching. Ji Ran hadn’t expected to encounter Shen Zhi so early in life, and she didn’t expect their entanglement to seem to grow deeper.

Even though she wanted to escape from him.

Ji Ran gently pulled her hand, trying to withdraw it from Shen Zhi’s grasp, but Shen Zhi didn’t want to let go.

Her hand was so soft—incredibly soft.

Ji Ran spoke, “Shen Zhi, release my hand.”

Shen Zhi suddenly chuckled. “Why are you always avoiding me?”

Ji Ran laughed at his nonchalant attitude and couldn’t help saying, “I’m not avoiding you, but can you please let go of my hand?”

“I can let go if you want.” Shen Zhi nodded and had a rather pleasant tone, appearing very approachable.

Then he asked, “Why do you keep avoiding me?”

His tone was light, not really an accusation. He could sense her distance and coldness, and even he couldn’t help but want an answer. Shen Zhi felt a strange sense of restlessness, as he had never been so anxious before.

The more she remained silent, the more agitated he became.

But he seemed unable to stay away from her; even though she made it so clear, he still wanted to get closer.

Shen Zhi didn’t know he was this way deep down.

Ji Ran pursed her lips. She didn’t know how to talk to Shen Zhi and tell him that they ultimately wouldn’t be on the same path. Perhaps soon, he would meet a girl who would make him willing to give up the whole world for her.

That girl would become his guiding light, an indelible presence in his heart.

Ji Ran didn’t want to be the insignificant passerby caught in the middle between Shen Zhi and this guiding light.

It would be better to distance herself early.

She remained silent, and ripples formed in Shen Zhi’s heart. He gazed at her, surrounded by darkness, but her eyes, shining like stars, remained bright.

The brightness shone into his heart, causing a subtle ache.

As Ji Ran stayed silent, Shen Zhi suddenly remembered the rumors about himself at school, especially those from Wen Qianxia, who was often with her, and she was known to gossip about him all the time. He had no idea how many rumors about him she had heard.

She’s so well-behaved; she must have been frightened.

Even though he had seen Ji Ran’s aggressive side firsthand, he still thought she was unbelievably well-behaved.

Shen Zhi’s tone lowered. “Don’t listen to the rumors at school; they’re all fake.”

Ji Ran couldn’t help but raise her head. “But you forced me to ride on your motorcycle to Mountain Luoying.”

There was a hint of discontent in her tone.

Shen Zhi chuckled silently, realizing she remembered that. “I won’t do it again,” he said with a gentle tone, as if he were soothing a child.

Ji Ran wanted to say more, but Shen Zhi drew closer to her. This time, he finally obediently released her hand, but he lowered his head and asked, “So, don’t be afraid of me, okay?”

The fearless and carefree young man, for the first time, spoke to someone this way.

Ji Ran bit her lip, but before she could respond, a clear stomping sound suddenly echoed, and the overhead light abruptly illuminated. Warm, yellow light gently cascaded down, brightening this quiet stairwell.

The inexplicable emotions that had lingered in the darkness were dispelled by the unexpected burst of light.

Shen Zhi spoke softly, “Let’s go.”

He reached out to grab Jiru’s wrist, but she lightly dodged backward and whispered, “I’ll walk by myself.”

This time, Shen Zhi didn’t force her, and they both walked down the stairwell together.

When they reached the second floor, Shen Zhi couldn’t help but want to curse. Did the owner of Sky Realm cut corners? Why was the staircase so short?

Ji Ran originally wanted to go directly to the first floor and take a taxi home. However, Shen Zhi pulled her to the second floor without asking. There was a Western restaurant on the second floor, and Wen Qianxia had just eaten Häagen-Dazs there.

As they approached, Wen Qianxia, who had been eating ice cream and watching the elevator out of the corner of her eye, turned her head, and she saw Ji Ran and Shen Zhi coming from the direction of the fire escape.

Wen Qianxia bit the spoon in her mouth and found it a bit strange. Why take the stairs when there’s an elevator? Is she trying to exercise?

After Shen Zhi walked over and looked at the two sitting at the table with a calm expression, Xia Jiangming, Shen Zhi’s number one lackey, was not one to be underestimated. He immediately stood up and said firmly, “Wen Qianxia, you’ve had enough to eat, right? Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Wen Qianxia lowered her head to look at the ice cream in front of her. Häagen-Dazs was a luxury for a student her age, so she savored it slowly.

She said, “I haven’t finished yet. Ran Ran, do you want to share some with me?”

“Let’s go, let’s go; we can eat it on the way if you haven’t finished.” Xia Jiangming pulled her up directly.

Wen Qianxia, who was a bit slow to realize, soon noticed that he was trying to clear the way for Shen Zhi. So she called out, “Xia Jiangming, why are you like this?”

She didn’t dare confront Shen Zhi, so she vented her anger on Xia Jiangming.

Xia Jiangming picked up her bag and dragged her away.

As they approached the elevator, Wen Qianxia couldn’t hold it in any longer and muttered under her breath, “You lapdog.”

Little did she know, Xia Jiangming suddenly turned around and stared at her.

Wen Qianxia was so frightened that she nearly dropped her ice cream box. Oh no, she had forgotten that Xia Jiangming was also a well-known troublemaker in school.

People who hang around with big shots are definitely not to be trifled with.

So Wen Qianxia immediately cowered and was pulled away by Xia Jiangming.

Ji Ran didn’t know why Shen Zhi had brought her here, so she said, “Shen Zhi, I should go home.”

At this moment, Shen Zhi was looking at a transparent case near the restaurant’s entrance containing various flavors of Häagen-Dazs. He turned and lightly tapped the glass with his finger, asking, “What flavor do you want?”

Ji Ran was a bit puzzled.

Afterward, she shook her head and said, “No need; I don’t want to eat.”

“Strawberry flavor?” Shen Zhi wasn’t sure about her taste, but he thought that nobody could dislike strawberry flavor.

Ji Ran still shook her head, not really wanting to eat.

But Shen Zhi had already asked the waiter to take out the ice cream, and he held it in his hand, slowly walking over to Ji Ran and extending it to her.

Ji Ran furrowed her brows and didn’t accept it. She didn’t understand why Shen Zhi suddenly bought this for her.

Shen Zhi looked down at her and said, “Ji Ran.”

He called her name, and Ji Ran looked up at him.

“Do you know that when disgusting people enter your life, regardless of whether you win or lose against them, they’ll make you feel terrible?” His voice was naturally cold, and at this moment, he spoke with a kind of calm rationality.

Ji Ran looked at him earnestly, not expecting him to say something like this.

As she lowered her head and looked at the ice cream he was holding, she realized that he had bought it for himself because…

“Ji Ran, can you not let my first attempt at comforting someone end in failure?” He suddenly approached her.

Ji Ran hesitated for a moment, then gently reached out her hand.

Shen Zhi’s eyes held a hint of a smile. This girl was really obedient, letting him do whatever he wanted.

Ji Ran sat in the taxi on her way home, looking down at the ice cream in her hand. In the end, she lightly opened the lid and used a spoon to take a small bite and put it in her mouth.

The ice cream was slightly cold, with a rich strawberry flavor that instantly spread in her mouth.

It seemed to smooth over the bit of annoyance in her heart.

When Ji Ran arrived home, she noticed that the living room lights were on. She lightly smirked, a cold smile on her lips. If the meal at the Sky Realm was the appetizer, this was the main course.

As she entered the house, she indeed heard faint crying.

After changing into a pair of slippers in the entranceway, Ji Ran walked in calmly.

Sure enough, the living room was full of people. Her father, Ji Qingli, seemed to have just arrived; his suit jacket was placed nearby, and he looked at Jiang Liqi with a concerned expression.

Jiang Liqi’s appearance wasn’t particularly stunning; she had a gentle and delicate appearance.

Even her personality was like that—probably the kind of innocent and gentle girl that men liked the most.

In Ji Ran’s eyes, Jiang Liqi had no qualifications to compete with Pei Yuan. Pei Yuan had a striking and confident appearance, was self-reliant, and was strong, and when Ji Qingli faced her, he couldn’t feel that superior feeling of being a man.

“Alright, when Ran Ran comes back, I’ll talk to her,” Ji Qingli reassured her in a gentle tone.

As Ji Ran came in, she happened to hear this sentence and couldn’t help but chuckle.

At this moment, Jiang Liqi turned to see Jiru, and with a hint of a crying tone, she said, “Ran Ran, please forgive Little Yi. She just didn’t know her place and shouldn’t have borrowed your dress for a class reunion.”

Borrowed?

Ji Ran found Jiang Liqi’s wording quite amusing and lightly glanced at Jiang Yi. At this point, Jiang Yi was sitting next to her mother, wearing her own clothes, looking down with a meek and obedient appearance.

Ji Ran said, “Did she tell you she borrowed it?”

Jiang Liqi choked up and said, “I’ve already scolded her, and she knows she was wrong. Can you forgive her this time?”

Ji Qingli, who was on the side, chimed in, “Ran Ran, it’s just a dress. Now that you and Jiang Yi are living under the same roof, be more generous.”

When he returned to the living room, he saw Jiang Liqi crying and hitting Jiang Yi, looking extremely upset.

So Ji Qingli quickly asked what happened.

Jiang Liqi tearfully said, “Qingli, I’m really ashamed. Jiang Yi just doesn’t know any better. She was invited to a friend’s birthday party, and she insisted on buying a dress. I thought high school students shouldn’t be so extravagant, so I didn’t let her buy one. As a result, she went to borrow from Ran Ran without me knowing, and it seems that the two sisters didn’t communicate properly, making Ran Ran angry, and she hasn’t come back yet.”

Ji Qingli listened and smiled. He thought it wasn’t a big deal.

He said, “Kids should dress nicely when attending a classmate’s birthday party. It’s not a big deal. Don’t cry.”

So when Ji Ran came back, Ji Qingli didn’t take this matter seriously.

At this point, Jiang Yi spoke up, saying, “Ran Ran, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked to borrow your dress, although I don’t know why you suddenly changed your mind. But next time, I definitely won’t do it.”

Ji Ran looked at the mother and daughter’s performance with a blank expression.

No wonder Jiang Yi came back home right after her incident. It seemed like she was seeking her mother’s help. Jiang Liqi was quite impressive. In such a short time, she managed to turn the tables and make Jiang Yi insist that she borrow the dress herself. Apparently, she was convinced that she had no evidence.

Ji Ran suddenly felt a bit impressed by Jiang Liqi. No wonder she could stand firm beside Ji Qingli. With this kind of shamelessness, she had indeed won.

However, Ji Ran had no intention of taking the blame for this.

She looked at Jiang Yi coldly and said, “When did I say I lent it to you?”

“Oh, you must be about to say that when you borrowed it from me, no one else saw it, and only the two of us knew, right?” Ji Ran lightly chuckled.

She nodded and looked at Ji Qingli, saying, “Dad, this dress was ordered for me by Mom a long time ago, and I just received it recently. Do you think I would lend the dress mom bought for me to Jiang Yi?”

Ji Qingli was momentarily stunned. He knew about the dress, but he didn’t know that Pei Yuan had ordered it.

He looked at Jiang Liqi and Jiang Yi with suspicion.

Jiang Liqi immediately said, “Qingli, I understand why Ran Ran is angry. It’s all because Jiang Yi doesn’t know her place.”

Ji Ran was truly amazed by Jiang Liqi’s smooth talk. However, she wasn’t worried. She took her phone out of her pocket in a nonchalant manner and scrolled through her photos until she lowered it and showed a picture to the three people in front of her.

“Did I lend you these shoes too?” Ji Ran looked at Jiang Yi.

It was a picture of Jiang Yi wearing Ji Ran’s shoes, and Jiang Yi stared at the photo in shock, never expecting this evidence.

She looked to Jiang Liqi for help.

Even Jiang Liqi was stunned, feeling a mix of anger and anxiety deep down.

Ji Ran sneered, “If you’re not disgusted, I certainly am.”

Regarding the incident of Jiang Yi secretly wearing her shoes, Ji Ran couldn’t even stand the sight of the shoes in her closet now, not knowing which pair Jiang Yi had worn.

This time, Ji Qingli finally understood what had happened. He glanced at Jiang Yi with a clear expression of disgust. It was a case of having a thief in the family.