Chapter 57-Part 2

Before he could react, the person at the door suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

She carried a slight chill and a faint fragrance, which filled his nostrils as she held him.

Shen Zhi froze for a moment. They had agreed to go to the bookstore in the afternoon, but after the phone call, Shen Zhi wasn’t in the mood. He didn’t want Ji Ran to see him like this.

But he didn’t expect Ji Ran to come anyway.

His throat tightened, and he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t help but gently hug her back. The girl in his arms was warm. Finally, he asked in a low voice, “Why did you come?”

The weather outside was gloomy and particularly cold today.

Ji Ran’s cheeks were stung by the wind as she walked from the gate of the community to his building. Now, buried in Shen Zhi’s arms, his sweater felt especially soft and warm.

Ji Ran finally moved slightly, looking up at his chin, her voice soft: “I wanted to comfort you.”

Comfort you, so you wouldn’t feel so bad.

Hearing her words, Shen Zhi felt a slight warmth in his heart. He had never told Ji Ran about his background.

As a child, he was afraid to tell her, fearing she would shun him like other kids who learned he was a fatherless child.

After leading her into the living room, Ji Ran noticed the cigarette butts in the ashtray on the coffee table and pursed her lips.

It seemed something had deeply troubled him.

Seeing her in a daze, Shen Zhi also noticed the ashtray. He reached out and tugged at Ji Ran: “You sit down first; I’ll clean up.”

With that, he bent down to pick up the ashtray.

When Shen Zhi returned, Ji Ran was looking up at him, her black eyes bright and shimmering, causing Shen Zhi’s heart to soften and ache.

As he approached, Ji Ran gently grabbed his hand.

She didn’t say anything; she just tugged lightly.

Shen Zhi looked at her with a bit of amusement and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ran, looking slightly embarrassed, bit her lip but still asked quietly, “Do you want some cake?”

She reached into her bag and took out a small box.

She had bought it especially for him.

Shen Zhi glanced at the cake box in her hand. It was adorably packaged—the kind of sweet treat a little girl would like.

She really was trying to comfort him like a child.

But watching Ji Ran carefully open the cake and look at him with doe eyes, he felt a warmth inside.

“I was worried you didn’t have time for lunch.”

“Feed me?” It was meant as a question.

From the moment he saw her, the heavy weight in Shen Zhi’s heart seemed to lift, feeling lighter.

He said this to tease her.

Ji Ran, biting her lip, surprisingly picked up a small black fork, scooped up a piece of cake, and brought it to his mouth.

“Open up.”

Shen Zhi was stunned for a few seconds before obediently opening his mouth.

As Ji Ran lowered her head to feed him a second bite, Shen Zhi couldn’t take it anymore. He feared that if she continued to pamper him, he would become spoiled.

“I’ll do it myself.”

Shen Zhi took the cake from her hand.

Ji Ran quietly watched him eat.

Suddenly, Shen Zhi turned to her and said, “Shen Jiming came to see me at noon.”

Shen Jiming?

When Ji Ran heard this name, she could roughly guess the relationship between this person and Shen Zhi. This should be his father.

Shen Zhi didn’t know how to express his frustrations to her. Saying too much felt like he was seeking pity, which he really didn’t want from Ji Ran.

But he still wanted to tell her what had happened.

“There was once a little boy who never had a father. Others called him a little bastard, a mutt. From a young age, he endured the cold stares of others. So, he deeply longed for a father, believing that one day his father would come from the heavens to save him.”

While Ji Ran quietly listened, Shen Zhi glanced at her and sneered, “A very laughable idea, right?”

Because not all fathers in this world are heroes who descend from the skies.

“Until one day, his father actually appeared. The boy thought that no one would ever mock him for being fatherless again. So, he tried hard to be good, hoping to gain his father’s and his new family’s approval.”

As he spoke, the mockery on Shen Zhi’s face grew more pronounced, and his hand was involuntarily clenched.

When his fingernails dug into his palm, he felt no pain.

Seeing the despondent look on his face, Ji Ran suddenly recalled his earlier mention of feeling awful. He must be feeling really terrible. She reached out and gently placed her hand over his.

The strength in his hand gradually relaxed.

Ji Ran gently pulled his hand over, placing it against her cheek.

Her cheek was no longer cold but warm and soft. When Shen Zhi’s palm pressed against it, a continuous warmth transferred from her cheek to his palm.

This warmth felt like strength.

He lowered his gaze slightly and said in a low voice, “Later, he realized that his father didn’t bring him back out of responsibility or affection. It was only because he was his father’s only child. His father needed a child to secure greater benefits for the family, and this boy just happened to be a convenient tool.”

He was smart—smart enough to outshine those kids who had received elite education from a young age, even without attending a single tutoring class.

He surpassed the children of both the first and second branches of the Shen family.

So what if he was an illegitimate child? He was still the most talented child in the Shen family.

These sordid memories had been buried deep in his heart, and he thought they would never be revealed to anyone.

But now, after telling Ji Ran, he realized it wasn’t so hard.

When he heard Shen Jiming say those words, Shen Zhi’s belief crumbled. The more he tried to gain Shen Jiming’s approval, the harder he worked later to disgrace him.

He got into fights, skipped classes, and consistently ranked last in exams.

He had heard every insult about being a disgrace to the Shen family and wasting his talent, and Shen Jiming had even hit him in anger.

Shen Zhi didn’t care.

He had always been like this—never one to admit defeat since he was a child.

The more Shen Jiming tried to use him to gain something, the more Shen Zhi was determined to ruin his plans. He never cared about the Shen family, money, or status; he only cared about his own family.

When Cheng Hui went to provoke Yuan Sheng again, Shen Zhi made up his mind to ensure that this couple wouldn’t get anything they wanted.

His obsession grew like vines, breaking through the ground and flourishing, until Ji Ran appeared.

Even though she initially resisted him, she became his little sun. He relentlessly grew towards her, wanting to be closer, wanting to become better for her.

Ji Ran blew away the gloom in his heart, allowing Shen Zhi to see his own true self.

At this moment, Ji Ran softly asked, “So you always aimed to be last in your class?”

Ji Ran’s nose tingled with sadness, and as she asked this question, her throat choked for a few seconds.

Shen Zhi glanced at her, a bit self-deprecatingly, and said, “Pretty stupid, right?”

Unable to retaliate in other ways, he resorted to this foolish tactic of hurting himself to spite his enemies.

Suddenly, Ji Ran looked up, biting her lip, and almost through gritted teeth, she said, “I suddenly really want to hit someone.”

Hearing her inexplicable words, Shen Zhi saw the redness around her eyes and gently comforted her: “Tell me who you want to hit, and I’ll do it for you.”

“Whoever bullies you, I want to hit them,” she said.