Chapter 86: Awakening from the Dream (2)

When Ji Ran took the trophy out of the cabinet, she paid special attention to the small lettering engraved on the base, 10th National Middle School Students Sudoku Competition, Shen Zhi.

She stared at the trophy for a long time until a sudden thought flashed through her mind—fleeting, yet not entirely clear.

Taking the trophy straight out of the storage room, Ji Ran walked into the study. Shen Zhi had just finished a meeting; seeing her come in, he smiled and greeted her, “What’s wrong, wifey?”

Ever since his successful proposal a few days ago, he had started addressing her as “wifey.”

Ji Ran kept her hands hidden behind her back and pursed her lips in a subtle, mischievous smile, looking every bit like a clever little fox. Her demeanor made Shen Zhi slightly raise an eyebrow, sensing that she was up to some trickery again.

Before he could ask, Ji Ran took two steps forward and placed the hidden trophy directly in front of him.

“Ah Zhi, I just found out you actually have this trophy!”

Facing Ji Ran’s excitement, Shen Zhi felt a slight wave of surprise. When he looked closely at the small golden words engraved on the base—10th National Middle School Students Sudoku Competition—his memories were instantly pulled back ten years into the past.

She spoke with a touch of excitement, “Ah Zhi, do you know? I was the ninth champion of this competition, and you turned out to be the tenth! That means you were in the very next session right after mine.”

At that time, he had accidentally spotted Ji Ran’s photograph in the competition’s promotional booklet. Disregarding everything else, he had wanted to enter the competition solely to meet her again.

Yet the Ji Ran standing before him now no longer remembered that past encounter.

On the day of the competition, Shen Zhi performed brilliantly. Exceeding everyone’s expectations back at Fourth High School, he took first place. At the time, he had waited for the award ceremony with a heart full of anticipation, looking forward to seeing Ji Ran look at him with that reluctant, slightly aggrieved expression.

Then he would tell her that he was Yuan Jing.

Shen Zhi had even wondered whether she would feel more surprised or shocked—after all, she could never have imagined that the person who defeated her for first place in the national competition was him, Yuan Jing.

Unexpectedly, when it came time for the ceremony, two girls he didn’t recognize stepped up instead.

At first, Shen Zhi remained calm, thinking Ji Ran had simply underperformed this time. But then he realized the two girls knew each other and were whispering nearby.

“Why didn’t Ji Ran enter the competition this time?”

“She said she already won first place once so it’s boring now, and she didn’t really feel like joining again.”

“My goodness, she’s so arrogant,” the runner-up girl whispered, feigning surprise while covering her mouth. She added, “I heard she’s always really arrogant at your school, right?”

A cold sneer gradually formed on Shen Zhi’s face. He could no longer care about Ji Ran’s absence from the competition, feeling instead that these two girls gossiping behind someone’s back were severely lacking a harsh lesson from reality.

Although Shen Zhi didn’t know much about girls, he knew that cliques and small groups were much more prominent among them. As the two girls chatted more passionately, his brow slowly furrowed.

“Well, she’s the top scorer in our No. 1 High School, so she has the right to be arrogant. Besides, her family is super wealthy.”

Although the girl’s words sounded like praise, her tone was excessively sour, blatantly dripping with envy and annoyance.

“Aren’t there many top-tier students in your Class 1? None of them can beat her in exams?” the third-place girl asked curiously.

The runner-up girl nodded, “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe it, but ever since we started high school in Grade 10, she’s ranked first in the whole school every single time. Scarcely anyone can compete with her.”

Suddenly, a staff member from the organizing committee walked in and said with a smile, “Could the three of you please get ready? We will be holding the award ceremony shortly.”

Hearing the staff member address them as “the three of you,” the two girls were startled. When they turned around, they discovered a boy sitting on the sofa behind them.

Shen Zhi stood up casually, walking outside with his hands in his pockets.

Seeing the handsome yet cold youth walk straight past them, the two girls exchanged glances, both spotting embarrassment and bashfulness in each other’s eyes.

Could such a remarkably handsome boy truly be the champion of this competition?

Just as Shen Zhi reached the doorway, his steps suddenly halted. He turned back slowly to look at the two of them, the corners of his lips curving slightly into a mocking smile.

“The way you discuss others behind their backs looks pretty ugly.”

The two girls’ cheeks flushed red on the spot, feeling as though they had just suffered a massive critical hit. It was safe to say they wouldn’t forget this scene for a very long time.

…

“What are you laughing at?” Ji Ran looked curiously at Shen Zhi, who couldn’t help but chuckle.

As for Shen Zhi, he was certainly never going to tell her that he had spoken so harshly to two girls on her behalf. In truth, because of Yuan Sheng, he had always treated girls with respect.

Even when the girls at Fourth High School spread ridiculous rumors about him, he had never once lost his temper. Yet that time, he hadn’t hesitated for a moment to snap back at them.

When Shen Zhi remained silent, Ji Ran’s interest only grew. Holding the trophy happily, she said, “I need to go back and dig out my trophy too. What a coincidence! We actually entered the exact same competition, even in consecutive years.”

Ji Ran felt that this was another twist of fate, something delightfully beyond words. It was as if an invisible thread linked her and Shen Zhi together—even if they had once drifted apart, they ultimately managed to find each other again.

Looking at her joyful face, Shen Zhi acted on a sudden impulse—a rare moment for him.

“It wasn’t just a coincidence.”

Shen Zhi let out a soft laugh, finding his seventeen-year-old self slightly amusing, yet also feeling that the boy back then had been excessively straightforward. He said softly, “I saw your photo on the promotional booklet for the competition, so I wondered if you would enter again. That’s why I went.”

It wasn’t a coincidence; he had specifically entered the competition just to meet her.

When he finished speaking, he raised his eyes toward her, leaning in close. Ji Ran subconsciously looked up at him, the mix of confusion and surprise in her eyes merging into a brilliant light that shone straight into his heart.

Ji Ran suddenly sniffled slightly, at a loss for words.

She had thought she had discovered a grand coincidence—another stroke of fate, a small surprise hidden by destiny waiting for her to uncover.

Only now did she realize that it wasn’t a small surprise at all.

It was Shen Zhi’s effort—his hard work to come before her, to stand by her side.

For all those years, in corners she couldn’t see, he seemed to have been trying continuously. Ji Ran seemed to somewhat understand why she had experienced such a miraculous journey, returning to her own seventeen-year-old self.

Even at seventeen, she had chosen to follow Ji Qingli to City B and meet Shen Zhi again.

Perhaps his long, seemingly hopeless waiting had moved the heavens, prompting the god of fate—if one truly existed—to grant them another chance.

Ji Ran blinked suddenly.

Her dark, bright eyes didn’t even need a second to gather tears before droplets cascaded down from the corners of her eyes, one after another, so distinct. Resting on her eyelashes, they carried a fragile, melancholic beauty.

Even if a fairy were to shed tears, it wouldn’t be more poignant than this.

Shen Zhi hadn’t expected her to burst into tears so suddenly, and a wave of regret instantly washed over his heart. The little fox had just been showing off her treasure with a clever smile, only for him to go and break the reality to her.

“Ranran, don’t cry.” Shen Zhi felt pained—even knowing she was crying for him, it still pained his heart.

In this world, he was probably the person least willing to see Ji Ran cry. Even if it was out of touched emotion, he still wished for her to be smiling and happy.

Ji Ran also felt she had become far too prone to crying lately, which was quite embarrassing.

Looking at Shen Zhi through teary eyes, she desperately suppressed the sob in her voice, “Shen Zhi, do you love me way too much?”

At this, Shen Zhi’s helpless frustration melted away.

After waiting so long, he had only received this single line. He felt that this girl, Ji Ran, could be far too oblivious at times.

So he put on a stern face and nodded, “Yes, I love you that much. Back then, I entered the competition just to find you, but you only took a walk around the exam venue and didn’t even compete.”

Ji Ran’s face flushed slightly red.

Shen Zhi loved her reactions far too much—she was always so adorable—so he continued in a low voice, “Later, you even said you disliked me. Did you think I didn’t know you were constantly whispering with Fang Qian every day?”

This time, Ji Ran’s face turned completely red.

She struggled to express that she didn’t, she hadn’t, she really didn’t mean it.

However, Ji Ran truly couldn’t bring herself to be so shameless, because she really had gone too far before, complaining about Shen Zhi to Fang Qian every single day. So she said with a touch of grievance, “Who asked you to keep snatching the projects I had my eye on?”

As direct investment departments, they would select companies with enormous potential. Who knew that several companies she favored ended up being invested in by Shen Zhi? At the time, she had even suspected whether Shen Zhi had bribed people around her to steal her trade secrets.

After all, when such a thing happened repeatedly, it was far too unusual.

“Also, regarding us being together right now, do you still intend to keep hiding it?” When Shen Zhi reached this line, he leaned closer. Bending slightly, his gaze aligned with hers. A gentle smile glinted in his dark eyes, and his lowered voice carried a mature, magnetic quality that made Ji Ran’s heart leap wildly up and down.

She shook her head gently, “I wasn’t deliberately hiding it.”

She just hadn’t found a good opportunity to bring it up. Initially, she had considered the fact that they worked at the same company, but now that he had returned home to inherit his family business, that concern was gone. Still, she couldn’t exactly go around shouting to the whole world that Shen Zhi was her fiancé.

Though thinking about it that way, it actually sounded quite nice.

It was just that Shen Zhi had been busy with Hengchi Group’s affairs recently. Even though Shen Yue had been arrested and his eldest uncle no longer had the energy to cause trouble, his second uncle and his father were still far from easy to deal with.

Shen Jiming currently felt that since his son was the CEO of Hengchi Group, he was living in a daydream of becoming the power behind the throne every single day. Shen Zhi simply hadn’t shattered his daydream yet, as he needed to handle them one by one.

As for his biological father, he would leave him for last.

For the old master, he didn’t particularly care whether Hengchi Group was managed by someone from the Shen family. If Shen Zhi hadn’t appeared, he might have indeed leaned toward hiring a professional manager. But Shen Zhi’s appearance had rekindled his hope.

The old master hoped Shen Zhi could safeguard Hengchi for him, ensuring that the empire he had worked so hard to build wouldn’t fall apart.

“So when are we going to register our marriage?” Shen Zhi leaned in close to her once more. His voice sounded calm and casual, as though he were speaking casually, yet a hint of nervousness inadvertently leaked through his tone.

Even now, he could hardly believe that Ji Ran was by his side and belonged to him.

In truth, he possessed a rather strong sense of territoriality.

Whatever belonged to him, he wanted to stamp with his unique mark. He wished he could label Ji Ran all over with warnings that she belonged to Shen Zhi; that was why he had been so eager to propose. After all, nothing announced to the world more grandly that “this person is mine” than marriage.

Ji Ran glanced at him and suddenly said, “I suspect you’re setting a trap for me.”

They had discussed registering their marriage before, and both felt the second half of the year would be more appropriate. After all, Shen Zhi was exceptionally busy with work right now, and Pei Yuan hadn’t fully accepted Shen Zhi yet.

At the very least, when Ji Ran brought him to meet Pei Yuan last time, Ms. Pei had still put on an attitude of ‘I’m only having dinner with you reluctantly for Ji Ran’s sake.’

In truth, Ji Ran knew her mother’s personality was simply like that—saving face at all costs.

Pei Yuan had never bowed her head to anyone in her entire life, and no one could change the decisions she made. Yet this time, she had made a compromise for Ji Ran’s sake.

On the day Ji Ran was kidnapped, the moment it happened, Pei Yuan rushed to the hospital in sheer panic.

The details hadn’t been made clear over the phone, only that someone had been injured.

At that moment, Pei Yuan had almost broken down. Ji Ran had just woken up from a coma, having narrowly escaped death, yet only a few days had passed before a kidnapping occurred.

However, when she arrived at the hospital’s emergency room and saw Shen Zhi having his severe wound treated, alongside a completely unharmed Ji Ran by his side, Pei Yuan realized that Shen Zhi had disregarded his own life, stabbing himself to distract the culprit so the police could save Ji Ran.

“You young people, why do you act so impulsively? How could you guarantee that stabbing yourself would save Ji Ran? What if something happened to you?”

Pei Yuan had indeed been somewhat angry, especially upon seeing how deep Shen Zhi’s wound was—he had truly shown no mercy to himself.

Due to blood loss, Shen Zhi’s naturally fair skin looked even paler now, his forehead covered in dense beads of sweat, making anyone feel deeply pained for him.

He said in a low voice, “I don’t want Ranran to be hurt. I am willing to lay down my life to protect her.”

To him, she was the girl he was willing to trade his life for.

Pei Yuan looked at him quietly. She had never been someone who believed in love. When she married back then, there had been a bit of affection, but that affection ultimately failed to turn into lasting love.

Perhaps she had simply never met the right person.

That was why she always taught Ji Ran to grab hold of practical things—whether money or status, these were solid things one could hold in hand.

She had thought love was laughable, yet she never expected that in her fifties, she would witness real love through her daughter.

In truth, she had seen how Shen Zhi stayed by Ji Ran’s side at the hospital all along. However, she was far too protective of Ji Ran, fearing she would get hurt and that her life would become as difficult as her own or Shen Zhi’s mother’s.

Yet now she understood that Shen Zhi was neither Ji Qingli nor Shen Jiming; he was completely different from them. He had been protecting Ranran all along, not a single bit less than her own protection.

“Auntie, I hope you can give me the chance to fulfill what I’ve said,” Shen Zhi said, looking straight at Pei Yuan without backing down.

He knew Pei Yuan had never been optimistic about him and Ji Ran, and had even opposed them.

Pei Yuan glanced at Ji Ran, then looked back at him, suddenly saying, “I thought you had a calm and steady personality. I didn’t expect you to be someone who takes a mile when given an inch.”

Her words carried a subtle tone of sarcasm.

Yet in the very next second, Pei Yuan added, “Anyway, she doesn’t listen to me anymore either. As for you young people’s matters, figure it out yourselves.”

With that, Pei Yuan turned and left.

Ever since then, Pei Yuan had never voiced any further objections regarding Ji Ran and Shen Zhi. Even when Ji Ran brought Shen Zhi to have dinner with her, she accepted it.

Now that Shen Zhi brought up registering their marriage again, Ji Ran said softly, “If we register our marriage, don’t you still need to mention it to my parents?”

Shen Zhi nodded.

Looking at his expression, Ji Ran suddenly giggled, “Are you scared?”

“Do you still treat me like I’m seventeen?” Shen Zhi reached out and gently tapped her nose. When he was seventeen, he truly had no good solution when dealing with his mother-in-law.

Now, however, things were different.

What he hadn’t told Ji Ran was that before proposing, he had actually called Pei Yuan once. Since a proposal was such a major event, he could keep it a secret from Ji Ran to surprise her, but he wanted to inform her mother in advance.

When Pei Yuan finished listening, she remained silent for a long time.

Shen Zhi had already compiled a long list of reasons in his mind to persuade her, but when her voice sounded again from the other end of the line, Pei Yuan said, “I’ve always hoped Ranran could be happy. In the past, I always told her that happiness comes from securing everything through her own ability. So I made her study hard, work hard, and taught her to strive for everything.”

“Except I never taught her how to love someone.”

Listening to a mother’s self-confession that sounded almost like repentance, Shen Zhi felt a sudden wave of inexplicable emotion. Perhaps they had misunderstood Pei Yuan all along.

She wasn’t stubborn for the sake of it; she simply wanted Ji Ran to be happy.

Ji Ran didn’t know he was recalling the matter with Pei Yuan. Seeing his quiet expression, she couldn’t help but soothe him, “Alright, alright, I was just teasing you! Actually, I’m the one who’s worried. I can’t wait to marry you right away, you know? Right now, you’re not just the number one heartthrob in our investment banking circle—your popularity is almost reaching ‘national husband’ status!”

Ji Ran wasn’t exaggerating at all. During Shen Zhi’s first appearance at Hengchi Group’s press conference, the short video of his entrance had already garnered over fifty million views online.

A crowd of young girls wept and screamed, insisting on interviewing at Hengchi Group.

It was said that the phone lines at their General Management Office were nearly ringing off the hook.

Now, she was truly the one who needed to feel a sense of crisis.

Shen Zhi lowered his eyes and suddenly let out a soft laugh. Leaning in a bit closer, his voice sounded exceptionally low and sultry, “Don’t be afraid. I will only ever be yours.”