Little He Qing overheard the conversation and spoke through the iron fence, “Wenwen, did you just say you’re not planning to go to high school with us?”
Han Wenwen let out an awkward chuckle, relieved that He Qing hadn’t misunderstood the latter part of her sentence. She scratched her head and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to… It’s just that my grades are bad… I probably won’t make it.”
He Qing, ever the enthusiastic friend, didn’t see this as a big deal. She ran around the fence, making a wide circle before arriving at Han Wenwen’s side.
Clenching her small fists, she was both confident and anxious, “If your grades are bad, I can tutor you! As long as I help you study every day, you’ll definitely get into high school! We’re best friends—how could we be separated?!”
Han Wenwen awkwardly stared at her best friend, thinking to herself, If only things were that simple…
Lin Zhengran caught a glimpse of the hidden emotion behind Han Wenwen’s smile, as if he could already see how this would end.
Sure enough, after that day, He Qing began spending extra ti tutoring Han Wenwen both in the dorms and on weekends. Han Wenwen, on the surface, seed to be taking it seriously and did her best not to let He Qing’s enthusiasm go to waste. But her grades barely improved.
Of course, part of it was that Han Wenwen simply wasn’t cut out for studying, but more importantly, she knew that even if she improved, it wouldn’t change anything. What she needed now was the ability to support herself, and that worry constantly distracted her.
So, when more than a month passed and the final exam results for their eighth-grade year ca out, He Qing saw that Han Wenwen’s scores had only improved by a tiny margin. She was so anxious she was on the verge of tears.
Han Wenwen spent an entire night comforting He Qing in the dorms, promising that she would do better in the future. Only then did He Qing finally calm down, albeit reluctantly.
During the sumr break before ninth grade, Han Wenwen didn’t return to her hotown in the south with He Qing. Instead, she made an excuse, saying that her uncle had co to the north and that she would be staying here for a while before heading back.
So, He Qing had no choice but to take the high-speed train ho alone.
One day, Lin Zhengran was heading downstairs to buy sothing when he happened to see a certain fox at the residential gate, inquiring with the security guard:
“Grandpa, do you have the landlord’s phone number? I’d like to ask about renting a place here.”
Just as she finished speaking, she saw Lin Zhengran walking out of the residential complex. Their eyes t from a distance.
For once, Han Wenwen looked genuinely shocked. She forced a smile at Lin Zhengran and imdiately turned to leave.
But Lin Zhengran called out to her, “I know of a place where the rent is really cheap. It’s close to the school, a bit small, but it might be perfect for you.”
Han Wenwen, who had been ready to run, stopped in her tracks and turned back, surprised. She spoke honestly, holding up five fingers. “But I only have 500 yuan.”
Lin Zhengran had already expected this. “No wonder you can’t find a place. But that’s actually enough.”
Ever since his system showed that his charisma had reached 40 six months ago, Lin Zhengran had noticed that as long as his request didn’t inconvenience others, people would easily be inclined to help him.
Thus, he led the unusually quiet Han Wenwen to a residential complex called Jinxiu Huacheng and found the landlord in person to ask about renting a place for a month.
At first, when the landlady saw two kids trying to rent an apartnt, she imdiately refused. “You need an adult to co talk to . And no deposit? Absolutely not—I’ve never done business like that.”
Han Wenwen sighed. She had expected this response.
But then Lin Zhengran spoke, and everything changed.
“Big sis, we’re students from Xincheng First Middle School, and we’re locals…”
He casually explained their situation. Han Wenwen thought, What’s the point? She had been sweet-talking landlords for days but still hadn’t found a place that didn’t require a deposit.
Yet, to her shock, after hearing Lin Zhengran’s words, the landlady’s face lit up with delight.
“Aiya, what a sweet-talking little cutie! And he even called ‘big sis’~” She giggled, covering her mouth. “Fine, fine, since you’re so young, I won’t ask for a deposit. But if we’re signing a lease, an adult still has to be present.”
Han Wenwen was stunned. She actually agreed?!
Lin Zhengran hadn’t said anything special… How did he pull this off?!
Quickly catching on, she nodded eagerly, pretending to be surprised. “That’s no problem! I’ll just tell my uncle. He’ll be here in a few days.”
Lin Zhengran followed up smoothly, “Big sis, could we stay here for a few days first and have the adults sign the contract later?”
The landlady chuckled again. “Of course, of course! Since little cutie asked, how could I say no?”
Lin Zhengran smiled to himself. This ability is pretty useful.
“Thank you, big sis. You’re the best.”
The landlady blushed, looking delighted.
“Aiya, such a sweet-talking little guy~”
She found them a safe, vacant room—a single apartnt about 30 square ters, with just a bedroom and a bathroom. Though small, it was spacious and clean, furnished with a simple wooden bed, a table, and a few chairs.
The entrance had a security cara, so they wouldn’t have to worry about safety.
Handing the keys to Lin Zhengran, the landlady said, “Make sure your guardian cos within a week to sign the lease. After that, you can stay as long as you need.”
“Thank you, big sis.”
Once the landlady left, completely satisfied with the complints, Han Wenwen dumbly took the keys from Lin Zhengran’s hand.
Lin Zhengran smiled. “This is your place now.”
She stood beside him, looking around at her very own space.
A bright, amazed smile spread across her face, and for a mont, her eyes shimred with an indescribable light. “Lin Zhengran, you’re amazing!” Then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You don’t happen to know that landlady, do you? Otherwise, why would she agree so easily?”
Lin Zhengran kept a straight face and replied without hesitation, “Maybe it’s because I’m handso and good at sweet-talking.”
Han Wenwen blinked, then suddenly burst into laughter. Tilting her head with a playful smile, she said, “You are quite handso. The best-looking guy I’ve ever t.”
She lay flat on the bare wooden bed, gazing at the cozy little room. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled with contentnt. “I feel so happy… This is the first ti in my life I’ve had a space that’s truly my own.”
Lin Zhengran, sitting on the bed, raised an eyebrow. “It’s just a rental, not a house you bought.”
Han Wenwen closed her eyes and smiled. “Lin Zhengran, you wouldn’t understand. So things… only I truly know their aning.”
Lin Zhengran blurted out, “After sitting next to you for so long, I can take a pretty good guess. You’re a fox who hates owing people favors. Living with your uncle must’ve made you feel like you were constantly in debt. And the school dorms? Even worse.”
Han Wenwen’s eyes snapped open in shock, staring at him.
A mory suddenly surfaced—the wish she had written during the Lianxin Festival:
I hope my future man will understand what I truly want.
Lin Zhengran turned to her and added, “So yeah, I guess this is your space. Temporary, but at least it’s your freedom.”
Han Wenwen listened to his words in full, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
For a brief mont, the words true destined one flashed through her mind.
But before she could linger on the thought, sothing else struck her.
She suddenly sat up, confused. “Wait… Lin Zhengran, how do you even know about my uncle?!”
Lin Zhengran hesitated before admitting, “Last year, that day at the supermarket—I happened to be passing by that street and overheard a bit. I just never told you.”
Han Wenwen’s fox-like eyes widened.
For the first ti, she felt completely exposed in front of soone.
He knew… this whole ti.
Hugging herself defensively, her face flushed red.
“Lin Zhengran… you’re so bad…”
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