“We” is probably one of the most ambiguous words in the world.
It creates a blurry, undefined boundary — pulling “me” into your side, pulling “you” into mine, turning it into “us.”
Le Ning glanced at Zhou Ran and didn’t refute it.
After all, it was the truth.
Yang Qingqing, on the other hand, looked utterly incredulous — as if Le Ning and Zhou Ran arriving together was some kind of heavenly punishment.
“You two… came together?”
She said, turning to Le Ning: “…But just now Le Ning said she came alone?”
Hearing that, Le Ning gave a small smile: “Did I?”
She looked completely innocent and said softly: “Qingqing, you were the one who asked why I was alone.”
She pointed at Zhou Ran: “Senior Zhou went to buy water. I didn’t know when he’d be back, so I just answered you.”
As she spoke, she deliberately shook the hot milk tea in her hand.
Yang Qingqing: “…”
Zhou Ran had no interest in the battle between women, but he knew what he should do right now.
He lowered his head and looked at Le Ning: “Want to walk around a bit more?”
Le Ning shot him a warning look: “No. Let’s go in.”
Zhou Ran nodded, hands in his pockets as he stood beside her: “I remember you used to really like the stuff at that dessert shop. Want to try it?”
Le Ning: ?
She looked up at Zhou Ran with an expression that said “what are you talking about?”
Zhou Ran pretended not to notice, looked away and cleared his throat: “Want to go?”
“You’re paying?”
Zhou Ran: “Mm.”
Le Ning choked. Now she really felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Not going would be rude.
Going would be digging her own grave.
Yang Qingqing watched the two of them acting like no one else existed. The smile froze on her face. She felt like she was nothing but a joke in Le Ning’s eyes right now.
Her hands clenched at her sides. She bit her lip and looked at Zhou Ran: “Senior Zhou, how did you end up coming with Le Ning?”
She clung to one last hope.
She wanted to believe they had just run into each other on the way — it couldn’t be… that they had already met up and come together on purpose.
Zhou Ran gave her an indifferent glance and said directly: “I went to pick her up. Is there a problem?”
Yang Qingqing’s face instantly darkened.
Honestly, Le Ning felt a little happy right now.
Very… straightforwardly pleased.
She glanced at the man beside her, genuinely surprised — when did Zhou Ran become so sharp with his words?
Once the two of them walked away, Le Ning kept a moderate distance from Zhou Ran and asked in a low voice: “Captain Zhou.”
“Hm?”
“How did you suddenly get so good at talking?”
Zhou Ran didn’t understand. He glanced at her: “What do you mean?”
Le Ning choked for a second, then looked up at him: “What you just said to Yang Qingqing…”
She left it at that.
Zhou Ran stood beside her in silence for a moment before asking: “Did I say something wrong?”
“…No.”
Zhou Ran nodded: “Mm.”
Le Ning was speechless. She said bluntly: “I mean, how did you suddenly get so good at talking?”
Zhou Ran looked at her with genuine confusion for two seconds: “Wasn’t what I said just the truth?”
Le Ning: “…”
Okay. Captain Zhou wins this round.
She looked at him and couldn’t help but want to laugh.
Zhou Ran stared at her for a moment. A breeze passed by, carrying the faint, almost-there scent from her body — fresh, elegant, and especially captivating.
Zhou Ran’s eyes flickered. He looked away from her face.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“Didn’t you want dessert?”
Le Ning: “…”
After buying the dessert, Le Ning and Zhou Ran finally entered the school grounds.
Since they weren’t in the same class or even the same grade, Zhou Ran walked Le Ning to the bottom of her teaching building before someone called him away.
Back in high school, grades 10 and 11 were in one building, while grade 12 was in another — quite a distance apart.
When Le Ning arrived at her classroom holding her milk tea, Ji Chuchu was already there.
A few other classmates were gathered together chatting.
Time had left its mark on everyone; they had all changed a little.
When Le Ning walked in, she immediately drew attention.
“Le Ning?”
Someone recognized her.
Le Ning gave a small smile and nodded: “Long time no see, everyone.”
“Oh my god!” One of the girls stared at Le Ning with wide eyes: “Le Ning, have you not aged at all?”
Le Ning let out a soft “Ah” and laughed lightly: “I have, though.”
The girl looked at her face and couldn’t help saying: “If you walked out right now and said you were still in high school, no one would question it.”
A boy nearby nodded: “Still as beautiful as ever.”
“What are you saying? She’s even prettier than back in high school.”
The classmates chatted among themselves.
Le Ning walked closer. The girl couldn’t resist asking: “Le Ning, what perfume are you wearing?”
“It smells so good — really fresh.”
Le Ning raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
She thought for a second: “It’s one from Guerlain.”
“Ah? Which one?”
Le Ning was suddenly surrounded by several pairs of eyes and felt a bit shy.
The perfume she wore today wasn’t outrageously expensive, but compared to average fragrances, it was on the pricier side.
It was one of Guerlain’s annual limited editions — each bottle and scent had slight variations. Her favorite lily-of-the-valley note; she almost never ran into anyone else wearing it on the street.
While she hesitated, Ji Chuchu called out from the side: “Ning Ning.”
Their eyes met.
Ji Chuchu smiled: “Come over here.”
Le Ning smiled apologetically at the others: “Sorry, I’ll go join Chuchu.”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
“Thanks.”
Ji Chuchu gave her a sideways glance: “Why did you suddenly wear such an expensive perfume today?”
Le Ning said helplessly: “I just felt it matched today’s makeup and outfit.”
She had this little quirk.
Every day, the perfume she chose matched her mood and outfit.
Ji Chuchu teased her with a look but didn’t push further.
She glanced at the small cake Le Ning had placed on the desk: “Why did you buy dessert?”
Le Ning gave an “Oh” and pushed it toward her: “You eat it.”
Ji Chuchu looked at it: “Isn’t this your favorite?”
Le Ning choked, glanced at the little cake: “I’ll eat it later then.”
Ji Chuchu: “…”
Le Ning couldn’t stand being stared at like that and finally told her about running into Zhou Ran earlier.
As soon as she finished, Ji Chuchu burst out laughing.
“For real?”
“Mm.”
Ji Chuchu’s eyes sparkled: “What a shame! How did I miss such a juicy scene?”
Le Ning looked at her helplessly.
“When did Zhou Ran get so good at talking?”
Le Ning bit down on her milk tea straw and blinked: “No idea.”
Ji Chuchu slung an arm around her shoulder and teased: “Honestly, just thinking about Yang Qingqing’s constipated face makes me so satisfied.”
Le Ning stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded.
“Yeah, it was pretty satisfying.”
If Yang Qingqing didn’t always come poking at her here and there, Le Ning wouldn’t have bothered.
How should she put it? She was just returning the favor in kind.
While the two chatted, more and more classmates arrived.
Almost everyone still living in the city had shown up — after all, it was the weekend.
A dozen or so people, boys and girls.
What surprised Le Ning was… she realized that aside from herself, everyone else clearly remembered Qiu Wei — and even knew he used to have a crush on her.
And this led to Le Ning being inexplicably seated next to Qiu Wei when seats were assigned later.
Of course, that’s a story for later.
The reunion activities hadn’t started yet — most of them were scheduled for the evening.
Le Ning had nothing to do, so once Ruan Qiu arrived, the three of them — Le Ning, Ruan Qiu, and Ji Chuchu — wandered around the school grounds.
During their walk… they just so happened to run into Zhou Ran and his group.
Among a crowd of sharply dressed elites in suits, Zhou Ran stood out in casual clothes — yet somehow, he was still the most eye-catching one there.
When Lu Jiaxiu spotted the three of them, he called out deliberately: “The little junior is back too?”
Ruan Qiu smiled and greeted him warmly: “Yeah. Since Senior Lu is here, how could we not come take a look?”
Hearing that, Lu Jiaxiu glanced at Zhou Ran’s calm expression and joked: “Mainly because our everyone’s Senior Zhou came back. We had to show up.”
Hu Yi nodded in agreement.
Zhou Ran shot the two of them a warning look.
Lu Jiaxiu wasn’t afraid of him at all. He turned to Le Ning: “It’s been a while, little junior. You’re getting prettier every time I see you.”
Le Ning gave a light laugh, lips curving up: “Senior Lu is the same as ever — still loves to tease.”
Lu Jiaxiu cleared his throat.
The people around them laughed.
Suddenly, Lu Jiaxiu looked at them: “Want to grab dinner together later?”
Ji Chuchu glanced over and said softly: “Our class already has a dinner planned.”
“Where?”
Ruan Qiu named the place.
Hu Yi laughed when he heard it.
“What a coincidence — we booked the same spot. How about we combine tables?”
The seniors and older classmates nearby looked curiously toward Le Ning and her friends, suddenly understanding something. They quickly chimed in: “Sure! Let Senior Lu book a big private room.”
In the end, they somehow ended up all together.
Le Ning’s classmates were beyond excited at the idea of sharing a private room with Lu Jiaxiu and the others.
The moment Ruan Qiu mentioned it, everyone unanimously agreed.
By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Le Ning was still a little dazed.
How did they end up all together?
Qiu Wei stood beside her and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Le Ning paused, quickly looked away: “Nothing.”
She gave a faint smile. Before she could say anything more, another female classmate teased from up ahead: “Le Ning, Qiu Wei — what secrets are you two whispering about back there?”
The moment she spoke, everyone in front turned to look.
Even Zhou Ran, not far away, glanced in her direction.
Le Ning didn’t change expression. She looked at the girl and said calmly: “Since you know it’s a secret, why are you asking?”
The words landed, and the atmosphere turned a little awkward.
No one had expected Le Ning to shut down the joke so directly.
The girl froze, bit her lip, and said: “No, I didn’t mean it like that.”
Yang Qingqing quickly jumped in: “We were just asking for fun. Why do you have to be so sharp-tongued, Le Ning?”
Le Ning raised an eyebrow. Without caring that Zhou Ran and the others were still nearby, she slowly pulled out a chair and sat down with a small smile: “You’re just finding out today?”
Yang Qingqing choked.
Le Ning lifted her eyes and looked at her. For some reason, that one glance made Yang Qingqing feel a chill of fear deep inside.
Luckily, the topic died there. No one pressed it further.
However… because of the seating arrangement, Qiu Wei still ended up sitting right next to Le Ning.
She didn’t actually mind Qiu Wei — he hadn’t done anything wrong — but under everyone’s half-smiling, meaningful gazes, Le Ning felt a little uncomfortable.
On the other side sat Zhou Ran and his group.
Every word of the teasing from this table had been heard clearly.
Lu Jiaxiu glanced at Zhou Ran’s expression and teased: “Little junior still has such good market value.”
Hu Yi chimed in: “After all, she’s a little fairy.”
He turned back to look: “Honestly, Le Ning and her two friends all have great vibes.”
“Right?”
“Of course. No wonder the little junior is always on someone’s mind.” Hu Yi rubbed his chin thoughtfully: “That guy looks pretty refined too. Same class, same memories — easy to talk about.”
The moment he finished, the quiet person beside them let out a cold scoff.
Zhou Ran gave the two of them an icy glance.
Lu Jiaxiu raised his hands in surrender and lowered his voice: “Zhou Ran, do you need me to…” Before he could finish, Zhou Ran’s phone rang.
“I’ll step out for a second.”
Before leaving, Zhou Ran glanced toward the other table.
Le Ning was turned slightly toward Qiu Wei, speaking to him. The expression on her face… was much gentler than when she spoke to him.
He looked away and answered the call.
“What is it?”
Xie Wei had been reviewing footage at the station all day. They still hadn’t found any leads, so they could only keep rewatching old surveillance videos over and over.
To find a breakthrough, they had even expanded the search radius around the crime scene.
Finally… it seemed they had found something.
“Captain Zhou, I saw a video. Sending it to you now.”
Zhou Ran said in a low voice: “Okay.”
A few minutes later, Xie Wei’s video arrived.
Zhou Ran watched it repeatedly.
Xie Wei: [Captain Zhou, did you notice anything?]
Zhou Ran’s eyelids lowered slightly as he stared at the screen. The pair of eyes that suddenly appeared in the video… were far too familiar.
So familiar that Zhou Ran had even dreamed about them last night.
Xie Wei: [I know it definitely wasn’t Sister Le Ning who did it, but… why was Sister Le Ning there at that exact time? And wearing a mask.]
The video Xie Wei sent showed a brief, accidental frame — just one second — where a face appeared when “her” mask slipped. In that instant of panic, she looked up and was captured on camera.
But the person quickly disappeared from the surveillance range.
This footage had only been discovered after expanding the search radius.
Zhou Ran’s brow furrowed tightly. Leaning against the wall, he replayed the video dozens of times.
Listening to the voices coming from the private room, he replied to Xie Wei: [We’ll talk when I get back. Don’t alert anyone else yet.]
Xie Wei: [Understood.]
When Zhou Ran pushed open the door and stepped back into the private room, the seating had completely changed.
Lu Jiaxiu and the others had moved over to Le Ning’s side. Everyone was squeezed together chatting — the atmosphere lively and noisy.
Suddenly, someone brought Le Ning up again, asking if she had a boyfriend.
Le Ning looked around at everyone and shook her head: “No.”
The same female classmate who had teased her earlier about whispering with Qiu Wei let out an “Ah” and glanced toward the newly arrived Zhou Ran: “Le Ning, what kind of guy do you like?”
Le Ning smiled: “Handsome ones.”
The classmates laughed: “That’s too vague. What kind of handsome?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
Someone suddenly asked curiously: “…Like Senior Zhou’s kind of handsome?”
Le Ning turned to the person and gave a small smile: “No. Senior Lu’s kind.”
Lu Jiaxiu, who had been watching the show with amusement: ???
He turned to look at Le Ning. The moment he lifted his head, he saw a certain man standing at the door.
Lu Jiaxiu took a deep breath and looked at Le Ning: “…Little junior, can you spare my life?”
Le Ning looked at him and deliberately played dumb: “Huh?”
Lu Jiaxiu: “…”
Everyone followed Lu Jiaxiu’s gaze and also noticed Zhou Ran.
“Senior Zhou, sit over here.”
Zhou Ran’s gaze swept lightly across the two men sitting beside Le Ning. His expression turned slightly cold.
He gave a low “Mm,” paused in his steps, and — under the stunned looks of the classmates — walked over and sat down right next to Le Ning.
Suddenly, someone asked: “Senior Zhou, do you have a girlfriend? Back then Le Ning chased you…”
Yang Qingqing also turned to look at Zhou Ran.
She had just heard from a friend that Zhou Ran was single.
She thought: the only reason Zhou Ran said what he did earlier was to save Le Ning some face. But now with so many classmates here, she didn’t believe he’d give Le Ning that much face again.
“No.”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhou Ran rested his arm on the back of Le Ning’s chair. He scanned the room — most people’s eyes were sparkling with gossip.
The people nearby even held their breath slightly.
He knew exactly what they were thinking. Calmly, he said: “But I have someone I like.”
Everyone sucked in a breath. Some even looked at Le Ning with schadenfreude, waiting to see her reaction.
Zhou Ran suddenly smiled. He lowered his head, gazing at the side profile of the person beside him, and asked softly: “You didn’t tell them?”
Le Ning looked up in shock: “Tell them what?”
Zhou Ran stared into her beautiful eyes and said word by word: “I’m pursuing you.”
Author’s note:
Our Captain Zhou has finally been stimulated enough to start seriously chasing her 🙂
Products: