Xiao Ran looked helplessly at the small, fair hands wrapped around his waist.
He’d done countless sit-ups for these; other people would be green with envy. So why did she sound so disdainful? "They’re called abs, not just ’hard and lumpy.’"
Having received her answer, the girl let out a meek "Oh."
’So those are abs...’
Remembering the sight of her brother-in-law’s abs, the girl couldn’t help but blush. As someone who had never been in a relationship, she had a natural sensitivity to such masculine features.
It must be said, most girls are powerless against muscles, especially the perfectly toned kind.
Combine that with a firm waistline and smooth skin, and it was simply irresistible.
The girl pursed her lips and squirmed slightly, trying to adjust her position.
’This way, I won’t be touching my brother-in-law’s abs, right?’
But unexpectedly, as she squirmed, Xiao Ran’s e-scooter swerved along with her.
Xiao Ran couldn’t help but complain, "Stop moving around so much. You’re throwing off my concentration."
’He was seriously starting to wonder if she had ADHD.’
’Who makes so many strange movements just sitting on an e-scooter?!’
The girl was exasperated too. Pouting, she mumbled quietly, "Well, it’s because you were all hard and lumpy that I moved in the first place!"
’She just wanted to adjust her posture so she wasn’t pressed up against him.’
Xiao Ran was speechless.
’Okay, okay. She’s just a kid. I’m not going to argue with her.’
’Like I’ve told myself, she’s family. Best not to overthink it.’
The streets were crowded with people buying breakfast, rushing along with their heads down, or waiting for the bus. Everyone seemed to be bustling about.
A gentle breeze rustled the cypress trees lining the road, blowing softly against the girl’s delicate frame. She couldn’t help but sigh in contentment.
"Riding to school on an e-scooter feels so nice."
’Come to think of it, this was her first time riding on her brother-in-law’s e-scooter.’
’It wasn’t that she deliberately avoided it. It was just that Xiao Ran started work at seven-thirty, and she only had early classes on Mondays and Thursdays, so their schedules never lined up for them to leave together.’
"Then why don’t you learn to ride one?" Xiao Ran asked her.
Watching the pedestrians weave by, the girl replied in a resigned tone, "When I was little, my older sister always looked after me. When she left for high school in another city, she promised she’d teach me to ride when she came back. But her studies got more and more intense, and I never had the heart to bring it up. I figured she’d definitely teach me once things calmed down, but who knew? She just got busier every year. In the blink of an eye, here we are now..."
Her reason took Xiao Ran by surprise.
’It was true, Yan Li really was just too busy.’
’How could someone too busy to even come back and pack her own clothes possibly have time to teach her sister how to ride a bike? After all, that sort of thing takes time.’
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "How about I teach you? That way, you can ride to school yourself in the future."
Her face lit up at his words, and she instinctively leaned in closer, as if she wanted to press right up against his ear.
"Really? Truly?"
’If Xiao Ran was willing to teach her, that would be absolutely wonderful!’
’Even though I’m graduating soon, an e-scooter is just so useful for so many things, like getting groceries or going to work. If I knew how to ride one, it would be incredibly convenient!’
Xiao Ran replied cheerfully, "Of course I’m serious!"
’What’s the big deal? An e-scooter is even easier than a bicycle. Don’t you just need hands and feet to ride one?’
The two of them chatted back and forth for the rest of the ride.
The university wasn’t far from home—only about a ten-minute ride.
As the e-scooter neared the campus, the foot traffic noticeably picked up.
A beautiful woman in a luxury car was a common sight these days, something people were used to. But seeing Xiao Ran and the helmeted girl on the back of his scooter, many students still cast curious glances their way.
The saying goes, the fancier the car, the longer the legs in the passenger seat.
But no one expected to see such a stunning pair of long legs on the back of an ordinary e-scooter!
Although the girl’s face was hidden, her skin was unbelievably fair, and her proportions were simply perfect.
The girls on the roadside in particular were green with envy when they saw her.
’So unfair!’
’What’s her skincare routine? How can anyone have skin that perfect?!’
The guys, on the other hand, were a kinder species. They were just excited to learn that you could pick up such a beautiful girl even with an e-scooter.
’Who says you need a luxury car?’
’Suddenly, I feel so motivated!’
Xiao Ran rode straight onto campus. The university was so large that you’d never get anywhere on time without a ride. He drove all the way to the School of Finance and Economics before stopping and turning to the girl behind him. "Alright, off to class you go."
The girl reached up, took off her helmet, and handed it to Xiao Ran.
She left him with a parting reminder, "Remember to come back home for lunch."
Then, with a light spring in her step, she headed into the academic building.
Si Yingying happened to be walking in their direction just then. ’To be honest,’ she thought, ’when I first saw that girl in the helmet, I thought her figure looked a lot like Yan Xici’s. Now that the helmet’s off, I’m one hundred percent sure!’
She quickly swallowed the mouthful of bread she was chewing and yelled, "Xici!"
Seeing her best friend, the girl’s eyes curved into a smile, a twinkle dancing in them. "Morning."
From that one smile alone, her best friend could immediately tell that she was in an ex-cep-tion-al-ly good mood!
She gave Yan Xici a conspiratorial look. "Did you win the lottery or something? Or did your vlog break ten thousand likes?"
’Yan Xici had always been an open book; you could read all her joys and sorrows right on her face. She only smiled like that when she was in a really good mood. As her best friend, I know her better than anyone.’
The girl shook her head. "Neither!"
’She hadn’t gotten a surge of likes, nor had she come into any money.’
Si Yingying asked, surprised, "Then why are you smiling so happily?"
The girl blinked her dewy eyes, a look of bewilderment on her face. "Am I?"
’I’m not smiling *that* happily, am I?’
Si Yingying nodded firmly. "You are!"
’There’s no way my 20/20 vision is deceiving me!’
The girl herself couldn’t quite put her finger on the reason. She offered casually, "Oh, maybe... the soy milk this morning was just extra tasty?"
’The innocent girl couldn’t explain it, but in any case, she was happy, and that’s all that mattered!’
...
Meanwhile, Xiao Ran parked his scooter at the entrance to the library.
He locked it up and went inside.
Jiaotong University’s library was huge. The moment you walked in, you could feel the pleasant, cool breeze from the central air conditioning.
The library had five floors in total, with three librarians assigned to each. He was responsible for the third floor.
It was only eight o’clock, so there weren’t many students yet. The vast library felt somewhat empty.
He went up the stairs and looked over to see his colleagues, Xiaoliu and Old Zhang. The two were sitting across from each other at an empty reading table, eating breakfast.
When they saw Xiao Ran arrive, they both greeted him with concerned smiles.
Especially Old Zhang; he was the employee with the most seniority at the library.
Back when Xiao Ran and Yan Li were still dating, he had seen them whispering together in the library on more than one occasion. Time had flown by. They had been together for seven years, and then just yesterday, they had gotten divorced.
’Old Zhang was genuinely worried Xiao Ran might not be able to move on. These days, more and more people were taking their own lives because they couldn’t get over a divorce.’
"Xiao Ran, you eaten yet?" Old Zhang asked with a friendly grin.
"I have, Uncle Zhang," Xiao Ran replied politely.