Lin Shen paid her no attention.
Ruan Xing continued to follow behind him at a leisurely pace, a faint, sweet smile gracing her face.
They arrived at the parking area, where Lin Shen came to a gradual stop. “Go home by yourself. My driver is here to pick me up,” he stated expressionlessly, showing no hint of considering his behavior inappropriate.
Meanwhile, the young girl beside him was seething with frustration. If not for his injured leg, she would have kicked him several times by now. How could someone be so lacking in gentlemanly manners? He was utterly despicable.
But she wasn’t one to be easily shaken off.
Ye Shimin, spotting Lin Shen’s approach, quickly stepped out of the car. His expression shifted slightly upon noticing Ruan Xing beside him—wasn’t she the girl who frequently visited the young master before?
Just as Lin Shen settled into the car, Ruan Xing circled around and opened the opposite door, sliding in beside him without a trace of embarrassment. She even flashed him a broad, cheerful grin.
Ye Shimin returned to the driver’s seat, momentarily unsure whether to start the car or not.
Lin Shen’s face darkened. “Get out,” he snapped, his tone devoid of warmth.
“No,” Ruan Xing retorted firmly, adopting the resolute stance of an unyielding martyr.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Lin Shen’s voice was sharp and unyielding.
Seeing that force wasn’t working, Ruan Xing decided to switch tactics.
“It’s so late, and I came all this way specifically to see you. If you don’t take me with you, what if something happens to me on the way?” she pleaded, sitting up straight and feigning a pitiful expression, even managing to fake a few tears by dabbing saliva under her eyes.
Lin Shen caught sight of her act and widened his eyes in disbelief.
Interpreting his silence as softening, Ruan Xing pressed on with her performance. “Shen Ge, please?” Her voice was honeyed and tender, sending a shiver down Lin Shen’s spine.
Ultimately, he turned his head away coldly. “Drive.”
Relieved to have a clear directive, Ye Shimin started the car.
Once the vehicle was in motion, Lin Shen faced the window and ignored Ruan Xing entirely for the rest of the ride.
This didn’t deter Ruan Xing from chattering animatedly throughout the journey.
“You know, I ranked 45th in the grade for the monthly exam this time! The teacher even praised me,” she shared excitedly.
“If Lu Wan finds out about my results, she’ll probably be furious! Hahaha, just thinking about it thrills me.”
…
Ruan Xing chattered on enthusiastically, her laughter ringing out like silver bells from time to time.
Lin Shen stole a discreet glance at her before quickly returning his gaze forward. So talkative, he thought. What a fool, getting so excited over a teacher’s praise.
“Who is Lu Wan?” he asked, his voice tinged with a shadow as he recalled the name she had mentioned. It was the first time he had heard her speak of someone else.
Caught off guard by his sudden question amid her monologue, Ruan Xing paused briefly. After a moment’s thought, she explained, “She’s someone I really dislike. She lives in my house, and we’ve never gotten along. In short, I can’t stand her.”
“Hmm,” Lin Shen responded flatly, the shadow in his eyes dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.
The butler noticed through the rearview mirror that the young master’s face had lost its usual indifference and gloom, instead gaining a trace of subtle tenderness.
This was the first time she had seen the young master get so close to a girl. There had been others who followed him before, but he never allowed anyone to get near.
This little girl was the only exception he had ever made. How could the butler not understand that all the changes in the young master were because of her?
Since she got in the car, the atmosphere had instantly become lively and vibrant. When it was just him and the young master, the air felt heavy and cold. Now, with the little girl around, it was much better.
“Lin Shen, let’s go together tomorrow morning. See you tomorrow!”
Before leaving, Ruan Xing leaned against the window to say goodbye to Lin Shen.
Lin Shen looked at her and bluntly refused, “Who wants to go with you?” After saying that, he rolled up the window without hesitation.
Ruan Xing couldn’t help but complain inwardly about Lin Shen’s lack of gentlemanly manners.
But she wasn’t upset. After all, she would come again tomorrow.
After returning home, Ruan Xing stared at herself in the mirror for a long time. It was the first time in her life that she had ever doubted her appearance.
She just couldn’t understand—she was quite pretty and had a nice figure. Weren’t boys her age supposed to have some interest in attractive girls? Why was she so unwelcome in Lin Shen’s eyes?
She continued examining herself for a while longer and finally came to a conclusion: It must be that dog Lin Shen who didn’t know how to appreciate beauty. His taste was just terrible.
Lin Shen stayed over that night.
The butler noticed that Lin Shen had been sitting alone, lost in thought ever since he returned. He walked over and tentatively asked, “Young master… Young master?”
Only after being called twice did Lin Shen finally respond with a distracted “Hmm?”
“Young master, you’ve never let a girl into your car before,” the butler remarked, guessing that he must be thinking about the little girl from earlier and had accidentally zoned out.
“I… It’s only because she was so shameless. I’ve never met a girl with such thick skin before,” Lin Shen stammered, flustered by the question.
“That little girl is quite cute, though,” Ye Shimin continued, daring to tease further.
“How is she cute? She’s so thick-skinned,” Lin Shen retorted, though for some reason, his mind was suddenly filled with the image of Ruan Xing pretending to wipe tears under her eyes earlier—she had looked just like a little rabbit.
“Young master, I think she’s quite adorable. And she lives right across from us. When you weren’t home before, she came by several times to ask about you. She seemed really disappointed when she found out you weren’t here.”
Having seen the girl quite a few times, Ye Shimin had grown rather fond of her.
“She came by many times?” Lin Shen’s eyes darkened slightly as he asked uncertainly.
He remembered that when they had walked home together before, Ruan Xing had asked if she could visit him at his house. Of course, his answer had been no. He hadn’t expected that during the time he wasn’t staying there, she had come looking for him multiple times.
“Yes, sometimes she even brought lunchboxes for you and asked me to pass them on. But since you weren’t here, I was afraid you’d be upset, so I didn’t dare accept them.”
In the end, Lin Shen shot Ye Shimin a sharp glare but said nothing more, as if blaming him for not calling to ask him about it.
Lu Wan’s grades had achieved a new breakthrough this time. As soon as she returned home, she couldn’t wait to tell Qiao Li about her results.
Upon hearing the news, Qiao Li was overjoyed and excitedly hugged her daughter, crying for a long time.