Ning Qing and Chen Shulan looked out the door.
Qin Ran was standing right outside with a slip of paper in her hand. She leaned against the door hinge with a wry smile.
Her smile seemed casual, but also very devious.
Ning Qing's doctor's appointment wasn't that early, but she lied because she didn't want to take Qin Ran to school.
How awkward she must be feeling now.
Qin Yu was a pretty renowned figure in First Middle School and Ning Qing often held parent meetings on campus. Many of them knew her as Qin Yu's mother.
She didn't really want others to find out that a bad student like Qin Ran was her daughter as well.
She was resisting that fact.
Chen Shulan wasn't so dense as to not realize it and hence, had tried to talk Ning Qing through it.
She knew that she hadn't much time left, but Qin Ran was still young. If she didn't care about Qin Ran now, no one else would.
None of them expected to see Qin Ran come back.
Ning Qing looked at Qin Ran and opened her mouth, but she could barely summon an explanation. "Ran Ran, Mom didn't mean it this way…"
She was a country bumpkin who'd become a wealthy madam.
Besides Lin Qi and Lin Jinxuan, everyone else in the Lin family was always looking at her with disdain.
Ning Qing took 12 years—with Qin Yu's glory—to find a place in the family. Although her demeanor seemed to have changed drastically, she still felt inferior deep inside.
With Qin Ran coming back all of a sudden, it wasn't possible for her not to feel upset.
She was simply venting her suppressed emotions on Chen Shulan.
Who'd have known that Qin Ran would hear it?
Qin Ran's expression didn't change. With one hand in her pocket, she nonchalantly said, "Whatever."
Ning Qing looked at her, stunned.
Chen Shulan sighed.
"Ran Ran, Mom was just hot-headed." Ning Qing found her voice but still gave herself away as she fiddled with the shawl over her shoulders. "It's good that you're back now. I got them to tidy up the bedroom, so you'll be staying on the third floor from now on. I decorated your room based on Yu'er's as reference…"
"No need for that. I'm just here to tell you," Qin Ran narrowed her pretty eyes and said slowly, "I'm living in the dorm."
With that, she turned away and went to pack her things on the third floor.
There was nothing much, just a black bag, a laptop, and a cellphone.
Chen Shulan followed Qin Ran into the room.
"It's not a bad idea to stay on campus," Chen Shulan said. She paused before going on, "You've to get along well with your friends, don't lose your temper too easily…"
Qin Ran listened to her patiently as she said her piece.
She took a look at the guest room that Ning Qing decorated not too long ago. The colors were warm and welcoming, the sort that Qin Yu would like, but that Qin Ran was not quite used to.
She took her time to pack her bag before zipping it up finally.
Chen Shulan eyed her. "Ran Ran, why did you lie to your mom?"
"Hmm?" Qin Ran slung her bag on her arm and looked at Chen Shulan, urging her to go on.
"You were already very skilled at playing the violin when you were nine." Chen Shulan put her hand to her forehead as she glanced at the warm-colored room.
Qin Ran preferred cool colors, and even her clothes were all black, white, or of dull shades.
"The renowned teacher had come over to live in Ninghai Village for six months, and she'd wanted to take you in as her disciple. Why didn't you tell your mom that?"
"There's nothing much to tell her about," Qin Ran casually said as she rested her hand on Chen Shulan's shoulder. "Don't worry too much, Little Aunt said Mom was very pretty when she was younger, and you doted on her the most. Now that she's brought you over here to take care of you, you can just recuperate in peace. I'll come to visit you once my vacation break begins."
To be fair, Ning Qing was very respectful and filial towards Chen Shulan.
The elderly liked having their children and grandchildren around them, and Qin Ran knew that was the same for her.
They headed downstairs together.
Ning Qing was left stunned as she sat on the couch in the living room.
She saw Qin Ran head down the stairs with her bag slung over her shoulder.
She stood up, realizing that Qin Ran meant it when she said she was moving into the dorm.
Qin Ran did not bring along anything she'd prepared for her, whether it be the whole wardrobe of pretty clothes or the branded backpack.
Ning Qing had no idea how to respond, or what to say to this situation.
How could anyone not like living in a villa, wearing branded clothes or carrying branded bags?
"I'm going to school, I'm counting on you to take care of Grandma. I'll head to the hospital when I'm on vacation break." Qin Ran had one hand in her pocket and her eyes looked cold and distant.
The Lin household wasn't very far away from the school, and they had their very own nutritionist.
Year 3 students had a rather hectic workload, and it was all the more stressful in First Middle School. Any family that could afford to have parents stay home to guide their children would do it, rather than have them stay on campus.
Ning Qing also knew that it would be better for Qin Ran to live at home.
But as she watched Qin Ran head towards the door, she remembered that a few sisters-in-law and relatives of the Lin family were coming over in a few days. Eventually, she decided not to ask Qin Ran to stay.
Ning Qing got the chauffeur to send Qin Ran to school. "Your elder brother and younger sister are all… forget it, just study hard."
As she saw Qin Ran leave, the tension she'd been holding inside her dissipated all of a sudden.
Chen Shulan walked Qin Ran to the door, and when she offered to accompany her to school, Qin Ran declined.
Chen Shulan stood at the main door. She knew that Qin Ran had her own quirks and likes that others found hard to understand.
But as she looked at the black bag on her shoulder, Chen Shulan suddenly realized that Qin Ran never even brought her things to the Lin family in the first place.
She'd been planning on living on campus since the beginning.
**
Qin Ran did not head to the school directly. Instead, she stopped by a bank first.
She took a queue number and went to the counter.
The lady serving her was stunned when she casually placed her Diamond Card on the countertop. She stared at it for a while before stammering. "I-I will go get our manager, I don't have the autonomy…"
"Mm." Qin Ran's fingers casually tapped away on the counter. "I just need to make a transfer."
Most customers who held a Diamond Card wouldn't come down personally to make any transactions. The bank usually settled things on their behalf.
Qin Ran transferred a sum of money, and the manager personally walked her to the door when she was done.
The bank wasn't far from the school, it was less than 10 minutes on foot.
Qin Ran thanked the Lin family chauffeur and got him to head back first.
The chauffeur looked at the smiley bank employees and found it odd that she was here since the Lin family members had never come before. But he did not question or comment.
Qin Ran took the shortest route to school.
It was a sweltering afternoon.
"Where's the hotel Teacher Xu was talking about?" Lu Zhaoying's ear stud reflected the bright sunlight as he made a call and kept a lookout.
Meanwhile, Cheng Juan was following behind him.
The sun was bright and glaring, yet the black top he was in did not make others feel uncomfortable or stuffy. Instead, he exuded an inexplicable coldness.
He was practically expressionless, but still good-looking nonetheless.
He was about to find a shady tree to wait under while Lu Zhaoying asked for directions when he saw a few people with brightly colored hair standing at the bend of the road, surrounding a single person.
That person was carrying a black bag and had pale, fair fingers.
Draped over her shoulders casually was the First Middle School jacket.
Her expression was cold and her looks distinct.
Cheng Juan paused.
When Lu Zhaoying was done asking for directions and hung up, he witnessed the same situation as well.