Chapter 240: First Kiss?

In the small house of the Snow Alley, several people chatted happily, discussing both the past and the future.

When Lu Ran was asked which university he desired to attend, his response surprised the others—Wu Lie River University.

Honestly, this was such a waste of points!

Given Lu Ran's current scoring momentum, after the first day of the sixth lunar month this year when the final scores are released, he should easily surpass the admission cutoff for Jingcheng University.

Yet Lu Ran remained firm, having already set his heart on Wu Lie River University.

Truly, no one knew what kind of blow the school leaders of Yu Xiang No. 1 High School would suffer once they learned of Lu Ran's decision.

After all, in Yu Xiang City, a student like Lu Ran, whose Gaokao score could exceed 660 points, had not appeared in many years.

Not to mention that Lu Ran's final score should be far more than just 660 points.

When Deng Yutang and the others pressed Lu Ran on why he made such a decision, his answer was even simpler and clearer—Wu Lie River.

The Wu Lie River flows through Yu Xiang City, and likewise flows through the provincial capital, Wu Lie River City.

Deng, Tian, and the other two pondered briefly, then understood the reason behind it.

As their "Master," Lu Ran had once imparted to them his insights and realizations on advancing within the River Realm.

The word "hometown" was the core.

And one important factor within that was this majestic, ceaselessly rushing water of the Wu Lie River.

Later, Tian Tian asked Jiangjiang Ruyi which university she wished to attend.

Jiangjiang Meiren did not respond; she merely glanced at Lu Ran.

That single glance made Tian Tian's heart feel sweet!

On one hand, she thoroughly shipped the sweetness being dished out by her Master and Sister Jiang Ruyi.

On the other hand, if the two of them went to Wu Lie River University, rather than to places like Jingcheng, Shanghai, or Qiantang River,

then with Tian Tian's current scores, she could strive to make an effort to get in.

For candidates from the same province, provincial universities have lower admission cutoff scores.

Similarly, Deng and Tian had also set their sights on this university.

According to their estimated scores, this highest institution of learning located within the province was the most cost-effective school.

In the end, the juice cups of the five young people clinked together.

That crisp sound was like the whistle for the final sprint.

On the way home, Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi walked side by side.

A spring breeze blew, carrying hints of the fragrance of grass and trees, refreshing to the heart and mind.

"After the fifteenth of this month, shall we go with them to complete the training assignment?" Jiangjiang Ruyi asked softly.

"It's the pre-exam sprint; let's put in some effort." Lu Ran nodded. "Let's see if we can upgrade the training mission like last time in Evil Dog Village, so we can earn more points."

Although he said this, wanting the training mission to upgrade was something that could be encountered but not sought.

Last time, they had just happened to catch Si Si Xianxian undergoing "reform through labor"; with that as a pretext, the military took the opportunity to assign Lu Ran a high-risk mission, allowing the group to gain an extra 20 Believer Points.

Nevertheless, Lu Ran was still willing to give it a try.

Originally, he had planned to go on a rampage in Rouge Village after this city defense.

But looking at the date, there were only two months left until the Gaokao, so he could try to give the "Ran Sect Believers" a pull.

As for whether it would succeed,

do one's best and leave the rest to fate.

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi nodded gently, knowing what Lu Ran was thinking.

In truth, scores were not that important to the two of them.

Lu Ran had already received many olive branches thrown by various universities, and Jiangjiang Ruyi was in the same situation!

The path Lu Ran had paved for her was broad and bright.

A teammate accompanying a summer prodigy; a Master Yu Fu Believer who had just turned eighteen and was already at the second stage of the River Realm; a Gao San student possessing a divine weapon!

With all these labels placed before her, how could Jiangjiang Ruyi not be the focus of everyone's attention?

And how could she not receive a bombardment of phone calls from major universities?

Jiangjiang Ruyi still remembered the joy and pride on her parents' faces in the few days after "Prodigy," when she kept receiving phone calls.

"Heh."

Jiangjiang Ruyi let out a soft sigh, feeling the spring breeze brush her face as she looked up at the blue sky and white clouds.

She needed no bright spring day; her heart had always been warm.

He might be glib with his words, but in his heart, he had always been a very gentle person.

Whether toward herself or the companions beside her—well, perhaps a little gentler toward herself.

Thinking of this, a hint of a smile appeared on Jiangjiang Ruyi's face.

"Jiang Ruyi."

"Mm?" The girl turned her head to look at the person beside her.

"You really aren't proactive at all, are you?" Lu Ran caught the girl's slender hand. "If I don't hold it, are you just going to leave this hand empty?"

As he spoke, he gently squeezed her palm.

Jiangjiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran's profile, her eyes deep and mysterious.

Am I not proactive enough?

I've come to your door time and again, making soup for you to drink; isn't that enough to show my feelings?

If I hadn't set my heart on you, what family's eighteen or nineteen-year-old Miss would ignore the gaze of others and actively show up at your door?

Villain.

"We're here." Lu Ran gently tugged Jiangjiang Ruyi's hand, gesturing toward the front.

Jiangjiang Ruyi snapped out of her thoughts.

Once again, she suddenly realized she was already standing at the entrance of the apartment building.

Jiangjiang Ruyi felt she was beyond help.

For these past few days, Lu Ran had escorted her home every single night.

And on several occasions, Jiangjiang Ruyi had only "woken up" when she was already standing before the apartment building's entrance.

This simply wouldn't do.

"Mm, I'm going back now." Jiangjiang Ruyi took out her access card and opened the apartment building door.

As usual, Lu Ran stood at the entrance of the apartment building, watching her go inside.

Only this time, she stopped in her tracks, turned her head, and said:

"The fifteenth day of the lunar month is almost here; for these next few days, I won't be coming over."

"Huh?" Lu Ran looked somewhat stunned.

"Hehe~" Seeing Lu Ran's silly expression, Jiangjiang Ruyi felt her mood improve slightly; "Let's both prepare well for the battle ahead."

Smiling brightly, Jiangjiang Ruyi turned and left.

Lu Ran suddenly stepped forward several paces and once again seized her Bai Xi jade hand.

"Ya!" Jiangjiang Ruyi let out a soft cry.

In front of Lu Ran, she harbored no guard whatsoever.

Walking beside Lu Ran, she didn't even know where she was going, let alone maintain any guard?

"What did you say?" Lu Ran wrapped one arm around her slender waist.

Warm fragrance and soft jade entered his embrace, carrying a faint scent of jasmine.

"Wu." Jiangjiang Ruyi's face flushed red in an instant with a "shua" sound.

Lu Ran removed both of their hats and masks, his movements neither fast nor slow.

Jiangjiang Ruyi leaned her upper body back slightly, but made no further attempt to dodge; only her complexion grew redder and redder.

A kiss.

Without the troublesome Little Li Hua getting in the way, this time, Lu Ran succeeded.

As the voice-activated light extinguished, the stairwell plunged into darkness, and into profound silence.

In the darkness, Jiangjiang Ruyi seemed able to hear the violent pounding of her own heartbeat.

Did this count as her first kiss?

Or rather, should that previous surprise peck from Lu Ran be counted as her first kiss?

Mm... it didn't matter; anyway, it was him.

Thinking this silently in her heart, Jiangjiang Ruyi kept her eyes tightly shut, one hand resting on Lu Ran's shoulder, gripping slightly with force.

After a long while, Lu Ran finally let her go.

Jiangjiang Ruyi breathed lightly, her cheeks flushed red, her gaze slightly blurred.

Lu Ran spoke softly: "For these next few days, let's just carry on as usual.

We'll stay together until the night of the fifteenth and patrol together."

As his words rang out, the voice-activated light in the corridor flared to life, dispelling the darkness.

Jiangjiang Ruyi lowered her head, her voice small and soft: "Mm, okay."

Heh,

Little Jiang Ruyi.

Still thinking of running away?

Lu Ran separated the hat and mask in his hands, helped her put them on one by one, and said softly: "Then it's settled; go back now."

Jiangjiang Ruyi immediately turned around and hurried toward the elevator.

Lu Ran, however, leaned his body slightly to the side, gazing at the graceful figure standing before the elevator.

She still lowered her head in shyness, her hands twisted together, looking utterly flustered and adorable.

Not until Jiangjiang Ruyi's figure disappeared at the elevator entrance did Lu Ran turn around and lightly lick his lips.

Sweet.

Was it because the two of them had just eaten ice cream?

Mm... who knows.

Lu Ran pushed open the apartment building door with one hand; the sunlight was bright and clear.

White clouds dotted the blue sky, and a gentle spring breeze blew directly into his face.

The rain alley, often gloomy, damp, and cold, today seemed quite fitting.

As Lu Ran departed step by step from this side, in an apartment building somewhere across the water, the elevator arrived at the ninth floor.

Jiangjiang Ruyi took out her key, opened the door to Room 901, and quickly slipped off her leather boots.

In the living room, a middle-aged woman looked over, somewhat surprised: "Back so early today?"

"Mm, Mom." Jiangjiang Ruyi replied casually and walked quickly toward the north balcony.

"Put on slippers; the floor is cold!" Mother Jiang said dissatisfiedly, watching her rash daughter.

Normally, her daughter always conducted herself with steadiness; what was wrong with her today?

Something wasn't right!

Mother Jiang went to the doorway, picked up a pair of pink slippers, and immediately headed toward the north balcony.

She happened to see Jiangjiang Ruyi standing before the window, gazing at the street outside the residential compound.

This apartment building was located at the edge of the compound, offering a perfectly clear view of the street.

"Looking at Lu Ran?" Mother Jiang's voice suddenly rang out.

"N-no," Jiangjiang Ruyi whispered softly.

Mother Jiang looked at her daughter, whose words belied her true feelings, and a thick smile floated onto her face:

"When will you bring him home to meet your mom and dad?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi: "I—"

Mother Jiang removed her daughter's hat, one hand gently stroking her daughter's jet-black long hair, her eyes full of motherly love:

"Jiang Ruyi, you have grown up."

"I know." Jiangjiang Ruyi left behind this single sentence, turned her head, and walked away quickly.

Mother Jiang looked at the pink slippers on the floor and couldn't help but laugh while chiding gently, "Shoes! Put on your shoes!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi, however, hurriedly crossed the living room, all the way to the enclosed south-facing balcony, and knelt down before the shrine of the deity·Master Yu Fu.

She pressed her palms together, tightly closed her eyes, and silently prayed for something.

Seeing this scene, Mother Jiang, who had picked up the slippers and chased after her, could only smile helplessly and did not dare to approach and disturb her.

The woman sat back on the sofa, muted the television, and sank into deep thought.

Lu Ran, a believer of the Ninth-Rank Deity·Xiang Xiang Xianyang.

He was the pride of Rain Alley City, and even more so, a genius of Great Xia.

But before Lu Ran possessed these shining titles, he was merely a youth whom her daughter had wanted to bring along to help her graduate smoothly.

Who could have ever thought that such a believer of Xiang Xiang Xianyang, despised by the world, would stand at such heights today?

Was her daughter able to predict the future?

Of course not.

Mother Jiang turned her head and gazed toward the south balcony from afar.

The small deity statue inside the shrine was of the Third-Rank Deity·Master Yu Fu, and not that Second-Rank Deity·Tian Luan.

This seemed to prove that her own daughter had already settled her heart long ago.

What a silly Miss.

Begging for some monthly tickets.

(End of Chapter)