I Found My Future Wife Next Door - Chapter 16

“Of course, Ranran keeps his word.” Yu Qianran held Lu Zhishen’s hand, his expression serious and sincere.

Lu Zhishen nodded firmly. “Mm.”

Yu Qianran watched as Lu Zhishen took a bite of the cake, his eyes sparkling with a smile like a brilliant galaxy.

Eating the cake meant Shenshen wasn’t angry anymore.

Lu Zhishen forked a piece and held it out to Yu Qianran. “Ranran, you have some too.”

Yu Qianran lowered his gaze and stared intently at the fork. He didn’t want to eat from something someone else had used, but if he didn’t, Shenshen would be sad, wouldn’t he?

Yu Qianran sighed inwardly. He looked up at Lu Zhishen, who was watching him eagerly, completely unaware, then closed his eyes helplessly and leaned forward to take a bite…

A rich apple fragrance exploded on his taste buds. The soft cake base and cream melted together instantly, fragrant and sweet.

Delicious!

Yu Qianran tossed his slight germaphobia aside, his lively eyes sparkling brightly, as if they were practically spelling out “I want more.”

Lu Zhishen immediately forked another piece and fed it to Yu Qianran. The two of them finished the small plate of cake, taking turns feeding each other.

Yu Qianran licked his lips, still craving more.

Observing Yu Qianran’s actions, Lu Zhishen asked eagerly, “Ranran, do you want more? I’ll go get some.”

“No need,” Yu Qianran stopped him. “I’m full.”

Lu Zhishen retracted his steps, a hint of regret in his eyes.

The two little friends dawdled for a while until they heard Gu Kexin calling Yuyu and Jiajia to go home. Only then did they come out hand in hand.

Yuyu’s eyes were teary. “Ranran, I’m going to miss you so much.” He wanted to hug Ranran but was blocked by Lu Zhishen.

Yu Qianran tilted his head and comforted him softly, “You can come to my house to play. Ranran welcomes you.”

Yuyu’s eyes lit up, but he suddenly felt a chilling coldness and glanced over to see it was Lu Zhishen.

He proudly showed off to Lu Zhishen and happily replied, “Okay, okay! Then I’ll come to play with Ranran every day.”

“Every day?” Yu Qianran imagined himself stuck between Shenshen and Yuyu arguing every day and instantly regretted his invitation.

Ranran liked playing with other kids, but he didn’t like playing with kids who were too noisy.

Shenshen was an exception, Shenshen never made noise when playing with him.

Yu Qianran shook his head and said seriously, “Yuyu, you can also play with Yangyang and Jiajia. You don’t have to come find me every day.”

Yuyu: QAQ

Hearing this, Lu Zhishen’s mood brightened instantly, as if he wished he could buy a few packs of fireworks and set them off right then.

In the brightly lit yard, the sound of a car slowly approaching grew closer and closer, stopping steadily behind Jiajia.

Jiajia turned around and saw her mother waving at her. She turned back to bid farewell to Yu Qianran. “See you next time, Ranran.”

Yu Qianran waved back. “See you next time, Jiajia.”

Although Yuyu didn’t want to get into the car so soon, he couldn’t resist the person who came to pick him up. Without a word, he was lifted, tossed into the car, and the door was shut.

Yuyu rolled down the window and shouted as the car drove away, “Ranran, I’ll be back soon!”

A figure suddenly appeared in front of Yu Qianran, blocking his view.

“What are you doing?” he asked, puzzled.

Lu Zhishen smiled, revealing two adorable dimples on his cheeks and two sharp little canine teeth. “It’s too late. Let’s go to sleep.”

Before Yu Qianran could react, he was already being pulled back into the house by Lu Zhishen.

His clever little brain suddenly figured it out. “Shenshen, are you jealous?”

Jealous?

No, he hasn’t eaten anything all day today.

Lu Zhishen shook his head earnestly and replied, “I’m not jealous. I don’t like jealousy.”

“Oh~” Yu Qianran drew out the sound.

Shenshen had his pride too, he understood that.

Nine o’clock in the evening.

The two freshly bathed kids lay on the same bed, wearing identical pajamas.

This was Yu Qianran’s first time sleeping with someone other than his parents. He turned his head and met Lu Zhishen’s dark eyes.

Lu Qianran gripped the edge of the blanket tightly with both hands. “Ranran, your bed smells so nice and feels so soft.”

Hearing this, Yu Qianran lowered his head to sniff the blanket, then pressed down on the mattress with his hand, a smile in his eyes. “It really is.”

Curiously, he asked, “What’s Shenshen’s bed like?”

He had been to Shenshen’s house so many times but had never slept in his bed.

Lu Zhishen thought for a moment before describing it, then extended an invitation. “It’s not as soft as yours. You’ll know when you come sleep at my house tomorrow.”

Yu Qianran agreed. “Okay.”

Lu Zhishen thought about how school would start in just twenty days and couldn’t help but feel a little sad. “Will we still be together after school starts?”

“Probably?” Yu Qianran wasn’t entirely sure either. He usually kept to himself and never went out to play with kids from other classes. Among the children he knew, none wanted to play with him. After thinking for a moment, he took the initiative to invite, “We can still play together after class.”

“That’s great! Then we can go to school together too.” Lu Zhishen cheered, wrapping his arms tightly around Yu Qianran and nuzzling him like an enthusiastic puppy. “I can ask my mom to transfer me to your class.”

“I’m in Class 5 of the senior class. Which class are you in, Ranran?”

Yu Qianran replied, “Class 1 of the middle class.”

“What!” Lu Zhishen exclaimed in shock. “Doesn’t that mean we won’t be in the same class?”

If it were just a different class, his mom would definitely agree. But if they weren’t in the same grade, she would never let him repeat a year.

“It’s okay, we can still play after class,” Yu Qianran patted Lu Zhishen’s head. “And we can go to school and come home together.”

Lu Zhishen pouted. “Alright then.”

Without any adult interference tonight, neither of them listened to a bedtime story. Instead, they drifted off to sleep in the midst of asking and answering each other’s questions.

Time passed bit by bit. Several kids had planned to celebrate Jiajia’s birthday but received the unfortunate news that they couldn’t go.

Yuyu wailed in the video call, “Why? Why?”

Jiajia looked troubled and explained, “I’m sorry, my parents are taking me to the beach. It’s too far to bring all of you.”

“The beach?” Lu Zhishen and Yu Qianran squeezed into the same frame. “The kind with sand, coconuts, and crabs like on TV?”

After hearing Lu Zhishen’s description, Yu Qianran immediately recalled the beach from cartoons, the blue sky and sea, the soft golden sand…

He had never been there before and really wanted to go too.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jiajia nodded. “I wanted you all to come, but my parents said your parents wouldn’t agree. So I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll bring you all souvenirs when I come back.”

Yuyu sighed, his voice filled with envy. “I want to go to the beach too.”

They were all children from the north, where there was only snow and no sea. They had never really thought about it before, so they hadn’t yearned for it much. But suddenly learning that someone was going to see the sea first, that tiny bit of longing was magnified infinitely, making them wish they could go too.

After all, it was the sea!

Jiajia waved her hand, bidding them farewell, “I won’t say more now. I need to go pack my luggage. See you in a while!”

After Jiajia ended the video call, three screens remained. Yangyang pursed his lips, staying silent, leaving the other children unable to guess what he was thinking.

Yuyu had long known it was impossible for him to join Ranran’s side. Fortunately, Yangyang was still with him, so he encouraged, “Yangyang, how about I beg my parents, and you beg yours? Let’s go to the seaside too.”

Yangyang shook his head softly, “They’re very busy.”

Yuyu tempted him, “Come on, come on! Don’t you want to see the ocean?”

“I do, but…” Before Yangyang could finish, Yuyu eagerly interrupted, “If you want to, then it’s settled!”

Without waiting for Yangyang to refuse, Yuyu decisively hung up the call.

Yangyang hesitated between asking Shenshen for help or turning to Ranran, ultimately choosing the seemingly more approachable Ranran. “Ranran… I don’t dare to ask. My parents are already so busy. What should I do?”

Yu Qianran was taken aback. His beautiful eyes glanced at Lu Zhishen, and in a spot where Yangyang couldn’t see, he tugged at Lu Zhishen’s sleeve, secretly asking him to help think of a solution.

They were well aware of Yuyu’s personality, impetuous and determined to act immediately, with no tolerance for delay.

It was clear that Yangyang didn’t really want to go, but Yuyu hadn’t given him a chance to refuse. If they called Yuyu now, he would surely blame Yangyang.

Lu Zhishen chimed in, “I have an idea. You can ask first, and if it doesn’t work, just refuse Yuyu.”

Yangyang trembled slightly, timidly saying, “That won’t work. I don’t dare to ask.”

He had asked similar things before, and they always found him troublesome, always saying they would leave him with his grandparents or maternal grandparents, as if they didn’t want him anymore…

Compared to being abandoned, Yangyang felt he could accept being scolded every day.

Yu Qianran blinked, “You can tell Yuyu that your parents don’t agree. You don’t even have to ask, just pretend you did.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lu Zhishen agreed, “With Yuyu’s silly brain, he definitely won’t figure it out.” He didn’t forget to take a jab at Yuyu, who always liked to oppose him.

Although Yuyu was somewhat a friend, he could be quite annoying at times.

Yangyang looked on eagerly, agreeing with the idea in his heart but still hesitating, “Won’t that be a bit bad? Yuyu will get angry if he finds out.”

He didn’t want to be scolded, nor did he want Yuyu to get angry and stop playing with him.

Lu Zhishen snorted, “What’s the big deal? If you don’t tell, and we don’t tell, no one will know. Yuyu won’t go to your house to ask your parents.”

Yangyang nodded firmly, grateful, “Thank you, Ranran. Thank you, Shenshen.”

…

In the afternoon, after Lu Zhishen finished his last class, the two children were chattering about how to get both sets of parents to agree to take them to the seaside, so they could play together again.

Lu Zhishen rested his chin on one hand and sighed softly, “I think we need to plan this carefully. It’s so far away, we’ll need to give them time to arrange their work.”

“We can go during National Day,” Yu Qianran blinked, counting on her fingers. “It’s a bit of a wait, over a month.”

Lu Zhishen said, “It won’t feel long. As long as I’m with Ranran, time flies.”

Yu Qianran tilted her head, a smile gracing her delicate face. “Then let’s talk about it tonight. Otherwise, adults’ work is never-ending.”

Lu Zhishen nodded vigorously, completely losing his own judgment. “Mm-hmm, I’ll listen to Ranran in everything.”

Yu Qianran’s thoughts drifted far away. It seemed Ranran had never traveled far. Every time Mom and Dad went on long trips and brought back gifts, they never mentioned taking Ranran along. Was it because Ranran wasn’t in good health that they didn’t bring her?

He couldn’t help but ask the person beside him, “Shenshen, have you ever been to other places?”

Lu Zhishen: “Do you mean other cities?”