I suggest you investigate; this person doesn't seem to be a first-time reborn individual.

Huang Lingyue looked at Li Futing, who was walking away with her head down, with a puzzled look in her eyes. She felt like she had seen this girl somewhere before, like the aloof girl in her year who always carried an old drawing board.

She didn't pay much attention and gently knocked on the door three times, with a steady rhythm and moderate force.

Lin Ran didn't even look up: "Go in."

The door opened, and Huang Lingyue walked in.

Her outfit today was clearly carefully chosen: a well-tailored pale yellow dress that was neither too formal nor too informal, perfectly outlining the beautiful silhouette of the young woman.

Her long, smooth hair cascaded down her shoulders, the ends slightly curled. She wore carefully applied light makeup, her lips a soft mauve lip color, and she carried a discreet brown paper bag in her hand.

She didn't speak immediately, her eyes quickly scanning the ward, which was clean and tidy, clearly indicating that someone had cleaned it recently.

At the foot of the bed was a set of professional painting tools. Her gaze lingered on the canvas for a few seconds, her eyes flickered, and then returned to normal.

"I heard you were injured," she said, her voice carrying just the right amount of concern. "Is it serious?"

Lin Ran put down the magazine, looked up at her, and said calmly, "I'm fine."

Huang Lingyue walked to the bedside but did not sit down without permission, maintaining a proper social distance:

"How did you get hurt? Was it an accident?" She stared into Lin Ran's eyes, trying to glean more information from them.

"Yes, it was unexpected." Lin Ran's answer was brief, with no intention of elaborating.

"I know a very good orthopedic specialist in this city. I can help you get in touch with him if you need."

She stepped forward and placed the brown paper bag on the bedside table: "Inside are several original novels brought from abroad; I think you'll be more interested in these."

Lin Ran glanced at it and simply nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, but it's no need to bother. The doctor handled it very well."

Huang Lingyue was not surprised by his refusal. She finally sat down and noticed that the chair still held the warmth of someone's touch. Her eyes flickered again.

She sat upright, revealing her smooth calves and pink knees, her legs together and slightly tilted.

She paused for a moment, then looked directly at Lin Ran:

"Lin Ran, I've thought about what you said at the bank entrance that day for a long time."

She paused, watching Lin Ran's reaction. Lin Ran simply looked at her calmly, waiting for her to continue.

"I've reviewed all our interactions from high school until now, and I've come to the conclusion that your sudden change in attitude towards me doesn't mean you dislike me."

"If you truly disliked me, you wouldn't have allowed me to get close to you."

"The turning point happened after the college entrance exam. Suddenly, you showed a kind of detachment and decisiveness that I had never seen before. I investigated you for a long time and felt that you were either rushing forward desperately or avoiding something."

She leaned forward slightly, her eyes sharp: "And I've become a nuisance you have to get rid of, haven't I?"

Lin Ran's eyes flickered slightly. He had to admit that Huang Lingyue had amazing insight. When Lin Ran said those things to her, she didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, she dissected the logic behind it.

"You're overthinking it." Lin Ran's tone remained calm. "I just feel that we're not a good match. We were classmates before, and we can still be friends."

"Not suitable?" Huang Lingyue's lips curved into a smile, her voice still steady, but her slightly raised knuckles betrayed her inner turmoil.

"Is it because of that girl?" She turned to look at the easel. "That withdrawn girl who always carries her easel and walks with her head down? I checked, you weren't the only one who got hurt that day."

Lin Ran's eyes turned cold: "Huang Lingyue, that's enough. This is my private matter, it has nothing to do with her, and it has nothing to do with you either."

"It's none of my business." Huang Lingyue repeated the sentence softly. "Okay, I understand."

She stood up and looked at Lin Ran with a complex expression, a mixture of resentment and coldness, but deeper still, a burning intensity that Lin Ran found very familiar.

"Lin Ran, do you know what? The more you act like this, the more I feel that my judgment was correct."

"I've kept the book for you. As for me—"

She paused, then spoke clearly:

"I will get into the best university I can get into and go where I'm meant to go. I'll show you how short-sighted your judgment was when you said it was 'unsuitable' today."

After saying that, she took one last look at Lin Ran, then resolutely turned and left without looking back.

When Li Futing pushed the secondhand wheelchair back to the ward, Huang Lingyue had already been gone for a while.

She immediately noticed the exquisite kraft paper bag on the bedside table, which seemed out of place in the hospital room. The bag was of high quality, without any logo, yet it exuded an air of luxury.

"You're back?" Lin Ran smiled at Li Futing when he saw her return. "How did it go?"

Li Futing gave a soft "hmm," pushed the wheelchair to Lin Ran's hospital bed, glanced at the paper bag, and smelled a faint perfume scent that didn't belong in the hospital. She unconsciously lowered her eyes.

She is very sensitive to smells and could smell the bag, which smelled the same as the girl in the yellow dress she met when she went out.

"This..." she began softly, then hesitated, afraid of seeming nosy, "Should we put it away?"

Lin Ran followed his gaze to the paper bag, his expression indifferent: "No need, it was left behind by someone else, we'll take care of it in a bit." He deliberately used the word "take care of" to casually draw a line between them.

Li Futing gave an "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions. She walked over and carefully moved the paper bag to a position further to the side.

Seeing Lin Ran's attention turn to her, she noticed a silver-gray metallic wheelchair behind her, clean and tidy, but with suspiciously new details.

"Shall we give it a try?" Li Futing suggested softly, her eyes filled with anticipation mixed with a hint of nervousness.

After Lin Ran struggled to sit in the wheelchair with Li Futing's help, he felt around for a moment, then patted the armrests and exclaimed in surprise:

"It's in really good condition, without a single sign of use. How much did you pay for it?"

Li Futing unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes, a small gesture she made when nervous.

"Three... three hundred and a half, bought it from the secondhand market." She quoted a price that was reasonable, even a bit high, for a secondhand wheelchair, trying to make it sound more authentic.

"The new ones cost over a thousand, this is a good deal," she added, but her voice was a little hesitant because it was the first time she had lied to Lin Ran, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Lin Ran knew her too well. Looking at her, he could basically guess what was going on. Given her personality and her obsession with her unworthiness, she probably gritted her teeth and bought a new one, but gave him a secondhand price.

He didn't expose the truth, and took out his phone to transfer the money.

"No need, really!" Li Futing raised her head, her eyes somewhat anxious.

"Take the money." Lin Ran's tone was gentle, but brooked no refusal. "You're my caregiver; how can I let a caregiver pay for things out of their own pocket?"

"It was all because of me that you got into trouble..."

Li Futing bit her lip, swallowing back the word "hurt," and instead insisted:

"Besides, you gave me a drawing board before, so this is... consider it a return gift." This was the most justifiable reason she could find.

Seeing the stubbornness and persistence in her eyes, Lin Ran knew that if he refused her any longer, he would probably hurt her carefully guarded self-esteem.

"Alright." He sighed and finally put his phone away. "Thank you for the gift, Lanlan."

Hearing him call her Lanlan, Li Futing's tense heart gradually relaxed.