It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

"Come in."

Zhao Yishuang waved, and Lu Ran jogged into the car.

He didn't know what brand the car was, and figured he couldn't afford it. But he wasn't ashamed.

Money is just a number; enough to live on is enough. Any more is just a cold number.

The car body glided smoothly.

Lu Ran looked at the girl beside him. She sat in a luxurious seat, with beautiful eyebrows, delicate hands, and skin as smooth as jade.

Compared to the noble air of a young lady, she is more like flawless ice and snow.

I just glanced at her in the crowd, sigh...

"What's wrong?" Zhao Yishuang asked curiously.

Since the beginning of this month, she has often discussed writing methods with Lu Ran during the literary society's activities, from which she has benefited greatly.

However, Xia Liang, Li Xingping, and Zuo Hanzhi also participated in the discussion, and this was the first time they had approached her privately.

"I was being chased yesterday," Lu Ran said seriously.

Zhao Yishuang's calm expression froze, and her brows furrowed.

Lu Ran briefly described the scene from yesterday.

Zhao Yishuang immediately made a phone call, pouting as she stared at Lu Ran, "Brother, I need your help with something, um, it's like this..."

She put down her phone and looked into Lu Ran's eyes: "Don't worry, you can go to and from school with me from now on."

Lu Ran was flattered: "This is too much trouble for you."

"We don't need to say these things between us," she said calmly, her eyes curving slightly.

Originally, Lu Ran only wanted Zhao Yishuang to help him find out who was secretly plotting against him.

Seeing her so selfless and caring towards her classmates, one can't help but praise her: "How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes!"

Zhao Yishuang's starry eyes sparkled, as if she were giving him a reproachful look, before gently raising the corners of her mouth.

The night Lu Ran and Sister Di whispered sweet nothings to each other, he could be considered to have half-transformed from a boy into a man. At the height of his youthful vigor, he was somewhat unable to resist the charm of a young girl's every smile and gesture.

He subconsciously changed the subject.

"Have you finished reviewing?"

"It's alright," Zhao Yishuang said softly. "Don't take advantage of the fact that you can get into university through the national essay competition and stop studying. High school subjects aren't difficult."

"It's not difficult..." Lu Ran said, "I've been trying to learn, but there are some points I haven't understood."

Did you bring your textbooks?

"I brought two books."

"I noticed you don't come to evening self-study. How about this, are you free tonight? I'll help you organize your thoughts from the beginning."

"That would be great."

Lu Ran was overjoyed; this was the top-ranked private tutor in the grade.

He's currently riding high on popularity and has many admirers; it would be too embarrassing for him to get a dismal score on his final exam.

Well, he still has a tiny bit of an idol image to maintain.

They chatted casually about poetry, and before long, Lu Ran realized that the scenery around him had changed; they were actually going up a mountain.

It felt as if we had suddenly traveled from the bustling city to the mountains. The winding mountain road offered a distant view of the city's skyscrapers. Then the road widened, leading us through an iron gate guarded by sentries, around a lake and stream, and finally stopping in front of a garden villa.

Lu Ran asked in a low voice, "Are your parents home?"

"Very few." Zhao Yishuang tilted her head. "Aren't you supposed to be arrogant and disdainful of the powerful and wealthy?"

"Ten thousand poems, a thousand cups of wine. When have I ever paid any attention to princes and kings?" she recited with a smile.

Lu Ran chuckled dryly, but his heart was pounding. He compared himself to a marquis or king, but what kind of background did the Zhao family have?

Zhao Yishuang's house is very big. The most striking contrast is probably the house of Senior Sister Gu, which I visited after school yesterday.

Gu Xian's family only had a small courtyard and a single-story house.

This entire mountain probably belongs to the Zhao family, with pavilions, terraces, and flowerbeds stretching for hundreds of meters, and the villas in the middle are like a dream.

After passing through the spacious hall, there is a deep corridor filled with artistic atmosphere, such as blue and white porcelain and precious calligraphy and paintings.

Lu Ran couldn't help but laugh when he recalled that he had once considered marrying Zhao Yishuang.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhao Yishuang asked.

"I was thinking, if I secretly pried off a piece of gold from the doorknob and locked it back in, I'd be rich."

"Greedy devil." Zhao Yishuang pouted.

Zhao Yishuang led him up the stairs to the second floor.

The young lady's bedroom was also unusually large, with a pink princess bed, a wardrobe, a desk... and a dazzling array of other things.

"Do you have shoe covers?" Lu Ran asked cautiously, looking around.

"No need, come in." Zhao Yishuang tugged at his sleeve, smiling sweetly, "You're the first boy to come to my house."

"Which girls have come here?" Lu Ran asked.

"Little Di."

"oh."

Lu Ran sat down at his desk, looking at the beautiful sunset outside the large glass window, which was like a fairyland. He thought to himself that living in a place like this must be no different from being an immortal.

Zhao Yishuang took his textbook and questioned him meticulously, bit by bit.

Lu Ran's foundation is not weak; he was just sidelined for a few months due to narcolepsy, so it's easy for him to catch up.

But if you want to reach the next level, you'll need guidance from Teacher Zhao.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and a woman dressed in Chinese maid's attire walked in carrying a glass of juice.

"This is Aunt Shen," Zhao Yishuang said. "Aunt Shen, I'm here to tutor my classmate."

"Hello, Aunt Shen," Lu Ran said politely.

Aunt Shen, who was about thirty years old, had a very prosperous air about her. She greeted me with a smile and said, "Just let me know if you need anything." With that, she left the room.

"Aunt Shen has been with our family since she was a child. She's like family to us. She's also our family's housekeeper," Zhao Yishuang said.

"I also want to be your family's butler," Lu Ran exclaimed. "How many social classes would that require jumping over?"

Zhao Yishuang was annoyed: "What?!"

"Haha, just kidding." Lu Ran laughed.

He knew Zhao Yishuang was always low-key, but he was also quite curious about the secrets of those legendary royal relatives.

"Focus on yourself!" Zhao Yishuang said sternly.

As the sun gradually sets and night falls, a table lamp illuminates the boys and girls who are engrossed in their studies, completely forgetting the time, creating a gentle and warm atmosphere.

Sometimes Lu Ran would get distracted, staring at the girl within reach, her eyes serious, her skin as smooth as jade.

Admiring a beautiful woman under the lamplight is almost breathtaking.

The ancients were right, one still needs to study, otherwise how could one have the opportunity to be so close to a young lady...

If he drew a reproachful look from the girl, he would recite poetry in a serious manner.

What about "a graceful woman upstairs, shining brightly by the window," and "a single glance from among the crowd makes all other beauties seem like dust"?

They were practically dragging out the most depressing and suffocating poem, "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River."

After that, Lu Ran came to Zhao Yishuang's house for evening self-study for several days in a row, and his confidence in the final exams grew stronger.

During this time, he also became acquainted with Aunt Shen.

Nothing special, just a sweet tongue; he'll shower you with compliments whenever he gets the chance.

One evening when I went home, I ran into Zhao Yishuang's mother. She had a gentle and refined demeanor and looked like a well-bred lady from a scholarly family. She was also very young-looking.

Song Shuhe was very kind to Lu Ran, and invited him to stay for dinner. The meal was plentiful, and they chatted about everyday things.

But there were only four people at the table: Aunt Song, Aunt Shen, Zhao Yishuang, and Lu Ran. The large long table had only three or five bowls of dishes on it, making it seem very cold and lonely.

Entering the gates of a noble family is like entering a deep, uncharted sea.

……

The weekend marks the beginning of the height of summer in July.

Huaizhong made up two days of classes as usual, but the midday football match still went ahead as scheduled.

In the semifinals, the underdog Class 6 faced off against the strongest seed, Class 24.

Perhaps everyone was bored, or perhaps the semi-finals, with their clash of titans, were more exciting, and there might even be the added boost of Lu Ran's fame as a "star player."

The stands were not only filled with students from Class 6 and Class 24, but also with cheering squads from the first and second years of high school who came to watch the excitement, and even many students from other schools.

Zhu Yishu came to cheer on Zheng Yuelai, and she also brought her friend Gu Xian along.

Two girls were sitting in a corner of the stands, holding umbrellas.

"I'm so nervous, what should I do..."

Zhu Yishu's flushed face was covered in sweat, and she looked worried. "They finally made it to the semi-finals, and now they've run into Class 24, who I heard is the school's ace soccer player..."

Zheng Yue had told her that as long as they didn't run into Class 24, they would most likely make it to the finals.

As for whether we can win the championship, that's up to fate.

Gu Xian rested his chin on his hand: "Yeah, it's good that you lost. Men who lose are the easiest to take advantage of."

Zhu Yishu laughed and said, "Hehe, then why don't you go for it? You say girls should be reserved, but Lu Ran is a hot commodity. What if someone snatches him away?"

"Who said I like him?" Gu Xian shook her chin, her wine-red ponytail swaying gently.

……

Under the scorching sun, the grass is lush and green.

Lu Ran led his teammates, who had undergone tactical adjustments, into the semifinals.

If you get past this one, it will be the final!

He put in all his effort, running back and forth across the court, defending, acting as a pivot, playmaker, and attacker.

Fortunately, this isn't a standard stadium, otherwise I'd be exhausted after defending half the field.

He habitually looked up.

Well, as they advanced to the semifinals, there were more and more girls in white dresses in the stands. It's just a pity that Sister Di is too busy; she's in Beijing one minute, Shanghai the next, and even went to Northern Europe the next.

"Brother Ran!"

In the second half, the score was 2-1, and the game was extremely tense with Zheng Yue successfully intercepting the ball in the attacking third and passing it across to the right.

The pass was too long; it was about to go out of bounds.

Lu Ran used his last bit of strength to leap high and use his knees to control the ball. He was very proud of this control; it was something that couldn't be done without sufficient practice.

The two defenders slammed the door shut.

He deftly nutmegged his opponent and stealthily entered the restricted area like a fox.

Instantly, cheers erupted from all around.

He could vaguely hear Li Xingping cheering, Xia Liang screaming, and his teammates shouting...

what!

Dribble the ball and cut inside.

Aim for the top right corner of the goal!

He's had many shots like that in these matches; when he gets the feel for it, he's bound to score!

If they can equalize, there is hope that the game will go to penalties!

"Whoosh—!"

A gust of wind came from behind.

The blinding sunlight hit his eyes, and a dark shadow appeared; the person had already rolled several times on the ground.

Intense, sharp pain surged into my head.

It hurts so much! I almost fainted from the pain...

Then came whistles, arguments, and a cacophony of noise. Immediately following were emergency checks, stretchers, and ambulances…

as well as.

Large drops of water fell on my face.