Chapter 331: Clear
The days spent at Lan Ranyan’s home were happy. There were fun places to go every day, and a lot of delicious food. Lan Ranyan’s hospitality was not bad. Each scenic spot had its own characteristics, and she could always find special snacks and delicacies, which Yu Linna was quite satisfied with. Although there were some bumps in the middle, overall, she was quite satisfied.
The only thing that troubled her was how to face the confession of this little girl, Xiao Yanhan. This confession had come too suddenly. Yu Linna was completely unprepared, to the point where she became at a loss.
To answer her would require long-term consideration. It couldn’t be done all at once.
…
This morning, Lan Ranyan had gone for a run early and hadn’t called Yu Linna along. Yu Linna had no choice but to go for a run by herself and came back early. She had been feeling that her body was really too weak recently, with no combat power at all, not a single decent muscle. Her body was delicate and soft, easy to push over, with no resistance at all. For this reason, Yu Linna had decided to exercise well and get her body in shape. When she became stronger in the future, no one would be able to touch her anymore. If someone wanted to do something bad to her, she would knock them down with one punch.
Although she thought so, that was right.
But whether she could train it out was another matter.
When she returned to the garden, she saw Lan Ranyan’s father, Lan Guozhong, practicing military gymnastics. This big shot from a military background had a body full of muscles, dark skin, a resolute expression, and a sturdy figure. Even now, Yu Linna still couldn’t figure out how he had given birth to such a great beauty as Lan Ranyan.
“You’re Ranyan’s friend, Linna, right?”
Lan Guozhong saw Yu Linna, stopped his practice, and wiped his sweat with a towel. He had wanted to put on a smile, but found that it didn’t suit him and gave up.
Although Yu Linna didn’t really want to face such a scary person, since he was Lan Ranyan’s father, she still felt she had to be polite.
“Uncle Lan, you’re so early, just like Ranyan.”
“I’m used to it in the army. I’ve always woken up before six to practice. Ranyan has been with me since she was little, so she should be used to it too.”
“I see.”
“By the way, Linna, do you know how that girl Ranyan is doing at school?”
Lan Guozhong suddenly asked about his daughter’s school life. Logically, he should have known from his daughter. But Yu Linna, thinking of the stiff relationship between the father and daughter, also found it excusable. There was already a conflict, and they barely had a few sentences of conversation in their daily lives. To expect him to ask about her academic situation seemed unlikely.
“Ranyan is doing well. She’s very caring at school, and her grades are not bad. She’s the oldest in our dorm, and she takes care of us the most. She also gets up quite early every day and runs every day. I think, uncle, you don’t have to worry about her at all.”
“I see…”
Lan Guozhong, this iron-blooded tough guy, actually showed a soft expression on his face. This man didn’t say it, but he still cared about his daughter in his heart.
It was just that he might have used the wrong method. He thought that was good for his daughter, but he hadn’t thought about what it would bring.
“Uncle, why didn’t you let Ranyan study abroad? Didn’t she want to go?”
Lan Guozhong was silent and didn’t answer.
Realizing that she had spoken impolitely, Yu Linna immediately apologized.
“I’m sorry, I said the wrong thing. I was just speaking casually.”
“It’s fine. I also know what kind of personality that girl Ranyan has. I just didn’t expect her to resist so much. She has always been very obedient and sensible since she was little. I thought she could understand me.”
Lan Guozhong showed a trace of guilt.
It could be seen that he still regretted his past decision a little. He just hadn’t expected Lan Ranyan to resist.
“Uncle, Ranyan is your daughter, but she is not your everything. She has her own thoughts. Although her thoughts may not be what you approve of, I think it’s quite remarkable for a person to be thinking of studying abroad at the age of twenty. At least I don’t have that kind of courage.”
“You…”
“Tsinghua and Peking University are not the end, but just the starting point of life, right?”
She didn’t know if he liked to hear so much at once. It would be best if he didn’t. She also felt that she had said a lot of chicken soup for the soul. It would be even better if he could ignore her.
Yu Linna didn’t know what it felt like to be loved, but she had also read a lot about parents and children in books. Plus, she was a novelist, so chicken soup for the soul was a piece of cake for her.
But talking about these things with Lan Ranyan’s father didn’t seem very appropriate. Yu Linna quickly made an excuse and left, leaving Lan Guozhong alone in the garden, not knowing what he was thinking.
Yu Linna left the scene as if she were escaping. She hoped to run away before he got angry. Those words were really too self-righteous. It was better to run away quickly.
But…
If she could, she didn’t want to see Lan Ranyan and her father arguing.
Since they were a family, wasn’t it good to be harmonious? Why did a family have to argue? Many problems could actually be solved through communication. It wasn’t necessary to argue, nor was it necessary to have a cold war.
Her eyes dimmed.
As a friend, she hoped Lan Ranyan would be happy. But just as Yu Linna, she hoped that the father and daughter could get along harmoniously.
…
“I say, Linna, are you really planning to accept Yanhan’s confession?”
While she was lost in thought and brushing her teeth, she happened to run into Fang Jiangning. Fang Jiangning then asked the question she had been wanting to ask for the past few days. As a result, Yu Linna almost spat out a mouthful of water.
“Why-why do you say that?”
“Didn’t she confess to you? What do you think? Are you really going to accept it?”
“…I don’t know.”
She rinsed her mouth, threw the compressed toothpaste into the water cup to brush it clean, and then rinsed the cup with tap water.
For her to understand matters of love was still too difficult. If possible, she didn’t want to think about it.
“Linna, I didn’t notice anything before. Actually, you like girls, right?”
Fang Jiangning looked at her suspiciously and silently moved a few steps away from her, as if afraid she would have ideas about her. This made Yu Linna very sad.
“How should I put it… indeed, compared to boys, I like girls more…”
“Wow, it’s actually true.”
“Don’t, don’t stand so far away from me. Listen to me first. Although I like girls a little more, it’s not like I can like anyone. If love is just built on the body, then what’s the point of love? At least for now, I probably don’t like Yanhan.”
“Then you’re going to reject her?”
“…I’m looking for an excuse to reject her.”
Wow, saying it like that, Yu Linna felt like a scumbag girl, too scummy. To actually play with her feelings in the palm of her hand, for some reason, she felt she was so bad.
But there was no helping it. If she went against her own heart and was with her, in the end, everyone would be hurt. Rather than that, it was better to be frank and follow her own heart.
“Although that’s what you say, Linna, I guess you don’t have the guts to reject her either.”
“You know again…”
“Of course I know. How long do you think I’ve known you?”
Fang Jiangning said as a matter of course.
That was also true. Fang Jiangning was the person who had known her the longest. The two of them had been deskmates since their third year of high school. It could be said that they had known each other for a very long time. In their third year of high school, Yu Linna had often freeloaded off her milk tea and her meat buns. At that time, she had owed her a lot.
“Linna, if you’re really going to reject her, then you have to reject her properly. Don’t lead her on. That will only hurt both of you.”
“I understand the reasoning…”
“But you’re not willing to do it. You don’t dare. Linna, when it comes to matters of love, you have to be a little bolder. You can’t be a coward.”
It was easy to say, but hard to do. Yu Linna didn’t think she could do it well.
Too difficult.
To properly reject Xiao Yanhan.
Would that person really not cry until she was seriously ill?
What a headache.
…
Before breakfast, Yu Linna met Lan Ranyan in the courtyard, who had just come back from her run. Lan Ranyan had been running alone for over an hour today, dripping with sweat, her clothes soaked, a fragrant smell on her body. She wiped her sweat with a towel and asked the maid to prepare a bath for her, wanting to have a good bath. After eating breakfast, she would take everyone out to play.
“Ranyan, you’re up early today.”
Yu Linna casually struck up a conversation.
“Oh, I forgot to call you. I’m sorry. Because you’ve been waking up on your own these past few days, I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Mmm. Ranyan, I just spoke to your father. He seems to regret what he did before. I think you two, father and daughter, should have a good talk.”
Yu Linna’s calm voice and her emotionless expression, however, made Lan Ranyan very unhappy.
“Che, I know.”
“Ranyan… the way you’re acting, you’re not really planning to have a good talk with him, are you?”
“It’s none of your business, Linna. This is my private matter, and it has nothing to do with you at all.”
Lan Ranyan pulled Yu Linna away, wanting to go in directly, but this girl, Yu Linna, stood in her way, quite stubbornly.
“Yu Linna, what’s my relationship with you? What are you doing meddling in my family’s affairs? Does it have anything to do with you?”
Lan Ranyan looked at her coldly, getting angry at Yu Linna for the first time. She really felt that Yu Linna was being ridiculous. This had nothing to do with her. What was she meddling for? It had nothing to do with her at all.
It was really hard to understand.
“Ranyan, I hope you can have a good talk with your father. Even if you just say one sentence, I think some things are purely due to a lack of communication, which has created some misunderstandings.”
“What’s it to you?”
“I… I, Ranyan, I don’t have a father, so I don’t know what it’s like to argue. I’m really envious of you sometimes, to be able to argue with your father. I don’t even know what it’s like to argue. But… you and I are different. You have a father, no, you are not me. Are you really planning to not say anything? That’s your own father. You can’t find a second one in this world.”
Lan Ranyan looked at her sincere eyes, and her anger disappeared.
Yu Linna, did she think of herself not having parents, so she was moved by the scene? Lan Ranyan’s eyes looking at her became complicated.
Because she had no parents, she didn’t know what it felt like, so she didn’t want her friends to argue with their parents, and she didn’t want them to have a cold war. This child was completely putting herself in their shoes.
She felt that if that were her father, she would definitely choose to have a good talk, to speak properly, instead of a cold war.
“You’re so kind.”
Lan Ranyan held her head and said heavily.
Yes, she and Yu Linna were different. She was still lucky. Her father was still alive, and nothing had happened. The thought of this, Lan Ranyan suddenly felt her father’s face become clear.
