They all want to control me!

Chapter 49 She Smells So Good

Everyone faces choices to some extent in their lives.

Lin Ran is now faced with a choice.

He glanced at everyone's faces at the table, then picked up the chicken wing on his right with his chopsticks.

Jiang Qiaoqiao's face lit up with joy.

Just then, Lin Ran snatched the chopsticks from Tao Zhiyao's hand with his left hand and picked up the chicken wing on the left.

First, it took a bite from the right side, then it took a bite from the left side.

Lin Ran nodded: "It tastes good. There are two more chicken drumsticks here, you should all try them."

He picked up a chicken leg from each of their plates and placed it on the two women's plates, then handed the chopsticks back to Tao Zhiyao.

Lin Ran ate the right-hand chicken wing first, and Jiang Qiaoqiao was satisfied.

He used Tao Zhiyao's chopsticks to eat the chicken wings. Tao Zhiyao thought of an indirect kiss, and shyly lowered her head, unable to speak.

Thus, the war ended.

Xiao Nan opened his mouth wide, and his thumb, which had just bent down, stood up again. He stood up three times in one night. "Ran-ge, I really admire you!"

Gao Yan poured two cups of tea and handed them to Lin Ran:

"The chicken is too oily, here's two cups of tea for you, you're welcome."

Lin Ran reached out to take it, but Gao Yan avoided it, saying meaningfully:

"Junior, look at these two glasses of water, are they steady enough for me to hold?"

"stable……"

Lin Ran was drenched in sweat; this was a hint.

Gao Yan placed the two glasses of water on the table with a bit too much force, and the glasses, which were full, spilled a drop or two.

"..."

Lin Ran twitched the corner of his mouth. He didn't hold the water steady, and it splashed out. That wasn't a good omen.

The student council president buried herself in her work, oblivious to everything else—after three years as president, she learned one thing: don't easily get involved in things you don't understand, lest you get yourself into trouble.

Aunt Zhao has seen a lot, so her mood is very stable. Partly because of her age, she looks at them like she looks at children and doesn't feel there's anything wrong with it.

Aside from a minor initial hiccup, the meal went smoothly afterward without any problems.

The dazzling array of delicacies on the table—things that fly in the sky, run on the ground, and swim in the water—opened everyone's eyes. While criticizing the luxurious lifestyle of capitalism, they also hoped to live such a life themselves.

After dinner, Gao Yan grabbed Xiao Nan by the collar and went to ride a shared electric car, saying that if they raced after dinner, they could live to be 180 years old.

The student council president and Tao Zhiyao took a taxi back to school. The two girls could look after each other, which was relatively safe. However, if there were really bad guys who encountered Tao Zhiyao, should the bad guys run, or should Tao Zhiyao run?

This question popped into Lin Ran's head.

"Are you leaving or not? It'll just be the two of us left." Jiang Qiaoqiao reminded him when she saw him lost in thought.

"Okay, I'll experience what it's like to ride in a luxury car too."

"...Could you walk with me for a while before I get in the car?"

Under the streetlights, Jiang Qiaoqiao stared at him, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt tightly as she nervously waited for his reply.

Lin Ran looked around and found that Aunt Zhao had somehow gotten into the car and was giving an "OK" sign from the driver's seat, meaning that she hadn't seen anything and that they could do whatever they wanted.

"A swift and decisive victory."

Without hesitation, he walked to the wheelchair, bent down, and supported her under the armpits with both hands, pulling upwards. Before Jiang Qiaoqiao could react, she had already fallen into his arms.

The solid chest felt reliable, and the heat emanating from the collar scorched Jiang Qiaoqiao's face. She felt that she must be blushing, very red, redder than a monkey's bottom.

"That's not what I meant!"

Jiang Qiaoqiao broke free from the embrace, sat back in her wheelchair, took deep breaths of fresh air, glared at them with her beautiful eyes, and complained:

"When I say 'walk,' I mean you push me around, not me standing up and walking."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me waste my time."

"???"

Jiang Qiaoqiao tilted her head. He had misunderstood her meaning. How come it felt like it was my fault?

If any able-bodied person says to a disabled person, "I'd like to take a walk together," they should understand that you mean to push their wheelchair, right?

He's not human, so it's alright.

"There's a fountain park nearby, wanna go?" As a local shopper, Lin Ran subconsciously introduced the nearby attractions.

"Um."

Jiang Qiaoqiao nodded.

Although she is a local, she has difficulty moving around and has rarely gone out. Even if she went out when she was a child, her memory of it is now vague.

Lin Ran pushed the wheelchair slowly southward.

Still within the university town area, there are many young students on the road. At this time, high school day students have just finished class. At the subway entrance, you can see a guy with a buzz cut and two small mustaches, who looks terrifyingly strong in science, and next to him are several girls wearing the same school uniform, chatting and laughing together.

Seeing these things reminded Lin Ran of some past events.

He boarded at high school, but was a day student in junior high. Back then, there was a girl who lived next to him every day after school...

"Lin Ran, Lin Ran?"

"Um?"

"What are you spacing out for?"

"It's nothing. Is something the matter?"

At the crossroads, Lin Ran bent down slightly to listen to Jiang Qiaoqiao speak.

Jiangning is located by the sea, and every evening there is a gentle breeze. The hair by Jiang Qiaoqiao's ear was blown by the breeze, brushing against Lin Ran's cheek, making it a little itchy and a little fragrant.

Lin Ran subconsciously looked down and saw the deep canyon and the white flesh of the fruit, which showed that the fruit had been eating very well during its growth period.

Jiang Qiaoqiao's chest suddenly started pounding. Although the two were souls intertwined and inseparable to some extent, they had only met in reality today. There was a sense of unfamiliarity amidst the familiarity, and her body instinctively felt a bit wary.

She didn't dislike it in her heart, but she still pretended to resist on the surface:

"Don't get so close, people passing by are staring at us!"

"oh."

Lin Ran doesn't care much about other people's opinions. Of course, she should live her life to the fullest. If she cared too much about other people's opinions, wouldn't she be living in someone else's world?

But I still want to smell it, it smells good.

Sensing that he had made way for her, Jiang Qiaoqiao felt a pang of disappointment and regret. No, that's not right, why am I thinking about all this nonsense! Let's get down to business!

"Lin Ran, I think we still need to discuss this in detail about you meeting my grandmother next week."

What's your grandmother's personality like?

"My grandma... has so many flaws, I don't even know where to begin." Jiang Qiaoqiao felt helpless. "My grandma is just a normal old lady, you don't need to feel guilty. As long as you don't provoke her to her face, it's fine."

Is recognizing someone as your godmother considered a provocation?

"...I don't know, you can try."

"Are you helping my mom find a godmother?"

Is there a difference?

"Yes, that way the firepower will be concentrated on my mom."

"You are such a filial son."

"You can't say that. My mom likes to chat with the elderly. During holidays and when she visits relatives, she can talk for hours. If my dad hadn't pulled her away, she could have chatted until we had dinner at a relative's house."

The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the fountain park that Lin Ran had mentioned.

Jiangning is considered a semi-tourist city. It gets very popular with tourists in the summer, and it's quite lively. Many of its scenic spots are well-maintained.

For example, the fountain park is very beautiful. The colorful lights fall on Jiang Qiaoqiao's face, like pieces of candy stuck on it, making people want to go up and lick them.

Jiang Qiaoqiao looked up at the huge fountain, the water shooting into the sky and then falling into the surrounding pools, splashing up water droplets and startling the koi swimming in the water.

"A rich girl like you must have seen much more spectacular fountains, like those on private estates or something."

"No, it's different." Jiang Qiaoqiao shook her head, bent down, and touched the water with her hand, creating ripples. "The fountains, flowers, birds, fish, and insects in the manor are only alive on the surface; they're dead inside. But this place is different. Pedestrians, children, cars, koi leaping out of the water, cicadas chirping in the trees, stars, and the crescent moon—they're alive when they come together; they have life—wouldn't that be what you call the warmth of everyday life?"

"If you feel it is, then it is. Listen to your own heart more, and don't always ask me. There aren't that many accurate answers in the world."

"Um."

Jiang Qiaoqiao felt a little excited as her small hands gently swayed on the water's surface, the cool sensation traveling from her fingertips to her brain.

She's like a child who hasn't grown up; she can be happy about childish things.

Little devil, so cute!

Lin Ran looked around. He didn't feel any sense of warmth or life, which was why he said those words, not wanting to break the atmosphere that Jiang Qiaoqiao was experiencing.

I guess I just pass by here every day after school and occasionally pop in for a stroll, so I've gotten used to it.

"what!"

A short shout.

"What's wrong?" Lin Ran, who was lost in thought, quickly looked at Jiang Qiaoqiao.

The girl turned around, her lips pressed tightly together, tears welling in her eyes. She looked terrified and helpless, shaking her small hands that were submerged in water. Her expression grew even more anxious, as if she was about to cry, and her voice trembled with tears.

"Lin Ran, help me! A fish ate my hand!"

"You're such a...darling, you're such an idiot..."

Lin Ran covered her face and sighed, forcibly suppressing the urge to swear.

Upon hearing the girl's shout, he almost unleashed his Saiyan form, capable of instantly destroying everything in the universe.

Who knew it was a fish!

I almost thought you were going to die!

Lin Ran rolled up his sleeves, revealing his well-developed muscles, and strode over aggressively.

"I'll help you!"