I Might Have Fallen in Love With My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 197 - 191: Walking Hand in Hand

Chapter 197: Chapter 191: Walking Hand in Hand

Monday morning, when Qingran went downstairs for breakfast, she saw only Xie Ying’an at the table, peeling eggshells, but her brother and Song Shize were nowhere to be seen.

Xie Ying’an seemed to know who Qingran was looking for, he put the cleanly peeled egg on the plate in front of Qingran, and said, "Li Qingmo and Song Shize haven’t gotten up yet. When I went to check on them, they were still snuggled together asleep."

Last night, when Qingran and Xie Ying’an were preparing to go for a walk, her brother was rushing Song Shize to go home, but Song Shize stubbornly refused to leave.

Li Qingmo, cornered, coolly retorted: "Only you can sleep on my bed, but I can’t sleep on yours?"

Qingran and Xie Ying’an exchanged glances, not understanding what wild words Song Shize was uttering.

It seemed to embarrass Li Qingmo though, as he told Song Shize to shut up and reluctantly agreed to let him stay over for the night.

Qingran had no time to care about when they would wake up, as usual, today was another school exam day.

After resting at home for two days, although she was sick, Qingran imagined that if she and Xie Ying’an had any setback in the exam, they would definitely endure Old Wu’s displeasure for a week straight.

Being a student, one always dreads displeasing the teacher, and Qingran was no exception.

The heat of midsummer was unbearable, even the morning temperature made one sweat profusely.

The school’s uniform was somewhat stuffy and not very breathable; after the final exams each year, students quietly switched to their own cool clothes, thankfully the school didn’t interfere too much.

The main rules were that girls couldn’t wear skirts, shorts had to be longer than knee-length, and no slippers.

Qingran and Xie Ying’an left their house together and headed to school, with few people on the streets at this time. The morning sun wasn’t very high yet, and the shade of the trees was ample enough to comfortably accommodate both of their silhouettes.

The two walked side by side, just like last night when they strolled in the park, but unlike last night, from the moment they left Qingran’s room, Xie Ying’an never let go of her hand.

It wasn’t until they had circled the park twice and returned home, and Li Qingmo shouted from the window upstairs, that Qingran hurriedly pulled away from Xie Ying’an’s hand.

Luckily, Li Qingmo was a bit dense, seeing Qingran and Xie Ying’an holding hands, he didn’t suspect a thing and even teased Xie Ying’an, saying, "Xie Ying’an, are you that desperate for a sister?"

Xie Ying’an was in a good mood, just arched his eyebrow at him and did not respond with anything but a slight smile.

Li Qingmo leaned out of the window and continued nagging: "I’m telling you, Li Qingran has been crossing roads without hand-holding since she was six, have you not noticed how old she is now? Just going out for a bit, and still holding hands? Could she lose her way?"

Through the glass, they could see Song Shize pointing at Li Qingmo and laughing loudly, even loudly calling him a complete fool.

Li Qingmo pulled his head back, and then he and the other young man started hassling each other.

Actually, Li Qingmo’s thoughts weren’t hard to understand, all of them had grown up together, and he had long considered Xie Ying’an as family, naturally thinking that Xie Ying’an regarded him and Qingran as family too; what’s the big deal with hand-holding or arm-hooking among family members?

He himself often walked arm in arm with Xie Ying’an!

By this time, Li Qingmo had completely forgotten that his sister was a girl.

Suddenly, a cool sensation came from her hand, disrupting Qingran’s thoughts. The next moment, another hand grasped hers, interlocking fingers one by one until they were tightly intertwined, the action domineering yet gentle.

Qingran slightly tilted her head to look at the boy holding her hand, who seemed unconcerned as he watched the path ahead. He wore a white shirt today, making him look exceptionally pure, his profile sharp with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Qingran lowered her eyes again and looked at their clasped hands; their fingers intertwined in a warm yet cool embrace.

In the scorching summer, she need not warm him, yet he thought of offering her a hint of coolness.

The shaded path was utterly silent, with only occasional chirps and calls of insects and birds. In this silence, Qingran could hear her own heartbeat accelerating.

Qingran quickly turned her head to look at the greenery by the roadside, the lush green pressing down on the eagerness in her heart.

She knew that once she tried to accept the boy’s affection, it wouldn’t be long before she could no longer resist and would completely succumb.

But Qingran did not want this; although the boy was wonderful, she had more important things to do than acknowledge his feelings right now.

She believed that the boy’s passion, unrelated to romance, was solely dedicated to studying.

At the age of sixteen or seventeen, it was indeed too early to be entangled in romantic affairs, wasting precious time.

The walk to school was merely about twenty minutes, yet their palms clasped together were already sweating, and Xie Ying’an showed no signs of letting go.

A few steps further, Qingran inadvertently looked up and saw Wen Shiyi and Liang Fan standing at the diagonal road opposite them.

Just across the street, Wen Shiyi’s gaze fell on their intertwined hands, her expression revealing a hint of shock, as if she hadn’t anticipated this, and took a long time to return to reality.

Liang Fan only spared them a glance before turning his head away. He now knew that Li Qingran was not to be trifled with and was somewhat fearful of Xie Ying’an’s... fists.

Qingran caught the expression on Wen Shiyi’s face fully, momentarily stunned, she quickly pulled away from Xie Ying’an’s hand without looking at his reaction, and headed towards the school first.

Xie Ying’an looked at his rejected hand, glanced faintly across the street where Wen Shiyi was still watching him with an ambiguous gaze.

Xie Ying’an frowned slightly, always feeling that this woman’s behavior and way of speaking were somewhat strange. It would be better to avoid her in the future.

In a moment, he diverted his gaze, pocketed his hands, and leisurely followed Qingran towards the classroom. The boy, rarely revealing his thoughts usually, seemed overly joyful today, even his steps were buoyant.

Lagging behind them, Wen Shiyi had not yet recovered from her initial shock until Qingran and Xie Ying’an disappeared into the school gate. She then finally snapped back to reality, murmuring incredulously: "How could Xie Ying’an be with Li Qingran..."

Yet, she couldn’t finish her sentence.

Liang Fan’s face showed little surprise. Raising an eyebrow, he sneered: "I’ve long noticed that Li Qingran and Xie Ying’an’s relationship isn’t normal."

Due to being frequently beaten up during this period, Liang Fan’s face had been seen by other students countless times, so now he simply did not bother wearing a mask anymore.

With his celebrity-like appearance, maskless Liang Fan had gathered some little fans in the school. However, everyone only liked his face and really couldn’t praise his character.

Wen Shiyi could not stand these words, her face going cold: "What does it matter if they’re not normal? No matter what, there’s no destined outcome between them!"

Liang Fan was tempted to ask, "How can you be so sure there’s no outcome between them?"

But by the time he finished his thought, Wen Shiyi had already walked briskly towards the school, her back still exhibiting the aloofness he liked.

Liang Fan didn’t bother with her words anymore and followed cheerfully.