Chapter 342: Gifts and Memories

The driver got out of the car and handed a delicate box containing ring materials with both hands to Lin Zheng Ran as he stepped out of the villa.

“Mr. Lin, Pan Jie asked me to give this to you.”

Lin Zheng Ran took it and said, “Thanks for the effort,” but then noticed the person looked familiar.

The man smiled, flattered, “No trouble at all, no trouble.”

“You’re Jiang Ming, right? You were a security guard at the head office before. How’d you end up as a driver?”

Jiang Ming stared at Lin Zheng Ran in surprise; he never imagined this wealthy boss would remember him and felt thrilled.

“I can’t believe you remember me, Mr. Lin. I started as a security guard, but after a while, I thought being a driver paid better. Plus, I recently got a girlfriend, and expenses piled up, so I switched departments.”

“I see, so it’s because you found a girlfriend. Congratulations.”

“Thanks for the well-wishes, Mr. Lin.” He scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.

“Head back to the company. I’ve got the items.”

Jiang Ming nodded seriously, “Sure, Mr. Lin. I’ll head out. Goodbye.”

Lin Zheng Ran watched Jiang Ming drive away, then opened the box in his hands.

Inside were several neat compartments, each holding individual diamonds and ring components.

Every piece was top quality.

He returned to the villa’s living room and laid out the items on the table one by one.

Picking up a diamond and a ring piece, he focused his spiritual energy to create, drawing invisible strands of it into his palm. Though refining pills before hadn’t taken too long,

it still needed a few minutes.

Now that Heaven-Earth Resonance had reached level two, the spiritual energy gathered much faster.

In an instant, the diamond fused seamlessly with the ring, gleaming under the sunlight’s refraction.

On the ring’s back, spiritual energy etched Heqing’s initial.

“It’s definitely quicker, and it looks great too. But… let’s add a little something extra.”

Lin Zheng Ran infused a bit of special spiritual energy into it. This unique energy would alert him instantly if the wearer faced any danger.

The dangers in this world weren’t too severe, but adding this feature couldn’t hurt.

After finishing one, Lin Zheng Ran used the remaining materials to make three more, totaling four.

Thanks to the upgrade halving the material needed, plenty was left over.

Might as well go all in—let’s make six. After all, he had mentioned up to six girlfriends to Heqing and the others.

With all six rings done, Lin Zheng Ran placed them each in their own ring boxes.

Then he headed to the university.

The university campus always bustled with students chatting and laughing as they walked by.

Lin Zheng Ran made his way toward Jiang Jingshi’s office.

But from a distance at the intersection, he spotted her talking with a female teacher.

Jiang Jingshi, in her high heels and knee-length skirt, stood tall and slim, occasionally adjusting her glasses as she spoke.

It seemed like wearing glasses was a long-standing habit for her.

After a brief chat, the teacher left, and Jiang Jingshi sat on a nearby bench, pulling out her phone to check something.

A faint, amused smile played on her face.

Lin Zheng Ran approached slowly, “Counselor.”

Hearing his voice, Jiang Jingshi froze for a second, then quickly tucked away her phone, her face flushing. “Zheng! What are you doing here? I thought you said you weren’t coming to class this morning?”

Lin Zheng Ran stood in front of her, “I said I had some things to handle, and once done, I’d be back.”

“Hmm,” she teased, “So, can the teacher ask what Lin Zheng Ran has been up to this morning?”

“Of course. But before I answer, I’m curious—what were you looking at that made you so happy? You hid it the moment I showed up.”

Jiang Jingshi had her phone resting on her lap, back side up, and his comment made her feel awkward.

She avoided his eyes, “Oh, just some old photos.”

“Old photos?”

“If you want to see, I’ll show you. After all, I can’t say no to Lin Zheng Ran.”

Lin Zheng Ran sat on the bench and took Jiang Jingshi’s phone.

The photo was from his kindergarten days.

In it, Lin Zheng Ran looked utterly uninterested, half-heartedly making a peace sign while sitting in a sandbox.

He seemed to be thinking, ‘This generation of parents is a handful.’

Lin Zheng Ran recalled it was a photo his mom forced him to take at the park when he was little, even though he didn’t want to.

So, he just went through the motions with that peace sign.

“How do you have this photo? I thought only my mom had it—Heqing doesn’t even have one.”

Jiang Jingshi placed her hands on her lap, hesitating before saying softly, “You’re right, only Aunt has it. So, she sent it to me.”

Lin Zheng Ran turned to look at her.

Jiang Jingshi grew more embarrassed, “I’ve been chatting with Aunt a lot lately, so she sends me photos now and then—maybe forty or fifty? I think they’re cute, so I saved them and look at them sometimes…”

When she first saw the photos, Jiang Jingshi had paused, struck by how the boy in them looked exactly like the Lin Zheng Ran in her memories, bringing back fond thoughts of that feisty little kid.

Lin Zheng Ran handed the phone back to Jiang Jingshi, “Got it. So, you’re just sitting here in broad daylight, grinning at my photos?”

Jiang Jingshi’s face grew hot, and she huffed, “Can’t I smile? I mean, your sister can’t look at your pictures and frown, can she? Don’t tease me, Zheng.”

He smiled and pulled a small box from his pocket, handing it to her, “You asked what I was up to this morning, right? Here, for you.”

“What’s this?” She stared at the little box, which seemed familiar, but her mind refused to believe it, though her body reacted instinctively.

She looked at him nervously, “Zheng… what’s in this box?”

Lin Zheng Ran said, “Why not open it and see?”

Jiang Jingshi took it carefully, her heart pounding as she gazed at what appeared to be a jewelry box.

She opened it slowly.

Inside were two sparkling diamond rings.

Jiang Jingshi’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth, her cheeks burning, “Are these… engagement rings?”

Lin Zheng Ran blinked, “Not engagement rings.”

“Huh?”

Lin Zheng Ran pointed to one, “One of them is the ring Jingshi lost in the sewer before—I found it for you. The other one I made myself.”

She picked up the familiar ring and confirmed it was indeed the one she’d lost.

For a moment, she thought it was an engagement ring and nearly panicked.

She almost believed Zheng was skipping proposals and jumping straight to wedding rings.

“Wait, you said the other one you made for me?!”