Chapter 98: A Chance Meeting and Kindness

In a moment of quiet understanding, Jiang Jingshi took the box of instant noodles and placed it in Lin Zheng Ran’s arms, then grabbed one for herself: “That settles it perfectly.”

With that, she walked away, and Lin Zheng Ran didn’t think much of it as he picked out some ready-made food, packed it up, and headed to the checkout to pay.

Stepping out of the supermarket and crossing a busy street, he suddenly spotted a little girl crying by the roadside while the woman from earlier knelt in front of her, gently comforting the child.

“What’s wrong, little one? Why are you crying?”

The girl pointed to a nearby plane tree where a pink balloon was stuck in the branches.

“My balloon! It flew up there by accident.”

It was a massive plane tree, and since it wasn’t deep autumn yet, the leaves were still thick. The balloon was high up, nearly four meters off the ground—impossible for most people to reach.

“Where is it? Let me see.” Jiang Jingshi stood up, scanned the tree, and spotted the pink balloon. But at that height, she knelt back down and said to the girl, “Little one, where did you buy this balloon? I can get you a new one, okay?”

The girl wiped her tears and slowly shook her head: “No, I want this one. It has star stickers inside, and you can’t find them anywhere else.”

Jiang Jingshi stared at the plane tree, lost in thought.

“The main issue is it’s way too high. Maybe I can find something to reach it.” She looked around for a long branch, and that’s when she noticed Lin Zheng Ran coming out of the supermarket.

Their earlier supermarket encounter led to a brief eye contact, but Jiang Jingshi didn’t linger, just smiled at him before continuing her search for a branch, with the little girl joining in.

Lin Zheng Ran approached, glanced at the balloon in the tree, and figured it wasn’t that far up. He jumped lightly, reaching over a meter to grab the branch holding the balloon.

He pulled down the tip of the branch effortlessly and retrieved the balloon.

Hearing the rustle of the branch, Jiang Jingshi and the little girl turned to look.

Lin Zheng Ran handed the balloon to the girl under Jiang Jingshi’s surprised gaze: “Here you go, hold on tight.”

The little girl stared at Lin Zheng Ran, her eyes full of admiration and shyness: “Thank you, handsome big brother.”

“No problem.”

Overjoyed with the balloon, the little girl beamed at Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Jingshi, waved goodbye, said thanks again, and skipped away happily.

As she left, the girl glanced back at Lin Zheng Ran with lingering reluctance before shyly disappearing around the corner.

Once the girl was gone, Jiang Jingshi smiled and asked, “Are you on the sports team? I didn’t see it, but you must have jumped really high just now.”

Lin Zheng Ran had deliberately controlled his jump height; four meters was nothing to him, and he could have grabbed the balloon directly.

But to avoid drawing attention, he only jumped about a meter and grabbed the branch, making it seem unremarkable.

“Not really. The balloon just hooked onto the branch nicely, so as long as I could reach that, it was fine.”

Jiang Jingshi looked up at the tree, then at Lin Zheng Ran: “Still, that’s impressive. But wait…” She pointed to the plastic bag in his hand: “Your bag looks like it got torn by the branch. Stuff’s about to fall out.”

“Huh?”

Lin Zheng Ran saw that his bag had indeed been scraped open at some point, and the instant noodles and other items were slipping out.

Jiang Jingshi quickly helped catch them, exclaiming, “You’ve got so much stuff here—is this for dinner too? If you don’t mind, I’ve got new bags in my car, and even hot water if you want to make those noodles.”

Lin Zheng Ran looked at her.

Jiang Jingshi’s naturally gentle eyes sparkled as she smiled:

“Afraid I’m some bad person? I just have a sister who wears the same school uniform as you, so I’m being extra friendly. You’re from the neighboring First Middle School, right? Anyone who helps a little girl like that has to be a good guy.”

She pointed to a Rolls Royce parked nearby: “That’s my car. I’m craving noodles too, so we could eat together.”

Jiang Jingshi walked to the car and opened the door.

She found a new plastic bag for Lin Zheng Ran and pulled out a thermos: “Want to join me?”

[Today, while on your travels, you helped a little girl and caught the eye of a kind sister. She’s impressed by your good heart and warmly invited you to share a meal. Though she seems unguarded, even with strangers like you…]

[You know she’s no ordinary person because the high-quality treasure she carries proves her strength is terrifying. That’s why she can do as she pleases without worrying about identities. You’ve already figured out her true identity as the Empress of the Imperial City.]

Lin Zheng Ran: “.”

Empress of the Imperial City? What a dramatic title.

Still, Lin Zheng Ran had guessed her identity; that Rolls Royce was just like Jiang Qian’s, and though their expressions and auras differed greatly, their faces looked strikingly similar upon closer inspection.

They were probably sisters, but if her sister was the Empress of the Imperial City, what would Jiang Qian be in the System’s eyes…

[She’s brought out her special Jade Nectar—will you leave now or seize this unexpected opportunity?]

Normally, Lin Zheng Ran might have just left, but with the System’s hint, he wasn’t about to pass up a chance for an opportunity, so he walked over.

“Thanks, sister.”

Jiang Jingshi laughed and gestured to the car: “Then hop in.”

Lin Zheng Ran got into the car, and Jiang Jingshi followed, leaving the door open.

She tore open her pack of instant noodles and unscrewed the thermos.

But when Lin Zheng Ran opened his, he found no seasoning packet—the noodle brick was just sitting there, empty.

Jiang Jingshi bit her lip with a sweet smile and poured half of her seasoning into his pack: “Half should be enough; any more and it’ll be too salty.”

Lin Zheng Ran nodded, thanked her, and she handed him the hot water.

After pouring the hot water into the noodles,

[You enjoyed the Jade Nectar from the premium spirit kettle and gained +10 Strength.]

They ate the ready-made food, and the noodles were done in no time.

Jiang Jingshi asked curiously, “You must be popular at school, right? You’re so handsome and athletic.”

“Not really. You’re the one who’s really beautiful, sister.”

Jiang Jingshi looked at Lin Zheng Ran and shared her thoughts with a smile: “You’ve got a sweet tongue. By the way, you probably know my sister, right? I’m Jiang Jingshi, and my sister is Jiang Qian. If I’m not mistaken, you two have been hanging out a lot lately?”

Lin Zheng Ran glanced at Jiang Jingshi and smiled: “Yeah, we’re desk mates.”

He introduced his own name too.

“Oh? You’re not surprised at all—looks like you recognized me early on.” Jiang Jingshi sat gracefully: “Makes sense; we look so alike, it’s hard not to notice.”

Her business instincts let Jiang Jingshi spot Lin Zheng Ran’s uniqueness right away. Though it was their first meeting, from his looks, demeanor, and physical abilities,

she was pretty sure he was the boy her sister could never beat.

A guy with so many standout qualities was rare anywhere; the chances of there being two were slim.

“My sister’s a handful, so thanks for looking out for her. Feel free to come over to our place sometime—I’m always welcoming.”

The female lead isn’t overdone yet; after all, the new female leads’ storylines are just starting.