Chapter 65: Whispers of Affection

Heqing felt pleasantly surprised but when Lin Zheng Ran said again, “Come here,” she quickly stepped up to him.

First, she turned her back so he could blow-dry the hair at the back.

Heqing kept her small hands clasped in front of her, the warm blast from the hair dryer making her feel cozy.

She occasionally stole glances through the mirror at Lin Zheng Ran carefully drying her hair, a blush creeping across her face.

“How tall are you now? You seem to have grown a bit since last year,” Lin Zheng Ran asked casually.

Heqing replied softly, “One meter fifty-seven! I measured it just a few days ago, but I’ve barely grown since last year. I feel a little short—if I could reach one meter sixty-five, that’d be great.” She added quietly, “Wen Wen is one meter sixty-three.”

Lin Zheng Ran, being taller than both, hadn’t really noticed: “Is that so? I think you’re about the same height.”

Heqing toyed with a lock of her hair: “Yeah, she’s much taller than me. Lin Zheng Ran, do you think girls look better when they’re short or tall?”

Lin Zheng Ran answered honestly: “I don’t have a preference. They’re all fine.”

“So, what type do you like then?”

“I don’t pick and choose. I just like who I like.”

Heqing pursed her lips, thinking he hadn’t really answered, though he had been completely serious.

He reminded her, “The back’s almost dry. Turn around so I can get the front and top.”

“Oh!” Heqing turned, and suddenly spotting his solid chest made her heart skip a beat, like a startled deer.

Slowly, she grew shy and lowered her head, moving closer to his chest.

Lin Zheng Ran casually ran his hands through her hair, drying it without a second thought.

The more relaxed he was, the more awkward she felt, fumbling with her hands.

Several times, her forehead brushed lightly against his chest as he adjusted her hair, her small hands clenching and relaxing.

Heqing thought to herself, This is the first time he’s blown my hair… It feels so wonderful~

Her small hands fidgeted, secretly tugging at the edge of Lin Zheng Ran’s clothes while feeling the warm air on her hair.

Most guys wouldn’t do this for a girl, right? But with him, it just feels natural. What’s going on?

Suddenly, Heqing’s hand froze as a realization hit her.

Memories from the past and their recent chat flooded her mind, and her sharp brain pieced it all together in an instant!

Though others might not follow her train of thought.

She covered her reddening face with her hand.

Oh, so that’s how it is?

That’s what this means!

In that moment, she grasped something incredibly important.

Lin Zheng Ran saw her acting strangely: “Why are you covering your face? Lift your head.”

Heqing quickly obeyed, snapping her head up and biting her lip as she looked at him.

She quietly gripped her clothes tighter, whispering to herself:

“I get it now—everything makes sense! We’re already boyfriend and girlfriend! Hehe~”

Lin Zheng Ran, busy drying her hair, had no idea what was going through her clever mind.

Once her hair was dry, Lin Zheng Ran put away the hair dryer: “All set. Tie your ponytail yourself.”

“Oh! Okay.”

Heqing’s face lit up with joy as she faced the mirror, biting on the hair tie while gathering her hair into a bunch and securing it.

By then, Lin Zheng Ran had gone to the bedroom, lying on the bed and eating an apple.

Heqing finished and shook her head, making her ponytail swing.

She spotted the dirty gift box on the floor, carefully opened it, pulled out the scarf inside, folded it, and hid it behind her back.

She slipped into the bedroom.

Lin Zheng Ran noticed her sneaky look and knew she had a gift; he chewed his apple while watching her.

Heqing slowly revealed it—a delicate gray scarf made of fine thread: “This is my gift for you. I knitted it bit by bit. I chose the fine yarn and made it double-layered so it should keep you warmer.” She explained shyly:

“Originally, I meant it as something else, but I realized I was wrong, so now it’s just a winter gift. I hope you like it.”

Lin Zheng Ran examined the exquisite light gray scarf, surprised but it made sense.

In his past life, girls had given him scarves before, but this one from Heqing was different—hers used fine thread, doubling the effort.

It wasn’t a rough homemade job; the edges and details showed real care.

Lin Zheng Ran sat up and looked it over: “How long did this take you?”

Heqing had just started to sit down but jumped up at his question: “Half a month.”

“Have you done this before? It looks pretty good.”

That casual compliment was enough to brighten Heqing’s day; her voice turned cheerful:

“No, I haven’t. It’s my first time knitting, so at the beginning, I kept messing up and undoing it. But since it’s for you, I wanted it to be perfect, not half-hearted.”

Lin Zheng Ran glanced at her eager expression.

It was as if she had “Praise me! Praise me!” written all over her face.

Instead, he reached out and tapped her forehead.

Heqing clutched her forehead: “What was that? You don’t like it?”

Lin Zheng Ran said flatly, “I like it. I’ll take good care of it.” Heqing blushed, but then he added:

“Still, you spent half a month on this scarf, getting hurt during Taekwondo practice and zoning out during the day. Is something wrong with your head?”

Heqing pursed her lips and rarely argued back: “How is that wrong? You’re important to me.”

She twisted her fingers together, voice barely above a whisper: “No one matters more than you.”

Lin Zheng Ran tapped her forehead again.

He thought this girl hadn’t fully grown up yet.

“I’ve told you before, always look after yourself first. Next time, if you’re staying up late or getting hurt just to give me something, I won’t accept it. Got it?”

“Mm, I understand.”

Lin Zheng Ran looked at the scarf again and casually draped it around his neck.

Heqing smiled knowingly: “Let me help you adjust it.”

“I didn’t say I was wearing it.”

Heqing paused, staring at him with a playful huff: “Not going to try it on?”

Lin Zheng Ran gave her a resigned look, which she understood, so she tentatively reached out.

Gently, she crossed the scarf and tucked one end in, securing it neatly.

“There, perfect.”

Finished, she clasped her hands in front: “It looks great on you! I’ll grab a mirror so you can see!” Heqing dashed off excitedly to check.

With her clothes still drying, Lin Zheng Ran sat at the head of the bed under the covers, reading a book.

Heqing boldly sat beside him, sharing the blanket.

Her little feet wiggled playfully under the covers.

“What are you reading?” she asked in her cute voice.

“Linear algebra.”

In the System’s view, studying was like cultivating, so Lin Zheng Ran read whenever he could. Of course, most people might forget what they read, but his Energy enhancements kept him sharp and focused.

After years of this, his knowledge far surpassed the average person.

Heqing stared at the book; it looked like gibberish to her.

But her eyes lingered on the scarf around his neck—he hadn’t taken it off since putting it on.

Happily, she leaned against him and pretended to read along.

Lin Zheng Ran asked, “Can you understand it?”

“Not at all. The stuff you read is way too advanced for me—I could never learn it.”

“Then why hang around? You could sleep until your clothes dry or watch TV in the living room. No need to sit here with me.”

“Hmm, I’ll just stay by you. I like it here.” She caught his skeptical glance but avoided his eyes, pretending to focus on the book anyway—whether she got it or not didn’t matter.

As long as she was near Lin Zheng Ran, Heqing felt on top of the world, like today had been truly special.

Her little feet kept wiggling under the covers.

The new book list is down; I asked the editor, and it’s set for release on the 11th next month—I’ll update like crazy then.