Jiang Ran stared at the polar bear for a few seconds, and the more she looked, the more something felt off.
When she was getting out of the car, the young basketball team captain who had been waiting by the door hadn’t left yet. He stood there obediently like a handsome German Shepherd, watching her longingly.
Jiang Ran scanned his WeChat QR code and temporarily agreed to go to “Wuwo” with him for drinks that evening.
The young basketball captain introduced himself as Xie Yu, waved at his “big sister,” then turned back to his group of friends, tall and full of energy.
That youthful vibe made Jiang Ran glance at him a couple more times.
Song Die stood beside her, his face full of disapproval, but that was all he did. Nobody at the scene paid him any attention—well, unless you count one exception: after returning to his group, the one-meter-ninety muscular guy looked back, lifting his eyelids with a hint of smugness and cast a glance at Song Die.
So when Jiang Ran lifted her foot to walk toward the polar bear, Song Die instinctively reached out and grabbed her. She turned around and looked at him calmly.
After a moment of silence, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are you thinking of coming tonight too?”
Song Die suspected this woman might not have a heart—or perhaps she lacked lungs and liver too.
He gazed at her with a conflicted expression, silently asking, how could you drink with a group of guys you just met?
Surprisingly, Jiang Ran understood his meaning. Her lips relaxed into a smile: “It’s okay, isn’t ‘Wuwo’ my territory?”
Song Die thought for a moment. Before he could even slightly relax at the truth of her statement, her next calm, drifting sentence pierced his heart: “Didn’t Song Yan tell you?”
At that moment, Song Die’s fingers gripping her sleeve trembled slightly.
His pupils constricted.
His usual smile vanished, replaced by sudden darkness in his eyes.
Such a reaction was rare; in the past one or two decades, he had seldom felt such a chill in his heart.
He looked into her clear, black-and-white eyes, but her expression hadn’t changed much: “If she resents me for embarrassing her at ‘Wuwo,’ she can tell me to my face. A handbag isn’t such a big deal—I have one at home that I bought but never used. I’d give it to her. I don’t know why she’s going through all this trouble to send you to lecture me… But it’s okay, I’m not really interested in knowing.”
Her tone was generous.
After all, regardless of what they were trying to do, he had indeed transferred ten thousand yuan to her as lesson fees in real money.
If Song Yan thought sending her brother (or maybe older brother) could stir up any trouble, that initial investment was a bit excessive.
Song Die hesitated: “I’m not—”
He realized immediately that his denial sounded weak.
After a pause, he grew frustrated. His fingers gripping her sleeve turned pale white as he asked again: “How did you find out?”
Jiang Ran didn’t answer him right away. She enjoyed the sight of the young man’s usual smile disappearing, then turned her head to look at the distant polar bear.
The thick stack of flyers was almost gone, about to be scattered completely.
She gently patted the tense young man’s hand with an air of absentmindedness.
“I saw it on Lao Yan’s Moments. What kind of innocent passerby could my student be? Next time you’re planning some joint undercover operation, remind Song Yan not to like your Moments… She just can’t keep her cool.”
Her voice was light and didn’t sound the least bit angry.
After speaking, she didn’t give Song Die a chance to explain further. Effortlessly retrieving her sleeve from his grip, she raised her hand to tidy her hair and walked away toward the polar bear without looking back.
…
As Jiang Ran pushed through the crowd toward the polar bear, the polar bear was being pestered by a three-year-old toddler.
Perhaps someone had come to pick up their older child and had no choice but to bring the younger one along—since kindergarten summer vacation started early.
The little kid, unfazed by the heat, hugged the polar bear’s leg and shouted, “Xiongxiong!”
The polar bear was in a good mood too. He shook his leg a couple of times but couldn’t shake the kid off. Accepting this dozens-of-pounds leg accessory, he simply dragged the kid around as he walked.
The little boy laughed gleefully.
Jiang Ran approached like a Godzilla, stomping her way closer step by step.
Amid the noisy crowd, her small frame wouldn’t usually stand out, but fate is an unpredictable thing.
By some strange coincidence, after handing out a flyer and patiently letting a girl take a photo hugging his arm, the polar bear turned his head and saw, at a very close distance within the crowd, a young woman with her arms crossed, expressionlessly watching this scene.
Under the intense sunlight, the ghostly figure became visible.
This was more terrifying than any horror film this year.
The polar bear and Jiang Ran locked eyes. After a few seconds of rigid staring, Jiang Ran glared at the polar bear, who slowly, like in slow motion, silently twisted his bear head away…
The thin stack of flyers left in his hands were tightly hugged to his chest like a shield!
Right before the polar bear could take off with his short legs, Jiang Ran pushed through the crowd in front of her and rushed to the bear—
Such a large polar bear, tall and strong, towered over her like an iceberg, casting a shadow that completely engulfed her.
The bear stiffly lowered his head and saw the woman in front of him extend her hand and cheerfully say, “I want one too.”
…Want one like hell!
The polar bear stared at her for three seconds, then immediately turned to go around after realizing how strong this woman’s grip was.
Of course, Jiang Ran wouldn’t let him go. She grabbed the only protruding part of the polar bear she could hold—his bear tail—and yanked hard.
The bear, as big as a small hill, swayed slightly. Before he could even process how strong this woman’s grip was, she had already circled around to his front again.
This time, she didn’t give him a chance to react. She stood on tiptoe, raised both hands, and grabbed the bear’s head, pulling it upward with a “pop”—
A wet head suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Everyone around them turned to look.
…
It was so hot under the sun, and the boy inside the costume was completely soaked.
“WTF, this polar bear… no! This guy is so handsome!”
“Isn’t this… that guy?”
“Which guy? Is he from our A University?”
“Beijiao! The top student in our department. Rumor has it that professors are already preparing to beg him on their knees for postgraduate recommendation. What’s he doing here… working again?”
“He’s really broke.”
“Ah! This little brother! He’s even more handsome without the bear costume!”
Among the admiring glances from the female onlookers, the boy stood motionless, his soft black hair clinging to his face. His pretty face looked like a freshly steamed white bun, pale with only a hint of red on his cheeks from the heat.
His expression hovered somewhere between “terrified” and “bewildered.”
He lowered his head, looking at the woman who held the polar bear’s head and gazed at him with an otherworldly expression. His anger flared up in an instant.
He pursed his thin lips, ready to scold her with some sarcastic remarks… when suddenly, a drop of sweat fell from his nose without warning, landing “plop” on her clean face.
It splashed into a tiny puddle.
He froze.
As that drop slid down her cheek, leaving a trail of water… the awkward anger that had just flared up vanished as suddenly and mysteriously as it had come.
…His focus suddenly shifted to “this shouldn’t be on her face.”
Instinctively, his hand hidden inside the bear paw lifted slightly, heavy and clumsy, wanting to wipe it off, but halfway up he realized how difficult the motion was, so he gave up.
The bear paw dropped. The hot breeze blowing toward him slightly calmed his mind. He moistened his lips, his voice hoarse from the heat: “How did you know it was me?”
He had already caught on.
He didn’t even bother asking her what she wanted this time, regarding her bold behavior.
“I didn’t know at first,” Jiang Ran stared at him, her expression one of absurdity, as if he had just cracked the biggest joke ever: “Have you ever seen someone handing out flyers, then turning around and running away the moment they see someone?”
“…”
He had no reply. He raised his bear paw, trying to snatch back his bear head.
But she was much more agile. She glared at him, then took a quick step back, raising the bear head high.
Before she could say anything, suddenly a loud wailing cry came from below!
Both froze mid-confrontation and looked down, only to discover the little toddler still clinging to the polar bear’s leg. He hadn’t left yet and was now crying so hard he was about to wet his pants, shouting—
“Mama! The bear’s head fell off!!!!!!”
…
Jiang Ran’s arm holding the bear head stiffened slightly.
Beijiao shook his leg, but still couldn’t shake off the crying toddler.
“He’s crying,” Jiang Ran said.
“I’m not blind,” Beijiao replied.
Jiang Ran tightly clung to the bear’s head and didn’t forget to shift the blame: “Then aren’t you supposed to take responsibility?”
Beijiao: “…”
The crowd around them had various expressions, whispering among themselves.
“I don’t know who wants to cry more between us two right now,” Beijiao’s gaze returned to the woman’s face. Expressionlessly serious, he added, “He was just a little faster than me.”
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