The Sweet Story of Me and My Tsundere Childhood Friend

“Qin Ran, after school today, why don’t you come with us to KTV for singing and drinking?” “No, it’s Thursday, and it’s almost six o’clock. If I go singing with you guys, I’ll definitely get home after eight.” “I say, Qin Ran, you really are under your girlfriend's thumb…” Qin Ran slightly squinted and interrupted the boy in front of him, “Don’t talk nonsense… If this gets to Miss Xiao’s ears, let’s see if she’ll get angry.” The boy awkwardly laughed and nodded, indicating he understood. Qin Ran fell silent for a moment, then oddly asked, “Also, how do you see that I have that kind of relationship with her?” “Right, right! Qin Ran, it’s well-known that the person you like is Wu Nian.” Qin Ran tilted his head slightly and smiled, a complicated emotion flashing in his eyes. “So you all know, huh?” After saying this, Qin Ran slung his backpack over his shoulders, went downstairs, and pedaled off on his bicycle, whistling in the direction of home. ... Miss Xiao’s full name is Xiao Xizhou, the same Xizhou from the phrase “The southern breeze knows my thoughts, blowing dreams to Xizhou.” Qin Ran liked to call her Miss Xiao; aside from her privileged background, he enjoyed calling her this because she truly had the temperament of a young lady. He still remembered the time when he first moved into Miss Xiao’s house. She threw all his luggage into the fountain in front of the villa in front of her parents and his, then arrogantly ordered him to get out of her house. As Qin Ran watched his clothes and personal belongings floating in the fountain, he appeared surprisingly calm. He had always been this way. The day he learned about his parents’ car accident, he was the same. Qin Ran had had enough of that family; he had curled up countless times in his blanket, secretly cursing the two fighting outside the door to just disappear. His parents had both cheated, and no one wanted to take care of him. He had a home but felt like he had nothing. His parents resented him; Qin Ran knew his father hated him because he was suspicious about whether he was his biological son. And his mother hated him... because his existence was a burden to her. The final outcome was quite dramatic; after five or six years of arguing, one day they finally agreed to divorce. While on their way to the civil affairs bureau, the couple was involved in an accident and tragically passed away. That year, Qin Ran was in his first year of high school. When he moved into Xiao Xizhou’s house, he was also in his first year of high school. This wasn’t Qin Ran’s first time seeing Xiao Xizhou; they had been childhood friends and had known each other since they were little. At that time, Xiao Xizhou was quite easy to get along with. Although she was still pretty decent now, the Xiao Xizhou during their first year of high school... was really hard to deal with. Her parents were the same... In his memories, they were a very harmonious and happy family. But as they gradually grew up, it seemed everything changed. On the night Qin Ran moved in, Xiao Xizhou cried in her room for an entire night. Qin Ran, sleeping in the room next door, quietly listened to her sobbing all night long. Her father, Xiao Mo, was really harsh. In front of Qin Ran, he slapped Xiao Xizhou twice, a scene that stunned Qin Ran (at that moment, he was staring at the clothes circling in the pool). Because in his memory, Xiao Mo was a genuine daughter slave. How could he actually hit his daughter for someone else? Moreover, even Xiao Xizhou’s mother, Wang Jiang, scolded her. When had a young lady like Xiao Xizhou ever suffered such grievances? So on the surface, she and Qin Ran remained peaceful, but Qin Ran knew that Xiao Xizhou wouldn’t easily settle down after that. Children always need to make a fuss to release their anger before forgiving each other. Even if the other party did nothing at all. Xiao Xizhou always felt that Qin Ran was quite smug that day... After all, what did he have to be pleased about? His parents really had disappeared; he had no home, and in this world, he was all alone... What did he have to be smug about? Moreover, he had stayed up all night with her too. While she was crying that night, he was also crying. From that day on... Qin Ran became a lone outsider, even though the relatives treated him well, and even though he was living even better than before... But what was the use? As time went by, the relationship between Xiao Xizhou and Qin Ran gradually eased until now she was continuously good to him... but the initial Xiao Xizhou was not that easy to understand, right? She knew Qin Ran was not the kind of person who would love to complain, so she always acted out her little temper. For example, leaving him alone in an unfamiliar school, leaving him alone on strange streets, leaving him alone in unfamiliar suburbs. These silly “revenge” tactics. Later, since Xiao Mo and Wang Jiang often weren’t home because of work, all household chores fell on Qin Ran’s shoulders. Xiao Xizhou did it deliberately. At first, she intentionally didn’t hire a nanny, wanting to throw all responsibilities on Qin Ran, then she also purposely didn’t hire a nanny because she got accustomed to Qin Ran’s meticulous care. Qin Ran didn’t feel anything about it; he even felt somewhat indifferent... without any sense of security, he did nothing, and instead felt very scared. Qin Ran thought, if Xiao Xizhou hadn’t left him in a strange street, perhaps he wouldn’t have met Wu Nian. Wu Nian wasn’t a student from Qin Ran’s school; she was from the neighboring school. The moment Qin Ran saw Wu Nian, he really felt, for a brief moment, that she was an angel, radiating gentle light, and nothing beautiful could compare to her gentle smile directed at him. The gentle light pierced through the hypocritical mask Qin Ran wore, leaving no trace of hidden desires in his heart. He finally understood that he was just an ordinary person, an ordinary person full of various emotions. The sorrow of the past wasn’t nonexistent; it was just deeply buried in Qin Ran’s heart. Wu Nian’s appearance gently opened a valve for him to vent, allowing him to cry uncontrollably that day. Qin Ran thought, he was really too sorrowful, to the extent he poured his heart out to a stranger for one or two hours... During this time, Wu Nian constantly looked at him with her gentle eyes, pitying, comforting, and encouraging him. Qin Ran admitted that without Wu Nian, it would have been hard for him to come out of such a state in such a short time. Wu Nian was a very important passerby in his life, but Qin Ran didn’t want her to be just a passerby; he wanted to keep her around. So he ran with all his might, wanting to embark on a passionate journey, wanting to hold her hand, wanting her warmth... to be for him alone. Thus, many people came to know he liked her, even Xiao Xizhou, who had never looked favorably at him, showed great interest. This passionate and grand journey had no result... but it actually did have one. “Qin Ran is like a piece of wild grass. If someone loves him a little or cares for him a little, he would want to give you his all. But what can a piece of wild grass give? Even if it exhausts itself, it will at most burn itself to warm your hands.” (Look, you pour your heart out for her, and she thinks even warming your hands isn’t a worthy qualification.)