Chapter 11: Asserting sovereignty
Chen Lingshan spotted Su Can and Lin Luoran through the window of her father's Santana. There was a peculiar scene inside the bus: the girl sat by the window with Su Can beside her, the two of them chatting and laughing. Behind them and on either side were boys either listening in on their conversation or blushing as they stole occasional glances at Lin Luoran, along with girls making somewhat jealous comparisons.
Chen Lingshan had met Lin Luoran before. Though she did not know a great deal about her, the girl was nowhere near as famous as Tang Wu. She kept a low profile, and there had been no rumors of her falling out with anyone. She clearly understood the wisdom of not drawing attention to herself at City First Middle School. Her grades were in the upper-middle range, and aside from her looks, there was nothing particularly outstanding about her. But she was not unlikable; on the contrary, she made people want to get close to her.
Still, seeing her leaning against the window, talking to Su Can with a faint blush on her cheeks, made Chen Lingshan distinctly uncomfortable. The girl looked so fresh and refined, with bright, expressive eyes and an appearance almost like a model's. Add a voice-over saying, "Harmonious marriages, united neighborhoods, a harmonious society-building our home together," and the scene could go straight into a public-service advertisement on the bus!
As though it had all been arranged, the bus stopped behind them. Lin Luoran and Su Can got off, and Lin Luoran smiled at him. "I don't know whether all of this is a dream, but to me, you're not a dream." Every word reached Chen Lingshan's ears as she opened the car door ahead of them and stepped out.