Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Lin Wanning was wearing house slippers at the moment, just as she would keep a pair specially for Brother Qing Fan at home, Xu Qingfan had also left slippers for the five girls.

The pair he bought for her featured adorable Hello Kitty designs, but at that moment, Kitty was in a sorry state, having slid down to the ankle and flattened into a Hello Kitty pancake.

Logically, walking, let alone running with one foot bare, should have been slow, especially for Lin Wanning, who was terrible at sports.

But that wasn't the case.

The girl was running decisively, a deep red mark already formed by the slipper on her right ankle, yet she seemed utterly unaware as she kept rushing downstairs.

"Don't run so fast, watch out you might trip!" Xu Qingfan was also wearing slippers and chasing after her, but because it wasn't flat ground, he was always a floor's distance behind her.

The more Xu Qingfan said that, the more Lin Wanning wanted to run.

She didn't even know why she was running; on a normal day, without Qing Fan calling, she would've happily come running on her own.

Actually, Lin Wanning knew why; she was afraid that once Xu Qingfan caught up, he would tell her in person, "Lin Wanning, you're too annoying, I'm getting a little sick of you, let's go to different classes in high school!"

She was afraid to hear such words, her world was vast, big enough to encompass everything; yet it was also tiny, shrinking to nothing if Xu Qingfan left.

At that moment, Lin Wanning felt as though a vast hole had been smashed into her world and a torrential downpour was gushing in.

She kept running, hoping to find a place to take shelter, only to realize upon looking back that her entire world was in ruins, with endless rain everywhere.

The new house had a somewhat sophisticated entry system, Lin Wanning's small hands fumbled in panic, but the main door wouldn't budge.

She knew Xu Qingfan was right behind her; if she couldn't get it open, she would be caught and then Brother Qing Fan would tell her "Wanning, you're too annoying, I don't like you anymore."

Lin Wanning had thought that as long as she could escape back home, everything could start over, like saving a game, where returning home meant the save could be reloaded.

Xu Qingfan arrived on the ground floor almost immediately after, and seeing the girl blocked by the new house's security, he sighed in relief and couldn't help but feel a bit amused.

This entry system was particularly tricky, with a decorative lock on the door but the actual button to open the door was on a white switch on the wall.

He had complained about this design when he moved in, never expecting it to come in handy today.

"Why are you running, I'm not a monster that eats people," he said, slowing his pace behind her.

However, Xu Qingfan's sudden voice was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing the girl to stop messing with the broken lock and squat down on the ground, suddenly breaking into tears.

"Wuu wuu wuu~ Brother Qing Fan, don't say it, I'm not listening, I'm not listening!" Lin Wanning cried loudly, covering her ears with her hands.

Xu Qingfan abruptly froze on the spot; he had anticipated that confronting Lin Wanning like this might upset her, but he hadn't expected her reaction to be so intense!

Seeing Lin Wanning in tears was the least he could bear; she had been like a daughter to him all her life, and today seemed to be the first time he had made her cry.

Such a cute Wanning, he had always doted on her like a daughter.

"I won't say it, I won't say it, Wanning don't cry, okay?" He too squatted down, wrapping his arms around the girl and speaking softly.

Lin Wanning didn't respond, possibly because her ears were covered and she couldn't hear.

Xu Qingfan quickly realized this, reached for her hands to uncover them, but Lin Wanning only pressed them tighter while also closing her eyes.

"Wuu wuu, not listening, not listening... wuu wuu wuu, Brother Qing Fan, you mustn't dislike me!" The girl said tearfully, her ears turning red from her firm grip.

Xu Qingfan was somewhat dumbfounded, [Since when have I disliked Wanning?]

"Who dislikes Wanning? No one dislikes Wanning, I like Wanning the most!" Worried that he might hurt her by pulling too hard, he chose to speak right next to her ear instead.

"Wuu wuu wuu.... Huh?"

Clearly hearing Xu Qingfan's words through bone conduction, Lin Wanning paused her crying, looking up dumbfounded.

"Wuu wuu wuu~ Brother Qing Fan, you won't dislike me?" But still with some momentum, she quickly resumed crying, though she no longer covered her ears.

"How could I possibly dislike Wanning, who told you that? You are the one I love most in the world." Xu Qingfan said, wiping her tears with his hands.

"Wuu wuu wuu.... Brother Qing Fan you... huh?"

Lin Wanning was interrupted once more in her sobbing spell, her reddened eyes gazing at him.

Xu Qingfan, amused by her adorable dumbfounded expression, pinched her cheeks, saying: "What crazy things are you thinking about? When did I ever say I disliked Wanning? I would never dislike Wanning in my life, understand?"

"But... but.... wuu wuu wuu, Brother Qing Fan you... you changed classes without discussing it with me wuu wuu wuu!" Remembering this, Lin Wanning instantly started crying again.

"That doesn't mean I don't like you; does not discussing it with you mean I don't like you?" Xu Qingfan always felt that this response was feeble; saying it out loud even made him blush.

"Wuu but.... but.. wuu wuu wuu..... huh?" Lin Wanning got interrupted in her spell once again, her mind almost crashing, yet her clever intellect regained the upper ground.

Xu Qingfan really found this side of Wanning adorable; although she was crying, she was still able to listen and think!