Chapter Thirteen

  Within the next hour, An Ran would occasionally check her phone and pay attention to text messages. Although she didn't know what Wen Jingfan was going to do, since he said so, it must be that he wanted to send her a message...

  Even the hardest hour to get through near shift change was made more bearable for her.

  Unfortunately, until the colleague who took over came five minutes late, she didn't see any movement from the phone either. Alas... it can't be that the phone has a problem, right?

  Her colleague on shift change noticed that she was a bit absent-minded and couldn't help but ask curiously: "An Ran, aren't you going back yet?"

  "That's it for today." An Ran smiled slightly, took a last look at her phone, simply packed up her things, and took the elevator to the underground parking garage to pick up her car, ready to drive home and rest.

  She was sleep-deprived and all she could think about now was "sleep", nothing else seemed more important.

  The car had been parked in the underground parking lot for three days. Her muddled brain couldn't recall the specific parking space at all, only knowing it was on the east side.

  As she walked, it seemed like someone called out to her from behind. The voice was somewhat muffled and unclear.

  He hesitated for a moment, then turned back to take another look - the empty underground parking lot had only the dim light and, not far away, the security guard who had just changed shifts sat quietly in the transmission room, where even the sound of the wind blowing could be clearly discerned.

  At this moment, a gust of cold wind blew over, and An Ran's back suddenly felt cool, and she shivered involuntarily. She turned around and walked even faster.

  As she reached the car, she took out the key, unlocked it, and her fingers rested on the door handle with a slight force, just opening an arc... but a hand suddenly appeared from the side, slender and white, directly pressing against the window, and with a slight force, the car door closed again.

  The first thing that flashed through An Ran's mind was not "Someone is behind me!", but the scene of her standing in front of the seasoning shelf at the supermarket, selecting vinegar, when Wen Jingfan's hand also came from beside her and his slender fingers landed on a bottle of vinegar next to her, gently picking it up.

  She turned around and saw him with a warm smile, his eyes reflecting the light, clear and bright.

  As soon as she thought of this, her second reaction finally came to her senses, and she suddenly turned around to look over, only to be scared by the face that was close at hand, immediately letting go of her hand, taking a step back and heavily bumping into the car door.

  Wen Jingfan raised his hand to support her and slightly raised an eyebrow, with a subtle tone: "...... Am I that scary?"

  He was taken aback for a moment, shook his head, and couldn't say a complete sentence: "No... nothing, it's me... I didn't expect you to appear here... have breakfast and go to work?"

  "I've been on vacation hosting guests." He glanced at her lightly, holding her hand and slowly pulling her up to help her stand steady, "Sorry, I was just about to send you a message when I found out..."

  Wen Jingfan hesitated for a moment before saying: "I just found out that my phone is out of battery."

  "Hmph." An Ran smiled and spoke out, seeing the faint glint in his eyes, he seriously lowered his head to look at him, only then did he retract his smile, narrowing his eyes slightly as he said: "It's nothing, what do you want from me?"

  Wen Jingfan responded with a slight raise in his tone at the end of his sentence, "I must have something going on to look for you?"

  Nature is not...

  He shook his head calmly, just as he was about to speak, he had already shifted his gaze and pointed to his Range Rover parked not far away. "I'll send you back."

  "What?" An Ran was taken aback.

  "Isn't it rush hour now? Are you sure you can drive safely home in this tired state?" he asked back.

  She was so calm and silent... she couldn't find words to refute.

  Wen Jingfan naturally replied: "I'm free anyway, I'll send you back."

  That voice was clear and low, with a warm tone, yet completely irresistible.

  It's just that there's no need to insist on not letting him send her, if they were just ordinary friends. Moreover, in any case... she seems to be the one who benefits more from this arrangement.

  This is undoubtedly the time when there are the most cars on the road. As soon as I left the hotel, I was stuck in a traffic jam not far from the entrance of the highway.

  Wen Jingfan glanced at her sideways, saw that she was sitting upright and serious, and couldn't help but purse his lips and smile: "I reckon it'll take a while, you can sleep for now, I'll call you when we arrive."

  Who would have thought that someone with a good heart sent her home, but she didn't accompany him to chat, and instead snored loudly while sleeping!

  The warm sunlight that had just risen made my eyes a bit sore, so I closed them and leaned into the dark shadow by the car window. "I'm fine, it's not that I couldn't sleep on night shifts, it's just that I don't sleep as comfortably."

  "Why did you want to do this line of work? The service industry is very tiring."

  "I didn't do very well in my studies before...” An Ran pursed her lips, raised her hand to block out the sunlight, and turned her head to look at him: “Later I entered A University...my scores were just enough for this major, and that's how it went from there.”

  Wen Jingfan noticed her discomfort and glanced at the traffic in front, which wouldn't disperse for a while. After a moment's thought, she raised her hand to unfasten her seatbelt.

  An Ran watched his movements calmly, slightly stunned, "You..."

  The car's interior echoed with the reminder to fasten his seatbelt, but he seemed oblivious, leaning in close, instantly very near. So close that there was only a hand's distance between them, so close that she could hear his soft and steady breathing in the quiet carriage.

  An Ran was completely petrified, tightly grasping the seatbelt as she stiffly stared at him, her breathing rapid, "Wen Jingfan..."

  "Hmm?" He responded with a sound, lowered his eyes, and his gaze swept across her front, only to look back up when he saw her hands were white from exertion. The smile in his eyes deepened: "Don't be tense, I just wanted to help you adjust the seat."

  As he spoke, his fingers had already fallen onto the button for adjusting the passenger seat, slightly lowering it. As he did this, he paid attention to the height of the seat while looking up at her line of sight, and even slightly raised the corners of his lips.

  Although laughing as if basking in the warm spring breeze, but falling into Su Anran's eyes...

  Su An's face turned slightly red, and she dodged his gaze, but in her heart, she was on the verge of tears - she had been overthinking things.

  The road conditions improved a lot afterwards, and Rang An Ran was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say. Wen Jing Fan obviously had no intention of chatting either. Plus, being somewhat sleepy, on the smoothly driving car, Rang An Ran gradually closed his eyes and fell into a dreamland.

  When the car arrived at her apartment building, Wen Jingfan was about to call out to her, but when he turned his head, he saw that she was breathing shallowly and sleeping without any guard. He looked at her seriously for a while before moving his gaze away, finding a place to park the car and flipping through a few of the latest financial magazines on the back seat.

  Su An slept very soundly this time, the air she breathed seemed to carry a sweet fragrance, and by her ear was a very light and regular sound, she couldn't tell what it was, but she felt more and more at ease.

  Su An had a dream where she returned to the temple of that year.

  The reason was that her loving parents had already disintegrated emotionally when she was in high school, but for her sake they maintained a balance, secretly arguing constantly. In the third year of high school, everything exploded...

  She was deeply traumatized, both mentally and physically, and fell ill. After being hospitalized for several days, the marriage between the two also completely broke down, and a new round of confrontation began over property distribution and her stay or leave.

  She was sent to the temple at that time.

  That was when summer had just begun, the trees were lush and dense. The mountain forest was full of sunshine, filled with the light fragrance of summer bamboo, and a sea of green as far as the eye could see.

  At that time, driving on the back road to the temple was not very convenient, and it started walking up the mountain near the waist of the mountain.

  The little monk in yellow robes was waiting there early, leading her all the way up.

  The temple stood towering, with yellow walls and red tiles, and the rock wall was clear and bright. The large gate was open, a cool stone threshold separated two worlds.

  It was a weekday, so there weren't many people in the guest hall. The wind passed through the open doors and courtyards, leaving behind a gentle breeze that echoed in my ears.

  The living room is very clean, and the things placed are also particularly tidy. There are bamboo rattan chairs, wooden tables, and the room is filled with the fragrance of wood. Opening the window, you can still see the back mountain, which has not been developed and few people have set foot in it, with dense forests.

  Listening to the sound of the wooden fish in the temple and the Sanskrit chanting, listening to the mountain wind whistling through the trees, it's as if there's a bit of confusion that doesn't know the years.

  And all of these were An Ran's only clear memories of Fan Yin Temple before meeting Wen Jingfan.

  In her dream, the soft voice of the little monk who guided her gradually became blurred. The warm sunlight, the faintly fragrant bamboo forest and the ancient temple were all suddenly engulfed by a low-hanging cloud, and then gradually disappeared in her dreamscape.

  A sense of peace settled in her heart, but a hint of melancholy arose, as if the Buddhist chant still lingered in her ears, and the flickering candlelight still danced before her eyes, yet somehow she couldn't find any trace of it.

  When she woke up and opened her eyes, what she saw was the car roof. She looked dazed for a long time, and it wasn't until then that she slowly came to herself. She sat up slightly...

  Wen Jingfan heard the noise and turned his head to look over, seeing her sit up, reminding her: "First undo your seatbelt."

  She obediently did as she was told, lowering her head and seeing that the large coat he had been wearing was now covering her body. As she moved, the coat slid down with her.

  She raised her hand to hold onto her clothes, and her somewhat dazed consciousness began to recover: "Thank you..."

  Wen Jingfan just glanced at her and didn't respond.

  An Ran unfastened her seatbelt, handed the coat back to him, and when she saw the magazine in his hand that had already been flipped through more than half, she was dazed for a moment before remembering to check the time.

  She slept for several hours in a daze, and now it's already one o'clock!

  Wen Jingfan looked at her expression and knew what she was thinking, calmly glanced at the time, and lightly said: "I haven't eaten yet."

  Su Anran: "......"