That evening, after getting home, Lin Ran booted up his computer and logged into the game. He contacted ten merchants who bought and sold game currency in the group chat, spent 50,000 yuan on game coins, then cleared out every piece of Firefly Stone in the auction house. He used all the money left over to buy materials that were expected to rise in value after the upcoming update.

Lin Ran’s actions caught the attention of many merchants in the game. Firefly Stone wasn’t very useful, and there was plenty of it, so it was dirt cheap. Normally, nobody would bother stockpiling it. As they put it, “Anyone who hoards this stuff is an idiot.” But in less than an hour, all the Firefly Stone on one server was gone. Several other materials had also been bought up in large quantities. Many people began to suspect that these items might become rare after the upcoming update. Most ordinary merchants didn’t dare make a move, though. Only a few big merchants who could afford to lose a little money bought up some Firefly Stone. Even if they ended up taking a loss, it wouldn’t be much.

Lin Ran had no idea how much of a stir he’d caused among the merchants, but he wasn’t interested in finding out, either.

After blowing through all 50,000 yuan, Lin Ran felt great. Su Shijie, who’d watched the whole thing, was in agony. Fifty thousand yuan, gone in a little over an hour! He’d never been that carefree with money in his life. Did Lin Ran really know what he was doing, or had he gone crazy?

Su Shijie suddenly regretted lending Lin Ran the money. Lin Ran wasn’t exactly right in the head to begin with, and this move was even crazier. They were doomed.

Over the next few days, Lin Ran didn’t do anything else out of the ordinary. Su Shijie, meanwhile, grew more and more anxious.

A week before school was due to start, Shen Qingyuan finally came back. After picking up the kitten, she thanked Lin Ran. He nodded and said nothing.

Not long after Shen Qingyuan left, Si Qing showed up. But today, she was here to see Lin Ruixue. School started in a week, and the school had arranged for them to visit No. 5 High School that day, so they were going there to check in.

Lin Ran was going too because his dad had called and told him to take Lin Ruixue to the school.

Oh, right—Su Shijie had brought Lin Ran’s new uniform back for him. Ye Qingqian had planned to deliver it herself, but to avoid making Lin Ran dislike her, she’d asked Su Shijie to bring it instead.

Si Qing was the most excited when she saw the No. 5 High School uniforms. They really did look great, and Lin Ran and Su Shijie looked pretty handsome in them, too. The little girl was practically drooling. She didn’t find Lin Ran quite so annoying anymore; in fact, she even whispered to Lin Ruixue, “I didn’t expect your brother to be so handsome!”

When they arrived at No. 5 High School, teachers and Student Council members were waiting at the entrance to greet them. Quite a few people kept arriving, presumably new students coming to visit. Each group of incoming students was led around the school by a Student Council member or a teacher, but Lin Ran and the others didn’t need a guide.

They entered the school without a hitch. Si Qing looked around excitedly, while Lin Ruixue stayed close to Lin Ran, being as well-behaved as ever.

Lin Ran didn’t say anything, but Su Shijie kept introducing the school’s buildings and facilities to Si Qing and Lin Ruixue.

The four of them ran into Ye Qingqian near the sports field. She was holding a folder and seemed to be on her way to the administration building. When she spotted Lin Ran and the others, she greeted them first.

“Since when did you two become volunteers?” Ye Qingqian teased Lin Ran and Su Shijie with a smile.

Lin Ran said nothing. Su Shijie grinned. “We’re not volunteers. Let me introduce you, senpai. This is Lin Ran, and this is his younger sister, Lin Ruixue. This is Lin Ruixue’s friend, Si Qing. They’re both from the girls’ school, and they’ll be joining us at No. 5 High School next semester. So today we brought them here for a visit!”

“I see. Well, I won’t keep you. But after you finish looking around, don’t leave right away. You two will need to meet up with your assigned classes. A teacher will go over a few things with you and give you your No. 5 High School uniforms,” Ye Qingqian said with a smile.

“Okay! Thank you, senpai!” Si Qing said with a bright smile and a nod.

Lin Ruixue also thanked her gratefully.

Ye Qingqian smiled and nodded. But just before she left, she suddenly reached out and patted Lin Ruixue on the head.

The four of them stared at her, completely baffled.

But that was just how Ye Qingqian was. Every now and then, she’d do something nobody could make sense of. They didn’t think much of it.

No. 5 High School’s campus wasn’t very big, but taking a proper look around still took a while. When they were done, the four of them went to the front of Classroom Building No. 3. Lin Ruixue and Si Qing had to check in with their classes, while Lin Ran and Su Shijie waited downstairs.

But Lin Ruixue seemed reluctant to go upstairs. She’d been assigned to Class A, while Si Qing was in Class B. The two classes were next to each other, but Lin Ruixue would still be on her own in her classroom. The thought of meeting a group of strangers scared her. And this wasn’t a girls’ school—there’d be plenty of boys in the class, too.

It was a tricky problem, but there was a way around it: they could ask a teacher or Ye Qingqian about switching classes. Even if they did switch, though, Lin Ruixue would have to move to Class B. Si Qing couldn’t be moved to Class A.

Maybe it was fate, because just as the four of them were worrying about what to do, Ye Qingqian showed up. Su Shijie immediately went over and explained the situation. Ye Qingqian said it might be difficult. Even as Student Council president, all she could do was bring it up with a teacher and put in a good word for them. Whether they could switch classes was up to the teacher. Unfortunately, the teacher in charge of that was busy at the moment.

“How about this? I’ll talk to the teacher once they’re free and see if I can get your classes switched. But if Xiaoxue is scared, you can wait outside the classroom. I’ll explain the situation to the Class A teacher. How does that sound?” Ye Qingqian said with a smile.

“Senpai, can’t you let us stay together for now? If it really doesn’t work out, Xiaoxue can go back to her class afterward,” Si Qing tried to reason with her.

Ye Qingqian shook her head. “I can’t do that. The teachers need to talk to you today, and your classmates will also introduce themselves so everyone can get to know each other. If you can’t switch classes in the end, wouldn’t it be awkward once school starts? It’s okay. Don’t be so scared. Even if you don’t face this today, you’ll have to sooner or later. You can’t avoid it forever. Besides, your brother’s waiting right outside the classroom. If anyone picks on you, tell him. You can tell me, too. I’ll teach them a lesson for you.”

Ye Qingqian’s reassurance helped a little, but Lin Ruixue still glanced cautiously at Lin Ran.

“Go on. I’ll wait outside,” Lin Ran said helplessly.

Ye Qingqian smiled, patted Lin Ruixue on the head, and nodded to her before turning to leave.

Lin Ran walked Lin Ruixue to the door of Class A. Quite a few students were already inside, getting to know one another. They’d gathered in little groups of three or five, chatting and laughing as they shared stories from middle school.

“Go on in. I’ll wait here. If anything happens, come out and find me,” Lin Ran said.

“Okay!” Lin Ruixue nodded and slowly walked into the classroom.

Lin Ruixue’s arrival didn’t draw much attention. At most, a few of the boys looked her way a couple of times. Lin Ran and Su Shijie waited outside the classroom.