27: Chapter 27 New Achievement Goals Emerge

The weather after noon was a bit hot and dry.

Xiao Ran walked and walked, and eventually arrived at the artificial lake.

He sat down on a stone bench under the shade of a tree and dealt with messages from his girlfriends.

As for the messages from his ex-girlfriends, he ignored all of them.

He hadn't blacklisted them, but he didn't respond either.

Not deleting them as friends was already being very considerate.

After he finished,

Xiao Ran looked at the lake.

The lakeside was deserted, the lake surface shimmered with ripples, and three large white geese swam by.

Speaking of which,

these three geese were also witnesses to his and Xu Qianqian's love.

They were old acquaintances.

"Old friends, I didn't bring anything for you to eat this time," Xiao Ran picked up a small pebble and hit one of the leading geese.

"Gaa~~"

"Gaa~~"

The big white goose flapped its wings, happily squawked a few 'thanks for the pebble, old friend,' and then left.

Xiao Ran slowly closed his eyes, leaning back on the stone bench, his breathing gradually evening out, emptying his brain, which had been fatigued for over three years.

Geese, geese, geese, humid breeze, the chirping of summer insects, a faint smell of fish.

So tired... He wished he could just lie down like this for the rest of his life... But the next moment, it seemed fate didn't want him to just give up.

"Woof woof woof."

Suddenly, a chilling dog bark came from behind him.

"Ah!!!!"

A helpless shriek rang out.

Xiao Ran abruptly opened his eyes and turned to look.

A large black dog, about a meter long, with its tail drooping, its front legs slightly lowered, its jaws wide open, was poised to pounce.

And in front of the large dog,

a long-haired girl with impossibly long bangs was forced backward, falling into a patch of greenery.

The trimmed branches tore her clothes, revealing large areas of her skin.

What was horrifying was that her normally fair and flawless back was covered in spiderweb-like bloodstains, like a delicate, alluring white porcelain vase with red cracks.

"Ah!! Go away!! Go away!!"

The girl's screams were filled with despair and helplessness.

She tightly clutched an old, brown long stick, waving it constantly.

This was perhaps her last straw!

Her legs kicked wildly in the air, and the white canvas shoe on her right foot had already split open from friction.

Her pink sock had a hole, revealing a tender pink big toe, flailing chaotically in the air.

[Ding! High-scoring girl detected, overall score 95 points!]

Holy cow, another 95-point treasure girl!

System, you're really good to me!

You really don't want me to rest, do you!

"Woof woof woof!"

"Go away! Don't come closer!"

The mad barking of the vicious dog pulled Xiao Ran's thoughts back.

For some reason,

they were only about ten meters apart, yet the girl hadn't called for help, just kept screaming.

Did she look down on him that much?

But he didn't have time to think about such things.

Xiao Ran gathered strength and took a few quick steps, rushing to the vicious dog's front, kicking it directly in the head, sending it flying backward!

"Ow... ow... oww~~"

The vicious dog rolled three times on the asphalt road, its mouth still open, still barking.

"What are you barking at?"

When he was a child, he was chased by dogs, the kind where his slippers would fall off.

Now he wasn't even afraid of cancer, so why would he be afraid of a dog?

The vicious dog got back on its feet, tail tucked, baring its teeth at Xiao Ran, blood at the corners of its mouth, constantly drooling, emitting a low "woo woo woo" sound.

"Broken teeth?"

Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow and charged again.

The vicious dog didn't expect this bipedal creature to be so brave.

Terrified, it tucked its tail and scurried away.

"Is that all?"

He patted the dust off his feet, and only after confirming the vicious dog hadn't turned back, did he turn around and look at the disheveled girl.

"Don't come closer!! Go away!!"

She was still waving the stick in her hand, her helpless cries never stopping.

Xiao Ran walked forward and said softly:

"Student, it's alright! I've chased that dog away!"

He could feel that this girl was extremely lacking in security.

The girl's entire body was stuck in the bushes, and as she moved, the sharp branches touched her wounds, once again stimulating her emotions.

"Don't come closer, if you come any closer, I'm going to call for help."

The girl's bangs covered half of her face, so he couldn't see her eyes.

Even just half of her face's beauty left Xiao Ran stunned.

When he heard her line, he instinctively wanted to complete it:

'Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you.'

Fortunately, Xiao Ran resisted this wicked thought.

This was his life!

He tried to lower his voice, speaking gently:

"Don't get agitated, I don't mean any harm!"

"Don't come closer!"

A swinging stick whistled past, and Xiao Ran quickly leaned back defensively.

Such strong defensiveness!

But he could understand.

Even many tough men, when chased by such a vicious dog, would have this kind of lingering fear.

It was like when you go fishing for eels in a stream, and you pull out a spicy stick instead—that feeling of lingering apprehension.

Those who know, know!

"Don't move, I won't hurt you. Come, I'll help you up," Xiao Ran, quick-witted, grabbed her wooden stick.

Xiao Ran almost coaxed her like a child, showing a harmless smile.

The girl seemed to sense his goodwill and finally stopped struggling.

Hesitantly,

she extended a slightly pale hand to him.

Xiao Ran gently took it; it was somewhat cold and rough to the touch.

Completely unlike the smooth hands of his other girlfriends.

He didn't think much of it,

and with a gentle pull, he helped her up.

She was very light, so fragile that she seemed like she could be blown away by a gust of wind.

About 1.65 meters tall, probably around 90 pounds.

Too thin!

At this moment,

a gentle breeze came, and luckily Xiao Ran was still holding her hand, so she wasn't blown away by the wind.

That was close!

Suddenly,

the breeze stirred the girl's bangs, like lifting a red veil, revealing a face that seemed to make the entire world lose its color.

"So beautiful!"

Xiao Ran murmured.

Non-existent mom, I'm in love!

Just for a moment!

He had etched this face into his mind!

Her eyes were like a clear spring, capable of washing away all the filth of the world.

But... why were her eyes devoid of expression?

They were like a flawless crystal ball that couldn't refract light.

Her pupils were dilated, without focus,

as if she had seen through everything in the world, without a trace of emotion.

As the clear breeze passed, her bangs returned to their original position, her pretty face once again hidden, and time resumed its flow.

Liang Shiqing reference