The Wind Heard Her Confession - Chapter 4: A Blinding Crush part 1

Lin Yuran still remembered that faint smile at the corner of Chi Ye’s lips back then. Because even now, she didn’t understand its meaning.

Aunt Chen returned from the supermarket with bags of daily necessities, interrupting Lin Yuran’s thoughts. She glanced at her phone; it was already 7:30 P.M.

Together, they helped Yao A-ping onto the wheelchair, and Lin Yuran carried over a pot of hot water to pour into the footbath tub, tossed in a packet of herbal medicine, adjusted the temperature, and massaged some points on Yao A-ping’s feet while soaking them for a bit.

Though massage would have no effect whatsoever on someone like Yao A-ping, who remained vegetative, Lin Yuran had learned all the body’s acupoints from her childhood friend Xiaolin Yiqun, diligently giving Yao A-ping foot rubs whenever she could.

After finishing her work and settling Yao A-ping down, Lin Yuran returned home. Underneath the pitch-black sky, a few droplets of rain fell gently upon their heads as she walked toward the subway station.

The drops were scarce but steady, as if the heavy clouds that had accumulated throughout the day were secretly pouring out their grievances to the earth beneath cover of darkness.

Fortunately, the hospital exit was only a short walk away from the subway station. Running lightly, Lin Yuran dashed inside.

During the two-minute wait for the train, three men asked for her contact information. This was also one reason why Lin Yuran disliked taking public transportation—she found these requests extremely annoying.

She turned up the volume of the French audio playing through her headphones, pretending not to hear them, and gave them each a cold look that said, You really think I’d do that?

As she ran toward her residential area after exiting the subway station, security guard Xiao Liu called out to her and handed her an umbrella.

Despite being financially troubled, Lin with her good fortune from her best friend lived comfortably enough in a decent neighborhood with strong security measures.

Lin Yuran’s current residence belonged to Xu Jianwei, who was born into a wealthy family that could be considered as second generation rich. After graduating university, Xu Jianwei secretly used her savings to purchase a small one-bedroom apartment away from her parents’ nagging. Over these last two years, their plush toy business had begun to see some profit; she managed to earn herself a little money. With financial support from her parents, she recently purchased a larger condominium.

Over the past few years, the housing market had been on a downward trend, so Xu Jianwei wasn’t eager to sell this property. Afraid someone would mistreat it if rented, she decided to let Lin Yuran live there instead.

Initially, Xu Jianwei hadn’t planned on charging rent, but knowing how stubbornly independent Lin Yuran was, she only asked for a modest fee of 1,000 yuan per month, which included utilities. The cost remained within what Lin Yuran could afford.

Rain poured throughout the entire night. The gloomy weather accompanied by slight chilliness made staying in bed all day tempting.

With no urgent work at hand, Lin Yuran took advantage of the rainy days to catch up on sleep she’d missed due to overtime. Before long, her phone rang, shaking her awake. The caller ID was clearly from a local landline number.

Lin Yuran hesitated as she picked up, and a sharp female voice rang out from the other side of the line. “Hello, this is RanYe Entertainment. May I speak to Design Director Lin of Beijian Studio?”

Instantly alert, Lin Yuran sat up on the bed, pressed down on the receiver, cleared her throat, and answered, “Yes.”

“Design Director Lin, we’re calling you today to notify you that you’ve entered the final round of our recruitment process. Is it convenient for you to visit our company?”

“Yes.”

“When would you like to come over? We’ll make a record of your arrival.”

Lin Yuran glanced at the digital clock beside the nightstand. “10:30 AM, if that works for you?”

“Yes,” replied the other party.

After hanging up, Lin Yuran found it hard to believe that despite how poorly she had performed during the interview last time, she still got a chance to move forward.

She quickly got out of bed, took a shower, tidied herself up, and stepped outside with an umbrella in hand; the rain continued to fall heavily.

By the time Lin Yuran arrived at RanYe, it was exactly 10:30 AM.

The receptionist guided her upstairs to the fifth-floor accessories design department, where Zhang Xin, the manager who interviewed her last time, received her warmly.

After some discussion, Lin Yuran learned that only three studios made it through the preliminary rounds—their own Beijian, PINK MAN, and Mystical Forests.

Lin Yuran sighed quietly to herself—this competition was fierce indeed. RanYe lived up to its reputation as a large corporation; their standards for quality control were strict.

Zhang Xin handed Lin Yuran a comprehensive handbook of all the heroes featured in Infinite Showdown.

“The first eight pages introduce the eight most popular heroes among Infinite Showdown fans. Within one week, design a mystery box figure for each of these heroes while maintaining their original characteristics and incorporating your own creativity. Once the designs are adopted, we will consider entering into a deeper collaboration with you.”

Lin Yuran flipped through the book briefly. Infinite Showdown had close to a hundred heroes, so if they entered into a deep partnership, she could be busy creating series after series for at least half a year.

Just thinking about the potential income made her feel giddy; Lin Yuran gladly accepted this challenge.

After exiting from the department of merchandise design, Lin Yuran’s hands filled with various items: umbrellas, backpacks, and a pile of souvenirs given by Zhang Xin.

While waiting for the elevator, Lin Yuran organized the miscellaneous items in her hands, stuffing them into her backpack. As the elevator door opened, Lin Yuran was still shoving that handbook into her bag with one hand while walking toward it with the other. She finished just as she stepped inside.

She looked up abruptly, pausing mid-step.

The man inside the elevator was tall and well-dressed in a custom-tailored navy blue suit with a matching tie neatly tied around his neck, giving off an aura of wealth and sophistication that bordered on coldness.

Lin Yuran unconsciously wanted to take a step back but felt it would be inappropriate. Her body froze momentarily, unsure how to react.