CH 23

In the morning, Qin Qing sat at the dining table at her grandmother’s house, staring at the fried golden turnip cake in front of her.

She didn’t sleep well all night.  Last night’s dream was that the boy suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at her and said the words. “How about you send me to school starting tomorrow morning?”

The low hoarse voice seemed to ring in her ears again. Qin Qing’s chopsticks flicked, and the turnip cake fell back into the plate in front of her.

The china plate was hit softly, and Qin Qing came back to her senses.

“Tian Tian, is second year of high school too tiring?”

Grandma Qin heard the movement and raised her head, and was now looking at Qin Qing worriedly, “How come you don’t look very energetic early this morning?”

Qin Qing waved her hand.

“No, Grandma……. I was just thinking about something and got lost in thought.”

“Then don’t worry too much and think about it slowly. I think you woke up earlier this morning than before, so it’s okay to tarry for a while longer.”

After grandma Qin’s reminder, Qin Qing looked up at the wall clock.

It was already seven o’clock.

There was ten minutes left before the appointment with that person. Qin Qing hurriedly bit the turnip cake from the plate into her mouth, got up and hurried to her room.

“I have something to do at school today.”

Qin Qing explained to Grandma Qin while packing her things, “So I have to leave early in the morning.”

“Hey? The porridge hasn’t been finished yet, are you in such a hurry to leave?”

“En.”

Qin Qing turned around and nodded vigorously.

Grandma Qin had no choice but to compromise.

While packing up the dishes, she muttered: “Why do you have to be so serious about this? You can’t even finish breakfast, and them making the students self-study every night, this school is really…”

Qin Qing listened beside her with a guilty conscience.

Although the appointment was at 7:10, she was the one who was compensating that person after all, so it would not be good to let him wait for her.

Thinking like this, Qin Qing had already put on her small backpack and walked towards the entrance.

“You have to come home early after school.”

Grandma Qin’s voice came from the dining room.

“I know, goodbye grandma.”

Qin Qing responded and pushed open the door of the house.

Her eyes quickly swept around the porch outside the opposite door, but there was no movement, so she came out with confidence.

The security door closed behind her and Qin Qing walked towards the elevator.

As soon as she turned the corner, Qin Qing saw the early morning sun shining on her feet, and she felt warm, which made her feel better unconsciously.

Qin Qing raised the corners of her lips slightly, and her eyes fell on the door of the elevator.

Then she was startled.

——

On the side of the door, there was a boy in a physical education school uniform leaning against it. The uniform trousers lined his straight and slender legs. Even though they were crossed lazily and casually at this time, it did not affect his beauty at all. The small suit coat of the school uniform was unbuttoned, and the two corners of his clothes were spread to the side of his body, revealing the strength of the waist wrapped in white lining.

The smooth lines went all the way up and were finally hidden in a black suit jacket.

The boy had probably taken a shower after his morning run, thus his parted black hair was half-wet.

At this time, he heard the movement and looked up. There seemed to be a little mist of water in those dark eyes.

For some reason, Qin Qing suddenly remembered the person she had seen in the mixed martial arts arena… a presence that made her feel completely unfamiliar, an indescribable aggressiveness.

During Qin Qing’s dazed time, a little bit of an uneasy emotion also flashed past Wen Yufeng’s dark eyes.

He immediately took out the cigarette that was burning between his thin lips, and threw it in the ashtray of the metal trash can. He raised his hand and scattered the thin smoke that was still around him.

Looking at the girl’s black eyes, upon closer inspection, there was a rare embarrassment.

After doing these actions, he looked down at the watch on his wrist.

It was 7:01, nine minutes earlier than their agreed time.

Wen Yufeng smiled bitterly.

He should have guessed that his little classmate was very well-behaved, and was very likely to come out early. He shouldn’t have smoked here.

This happened on the first day…

Jeez.

Wen Yufeng narrowed his eyes irritably.

“Smoking is bad for your health.”

While he was lost in thought, the girl walked up to him at some point, with a serious expression on her pretty face, her clear eyes looking at him seriously.

“You’re not too old, so it’s not good for your health in the future. Even if you don’t have problems when you’re young, you will definitely suffer when you get older.”

The boy lowered his eyes, and looked at her. There was no other emotion in his eyes, only real worry and the earnest advice of a supervisor.

“…”

Wen Yufeng was silent.

After a few seconds, the mood of the haze before was swept away. He turned his face sideways, and a chuckle escaped from his lips.

The light against his back and the smile painted with a layer of gold by the rising sun was like a meaningful and beautiful picture, which stunned Qin Qing.

When she came back to her senses, she thought curiously:

How can there be such a strange thing in this world?

——

The person in front of her obviously skipped school, missed classes, fought, smoked……He had done almost all the things that only bad students would do.

However, as long as he had a smile, it was like clean mountain spring water blowing a crisp whistle and happily flowing down. It easily cleansed all her negative emotions, leaving her heart full of joy and yearning.

Is that why she didn’t want to believe that he was the bad student in the rumors?

He smiled so cleanly and beautifully, brighter than any smile she had ever seen…

Such a person… how could he be a bad student?

When Wen Yufeng returned to his senses, he saw the girl standing in front of him looking like she was struggling and troubled by some important life matter.

There was still a lot of twinkle in his black eyes. He put his hand in his trousers pocket, lowered his waist slightly, and asked with a smile in his voice:

“I’ve been curious since last time. These words… Who did you learn it from?”

Qin Qing was brought back to her consciousness by Wen Yufeng’s voice. She didn’t realize that the distance was very close, so she answered instinctively.

“That’s what my uncle said about my second brother.”

“…Your second brother?”

Wen Yufeng’s smile faded. He straightened up, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

“The one who comes to pick you up at school every night?”

Qin Qing didn’t notice the dangerous emotions swirling in the boy’s eyes, and nodded “en”.

“It looks like you siblings are in a good relationship?”

“Yes, second brother is very good to me. He has been–“

As soon as this was mentioned, Qin Qing raised her eyes with a smile.

It’s just that when she met the boy’s inexplicably dangerous look, Qin Qing suddenly woke up——

Why would she tell this to an outsider?

Qin Qing avoided his eyes in a panic, went to the elevator and pressed the down button.

“We should go to school.”

“…”

Wen Yufeng didn’t speak, just raised his legs and followed.

All the way downstairs, they did not talk. It was then that Qin Qing noticed that the person walking beside her seemed to be carrying nothing besides his body.

When she stopped, her beautiful almond eyes widened slightly——

“Don’t you carry your school bag with you to school?”

Wen Yufeng raised his eyebrows lightly: “What book do you think I would use?”

“…”

Thinking that this person rarely showed up in class and never handed in math homework, Qin Qing couldn’t help but wrinkle her face.

“Don’t you like studying?”

Wen Yufeng didn’t answer this question, and looked at the girl with a half-smiling expression.

Qin Qing was still struggling: “Every time we do math homework, only you and Li Xiang and Zhao Zirui don’t hand it in… But math is actually very fun.”

She raised her eyes and looked at the boy seriously: “Especially those questions that do not have a fixed solution method, like the permutations and combinations we’ve learned in the second year of high school – you can find a simpler way than the original answer, and strive for the path with the least calculation. Getting an answer with no rules to follow, then verifying it through the third method – this will have a great sense of accomplishment!”

As she spoke, there seemed to be some emotion in those clear and clean eyes that slowly lit up.

By the end, even Wen Yufeng seemed to be able to sense the girl’s enthusiasm for a new way of solving problems.

He couldn’t help but follow the girl’s lip line.

“You like math?”

Qin Qing nodded vigorously and shook her head again.

“It’s not just math. I like Chinese and politics too, I enjoy reciting long poems or long logical passages – English too. I like words, sentences and the articles in it. I also enjoy the electromagnetism part of physics…”

The more the girl talked, the happier she became. Her fair and beautiful face was slightly flushed. She was engrossed with the subject, her eyes were clear and bright, and her small body revealed her age that she had always concealed.

As the two walked out of Fulin Garden together, the security guard greeted them, and Qin Qing recovered from her imagination.

Those burgeoning youthful spirits were suddenly restrained. She blushed, bowed her head slightly, and asked a little embarrassedly:

“Me saying these things, do you like listening to it?”

“I really don’t like studying.”

Wen Yufeng saw that the little head had went a step lower and he chuckled lightly——

“However, I like to listen to you.”

“……Huh?”

Qin Qing raised her face in confusion.

“The bus is coming.”

Wen Yufeng’s eyes flashed, dodged the girl’s clear eyes, and walked to the bus stop not far away.

Qin Qing hadn’t been able to understand the deep meaning of Wen Yufeng’s previous words. When she saw that the bus had stopped, she quickly accelerated her pace and followed.

Fortunately, there were still a lot of passengers waiting at the station. When Qin Qing and Wen Yufeng got to the bus, all the passengers who arrived earlier still had not had time to get on the bus.

Qin Qing obediently followed behind Wen Yufeng, lining up to get on the bus.

It was only after she had gotten on the bus and watched the bus drive off that Qin Qing suddenly came back to her senses and stared blankly at Wen Yufeng.

“Aren’t we walking to school?”

Wen Yufeng tossed the coins for both of them, his thin lips slightly lifted.

“…that’s too fast.”

“What?”

The boy’s voice was a little low, Qin Qing couldn’t hear it clearly, and asked again curiously.

“Nothing.”

In the crowd, Wen Yufeng pulled Qin Qing to the standing area at the back door of the bus.

Qin Qing, who had rarely ever taken a bus, was struggling to hide from the crowd on both sides, her mind was still elsewhere—

“And the direction of the bus, do we have to go around to get to school?”

Wen Yufeng, who was walking in front, flashed his eyes, and a little smile gleamed in his black eyes.

“……en.”

He gently took his five fingers and clenched the girl’s slender wrist a little tighter.

The two finally squeezed hard to the standing area by the back door.

This was an accessible wheelchair parking area for disabled people. There were no seats close to the wall, was usually not used.  Moreover, in this crowded time, it was obviously the most favorable place for passengers to stand.

Coupled with the rush hour that was beginning to enter Qingcheng at this time, there were also many more people on the bus than at other times.

When he arrived at the back door, Wen Yufeng took the girl by the wrist and pulled her to the side of the bus wall.

When the girl leaned against the wall, he turned back to protect her, separating the crowded people behind him.

Qin Qing, finally calmed down beside him, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He kept his black eyes fixed on the girl for an instant and when Wen Yufeng saw her small expression, his thin lips lifted slightly.

It’s just that before Qin Qing’s breath could be completely relieved, the bus suddenly braked.

Qin Qing, who was inexperienced in riding the bus, fell to the side unsteadily and lost her balance.

In a hurry, she instinctively grabbed the arm of the person beside her.

When the inertia of her body gradually dissipated, Qin Qing stabilized her figure, only to realize that she was grabbing Wen Yufeng’s arm.

The small suit jacket of the school uniform was pulled out of the folds by her action.

She blushed and raised her eyes: “I’m sorry, I…”

The voice did not continue.

It wasn’t until Qin Qing raised her face that she realized that the boy had pressed down his sharp jawline, hooked his thin lips, and was looking at her with a crooked smile. 

The dark eyes shone brightly, and for some reason, Qin Qing felt a little embarrassed and annoyed.

She immediately let go and lowered her eyelashes.

Wen Yufeng wanted to open his mouth and continue to tease his little classmate to see what other expressions the girl would have that made him feel itchy.

Just looking down at the girl whose ears were slightly pink, he finally cleared his throat and looked away.

…he didn’t want to scare her away.

He can only go at it slowly.

It’s a pity that there is a word in this world called “backfire”.

Soon the bus entered a stable driving state, and arrived at the next bus stop.

There were more passengers on the bus this time, and the front door could not cram anymore, so the driver opened the back door to drop off passengers.

Like most places, Qingcheng had no shortage of aunties with strong fighting ability.

Seeing that she was going to be unable to get on this bus, the aunt forced herself into the back door of the bus.

With the sound of “ouch” from someone inside, all the passengers near the back door were forced back.

Feeling the overwhelming force from behind him, Wen Yufeng immediately propped his arms up by the girl’s side.

It’s a pity that even though he responded quickly, he still couldn’t resist the power of the masses.

——

Qin Qing only felt darkness in front of her eyes, and the boy who was originally separated from her by a distance had leaned over.

In an instant, the white shirt was not far from the tip of her nose.

The faint smell of menthol smoke filled her impression.

The air seemed to have turned into tiny particles, some suffocating, some shimmering in the sun, shining like a rainbow. The surrounding noise seemed to have been thrown into another world, going further and further. In the end, only a heartbeat like a drum beating in her ear was left.

Badump badump badump…  

It was difficult for her to tell whether it was his or hers?

When all the pressure finally receded from the five senses like a tide, the crowd gradually returned to stability, and a little space was slowly created.

Qin Qing also recovered.

She raised her little face. Her cheeks were blushing, and there was water in her almond eyes.

“…Are you okay?”

The male voice above her head sounded, sounding a little hoarse.

It seemed not pleased.

Qin Qing was stunned for a moment, and looked at Wen Yufeng, and sure enough, she saw the boy’s deep eyes with a cold and imposing aura hidden in them.

Wen Yufeng turned around with a cold face. His gaze swept across the crowd behind him, and collided with one of the women with heavy makeup.

The woman’s red lips twitched and she smiled vaguely at him.

Wen Yufeng’s eyes shook, and his fierce emotions were no longer suppressed. The people around him who noticed his gaze instinctively avoided them.

It’s just that before he could let out his anger, he felt a force so small that it could have been easily missed, gently tugging at the corner of his shirt.

Wen Yufeng looked back coldly.

It met the girl’s apricot eyes with a little hesitation.

The truth was that his eyes were a bit terrifying at this time, so the girl’s body shrank back slightly.

Qin Qing’s back was against the bus wall, so even though she wanted to hide, there was nowhere to hide.

But even though she shrank, Qin Qing pressed her head down and whispered, “They didn’t mean it…don’t be angry…”

“…”

Wen Yufeng clenched his fists.

After two seconds, the thick ink-like emotion withdrew from the bottom of his eyes.

After a long while, he sighed softly and turned back helplessly to protect the person between his chest and the wall of the bus again.

“I will listen to you.”

The voice in her ear was low and hoarse, like a splash of hot water scorching into her heart.

The blush that had not faded on Qin Qing’s face came back in an instant, and the turbulent emotions that came up together were also surging.

Overwhelming, like an invisible tide that was about to drown her.

…………

The bus was bumping on the road all the way, and finally Qin Qing and Wen Yufeng were let off at the gate of No 1 High school smoothly.

It’s just that Qin Qing was sensitively aware that the boy walking beside her seemed to be in a bad mood because of the previous episode in the car.

Even the air pressure around him was very low.

Qin Qing really didn’t know how to appease this person, and she couldn’t come up with any answer after struggling all the way.

In the end, both of them just walked silently all the way to the door of the classroom of Class 6 senior year 2.

Qin Qing walked in first, and Wen Yufeng followed behind.

There was no reaction to the new classmate in front; but when Wen Yufeng stepped into the classroom, many students were shocked.

Especially the health committee member who came to supervise the day early on. The water glass in his hand slipped.

He glanced dully at the wall clock in the classroom, making sure it wasn’t his eyes that had a problem, then he asked the person next to him slightly trembling—

“What day is it today… ah?”

The person next to him was equally frightened, and turned his face back with lingering fear.

“I think I’ve seen a ghost. It’s a while before the first class. I actually saw Brother Yu… No, I have to burn a yellow talisman and drink water to avoid evil…”

The health committee member nodded: “Bring me half a bowl too, thank you, brother.”

…

In fact, it wasn’t just the students who were shocked. Before the first class, Li Xiang and Zhao Zirui had entered the classroom and were equally shocked when they saw Wen Yufeng who was already seated in the back row.

“Yu, Brother Yu?”

Li Xiang’s mouth was so far open that he could fit an apple into it. It took several seconds for him to close it. He hurriedly looked at the wall clock, “How come you are here at this hour?”

“…”

Wen Yufeng didn’t speak. He raised his face, and gave him a dark look with his black eyes.

Li Xiang and Zhao Zirui were stunned by this glance, and Li Xiang instinctively swallowed—

“Who is it that annoyed you?”

Wen Yufeng still didn’t speak, but his expression became a little more gloomy.

Li Xiang and Zhao Zirui looked at each other and felt even more incredible – they had rarely seen Wen Yufeng so angry.

Could it be…

Li Xiang’s eyes fell on a certain girl in the front row, and his eyes gradually became unkind.

“It has nothing to do with her.”

A low, hoarse voice suddenly sounded.

Li Xiang was stunned for a moment, then turned around immediately: “What’s going on? Brother Yu, say it straight, who dared to make you angry? I will immediately ask a few brothers to mess with him!”

Wen Yufeng’s expression sank.

After a long while, his eyes turned cold, and he turned his eyes away with a fierce expression.

“On the bus this morning, a woman touched my waist.”

Li Xiang: “…”

“Puu.”