Chapter 37

The promised “two minutes” dragged on to fifteen minutes.

Old Wu was still passionately explaining the anecdote derived from the phrase “tie grass” in the text.

Most of the students’ minds had already wandered far, far away, completely uninterested in sitting in the classroom listening to Old Wu ramble on about the Chen Qing Biao or the concept of repaying gratitude. They just wanted class to end and vacation to begin as soon as possible.

However, the school bully’s one remark made them dare not complain about Old Wu’s tardiness.

At 12:03, the hallway was already so quiet that no students were passing by. Finally, Old Wu finished explaining those “two small questions” and waved his hand, dismissing Class 8.

In an instant, half the classroom emptied with a rush.

Qin Xiaoxiao picked out the textbooks she wanted to take home and put them into her backpack along with her pencil case.

Seeing her phone at the bottom of the bag, she took it out and zipped up the backpack.

She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked out of the classroom.

Qin Xiaoxiao walked down the teaching building and chose a sunny, warm path slightly farther from the school gate. She turned on her phone as she walked.

After walking seven or eight meters, Qin Xiaoxiao turned around and looked at Ji Wenchen, who was half a meter away with his hands in his pockets. “Don’t stay so close to me, or I’ll think you’re following me.”

“Hmm.” Ji Wenchen lifted his refined phoenix eyes slightly.

Was he really following her?

His straightforward response caught Qin Xiaoxiao a bit off guard.

“Why are you following me?”

Ji Wenchen looked at her directly, the corner of his lips curling into a slight smirk. “Not doing anything.”

She was so striking that it was hard to guarantee someone like Hu Guangyu wouldn’t set his sights on her again… He didn’t want her to encounter something like that ever again.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s phone had a minor issue—it needed a moment to function properly after being powered on.

At that moment, the phone vibrated, and the screen lit up. Qin Xiaoxiao saw several messages from Feng Maoxing:

【Are we heading back together at noon?】 (11:04)

【Why hasn’t your class ended yet…】 (11:43)

【My dad seems to have forgotten his phone. I tried calling, but no one answered. I’ll head to the school gate first, you can come straight there later!】 (11:49)

……

【Waiting for you at the school gate, still the same silver Cadillac.】 (11:57)

Qin Xiaoxiao was just about to reply when Feng Maoxing’s call came through.

“Class over?” His voice was energetic and full of life.

Qin Xiaoxiao answered as she walked, “On my way to the school gate.”

“Yeah, yeah, hurry up, I’m a bit hungry…” In the background, her uncle’s voice could be heard teasing, “You’ve already finished a whole pack of snacks and you’re still hungry?” Feng Maoxing then turned to complain to his dad, “I am hungry, and I do eat a lot, so what?”

Qin Xiaoxiao chuckled, “Alright, I’ll walk faster.”

“Okay, I’m waiting for you.”

Qin Xiaoxiao put her phone back into her backpack after ending the call and said to the person behind her, “Stop following me. I’m worried my family might see.”

She unconsciously tilted her head slightly, and with her calm, beautiful face, she exuded an unintentional and unaware charm.

“Alright.” Ji Wenchen shrugged lightly. His voice, with a dryness and laziness reminiscent of autumn sunlight, replied, “I won’t follow you anymore.”

So agreeable? That was a bit baffling.

Qin Xiaoxiao no longer looked at her perpetually nonchalant deskmate and quickly headed toward the school gate.

Ji Wenchen pulled out a lighter, letting it spin between his fingers for a moment.

Then, he stretched his long legs and also walked toward the school gate.

As the car neared the building, Uncle Lin casually mentioned, “Mr. Ji is at home.”

Leaning against the cushion, Ji Wenchen barely lifted his eyelids and said nothing.

The home’s furnishings had remained unchanged for years.

As Ji Wenchen headed toward the stairs, his gaze swept over the living room. On the large coffee table, another identical ashtray had been added.

***

By the blooming pale purple hibiscus flowers, the silver car slowly came to a stop.

“Uncle, why don’t you come upstairs and have lunch with us?”

“No, no, your aunt has already prepared the meal,” Feng Zhenting replied with a cheerful smile, turning to his well-behaved niece. “We’ll have a meal together another day when there’s time. You head up now.”

Qin Xiaoxiao opened the car door. “Then I’ll head up first.” She got out of the car, holding her backpack. “Goodbye, Uncle. Goodbye, Maoxing.”

“Alright, goodbye, Xiaoxiao.”

“Bye-bye!”

As soon as she got home, the delicious aroma of food drew Qin Xiaoxiao straight to the kitchen. “It smells so good! Is it corn and pork rib soup?”

Feng Xiuling saw her daughter still holding her backpack and couldn’t help but smile. “It’s corn, radish, and pork rib soup. Put your backpack down and go wash your hands; it’ll be ready soon.”

Qin Feng, busy stir-frying at the stove amidst the sizzling sounds, heard his daughter’s voice and turned back with a smile. “You’re back?”

“Yeah, Uncle brought me home today.”

“Did you ask him to come up for a simple meal?”

“I did.”

Qin Xiaoxiao put her backpack down on the sofa, washed her hands, and headed to the kitchen, instinctively wanting to lend a hand.

“You don’t need to carry this; it’s too heavy,” Qin Feng stopped his daughter from picking up the soup pot.

Feng Xiuling stepped forward as well. “Let Mom carry it.”

“You go rest,” Qin Xiaoxiao said with a smile. “It’s fine. I’m practically an adult now; this bit of weight won’t crush me.”

Qin Feng and his wife exchanged a helpless yet warm glance, letting their considerate daughter help.

“Just be careful,” Feng Xiuling reminded her. “Don’t burn your hands.”

“Got it,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied, mimicking her mother’s tone. Her heart warmed. It was just carrying a pot of soup, yet her parents treated her as if she were their most precious treasure.

At the dining table, Feng Xiuling served her husband a bowl of soup and reached for her daughter’s bowl.

“I can do it myself.” Qin Xiaoxiao held her bowl in one hand and the soup ladle in the other. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Mom, aren’t you setting up your stall today?”

“This morning, I had some errands to run. I’ll sell fruits again tomorrow.” 

Feng Xiuling said with a smile. “Xiaoxiao, I have some good news for you.”

“What good news?” Qin Xiaoxiao took a sip of the soup, savoring its rich and delicious flavor.

“Our old house is being demolished. We received some compensation the day before yesterday,” Feng Xiuling said, reporting a figure.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s peach blossom eyes widened slightly. “That much?”

The “old house” her mother referred to was the small two-bedroom apartment where the family had lived before she started elementary school. It was in a relatively remote location with a poor environment. Qin Xiaoxiao wasn’t very knowledgeable about property values, but from her limited perspective, the amount seemed quite substantial.

“That’s right.” Feng Xiuling placed a piece of pork rib onto her daughter’s plate.

Qin Feng nodded as well. “The boss of Shenghua is quite generous.”

Shenghua… Qin Xiaoxiao found the name somewhat familiar. It seemed to be the real estate company owned by Ji Wenchen’s family, the male lead…

“Mom is planning to open a fresh fruit store.”

Hmm? Qin Xiaoxiao snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her mother. “Open a store?”

Feng Xiuling gave a modest smile, looking a bit embarrassed. “I’ve never run a store before, so I’m not sure if it’ll make money.”

“It will, definitely!” Qin Xiaoxiao firmly believed that her hardworking and capable mother would not be let down by life.

Feng Xiuling’s heart warmed at her daughter’s encouraging words. She lowered her head and took a sip of soup.

“When will it be ready to open?” Qin Xiaoxiao thought it was great for her mother to open a store—at least she wouldn’t have to endure the wind and sun outside.

“Your uncle has already found a suitable shop for me and helped take care of the paperwork,” Feng Xiuling said. “If everything goes smoothly, we can start doing business in about ten days.”

“Hmm, that’s great.”

The aroma of the dishes mingled with the warm sunlight filling the house.

Life, amidst such ordinary conversations, felt genuine and beautiful.

In the evening, when it was time to return to school, Qin Xiaoxiao’s mother packed a large bag filled with milk, fruit, and various packaged snacks for her. Before she left, she slipped some pocket money into Qin Xiaoxiao’s hand.

“Mom, I still have enough pocket money,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, taking the money out of her pocket. “Don’t give me more.”

“Take it,” Feng Xiuling insisted. “Get yourself extra meat at school, so you get enough nutrition. Buy whatever you want if something catches your eye.” She refused to take the money back.

“I really don’t need this much…”

“You can buy some clothes or snacks. Mom noticed you haven’t bought any clothes in a long time.”

Fine. Qin Xiaoxiao reluctantly tucked the money into the side compartment of her backpack. She’d hold onto it for now.

After dropping off her things in the dormitory, Qin Xiaoxiao grabbed a box of glutinous rice cakes and headed to the neighboring dorm to find Yang Min.

Not seeing any sign of Yang Min, she decided to go to the classroom first.

It was still a bit early, and the sky outside hadn’t completely darkened yet. It looked like it was draped in a veil of blended mauve and purple, both magnificent and tranquil.

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t let the evening scene distract her for long. She pulled out the English study paper distributed two days ago from the desk cubby and dove into the sea of questions.

Perhaps she wasn’t focused enough, because by the time she reached the 12th single-choice question, Qin Xiaoxiao knew her deskmate had arrived.

She held her pen and continued reading the question.

By the time she got to the 13th single-choice question, her deskmate got up and left.

As she was about to finish the cloze test, her deskmate returned.

This time, he carried a faint but noticeable smell of cigarettes.

Qin Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows slightly and got up to open the side window.

As she walked back to her seat, she noticed her deskmate lying facedown on the desk, his face turned outward.

For some reason, Qin Xiaoxiao felt that he seemed a bit downcast.

Not long after, she saw Yang Min enter the classroom.

Qin Xiaoxiao grabbed the box of glutinous rice cakes and went over to Yang Min’s seat—Yang Min loved the rice cakes Mother Qin made.

“Here, have some.” Qin Xiaoxiao opened the box.

Yang Min still looked dejected, her head hanging low. She glanced listlessly at the box of rice cakes, then at Qin Xiaoxiao, and shook her head.

Qin Xiaoxiao bent down to meet Yang Min’s eyes and softly told her, “They’re not together.”

On Sunday, while at home, she used QQ to message her cousin.

Her cousin replied quickly, sending several messages in a row—

【Bi Chun? I’m not really close to her.】

【Why are you asking?】

【I don’t like any girl! I have no interest in romance; my heart is only for games and basketball!】

【And studying…】

Yang Min’s almond-shaped eyes regained some of their usual sparkle. “Really?”

“Really.” Qin Xiaoxiao gently patted her shoulder. “He doesn’t like… anyone either.”

“Mm!” Yang Min thought it meant, “He doesn’t like Bi Chun either,” and happily hugged Qin Xiaoxiao’s arm.

Seeing her mood shift from gloomy to cheerful, Qin Xiaoxiao smiled faintly. “Not eating the rice cakes? Then I’ll take them back…”

“I’ll eat!” Yang Min grabbed one, took a big bite, and said, “It’s delicious.”

Qin Xiaoxiao casually asked the girl sitting next to Yang Min, “Do you want to try one?”

The girl had been secretly glancing at the beautiful and elegant campus belle. She hadn’t expected to receive a question and direct gaze from her. Flustered, she blushed instantly. “N-no, it’s fine, thank you.”

Out of the eight rice cakes, Yang Min ate three.

Qin Xiaoxiao took the remaining five back to her seat, planning to share them with her roommates later that evening in the dormitory.

“What’s that?”

Qin Xiaoxiao had just sat down when she heard her deskmate ask.

“Glutinous rice cake,” Qin Xiaoxiao paused for a moment. “Do you want to eat some?”

“Mmm.”

Qin Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows slightly. Hmm? She had only asked out of politeness.

“Do boys really like eating such sweet and sticky things?”

Before she realized it, the question slipped out. Qin Xiaoxiao felt a bit helpless—why did she seem to become more natural and unguarded around him?

“Who says boys can’t eat sweet things?” Ji Wenchen’s tone rose slightly at the end, carrying a hint of casual teasing.

Fine then. Qin Xiaoxiao opened the box. “Here, have one.”

She couldn’t understand how someone who looked so dejected just a few minutes ago could now casually eat as if nothing had happened.