Chapter 42

“Wenchen, in a couple of days, you’ll start learning how to handle company affairs.”

Ji Wenchen looked up in shock. “Grandfather, I’m still a final year student.”

“What’s wrong with being in your final year? You’re already an adult.” Ji Kunxiong assumed his grandson felt he was still too young.

“Grandfather, I… still want to study.”

Ji Kunxiong was momentarily stunned. He prided himself on knowing his grandson well. “Haven’t you always disliked studying?”

“…I like it now,” Ji Wenchen said softly.

Ji Kunxiong stared directly at his grandson.

After a few seconds, confirming that his grandson seemed genuinely determined, Ji Kunxiong nodded with a smile and said, “If you like it, then continue studying. It would be good to get into a decent university on your own merit.”

At the same time, Qin Xiaoxiao was in her room working on a Chinese test paper.

She heard the sound of the door opening in the living room.

Thinking it was her mother returning, Qin Xiaoxiao stepped out of her room, intending to pour her a cup of hot tea.

“Mom,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, lifting the teapot, “how was today?”

Their family’s fruit shop had been open for over a week now, and her mother had been leaving early and coming back late every day. Qin Xiaoxiao felt that she seemed to have come home earlier than usual today.

“Well… made over three hundred.” Feng Xiuling took off her coat and sat down on the sofa. She looked at her daughter, who was lowering her head to pour water, hesitating to speak.

Qin Xiaoxiao handed the cup of water to Feng Xiuling with both hands. “Are you tired? Want your daughter to give you a massage?”

“Mm… no need…”

Feng Xiuling held the cup and took a sip, glanced at her daughter, then took another sip.

“Mom, what is it? Is something wrong?” Qin Xiaoxiao noticed her mother’s hesitation, as if she had something to say.

Feng Xiuling placed the cup on the table. “Xiaoxiao…”

“Hmm?” Qin Xiaoxiao sat down beside Feng Xiuling.

“How’s… your studies lately?”

“Not bad. We just had the November monthly exams this week,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied, instinctively feeling that her mother wasn’t really asking about her studies.

“Mm-hmm…” Feng Xiuling fidgeted with her fingers, unsure how to bring up the matter.

“Mom, what is it you want to say?” Qin Xiaoxiao asked gently.

“You… you… at school…” Feng Xiuling stammered, “are you… dating someone?”

It took Qin Xiaoxiao a second to understand what “dating someone” meant. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered why her mother suddenly asked this.

“No,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied, her expression remaining calm.

“Mom wasn’t trying to…” Feng Xiuling paused for a moment. “No? You’re not dating anyone?”

“Mm.” Qin Xiaoxiao’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She didn’t understand why she had felt a bit uneasy just now—after all, she really wasn’t “dating anyone.”

Hearing this, Feng Xiuling let out a sigh of relief.

She still trusted her daughter’s words.

Qin Xiaoxiao asked in a calm tone, “Why are you asking this?”

Feng Xiuling replied, “I… received a strange text message from an unknown sender. It said that you’re dating a male classmate named Ji something.”

“The message is false.”

“Mm.”

Feng Xiuling hesitated for a few seconds before speaking gently, “Mom’s not trying to stop you from… dating. It’s just that you’re in high school right now, and you should focus on your studies.”

“…I understand.” Qin Xiaoxiao stood up. “Are you hungry? I can make you a late-night snack.”

“No, no, I’m not hungry. Go back to studying.”

Qin Xiaoxiao returned to her room, leaning her back against the closed door.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

Ever since her mother mentioned “dating,” her heart had been beating a little faster than usual.

A thought gradually became clear in her mind.

Strange—could this be what they call the kind of feelings that “grow stronger the more elders try to discourage them”?

…

She hadn’t expected to be questioned by her mother at home and then by her homeroom teacher at school.

It was the first evening self-study session after returning to school.

Qin Xiaoxiao and Ji Wenchen stood in the small office with only their teacher, Guo Hairuo, present.

Guo Hairuo closed the pen she had been using to grade assignments, her left hand fiddling with a crumpled piece of paper.

Earlier this evening, when she arrived at the office, Guo Hairuo had found a note on her desk.

After scanning through it, she didn’t believe it right away. However, out of a sense of responsibility, she still called the two deskmates in.

“Are you two… dating?”

Compared to her mother’s subtlety, Qin Xiaoxiao felt that her homeroom teacher’s question was especially direct and blunt.

“No,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied calmly.

“No, but I like her.”

The clear and magnetic statement exploded in the air like a sudden clap of thunder.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s hand, hanging by her side, curled into a fist as she resisted the urge to look at her “unrestrained” deskmate.

What? What did he just say? Guo Hairuo was so startled by Ji Wenchen’s latter half of the sentence that she turned to look at him. How had she not noticed even a hint of this before?

The boy standing by the desk had sharp, handsome features with a touch of defiance, yet there was also a hint of sincerity in his expression.

“You…” Guo Hairuo, having never encountered a student so openly and confidently confessing their feelings for a classmate, was at a loss for words. She stammered “you” for two seconds, unsure of what to say.

It seemed clear that they couldn’t continue sitting together as deskmates in the future. She decided to revise the seating chart, which hadn’t yet been announced, after this…

“Teacher,” Ji Wenchen said, “it’s because of Qin Xiaoxiao, because of my feelings for her, that my grades have improved.”

Qin Xiaoxiao, whose heartbeat had just calmed down, suddenly froze in her breathing, wishing she could vanish on the spot.

But his words fell into her ears like a torrential downpour, like the rumbling of thunder…

Stirring up stormy waves in the lake of her heart.

For the first time, Qin Xiaoxiao realized clearly: this heart of hers had probably fallen.

…No, it hadn’t. Qin Xiaoxiao tried hard to order herself to stay calm. Why on earth would he say such things in front of the homeroom teacher? Had he lost his mind?

Guo Hairuo was caught off guard by Ji Wenchen’s words and froze for a moment.

In the November monthly exams, Ji Wenchen had improved again, ranking among the top 15 in the class and within the top 200 in the grade.

And he said the reason for his academic progress was…

“You…” Guo Hairuo managed to regain her composure and adopt her homeroom teacher demeanor. “Your academic improvement has been noted by your teacher. I hope you will continue to work hard…”

“Teacher Guo, I hope you’ll allow me and Qin Xiaoxiao to remain deskmates.”

Guo Hairuo was momentarily speechless. Did Ji Wenchen have some kind of mind-reading ability? How could he guess what she was considering?

Ji Wenchen met his homeroom teacher’s gaze without flinching, his deep amber eyes carrying a hint of cool indifference.

“This…” Guo Hairuo sighed inwardly and made a concession. “As long as the two of you are willing to continue being deskmates, I won’t interfere.”

Ji Wenchen’s subtle glimmer in his expression faded as he responded, “Thank you, Teacher Guo.”

Guo Hairuo shook her head and said what needed to be said: “You’re in your final year now, the most critical stage of your studies. You need to understand what should take priority. I… won’t interfere with your emotional interactions during this period, but I absolutely won’t encourage them either. And one more thing: while at school, you should behave appropriately as students. Be mindful of boundaries, avoid creating negative impressions, and don’t cause any incidents that would draw the attention of the school leadership.”

Where is this even going… Qin Xiaoxiao’s fair ears flushed a faint red.

“Alright, Teacher Guo,” Ji Wenchen replied.

“There’s nothing else. You two… can go back to class now.”

Qin Xiaoxiao had no idea how she managed to leave the office or climb the stairs. The overwhelming feeling in her heart could only be described as “embarrassment”—she never thought she’d one day be counseled by a teacher about such a matter.

“Why are you walking so fast?”

The other party involved, however, showed no sign of restraint after being called in for the conversation. With two quick strides, Ji Wenchen caught up to Qin Xiaoxiao, his pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes slightly lowered as he looked at her.

Qin Xiaoxiao moved closer to the left, trying to put some distance between them.

Ji Wenchen’s lips curved into a slight smirk as he followed her, leaning over as well.

Qin Xiaoxiao, whose elbow was about to touch the stair railing: “…” The stairs are so wide—why does he insist on squeezing over?

“Are you avoiding me?”

“No,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, keeping a calm expression. “Maintaining distance.”

“Maintaining distance?”

Ji Wenchen let out a short chuckle, raised his hand, and placed his warm, dry palm on top of her head, ruffling her hair.

He successfully caught a look of surprise in her almond-shaped eyes.

Qin Xiaoxiao raised her right hand, about to push away his audacious hand.

But her wrist was easily caught by him.

“Let go,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, her lashes lowering slightly as her gaze fell on his smooth, defined jawline.

That jawline drew even closer, following its owner’s deliberate approach.

One of her hands was held up, restrained by him, while she could feel his faintly warm breath brushing against her forehead… Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t even need to look to know how intimate their current posture must appear.

The heat of embarrassment climbed up her ears once again, spreading to her cheeks.

Should she be grateful that it was evening self-study time and no one was passing through the hallway?

Wait, what? A teacher could pass by at any moment… Qin Xiaoxiao struggled forcefully, lowered her head, and lifted her foot, attempting to step on him.

Having been stepped on once before, Ji Wenchen quickly withdrew one foot, a soft chuckle escaping his throat.

Then, he said, “You’re not allowed to keep your distance from me, understand?”

Qin Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together, standing on the step.

“Agree, and I’ll let go, hmm?”

Qin Xiaoxiao: “…Oh.” Was this what he called negotiating? No, this wasn’t negotiating at all.

Even if she disagreed, with the disparity in physical strength, there was no way for her to avoid his approach anyway.

As the grip on her wrist loosened, Qin Xiaoxiao headed straight upstairs toward the classroom.

Behind her, Ji Wenchen followed at an unhurried, leisurely pace, his eyes subtly carrying a trace of indulgence.

Not wanting to disturb her classmates, Qin Xiaoxiao entered through the back door of the classroom.

However, her seat was in the middle, near the front rows.

To return to her seat, Qin Xiaoxiao had to walk some distance.

Bi Chun watched as Qin Xiaoxiao and Ji Wenchen passed by her one after the other, her hand holding the pen trembling slightly.

She knew they had been called by the homeroom teacher for questioning.

Her emotions were a mix of unease and guilt.

Bi Chun was certain she liked the type of boy like Feng Maoxing and had even expressed her feelings to him. But… over the past few days, certain scenes kept flashing through her mind:

In class, she reminded her deskmate Ji Wenchen not to sleep, but he turned away and continued sleeping; During the break, she took out milk candies to share with Ji Wenchen, but he lazily declined; Before handing in assignments, she asked Ji Wenchen if he wanted to submit them together, and he replied with a smirk, “I didn’t do it.” …

Scene after scene, strange and inexplicable, yet vividly detailed as if they had truly happened.

It was odd—Bi Chun didn’t understand why she would “see” these moments of interaction with Ji Wenchen. Clearly, her time as his deskmate had been far from pleasant, and now it was Xiaoxiao sitting next to him.

Bi Chun recalled the first time she met Ji Wenchen. It was at the Martyrs’ Cemetery, just before the Qingming Festival.

At the time, she thought this boy was both good-looking and cold. However, the way he carried a girl—whom she later realized was Xiaoxiao—down the mountain had an unintentional gentleness and caution to it. Perhaps it was then that he began to like Xiaoxiao?

She didn’t know.

During those days when her mind was filled with random, jumbled images, every time Bi Chun saw Ji Wenchen and Qin Xiaoxiao together, she couldn’t help but feel a vague and inexplicable discomfort.

Later, in her muddled state, a faint trace of malice even began to surface.

Now, as she frowned and reflected on it, Bi Chun couldn’t understand what kind of confusion had overtaken her. She had actually written a note to the homeroom teacher to report them, rummaged through the teacher’s registration book to find Xiaoxiao’s mother’s contact information, and even sent a text message to Xiaoxiao’s mother…