Returning to Campus

The sky had just begun to lighten, and the roosters were still crowing. The air carried a chill, and Qin Yage pressed herself deeper into Qin An’s arms.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Qin Yage pouted, displeased.

After a long silence, she spoke again. “Brother, tell me honestly—will Mom and Dad ever come back?”

“They should…” Qin An replied vaguely.

“I want the truth. Truth as pure as gold.”

“No.” Qin An’s answer was firm. Perhaps he would never see them again in this lifetime.

“I knew it.”

Qin Yage hugged him tighter, her body trembling slightly.

She looked up at him, her fingers tracing aimless circles on his chest. Her large eyes were moist.

“Don’t do such dangerous things anymore, okay? When I saw that huge hole in your shoulder and the blood pouring out, I fainted on the spot. What if it had hit your heart? If you also left without saying goodbye, I’d be all alone. I don’t want to be alone.”

“I won’t do it again.”

“You mean there’ll be a next time?”

“No…”

“Hey, brother, do you hate me?”

“No, not at all. I love you to death.” As he spoke, Qin An rubbed his cheek against Qin Yage’s soft, delicate face.

“Gross.” Qin Yage pretended to gag, but her heart bloomed with joy.

She swallowed the words stuck in her throat. Originally, she had waited for him to say, “I hate you to death,” so she could reveal something that would move him deeply.

In truth, Qin Yage was somewhat dissatisfied with how her mother treated her brother. But whenever she showed him kindness, her mother’s attitude toward him grew even worse. So, for his sake, she kept her distance. Should she tell him now? She was still hesitating.

Lost in thought, she snuggled closer to Qin An, warm and cozy, and accidentally dozed off again.

Qin An stayed in the hospital for a full week. He had clamored to be discharged three days ago, but his sister and Xia Yi had convinced him to stay. Though his shoulder still ached and the wound hadn’t fully healed, he was dead set on leaving. Even with Xia Yi pulling strings, the medical bills were bleeding him dry.

Wednesday, April 12, 2000. Qin An finally returned to campus. But instead of a gentle, beautiful deskmate, he was greeted by a ferocious wolf.

A girl in a yellow T-shirt, with a fierce expression, slammed a workbook onto Qin An’s desk.

She was the class monitor and also the captain of the school’s Young Pioneers. She had been on leave for a while and just returned a few days ago. Upon coming back, she learned that a classmate had been absent for a whole week. Even with her usually good temper, she couldn’t tolerate that.

Her name was Huang Jiajun, from the Huang family of Nan’an—a notable and prestigious clan. But her management style left much to be desired. She was also known as the “Playboy Killer,” specializing in taking down the rich kids of Nan’an. Yet, strangely, she never seemed to offend anyone truly powerful. Qin An grumbled inwardly.

“Why weren’t you at school for a week?” Huang Jiajun demanded sternly.

Qin An thought, Is this class monitor out of her mind? Didn’t I ask for leave? Why is she making trouble for me? He noticed a group of boys snickering in the corner and guessed the situation. Those corner dwellers were mostly minor playboys, but their families couldn’t rival the Huang family, so they had to suffer in silence. Setting him up to take a fall while making the monitor look bad was a two-birds-one-stone deal for them.

“I asked for leave.”

Huang Jiajun looked skeptical. Every truant said the same thing—she’d heard it too many times.

Qin An sighed, opened his drawer, and pulled out the leave slip.

She checked the date and name, saw the homeroom teacher’s signature—it was genuine.

Her pretty face flushed red and white with embarrassment. Finally, she gritted her teeth. “Those bastards, I’ll kill them.”

Qin An quickly grabbed her hand. “Forget it.”

“I can’t let this slide.”

Judging by her expression, she wanted to skin them alive.

“It was just a small joke. I don’t even mind.”

“Are you even a man? When others push you around, I won’t let them off easy.”

No good deed goes unpunished. Qin An let go of her hand. He hoped this busybody of a monitor wouldn’t end up too badly.

“QinAn“

“Good morning, An Qi.”

“Hmph, it’s not a good morning at all.” The consequences of angering this little beauty would be severe.

Her cheeks puffed up in anger, making her look like a cute, puffed-up frog.

An Qi sat down next to him, first turning her head away, then, seeing he didn’t apologize, she started to draw the “38th Parallel” between them for a cold war.

“You look much cuter like this.” Qin An grabbed her fair cheeks and tugged gently. The sensation was incredible—smoother and softer than the finest Suzhou silk.

“Don’t touch me. I hate you.” An Qi rubbed her cheeks, which were now crimson, almost bleeding.

“Alright, alright. What’s wrong?”

“What’s your relationship with that busybody—I mean, the class monitor?”

“Oh, I see. I smell a strong whiff of vinegar.”

“Narcissist. Who’s jealous? It’s just that the monitor never talked to you before. I thought you were in trouble.”

“I still think you’re jealous. You saw me hold her hand, so…”

“Hmph, I’m ignoring you, you big narcissist.”

Seeing that An Qi was really ignoring him, Qin An had to confess everything. After hearing the story, she burst into laughter, her whole body shaking.

“Didn’t I say no laughing?”

“I can’t help it. It’s too funny. Why didn’t she slap you? Haha~”

“Probably because she saw I was sick and pitied me,” Qin An said pitifully.

An Qi placed her hand on his forehead, checked his temperature, and then smiled in relief.

“There’s something else I’m angry about. As your little tutor, I think I need to punish you properly.”

“What is it?”

“Look at this.” From her pink schoolbag, she pulled out a test paper. On it were red marks—a score of 80, two points higher than Qin An had expected.

“My test paper!”

“I didn’t know you could not only pass but also score above 80. I worried for nothing.”

Qin An took the paper, which gave off a faint, pleasant scent.

“I’m keeping this paper for life.”

“Ah, why?”

“Because it has your scent on it,” he said shamelessly.

“I’m not giving it to you then.”

An Qi felt her face burn.

“No, it’s mine. I have the right to keep it.”

“Then take good care of it. If I find it missing later, hmph—” She waved her little fist in mock threat.

Class began. The little beauty sat up straight, the perfect model student. Qin An slouched like a hoodlum, chatting intermittently with An Qi. As for that 38th Parallel, he had long since erased it.

Just as Qin An was getting into the groove, a piece of chalk hit him square on the forehead. An Qi covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Qin An saw Huang Jiajun, who was writing questions on the blackboard, glaring at him like a wolf eyeing Little Red Riding Hood.

He made a face at her.

Furious, she threw another piece of chalk, but this time Qin An was ready. He caught it between his fingers and, when she returned to her seat, sent it back to her—a taste of her own medicine.

An Qi laughed even harder, brighter than a blooming flower.