Zhao Jiajun was overwhelmed with unbridled joy, his face betraying a foolish eagerness.
He brought up his QQ account on his phone, using the opportunity to deliberately lean closer. As he neared Qin Zixin, the alluring, orchid-and-musk-like fragrance emanating from her became even more intoxicating, subtly drawing his attention away.
Qin Zixin glanced at his phone, instantly memorizing Zhao Jiajun’s QQ number. Noticing his persistent attempts to flirt further despite her obvious displeasure, she pressed herself against the wall, her beautiful face now etched with a chilling frost.
“Don’t come so close,” she stated, her voice sharp. “We’re not familiar with each other.”
Zhao Jiajun felt a surge of awkwardness, sensing his intentions had been laid bare. Yet, possessing a thick skin, he merely touched his nose, then instinctively lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on Qin Zixin’s shoes. Her blue football trainers were remarkably delicate and petite; in stark contrast to Zhao Jiajun’s size 46 feet, Qin Zixin’s seemed impossibly tiny, more than a full size smaller.
The hem of her ramie high-waisted trousers rode slightly high, perfectly revealing her snow-white, jade-like ankles. Her delicate ankle bones, set against her fair, tender skin, appeared like a flawless work of art. In an instant, a flurry of improper thoughts consumed Zhao Jiajun’s mind, and his ‘little Jiajun’ swiftly stirred to attention.
Given the thin fabric of his summer trousers, the bulge was unmistakably visible. This time, Zhao Jiajun’s embarrassment was genuine. He bent at the waist, about to speak, when he caught sight of Qin Zixin’s amused, knowing expression.
Possessing male memories and having spent years immersed in explicit online forums, she had encountered countless ‘down bad’ men from all walks of life; how could she not understand? Sometimes, a mischievous thought would cross her mind: perhaps men’s trouser pockets were always deeper than women’s, not just for practicality, but also to conveniently ‘adjust their weapon’.
While Qin Zixin detested these persistent ‘flies’ who attached themselves to her, her nature dictated that she never let anyone off easily with words. In such situations, she felt it a loss if she didn’t seize a verbal advantage.
“Classmate Zhao, are you experiencing a stomachache?” she asked, her voice laced with feigned concern. “Why is your face so flushed? You haven’t… accidentally leaked, have you?”
Zhao Jiajun managed a sheepish grin, instantly feeling Qin Zixin had branded him a pervert. His smile only exacerbated the foolishness on his face, and coupled with his slightly bluish stubble, he strongly resembled a stereotypical ‘Rongcheng chubby bear’ from a ‘must-eat’ list.
Recalling the ‘bear-type’ parties in Rongcheng she had seen on “Chusheng Zhijia,” Qin Zixin’s delicate face instinctively wrinkled in distaste. Her gaze upon Zhao Jiajun grew even more amused. However, she had no desire to continue teasing the corpulent man. As she rose from her seat, Zhao Jiajun also stood up, seeing her prepare to leave, but then immediately bent over again.
Witnessing his reaction, Qin Zixin covered her mouth and chuckled softly. She sidestepped Zhao Jiajun as if avoiding something unclean, heading directly for the classroom’s front door. Her gait was measured, an elegant, swaying cat-walk, yet her ‘bunnies’ still trembled with every step. The gazes of her classmates were fixed upon her, many whispering amongst themselves, and only after Qin Zixin exited through the front door did the murmuring grow louder once more.
****
Nanshi High School’s first-year ‘Rocket Class’ was Class Four, situated on the same floor as the three ‘Key Classes’. Already, numerous boys from other classes had gathered in the corridor beside Class Two.
During the remedial classes, someone had posted about Qin Zixin, spreading the word that the exceptionally beautiful girl from Lianhu No. 3 Middle School was now in Class Two, First Year. Merely seeing those blurry candid photos of Qin Zixin was enough to captivate anyone’s imagination.
At that moment, they feigned playing in the corridor, but in reality, they were all secretly peeking through Class Two’s windows. When the boys saw Qin Zixin emerge, few dared to stare directly; instead, they pretended to chat, acting as if their presence outside Class Two’s door was purely coincidental. Yet, Qin Zixin’s graceful and alluring demeanor continued to entice them, making it impossible to resist stealing furtive glances.
There was a significant difference between her photos and her real self, especially since many of the pictures were candid shots from Qin Zixin’s middle school days. After a considerable period, she had blossomed into an even more enchanting and graceful young woman. Most of these young boys, experiencing their first stirrings of romance, possessed a certain naiveté; many couldn’t even search for adult films online, utterly devoid of worldly experience. Upon suddenly encountering such peerless beauty, their ears flushed crimson.
Qin Zixin, meanwhile, lowered her delicate head slightly. The corridor was too crowded, and filled exclusively with boys. She paid no mind to these individuals, who were destined to be irrelevant to her, maintaining her usual composure and a faint, polite smile. She merely quickened her pace, walking past them, leaving a trail of captivating, soul-stirring fragrance. Even after she had walked far beyond them, they remained fixedly staring at Qin Zixin’s retreating figure. Seeing her stop at the entrance of Class Four, they exchanged bewildered glances.
Li Jing from Class Four spotted her and quickly approached, feigning an entry into the classroom. Boldly, he ignored the ample space beside Qin Zixin and dared to greet her.
“Cl-classmate,” he stammered, “who are you looking for!?”
Li Jing failed to control his voice, practically bellowing the question from behind Qin Zixin, which startled her. Turning around, she saw Li Jing’s face, flushed crimson like a monkey’s backside. She consciously pitched her voice, striving to make it sound more mature and alluring, as her natural voice was too childlike, akin to an elementary student’s, and didn’t quite sound like a ‘middle schooler’.
“Classmate,” she replied, “I’m looking for Yang Qichao from your class.”
****
At that very moment, inside Class 4, First Year, Yang Qichao was replying to Qin Zixin’s message. When his deskmate, Chen Chen, leaned in, Yang Qichao immediately shielded his phone screen.
“Yang Qichao,” Chen Chen probed, “who are you chatting with?”
Yang Qichao found Chen Chen’s excessive nosiness irritating and disliked him intensely. This fellow possessed an inordinate curiosity about others’ private lives, a trait often intertwined with greed, envy, competitiveness, and reckless gossip—the hallmarks of a petty individual. It was a person best kept at a distance, for proximity only bred disrespect.
“A friend,” Yang Qichao replied curtly. “You wouldn’t know them.”
Chen Chen, oblivious to the subtle distance in Yang Qichao’s tone, was about to continue prying into his privacy when Li Jing suddenly rushed in through the doorway.
“Bro Chao,” Li Jing announced, “someone’s looking for you!”
Before Li Jing could finish his sentence, Qin Zixin’s delicate head half-peered through the doorway.
With teeth like gourd seeds, brows like twin dark arches, a face red as an open lotus, and skin like congealed fat, the beauty appeared both shy and timid. Yet, this exquisite expression lasted only a fleeting moment. The instant she spotted Yang Qichao, her face transformed, adopting the mischievous air of a female rascal, complete with a raised eyebrow and an utterly ‘punchable’ smirk.
The initially boisterous Class Four fell silent the moment Qin Zixin peeked in, a reaction identical to how Class Two had behaved earlier.
Yang Qichao felt a headache beginning at Qin Zixin’s expression. He knew this girl was utterly unhinged, but even in high school, she remained perpetually ill-behaved. He wondered how Aunt Tang had ever managed to educate her.
Seeing that Yang Qichao wasn’t coming out, Qin Zixin simply walked into the classroom and stood directly beside his desk. Everyone around them stared at Qin Zixin, their eyes unblinking.
Outside the corridor windows, students crowded, eager to watch the spectacle. Qin Zixin, unfazed, seized Yang Qichao’s left arm and pulled it firmly into her embrace, his arm sinking directly into her overly soft bosom.
Beside them, Chen Chen’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. He turned to stare at Yang Qichao, then back at Qin Zixin, his expression shifting from shock to suspicion, and finally to utter disbelief.
“Chaochao,” she purred, “come out with me for a bit, won’t you?”
Qin Zixin’s tone was alluring and suggestive, yet her words were clear. Though her voice wasn’t loud, most in the classroom could hear her. After the picturesque beauty finished speaking, her almond eyes, brimming with affection, cast a silken, alluring gaze. She tilted her delicate head slightly, and her ponytail, more lustrous and smooth than the finest silk, cascaded over her shoulder, resting perfectly on Yang Qichao’s arm.
Chen Chen gasped sharply, the distinct ‘hiss’ loud enough to make Qin Zixin glance sideways at him. As she looked his way, Chen Chen felt a sudden, crushing illusion that his goddess had abandoned him at their very first encounter. Feeling the astonished and envious stares of his classmates, even the typically composed Yang Qichao found himself struggling to maintain his composure.
With a distressed expression, he thought, ‘Others might not know what kind of person Qin Zixin is, but how could I not understand? That girl’s heart is utterly black.’
Yang Qichao’s scalp tingled under the relentless scrutiny. He felt completely roasted on a spit by Qin Zixin; rather than enduring a thousand daggers from their stares, it was better to simply go along with her, get out quickly, and return swiftly. He hastily rose, pushing Qin Zixin by the shoulder out the door, only to be met with another round of intense gazes in the corridor.
Yang Qichao’s reaction, however, left them utterly bewildered. Qin Zixin’s actions suggested an unusually close relationship between the two, yet Yang Qichao’s demeanor hinted at a more complicated dynamic. It wasn’t until they had descended the stairs and walked far enough away to be out of sight that Yang Qichao finally grabbed Qin Zixin by the neck, shaking her back and forth, as if desperate to dislodge all the mischievous thoughts from her mind.
No matter how beautiful she was, upon seeing her signature ‘punchable’ teasing expression, Yang Qichao’s composure once again shattered.
“Chaozi, damn it, stop shaking me!” Qin Zixin cried out, flailing wildly with ‘turtle-fists’ at Yang Qichao. He released her, his gaze wary.
“Just tell me, why are we going out? Don’t tell me it’s another one of your stupid schemes!”
Qin Zixin flashed a roguish smile, her delicate hand directly hooking around Yang Qichao’s neck, acting as casually as if he weren’t of the opposite s*x.
“Look at you, talking like that! I just got here; how could I be up to any stupid schemes? I’m inviting you for soda.”
With Qin Zixin’s arm hooked around him, her overly voluminous ‘bunnies’ pressed directly against Yang Qichao. Feeling that exquisite touch, Yang Qichao’s face flushed crimson, half from anger, half from embarrassment.
From childhood, this childhood friend of his had always attacked him relentlessly, often in the most shameless ways. Early on, she’d instigated him to urinate on the dried chicken hanging to air-dry at a neighbor’s house; when caught, he received a severe beating from his mom and they had to pay a hefty sum. In elementary school, this crazy girl even wrote a love letter to their music teacher, but when caught, she claimed he had written it, leading to his complete social demise throughout his elementary school years.
A cascade of past incidents flooded Yang Qichao’s mind, making his scalp tingle whenever he saw Qin Zixin’s characteristic impish smile.
‘Damn it, her crimes are too numerous to count!’
Yet, feeling the warm, soft jade beside him, Yang Qichao couldn’t help but feel a little lightheaded.
Even if a certain person was utterly shameless, he couldn’t deny her stunning beauty. Every time he saw her, he felt Qin Zixin had grown even more beautiful. He couldn’t even bring himself to be angry. He himself couldn’t quite define his feelings for Qin Zixin; physiologically, he was attracted to her, but having spent so much time with her, the word ‘love’ felt difficult to utter.
The two laughed and chatted their way to the convenience store. Inside, they—or rather, Qin Zixin—were the center of attention, while Yang Qichao, standing beside her, endured cold stares. Especially when the beautiful girl bought him drinks and snacks, Yang Qichao felt the atmosphere grow increasingly strained.
Returning to the classroom from the convenience store, Qin Zixin waved to Yang Qichao under the watchful eyes of their classmates.
“Chaozi, I’m off now!”
In front of others, Qin Zixin was graceful and unrestrained, her demeanor light and free. Though her nickname for him was a bit cheeky, her tone was gentle, inviting endless speculation. Yang Qichao, holding a bag of snacks and drinks, returned to his seat. Feeling the gossipy or hostile gazes of his classmates, he shivered, only then fully realizing the situation.
Taking out his phone, he wanted to send Qin Zixin a message, but he didn’t know what to say, or rather, he didn’t dare to say anything. He paused for a moment, typed a few words, when Chen Chen, sitting beside him, leaned over again. Yang Qichao simply locked his phone, took a sip of cola, and rubbed his nose.
The words that couldn’t be said now would remain unsaid for the time being.
****
In the Class Two classroom for first-year students, the moment Qin Zixin was seen being pushed by a boy’s shoulder, jogging towards the stairwell, the classroom’s chatter instantly grew louder.
Qiao Hua recognized Yang Qichao; they had attended the same middle school. They were only vaguely familiar with each other because the top students in middle school often went on stage to receive awards, and Qiao Hua had become acquainted with Yang Qichao from seeing him at the podium. When Qiao Hua mentioned that the boy with Qin Zixin was Yang Qichao, several boys around him immediately started asking questions.
“How would I know? Yang Qichao isn’t in my class.”
Qiao Hua’s face contorted in a sneer.
“Damn it, that accursed ‘normie’! He truly deserves to die!”
“How did Qin Zixin get to know him? You ask me, who should I ask? Why don’t you go ask Qin Zixin yourself?”
Qiao Hua’s mental state was highly agitated; he had just had a nosebleed, and at that moment, he hadn’t even wiped it, flailing his arms like a clown.
The thought of Yang Qichao’s ordinary, frail, rough, sallow, hairy, in short, ugly hand, now touching Qin Zixin’s radiant, jade-like, fragrant skin, her plump ‘bunnies’ that looked so supple, her delicate hands as smooth as silk and seemingly coated in a thin glaze—and such a peerless beauty, a creation of heaven and earth, being tenderly pushed along by Yang Qichao—made the sour envy in Qiao Hua’s heart nearly surge from his throat.
“Damn it, Yang Qichao really deserves to die!”
His classmates, witnessing his frenzy, mocked and teased him, treating it as a free monkey show. After seeing Qin Zixin once, this fool Qiao Hua had even decided on his future son’s name, but his assessment of Yang Qichao was far from fair.
Yang Qichao merely looked a bit thin, but he was actually very lean and muscular. Standing at 1.81 meters tall and weighing a solid eighty-five kilograms, he possessed strong explosive power. Although his face wasn’t handsome, his appearance was quite proper and dignified; to put it nicely, he had a serious aura that commanded respect without anger, but to put it bluntly, he carried a certain dull foolishness.
At that moment, Liu Tanxiong jogged in, dripping with sweat. Seeing Qiao Hua making a fool of himself, he didn’t know what kind of fit he was throwing, but seeing his flushed face, he was utterly disgusted.
“Qiao Hua, you’re bleeding from your nose. Can’t you wipe it? It’s really gross.”
Only when Liu Tanxiong pointed it out did Qiao Hua realize he was bleeding. Liu Tanxiong then ignored him, found a few friends he usually hung out with, and together they went to get textbooks for classmates who hadn’t attended remedial classes during the summer. After counting the books, they hurried away again.