Chapter 108: Bonus – When We Were Young Part Seven
“Why are you so sensitive? I was just joking. Don’t cry.” Qin Ai was good at racing and fighting, but she had never comforted anyone before.
Zuo Bian wasn’t really going to cry. She just wanted to scare Qin Ai, who was always being contradictory. But seeing Qin Ai’s panicked expression, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
Her laughter changed the atmosphere. Qin Ai pinched Zuo Bian’s cheek, exasperated. “Is it fun to play with me?”
Zuo Bian’s cheek was stretched out of shape. “No, it’s not fun,” she mumbled.
Seeing the redness on Zuo Bian’s fair cheek, Qin Ai realized that even though she hadn’t used much force, it looked like she had been bullying Zuo Bian.
“Fine, you’re so delicate. I’m going to have a headache being with you.” To Qin Ai, these words meant that she had agreed to be Zuo Bian’s girlfriend.
Zuo Bian said, “No, we can’t be together until we’re adults. Qin Ai, you said we can’t date.”
Qin Ai facepalmed. She wished she could travel back in time and slap herself for saying those stupid things.
“Forget it, it’s useless trying to reason with a stubborn person like you. I’m taking you home.” She started the motorcycle.
Zuo Bian hugged her waist again. They didn’t speak, but the silence was filled with unspoken emotions.
Qin Ai’s mind was still in turmoil. She had been too impulsive. What had she done?
She had already taken a step back, but Zuo Bian had actually rejected her. Who else did Zuo Bian want to be with if not her?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She instinctively wanted to speed up, but she remembered Zuo Bian sitting behind her. She only had one helmet, and she was wearing it.
She clicked her tongue, thinking how troublesome love was.
Qin Ai dropped Zuo Bian off at her house. As Zuo Bian got off the motorcycle, Qin Ai stared at her, her gaze filled with hints.
Shouldn’t there be a goodbye kiss?
Of course, Zuo Bian was completely oblivious to Qin Ai’s hints. She waved goodbye cheerfully.
Qin Ai watched as Zuo Bian’s figure disappeared from sight, a smile unconsciously appearing on her lips.
Realizing she was smiling, she quickly wiped it off and sped away on her motorcycle.
She returned home and went straight to her room after dinner.
Her textbooks and homework were spread out on the table, but Qin Ai wasn’t in the mood to study today. She rummaged through her things and finally found a white envelope.
Yes, Qin Ai might seem like she didn’t pay attention in class or do her homework, but she actually studied and did her homework at home.
And this envelope…
An hour later, Qin Ai looked at the pink envelope, the letter inside filled with cheesy lines, and thought she must be crazy.
Why else would she be writing a love letter to Zuo Bian?
She stared at the letter, wanting to crumple it up and throw it away, but she kept it.
==================
The next day, Zuo Bian arrived at school early. She took out the homework she had done at home.
As soon as she sat down, she noticed the other students staring at her. The gazes came from all directions, curious and probing, but they were trying to be discreet.
She looked around, and the gazes vanished instantly. They were either chatting, rushing to finish their homework, or pretending to be busy. It was as if her feeling of being watched was just her imagination.
However, when she reached into her desk drawer to get her Chinese textbook, the gazes returned. Zuo Bian was puzzled.
At that moment, Liu Liu entered the classroom, a bun in his mouth. Zuo Bian waved at him.
“Liu Liu, do you know what’s going on? Why is everyone staring at me?” She lowered her voice when she said the last part.
Liu Liu said, “Oh, you mean that, sister-in-law? It’s because you’re Boss’s girlfriend now. Everyone thinks it’s amazing and wants to take a look. But Boss gets jealous easily, so they can only sneak glances.”
Hearing this, Zuo Bian chuckled. “So that’s why. Thank you, Liu Liu.”
Liu Liu waved his hand dismissively. “No problem, sister-in-law. Just spend more time with Boss. She’s been a handful lately, I can’t handle her.”
He had wanted to go out for hotpot with a bunch of friends yesterday, but Qin Ai had called him to go confront those boys. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, all the tables were booked. He had been sad about it for several minutes.
“Mm-hmm.” Zuo Bian nodded.
Ever since she became Qin Ai’s deskmate, Qin Ai had rarely been late for class. But today, she was late again.
The bell had already rung when Qin Ai finally sauntered into the classroom.
The Chinese teacher glanced at her and sighed, shaking her head. Qin Ai was too carefree. But she didn’t really cause any trouble, apart from being late, leaving early, and sleeping in class. So even though Qin Ai was blatantly late, the teacher turned a blind eye.
“Come in.”
Qin Ai, a bag slung over her shoulder, walked in casually.
Zuo Bian looked up, her eyes following Qin Ai’s every move.
Qin Ai plopped down in her seat and tossed her bag, which contained only a couple of books, onto the desk. She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a pink envelope, tossing it onto Zuo Bian’s desk.
Zuo Bian caught it without even seeing what it was. The students in front of and beside them craned their necks, trying to get a peek.
“What’s this?” Zuo Bian held the thin envelope. She knew it was a love letter, but she wanted to hear it from Qin Ai.
Qin Ai casually picked up a book and started reading. The students were reading aloud from their textbooks, but Qin Ai’s voice was still clear to Zuo Bian.
“Read it if you want.”
If Zuo Bian had looked closely, she would have seen the blush on Qin Ai’s ears. She was embarrassed.
Zuo Bian smiled and opened the pink envelope, her heart filled with anticipation and nervousness.
She didn’t feel anything when she received love letters from others, but this one was different. It was from Qin Ai.
Even though they were already married with children in their original world and had confessed their love for each other, this pure and sincere expression of affection from a young Qin Ai still made Zuo Bian’s heart flutter.
Seventeen was Qin Ai’s most beautiful age. Her father and grandfather were still alive, and she was carefree and unrestrained. She hadn’t entered the harsh realities of society yet, she wasn’t forced to grow up, and she didn’t overthink things like her adult self. Many of her choices were immature, even childish.
But that was precisely why Zuo Bian cherished it even more.
She wanted to treasure this feeling, to reciprocate it with equal fervor.
It was Qin Ai’s first time writing a love letter, and the result was far from perfect. Her handwriting was messy and difficult to decipher, and the content was typical Qin Ai.
[I thought you were just average-looking when I first saw you, but somehow, the more I see you, the more pleasing you are to the eye.
I’ve always thought dating was troublesome, and I still do. You’re so delicate, I just need to say a few harsh words, and you’re on the verge of tears. I’ve never met anyone as troublesome as you, but I can’t just ignore you.
You must have cursed me, or why would I suddenly think of you when you’re not around? It’s annoying, but I can’t get rid of your image.
Since I can’t stop thinking about you, I might as well be with you. You like me, and I… guess I like you too. Besides, you said those embarrassing things in front of everyone when we first met. Who else do you want to be with if not me?
You even hugged my waist. No one has ever touched my waist except for my mom. You have to take responsibility, for the rest of your life, you hear me?
Qin Ai.]
No one else would write a love letter like this. This wasn’t a confession, it was practically forcing the other person to be with them. Only Qin Ai would write something like this.
Even though the letter was blunt and lacked sweet talk, it was already a big step for Qin Ai.
Zuo Bian chuckled as she read it. She nudged Qin Ai’s arm gently, smiling. “Qin Ai, I know you like me.”
Qin Ai’s face flushed red as her feelings were exposed. But she still tried to act tough. “That’s because you liked me first, so I started liking you.”
“I already liked you before I came here. I came here for you, to see you.” Zuo Bian smiled, her beautiful eyes sparkling.
Qin Ai’s heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. At that moment, she couldn’t think straight. She just wanted to kiss Zuo Bian.
Zuo Bian suddenly glanced in a certain direction and sat up straight, looking at Qin Ai intently. “Qin Ai, the teacher is coming.”
Qin Ai followed her gaze and saw the Chinese teacher walking towards them. Her expression darkened.
Why had she said those things?
She flipped through her textbook, her mood sour, but she couldn’t focus on a single word.
The news of Qin Ai and Zuo Bian’s relationship had spread throughout the school thanks to that gossipy boy. Almost everyone knew they were dating now.
It should be a happy occasion, but Qin Ai’s face was gloomy. The other students didn’t dare to ask, they just pretended they didn’t exist.
Some speculated that Zuo Bian had cheated on Qin Ai, otherwise why would Qin Ai be so angry?
No one dared to approach her, except for Zuo Bian. Seeing her low spirits, Zuo Bian didn’t avoid her, but leaned closer.
“Qin Ai, Qin Ai, are you angry?”
Qin Ai turned to look at Zuo Bian. She had instinctively wanted to tell her to leave her alone, but seeing Zuo Bian’s beautiful face, she couldn’t say a word.
Her anger inexplicably dissipated. “It’s nothing, I’m just calculating how many months until your eighteenth birthday.”
Zuo Bian blushed. “Qin Ai, you’re so dirty.”
No matter her age, Qin Ai’s mind was always full of inappropriate thoughts.
Realizing what Zuo Bian meant, Qin Ai’s face also turned red. She looked around and lowered her voice. “I just said ‘eighteen,’ what are you thinking about?”
Zuo Bian buried her face in her arms, only her sparkling eyes visible. “See? That’s what you meant.”
Qin Ai felt wronged. She had been single for seventeen years, and this was her first relationship. She had even been rejected when she tried to kiss her girlfriend, and now she was being accused of having dirty thoughts.
But Qin Ai wasn’t a saint. She also leaned forward, facing Zuo Bian, and said with mock anger, “Since you’ve said that, wouldn’t it be a loss if I didn’t make it come true?”
Zuo Bian blinked. “Qin Ai, I’m only seventeen.”
“Damn it!” Qin Ai cursed, cupping Zuo Bian’s face and kissing her cheek.
“A kiss on the cheek is okay, right?”
Zuo Bian smiled. “If it’s just a kiss on the cheek, you can kiss me as many times as you want.”
Qin Ai felt a strange frustration, a mix of excitement and annoyance.
Love was truly troublesome.
A gust of wind blew through the classroom, the untied curtains billowing, momentarily concealing the two girls in the last row.
Zuo Bian leaned forward and kissed Qin Ai’s lips. When the wind subsided, and the curtains fell back into place, she sat up straight, pretending to be engrossed in her textbook, but her gaze, fixed on the table of contents, betrayed her nervousness.
Qin Ai was still stunned. After a moment, she touched her lips, savoring the lingering sensation of the kiss.
It was a light and fleeting kiss, like a butterfly landing on her lips for a brief moment. She reached out to catch it, but the butterfly had already flown away.
“Did you just steal a kiss from me?” Qin Ai asked mischievously.
Zuo Bian, of course, denied it. “No, I didn’t.”
“Really?” Qin Ai leaned closer, her face inches away from Zuo Bian’s.
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