Chapter 17: Trap
“Students, although this is just a mock university application, I still hope you take it seriously and choose wisely based on your abilities.”
The grade director stood at the entrance of the computer lab, loudly explaining the key points of the gaokao application process. Class 1, Grade 12 was the top class, and their performance directly affected the school’s overall university acceptance rate. The school leaders placed great importance on this class, repeating the same old tired speech over and over again.
Su Yu, feeling bored, hid in the back, playing Spider Solitaire on the clunky school computer with Chen Kai. His gaze drifted, sometimes towards the screen, sometimes towards the corner of the room where Xia Qian Ge was sitting.
The girl sat upright, only a small portion of her smooth forehead visible beyond the monitor. She seemed to be listening attentively, which was normal. Someone as diligent as her wouldn’t take this lightly.
“You’re really going to Qingchuan?”
Chen Kai noticed Su Yu’s gaze, but this time, he wasn’t in the mood to tease. He was unusually serious. “Xia Qian Ge is really great. I think you have a chance if you pursue her.”
“I want to pursue her too.” Su Yu looked away, forcing a smile. “But there’s no future for us. Why gamble my future on a slim possibility?”
“But you like her.”
“Is that all?”
“Isn’t that enough?” Chen Kai’s eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table. “Who can like someone… for three years?”
“People can live without each other. I like Xia Qian Ge now, but maybe I’ll like someone else in the future.” Su Yu rambled, making excuses to Chen Kai.
“Fine, you’re not bad-looking. I’m not worried about you finding a girlfriend.”
Chen Kai dropped the subject. Su Yu seemed to have given up. He dragged the mouse and selected his desired university as his first choice without hesitation. He was applying to a local university, and as long as his grades were stable, there wouldn’t be any problems. He didn’t need to overthink it.
Su Yu, on the other hand, stared at the screen, his mouse hovering over Qingchuan University.
He thought he had figured everything out, but when it came time to make a choice, he hesitated.
The girl’s hopelessly insane and crazed image would often appear in his dreams. He would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in cold sweat.
“Su Yu… you are my cure.”
He had etched every word she said into his heart. In his previous life, he couldn’t save her, couldn’t be her cure. But now he had a chance. As long as he left before she became completely consumed by her madness, everything would disappear, nothing would happen.
It should end…
With a heavy heart, Su Yu filled in Qingchuan University as his first choice and left the rest blank. He didn’t need a backup plan. His life would restart at Qingchuan University.
“Let’s go.”
Su Yu tugged on Chen Kai. He didn’t want to stay here any longer, it would only fuel his regrets. Out of sight, out of mind. But before leaving, he looked back. Xia Qian Ge was still filling out her application, completely oblivious to his departure. His hesitation seemed a bit presumptuous now.
But this was good. Without any connection to him, Xia Qian Ge could stay healthy and wouldn’t fall into that madness.
…
A cold gaze pierced through the tangled black wires, locking onto its target. Staring at his screen, unable to see clearly, a burning anxiety filled her heart. The grating sound of teeth grinding echoed in her mind, like a feather tickling her heart, unreachable yet unbearably itchy.
The words “Jiangnan University” were displayed on her screen as her first choice, a place many dreamed of, a paradise for countless students. Most could only dream of it, yet Xia Qian Ge filled it in casually. With her grades, entering Jiangnan University was almost a certainty. She was more concerned about someone else’s application.
Xia Qian Ge smoothed the wrinkled fabric of her school uniform. She looked at the empty seat, the screen still lit, but its owner gone.
She quietly stood up, approaching the seat, her steps as light as a ghost. In the large computer lab, no one noticed her movements.
She sat down, gently clicking the mouse, browsing the history, where his unsaved records remained. She swallowed, her heart pounding, a hint of triumphant joy in her eyes.
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Her grip on the mouse tightened, the cheap, old mouse almost unable to withstand the force.
He would definitely choose it, the same university as her. After all, he liked her, had a crush on her for three years. Even without a confession, his affection was obvious. His hard work, going from the bottom of the class to excelling now, wasn’t it all for her?
A little bit of control, giving him hope when he was disappointed, giving him the cold shoulder when he was proud. He would always dance in the palm of her hand, unable to escape.
But the moment she opened the history, the smile froze on her face, replaced by a terrifying coldness. Blood vessels crept across the whites of her eyes, her pupils constricting, a burning brand seared into them.
The words “Qingchuan University” were displayed coldly, mocking her. She had become a complete failure. The trap she thought was flawless had been escaped by her prey, who had completely ignored her carefully laid bait.
Why… he had clearly said he wasn’t sure, yet now he had made a decision. Had he deliberately kept it from her, or had he simply changed his mind?
Qingchuan… how far was it from Jiangnan? If he really went there, what difference would it make when they met again? It would be like they were strangers. There would be other pretty girls around him, perhaps even more beautiful than her. He would hold another girl’s hand, stand in front of her, and smile.
Xia Qian Ge couldn’t bear to think about it. Even the vaguest image of that scene in her mind made her heart clench, an unbearable pain.
If it really turned out like that…
She would go crazy, she definitely would…
Her pale lips turned blood red, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.
What Jiangnan? What student paradise?
Paradise was where he was; without him, it was hell!
She had been struggling in hell for over a decade, looking at him, finally crawling to the edge, unwilling to return to that pain, absolutely not…
Xia Qian Ge stood up shakily, her eyelashes lowered, and left the computer lab like a walking corpse. But beneath her downcast eyes, a bloody hue lingered, growing thicker, almost tangible.
What was lost must be reclaimed. It wouldn’t end like this between them. They were bound together from the very beginning and would never be separated.
Su Yu, you can’t escape. We…
Will meet again.
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