Chapter 105: Bonus – When We Were Young Part Four
Qin Ai strode towards the school canteen, her aura commanding attention. The canteen was always crowded during breaks, with boys boisterously chatting and guzzling down drinks, and girls huddled together, sharing snacks and gossiping.
Qin Ai’s arrival didn’t cause much of a stir. People just couldn’t help but steal glances at her.
Although she was known as the school bully of A High, and her fighting skills were on par with the boys’, her fierceness was reserved for outsiders who came looking for trouble. So the students of A High were more in awe of her, even admiring her.
She was beautiful, had a great figure, excelled in her studies, and could fight. Although she usually seemed cold and aloof, she wasn’t a bad person. She had even helped girls who were being threatened by students from other schools.
But rumor had it that Qin Ai had a complicated relationship with the beautiful new student. Had the perpetually single Qin Ai finally found someone? And it was a pretty girl?
Several curious female students whispered amongst themselves, stealing glances at Qin Ai.
Qin Ai had been subjected to more intense scrutiny than usual today, and she was starting to feel numb. She opened the freezer and chose a lychee-flavored popsicle.
This particular popsicle was the least sweet one available at their school canteen. She didn’t like things that were too sweet, they made her feel sick.
After paying, she tore open the wrapper and took a bite of the popsicle.
The cool and slightly sweet flavor spread in her mouth, but she couldn’t taste any lychee.
The lychee popsicle, which she usually enjoyed, tasted bland today, as if something was missing.
She turned to find someone to talk to, but Jiang Yuandong was excitedly chatting with another student on her phone, and Liu Liu was still choosing ice cream.
Qin Ai swallowed her words and quickly finished the popsicle, but the coldness gave her a headache.
Liu Liu, holding a vanilla milk ice cream, ran up to Qin Ai. “Boss, why are you in such a hurry? Going back to the classroom to see the little beauty?”
Qin Ai’s headache intensified. She wanted to tell him to shut up, but her brain was throbbing, and she couldn’t speak.
Liu Liu took her silence as agreement and winked. “Hurry back after you’re done, Boss. Don’t keep the little beauty waiting.”
Qin Ai whacked him on the head and rolled her eyes, walking away.
As she approached the classroom, her steps unconsciously slowed down. Zuo Bian was sitting by the window, her head slightly lowered, her face bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.
Her long, dark eyelashes shimmered, her gaze focused on her textbook.
She actually looked quite pretty…
“Sorry, sorry! Boss, you look scary…” A boy who had bumped into Qin Ai while messing around shrank back in fear.
Qin Ai smiled menacingly, grabbing him by the back of his neck.
“Qin Ai, class is about to start, why are you still outside?” Zuo Bian, noticing the commotion outside, leaned out the window and looked at Qin Ai.
Her delicate features, fair skin, and red lips were illuminated by the warm sunlight. The breeze ruffled her hair, creating a picture of youthful beauty.
Liu Liu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, chuckling. “Boss must be secretly watching you.”
Qin Ai shoved the boy she was holding towards Liu Liu and said coldly, “Liu Liu, if you say another word, I’ll tell Chang Wenyan that you stole his—”
“No, no, no! I’m scared of you, okay? I’ll shut up.” Liu Liu zipped his lips.
Qin Ai’s expression softened slightly. She would never admit that she had been staring at Zuo Bian.
Zuo Bian looked away, confused, and returned to her math problems.
The math representative had just brought a stack of worksheets, homework assigned by the math teacher. Most of the students groaned, complaining about more homework, but Zuo Bian’s eyes lit up as she eagerly started working on the problems.
After experiencing high school life firsthand, she found it surprisingly enjoyable.
Qin Ai entered the classroom and returned to her seat. Her new deskmate was still fully immersed in her studies, not sparing her a single glance.
Damn, she was actually studying.
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Zuo Bian officially began her high school life. Having Qin Ai as her deskmate motivated her to study even harder.
The person she liked was right beside her, how could she afford to be distracted and get bad grades? That would leave a bad impression on Qin Ai.
Whenever Qin Ai glanced at her, Zuo Bian would instinctively straighten her back and focus even more intently on the blackboard.
Qin Ai felt like she was going crazy. What was she doing? Why was she paying attention to this new student? It was just a fleeting infatuation, based solely on looks. She would give up as soon as things got a bit difficult.
It had been a week since Zuo Bian transferred to their class. Apart from the first day’s aggressive pursuit, she had been studying the entire time. Qin Ai, on the other hand, had started to unconsciously observe Zuo Bian.
This wasn’t a good sign. Or was this the new student’s strategy?
Playing hard to get?
Qin Ai looked at Zuo Bian with a complex expression. Zuo Bian, feeling her gaze, turned and smiled at her.
Every feature on Zuo Bian’s face seemed to be meticulously sculpted, her skin fair, her eyes clear. Her smile made Qin Ai’s heart flutter.
“What are you smiling about? Pay attention in class.”
“Oh.” Zuo Bian immediately stopped smiling and returned to her studies.
But her obedience made Qin Ai feel uncomfortable. “You’re so spineless, doing whatever I tell you to do,” she thought to herself.
That day, the physics teacher assigned a difficult problem. Although Zuo Bian had high school knowledge, this problem was beyond the scope of their current syllabus, stumping her.
After class, she was still frowning, trying to solve the problem. Qin Ai rested her chin on her hand, seemingly looking out the window, but her gaze kept drifting towards Zuo Bian.
Liu Liu, who was always full of energy and couldn’t sit still during breaks, turned around excitedly. “Boss, it’s a thirty-minute break, should we go play basketball on the court? If you go, those idiots from Class Five will definitely give us the court.”
Qin Ai wasn’t interested in playing basketball. She would rather go for a motorcycle ride.
“No, I’m not interested,” she said lazily.
Liu Liu’s eyes darted between Qin Ai and Zuo Bian, then he nodded knowingly. “Oh, okay, I understand. I won’t disturb you and sister-in-law.”
He was about to make a run for it.
“Get lost!” Qin Ai, “embarrassed and angry,” threw the 126th eraser of the week, hitting Liu Liu squarely on the back of the head.
The teacher was a chalk-waster, and Qin Ai was an eraser-waster. No one in the class needed to buy erasers, they just picked up the ones Qin Ai threw at Liu Liu.
Liu Liu, unfazed by the eraser attack, ran out of the classroom like a puppy released from its leash. He bumped into Chang Wenyan, who was looking for Qin Ai.
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