《Time Traveling to 23 Years Later with My Ex-Boyfriend》


 Chapter 1

    "Qi Weichen, let''s break up."After enduring an agonizingly long semester, Chu Qing finally uttered these words.


    It was the last day of 2019. City A had been blanketed by a heavy snowfall overnight, turning the entire city white-headed. Due to the New Year''s Eve celebrations the night before, most people were still asleep at this hour. The usually bustling park was now occupied by only Chu Qing and Qi Weichen.


    After speaking those words, Chu Qing silently pinched her palm, reminding herself repeatedly not to waver. She tried to discern his expression through the tightly wrapped scarf covering half his face.


    "Why?" Qi Weichen finally spoke after a long silence. His voice, muffled by the scarf, sounded somewhat dejected at first listen.


    ...What a joke. Qi Weichen was a god, not a mere mortal. Gods don''t get dejected. Chu Qing found her momentary thought utterly absurd. "Can you take off your scarf first? I can barely hear you."


    "Cold," Qi Weichen replied with just one word, clearly expressing his refusal.


    See? Even at a time like this, he was still concerned about the temperature. Clearly, the breakup had no effect on him whatsoever. While relieved, Chu Qing also felt a twinge of disappointment. "We''ve been dating for half a year. Now that we''re breaking up, you won''t even show your face?"


    Qi Weichen remained silent. After a while, he handed her the things he was carrying. Chu Qing instinctively took them, then watched as he removed his scarf, revealing his handsome face.


    He was exceptionally good-looking, with eyes like a winter''s night - dark pupils exuding a cool aura that captivated the gaze. His nose was high and straight, his lips perfectly proportioned. With sharp features and a cold demeanor, standing at 185 cm tall with fair skin, always impeccably dressed in his clean school uniform and white sneakers, he stood out like a crane among chickens in the sea of scruffy high school students.


    It was his superior looks that had initially led Chu Qing down this path of no return.


    "Why break up?" Qi Weichen asked again. Without the scarf''s obstruction, his clear, deep voice reached Chu Qing''s ears unimpeded.


    Chu Qing had her reasons prepared: "The college entrance exam is in six months. I want to focus on studying."


    Qi Weichen gazed at her silently, his eyes devoid of emotion.


    Chu Qing dreaded when he looked at her like this. She coughed awkwardly and told the truth: "Fine, it''s actually because we''re not compatible. Dating should be a happy affair, but it''s been nothing but exhausting for both of us..."


    "I don''t find it exhausting," Qi Weichen interjected, a rare occurrence.


    Chu Qing sighed, "Well, I do! I''m just not cut out for studying. I can''t keep up with you!"


    When she had initially pursued him so relentlessly, she never imagined she''d end up with a father figure! Since they got together, she''d had no freedom. He was constantly either watching her study or tutoring her himself. Their most frequent date spot was the library, and their most common activity was doing homework.


    After a semester of this torment, Chu Qing''s final grades had improved slightly, but at the cost of her reputation as the boss of No. 1 High School of City A. Her former underlings now avoided her, and no one called her "Boss Chu" anymore.


    Most importantly, despite all her miserable cooperation, their relationship hadn''t progressed at all. After six months of dating, they had only reached the hand-holding stage, and even that was limited to special occasions. She strongly felt that Qi Weichen simply enjoyed the feeling of nurturing an underachiever, and dating was just an excuse.


    This semester had been the most painful of her entire school life. The worst part was that all of Qi Weichen''s actions were ostensibly for her own good, and she wasn''t good at refusing attractive people. That''s why she had kept putting off the breakup until today, when she finally mustered the resolve to end it for good.


    "We''re just not on the same path. I''m beyond help, and no amount of your teaching can improve my scores much. Continuing this relationship would only hold you back. It''s better to break up now and stop wasting your time," Chu Qing explained earnestly.


    "It won''t," Qi Weichen said coolly.


    Chu Qing insisted sincerely, "It will."


    Qi Weichen fell silent, his dark eyes fixed on her.


    Chu Qing couldn''t meet his gaze anymore. She lowered her head awkwardly, noticing his belongings still in her hands. Searching for something to say, she asked, "What''s all this anyway?"


    "Sunflower seeds, peanuts, hand warmers, some snacks, and a few exam practice books," Qi Weichen replied.


    Chu Qing paused, feeling a hint of touched, "Are these for me?"


    "They''re for my girlfriend," Qi Weichen said flatly.


    Chu Qing''s feelings of being touched vanished instantly. "...So now that we''ve broken up, you''re not giving them to me anymore, right?"


    Qi Weichen lowered his gaze without a word. The sky began to snow heavily again, with snowflakes landing on his lowered eyelashes and quickly melting, leaving his eyes and brows looking damp.


    Seeing his silence, Chu Qing didn''t want to make things difficult for him. She handed the items back to him, "Forget it, I don''t want them. Keep them for yourself."


    However, Qi Weichen didn''t reach out to take them. After waiting for a while, Chu Qing had to put them in his hands herself. Thinking there was nothing left to say, she scratched her head awkwardly and said, "Well... I''ll be going then."


    Qi Weichen''s eyelashes fluttered, but he remained silent.


    Chu Qing sighed and turned to leave. Just as she turned, she saw the ghostly image of a car rushing out of the park''s fountain, heading straight for them. Startled, Chu Qing grabbed Qi Weichen''s arm and pulled him to the side, falling to the ground. As they fell, her vision went black for a moment, followed by a ringing in her ears.


    This sensation lasted only a few seconds before she fully recovered. Her first instinct was to ask Qi Weichen, who had also fallen: "Are you okay?"


    Qi Weichen didn''t answer, instead frowning as he looked behind her. Chu Qing paused, following his gaze. She saw a long, wide road behind them, bustling with traffic. They were right in the middle of the road, in a very dangerous position.


    "How...?" Chu Qing''s eyes widened in shock as she looked back at Qi Weichen.


    Qi Weichen, somewhat calmer than her, asked after a moment of silence, "Do you feel very hot?"


    Chu Qing was taken aback, only then becoming aware of the heat. Not just her body, but the air and the road were hot too. The sun blazed overhead, and the lush willow trees lining the road and the colorful flowers in the green belts all indicated that it was definitely not winter.


    Chu Qing''s mind couldn''t process it all, and she stared at Qi Weichen in bewilderment. "What happened?"


    "I don''t know," Qi Weichen met her gaze, still composed, "but we can ask."


    Chu Qing: "..."


    Half an hour later, they had shed all the clothes they could, now sitting in the shade by the roadside wearing only trousers and sweaters. Chu Qing rolled up her sweater sleeves, still red-faced from the heat. "So, we''ve time-traveled to 2042?"


    "Mm," Qi Weichen''s response was brief.


    Chu Qing slapped her thigh in frustration, "This is absurd! I was just dodging a car, how did we end up time-traveling?! I had plans to go to the internet cafe the day after tomorrow, how am I supposed to go now?!"


    "Even without the time travel, you wouldn''t be able to go," Qi Weichen glanced at her.


    Chu Qing looked at him, "Why?" Sea?ch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The flu situation is serious. Group entertainment venues will likely be closed," Qi Weichen''s temples were also covered in sweat, but he spoke as calmly as ever. "Even if they''re not, I suggest you stay home and do a couple more sets of practice papers instead of going out."


    At the mere mention of going out, he started lecturing. Chu Qing, already dehydrated, deflated even more. "Let''s not talk about the internet cafe now. What should we do? Go home?"


    "We can''t go home. The technology in 2042 can''t support time travel. Our journey here was probably accidental. Without knowing the exact circumstances, if you rashly try to return, you might attract the attention of special agencies," Qi Weichen''s voice flowed like a cool stream in the sweltering weather.


    However, Chu Qing felt her head was about to explode. "I don''t want their attention!"


    "Then we shouldn''t contact anyone for now," Qi Weichen said calmly.


    Chu Qing stared at him blankly, then finally despaired: "We can''t use our own identities, can''t contact our families. Are we going to live here as undocumented residents?"


    Qi Weichen remained silent for a long time before responding, "No, we''ll soon know whether we can go home or not."


    "How will we know?" Chu Qing asked immediately.


    "First, we need to determine if we can return to 2019," Qi Weichen said, then noticing Chu Qing''s confused look, he paused before explaining, "After time-traveling, there are two possibilities: either we''re stuck here and can never go back, or we''ll travel back to our normal time at some point in the future."


    "What''s the difference?" Under the blazing sun and wearing thick clothes, Chu Qing''s brain was barely functioning.


    "If it''s the former, it means in our families'' eyes, we''ve been missing for 23 years. In this case, there wouldn''t be two versions of us in the same timeline, so we could go home directly. If it''s the latter," Qi Weichen paused, his gaze cool but with a hint of determination, "I believe that if I return and grow up normally to age 41, I would come to help myself within three hours."


    "What?"


    "It''s now 3 PM on August 25, 2042, Beijing time. We''re at the intersection of Haifeng Road and Lin Yin Road in District C of City A. If my 41-year-old self doesn''t show up within three hours, it means I didn''t manage to travel back to 2019 in the future, and there''s only one Qi Weichen in this 2042 timeline." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of a nearby convenience store as he calmly explained this.


    Chu Qing looked at him in awe, feeling like an idiot. Although she didn''t fully understand, she felt he was incredibly smart.


    Qi Weichen glanced at her, then went to the convenience store. He returned moments later with two bottles of ice-cold water, unscrewed the cap of one, and handed it to her. Chu Qing quickly took it and gulped down two mouthfuls. The cold sensation traveled from her throat to her stomach, making her sigh in relief. Only then did she think to ask, "How did you get these?"


    "I bought them."


    "...It''s been over 20 years, your money still works?" Chu Qing was a bit shocked.


    Qi Weichen nodded, casually explaining, "Technology has advanced rapidly. The cash register can not only verify authenticity but also determine the value of non-circulating currency. I gave the shopkeeper 100, and he gave me a bottle of water plus 300 in new paper currency."


    Chu Qing: "..." As expected of you.


    Although they had suddenly jumped from winter to summer and 23 years into the future, with such a genius by her side, Chu Qing had calmed down considerably. She lazily sat next to him, whiling away the time.


    One hour passed.


    Two hours passed.


    Chu Qing had already drunk three bottles of water, but still no one had come for them. She uncertainly asked the person beside her, "Is it possible that after you time travel back, you''ll forget about coming to save yourself?"


    "Impossible," Qi Weichen said with absolute certainty.


    Chu Qing thought to herself, "How do you know it''s impossible when you haven''t even gone back yet?" But knowing she couldn''t out-reason him, she wisely kept quiet.


    They continued to wait. With less than twenty minutes left until 6 PM, Chu Qing felt every minute and second dragging on endlessly. She looked at Qi Weichen countless times, and each time she saw the sweat on his temples, she wanted to say, "Let''s give up," but couldn''t bring herself to say anything.


    Just as the clock in the convenience store was about to strike 6 PM, with only one minute left, Chu Qing spoke with mixed emotions, "It seems we''re in the first scenario. Now we should..."


    Before she could finish, Qi Weichen suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. Chu Qing paused, then quickly followed his gaze.


    They saw a man in his early forties, balding, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and black suit pants, hurrying towards them. When he spotted them, he waved urgently, then wiped the sweat from his face with his hand, casually wiping it on his pants.


    Chu Qing swallowed hard, then after a moment managed to say, "You''re quite... well-built at 41, huh?"

 Chapter 2

    As soon as Chu Qing finished speaking, the usually composed Qi Weichen''s fingertips trembled slightly before he regained his composure. "That''s not me," he said."Hm?"


    "I''m 18 years old now, 185 cm tall, and if my growth plates haven''t closed, I might still grow taller. But that man looks to be less than 180 cm, which is significantly shorter than me, so he can''t possibly be me at 41," Qi Weichen explained calmly.


    Chu Qing looked at him and said, "Not necessarily. Don''t they say people shrink as they get older? Maybe that''s you after shrinking."


    "41 is still in one''s prime," Qi Weichen replied, meeting her gaze steadily.


    As the two silently stared at each other, the middle-aged man ran over, wiping sweat from his eyes. He frowned and asked them, "Chu Qing, Qi Weichen?"


    "That''s us," Chu Qing responded immediately.


    "I''m the dorm supervisor from Chengde High School, here to pick you up. I was supposed to arrive around 3 PM, but I got held up. Let''s get in the car quickly, and I''ll arrange your accommodation," the middle-aged man said. Then, noticing their attire, he paused, "Why are you dressed so warmly on such a hot day?"


    "Who sent you to pick us up?" Chu Qing quickly changed the subject.


    The man''s attention was indeed diverted. "Your parents, of course. But the principal didn''t give me specific information. I only know the surname Qi. Didn''t your family tell you that Teacher Wang would come to pick you up?"


    Chu Qing hesitantly looked at Qi Weichen. Under the sun, the young man''s eyes gleamed coolly. After staring at the man for a long while, he lowered his gaze and said to Chu Qing, "Let''s go with him."


    "Okay." With the big boss Qi giving the order, Chu Qing quickly agreed.


    The man immediately beckoned them to follow him across the street to board the school van. Though called a school van, it was actually an expensive-looking seven-seater business vehicle with no one else inside, clearly sent specifically to pick up the two of them.


    As soon as they entered the air-conditioned car, Chu Qing let out a long sigh of relief, her spirits visibly recovering. Qi Weichen, on the other hand, looked pale and hadn''t said a word since getting in the car, so quiet that he barely had any presence.


    "Do you want some water?" Chu Qing asked, looking at him with concern.


    He shook his head slightly, then nodded once, pursing his lips without saying a word. Chu Qing unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to him. After he took a few sips, she instinctively took it back, but just as she was about to drink, she suddenly remembered that they had broken up, and it might not be appropriate to drink from the same bottle he had used.


    "Why aren''t you drinking?" Qi Weichen said his first words since getting in the car.


    Chu Qing gave an awkward smile, tightened the cap, and placed the bottle next to him. Qi Weichen silently looked at her for a moment but ultimately said nothing.


    "You two, aren''t you hot dressed like that?" the dorm supervisor asked again while driving.


    Chu Qing coughed and vaguely replied, "We''ve been away for so long, we forgot to check the weather forecast..."


    "You must be coming back from the Southern Hemisphere, right? It''s winter there now," the dorm supervisor, now in the comfort of air conditioning, became more talkative and his tone friendlier. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chu Qing laughed dryly a couple of times, afraid of saying too much and making mistakes, so she fell silent. Finding the ride boring, she leaned against the window to look outside, but couldn''t find a single familiar road. The only thing that seemed slightly familiar was what used to be City A''s largest shopping mall, which now had a big ''DEMOLISH'' sign on its outer wall.


    The 18-year-old Chu Qing rarely felt melancholic about how things had changed, but now she did. She retracted her gaze a bit dejectedly, simultaneously feeling grateful that they were heading to Chengde High School, her and Qi Weichen''s alma mater. No matter what, being able to go to a place she was very familiar with was a comfort to her at this moment.


    Half an hour later, Chu Qing stood at the gate of Chengde High School, looking at the luxurious iron fence gate and the Western-style buildings visible through it with a loss for words. She struggled to ask the dorm supervisor beside her, "This is Chengde?"


    "Yes, it''s your first time here, right? I''ll arrange your accommodation first, then you can explore on your own," the dorm supervisor said as he walked into the school.


    Chu Qing hurried to catch up, trying different ways to inquire, "I remember Chengde High School used to be quite run-down. When did it become so nice?"


    "I''ve been working here for over a decade, and it''s always been City A''s best private high school. Who told you it was run-down?" The dorm supervisor gave her a strange look.


    Chu Qing laughed awkwardly and instinctively looked to the side, but finding no one there, she quickly turned her head to see Qi Weichen walking at a leisurely pace. She urged him to hurry up. Qi Weichen silently looked at her and quietly quickened his steps.


    The two followed the dorm supervisor, passing through the teaching building and the playground to reach the dormitory area. The entire dormitory area was enclosed by walls, forming its own space within the vast school grounds, much like a small residential community.


    At this moment, there were only a few people in the dormitory area, each looking as leisurely as if they were out for a stroll. Noticing the curiosity in Chu Qing''s eyes, the dorm supervisor explained, "Registration starts tomorrow and the day after, with classes officially beginning the day after that. Not many people have arrived today. Oh, and your suitcases are with the security guard. Follow me."


    Chu Qing quickly nodded and followed. As she did, she noticed that Qi Weichen had fallen behind again. She hesitated for a moment but still slowed her pace. Qi Weichen glanced at her and quietly followed behind her.


    By the time the two reached the security office, the dorm supervisor had already brought out two large suitcases. He handed the pink one to Chu Qing and the black one to Qi Weichen, then took out an envelope and gave it to Qi Weichen. "Your daily necessities are in the suitcases. This letter is for you."


    Qi Weichen took it but didn''t open it immediately, instead folding it and putting it in his pocket. The dorm supervisor didn''t mind and directly gave each of them a key. "You''re both in Class 2, Grade 12. Qi Weichen, you''re in a double room, and Chu Qing, you''re in a single room. The room numbers are on the keys. You can go directly there."


    "Why are our rooms different?" Chu Qing asked curiously.


    The dorm supervisor paused for a moment. "How would I know? The rooms are chosen individually. There are single, double, and quad rooms. It must have been requested by your parents for the school to arrange it this way."


    "Okay, thank you, teacher," Chu Qing said. Although she was even more confused, seeing that he didn''t know either, she didn''t pursue the matter further.


    The dorm supervisor distributed the keys to the two of them. "Alright, there''s nothing else. Just remember to report to your class before 7:30 AM the day after tomorrow. Do you have any other questions?"


    "Yes!" Chu Qing quickly raised her hand. "Where''s the infirmary?"


    Qi Weichen looked at her. "Are you feeling unwell?"


    "No, no," Chu Qing laughed awkwardly.


    Qi Weichen observed her for a moment, and seeing that she seemed fine, didn''t pursue the matter. The dorm supervisor gave them the specific location of the infirmary, and after confirming they had no more questions, he turned and left.


    As soon as he left, Chu Qing urged Qi Weichen, "The letter, take it out and let''s have a look."


    Qi Weichen glanced at her and silently took out the letter to read. It contained only a few short lines:


    "She and I will be participating in a national research project from June 2042. We won''t be able to contact anyone for a year and a half. There are temporary IDs and necessary living expenses in the suitcase. Stay at school with peace of mind. Before returning to 2019, countless surprises await you."


    In total, there were less than a hundred characters. Chu Qing read it over and over more than a dozen times, and finally asked him uncertainly, "The ''she'' mentioned here... is it me?"


    Qi Weichen spoke rigorously, "There''s no evidence to suggest it''s you."


    That''s true... Chu Qing furrowed her brow and carefully read it once more. "Does this mean that as long as we stay here, we can travel back to our original time?"


    "Mm." This time, Qi Weichen gave an affirmative answer.


    Chu Qing smiled, no longer dwelling on whether the Qing Qing mentioned was herself or not. "That''s fine then. Let''s just stay here and wait to go home... It''s just a shame about my vacation. I barely had two days to enjoy it, and now I have to go back to school."


    The thought of school starting the day after tomorrow made her melancholic again.


    Qi Weichen glanced at her sweat-dampened hair and her cheeks that were as red as apples. His eyelashes lowered. "Let''s go back to the dorms and change clothes first."


    "Right, I''ll go check out my room first. A single room, wow! Your character must be really good to be so generous to an ex-girlfriend from over 20 years ago," Chu Qing praised him, knowing that her current stability was thanks to him.


    However, Qi Weichen merely took back the letter from her hand coldly and went to find his dormitory building, pulling his suitcase along. Chu Qing was already accustomed to his temperament. Noticing his pace was much slower than usual, she also headed off to find her dorm, dragging her suitcase.


    The dormitory buildings were neatly arranged, so Qi Weichen easily found his building. Following the room number on his key, he located his dorm and went straight in.


    The living conditions were good. Both beds had desks underneath, with wardrobes next to the desks. The room had air conditioning, and a partitioned balcony housed a washbasin. Opposite the washbasin was a bathroom. Essentially, the dorm had everything one would need.


    Qi Weichen quietly walked around the room before opening his suitcase. Apart from daily necessities and clothes, he saw a mobile phone on top. He silently took out the phone and turned it on. Opening the contacts, there was only one number saved, with the contact name "Qing Qing".


    Qi Weichen lowered his gaze to the phone, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes. After an indeterminate amount of time, he heard a knock at the door. He got up to open it, but there was no one outside. On the ground lay a box of Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid and a box of talcum powder.


    Qi Weichen picked up the items and brought them back into the room. After drinking a bottle of the Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid, he took a shower. When he came out, he changed into the short-sleeved shirt and shorts from his suitcase. As soon as he put on the summer clothes, the red rash that had developed under his thick clothes was exposed. He applied the talcum powder to his body, which significantly reduced the itching sensation.


    While Qi Weichen was settling in, Chu Qing wasn''t idle either. After taking a refreshing cold shower, she lay down on the spacious 1.8-meter bed in her dorm, enjoying the air conditioning and marveling at Qi Weichen''s generosity towards his ex-girlfriend.


    She had just used her new phone to look up information about the present-day Chengde High School. She discovered that fifteen years ago, the school had changed its principal and board of directors, transforming it into City A''s largest private elite school. It was no longer the ordinary high school she remembered. The fact that the 41-year-old Qi Weichen could casually arrange for them to attend this school suggested he must be doing quite well for himself.


    ...Well, of course. He was a genius, a being who crushed everything with his intellect during his student years. How could he possibly fare poorly in society? As for herself, she didn''t even know which restaurant she might be washing dishes in now. The underachiever Chu Qing felt sorry for herself for three seconds before connecting to the Wi-Fi and downloading mobile games from 2042.


    Since moving into the dorm, Chu Qing hadn''t gone to find Qi Weichen again. She spent two days playing games alone in her room before the first day of school finally arrived on the third day.


    Based on Chu Qing''s past experience, students would be assigned to new classes each year, and the initial seating arrangements were on a first-come, first-served basis. Although she wasn''t sure about the rules in 2042, she still set her alarm for 6:30 AM and headed to class at 7 AM, all packed and ready.


    Unfortunately, when she arrived at the classroom door, it was still locked. However, there were already a few people waiting outside, one of whom was Qi Weichen. With his fair and handsome looks, he was an eye-catching presence wherever he went. Just standing there, he had already caught the attention of many girls.


    Chu Qing originally didn''t want to talk to him, but from the moment she appeared, Qi Weichen had been quietly watching her. Although his gaze wasn''t intimidating, being stared at like that made Chu Qing feel quite pressured.


    Left with no choice, she walked over to greet him: "You''re here so early."


    "Mm."


    ...Great, this response left her with nothing else to say. Chu Qing breathed a sigh of relief and was about to move elsewhere when she felt his gaze following her.


    Her mouth twitched, and she tried to make conversation again: "How''s your roommate? Is he easy to get along with?"


    "Don''t know," Qi Weichen replied.


    Chu Qing paused for a moment: "What do you mean, you don''t know?"


    "Haven''t seen him."


    Chu Qing suddenly understood: "Oh, he hasn''t arrived yet. I thought something had happened."


    As the two were engaged in this awkward conversation, a bespectacled woman in her thirties approached. She unlocked the door, wrote "Choose your own seats" on the blackboard, and then left. This suited Chu Qing perfectly. While others were choosing seats in the middle front, she quickly ran to the last row by the wall and sat down.


    Qi Weichen had just claimed two seats in the front rows when he realized he couldn''t find her. After looking around, he finally spotted her in the corner. Chu Qing sensed something and looked up, meeting his cool gaze. She immediately lowered her head, pretending she hadn''t seen anything.


    Qi Weichen lowered his eyes and, after a while, quietly took back the books he had placed on the adjacent seat.


    Seeing that Qi Weichen didn''t come to find her, Chu Qing couldn''t help but feel relieved. This spot was the classroom''s blind spot. Whether it was the teacher during class or leaders inspecting the room, it was difficult to see small movements here. She had always considered this spot a feng shui treasure, which was why she came so early every new semester to grab this seat. Later, when she started dating Qi Weichen, she was forced to sit in the front row with him. Now that she finally had the chance to return to this spot, she definitely wasn''t going to give it up.


    It was almost 7:30 AM, and there were still few people in the classroom. With the keen sense of an underachiever, Chu Qing immediately detected the lax atmosphere of the school. She promptly lay her head on the desk and started catching up on sleep.


    Having played on her phone all night and woken up early in the morning, she quickly fell into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, this pleasant slumber didn''t last long before she felt someone tapping her shoulder.


    "Hey, wake up. You''re sitting in our boss''s seat," a boy''s arrogant voice came from above.


    Chu Qing let out a displeased grunt, not intending to respond. However, the person became more aggressive and started shaking her desk. This thoroughly annoyed Chu Qing. She sat up impatiently and squinted at the boy in front of her.


    The boy, who had been putting on a fierce act, was taken aback when he saw her face. He instantly regretted intimidating such a pretty female classmate. Just as he was regretting his actions and thinking of how to make amends, this pretty classmate, with a face that was both pure and cute, spoke calmly: "I claimed this seat first. Are you fucking blind?"


    The boy was stunned.


    While he was in shock, the two boys behind him burst out laughing. The boy''s face immediately turned red with anger, no longer caring about her prettiness: "Move your ass now! Everyone in Chengde knows this seat is our boss''s feng shui treasure. Only our boss can sit here!"


    Chu Qing glanced at the front rows, and seeing that Qi Weichen wasn''t in his seat, she completely let loose. Leaning lazily against the back wall, she sneered and said, "Fuck off."


    In confrontations like this, what''s most infuriating is when one side is giving their all, while the other remains cool and indifferent. The boy was completely set off by her disdainful attitude. He was about to rush over and teach her a lesson when he heard a small commotion behind him. Then, the boys following him tugged at him, and he immediately smirked: "Our boss is here. Let''s see if you can still act so tough."


    Chu Qing raised an eyebrow and looked towards the classroom door. She saw a tall young man wearing a black mask. With his oversized T-shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers, he exuded an aura of arrogance. Everywhere he passed fell silent, as if intimidated by his presence.


    However, Chu Qing didn''t care about any of that. Her attention was entirely focused on his hair, which was dyed in a rainbow of colors, resembling a turkey. Her mind was filled with just one question¡ª


    Doesn''t his mom beat him for dyeing his hair like that?

 Chapter 3

    As soon as the young man entered the classroom, the previously agitated male student suddenly felt emboldened. He ran over, pointing at Chu Qing sitting in a seat, and tattled, "Boss, it''s her! She''s been sitting in your spot and refuses to move no matter what I say!"The young man looked in the direction he was pointing, instantly locking eyes with Chu Qing. He was stunned for a moment, his gaze suddenly turning peculiar.


    At first, Chu Qing''s attention was entirely focused on his colorful rooster-like hairstyle. After being stared at for a while, she reluctantly shifted her gaze downward. Their eyes met immediately in midair, and she too was momentarily stunned when she saw his eyes.


    ... Why did this kid''s eyes look so similar to Qi Weichen''s?


    Upon closer inspection, they weren''t exactly the same. Qi Weichen''s eyes were like a cold winter pond, always unconsciously exuding a sense of coolness, naturally distant. This kid was different - his small eyes were like those of a pampered cat, innocent and naive, yet also familiar and annoying... bristling with attitude.


    Although being woken up halfway through her nap was irritating, Chu Qing found herself unable to dislike this rooster-haired kid. She didn''t feel like bothering with him anymore.


    However, while she was willing to let it go, others weren''t ready to drop the matter. The boy who had been yelling at her earlier now stood next to the rooster-haired kid with a sycophantic expression: "Boss, everyone''s watching. You''ve got to teach her a lesson. If people find out a little girl took your seat, how are we going to survive in Chengde High School?"


    The young man was still staring at Chu Qing, completely ignoring what the other boy said. He walked straight over, tossed his backpack on the desk in front of Chu Qing, and kept staring at her face. "Hey, where are you from?"


    The young man was about as tall as Qi Weichen. Suddenly standing in front of her, staring like that, most people would have felt intimidated. However, Chu Qing didn''t feel uncomfortable at all. She just told him matter-of-factly, "This is my desk."


    The young man had a curse on the tip of his tongue, but facing her, he couldn''t utter a single word. After holding back for three seconds, he pulled up a chair and sat down across from her impatiently. "I''m not talking about the desk. I asked where you''re from. What''s your name?"


    The boy who had just been playing the sycophant''s mouth fell open, looking at his back in shock. A few other boys familiar with the young man also exchanged glances, and after a while, someone whispered, "The boss is asking a girl''s name for the first time. Could he have taken a liking to her?"


    "I think so too. She''s so pretty... but why does she look so familiar? Don''t you guys think she looks a lot like the boss?"


    "I can hear you," the young man frowned.


    The little followers immediately quieted down like quails, standing still and not daring to make a sound.


    "Hey, speak up," the young man stared at Chu Qing.


    Chu Qing glanced at him, innocently pushed the backpack on the desk, and it fell to the ground with a clear thud. There were several audible gasps in the classroom, and those who had been following the young man looked even more incredulous.


    Just when everyone thought Chu Qing was in for trouble, the young man merely yanked off his mask irritably, revealing his handsome face. Chu Qing was a bit surprised. She hadn''t expected that not only did his eyes resemble Qi Weichen''s, but even his face shape and nose were somewhat similar. It''s just that his lips were redder than Qi Weichen''s, and the shape was a bit different... but also familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.


    ... Could this kid be some relative of Qi Weichen''s? As soon as this thought occurred to her, Chu Qing asked directly, "What''s your name?"


    "Damn, who''s asking who here?" The young man grew increasingly agitated, but for some reason, he was trying hard to suppress his anger.


    ... What a temper, Chu Qing clicked her tongue. "My name is Chu Qing. Do you need something?"


    The young man was stunned for a moment. "What did you say your name was?"


    "Chu Qing. ''Chu'' as in ''to store'', ''Qing'' as in ''clear sky''. Chu Qing." After introducing herself, Chu Qing looked at the young man''s dumbfounded face and suddenly felt she was being incredibly patient.


    After a while, the young man''s eyes suddenly turned sharp. "Impossible! How could you be called Chu Qing?!"


    "Why would I lie to you? Do you want to see my ID card?" In 2042, physical ID cards had been replaced by ID chips, a multi-functional chip that combined identification, medical insurance, and savings accounts. It was prepared for her by the 41-year-old Qi Weichen.


    After saying this, she pulled out her ID chip and openly showed it to the young man.


    After seeing the name on it, the young man remained silent with a cold face for a long time. Finally, he asked with furrowed brows, "Why do you have this name?"


    "Can you leave now?" Chu Qing''s patience was waning, and she flashed him a fake smile.


    This smile felt all too familiar to him. The young man could feel his hands starting to tremble, but he still persisted in asking, "Who gave you this name?"


    "My mom."


    "Who told you to come to this school?" The young man''s expression grew increasingly serious.


    Chu Qing''s patience had completely run out. She replied expressionlessly, making up an answer, "My mom."


    The young man stared at her intently. After a long while, he stood up irritably, paced in circles for a bit, then turned to leave. The boy who had been urging him to teach Chu Qing a lesson quickly blocked his way. "Boss, class is about to start. Where are you going?"


    "Where am I going... I''m not going anywhere." The young man came to his senses, barely managing to calm down.


    The boy glanced at Chu Qing, saw that she was preparing to go back to sleep on the desk, and immediately became furious. "Boss, you really like her?"


    "Don''t talk nonsense," the young man paused after speaking, then said something that completely contradicted his rebellious appearance, "My mom doesn''t allow me to date early."


    Those familiar with him knew he always listened to his mother. Hearing this, they immediately realized he had no interest in Chu Qing. So the boy started to feel at ease and began to stir things up again. "Since you''re not interested, what are you waiting for, Boss? Everyone in Chengde High School knows the last row by the wall is your spot. If this little girl takes it, imagine how much you''ll be laughed at!"


    "Right, the seat," the young man finally snapped back to reality and returned to Chu Qing. He knocked on her desk, "Hey, move over a bit. This is my seat."


    Chu Qing had been pestered all morning and was thoroughly annoyed now. She sat up straight and looked at him, "Why should I?"


    The young man had a hair-trigger temper, but facing her, for some reason, he couldn''t get angry at all. "Just move over one seat. You can sit next to me. It''s not much different."


    "I want this seat. You can sit next to me. It''s not much different." Chu Qing repeated his words with a different tone, doubling the arrogance and annoyance factor.


    Before the young man could speak, the boy behind him couldn''t hold back anymore. "Hey, Chu Qing! Don''t be ungrateful!"


    "Don''t call her name so casually!" the young man rebuked with an uncomfortable expression. The boy immediately fell silent.


    The young man furrowed his brows, trying to reason with someone for the first time. "This area is where all the troublemakers who don''t like studying sit. If you sit here, you might not get into college."


    Chu Qing stared at him expressionlessly. "Just tell me, what will it take for you all to shut up?"


    "Damn..." The young man held back, but finally couldn''t help letting out a curse.


    The boy who had been holding back for a long time immediately chimed in, "Boss, teach her a lesson!"


    "Shut up, you sycophant," Chu Qing glanced at him dismissively.


    The boy was confused. Who... who''s a sycophant?


    The young man stared at Chu Qing with furrowed brows, feeling a mix of irritation and dejection, seemingly unsure of how to deal with her. Chu Qing, being stared at like this, lost all her sleepiness. So she stared back at him with a straight face. Just as the two were locked in a staring contest and the atmosphere was becoming tense, Qi Weichen walked in from outside. He paused for a moment when he saw several tall boys surrounding Chu Qing.


    Chu Qing noticed Qi Weichen walking towards them and immediately waved at him. "I''m fine, go back to your seat." She couldn''t afford to lose this battle today, or it would be hard to establish her authority in the future. At a time like this, she didn''t want Qi Weichen to get involved.


    Qi Weichen stopped in his tracks but didn''t return to his seat as she said. He just stood there, looking at her intently. The young man''s friend glanced at Qi Weichen and couldn''t help but blurt out, "Holy crap, they look alike!"


    The young man frowned slightly and casually turned his head to look back. When he saw Qi Weichen''s face, he froze abruptly. As Qi Weichen''s eyes met his, even his usually calm gaze seemed to show a hint of change.


    The young man felt like he could barely breathe, his whole body going numb. After a long moment, he managed to choke out: "What the f***?"


    "Don''t use foul language," Qi Weichen said.


    That familiar tone, that familiar expression - the young man''s temple throbbed with a pulsing vein. "...What''s your name?" he asked.


    "Qi Weichen," Qi Weichen replied coolly.


    Chu Qing glanced at him in surprise, not expecting the usually aloof top student to bother engaging with this colorful turkey chick of a boy.


    The young man''s Adam''s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. After a moment, he struggled to compose himself and asked: "Who gave you that name?"


    "My father."


    "Who sent you to Chengde?" the young man pressed.


    Fearing Qi Weichen wouldn''t know how to lie, Chu Qing quickly interrupted before he could answer: "His father too. Can''t you ask something else? What''s the point of asking everyone these same two questions?"


    The young man looked like a camel about to collapse under the final straw. He stood there between Chu Qing and Qi Weichen, his gaze darting back and forth between their faces. Finally, summoning his last ounce of strength, he asked: "Are you two... from the same parents?"


    "What nonsense! Of course not!" Chu Qing exclaimed, handing him that final straw.


    The young man clenched his fists tightly, stood still for a moment, then abruptly turned and strode away. One of his cronies called out "Boss!" in alarm and hurried after him. The others were about to follow when Qi Weichen blocked their path.


    "What''s his name?" Qi Weichen asked calmly.


    Though they had been anxious to leave, something about Qi Weichen''s cool, detached gaze made them instinctively stand at attention and answer: "Qi Muyang."


    "Qi Muyang," Qi Weichen repeated softly, his lowered lashes hiding all trace of his thoughts.


    By the time Qi Weichen had stopped the others to ask for the name, Qi Muyang had already run far away. With his long legs and good stamina, he quickly outpaced his crony. It took an hour of frantically searching the school before the lackey finally found him.


    When the crony found Qi Muyang on the roof of the teaching building, he had already calmed down and was staring blankly at his phone.


    The exhausted lackey collapsed next to him, glancing up at the blazing sun overhead before gulping and asking: "Boss, aren''t you hot?"


    Qi Muyang said nothing.


    The crony peeked at his phone screen. The battery was down to less than 5%, with the call log open showing dozens of outgoing calls to contacts labeled "Dad" and "Mom" at the top. Clearly that''s how the battery had drained so quickly.


    "Boss, didn''t you say your aunt and uncle went away on a project and couldn''t be contacted for a year and a half? Why are you calling them now?" the lackey asked, puzzled.


    "I had something to ask them," Qi Muyang replied grimly, not wanting to say a word more. He looked like he''d suffered a massive blow.


    "But you still can''t reach them now, can you?" said the crony.


    Qi Muyang remained silent.


    The lackey wiped away some sweat, asking worriedly: "Boss, what''s going on? Why are you acting so strangely today? Is it because of the seating, or those two people? Just say the word and I''ll round up the guys to teach them a lesson and get your throne in the corner back!"


    "I''m not in the mood to deal with seating right now. Let her sit there if she wants... And don''t touch those two," Qi Muyang said, then lowered his head, looking more dejected than ever before. sea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The crony stared at him in shock. "Boss! What''s wrong with you? That''s your favorite spot - how can you just give it up like that?! And you''re not even going to get back at them?!"


    Qi Muyang glanced at him. "You wouldn''t understand."


    "I''ll understand if you explain it to me, Boss," the lackey said eagerly, leaning in closer.


    Catching a whiff of the crony''s body odor, Qi Muyang wrinkled his nose and scooted back. Once at a safe distance, he began in a world-weary tone: "If I''m not mistaken, those two are probably children my parents had from affairs. My half-brother from my father, and my half-sister from my mother."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 4

    Seeing the foolish expression on his lackey''s face, Qi Muyang moved further away in disgust: "I told you that you wouldn''t understand, so stop asking!""...No, who could understand this?" The lackey came to his senses, staring at him in disbelief. After a long moment, he finally managed to say, "Didn''t you say your parents had a great relationship and were the envy of the whole county?"


    "Yes." Mentioning his parents, Qi Muyang''s eyes filled with even more gloom.


    Lackey: "Then isn''t that enough? If their relationship is so good, how could they both be cheating? Maybe you''ve misunderstood."


    Qi Muyang opened his phone''s photo album with a tense face, scrolled for a bit, then clicked on a somewhat blurry photo. "This was taken when my parents were 21. Do you think I''m misunderstanding?"


    The lackey craned his neck to look. When he saw the two people holding hands in the photo, his mouth dropped open in shock: "This... this... Even twins don''t look this alike!" Except for not being as mature as the two in the photo, the pair in the classroom looked exactly the same.


    "You see it too, right?" Qi Muyang took a deep breath, barely resisting the urge to throw his phone.


    The lackey pondered for three seconds: "Could they be your parents'' younger siblings? I heard that when they opened up the two-child policy over twenty years ago, many people had second children at an older age. Is it possible..."


    "It''s not possible. Would you give your second child the same name as your first?" Qi Muyang cut him off.


    The lackey was stunned for a moment: "What do you mean?"


    "Those two from earlier, the girl is called Chu Qing, and the boy is Qi Weichen," Qi Muyang said, then paused before adding with a disgusted face, "The same as my parents'' names."


    After he said this, silence fell over the rooftop. The sun at noon had already started to show its power, baking the air and the concrete surface.


    "...You mean your parents gave their illegitimate children the same names as themselves," the lackey tried to summarize, then asked with a sincere face, "What were your parents thinking?"


    "How would I know what they were thinking," Qi Muyang said impatiently. "I guess they felt guilty about their illegitimate children, so they gave them their own names. Doesn''t this happen often in foreign countries?"


    "Your parents are really something... But it''s also possible they just wanted to annoy each other," the lackey added, but quickly backtracked when he received a dissatisfied look from Qi Muyang, "Of course, your parents'' relationship is already so good that they don''t mind each other''s affairs, so we can rule that out."


    Qi Muyang gave him a sidelong glance.


    The lackey smiled sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood: "Actually, there''s another possibility."


    "What?" Qi Muyang frowned.


    The lackey gathered his courage: "Your parents didn''t have affairs, they just became young again, and now they''re waiting for you in the classroom. I mean, look how similar they are..."


    Noticing Qi Muyang''s death glare, his voice got quieter and quieter until it disappeared completely. In his heart, he silently declared¡ª


    Attempt to lighten the mood: Failed. Sea??h the n??el Fire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Qi Muyang''s face was wooden. Not only did he not want to talk, but he also wanted to throw the lackey off the rooftop.


    Unaware of how many times he had died in Qi Muyang''s mind, the lackey kept sighing beside him. After a while, he suddenly thought of a question: "They sent their illegitimate children here at the same time, so they must have planned it together, right? They''ve been hiding it from you all your life, why suddenly be so high-profile?"


    "They just happened to send them here while they''re in quarantine. I don''t believe for a second this is a coincidence." Qi Muyang felt stifled, with a sense of being set up. These two must have calculated that he wouldn''t be able to confront them, so they chose this time to reveal everything. They probably wanted him to figure it out himself and then voluntarily acknowledge the relationship.


    The lackey looked at him sympathetically: "So what are you going to do?"


    "Until they give me an explanation, don''t even think about me acknowledging those two. From now on, I''ll just pretend I don''t know anything and treat them as ordinary classmates. When my parents explain it to me, we''ll talk about it then." Qi Muyang gritted his teeth, feeling increasingly angry the more he thought about it.


    The lackey nodded repeatedly, not knowing what else to say. He just sat with him on the rooftop, but as the sun got higher and hotter, Qi Muyang''s face grew darker. Finally, he couldn''t take it anymore: "Boss, why don''t we go back to the classroom?"


    "No." Qi Muyang flatly refused.


    The lackey wailed inwardly: "If we stay out here any longer, we''ll be dried up like jerky. Besides, they''re the newcomers. Why should we be the ones hiding from them?"


    "Who said I''m hiding?!" Qi Muyang frowned.


    The lackey immediately said: "That''s right! We''re not hiding. We should go back and enjoy the air conditioning. We need to let them know who''s really in charge here!"


    Qi Muyang looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, causing the lackey to instantly become timid: "W-what''s wrong?"


    "You have a point. Let''s go." With that, Qi Muyang stood up and headed downstairs.


    The lackey: "..." If he had known it would be this easy to persuade him, he would have used this tactic from the beginning.


    Qi Muyang walked quickly back, and as soon as he reached the classroom door, he locked eyes with Qi Weichen. He let out a barely audible snort, strode past him, and went straight to the back row, sitting down brazenly next to Chu Qing.


    Chu Qing glanced at his wilted rooster-like hair from the sun, then at his handsome, sunny face with well-defined features. She thought to herself that it was a waste for someone so good-looking to have such a poor mind and bad taste.


    Qi Muyang had actually noticed her looking at him, but to stick to his decision, he kept a cold face and didn''t even give her a glance. Chu Qing couldn''t be bothered to deal with this non-mainstream guy either, so the result was that the two of them didn''t speak all morning.


    When it was time for lunch break, Qi Muyang immediately swung his backpack over his shoulder and left. Chu Qing gave him a disdainful look and waited until almost everyone had left before slowly walking out. However, after just a few steps, she saw Qi Weichen. She paused, feeling a sense of foreboding.


    "Let''s go," Qi Weichen looked at her.


    Her premonition came true. Chu Qing smiled awkwardly: "I''m not going to the cafeteria. You can go by yourself."


    Qi Weichen just kept looking at her silently, showing no intention of leaving.


    Chu Qing felt overwhelmed by his gaze. She glanced around to see that everyone else had left, then walked over with her head lowered: "Um... Although we''re in the same situation now and need to help each other, we''ve broken up after all. I think unless there''s a special circumstance, we shouldn''t be together often."


    After all, it was thanks to the 41-year-old Qi Weichen''s help that she avoided ending up on the streets, so she didn''t have much confidence when saying these words. If he insisted on staying with her... oh boy, it would be hard to refuse. Although she would pay him back after returning to the future, she still owed him a favor.


    She didn''t dare look at his expression, just kept her head down and worried to herself. But after a long time without a response from him, she had to look up... Where was he? Chu Qing looked at the empty corridor in confusion, then couldn''t help but laugh bitterly.


    The weather was too hot, and she didn''t have much appetite, so she went directly to the supermarket to buy yogurt and grilled sausages, along with a bunch of snacks. She queued up to pay with her ID card, and just as she was about to enter the PIN, she saw that the card only had a balance of 1,000 yuan. She was immediately shocked.


    If she remembered correctly, the 41-year-old Qi Weichen had said this was her living expenses for a year, right?


    She looked at the yogurt that cost 2 yuan per pack and the grilled sausage that cost 3 yuan each, confirming that the current prices were similar to those in 2019. Then thinking about this small balance... She silently put back all the other snacks, only keeping the yogurt and the half-eaten grilled sausage. She walked towards the dormitory while nibbling on the sausage, her mind full of thoughts about how this little money could sustain her for a year.


    At this time, most students were still eating in the cafeteria, with only a few scattered people on the road. She ambled along, munching on her sausage. When she reached a shaded, less populated area, she suddenly sensed a malicious gaze. She frowned but continued walking.


    At this point, there seemed to be fewer people heading towards the dormitories. The fewer people there were, the stronger that gaze felt, sticking to her like glue. She pretended not to notice and continued to walk lazily forward.


    Not far from her path, at a corner, several young men were sitting in the shade of a tree eating takeout. Qi Muyang, who was facing this road, noticed her and was about to look away when he spotted the person following her. His brows immediately furrowed.


    The lackey beside him glanced at him, paused, then followed his gaze. He exclaimed in surprise: "Isn''t that Bad Monkey? And the one he''s following is... Chu Qing?"


    "Bad Monkey? Why does that name sound so familiar?" someone asked puzzled.


    Lackey glanced at him sideways: "He''s that pervert who nearly got expelled for harassing girls."


    "Him? That wasn''t just harassment, it was clearly attempted rape. He later used money to settle it. He''s an especially disgusting person. Whoever he fixates on is in for bad luck," another informed person mentioned with disgust.


    As they were talking, Chu Qing and Bad Monkey had already turned a corner and disappeared from view.


    Lackey looked worriedly at Qi Muyang: "Boss..."


    Qi Muyang wanted to pretend he hadn''t seen anything, but couldn''t resist for even three seconds before putting down his takeout box with an irritated expression and walking towards the dormitory. Seeing this, Lackey quickly signaled the others to follow.


    By the time they caught up, Chu Qing was already cornered against a wall, still holding a grilled sausage with only two bites left. She was now pressed against the wall, staring at the unfamiliar man getting closer: "Don''t come any closer, stay away from me."


    Her voice actually conveyed deep disgust, but to the ears of these young men, it sounded like a helpless, weak, and pitiful plea. Plus, she was beautiful, with watery eyes, brows slightly furrowed, cherry-colored lips lightly pursed - one look at her aroused an infinite desire to protect.


    Then looking at Bad Monkey in front of her, he lived up to his name, looking like a rotten monkey - ugly and sleazy. Even if he wasn''t doing anything bad, just his appearance made people want to beat him up. With this comparison, the young men cracked their knuckles, just waiting for Qi Muyang''s command to go rescue the damsel in distress and serve justice.


    As Bad Monkey became increasingly inappropriate, Qi Muyang spoke coldly: "Chu Qing, come here."


    His voice made both people in the corner look over. Bad Monkey was startled upon seeing him and immediately stopped moving.


    Chu Qing looked at him puzzled, while stuffing the rest of the sausage into her mouth: "You need something from me?"


    "...I told you to come here." Qi Muyang had never met someone so oblivious, repeating himself while suppressing his irritation.


    Chu Qing frowned slightly and reluctantly replied: "Fine, you stand there and wait. I have something to take care of here first."


    Qi Muyang completely lost his temper: "Can''t you fucking..."


    He had barely started cursing when he saw her punch Bad Monkey in the jaw. Then, taking advantage of his reflexive backward motion, she kicked his knee. Before Bad Monkey could react, he was already falling backward. Chu Qing followed with an elbow strike to his stomach. Her moves were steady, accurate, and fierce. Bad Monkey let out a miserable cry and curled up on the ground like a large shrimp, no longer able to fight back.


    However, Chu Qing didn''t stop. She continued kicking him while cursing: "Didn''t I tell you not to come closer, you fucking wouldn''t listen! Don''t you know how bad you stink?! Playing the hooligan? With me?! Your grandpa Chu was already a gang leader before you were even born!"


    Qi Muyang: "..."


    The crowd of young men waiting to play hero: "..."


    By the time Chu Qing was tired of beating him, Bad Monkey had turned into a dead monkey, lying curled up on the ground, looking somewhat... pitiful. The young witnesses of this violence began to reflect on how they could have sympathized with trash like Bad Monkey.


    Chu Qing, having just finished her physical labor, was breathing a bit heavily. She leaned lazily against the wall to rest for a moment before looking at Qi Muyang and asking: "What did you want me for anyway?"


    "...Nothing."

 Chapter 5

    "Why did you call me over if there''s nothing?" Chu Qing raised an eyebrow.Qi Muyang''s mouth twitched, and he replied impatiently, "I said it''s nothing, so it''s nothing. Can''t you understand?"


    Chu Qing gave him a look as if he were an idiot, then pulled out a yogurt drink from her pocket. She took a sip and walked towards the dormitory, while Bad Monkey had already limped away. The remaining five or six boys stood there awkwardly, maintaining their original postures even after her figure disappeared into the dormitory building.


    "I remember Bad Monkey was a sprinter, right? Even though he looks like a monkey, his explosive power isn''t bad at all. How did he..." a fair-skinned boy mumbled, his eyes unfocused, as if still not recovered from the shock.


    The others weren''t much better off. Qi Muyang glanced at these people, feeling increasingly irritated, and turned to walk back the way he came. Lackey and the others hurried to follow him. As their shock dissipated, only excitement about seeing an intriguing new person remained, and their discussion about Chu Qing became increasingly animated.


    "Did you see that? Chu Qing took down Bad Monkey in less than three seconds. I hadn''t even reacted before he was beaten. Her moves looked simple, but it would take at least three to five years of practice to achieve that level."


    "Three to five years isn''t enough. Her skills must have been honed since childhood. You wouldn''t expect such explosive power from someone so small and thin. Even though I''m much taller than her, I probably wouldn''t be a match for her."


    "Come on, seeing how she dealt with Bad Monkey, forget about you, even the boss probably..."


    "What about me?" Qi Muyang turned to look coldly at the speaker.


    Realizing his mistake, the person quickly made a gesture of apology and sheepishly fell silent.


    "Damn..." Qi Muyang felt increasingly annoyed. He kicked a pebble on the path and strode off alone towards the classroom.


    The others looked at each other, and after a while, someone whispered, "Why is the boss angry again?"


    "It''s because you talk too much," Lackey said irritably, then jogged off to catch up with Qi Muyang. sea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With the two of them gone, the atmosphere among the remaining few immediately became less lively. They returned to where they had been eating earlier, and just as they picked up their chopsticks again, the chubby one among them slapped his thigh: "I know why the boss is angry!"


    "Why?" someone immediately asked.


    The chubby boy smiled smugly: "The boss probably has a crush on Chu Qing. He was hoping to play the hero and save the damsel, leaving a good impression on her. Who knew she could fight even better than him? He couldn''t show off in front of the girl he likes, that''s why he''s upset."


    "No way, the boss always listens to his mom, and she doesn''t allow him to date in high school," someone doubted.


    The chubby boy snorted, "Can you stop love when it comes? Chen Xiu, you know the boss best. Don''t you think he treats Chu Qing differently?"


    The person he called out was the fair-skinned boy who had spoken first earlier. He had been in the same class as Qi Muyang since middle school and was considered the one who knew him best among them.


    As soon as Chen Xiu was singled out, everyone fell silent. He adjusted his glasses, thought for a moment, and then spoke: "The boss does treat Chu Qing differently, but..."


    Whatever came after the "but" no longer mattered. The brainless buddies had already decided that Qi Muyang liked Chu Qing, and no one listened to the rest of his words.


    Meanwhile, Lackey had been jogging all the way and finally caught up with Qi Muyang at the entrance of the supermarket. Panting, he asked, "Boss, are you upset because of what they were saying? Don''t take it to heart. What do they know? My boss is the toughest among all the high schools in City A. How could you not beat a mere girl?!"


    "That''s not why I''m upset," Qi Muyang said impatiently.


    Lackey was stunned for a moment. "Then why?"


    "Those moves she used earlier, I saw my mom use them on a robber when I was little," Qi Muyang brought up the incident, his anger seeming to seep from every pore. "I always wanted to learn them, but my mom never taught me, saying she was too busy. Now it seems it wasn''t about being busy; she just didn''t want to teach me."


    Lackey opened his mouth, but apart from expressing sympathy, he couldn''t say a word. Despite his boss''s wild behavior at school and his hair-trigger temper, at home, he was a model child who loved his mother the most.


    Now, discovering that his mother not only had an illegitimate daughter but also treated her very well, his mental state must be on the verge of explosion.


    "Forget it, the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. I''ll stop thinking about it," Qi Muyang casually ran a hand through his hair, instantly turning his multicolored mohawk into a bird''s nest. "Come on, I''ll treat you to a drink."


    "Boss is the best!" Lackey immediately followed him into the supermarket, wagging his tail.


    As soon as Qi Muyang entered, he asked the cashier for a plastic bag, opened the nearby refrigerator, and started filling the bag with drinks.


    Seeing him pack so many, Lackey knew he was buying for the other buddies too, and was deeply moved. His boss might have a bad temper, but he was generous and loyal. Even though they had just annoyed him, he didn''t forget their share.


    The afternoon sun was at its most fierce, and the entire earth seemed to have been baked. At a time like this, to be able to drink an ice-cold beverage, feeling the chill from lips to tongue to throat and all the way to the stomach ¨C what a pleasant thing that would be.


    As Chu Qing hurried to the classroom after her nap, she passed by the supermarket and glanced inside. Thinking of the little money she had at her disposal, she gritted her teeth and didn''t go in, heading straight to class instead.


    Today was the first day of the new semester. All the teachers had gone to a meeting in the morning, so the entire first half of the day was self-study. The afternoon would start following the regular class schedule.


    It was still lunch break time, with about ten minutes left before the first class. When Chu Qing entered the classroom, most of the students were already there. The room was as noisy as a vegetable market, with Qi Weichen sitting quietly amidst the chaos, catching the eye at a glance.


    Perhaps because his aura was too strong, the seat next to him remained empty, and no one chatted with him. Even though they were all in the same classroom, he seemed to have a built-in shield, completely out of place with the others... well, that was his usual behavior.


    Chu Qing remembered how he used to ignore everyone in class before and couldn''t help but click her tongue. At that moment, Qi Weichen looked over, and she unexpectedly met his gaze. Caught staring, Chu Qing coughed awkwardly and walked straight past him to the last row, saying to Qi Muyang, who was sitting on the outside, "Excuse me."


    At this point, it''s worth mentioning the seating arrangement in the classroom. There were seven rows and four columns of seats. Each column had two desks side by side, with aisles between the columns. If we consider the column closest to the door and corridor as the first column, then Chu Qing was in the last row of the fourth column, next to the wall ¨C commonly known as the corner seat.


    For a poor student, it was indeed a good spot. Not only was there no aisle outside the wall on her side, preventing surprise attacks, but she also had a deskmate as a natural shield, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. The only downside was that she had to ask her deskmate to move every time she wanted to get in or out.


    Due to the unpleasant seat-grabbing incident in the morning, Chu Qing was prepared to make the mohawk kid cry before getting to her seat. However, Qi Muyang just gave her a complex look and moved aside with a cold face. Chu Qing paused for a moment, feeling that his gaze seemed full of... jealousy?


    She sat down in her seat, puzzled. Just as she settled in, Qi Muyang''s group of friends entered. Lackey, who was separated from Qi Muyang by an aisle, immediately called out to them: "Hurry up, the boss bought drinks for you guys!"


    "Woohoo! Thanks, boss!"


    "Thank you, boss!"


    A group of people noisily rushed in, making the already bustling vegetable market even livelier.


    Chu Qing, who had just painfully given up on buying a drink due to poverty, watched as Lackey magically produced a large bag of drinks from under the desk, her eyes revealing a hint of envy. Qi Muyang turned his head and saw her staring at the plastic bag with eyes identical to his mother''s, full of longing.


    He felt his heart soften for a second involuntarily, but remembering her irritatingly skilled moves, he immediately snapped at her with a nasty attitude: "What are you looking at!"


    Chu Qing glanced at him sideways, then silently turned her head back. Qi Muyang had expected her to retort, but she just turned her face away, making it seem like he was bullying her.


    He felt indescribably uncomfortable. Just as he was about to get depressed, the Lackey next to him shook the plastic bag in his hand and said, "Boss, I think we bought an extra bottle."


    "Give it to me! I can drink two bottles!" The chubby kid immediately tried to grab it.


    Qi Muyang''s hand moved faster than his brain. By the time he realized what he''d done, he had already snatched the last bottle and tossed it onto Chu Qing''s desk. Chu Qing looked at the extra drink that suddenly appeared in front of her, paused for a moment, then looked at him and said, "Don''t push it. I''m already ignoring you, why are you still provoking me?"


    "Who''s provoking you? I''m treating you to a drink!" Qi Muyang said impatiently.


    Chu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Treating me?"


    "If you don''t want it, give it back!" Qi Muyang said and reached out to grab it.


    Chu Qing quickly snatched up the drink, twisted it open, and took a sip. "I''ve already drunk from it. Do you still want to take it back and drink it?"


    "Who would want to drink your leftovers?" Qi Muyang scoffed, withdrawing his hand that hadn''t really intended to grab the drink.


    Having gotten the cold drink she wanted, Chu Qing''s mood improved considerably. She was now willing to properly look at these troublemakers scattered around her. She saw that the chubby kid, having failed to get the last bottle of drinks, seemed a bit depressed. The "Bad Monkey" immediately tossed his ID card to him, saying, "Go buy some."


    "Thanks, boss!" The chubby kid''s face immediately lit up with joy, and a few others chimed in. So, they went to the supermarket in groups of three or five.


    Seeing how generous Qi Muyang was, Chu Qing was a bit surprised. "How much is your monthly allowance?"


    "Why are you asking about that?" Qi Muyang looked at her warily.


    Chu Qing shrugged. "Just curious. If you don''t want to say, forget it."


    "Two thousand. What about you?" Qi Muyang narrowed his eyes.


    Chu Qing didn''t know why, but she had a feeling that if her allowance was more than his, he would kill her. Pushing away the strange thoughts in her mind, she answered honestly, "One thousand."


    Hearing that it was half of his, Qi Muyang immediately felt better. Before he could speak, he heard her add, "Per year."


    Qi Muyang was stunned for a moment, then his brows furrowed sharply. "What nonsense are you talking about? Less than a hundred a month and you''re still eating grilled sausages?!"


    "...Just because it''s less than a hundred, I can''t eat grilled sausages? What kind of logic is that?" Chu Qing gave him an exasperated look. "Can''t I work part-time to earn living expenses? Do I have to be that poor?"


    Qi Muyang stared at her for a long time, his brows never unfurrowing. "Are you serious?"


    "Of course. Since I was little, my mom always told me that the children of the poor have to grow up fast," Chu Qing casually made up.


    However, these words took on a different meaning in Qi Muyang''s ears. He had been a bit jealous of Chu Qing before, but now he felt a subtle sense of superiority. After all, his mom was extremely generous with him, and his habit of spending money without a care was cultivated by his mother.


    After discussing living expenses with him, Chu Qing began to sip her drink slowly. She hadn''t brought any tissues, and class was about to start soon. She was afraid that if the drink spilled on her, it would make her sticky, and she had no way to clean up. So she drank particularly carefully. This scene, in Qi Muyang''s eyes, was interpreted as the drink being a luxury item for her, so she had to savor every sip.


    ...What''s the use of learning so many fighting techniques if you can''t even afford a bottle of drink? Qi Muyang glanced at her face, which bore some resemblance to his own, and awkwardly pushed his unopened drink towards her.


    Chu Qing paused for a moment. "What are you doing?"


    "Take it and drink it," Qi Muyang said with an impatient expression, but the tips of his ears were gradually turning red.


    Chu Qing: "...Did you take the wrong medicine?" Why was he suddenly so nice?


    "Do you want it or not? If not, I''m going to throw it away," Qi Muyang said fiercely.


    Only a fool would refuse. Chu Qing quickly stuffed the drink into her desk compartment. Qi Muyang kept a straight face. "Why aren''t you drinking it?"


    "I''ll take it back to the dorm and drink it tonight." She would be doing well to finish the bottle in her hand, why open another one?


    ...It''s just a bottle of drink, why treasure it so much? Qi Muyang instantly became agitated. "Drink it! I''ll buy you a whole case tonight and send it directly to your dorm. Drink to your heart''s content!"


    Chu Qing: "..." Does this guy have some kind of illness?


    Realizing that his reaction was too extreme, Qi Muyang tried to control himself. He looked away with a stern face. "Forget it. Just tell me when you want to drink, I''ll buy it for you."


    Chu Qing''s mouth twitched. She was sure he had some kind of illness.


    Qi Muyang sat there with complex emotions for a while. Then, seeing Qi Weichen''s straight back in front of him, he suddenly became curious about how much money his half-brother got per month. His mom was such a generous person, yet she was so harsh with her illegitimate daughter. His dad, being an emotionless machine, must be torturing his illegitimate son.


    Thinking this way, Qi Muyang started to eye Qi Weichen''s ID card covetously.


    For two consecutive classes, he kept staring at Qi Weichen. As his deskmate, Chu Qing couldn''t help but notice. During the long break after the second class, she coolly spoke up, "Hey, I can''t control what you do to others, but you can''t mess with him."


    "Are you two close?" Qi Muyang glanced at her.


    Chu Qing narrowed her eyes. "Very close. We were in the same class before. Why?"


    Qi Muyang paused for a moment, then started to scrutinize her again. After a while, he determined that she probably didn''t know about the relationship between the three of them. He just didn''t know if Qi Weichen knew.


    "I''m not interested in him. I just want to know how much money is on his ID card," Qi Muyang gave her a sidelong glance.


    Chu Qing raised an eyebrow. "What, are you planning to rob him?"


    "I get two thousand a month, why would I need to rob him?" Qi Muyang said with disdain. "I''m just curious."


    After spending most of the day together, Chu Qing also felt that although the "Bad Monkey" was a bit arrogant, he wasn''t a person of bad character... Well, actually, she was quite curious about how much money Qi Weichen had too.


    Qi Muyang saw through her thoughts at a glance. He snorted and slapped the desk as he stood up. "Wait here. I''ll get him to treat us at the supermarket. The card reader there can directly show the amount."


    Getting Qi Weichen to treat them at the supermarket? How did that sound so far-fetched? It wasn''t that Qi Weichen was stingy, but rather that social behaviors like treating others were completely unrelated to him.


    Chu Qing was waiting for him to return defeated, but she saw him walk up to Qi Weichen, say a few arrogant words, and then wave at her. "Come on, let''s go to the supermarket with us."


    Chu Qing: "?"

 Chapter 6

    Even as the three of them arrived at the entrance of the supermarket together, Chu Qing''s mind was still in a daze. She realized that when she was dating Qi Weichen, they had never gone grocery shopping together... They had been to bookstores, spending entire afternoons on dates buying ten test prep books, which left her with an indelible psychological trauma.She glanced at Qi Weichen on her left, then at Qi Muyang on her right, standing between the two tall young men, still feeling a sense of unreality.


    Seeing her bewildered eyes, Qi Muyang interpreted it as awkwardness from inexperience. He felt an indescribable emotion and, unusually without any impatience, said, "Get whatever you want to eat, as much as you like. I''ve got this." This statement implied that he would be treating.


    Chu Qing looked at him thoughtfully. He seemed to have started acting strangely after they had discussed living expenses. Could it be that¡ª


    "Are you pitying me?" she asked directly.


    She had meant to speak her mind, but Qi Muyang suddenly exploded: "Who''s pitying you! Why the hell would I pity you? What nonsense are you spouting!"


    Chu Qing''s lips twitched. She wanted to ask why he was reacting so intensely, but before she could speak, Qi Weichen beside her took action first.


    Chu Qing felt that everything she saw next seemed to suddenly go into slow motion, and the world fell silent with it. She watched as Qi Weichen reached out his hand, easily passing over her head, and bypassing her to pinch Qi Muyang''s face. At the moment he pinched Qi Muyang, time resumed its normal flow, and the noisy sounds returned to her ears.


    Accompanying the chaotic sounds of the supermarket was Qi Weichen''s cool voice: "Don''t use foul language with her."


    Chu Qing: "..."


    Qi Muyang was petrified. Seeing that he had stopped talking, Qi Weichen finally released his hand. After surveying the supermarket, he calmly walked towards the refrigerators.


    After a long moment of rigidity, Qi Muyang let out a throaty: "...What the fuck?"


    Chu Qing thought his questioning tone of ''What the fuck'' was very appropriate, accurately expressing her current confused and frustrated state of mind. It was worth noting that in her six months of dating Qi Weichen, she had never received such face-pinching treatment. What was the deal with this turkey chick that not only made him treat, but also allowed such intimate gestures?


    She looked at Qi Muyang with complex emotions, then saw his face turning red with anger, his colorful hair shaking along with it, fully transforming into a ruffled turkey chick: "What the hell does he mean! What right does he have to pinch my face! I''m gonna fight him..."


    "Shh," Chu Qing interrupted him, "Don''t you want to see his card balance?"


    Suddenly reminded, Qi Muyang''s aggressive posture froze, making him look not very bright. Chu Qing glanced at him, thinking that they say boys inherit their intelligence from their mothers, so this guy''s silly behavior probably meant his mother wasn''t too smart either.


    What a pity, she thought. Although he had a face very similar to Qi Weichen''s, his brain was far inferior. With a sense of regret, Chu Qing walked into the supermarket, planning to casually grab a few things to appease the situation and prevent the little turkey from getting ruffled again.


    Suddenly, only Qi Muyang was left at the supermarket entrance. After his outburst was interrupted, he also felt it pointless to continue. He rubbed the spot where he had been pinched, following them inside with an unhappy face.


    Chu Qing picked up a packet of instant noodles and, upon seeing Qi Weichen, approached him curiously asking, "What exactly is your relationship with Qi Muyang? Why are you so special towards him?"


    Qi Weichen, who was checking the production date on a bottle of yogurt, turned his head to look at her upon hearing this. His calm eyes showed no trace of emotion as he said, "You don''t know?"


    "...Why should I know?" Chu Qing was puzzled, but for some reason felt a bit guilty under his gaze.


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment: "You''ll find out."


    Chu Qing: "..." She had come to ask him specifically, why was he being so cryptic?


    Just as she was about to persevere and ask again, Qi Muyang sauntered in, immediately noticing the instant noodles in her hand: "Fuck, is that all you''re eating?"


    "What''s wrong with it?" Chu Qing raised an eyebrow.


    Qi Muyang frowned slightly, then without another word went to the shelves and grabbed a bunch of snacks, piling them directly onto the checkout counter. Chu Qing knew at a glance that he had picked them for her and was about to refuse when she was suddenly gripped by the arm by the person next to her.


    The weather was hot, and she was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, her fair and delicate arm exposed. When he suddenly reached out to grasp it, the heat from his palm immediately transferred to her skin. The warm sensation made half of her body stiffen. Qi Weichen had only meant to stop her, but after grabbing her, he paused slightly before slowly releasing her.


    "He bought those for you, just take them," he said coolly after letting go of Chu Qing.


    Chu Qing''s neck was tinged with a faint red as she coughed and said dryly, "Why would I want anything from him?"


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment, only saying: "It''s what he should do."


    This statement was a bit too strange. Why was it that Qi Muyang buying things for her was something he "should do"? Chu Qing stared at him thoughtfully for a while, then suddenly realized: "I get it."


    "What?" Qi Weichen stared at her, his eyes finally showing a hint of emotion.


    Chu Qing curled her lips: "You look so alike and have the same surname. You two must be relatives, right? Given the age difference, you''re the elder, I''m your classmate, so by extension, I''m also an elder. That''s why you think it''s normal for him to buy things for me, isn''t that right?"


    Hearing her conclusion, Qi Weichen remained silent for a long time. He turned and picked up a box of walnut cookies, then stood behind Qi Muyang in the queue. Chu Qing looked at him perplexedly for a while before finally following, eyeing the walnut cookies in his hand and asking, "Don''t you dislike walnuts?"


    "They''re for you," Qi Weichen said without looking at her.


    Chu Qing was confused: "Why are you giving them to me?"


    "Brain food."


    Chu Qing: "?"


    "Hey, I''ll pay for these. You just pay for the walnut cookies, and we''ll call it even," Qi Muyang said casually, leaning against the checkout counter after swiping his ID card, waiting for Qi Weichen to pay.


    To remind students to top up their living expenses in time, the school''s card reader had a display screen that would show the balance for three seconds after swiping. He had gone through all this trouble just to see how much money Qi Weichen had in those three seconds.


    ...It probably wouldn''t be much, he thought. With how expensive he was to raise, it must already be difficult for his parents. Where would they get so much money for an illegitimate child? While sympathizing with the two of them, Qi Muyang couldn''t help but feel a subtle sense of superiority.


    Hearing that the main event was about to unfold, Chu Qing also surreptitiously moved closer, pretending to casually glance at the card reader. Qi Weichen took out his ID card from his jacket pocket and swiped it on the machine before entering his password. As he input the password, the two onlookers respectfully averted their eyes, only to snap their gazes back as soon as the sound of button pressing ended¡ª


    Then they saw the digits: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands... sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Qi Muyang stared at the six-digit number displayed on the card reader screen, his eyes gradually widening. After a while, another sound escaped his throat: "What the fuck?"


    Chu Qing felt that once again, he had used a single phrase to summarize all of her feelings¡ª


    Holy crap! The 41-year-old Qi Weichen was so rich that he could casually give his 18-year-old self over a hundred thousand in living expenses, yet he was unwilling to give his former girlfriend a few hundred more each month for food! She had really misjudged him before, thinking he was generous. Now it seemed that even after more than twenty years, he was still holding a grudge over her initiating the breakup!


    Qi Muyang''s frustration at this moment was no less than Chu Qing''s. After the initial shock, he asked indignantly, "Why do you have so much money?!"


    "Is it a lot?" Qi Weichen asked in return.


    Qi Muyang: "..."


    Chu Qing: "..."


    Qi Weichen didn''t mean anything by it. After all, in 2042, ID cards usually held a person''s entire savings, and his savings in 2019 were already several times this amount. So he genuinely didn''t think there was anything surprising about it.


    However, his words fell on Qi Muyang''s ears as extremely arrogant boasting. Qi Muyang''s sense of superiority was thoroughly shattered. Even as they returned to the classroom and sat down, he still wore a gloomy expression.


    The physics teacher was spouting saliva at the podium, while Chu Qing was dozing off in the corner. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard the person next to her say darkly, "I''m going to make my mom divorce him."


    Chu Qing''s head nearly slammed onto the desk as she suddenly jolted awake. Hearing Qi Muyang''s words, she was confused: "Divorce who? Your dad?"


    "Mm-hmm."


    "Why?" Chu Qing didn''t understand.


    Qi Muyang frowned, "There''s no reason. We''re just getting divorced."


    Chu Qing: "..." This kid''s brain really is broken.


    She yawned, about to offer some advice as an elder to this post-2000s generation kid. But before she could speak, the class suddenly became restless. She paused and looked up, realizing the physics teacher had left and was now standing at the door chatting with their homeroom teacher. Next to them stood a boy with greasy hair who looked rather unkempt.


    "Damn, why is he here? Boss, we''re not going to be in the same class as ''Failing Grade'' again, are we?" The sycophant grimaced as he spoke to Qi Muyang across the aisle.


    A flash of disgust crossed Qi Muyang''s eyes, but he said nothing.


    Chu Qing grew curious: "Failing Grade? That guy outside? Are his grades that bad?" All she could tell was that his hair was very oily.


    "He''s always been first in our grade, from freshman to senior year. He''s never ranked second," Chen Xiu, sitting in front of Chu Qing, turned and said. His eyes were full of envy when speaking of the boy''s grades.


    Chu Qing raised an eyebrow: "Then why call him ''Failing Grade''?"


    "It''s what he always says himself. Whenever someone asks him after an exam, he always says he failed. After a while, everyone just started calling him that," the sycophant chimed in, unwilling to be left out.


    Chu Qing clicked her tongue: "That is pretty annoying, but it seems tolerable. Why do you all dislike him so much?"


    "You''ll see in a bit," the sycophant wrinkled his nose in disgust.


    Chu Qing''s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. She watched with interest as the homeroom teacher brought ''Failing Grade'' into the classroom. The class immediately fell silent.


    "Zhen Youzhi has transferred from Class 3 today. He''ll be studying with you all from now on. Everyone, please welcome him," the homeroom teacher was clearly pleased to have the top student in his class.


    A brief chorus of boos erupted from the class, mostly from the back rows. Chu Qing looked at them helplessly, not wanting to join in.


    ''Failing Grade'' seemed completely unaffected. He even cast a contemptuous glance at the back rows: "We''re already in our senior year, and studies should be our priority. The classroom is a place for learning. I hope that from now on, everyone can maintain silence in the classroom, whether during class or breaks. Try not to make any noise at all. Remember, if you''re not studying, someone else is. You can''t afford to jeopardize others'' futures. Thank you all."


    Ignoring the increased booing, he scanned the room before his gaze settled on the empty seat next to Qi Weichen. Just as Chu Qing had a bad feeling, he walked over and sat down next to Qi Weichen with his backpack.


    "Tch, how unlucky," the sycophant started to gloat but, remembering the other''s relationship with his boss, he shut up after just one comment.


    Chu Qing frowned slightly and leaned forward to ask him, "Qi Weichen barely speaks. How could he offend him?"


    The sycophant glanced at Qi Muyang and, seeing no sign of disapproval, continued, "Failing Grade is a pure idiot. He''s fussy, selfish, and thin-skinned. He hates having a desk mate the most. Even if you put a rock next to him, he''d find fault with it, let alone a living person. Just watch, he''ll definitely try to drive Qi Weichen away and then hog both seats for himself."


    "Pick on Qi Weichen? No way," Chu Qing was skeptical.


    The sycophant gave her a sidelong glance: "You''ll see."


    Chu Qing shrugged and said no more.


    The events of the next break time proved just how insufferable the top student could be. Chatting and horsing around during breaks was normal, but he would curse every now and then, scolding almost the entire class. Though no one paid him any attention, it was annoying enough.


    Heeding the sycophant''s words, Chu Qing kept a close eye on Qi Weichen and ''Failing Grade''. Sure enough, she saw ''Failing Grade'' constantly trying various tactics to drive Qi Weichen away and occupy both seats for himself. However, while this approach might have angered others or even led to a fight, it had absolutely no effect on Qi Weichen.


    Because Qi Weichen treated him like air.


    After several failed attempts, ''Failing Grade'' not only failed to provoke Qi Weichen but ended up fuming himself. Seeing this, Chu Qing was thoroughly relieved. As expected of a boss, even in a different time and space, he could remain unperturbed while driving others to distraction.


    After dinner, evening self-study began. Since it was the first day of school, teachers had various meetings to attend, so this session was unsupervised. And unsupervised evening study sessions were prone to getting out of hand.


    ''Failing Grade'' made a few more sarcastic remarks, but seeing Qi Weichen still not taking the bait, he was itching to roll up his sleeves and fight. However, every time he met Qi Weichen''s cold gaze, he couldn''t help but chicken out. As his anger built up, ''Failing Grade'' finally slammed the table and stood up, turning his fire on the laughing group in the back: "Can''t you all be quiet? Can''t you see I''m doing math problems?"


    "Am I stopping you?" the sycophant narrowed his eyes, and the chubby kid next to him and others immediately put on fierce expressions, looking as if they might bite.


    The classroom fell silent, and the atmosphere grew tense after the sycophant''s words.


    Although ''Failing Grade'' was insufferable, he was also afraid of getting beaten up. His eyes darted around for a few moments before landing on Chu Qing, who was watching the drama unfold from the corner. He immediately found a way to save face: "You''re the noisiest! Can you stop talking and laughing? Do you think acting crazy makes you look cool?!"


    "Me?" Chu Qing looked bewildered, "When did I talk or laugh?"


    "It was you! Don''t deny it! You''re so disgusting..."


    Before ''Failing Grade'' could finish, Qi Weichen, who had been treating him like air, stood up. At 6''1", he towered over ''Failing Grade'', who unconsciously took a step back while trying to maintain a haughty expression: "What do you want?"


    "You got the last big question wrong," Qi Weichen said coldly.


    ''Failing Grade'' instinctively retorted: "Impossible! I wouldn''t make a mistake..." As he spoke, he started flipping to the answers in the back, only to freeze when he saw the correct solution.


    "You got three multiple-choice questions wrong, one fill-in-the-blank, and two big questions," Qi Weichen said flatly.


    ''Failing Grade'' quickly checked the answers, and finding everything Qi Weichen said was correct, he emotionally challenged: "Did you memorize the answers beforehand?! How could you possibly know which questions I got wrong?!"


    "Why would I need to memorize the answers?" Qi Weichen asked nonchalantly.


    Qi Muyang in the back row paused, suddenly believing that when Qi Weichen had asked him at the supermarket if money was a lot, it wasn''t sarcasm. Because now, when he was truly being sarcastic... even Qi Muyang wanted to hit him.


    ''Failing Grade'' stared at Qi Weichen in shock, seemingly unable to process what was happening.


    Qi Weichen calmly delivered the final blow: "You should wash your hair."


    Chu Qing: "..."

 Chapter 7

    The classroom was dead silent, everyone waiting for Failing Grade''s next reaction. True to form, Failing Grade didn''t disappoint. After staring blankly at Qi Weichen for a long moment, he burst into tears and ran out of the room.It was genuine crying - Chu Qing could even see the wide streams of tears flowing down his face as he ran. She wordlessly turned her gaze away, only to unexpectedly make eye contact with Qi Weichen, who was still staring at her. Chu Qing paused for a moment, expressing her confusion through her eyes.


    Qi Weichen averted his gaze and calmly turned to sit down. Chu Qing''s mouth twitched slightly, feeling that without the filter of him being her boyfriend, she found him increasingly strange.


    After this small incident, the class became even rowdier than before, especially in the last two rows by the wall, which could only be described as lively.


    "It''s the first time I''ve seen someone able to handle Failing Grade. Qi Weichen''s got skills," Lackey said gleefully.


    Chen Xiu, sitting in front of Chu Qing, immediately nodded, his voice tinged with admiration: "And he''s so amazing. Judging from Failing Grade''s reaction, what he said must all be true. Did he really memorize the answers?"


    "No way, even if he finished the questions and memorized the answers, how could he be so lucky to have memorized exactly Failing Grade''s questions? You should know that many of Failing Grade''s practice books were sent by his uncle who teaches in the capital. Ordinary people can''t buy them," Little Fatty joined the conversation.


    Their dialogue fell into Chu Qing''s ears, and she looked at Little Fatty in surprise: "How do you even know where his practice books come from?"


    "He bragged about it himself, wanting to prove he''s different from us mere mortals. However, apart from those who want his question bank, no one really pays attention to him," Little Fatty snorted, clearly one of those who didn''t pay him any mind.


    Chu Qing nodded, about to speak when she noticed the person next to her still wearing a gloomy expression, staring dejectedly at the desk, lost in thought.


    Considering all the snacks he had given her, she decided to express her concern once again: "What are you thinking about?"


    "Divorce," Qi Muyang said through gritted teeth.


    Chu Qing''s mouth twitched: "...Still hung up on that?"


    Qi Muyang let out a cold laugh, his multi-colored head looking dreamy under the lights. Chu Qing silently turned her face away, feeling like her eyes would go blind if she looked for another second.


    She sat leaning against the wall without much decorum. Seeing that there was still some time before class ended, she pulled out a bag of chips from under her desk. Just as she was about to open it, she caught sight of Lackey picking up his pen. Almost without thinking, her slacker''s keen instinct made her drop the chips on the floor, seriously placing both arms on the desk and poking at her notebook with a pen.


    Qi Muyang glanced at her sideways, seeing the clean workbook now covered in pen marks from her poking. He snorted in disdain.


    Just as he finished scoffing, the homeroom teacher walked in, and the classroom instantly fell silent. She walked in, surveying the room, and finally frowned at Qi Weichen: "Come out with me for a moment."


    Chu Qing sensed something, her hand that had been enthusiastically poking suddenly stopped. When she looked up towards the front, Qi Weichen had already left with the homeroom teacher. The classroom that had just quieted down became lively again, everyone discussing why the teacher had called Qi Weichen out.


    Chu Qing put down her pen, her brow gradually furrowing.


    "Failing Grade must have gone to complain. I knew he wouldn''t let it go so easily," Lackey''s tone carried a hint of excitement at the prospect of drama.


    Chu Qing glanced at him and asked after a moment''s thought: "What''s the homeroom teacher''s personality like? Will she favor Failing Grade because his grades are good?"


    "That won''t happen. We''ve had Zhao Zihan as our homeroom teacher since first year of high school. Although she also likes students with good grades, it''s not as obvious as other teachers. She''s quite fair in many matters," Chen Xiu in the front row explained seriously.


    "What''s the homeroom teacher''s name?" Chu Qing''s focus shamefully strayed.


    Chen Xiu: "Zhao Zihan, why?"


    "...It''s nothing, just feels a bit odd for a middle-aged woman to be called Zihan," Chu Qing clicked her tongue.


    Chen Xiu looked at her strangely: "Isn''t this very common? Zihan, Zixuan, Haoran, Jiaze, many middle-aged people have these names. They''re very common."


    Chu Qing: "..." She had almost forgotten, it was 2042 now. Those kids who were given these Mary Sue names back then were middle-aged now.


    She clicked her tongue again, and turned her head to find Qi Muyang eating chips. She paused: "Where did you get those chips from?"


    "I picked them up," Qi Muyang said, his expression still unhappy, but it didn''t stop him from munching away.


    Chu Qing was speechless: "When did you pick them up?" Weren''t those the chips she had dropped on the floor earlier?


    "When you were worrying about Qi Weichen," Qi Muyang glanced at her.


    Chu Qing was about to say when had she ever worried about Qi Weichen, when Little Fatty, sitting in front of Lackey, interrupted: "Boss, where did you get those chips? I want some too!"


    "Ask her for some," Qi Muyang said impatiently.


    Little Fatty immediately looked at Chu Qing with puppy eyes. Chu Qing generously pulled out several snacks from under her desk, gave Little Fatty a box of cookies, then shared a bag of chips with Chen Xiu. She still had a bag of pumpkin pastries in her hand. Leaning against the wall, she called out from behind Qi Muyang: "Lackey."


    Lackey had been paying attention to their movements, and upon hearing such a familiar address, he instinctively looked towards Chu Qing. The next second, a bag of pumpkin pastries fell into his lap. His mouth twitched: "...Who are you calling Lackey?"


    "You, of course... pfft," Little Fatty couldn''t help but laugh, ignoring Lackey''s dark face as he grinned at Chu Qing, "You''re really good at giving nicknames. Isn''t he just like a lackey? Always coaxing our emperor to do bad things, a master at sowing discord."


    Emperor Qi Muyang glanced at him sideways without saying a word. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Little Fatty gets me," Chu Qing raised her drink bottle in acknowledgment.


    Little Fatty froze: "Little Fatty? Who? Me?"


    "Who else?" Lackey, who had been frowning earlier, now laughed. Chen Xiu also couldn''t help but chuckle.


    The corner of Qi Muyang''s lips curled up slightly, his mood seemingly improved a bit. Little Fatty looked from one to another, and asked Chu Qing in embarrassed anger: "You only gave nicknames to us two? No one else has one?!"


    Chu Qing silently looked at Qi Muyang.


    Qi Muyang paused: "I have one too?"


    Chu Qing blinked at him innocently.


    "...Damn, what nickname did you give me?" Qi Muyang asked displeasedly.


    Chu Qing raised her eyebrows: "You''re already getting angry before I even say it. How can I dare to tell you now?"


    Qi Muyang frowned, but ultimately curiosity won over his temper: "I won''t get angry, just say it."


    "You said it yourself, okay? Turkey chick," Chu Qing said, scooting towards the corner of the wall.


    Qi Muyang was stunned for a moment: "What?"


    "Tur-key-chick," Chu Qing repeated seriously.


    Qi Muyang was more confused than angry for the moment: "Why turkey chick?"


    Chu Qing silently looked at his hair. Qi Muyang''s expression became strange: "...Damn."


    The others couldn''t help but laugh too. Chen Xiu held back his laughter and said: "Boss dyed his hair secretly while his parents were on a business trip. I thought it looked quite good before, but now that you mention it, I can''t unsee it."


    Qi Muyang had a belly full of fire, but because of his earlier promise, he couldn''t explode. Only by dragging others down with him could he quell his anger. He glared at Chen Xiu and asked Chu Qing: "What about him? What''s his nickname?"


    "Ah, I don''t even know your name yet," Chu Qing smiled gently at Chen Xiu.


    She was pretty, and when she smiled, her features looked pure and adorable, making people temporarily forget her earlier display of punching the bad monkey. Chen Xiu blushed slightly and introduced himself: "My name is Chen Xiu, the ''Xiu'' for elegant."


    "Nice to meet you," Chu Qing nodded at him.


    Qi Muyang waited for a long time, but there was no follow-up. He immediately said dissatisfied: "What about his nickname?"


    "He''s perfectly normal, why should he have a nickname?" Chu Qing didn''t understand.


    Qi Muyang exploded: "Are you saying I''m not normal?"


    Chu Qing once again looked at his head. Qi Muyang angrily declared: "I''ll dye my hair back tomorrow!"


    To avoid the turkey chick from exploding, she stopped teasing him and instead chatted idly with the only normal one, Chen Xiu. She noticed he was sitting alone in front of her, with an empty seat beside him, and couldn''t help but ask curiously: "Doesn''t anyone sit with you?"


    "They all think I only know how to study and don''t want to sit with me. Other people in the class don''t really want to sit in our little group either, so the seat next to me is usually empty," Chen Xiu said slowly.


    Chu Qing glanced at his fair face. Although he had delicate features, the black-framed glasses he wore gave him a bookworm-like air. She sighed sympathetically and turned her gaze towards the classroom door.


    It had been quite a while now; why hadn''t Qi Weichen returned yet?


    In the office, the failing student finished sobbing out the whole story. Zhao Zihan frowned at Qi Weichen, "His intention to maintain discipline was good, but if his words were inappropriate, you could have pointed that out. You shouldn''t have criticized him excessively."


    Qi Weichen calmly replied, "His answer was wrong."


    "Let''s set aside the debate about pointing out the wrong answer for now. How could you personally attack him in front of the whole class?" Zhao Zihan didn''t quite agree with his approach.


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment. Using his absolute height advantage, he looked down at the top of the failing student''s head, then gazed coolly at Zhao Zihan, stating a fact: "He does need to wash his hair."


    Zhao Zihan: "..."


    The failing student whimpered, about to cry again. Zhao Zihan gave him an exasperated glare, and he immediately held it back.


    Truthfully, one couldn''t say Qi Weichen was entirely wrong. Zhao Zihan decided to downplay the incident, gave both of them a brief talking-to, and sent them back. Qi Weichen turned to leave immediately, but the failing student lingered reluctantly: "Teacher, I don''t want to be his deskmate anymore. I want to sit alone."


    Qi Weichen stopped in his tracks.


    Zhao Zihan refused, displeased: "If Qi Weichen had truly made a mistake, your request would be understandable. But this was clearly just a misunderstanding, I can''t..."


    "I was wrong," Qi Weichen''s cool, emotionless voice interrupted.


    Both Zhao Zihan and the failing student looked at him, puzzled.


    "I accept the seat change," Qi Weichen said, expressionless, not looking at all like someone admitting to a mistake.


    Perhaps due to his strong presence, Zhao Zihan was stunned for a while and forgot to ask why he suddenly admitted fault. She just asked vaguely, "Where do you want to move?"


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment: "The second to last row of the column by the wall, the seat in front of Qi Muyang, which is still empty."

 Chapter 8

    As the end of the school day approached, Qi Weichen returned to the classroom. The moment he entered, the room fell silent for an instant, with everyone secretly glancing at him, except for two people in the back corner.Well, those two were openly staring at him.


    After returning to his seat, Qi Weichen didn''t sit down. Instead, he grabbed his things and walked towards the back row. Seeing him approach, Chu Qing''s heart skipped a beat... Could it be that he was scolded by the teacher and, in a fit of anger, wanted to drop out of school with her? Her meager living expenses would leave her homeless in no time if she left school.


    Just as she was worrying about her future, Qi Weichen stopped diagonally in front of her. Noticing her furrowed brow, he paused for a moment before silently sitting down next to Chen Xiu.


    Chu Qing: "?"


    Qi Muyang: "..."


    "Are... are you going to sit here from now on?" Chen Xiu asked, stammering slightly.


    Qi Weichen glanced at his new desk mate, then lowered his gaze to organize his desk.


    Chen Xiu swallowed and carefully tried to make conversation: "So I guess we''re desk mates now. I''m Chen Xiu. If you need anything, just let me know. Oh, I have some potato chips here, would you like some?"


    Chu Qing: "..." Weren''t those chips from her?


    She quietly leaned back against the wall to distance herself and asked Qi Muyang in a low voice, "Why is he being so attentive to Qi Weichen?"


    "Except for failing grades, he''s like this with all the good students," Qi Muyang replied with an exasperated expression. He then impatiently smacked Chen Xiu on the head, "Can''t you have some self-respect? Do you think being nice to him will make him help you with your homework?"


    Chen Xiu, having been hit, retreated into a sullen silence, leaving Qi Weichen''s surroundings suddenly peaceful. However, this peace lasted less than ten minutes before he felt a gentle poke on his arm. He turned his head silently to see Chen Xiu furtively whispering, "Would you like some chewing gum?"


    "...I can hear you," Qi Muyang''s voice drifted from behind, "And when did you buy chewing gum? Why didn''t you share with me?"


    Chen Xiu: "..."


    After being shut down twice and having both his chips and gum confiscated, Chen Xiu didn''t dare to make another sound. He sat quietly until the evening self-study session ended. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Qi Muyang and the others vanished in an instant. Chu Qing slowly tied up her large bag of snacks by herself. Just as she was about to leave with it, a tall figure blocked her path. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She looked up and met his eyes, which betrayed no emotion.


    "The teacher made me change seats," he said quietly, looking at her.


    Chu Qing paused for a moment: "I guessed as much. Did the teacher scold you?"


    Seeing that she didn''t show any aversion to him, Qi Weichen''s thin lips pressed together slightly, and he remained silent for a moment. Chu Qing, mistaking his silence for a bad mood due to being reprimanded, sighed and said, "Let''s walk and talk."


    Qi Weichen lowered his gaze and quietly walked beside her. The two of them left the teaching building together, heading towards the dormitories. Although the summer night was hot, it was a tolerable, gentle heat. When a breeze blew by, every pore seemed to relax.


    "You shouldn''t take it too much to heart. The teacher doesn''t know your abilities yet, so of course they''ll trust him more. After all, he''s the top student in our grade," Chu Qing tried to comfort him. "Once you''ve made a name for yourself academically, you''ll be able to strut around the whole school, just like before."


    "Did I strut around before?" Qi Weichen asked.


    Chu Qing''s mouth twitched: "...Do you have some misconception about yourself?" Although he was a academic genius, he often ignored school rules, skipped classes, arrived late, and left early, yet no teacher dared to stop him. If that wasn''t strutting around, what was?


    Qi Weichen was silent for a while before asking, "Was I annoying?"


    "Of course not," Chu Qing immediately replied. If he were only slightly better than average, perhaps some people would be jealous or dislike him. But when he was so far above everyone else, others could only look up to him in admiration.


    After all, no matter how impressive a mortal might be, they wouldn''t be jealous of a god.


    Qi Weichen glanced at her and continued walking quietly. Although his expression remained unchanged, Chu Qing sensed that his mood had improved... What had happened?


    Chu Qing followed him, puzzled. As they passed by a supermarket, she peeked inside and happened to see someone eating ice cream. She couldn''t help but swallow.


    "Do you want to buy one?" Qi Weichen asked.


    Chu Qing was stunned for a moment, then realized he was referring to the ice cream. She was confused: "Weren''t you not looking at me just now? How did you know I wanted to eat that?"


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment: "I heard you swallow."


    Chu Qing: "..." Fair enough.


    After a brief moment of awkwardness, she shook her head: "I''m not buying."


    "Why not?"


    "I don''t have money. The 41-year-old you only gave me a thousand yuan for living expenses, so I have to be frugal," Chu Qing said, then looked at him meaningfully.


    Qi Weichen paused, his eyes showing a slight ripple of emotion.


    Chu Qing stared at him for a while, then suddenly had an idea: "You have so much money, surely you can''t spend it all. So, could you lend me some? I''ll pay you back as soon as we return."


    The current prices were similar to those in 2019, so he wouldn''t lose out, and it would solve her urgent need. It seemed like a perfect solution. The more Chu Qing thought about it, the better the idea seemed, and she couldn''t help but give Qi Weichen a sweet smile.


    She hadn''t smiled at him like this since their breakup. Qi Weichen looked at her silently for a while, and under her expectant gaze, he opened his mouth¡ª


    "No."


    Chu Qing''s smile froze. She suddenly remembered that whether 18 or 41 years old, it was the same Qi Weichen. If the 41-year-old version was stingy with his ex-girlfriend, how could the 18-year-old version be generous?


    "But I can treat you to an ice cream," Qi Weichen added.


    At this point, anyone with a bit of pride would tell him to forget about the ice cream and walk away, or give him a good kick to show that they weren''t so easily appeased. Chu Qing narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly feeling mischievous: "I want the most expensive one!"


    "Okay."


    Two minutes later, she was happily eating a double-scoop ice cream, while the bag of snacks she had been carrying was now in Qi Weichen''s hands.


    They walked quietly towards the dormitory. Just as they reached the entrance, they saw Little Fatty coming out of the security office with a huge suitcase. Chu Qing waved at him: "Fatty."


    "Yo! Boss Chu," Little Fatty responded. Ever since he had witnessed Chu Qing beating someone up, they had started calling her this.


    Chu Qing finished her last bite of ice cream and took the snack bag back from Qi Weichen before walking over: "What are you up to?"


    "The boss''s suitcase is here. I''m taking it to his dorm. He only checked into the dorm this morning and was too lazy to come up, so he just left it at the security office," Little Fatty explained. Suddenly noticing Qi Weichen beside her, he immediately became wary. "What''s going on here...?"


    "Oh, we just happened to run into each other and walked together," Chu Qing hurriedly explained, fearing he might misunderstand. Qi Weichen glanced at her but said nothing.


    Hearing it was just a coincidence, Little Fatty immediately relaxed. No way, their boss had finally found a girl he liked, and they couldn''t let anyone steal her away.


    Chu Qing didn''t notice Little Fatty''s increasingly bright smile. Instead, she looked at the suitcase: "So why isn''t he carrying it himself?"


    "He went to dye his hair, remember? You called him a turkey chick, right? The boss didn''t seem to like that nickname, so he insisted on dyeing it black today," Little Fatty couldn''t help but laugh as he mentioned the nickname.


    Chu Qing''s lips also curled into a smile: "Where did he go to dye it? The school barbershop should be closed by now."


    "Of course it''s not in the school. How could my boss settle for the school barbershop?" Little Fatty gave her a knowing look.


    Qi Weichen, who had been silent until now, looked at Little Fatty: "He went off campus?"


    "You see through it but don''t say it out loud, huh," Little Fatty clicked his tongue but didn''t deny it, as Qi Weichen didn''t seem like the type to tattle.


    Qi Weichen thoughtfully looked at the suitcase next to Little Fatty.


    Little Fatty noticed the snack bag in Chu Qing''s hand and immediately grinned, "Boss Chu, you know, in this long night..."


    "Shut up," Chu Qing gave him a sidelong glance and opened the bag, starting to pull out snacks. Little Fatty happily accepted them. She had a generous nature, and even though she didn''t have much money now, she couldn''t bring herself to be stingy. So, she ended up giving away a third of her stash.


    Among the snacks was a box of walnut cookies that Qi Weichen had bought.


    Qi Weichen, who hadn''t moved until now, silently stepped forward and took back the walnut cookies from Little Fatty''s arms. The two who were distributing snacks were momentarily stunned. Little Fatty was the first to react: "Oh, you want to eat them? Then this box is yours. Thanks, Boss Chu, I''ll be on my way."


    "Go ahead," Chu Qing waved her hand.


    After Little Fatty left, she turned to Qi Weichen: "Why did you keep the walnut cookies?"


    "I bought them," Qi Weichen said, lowering his eyes.


    Chu Qing was taken aback: "So what, they can''t be shared with others now?"


    Qi Weichen remained silent. Chu Qing clicked her tongue: "Can I eat them then?"


    "They were bought for you," Qi Weichen finally looked at her.


    Only the person they were bought for can eat them? What is this, elementary school? Chu Qing''s mouth twitched: "If something was bought for me, doesn''t that make it mine? Can''t I give it to others?"


    "Mm," Qi Weichen''s gaze was cold.


    In the past, Chu Qing would have just agreed and let the matter drop, but today, for some reason, she felt like arguing: "I shared the snacks Qi Muyang gave me with everyone. Why can''t I do the same with yours?"


    "I bought walnut cookies. The main ingredient is walnuts. It''s different from his."


    Chu Qing was genuinely confused: "How is it different?"


    Qi Weichen fell silent. The moonlight not only softened his features but also added a hint of warmth to his eyes. Chu Qing stared at his dark eyes, suddenly feeling that he actually did like her a little, and that being with her wasn''t just about enjoying the pleasure of tutoring a poor student.


    "Walnuts are good for the brain," he said calmly.


    Chu Qing: "..." She must have bubbles in her brain to imagine he liked her.

 Chapter 9

    Qi Weichen was still clutching a box of walnut cookies when he returned to the dormitory. As soon as he turned on the lights after entering the room, he noticed a suitcase in what had previously been his single-occupancy room.He stared silently at the suitcase for a while, then unhurriedly returned to his desk. He placed the walnut cookies neatly on the desk and sat down, his gaze never leaving the cookies. His rigid posture made him look like a meticulously carved sculpture.


    It wasn''t until late at night that the "sculpture" prepared to wash up. Just as he grabbed his towel, the sound of a key turning in the lock suddenly came from the dormitory door. Qi Muyang, who had just dyed his hair, pushed open the door and unexpectedly made eye contact with Qi Weichen.


    "Damn... you live here?" Qi Muyang looked at him as if he''d seen a ghost.


    Qi Weichen glanced at his newly dyed black hair: "This looks much better."


    Qi Muyang: "...Who needs your opinion on how it looks? I''m asking you, do you live here?"


    "Yes."


    After a moment of stunned silence, Qi Muyang suddenly became agitated: "I used to have a single room, and this year I''m suddenly assigned to a double. That''s one thing, but out of all the seniors, we two end up living together. I don''t believe this is a coincidence!"


    "It''s not a coincidence," Qi Weichen calmly replied.


    Of course it''s not a coincidence! It must be Dad... Qi Muyang jolted, suddenly catching the key point in Qi Weichen''s words: "You know it''s not a coincidence, so you know about our relationship?!"


    Hearing him voluntarily bring up their relationship, Qi Weichen''s typically calm eyes finally showed some emotion: "Judging from your previous behavior, I was always worried that your intelligence might be low. Now it seems I was overthinking."


    "...I''m trying to have a civil conversation with you, and you''re calling me stupid?" Qi Muyang, as always, grasped the main point.


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment: "You should speak to me with respect."


    "Hah, I refuse. What are you going to do about it?" Ever since he saw the balance on Qi Weichen''s ID card that afternoon, Qi Muyang had been in a foul mood. Now, hearing him speak like an elder, he became even more impatient and very much wanted to pick a fight and punch him.


    Thinking this, he began to crack his knuckles eagerly. However, as soon as he met Qi Weichen''s cold eyes, he instantly deflated.


    ...Damn, even his eyes are so similar to Dad''s. Hitting him would be like hitting a younger version of Dad. Who could bring themselves to do that? Unable to vent his frustrations, Qi Muyang paced around the room like an agitated cat.


    His impatience, resistance, and even disgust were accurately conveyed to Qi Weichen. Qi Weichen watched him silently, his fingertips unconsciously tensing.


    Tired of pacing, Qi Muyang plopped down on his chair. Seeing Qi Weichen still staring at him, he immediately snapped, "What are you looking at?"


    "You''re so resistant to me," Qi Weichen looked at him, "Is it because I haven''t done well enough in the past years?"


    "What nonsense are you talking about? I didn''t even know you existed before, how would I know if you did well or not?" Qi Muyang looked at him as if he were insane.


    Qi Weichen''s fingers twitched, and when he spoke again, his usually calm voice revealed a hint of tension: "Why didn''t you know? Could it be..."


    "You''re just an illegitimate child who can''t see the light of day. Why should I know about you?" Qi Muyang irritably interrupted him.


    Qi Weichen had intended to ask if they had divorced, but he didn''t expect Qi Muyang to suddenly say something like this. He immediately fell silent.


    After a long while, he reverted to his usual impassiveness: "Whose illegitimate child am I?"


    "What are you pretending for? Your father even gave you the exact same name as his. You still don''t know whose son you are?" Due to his unbalanced state of mind, Qi Muyang was extremely harsh, just wanting to gain the upper hand.


    This time, Qi Weichen fell into an even longer silence. He remained motionless even as Qi Muyang made his bed, lounged on it, and played with his phone for a long time. Qi Muyang was somewhat distracted, his peripheral vision constantly glancing towards Qi Weichen. Seeing him standing still for so long, he suddenly wondered if he had gone too far earlier and if he should take the initiative to ease the atmosphere.


    After all, one''s birth circumstances were not something Qi Weichen could choose.


    The more Qi Muyang thought about it, the more conflicted he felt. He didn''t notice that Qi Weichen had moved until he was right in front of him, placing a box of walnut cookies beside his hand.


    Qi Muyang''s eyelid twitched, and he looked at Qi Weichen with a strange expression.


    "Eat," Qi Weichen said, his eyes full of emotions that Qi Muyang couldn''t comprehend.


    Qi Muyang: "..." What''s wrong with this guy? A saint returning kindness for enmity?


    Before he could figure it out, Qi Weichen had already gone to the bathroom. Sitting alone on his dormitory bed, Qi Muyang stared at the walnut cookies with furrowed brows. After a while, realizing he was quite hungry, he hesitated before finally opening the box.


    When Qi Weichen came out after his shower, Qi Muyang still had half a cookie in his mouth, and the box was nearly empty. As their gazes met, Qi Muyang actually felt a bit embarrassed. He wished he had shown more backbone and not eaten the cookies.


    "Eat more," Qi Weichen said, then went straight to bed.


    Qi Muyang sat alone, feeling awkward as he crunched through the remaining cookies. As a result, he found himself unable to sleep that night.


    Thanks to the walnut cookies, when Qi Muyang entered the classroom the next morning, he had slight dark circles under his eyes and looked completely listless. His desk-mate, Chu Qing, didn''t seem to be in much better shape.


    "Well, you really dyed it back. Looks handsome," Chu Qing smiled weakly.


    It was precisely because it looked good that she couldn''t understand why he had dyed his hair before. Originally, he had been a rare specimen of extreme handsomeness, but he had inexplicably decided to dye his hair in a messy fashion, making people only notice his hair at first glance, overlooking his handsome features.


    Although his eyes strongly resembled Qi Weichen''s, they lacked Qi Weichen''s coldness. His features were also slightly softer compared to Qi Weichen''s. When not angry, he actually looked quite docile. Now, with his black hair neatly styled, not only had his attractiveness skyrocketed, but his aura had also become more adorable.


    Hmm, like a cat. And judging by his personality, a cat that could bristle at any moment.


    Qi Muyang didn''t appreciate her compliment: "Don''t call me ''turkey chick'' anymore."


    "You sound so weak. Did you pull an all-nighter at the internet cafe?" Chu Qing glanced at him.


    Qi Muyang snorted coldly, too tired to even muster anger: "I wish I had. At least I could have played games all night. That would have been better than lying awake all night."


    "Then why do you look so out of it?" Chu Qing asked with a yawn.


    Qi Muyang paused, casting a rather resentful glance at the back of Qi Weichen''s head: "Better not to mention it. What about you? Why are you so sleepy?"


    "I''d rather not say either." Being kept awake all night by a box of walnut cookies was something she''d rather process on her own.


    The two desk-mates exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. Although they didn''t know why the other was so tired, it didn''t prevent them from sympathizing with each other.


    Qi Muyang turned to his Lackey: "Keep an eye on the teacher for me. I''m going to sleep for a bit."


    "No problem, leave it to me," the Lackey immediately agreed.


    Qi Muyang promptly put his head down, tilting it to look at Chu Qing: "Go ahead and sleep. I''ll wake you when the teacher comes." He yawned and immediately fell asleep.


    Chu Qing didn''t deny herself either. Using a book as cover, she quickly fell into a deep sleep amidst the sound of students reciting during the morning self-study period.


    When Qi Weichen looked back, the two were sound asleep. He frowned slightly, initially intending to wake them, but then noticed the faint dark circles under their eyes. In the end, he let them continue sleeping.


    After an unknown amount of time, Qi Muyang''s foot was suddenly kicked. He instantly sat up, opened his book, and assumed a pensive pose in one fluid motion, not at all like someone who had just been startled awake.


    However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the teacher entering the classroom and heading straight for him. Had he not gotten up fast enough? As Qi Muyang pondered this, the teacher reached his desk. He looked up innocently, only to realize the teacher wasn''t looking at him. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He paused for a moment, following the teacher''s gaze, and saw Chu Qing still fast asleep.


    Qi Muyang: "..." He had forgotten about her.


    In the end, Chu Qing found herself standing in the hallway with her textbook. She never imagined that even after more than 20 years, schools would still use the same punishment methods. Though the early summer morning was warm, she felt cold ¨C mainly in her heart.


    It wasn''t until early self-study was almost over that she was allowed to enter the classroom. The moment her foot stepped inside, all eyes in the class focused on her. Chu Qing walked in expressionlessly. When she was still a short distance from her seat, Qi Muyang had already stood up to make way for her, his face showing slight discomfort.


    Chu Qing didn''t spare him a single glance and ignored him even after sitting down. Qi Muyang scratched his head and coughed awkwardly, "Let''s have lunch together after class, my treat."


    Chu Qing treated him like air, pretending not to hear him speak.


    If it were anyone else ignoring him, even if it was his fault, he would have lost his temper long ago. However, when it came to Chu Qing, he couldn''t help but be a little more patient: "The soup dumplings at the third cafeteria are delicious, and the egg soup is good too. They''re all freshly made and taste great. How about I take you there?"


    Chu Qing glanced at him languidly. Qi Muyang''s eyes lit up, but just as he was about to speak, he saw her turn her head away again.


    He: "..."


    Until the end of early self-study, Qi Muyang tried to strike up a conversation three times, but was rebuffed each time. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as she went to eat alone.


    "Boss, are you okay?" Lackey, having witnessed his failed attempts, cautiously asked as Chu Qing walked away.


    Qi Muyang shot him an impatient look: "What could be wrong with me? Hurry up and help me think of ways to make it up to her!"


    Lackey: "..." Since when did his patience become so good?


    "Boss, we''ve never had girlfriends, we don''t know how to appease girls," Little Fatty chimed in.


    Qi Muyang was about to say this had nothing to do with girlfriends when he saw Qi Weichen in front of him preparing to go eat. He immediately strode forward, blocking Qi Weichen''s path: "Hey, Chu Qing said you two know each other, so you should understand her better than us. Do you know how to make it up to her?"


    Qi Weichen looked at him thoughtfully: "Buy snacks?" When they were dating, Chu Qing rarely got angry. On the occasional times she was unhappy, she would eat a lot of snacks, and her mood would improve after eating.


    Qi Muyang pondered for a moment, thinking this method feasible, and stepped aside. After Qi Weichen left, Chen Xiu carefully spoke up: "Boss, don''t buy too much. It might make her feel burdened."


    "Right, more isn''t always better. Let''s just buy a little to test the waters. If it doesn''t work, we can try something else," Little Fatty analyzed.


    Seeing Qi Muyang nod in agreement, Lackey immediately asked, "Boss, what snacks should we buy?"


    "Walnut cookies, they taste good," Qi Muyang said after much deliberation, choosing them from countless snack options.


    Sigh.

 Chapter 10

    When Chu Qing returned after eating, there was a box of walnut cookies on her desk. She stared at it expressionlessly for a moment, very much wanting to throw the thing in the trash.After Qi Weichen entered the classroom, he followed her gaze and paused when he saw the walnut cookies on her desk: "It wasn''t me."


    "...I didn''t say it was," Chu Qing mumbled, not looking at his face.


    Just as she sat down, someone jumped up and raised their hand: "It was me..."


    Chu Qing paused, and when she turned to look, she saw the Lackey who had just returned from outside grinning and pointing at the cool guy next to him: "The boss bought it."


    Seeing her looking at him, Qi Muyang pretended to casually look away, but his eyes kept glancing at her.


    Chu Qing was silent for a moment: "Why?"


    "You got punished this morning because of him, so the boss felt really guilty and bought you a little snack. He hopes you won''t be mad at him anymore," the Lackey, as Qi Muyang''s number one sidekick, took on the task of explaining without hesitation.


    Qi Muyang, who had been trying to act cool nearby, noticed her expression had improved a lot and immediately seized the opportunity: "I really didn''t mean to, don''t take it to heart. Walnuts are good for the brain, eat more."


    Chu Qing: "..."


    Qi Weichen: "..."


    Even by the time the first class started, Qi Muyang still couldn''t figure out why, when he had almost succeeded in appeasing her, he suddenly failed. He spent the entire class secretly glancing at Chu Qing, completely neglecting his studies... Of course, even if he wasn''t glancing at Chu Qing, he wouldn''t have been studying anyway.


    Qi Muyang was like a silly cat who had done something naughty, looking furtive and thinking he was hiding it well. A hint of amusement flashed in Chu Qing''s eyes as she found him increasingly entertaining.


    In truth, she was just a bit irritable from having her nap interrupted, not really angry at him. But she didn''t plan to tell him that yet. Tired and sleepy, she needed a loyal little slave to watch the teacher for her. Qi Muyang looked like someone who didn''t learn his lesson easily, so rather than dealing with him now, she might as well take advantage of his guilty conscience first.


    "Hey," Chu Qing glanced at him sideways.


    Qi Muyang startled but tried to act nonchalant: "What?"


    "Keep an eye on the teacher for me, I''m going to sleep," Chu Qing said and then put her head down.


    Qi Muyang paused, grumbling unhappily: "Why should I..."


    However, despite his words of protest, he was more diligent than anyone when it came to standing guard. At the slightest movement, he would immediately wake Chu Qing up, becoming the loyal little slave she had wished for.


    Thanks to him, Chu Qing slept well through two consecutive classes and quickly regained her energy. The second break was a long one, with twenty minutes of rest time. After waking up, Chu Qing''s mind was still a bit foggy. As soon as class ended, she stood up with her water cup: "Move aside."


    Qi Muyang immediately made way for her. After watching her walk to the water dispenser, he frowned and poked Qi Weichen''s back with his pen: "Hey."


    Qi Weichen turned around, looking at him with cold eyes.


    "...Don''t stare at me like that," it always made him feel like he was having a staring contest with his dad, how could they communicate like this? Qi Muyang''s mouth twitched, and noticing Chu Qing was about to return, he quickly lowered his voice and said to Qi Weichen, "Her temper is even more grudge-holding than mine. Since you''re quite familiar with her, help me persuade her not to be so petty."


    As he spoke, Chu Qing had already finished a cup of water and was refilling it to return. Qi Muyang quickly poked Qi Weichen in the back again.


    Qi Weichen glanced at him, calmly stood up, and as Chu Qing walked past, he slowly began to speak: "He already knows he was wrong..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, Chu Qing had already whisked past him without even a sidelong glance. The classmates in the back two rows who had been watching later reported that they only felt a desolate breeze blow by, and the scene was very awkward, extremely awkward.


    A faint, indiscernible ripple appeared in Qi Weichen''s eyes, and it took him a while to slowly sit down. Qi Muyang looked at these two with a strange expression, and after understanding what had happened, he genuinely cursed under his breath.


    ...So he had also made her angry, yet he was still blabbering advice to him. If he was really that capable, why hadn''t he appeased her himself? Qi Muyang had a belly full of complaints about him, but seeing his straight and lonely back, he suddenly felt a bit sorry for him for some reason.


    Tch, better to rely on oneself than on others. He decided not to seek outside help anymore.


    As soon as the class bell rang, Qi Muyang started scribbling in a small notebook. Chu Qing, who was now wide awake, curiously glanced at him, and the notebook was promptly pushed in front of her. There was a line written on it:


    ''I''ve apologized, bought you snacks too. If you still ignore me, don''t blame me for not being nice!''


    ...This was indeed a very Qi Muyang-style apology. Chu Qing, in a good mood after her nap, curved her lips and wrote back: I can forgive you, but answer a question for me first.


    Qi Muyang glanced at the notebook, raised his eyebrows at her like she had done, indicating for her to ask. Chu Qing then wrote on the notebook: Walnuts are good for the brain, but whose brain?


    Qi Muyang was about to answer that it was for her brain, but as he was about to write, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he suddenly had the perfect answer: For my brain, I''m not very smart.


    Chu Qing was thoroughly satisfied. She raised her chin at him, indicating that she wasn''t angry anymore. Qi Muyang stared at her for a while, unable to hold back his laughter: "...Damn."


    With this, the two had cleared up their misunderstanding and quickly returned to their previous mode of interaction, as if they had never quarreled in the first place. However, it wasn''t so easy for Qi Weichen. Although Chu Qing sat diagonally behind him, she never acknowledged him once.


    Under her disregard, Qi Weichen seemed normal, except his gaze was more indifferent than usual, and the aura around him seemed to be mixed with ice shards, making Chen Xiu next to him shiver.


    Another day of early self-study, when Chu Qing entered the classroom, she saw a plastic bag full of snacks on her seat. She paused and asked Qi Muyang beside her, puzzled: "Did you buy this?"


    "Qi Weichen," Qi Muyang mumbled, dozing on his desk.


    Chu Qing blinked, then sat down and put the bag by her feet. Seeing her normal expression, Qi Muyang couldn''t help but ask: "What did he do to make you so angry?"


    "I''m not angry," Chu Qing said, but her face grew stern.


    Qi Muyang sneered: "Huh."


    "...Forget it if you don''t believe me." Chu Qing couldn''t be bothered to explain to him and glanced at him sideways before listlessly putting her head down. Of course she was angry. The same words from Qi Muyang might have been unintentional, but coming from Qi Weichen, it meant he really thought that way.


    If he thought her brain wasn''t good, why did he date her in the first place? Only after breaking up did he start mocking her intelligence, what was he doing before? Of course, she wasn''t just angry at Qi Weichen, but more at herself.


    ...The half year of dating had been really miserable, but that night when she saw Qi Weichen''s face, her heart still couldn''t help but race. She had no sense at all, how could she not be angry at herself?


    Chu Qing pouted, deciding not to think about these vexing matters for now. She didn''t acknowledge Qi Weichen all day, and when the last evening self-study class ended, she shoved the plastic bag into his arms, glanced at him sideways, and ran off.


    Qi Weichen looked at the bag that suddenly appeared in his arms, his cool eyes showing no emotion, but people passing by him all quietly moved a bit further away.


    When he returned to the dormitory carrying the plastic bag, Qi Muyang was already there, lying on the bed playing a game. Hearing movement at the door, he glanced over, and seeing the plastic bag in Qi Weichen''s hand, he was stunned: "She gave it back to you?"


    Qi Weichen lowered his eyes as he walked in, silently sitting down on a chair.


    Qi Muyang glanced at him again, then focused on the battle in his game. Twenty minutes later, when the game ended, he saw Qi Weichen still sitting there... this habit of just sitting there stupidly when unhappy was exactly like their dad.


    Qi Muyang clicked his tongue, impatiently walked over, and snatched the plastic bag away, picking out one he liked and starting to eat: "How did you make her angry?"


    Qi Weichen pondered for a moment: "Probably because of the walnut cookies."


    Qi Muyang: "...Also walnut cookies?"


    "Mm."


    "What did you say to her? About brain health?" Qi Muyang looked at him strangely.


    Qi Weichen fell silent. The two stared at each other in silence, and after a brief pause, Qi Muyang clicked his tongue and lowered his head to continue eating the snacks: "Sending snacks doesn''t work, just look at me. You still need to coax her."


    "How do I coax her?" Qi Weichen asked.


    Qi Muyang paused for a moment, then looked up at him with a smirk, speaking rather arrogantly, "Beg me. If you beg, I''ll tell you."


    This person always had an air of disregarding everything, as if no one was worthy of his attention. Now that he actually needed someone''s help, how could Qi Muyang easily let him off the hook? Given his personality, he definitely wouldn''t be able to utter words of begging, so he would just...


    "I beg you," Qi Weichen said flatly.


    Qi Muyang, who was still thinking about how to tease him, was stunned. "What?"


    "I beg you," Qi Weichen calmly repeated.


    Qi Muyang: "..." Just like that? So easy? Why did it feel like punching a pillow?


    Surprised that Qi Weichen had given in so quickly, Qi Muyang was confused. By the time he realized it, he had already told him how to appease Chu Qing.


    "Really?" Qi Weichen frowned, looking as if he didn''t quite trust the method. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Qi Muyang glanced at him sideways. "Believe it or not, it''s up to you."


    Qi Weichen lowered his eyes thoughtfully, considering the speed at which they had reconciled, and decided to try it the next day.


    The following day at noon, when Chu Qing was returning to her dormitory after lunch, she encountered Qi Weichen. She saw him standing like a white poplar under the sun, still holding the plastic bag from yesterday, though for some reason, the bag looked much smaller than before.


    The midday sun was at its fiercest. His temples were soaked with sweat, and his usually pale skin had taken on a faint pink hue. Who knew how long he had been standing there? Chu Qing pursed her lips. She had initially intended to ignore him but eventually walked over. "Waiting for me?"


    "Mm," Qi Weichen''s gaze was deep, never leaving her since she appeared.


    Chu Qing glanced at him and said with a straight face, "Do you need something?"


    Qi Weichen silently held her gaze for a long while, then suddenly said, "I eat walnut cookies, I''m the one who needs brain nourishment."


    Chu Qing: "?"


    She was stunned for a while. When she finally understood his meaning, she let out a cold laugh. A few days without talking, and this guy had learned sarcasm?


    Her reaction wasn''t quite what Qi Muyang had predicted. Qi Weichen paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Qi Muyang taught me to say that."


    "..."

 Chapter 11

    The air was still for a moment, then Chu Qing couldn''t help but laugh: "Are you pushing the responsibility onto him?""I''m telling the truth." Seeing her laugh, Qi Weichen''s expression softened slightly, seeming less tense than before. He wore the simplest white t-shirt and jeans, yet still looked stunningly handsome. The bright sunlight seemed to slightly melt the coolness in his eyes, and sweat dripped down his sharp jawline, finally landing on his white sneakers.


    Looking at such a face, Chu Qing found she couldn''t stay angry. She sighed and said, "Fine, I won''t argue with you."


    A glimmer of light flashed in Qi Weichen''s eyes as he silently held out the plastic bag in his hand: "For you."


    "I don''t want it, keep it for yourself," Chu Qing made no move to take it.


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment, then stubbornly held the bag in mid-air, clearly intending to wait until she took it. Chu Qing met his gaze for a moment, then reluctantly accepted it: "Alright, go back to your dorm and get some rest."


    "Okay."


    Chu Qing looked at him again, wanting to say that he didn''t need to wait for her in the sun over such a small matter, but after a moment''s thought, she said nothing and just waved goodbye as she left. When she got back to her dorm, there were only forty minutes left of the lunch break. She casually put the bag on the table and hurried to shower and sleep.


    The first class after lunch was math. Afterwards, all the students went to the auditorium for the opening ceremony. For adults, such meetings are tedious, but for high school students, it''s like a holiday celebration. Even the studious ones who never fail exams would be a bit distracted before the ceremony began.


    The math teacher knew the class was restless and their minds weren''t on studying, so instead of lecturing, he handed out a set of test papers for self-study, while he sat at the podium, occasionally walking around the room.


    The afternoon classroom air seemed laced with sleeping pills, making everyone inside drowsy. Qi Muyang yawned and passed one of the test papers to Chu Qing.


    Chu Qing looked around but couldn''t find a pen. She looked up at him and asked, "Do you have an extra pen I could borrow?"


    "I''m lucky if I have one for myself, where would I get extras?" Qi Muyang replied lazily.


    Chu Qing''s mouth twitched: "Your mom gives you so much allowance, can''t you buy a few more pens?"


    "Buying more would be a waste," Qi Muyang sneered, "Where''s your pen?"


    "I can''t find mine, why else would I borrow from you?" Chu Qing said exasperatedly. Due to her own poverty, she had only bought one pen. Now that it was lost, she had no backup. As she spoke, she saw Qi Muyang about to lay down to sleep, so she quickly said, "If you''re not using it now, lend it to me first."


    "No way," Qi Muyang clutched his pen vigilantly, "If I give it to you, what will I use as cover when the teacher comes around later?"


    Chu Qing stared at him silently for three seconds, but before she could speak, a fountain pen was placed on her desk. The pen was black, without any decorations, just a cold gleam on its body, much like its owner.


    She looked up and met his cool gaze, instantly feeling the pressure of being watched while studying. She sheepishly touched her nose and said, "Thanks."


    Qi Weichen glanced at her before turning away, and Chu Qing finally relaxed. Qi Muyang''s gaze darted between the two of them, and he lowered his voice to ask Chu Qing: "Did you two make up?"


    "What do you mean make up? Did we ever fight?" Chu Qing said stubbornly.


    Qi Muyang stared at her for a while, then sneered: "A woman''s mouth, full of lies."


    "Shut up," Chu Qing glared at him.


    Qi Muyang wouldn''t be so obedient. He leaned closer to her and asked, "How did he win you over? Did he use my method?"


    Chu Qing: "..." No, he used the method of selling you out.


    But seeing his innocent expression, Chu Qing decided not to tell him this cruel truth. The two of them were whispering about this and that, while Chen Xiu in the front row occasionally glanced back at Qi Weichen, feeling that his deskmate seemed to be in a good mood today.


    After chatting with Chu Qing for a while, Qi Muyang lay down to sleep, only getting up to write furiously when there were ten minutes left before class ended.


    Chu Qing was surprised to see this: "You know how to do it?"


    "It''s just math, what''s there to do? Just fill in some numbers," Qi Muyang finished writing in a few minutes.


    ...He''s just making it up, Chu Qing thought. She had thought she was slacking off enough, but apparently there was someone even worse. She looked at her own test paper with barely two questions answered, then at Qi Muyang''s suddenly full paper, and couldn''t help but click her tongue.


    As soon as the bell rang, Qi Muyang handed in his paper and whispered to Chu Qing: "Call me when the ceremony is almost over."


    "Where are you going?" Chu Qing raised an eyebrow.


    Qi Muyang glanced around and said: "To the internet cafe."


    Chu Qing immediately felt tempted. Since traveling to 2042, she hadn''t been to an internet cafe yet. She wondered if the internet speed was faster in this era, and if the games were more fun.


    Noticing her interest, Qi Muyang paused and asked: "Want to come? My treat."


    "If I go, who will stay behind as a lookout?" Chu Qing hesitated.


    Qi Muyang glanced at her: "If you want to go, just say so. Chen Xiu can stay behind, he doesn''t skip class."


    Chu Qing looked at Chen Xiu in the front row, who was frowning as he pondered a math problem, indeed looking like someone who wouldn''t skip class. She snapped her fingers, about to agree, when she saw Qi Weichen returning from getting water. The days of being watched studying by the class genius seemed like just yesterday, and her words changed to¡ª


    "I''m not going, I like the opening ceremony."


    Qi Muyang immediately conveyed a question with his eyes: Are you crazy?


    Chu Qing regretted her words as soon as she said them. They had broken up, and Qi Weichen had no reason to control her anymore, so why was she still being a coward? But having said it, to maintain her image, she could only casually remind him: "If you don''t leave now, you won''t be able to go."


    Qi Muyang snorted and immediately called his friends to sneak out. Qi Weichen watched them leave, then turned back to Chu Qing: "Where are they going?"


    "Oh, to the bathroom," Chu Qing casually lied.


    Qi Weichen fell silent, not believing they looked like they were going hand-in-hand to the bathroom. Afraid he would ask more, Chu Qing quickly lowered her head pretending to know nothing, and Qi Weichen indeed turned his head back.


    The ten-minute break after the first class was free time for everyone. According to what the homeroom teacher said in the morning, they would go to the auditorium after the second class started, so when the bell rang, the students sat down in the classroom.


    Unable to go to the internet cafe, Chu Qing felt more and more regretful. She sat listlessly in the corner, lost in thought, when she saw the homeroom teacher Zhao Zihan come in.


    Zhao Zihan hurriedly announced as he entered: "We just received notice that there''s a problem with the auditorium, so today''s opening ceremony is cancelled."


    Upon hearing it was cancelled, there was a wave of disappointed sighs in the class. She frowned and clapped her hands twice, waiting for quiet before sternly saying: "It''s good that it''s cancelled. You''re in your senior year now, every minute should be spent on studying. The Chinese teacher can''t make it this class, so do test papers instead. Hand them in after class."


    She paused, looking at the empty seats in the back and asked: "Where are these students?"


    "Ah... Teacher, they have stomachaches, they''ll be back soon," Chen Xiu answered smoothly despite his quiet voice, clearly no stranger to this.


    Zhao Zihan nodded, leaving the rest of the arrangements to the Chinese class representative before turning to leave. The students in the class were all listless, with some quietly complaining about having to do test papers for two consecutive classes, then the class representative started banging on the desk to maintain order, which led to arguments.


    In the chaos, Chu Qing didn''t listen carefully, but instead poked Chen Xiu: "Should we call them back?"


    "Mm, I''ve already texted them. They''ll probably be back by the end of this class," Chen Xiu replied quietly, straightening up instinctively when Qi Weichen glanced at him.


    Chu Qing nodded, yawning as she received her Chinese test paper.


    "Chu Qing, can you give me their three test papers?" Chen Xiu asked in a low voice.


    Chu Qing paused: "Are you going to write for them?"


    "We have to hand them in after class, and the Chinese teacher checks very strictly. We can''t not write anything," Chen Xiu replied.


    ...They really were the best of friends. Chu Qing clicked her tongue and handed him the test paper. Chen Xiu started writing as soon as he got it, but he underestimated the power of the Chinese language exam. Each question required a pile of words, and he had to repeat this pile four times.


    With ten minutes left before class ended, he was nearly in tears. However, he didn''t dare ask his deskmate for help and could only turn to Chu Qing: "Lord Chu, can you help me out?"


    Chu Qing had also rushed through hers half-heartedly. She didn''t want to write at all, but seeing little Chen Xiu looking so pitiful, she held out her hand: "Give it here."


    "Thanks, Lord Chu. Could you do the boss''s too? Remember to write his name on it." Chen Xiu said as he handed the test paper to Chu Qing.


    Chu Qing scribbled away, finally signing the name at the end, and handed it to the class monitor before the bell rang. When Qi Muyang returned and heard that she had written his paper, he specially treated her to dinner that evening. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, early the next morning, Qi Muyang was singled out by the Chinese teacher.


    "Lord Chu, didn''t you write it for him?" Chen Xiu asked nervously.


    Chu Qing looked utterly innocent: "I did write it, and I even changed the handwriting. There''s no way they could have noticed."


    "Then why..." Chen Xiu''s words were cut short as Qi Muyang returned with an exasperated look. He quickly asked, "What did the teacher call you out for?"


    Qi Muyang gazed at Chu Qing, too tired to even get angry: "Chu Qing, did you write my name on the test paper after you finished it?"


    "I did," Chu Qing said, puzzled.


    Qi Muyang sat down, showing rare patience: "What did you write?"


    "Just your name, what''s the problem?" Chu Qing grew increasingly confused.


    Qi Muyang let out a cold laugh, slamming the test paper on the desk and asking through gritted teeth: "Are you sure this is my name? Look at what you wrote!"


    There on the Chinese test paper, three large characters were neatly written: Qi Muyang (but with the last character written incorrectly as ''sheep'' instead of ''sun'').


    Chu Qing: "...Is there a problem?"

 Chapter 12

    In the end, Chu Qing went to school in Qi Weichen''s seven-figure luxury car. Her parents had initially wanted to drop them off, but after seeing Qi Weichen''s car, they quietly abandoned this decision and chose to see them off after helping load their luggage."Did you see my parents'' expressions? When I first learned the price of this car, I was even more shocked than they were," Chu Qing said, sitting in the passenger seat and curiously fiddling with things inside the car.


    Qi Weichen glanced at her. "Why?"


    "Because it''s expensive," Chu Qing replied without hesitation. "Be careful when you''re driving, okay? We don''t matter much, but mainly don''t scratch or dent the car. It probably costs a lot to repair."


    A hint of amusement flashed in Qi Weichen''s eyes. He deliberately ignored her words and stepped on the accelerator, causing the car to surge forward. Chu Qing glared at him but didn''t say anything more. Instead, she focused on playing with the car''s sound system, appearing very interested in it.


    "After October 1st, I''ll sign you up for driving school," Qi Weichen said slowly.


    Chu Qing was a bit worried. "What if I can''t pass?"


    "You will. I''ll be there," Qi Weichen assured her.


    Chu Qing immediately felt reassured and continued looking around, too preoccupied to even talk to Qi Weichen. They arrived at the school together and politely declined help from senior students. They went directly to complete the enrollment procedures, then Qi Weichen took Chu Qing''s luggage up first and followed her to the dormitory building.


    Since it was freshman move-in day, anyone could enter the dorm buildings freely, so Qi Weichen carried the luggage straight upstairs. Both he and Chu Qing were very attractive, drawing many glances along the way. Chu Qing felt unusually self-conscious and lowered her voice, saying, "I could carry it up myself, you don''t have to help me."


    "I like to," Qi Weichen replied calmly.


    Since he put it that way, Chu Qing didn''t say anything more and just quietly followed behind. They arrived relatively late, and the other roommates were already there.


    Their arrival immediately attracted the attention of several girls. Chu Qing hurriedly greeted them warmly, while Qi Weichen helped her organize her belongings one by one.


    Chu Qing was naturally sociable and quickly became familiar with her roommates. As they were chatting, one girl said enviously, "Your brother is so good to you."


    "My brother?" Chu Qing turned back confused, saw Qi Weichen making her bed, and was startled. She quickly tugged at his sleeve, "You don''t need to, I can handle this."


    "It''s already done," Qi Weichen said, walking to her side. He addressed the other girls in the room, "I''m her boyfriend, Qi Weichen."


    "Are you this year''s top scorer in the college entrance exam?" a chubby girl exclaimed.


    The others immediately became curious. The girl hurriedly explained, "I''m also from City A. You don''t know, his grades were exceptionally good. He beat the second-place scorer by more than ten points this year. He''s really amazing."


    "That''s incredible, the top scorer!"


    "Yeah, Chu Qing, you''re really something to find such a great boyfriend."


    Chu Qing coughed and humbly said, "Well, I''m pretty good-looking too. He''s quite shallow, just likes my pretty face."


    Her words made the other girls laugh, and Chu Qing laughed along with them. "Alright, I won''t chat anymore. My boyfriend brought me up here, so I should see him off too."


    "Go ahead, go ahead."


    Chu Qing held Qi Weichen''s hand and left the dorm room amidst the teasing voices of her roommates. As they walked leisurely, Qi Weichen suddenly said, "I''m shallow?"


    "...Of course not, my Qi genius is the most profound," Chu Qing said with a straight face.


    Qi Weichen chuckled softly. "You''re just saying that."


    Chu Qing giggled and quickly pulled him to get his luggage from the car. They walked together towards the boys'' dormitory, once again attracting many glances, just like before. When they were almost at the dorm entrance, Qi Weichen subtly stopped. Chu Qing asked, puzzled, "Why did you stop?"


    "I''ll go up by myself," Qi Weichen said calmly.


    Chu Qing paused. "Let me see you off."


    "No need."


    Chu Qing frowned. "Why?"


    "You''re too beautiful. They keep looking at you," Qi Weichen said very frankly.


    Chu Qing was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Well, you''d better get used to it. Girls become more beautiful as they grow up. There will be more people looking at me in the future."


    "I can''t get used to it," Qi Weichen said expressionlessly, pinching her face. "Right now, I just want to hide you away."


    Chu Qing rolled her eyes at him and turned to leave.


    Following A University''s tradition, after two days of registration, military training began on the third day. It was the hottest time in September, and standing under the blazing sun all day made Chu Qing feel like a little roast chicken. She applied sunscreen liberally, barely managing to keep herself from getting tanned.


    Qi Weichen was different. He had already gotten a bit darker from learning to drive, and now with the sun, he became even darker. Although he was still very handsome, Chu Qing found it distressing to look at him.


    "Apply sunscreen," Chu Qing said during another break, squeezing next to him and handing him the sunscreen from her pocket.


    Qi Weichen paused. "No."


    "...What do you mean, no? Getting tanned is one thing, but don''t you know that long-term sun exposure is bad for your skin?" Chu Qing said, exasperated.


    Qi Weichen frowned. "But it feels sticky."


    "This one is a thick type, it works better. You''ll get used to it," Chu Qing coaxed.


    Qi Weichen silently refused.


    Chu Qing stared at him expressionlessly for a moment, then took a deep breath and said with a fake smile, "Fine, I won''t force you to apply it."


    Qi Weichen''s shoulders relaxed slightly, his whole demeanor softening.


    Chu Qing laughed in frustration. "Anyway, I don''t like dark skin. This aesthetic preference won''t change. You can do as you please." She turned and left.


    A minute later, Qi Weichen appeared in front of her, reluctantly asking for the sunscreen.


    Chu Qing and Qi Weichen were in the same class, naturally in the same military training squad. Due to their exceptionally good looks and Qi Weichen''s status as the top scorer, they became famous as soon as they entered the school, and naturally attracted a lot of attention now.


    Seeing Qi Weichen start to apply sunscreen, a roommate who had become familiar with them recently teased, "Didn''t you say you wouldn''t apply it? Is even the top student so afraid of his wife?"


    The roommate''s words caused laughter among the boys in the class. Qi Weichen calmly finished applying the sunscreen before slowly responding, "It''s mainly because my girlfriend is too beautiful. I can''t bear to make her angry."


    The boys who didn''t have girlfriends or whose girlfriends weren''t as beautiful as Chu Qing: "..."


    After the sunscreen incident, the second round of military training began. Everyone found it unbearable, but fortunately, after the training, the instructors took the students to rest on the lawn. During their free time, they even taught some self-defense techniques. The freshmen were obviously more interested in these and learned enthusiastically.


    Chu Qing and Qi Weichen were two exceptions.


    An instructor noticed this and curiously asked Qi Weichen, "Are you not interested in these?"


    "It''s not that I''m not interested, I just don''t think it''s necessary," Qi Weichen replied.


    The instructor laughed. "Even though our country''s public safety is very good, you never know when you might encounter danger. If you do, how will you protect your girlfriend if you don''t learn properly?"


    Evidently, the reputation of Chu Qing and Qi Weichen as a couple had spread so far that even the instructors knew about it.


    Qi Weichen considered for a moment. "She will protect me."


    At this moment, students from several departments were sitting on the field, all eavesdropping on his conversation with the instructor. They didn''t expect him to say such a thing and burst into laughter. Qi Weichen remained very calm amidst the laughter.


    Seeing them laughing at Qi Weichen, Chu Qing couldn''t stay calm. "Who says girls can''t protect boys? Isn''t this gender discrimination?"


    "It''s not gender discrimination. It''s mainly because you''re a girl, how can you protect a grown man?" the instructor asked with a smile.


    Chu Qing stood up, her gaze searching through the several squads before landing on a male student from the sports department. "Want to try a round with me?" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her words made everyone laugh again. Chu Qing became anxious. "Come on out quickly. If you don''t come out, it means you''re looking down on me!"


    Since she put it that way, the boy who had been laughing so hard he was bent over had to stand up. Amidst the teasing, he awkwardly said, "Well, um, how do you want to do this?"


    "It''s a fight, what other way is there? Just use your own techniques, but no dirty tricks, okay?" Chu Qing hadn''t been active for a long time, and seeing the other person''s burly figure, she immediately became energetic.


    The boy was a bit restrained. "We''re really going to fight?"


    "Is it even possible to fake it?" Chu Qing said incredulously.


    The boy grinned sheepishly. "Well... alright then."


    Seeing that he had agreed, Chu Qing immediately took her stance. Qi Weichen said coolly, "Go easy."


    "Of course, I''d never hit a girl hard," the boy replied, thinking Qi Weichen was talking to him.


    Chu Qing let out a soft snort and launched into an attack with a leg sweep. The boy was startled, barely managing to block before stumbling backward. In the next second, Chu Qing''s fierce techniques came at him again. When the boy finally came to his senses, he clumsily defended himself and eventually couldn''t help but counterattack.


    The onlookers'' reactions changed from mockery to frozen smiles, and finally to slack-jawed amazement, all within less than ten seconds.


    After a series of attacks, Chu Qing saw an opening when her opponent counterattacked anxiously. She seized the moment and struck his abdomen with her elbow. The boy howled in pain and fell to the ground. Chu Qing snapped back to reality and hurried to help him up. "I''m so sorry! I got too excited and forgot to go easy on you..."


    Qi Weichen also came forward to check on him. Seeing that the boy wasn''t seriously hurt, he turned to Chu Qing. "Didn''t I tell you to go easy?"


    "I... I didn''t mean to," Chu Qing said, feeling very guilty.


    The crowd on the sports field: "..." So that "go easy" was meant for Chu Qing.


    In the ensuing silence, someone started clapping, and soon thunderous applause erupted. The boy, who had recovered, also applauded admiringly. Chu Qing grinned and bowed to everyone with clasped hands. The atmosphere reached its peak, and some people were itching to try their luck against Chu Qing. As she hadn''t had enough, she happily agreed. For the next twenty minutes, the only thing the crowd did was watch Chu Qing beat people up.


    After taking down the last challenger, Chu Qing waved her hand to signal that she was out of energy. Seeing the disappointed face of the next person who wanted to challenge her, she couldn''t help but sigh, "Why are there still people lining up to get beaten?"


    "Have some water," Qi Weichen said, unscrewing a bottle and handing it to her. Chu Qing gulped it down, and he used a tissue to wipe her lips.


    Their actions immediately drew criticism from countless people. The events on the sports field quickly spread throughout the school, and Chu Qing''s fame briefly surpassed that of her valedictorian boyfriend. Chu Qing thoroughly enjoyed this lifestyle, often dining with friends and organizing activities, living a colorful college life.


    When the semester was coming to an end and exams were approaching, she realized how many books she hadn''t read. So she could only seek Qi Weichen''s help every day for tutoring sessions, but time was still not enough. To pass the exams smoothly, she didn''t return to her dorm at night, instead going directly to a hotel near the school with Qi Weichen. This way, they didn''t have to worry about curfew and could study as much as possible.


    After not returning to the dorm for four consecutive days, when she finally went back, she received a warm welcome from her roommates.


    "Little Qing Qing, exams are coming up soon. Can''t you and the academic god show some restraint?" her roommate said with a grin.


    Having lived with these mischievous girls for a while, Chu Qing''s skin had grown thicker. She calmly glanced at her roommate and said, "We were studying."


    "Yeah, right. Besides studying, didn''t you do anything else?" another roommate chimed in.


    Chu Qing rolled her eyes. "I know what you''re thinking, but no, we didn''t."


    "No way, how long have you been dating?" her roommate asked, surprised.


    "A year," Chu Qing replied, silently adding in her heart, "Actually, it''s been two years."


    "A year! And nothing has happened yet? Do you know that the girl next door got intimate with her boyfriend after just a week?" her roommate lamented.


    Chu Qing was speechless. "A week? They probably don''t even remember what each other looks like!"


    "A week is normal. It''s abnormal for couples like you who''ve been dating for a year and still just study together," her roommate gossiped, pulling her closer. "Let me tell you, between a man and a woman, you can''t lack emotion, and you can''t lack that either. The two complement each other. If you don''t do it for a long time, you''ll definitely have problems in the future."


    Chu Qing rolled her eyes again. "You''ve never even dated. How would you know?"


    "I''m not dating now, but I dated before. Trust me, I''m right. Don''t be too shy. If he doesn''t show any intention, you should take the initiative. I guarantee your relationship will get better and better," her roommate assured her.


    "...If you''re so right, why did you break up?" Chu Qing retorted.


    Her roommate punched her arm angrily. "Because I didn''t want to date anymore! Long-distance relationships are too troublesome, okay?!"


    "Alright, alright, whatever you say," Chu Qing quickly appeased her.


    Her roommate huffed. "Anyway, don''t just look at how good he treats you now. Think about the future too. If he never takes the initiative to bring up this matter, either he''s tired of you or he has problems in that area. Whichever it is, you need to be vigilant, understand? A high-quality stock like the academic god, you''ve got to hold on tight."


    "I got it, I got it," Chu Qing said perfunctorily, but she still took her roommate''s words to heart because she had also noticed that recently, Qi Weichen seemed less interested in her than before.


    That night, when they arrived at the hotel again, Chu Qing had something on her mind and was distracted during the lesson. After an hour of revision, Qi Weichen stopped. "You''re not in the right state today."


    "Ah... I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to," Chu Qing quickly snapped back to attention.


    Qi Weichen closed the book. "Let''s continue tomorrow. There''s not much content left, and we''re not too pressed for time."


    "Oh..." Chu Qing watched dumbly as he packed up his things. After a while, she shuffled over to him, wanting to cuddle.


    Qi Weichen gently hugged her back. "What''s wrong?"


    "I... I just want to kiss you," Chu Qing said with an embarrassed smile.


    Qi Weichen chuckled softly and planted a light kiss on her forehead, then lay down on the bed next to her.


    Yes, although they were sharing a room, they had booked a standard room with two beds. Chu Qing kept thinking about her roommate''s words, and now she couldn''t help overthinking everything. Looking at the two beds, she couldn''t help but wonder why they didn''t book a room with a large bed. Didn''t he want to sleep holding her?


    "Are you very tired?" Chu Qing asked, seeing him lie down. She didn''t feel neglected, just a bit worried. She only knew that since entering university, he had been contacted by a graduate supervisor and often participated in some research, but she wasn''t clear about the details.


    Qi Weichen closed his eyes. "It''s okay. The project is almost finished, so I have more free time recently."


    Chu Qing nodded, careful not to disturb his rest, deliberately moving quietly. As for other thoughts, she pushed them out of her mind. Qi Weichen quickly fell asleep beside her, but Chu Qing wasn''t sleepy at all. Seeing that it was only a little past nine, she sat on the carpet and started playing games.


    After playing for two hours straight, she finally felt the delayed onset of drowsiness. She lazily grabbed the bag with her change of clothes and went to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and started bathing. After rinsing off, she didn''t feel as sleepy as before. In a good mood, she finished her bath, dried her hair, and then leisurely reached for her clothes. It wasn''t until she pulled out a white t-shirt that she realized she had grabbed the wrong bag.


    ...Why did they use the same kind of bag for their clothes anyway?


    Chu Qing was speechless for a moment. She looked down at her carelessly discarded clothes, which were now completely soaked and unwearable. Several options flashed through her mind:


    One, wear her own wet clothes out to get the right bag, then come back to shower again and change. Two, wear Qi Weichen''s clothes out, get her bag, and then come back to change. Three, just go out as is...


    She immediately dismissed the last option. Remembering that Qi Weichen was still asleep, she wrapped a towel around herself, put on Qi Weichen''s t-shirt, and sneaked out.


    Afraid that Qi Weichen might wake up, she didn''t dare make a sound. Her whole body was tense with nervousness. Just as she reached the bedside, her foot cramped up. Chu Qing let out a muffled groan and collapsed onto the bed, curling up into a ball and hugging her foot. She rolled around on the bed in frustration, the towel coming loose at some point, barely covering her waist.


    Despite her efforts to suppress it, the commotion woke Qi Weichen. The next second, a familiar face appeared above her. "What''s wrong?"


    Chu Qing whimpered, no longer able to hold back. With tears in her eyes, she clutched at his shirt and said through gritted teeth, "Quick... foot cramp..."


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment before his large hand grasped her foot. Chu Qing lay flat on her back, her face contorted in pain. Qi Weichen had to lean over her, using his other hand to support himself on the bed to avoid crushing her.


    Slowly, the pain in her foot subsided. Chu Qing exhaled, her skin damp with sweat. "It''s so awful, painful and stiff. I thought I was going to die..."


    "So why did you get a cramp..." Qi Weichen''s words trailed off abruptly mid-sentence.


    Chu Qing looked at him quizzically, then noticed his bright red ears. Following his gaze downward, her face suddenly flushed crimson.


    ...She had forgotten that she had rushed out wearing only a t-shirt and a towel wrapped around her. Now the towel had come loose, precariously covering her lower abdomen, leaving her legs completely exposed. As for her upper body, with only the thin t-shirt remaining, the full curves beneath were clearly visible.


    She frantically grabbed at the towel, but in her panic didn''t know which part to cover first. Tears of embarrassment threatened to spill from her eyes. Qi Weichen stiffly stood up and sat down with his back to her. "I-I won''t look. Take your time."


    Chu Qing''s hands froze. As she gazed at his tense back, a faint electric current seemed to pass through her heart.


    Despite the air conditioning in the room, a fine sheen of sweat had broken out on Qi Weichen''s forehead. He tried his best to control himself, but the image of those curves kept appearing unbidden in his mind. After a long silence, he suddenly stood up and said hoarsely, "I-I''m going to take a shower."


    As he was about to leave, Chu Qing hugged him from behind. He stiffened again as he clearly felt her soft body press against his back.


    "If... if you''re in the right state, I''m actually okay with it..." Chu Qing mumbled softly.


    Qi Weichen clenched his fists. "Do you know what you''re saying?"


    "...Mm-hmm," Chu Qing affirmed, turning him to face her. She began speaking somewhat awkwardly, "But you have to be gentle, I''m a little..."


    Before she could finish, her lips were sealed with a kiss. Chu Qing''s hands clutched at his clothes as she obediently reciprocated. It wasn''t until she was lying down that she began to feel a little panicked.


    "If you feel it''s not okay, just tell me. I''ll stop," Qi Weichen''s breath was hot, but his eyes were gentle.


    Chu Qing felt like she was drowning in his tenderness. Moved by his words, she nodded and took the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck.


    For every minute that followed, she deeply regretted her initiative. Not only because the pain exceeded anything she had imagined, but also because she truly realized what it meant for a man''s words to be deceitful.


    This scoundrel had promised to stop when she said so, but before long he had turned into a deaf and blind puppy. He ignored her cries of pain and her tears, showing no mercy as he thoroughly had his way with her.

 Chapter 13

    Chu Qing leaned unsteadily against the bed, and after a while, she said casually, "How little must you trust me to think that I would abandon you?""Not abandon, just go to a different school," Qi Weichen said, resting his head on her lap and burying his face in her soft clothes.


    Chu Qing let out a light snort. "But the way you just acted, it was as if I was going to abandon you."


    "...If we separate, what if someone else pursues you?" Qi Weichen''s voice was muffled.


    Chu Qing poked his face. "Don''t you have any confidence in yourself? You''re so wonderful. Even if someone else pursued me, I could never choose anyone but you."


    After a moment of silence, Qi Weichen said in a low voice, "But I''m not good to you. I''m afraid that if someone else is good to you, you''ll realize how bad I am."


    Chu Qing laughed. "What twisted logic. How are you not good to me? If you weren''t good to me, how could I have done so well in my exams?"


    "It''s different. The way I''m good to you is like a sugar-free, oil-free healthy meal. It''s good for your body, but it''s not the kind you like. But because you haven''t tried anything else, there''s no comparison. I''m afraid that if a hot pot comes along to pursue you, you''ll realize how unpalatable I am," Qi Weichen said, hugging her waist and lowering his voice.


    Chu Qing was silent for a moment. "...Now that you mention it, I suddenly really want to eat hot pot."


    "Are you changing the subject?" Qi Weichen frowned.


    Chu Qing sighed. "Well, if I want hot pot, will you let me have it?"


    "Of course," Qi Weichen answered immediately.


    Chu Qing shook her head helplessly. "There you go. You''re not just my healthy meal, you''re also my hot pot, my milk tea, my little cake. No matter how good other guys might be, they can''t compare to you in my heart."


    Hearing her simple and direct words of affection, Qi Weichen''s ears turned slightly red.


    Chu Qing pinched his face, and suddenly the smile on her face faded a bit. "You really have no sense of security."


    "...I''ll change."


    "As if you could change," Chu Qing scoffed. "We''ve discussed this topic so many times, and I haven''t seen any improvement. It shows that this is just who you are, and you can''t change it."


    Qi Weichen''s Adam''s apple bobbed, and he wanted to ask if being with someone like him was tiring for her. But before he could ask, he heard her say brightly, "So, I''ll just stick to you all the time, stay right under your nose every day, so you won''t have a chance to overthink things."


    "...You''ll stay with me all the time?" Qi Weichen''s voice tightened slightly.


    Chu Qing nodded solemnly, then looked at him mischievously. "Anyway, I don''t have anything in particular I want to do, so I might as well just follow you around. And no matter what you do, you''ll end up being incredibly successful at it. Then all I''ll need to do is ride on your coattails."


    "Alright, you can ride on my coattails," Qi Weichen said, a faint smile appearing on his face.


    Seeing that she had thoroughly comforted him, Chu Qing didn''t say anything more.


    "Get up, I''ll take you out to eat," Qi Weichen said, sitting up immediately.


    Chu Qing was taken aback. "Where?"


    "Didn''t you say you wanted hot pot?" Qi Weichen asked.


    Chu Qing suddenly remembered what she had said earlier. "It''s the middle of the night, where can we eat?"


    "There are 24-hour places. We can just go directly," Qi Weichen said, bending down to help her straighten her clothes.


    Chu Qing suddenly remembered their kiss from earlier, and her cheeks flushed red. Qi Weichen''s eyes flickered, and his movements slowed down. The atmosphere suddenly became subtle.


    Chu Qing coughed dryly. "Have you changed your mind? Don''t want to take me anymore?"


    Qi Weichen snapped back to reality and took a step back. "Hurry up."


    "...Okay."


    Feeling that it was a bit dangerous to be alone with him at home, Chu Qing quickly changed her clothes and followed him out. They found a hot pot restaurant nearby to eat.


    "Are you going back home tonight?" Qi Weichen asked.


    Chu Qing shook her head. "My mom said to let me stay at your place for the night," she paused for a moment, "My mom trusts you, that''s why she''s letting me stay. Don''t betray her trust, okay?"


    Qi Weichen knew what she was referring to, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. "I know. I won''t betray it."


    "That''s more like it," Chu Qing muttered. Seeing him constantly putting food in her bowl, she couldn''t help but smile.


    Qi Weichen looked at her. "What are you smiling about?"


    "Nothing, just remembering your metaphor from earlier," Chu Qing''s eyes curved into crescents. "Healthy meal, you''re quite good at descriptions."


    Qi Weichen glanced at her, silently putting a piece of shrimp ball in her bowl. On the surface, he remained calm, but the tips of his ears secretly turned red.


    Chu Qing didn''t have the heart to tease him anymore. She put a piece of shrimp ball in his bowl. Qi Weichen looked at her, his eyes hiding a secret smile.


    After submitting their college applications, it was time to wait. Chu Qing''s score was actually a bit risky for the major she had applied to, but for some reason, she was confident that she would get in. So when the call from A University''s admissions office came before the official letter, she was exceptionally calm, while her parents fell into a new round of celebration.


    The summer vacation passed very quickly, seemingly ending in a blur of eating and sleeping. It wasn''t until it was almost time for school to start that Chu Qing realized she hadn''t done anything, whereas Qi Weichen had taken advantage of the holiday to get his driver''s license.


    "If I had known, I would have gone to take the test with you," Chu Qing said, looking at his license with a hint of envy.


    Qi Weichen glanced at her. "It was very hot. You should wait for spring or autumn to take the test."


    "Then why were you in such a hurry to take it?" Chu Qing raised an eyebrow, glancing at his noticeably darker skin tone.


    Qi Weichen lowered his eyes to look at the license. "I wanted to be your driver."


    Chu Qing: "..." Had this guy been eating too much sugar lately? How had he become so good with words?


    After getting his license, the next thing was to buy a car. Qi Weichen wanted her to choose one she liked, and Chu Qing didn''t hold back, immediately going with him to the 4S store. She didn''t know much about cars, only whether they looked good or not, but any that caught her eye cost several hundred thousand yuan.


    "This is too expensive, isn''t it? Should we look at some more economical options?" Chu Qing said in a low voice.


    Qi Weichen reassured her, "Just pick the one you like. I have money."


    "Even if you have money, you shouldn''t waste it. Let''s look at some others," Chu Qing said, pushing him out of the 4S store.


    Qi Weichen didn''t force her, but secretly made a mental note of the few she had liked, planning to come back and buy one when he had the chance. Chu Qing was unaware of his plan and continued to complain even after they got into a taxi: "It''s really too expensive. We don''t go out much usually, and taking a taxi is just fine. There''s no need to buy a car."


    "Having a car would be more convenient," Qi Weichen said slowly.


    Chu Qing pouted. "It is convenient, but I don''t think we need to buy such an expensive one. I even brought my little savings today, thinking I could help you pay for part of it, but now it''s only enough to buy four wheels."


    "You brought money?" Qi Weichen laughed.


    Chu Qing snorted lightly, pulling out her bank card from her pocket to show off. "Look, it''s several thousand yuan. It''s all my New Year''s money."


    "You''re so rich. Can you treat me to a meal?" Qi Weichen played along seriously.


    Chu Qing looked at him proudly. "No problem."


    In the end, she really did pay for the meal. After eating, they strolled leisurely towards their residential complex. Chu Qing chattered away as they walked, while Qi Weichen just listened with a smile in his eyes. The picture of the two of them walking together was so harmonious that the woman who had been waiting downstairs was momentarily stunned.


    Qi Weichen looked up and their eyes met, the smile in his eyes immediately fading. Chu Qing noticed his change and followed his gaze, frowning in confusion when she saw the woman.


    "Weichen," the woman forced a smile.


    Qi Weichen nodded politely. "Mom."


    "...Mom?" Chu Qing was surprised.


    Qi Weichen responded with a sound of affirmation and introduced, "This is my mom." Then he turned to the woman, placing his hand on Chu Qing''s back. "This is Chu Qing, my girlfriend." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You have a girlfriend now, that''s wonderful," the woman smiled, no longer as awkward as before.


    Chu Qing immediately greeted her sweetly, "Hello, Auntie."


    "Hello," the woman''s eyes were naturally cool, but she tried her best to soften her expression to avoid frightening Chu Qing at their first meeting. However, her demeanor was naturally stern, and even with her softened voice, she still appeared somewhat serious.


    Qi Weichen bore a slight resemblance to her, and thinking that this was Qi Muyang''s grandmother, Chu Qing felt even more cordial. "Auntie, it''s so hot out here. Why don''t we go upstairs to rest for a bit?"


    "No, I just knew Weichen was about to go to school and wanted to ask if he needed anything," the woman said, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes. For so many years, Qi Weichen had never asked her for anything. Even if she wanted to give him something, he would refuse. She figured this trip was probably in vain too.


    She let out a sigh, and after composing herself, looked at Qi Weichen, "I just came to check on you. If you need anything, just give me a call."


    Seeing that Qi Weichen didn''t respond, she forced a smile and was about to leave.


    "Mom," Qi Weichen called out as she was passing by.


    The woman immediately stopped and turned to look at him, "What is it?"


    "I''d like a car," Qi Weichen said slowly.


    The woman was taken aback, then a look of disbelief crossed her face, "You... you want me to buy you a car?"


    "Is that okay?" Qi Weichen looked at her.


    The woman nodded hurriedly, "Of course! Absolutely. What kind do you like? I''ll go pick one out for you right now."


    "There''s no rush. We can buy it in a couple of days when it''s not so hot," Qi Weichen said, his expression showing a rare hint of emotion at her excitement.


    The woman quickly agreed, "Alright, no rush. Then... that''s settled."


    "Mm-hmm."


    After Qi Weichen agreed, Chu Qing watched the woman leave with a spring in her step. She paused for three seconds before asking curiously, "Weren''t you going to buy it yourself? Why did you ask your mom for it?"


    "It''s nothing. I just wanted to make her feel needed," Qi Weichen said, lowering his gaze.


    Chu Qing was stunned for a moment.


    "Actually, there are issues in their relationship, but they''ve never wronged me. It''s just that I''ve unilaterally shut them out, not wanting to give them any chance," Qi Weichen tucked her hair behind her ear.


    Chu Qing asked, puzzled, "Then why do you want to give them a chance now?"


    "You don''t know a parent''s love until you become one," Qi Weichen said softly.


    Chu Qing''s heart stirred as she understood. Then she smiled, "Although they''ve made mistakes, you weren''t necessarily right before either. Since neither of you has truly crossed each other''s bottom line, why not slowly mend the relationship?"


    "Mm," Qi Weichen responded gently.


    Chu Qing lingered at Qi Weichen''s house for a while before heading home. The next morning, she was ready to rush back to his place.


    "I''ve never seen such a wild girl!" her mother scolded.


    Chu Qing grinned, "I''m going to pick him up. We''ll have lunch at home."


    "In that case, I''ll go buy a bass. I''ll steam it for you two for lunch," her mother''s expression changed immediately upon hearing they''d be eating at home.


    Chu Qing gave her mother a disdainful look before running off to find Qi Weichen. However, just as she reached the entrance of his community, she ran into Qi''s Mother.


    "Auntie, what brings you here?" Chu Qing asked curiously.


    A blush appeared on Qi''s Mother''s usually cool face, "I... I picked out a car. I wanted to ask if he likes it."


    "...Now?" Chu Qing couldn''t help but laugh, "You''re certainly quick."


    Qi''s Mother smiled awkwardly, "This is the first time he''s ever asked me for anything. I just wanted to get it for him quickly, in case he changes his mind..."


    Chu Qing understood, "Then let''s go up and find him."


    "No, no need," Qi''s Mother hurriedly said, "Um... why don''t you take a look? If you like it, then we''ll go with that one."


    "That won''t do. You''re buying it for him, so he should be the one to choose," Chu Qing quickly refused. If Qi Weichen was buying it himself, she wouldn''t mind choosing. But this was Qi''s Mother buying it for her son, how could she dare to make the choice?


    Qi''s Mother smiled, "It''s alright. He doesn''t care about these things. If you like it, he''s sure to like it too."


    "...That still won''t do. We should ask him," Chu Qing didn''t dare make this decision.


    Qi''s Mother hesitated, about to speak when her phone rang. She had to step aside to answer it, and soon her brows furrowed. After hanging up, she sighed, "Something urgent came up at the company. I need to go back. I can''t go up with you. How about this, I''ll send him the photos, and you two can look at them together. If you like it, just order it directly."


    "...Alright," Chu Qing had just agreed when Qi''s Mother hurried off. She couldn''t help but marvel at the businesswoman''s efficiency, then leisurely made her way upstairs.


    After so many visits, she already had a key. She opened the door and entered, seeing Qi Weichen, she said, "Your mom was just here."


    "I know. Take a look at this car and see if you like it," Qi Weichen said, handing her his phone.


    Chu Qing leaned in to look, her eyes immediately lighting up, "I like it. It''s even better looking than the ones we saw before... Is it very expensive?"


    "I''ll ask," Qi Weichen said, then typed out a message.


    Qi''s Mother quickly replied with two words: Not expensive.


    Chu Qing immediately felt relieved, "It''s a good thing elders choose these big purchases. It''s even better than what we picked. Since it''s not expensive, let''s go with this one."


    "Mm," Qi Weichen agreed with a faint smile.


    After choosing the car, they went back to Chu Qing''s house for lunch. Afterward, Qi Weichen went to the 4S store with Qi''s Mother''s assistant. Chu Qing thought it was too hot outside and lazily stayed in the air-conditioned room, tossing and turning. When Qi Weichen sent her a few more photos of the car, she suddenly became curious and searched for the image, only to find a seven-figure price tag.


    Chu Qing: "..." This is what they call not expensive?

 Chapter 14

    Not only did her mother suspect her grades were off, but even her classmates were suspicious. A few of her close friends joked, "Chu Qing, did you cheat too much? Getting all the way to second place is pushing it. Be careful, the homeroom teacher might come after you.""I didn''t cheat. These are my real grades," Chu Qing rolled her eyes at them.


    One tall, skinny boy sneered, "Come on, Chu Qing. We''ve been in class together for three years. We know your usual scores. When the teacher calls you in, just confess. It''ll be better than having your parents called."


    Just as he finished speaking, the homeroom teacher entered, and the classroom fell silent. The teacher scanned the room, her gaze landing on Chu Qing. "Come with me," she said, then turned and left.


    "Here we go..." The instigators immediately lowered their voices.


    Qi Weichen frowned, looking directly at her. "I''ll go with you."


    "It''s fine, I can go by myself," Chu Qing winked at him and left the classroom.


    The homeroom teacher was waiting outside and led her straight to the office. It was break time, so all the teachers were gathered in the office. A teacher visiting from another office saw Chu Qing and teased the homeroom teacher, "Oh, here''s your second-place student. The little girl looks quite innocent, but her cheating skills must be pretty good."


    Chu Qing took a closer look and laughed. It was Director Duan. She hadn''t realized he was already at Chengde High School in 2019. She hadn''t noticed before.


    "You''re still laughing," the homeroom teacher frowned.


    Chu Qing coughed and put on a serious face. "Teacher, I know what you want to say, and I don''t blame you. Put yourself in my shoes ¨C a student who was at the bottom of the class three months ago suddenly jumps to second place after winter break. If I were you, I wouldn''t believe it either."


    "Good that you understand," the homeroom teacher''s expression softened a bit, seeing her reasonable attitude.


    But Chu Qing grinned again, "But this is the power of miracles... well, not exactly miracles. Mainly it''s because I have a high IQ. I can learn in three months what others can''t learn in three years."


    "That''s some thick skin you''ve got," interjected the future Director Duan, currently just a visiting teacher.


    Chu Qing glanced at him sideways and continued talking to her homeroom teacher. "Don''t dismiss me right away. Let''s let the facts speak for themselves. How about this ¨C you can give me any test, and I''ll do it. Let you witness the power of three months."


    "Alright, you said it. If you can''t do it, don''t blame me for calling your parents," the homeroom teacher, seeing her confidence, naturally didn''t argue. She pulled out a mock exam from a thick stack of papers on the desk and handed it to her.


    Chu Qing immediately sat down and started working on the problems. The homeroom teacher watched closely, surprised to see her only miss two out of the first ten multiple-choice questions.


    As Chu Qing worked, she chattered away, "English is really not my strong suit. If only you taught math or something, at least those can be crammed quickly. Subjects like Chinese and English need time to develop a feel for the language. When I have kids in the future, I''ll definitely cultivate their language sense from a young age. Then when they grow up, they can win first place in debate competitions for extra points on their applications..."


    "You can''t even learn well yourself, and you''re thinking about your kids learning?" Director Duan couldn''t help but interject again.


    Chu Qing clicked her tongue, "You may be a teacher, but you don''t teach me. Why do you keep needling me? You keep implying I cheated, but where''s your evidence? You''re a grown adult, don''t you have any sense of responsibility for your words?"


    "Do you have any manners? Don''t you know how to speak to teachers? You were at the bottom of the class, getting second place is definitely cheating!" Director Duan, not expecting her to challenge him, exploded.


    While Chu Qing was arguing with him, she had finished the cloze test. Including the first multiple-choice section, she had only missed four questions total. The homeroom teacher looked at the now-quarreling Chu Qing and Director Duan, frowning slightly. "Director Duan, I can handle my own student. There''s no need for your input."


    "I''m just feeling indignant on behalf of the other students. They''ve studied hard, why should they be pushed down by her?" Director Duan, not yet actually a director, immediately backed down at her words.


    The homeroom teacher handed him the test paper. "I''m sorry, but it seems she has studied hard too."


    Director Duan took one look and immediately objected, "Impossible. Did she memorize the answers beforehand?"


    "There are thirty short questions in total. Can you memorize thirty A, B, C, Ds?" the homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow.


    Director Duan frowned, "Maybe it''s just luck. Even if her English is good, her other subjects can''t possibly be this good."


    "Who encouraged this habit of speaking without thinking?" Chu Qing asked lazily.


    As Director Duan was about to explode again, the homeroom teacher stopped him and calmly looked at Chu Qing, "Since you''ve come to prove yourself, let''s go all the way. Otherwise, when you go back, you''ll definitely be gossiped about by your classmates and other teachers."


    "I''ll do whatever the teacher says," Chu Qing immediately smiled sweetly.


    She looked innocent and spoke sweetly, immediately softening the homeroom teacher''s expression. Taking advantage of the presence of other subject teachers, she had them bring out their test papers for Chu Qing to complete as well.


    Just as Chu Qing was about to start on the physics paper, the bell for class rang. Teachers with classes had already left, but the others gathered around to watch her work, including the annoying Director Duan.


    For someone with less psychological fortitude, even if they knew the material, they might not be able to perform under such scrutiny. But Chu Qing was different. She calmly worked through the problems, skipping those she didn''t know, ignoring Director Duan''s cold smirks. The other teachers didn''t make her complete entire papers, just selecting representative questions from each, so she could finish a subject in about ten minutes.


    Because they were watching her work, the subject teachers could immediately grade each question as she finished. She moved from one subject to the next almost without pause. As soon as she finished physics, she started on chemistry.


    "How did she do in physics?" the homeroom teacher asked. The other teachers were equally curious. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The physics teacher nodded, "She didn''t quite get the last step right on the most difficult problem, but she got all the basic and medium-difficulty questions correct. This guarantees she won''t lose points. Based on this level, her physics score this time is legitimate."


    Director Duan snorted lightly, clearly less confident than before.


    By the time Chu Qing finished all the subject tests, half of the second period had passed. She shook out her aching wrist, having proven herself in front of all the teachers.


    "How did you do it? Learning so much in just three months," the homeroom teacher was amazed, and the other teachers were curious too.


    Chu Qing coughed, "Like I said, I''m a little genius."


    "Tell me the truth, did you use some kind of good study method?" the homeroom teacher pressed.


    ...The good study method was time-traveling to the future, studying desperately, then coming back to the present. Chu Qing grinned, then after a moment, put on a mysterious air and said, "Since all the teachers want to know, I won''t keep it from you."


    The other teachers fell silent, listening intently.


    Chu Qing cleared her throat and said seriously, "You may see me sleeping in class, chatting, or even skipping sometimes, but I''ve actually been listening carefully to every lesson the teachers give."


    "Then why were your test scores so poor before?" the homeroom teacher frowned.


    Chu Qing raised an eyebrow, "Well, I was just lazy. When I saw the test paper, I''d do what I knew and leave what I didn''t. I simply didn''t bother writing anything for those. Plus, I''m a pretty low-key person. I didn''t want to be praised as a top student. If it weren''t for the college entrance exam coming up, requiring me to get a bit more serious, I''d still be too lazy to write much."


    "Should I be praising you for this?" the homeroom teacher laughed, exasperated.


    Chu Qing immediately tried to placate her, "Don''t be angry, teacher. I promise to study hard for the last month and a half. All of you teachers have experience with the college entrance exam. You''ve surely noticed the weak points in my work just now. I''d be grateful if you could give me some advice on how to improve in this final month."


    "Alright, we teachers will help however we can. After all, you''re our student," the physics teacher said magnanimously.


    Chu Qing immediately expressed her gratitude, "It''s because of great and understanding teachers like you that I can study well. If it were certain others who immediately accused me of cheating without giving me a chance to prove myself, I might have gotten so discouraged that I''d have dropped out altogether."


    Director Duan''s face immediately turned the color of a pig''s liver, and he slunk out of the office.


    "Enough joking around, come back to class with me. Since I called you out earlier, your classmates are surely gossiping. Now I''ll go help ''clear your name''." The homeroom teacher gave her a sidelong glance, emphasizing the last four words.


    Chu Qing smiled even more brightly and hurried after the teacher back to the classroom. After the teacher explained everything that happened in the office, Chu Qing returned to her seat in the corner under the shocked gazes of her classmates. As she passed, she didn''t forget to wink at Qi Weichen in the front row.


    Qi Weichen lowered his eyes, hiding his amusement, and brushed her fingertips as she walked by.


    "Chu, did you really take that test yourself?" her deskmate whispered in shock.


    Chu Qing gave him a smug look. "Of course I did."


    "How did you manage it?" her deskmate asked sincerely.


    Chu Qing coughed. "It''s not a big deal, really. I just casually listen in class while hanging out with you guys. I''ve known all those concepts for a while now."


    "...But you don''t do homework or pay much attention in class. How could you learn it all?"


    Chu Qing glared at him. "Obviously, because I''m a genius."


    Seeing her confident demeanor, her deskmate nodded thoughtfully.


    Schools are always the fastest places for gossip to spread, and the content of rumors tends to morph during transmission. Chu Qing''s original explanation for her sudden academic improvement was that she was quite gifted and could do well without studying much. By the time it made the rounds, it had transformed into a story that she had always been an excellent student since childhood, and was just pretending to be a poor student in high school to experience life from a different perspective.


    When this version reached Chu Qing''s ears, she didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. "I was just bragging about being smart. How did it turn into me always being a good student and pretending to be bad?"


    "Isn''t this better?" Qi Weichen asked, noticing her upturned lips.


    Chu Qing pondered for three seconds, then grinned mischievously. "It is pretty nice."


    She had to admit, she was finally experiencing the thrill Qi Muyang must have felt when he won first place in the debate competition. The feeling of showing off was quite enjoyable. Since Qi Weichen wouldn''t expose her, she might as well keep up the act.


    Due to the special circumstances of 2020, only the senior class in all of Chengde had returned to school early, and they were all required to board at school. Chu Qing and Qi Weichen, who used to be day students, were assigned new dormitories. Though the conditions were much worse compared to dorms 20 years in the future, they only had to endure it for a month, so the two of them managed to bear with it.


    When the college entrance exam of 2043 approached, Chu Qing had focused mainly on Qi Muyang, without feeling much pressure herself. But as the 2019 exam drew near, she finally began to feel anxious. Even without Qi Weichen''s supervision, she would study until 1 AM, then wake up at 5 AM the next morning to continue reviewing.


    Although she ate a lot during this month and more, she still visibly lost weight, causing her parents to worry. They kept reminding Qi Weichen to take care of her. Qi Weichen was concerned too, but he didn''t try to persuade her to take it easy. Instead, he constantly monitored her condition to prevent her from damaging her health.


    In the blink of an eye, it was two days before the exam. After taking graduation photos and receiving their admission tickets, the two of them went to Qi Weichen''s house together. Her parents had wanted to bring Chu Qing home, but after Qi Weichen said something to them, they didn''t come to pick her up.


    The day before the exam, Chu Qing was so nervous she couldn''t sit still. She wanted to study but couldn''t focus, making her feel very agitated. Qi Weichen calmly placed his hand on her head. "No more studying today. Get some rest."


    "...I can''t. I feel uneasy as soon as I lie down," Chu Qing frowned.


    Qi Weichen said, "Your study efficiency won''t be high now. It will only tire your brain more."


    "But what should I do about this anxiety?" She had criticized Qi Muyang''s poor mentality before, but now that it was her turn, she was worse than anyone.


    Qi Weichen held her shoulders and said slowly, "Don''t forget what Muyang said - you eventually got into A University."


    Chu Qing calmed down instantly. That''s right, she had forgotten such an important fact. The result was already known; she just needed to ensure she didn''t mess up the process... But how could she make sure she didn''t mess up?


    She started to get nervous again. "What if... what if I can get into A University precisely because I study today? If I don''t study now and miss a few points, what then? The future is unpredictable, you know about the butterfly effect, right? Maybe this will be the flap of the wings that changes everything."


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment. "Based on your scores from the last few mock exams, this final day really doesn''t matter."


    "...Really?" Chu Qing hesitated.


    Qi Weichen nodded quietly. Chu Qing stared at him for a while, then took a deep breath and gradually calmed down. "Okay... then I''ll rest today."


    "Good."


    Chu Qing managed a smile, finally giving up on the idea of studying, though her anxiety hadn''t decreased much. Seeing that further persuasion was useless, Qi Weichen stopped trying. Instead, he took her to do other things to distract her, and soon enough, the first day of the college entrance exam arrived.


    Chu Qing had thought she would be even more nervous once she got to the exam site, but when she actually sat down, she suddenly became calm and started answering questions as steadily as usual.


    The two days of exams passed quickly. As soon as she left the exam room, her mind went blank, feeling a sense of relief. That night, she went home with her parents, and as soon as she entered the house, she fell asleep, not waking up until the next morning.


    Her parents didn''t ask about the exam, and she didn''t bring it up either. She just lazed around at home, feeling like a tightly wound spring had finally been released.


    While she stayed at home, it wasn''t convenient for Qi Weichen to visit too often, so he tried to invite her out. However, it was too hot outside, and without anyone to regulate her schedule, her sleep cycle had become completely reversed. Every time he tried to contact her, it was when she was most sleepy, so she refused his invitations several times, saying she needed to sleep.


    "I''m energetic at night and sleep during the day. It''s the same as long as I get enough sleep. My body won''t be affected," Chu Qing yawned. "Don''t tattle to my mom, okay? I want to relax properly."


    Warned like this, Qi Weichen immediately abandoned any thoughts of reporting to her mother, and after careful consideration, he agreed. Chu Qing hung up the phone and rolled over to sleep for a few more hours.


    Qi Weichen stopped contacting her, and she enjoyed the peace and quiet. However, while one or two days of this was fine, by the third day, she started to feel that something wasn''t right. So she swallowed her pride and called him.


    "Cell phones emit radiation. If you want to see me, come to my house," Qi Weichen said coolly, then hung up.


    Chu Qing was silent for a moment, but ultimately, she painfully made her way to his door.


    Soon after she knocked, Qi Weichen appeared at the door with a cold expression. Chu Qing awkwardly waved at him. "Hi."


    Qi Weichen glanced at her and turned to walk back inside. Chu Qing stood still, not moving. After a few steps, he frowned and turned back. "Come in."


    "The procedure isn''t complete yet," Chu Qing said seriously.


    Qi Weichen walked back to her. "What procedure?"


    Chu Qing grinned and suddenly jumped onto him. Qi Weichen instinctively caught her, and then she kissed him. His expression softened, and all his anger dissipated. He had intended to teach her a lesson, but now he couldn''t bring himself to do it.


    Holding her, he closed the front door and made their way to the bedroom. After a long kiss, Chu Qing rolled around on his large bed and asked lazily, "Not angry anymore?"


    "You knew I was angry?" Qi Weichen asked in return.


    Chu Qing snorted lightly. "I didn''t know at first, but when you ignored me today, I figured it out. You''re so petty. I just played on my phone a bit more recently and needed to catch up on sleep during the day. Is that worth getting angry over?"


    "If I kept giving you the cold shoulder, wouldn''t you get angry?" Qi Weichen said this, but he was playing with a lock of her hair, not looking angry at all.


    Chu Qing closed her eyes and smiled. "I know I was wrong. From now on, I''ll come to your house to nap during the day. That way, I can keep you company and still play games at night."


    "Can''t you just have a healthier sleep schedule?" Qi Weichen sighed.


    Chu Qing hugged him. "They''re all night owls. No one plays with me during the day, so I have to accommodate them."


    Qi Weichen was silent for a long time. "I''ll keep you company from now on."


    Chu Qing opened her eyes. "Really?"


    "Mm." Qi Weichen''s gaze was soft.


    Chu Qing''s eyes lit up. "Great! You''re so smart, you must be really good at games too!" Saying this, she no longer felt sleepy and began to teach Qi Weichen how to play games. Qi Weichen obligingly lay down next to her.


    In Chu Qing''s eyes, Qi Weichen was capable of anything. Even with completely new things, he could quickly pick them up. However, she never expected him to be so... terrible at playing video games.


    After teaching him for an entire afternoon, he had memorized what everything was and its attributes. He could instantly judge which weapon to use at what time. Yet it was all just theoretical - his hands couldn''t keep up with his brain, and he always ended up being the one getting killed.


    Chu Qing was utterly defeated by him: "Now I know who Qi Muyang takes after with his poor gaming skills."


    "Give me some time, I''ll learn it quickly," Qi Weichen said, pressing his lips together.


    Chu Qing didn''t want to teach him anymore, but she couldn''t refuse his persistence. So she had to continue teaching him. As a result, she didn''t get to nap during the day. When she got home and finished dinner, she went straight to bed. Surprisingly, she woke up at 8 AM the next day. The first thing she did after getting up was to find Qi Weichen, and they started playing games again.


    After several days of Chu Qing''s patient guidance, Qi Weichen finally stopped dying right at the start of the game. However, Chu Qing had completely lost interest in playing games and only wanted to do something else with him.


    As long as her attention was on him, Qi Weichen was willing to do anything and naturally complied. After the couple spent some time being lovey-dovey, the exam results finally came out.


    On the day of checking the scores, Chu Qing was at home with her parents, sitting in front of the computer. Her father was nervously comforting her while watching her input the information: "It''s okay, whatever score you get is fine. Mom and Dad know you tried your best. No matter what, you''re still our precious daughter..."


    "You''re so nervous yourself, don''t say it doesn''t matter," her mother glared at him.


    Her father swallowed and fell silent. The couple stared intently at the screen. When the score page refreshed, they both froze.


    "647, it''s an exceptional performance, but this score might be a bit risky for A University, right? Probably can''t choose the top majors," Chu Qing frowned, somewhat dissatisfied.


    Her parents were still in shock. Hearing her words, they looked at her dazedly. Chu Qing sighed and stood up to leave: "Never mind, I''ll go ask Qi Weichen and see what he says."


    After she left, her parents looked at each other in bewilderment. After a while, her mother squeezed out a sentence: "...How many points?"


    "647... You take a look too, I''m afraid my eyes are playing tricks on me," her father said cautiously.


    Her mother immediately looked at the screen. Even with such a large number in front of her eyes, she still felt like she couldn''t see clearly. After a moment, she gasped: "647!"


    "My daughter is guaranteed to get into a top university!" Her father finally reacted.


    Chu Qing was outside calling Qi Weichen. Hearing their noisy reaction, she was about to tell them to keep it down when they rushed out and hugged her. Squeezed between two adults, Chu Qing was almost suffocated and had to hang up the phone first.


    Her parents'' excitement continued for three days. Not only did all their relatives and friends know her score, even people from the neighboring community who didn''t know her would congratulate her when they saw her. Chu Qing had the urge to send them both to a mental hospital.


    With the scores out, it was soon time to choose majors. Although she had said she wanted to go to A University, when it came time to fill out the application, she became temporarily confused.


    "You must be careful with your first choice. Don''t rush, I''ll help you find a consultant to ask. Actually, you don''t necessarily have to apply to A University, we should prioritize a safe choice," her mother advised.


    Chu Qing frowned: "No, Qi Weichen is going to A University, I want to go there too."


    "Before deciding on a school, you only need to determine one thing - what major you want to choose. You shouldn''t consider anything else," her mother became serious, "I understand you want to be with him all the time, but you don''t have to be together by going to the same school. You should think carefully about what you like."


    Chu Qing had said similar words to Qi Muyang before, and now hearing her mother say this to her, she felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Looking at the list of majors under A University, she frowned and said: "I''ll do scientific research in the future."


    "Do you like scientific research?" her mother was a bit surprised.


    Chu Qing was silent for a while, then squeezed out a sentence: "If I''m going to do it in the future, I should like it, right?"


    "You''ve got it backwards. You should like it now, and then you''ll do it in the future. Besides, scientific research covers so many areas. Which area are you interested in?" her mother asked again.


    Chu Qing was stunned and couldn''t answer. She used to live aimlessly, only waiting to graduate and start a small business to support herself. But Qi Weichen had led her onto a different path. She had been pushed forward entirely, so naturally, she didn''t know what she liked. She only knew that her future self would do scientific research, but she didn''t even know in what field.


    "...You''re just saying that off the top of your head, aren''t you? Sigh, I won''t interfere with this matter, but if you really like a good major at A University, then go for it. If the major you want to choose has better schools for study, I still hope you can be cautious," her mother said, then left a pile of university materials and went out.


    Chu Qing sat alone in her room, casually glancing at those materials. She noticed that many of the materials had been flipped through many times, obviously her mother had been studying them. She sighed, tidied up all the materials and put them in the drawer, then fell onto the bed with a headache.


    Qi Weichen had asked her about her application choices several times, but since she hadn''t decided yet, she always brushed him off. Finally, Qi Weichen came to her house directly.


    Her parents weren''t home, so she led him straight to her room. Chu Qing didn''t want to think about those troublesome things and asked him enthusiastically: "Want to watch a movie?"


    "Sure," Qi Weichen agreed.


    Chu Qing turned on the computer and searched for a while. When she saw "The Butterfly Effect," she felt a spark and chose this movie. The two of them quietly leaned against each other, relaxing and watching the movie. For a moment, neither of them spoke.


    Halfway through the movie, Chu Qing suddenly asked: "Do you think if we make a small change now, it will have an impact on the future?"


    "Like what?" Qi Weichen asked casually.


    Chu Qing pondered: "For example, if I choose a different major and don''t end up doing scientific research, will Qi Muyang still be born?"


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment: "No matter how your career path changes, it won''t affect our relationship."


    "But what if it does? Will the future still be the same as the 2042 we experienced?" Chu Qing was a bit troubled, "I''ve been thinking about these things lately. Because I''m worried that something I do might change the future, I''ve been restraining myself, afraid that one wrong step might prevent Qi Muyang from being born."


    "That won''t happen," Qi Weichen comforted her, "You think the future will easily change because of your actions and decisions, but you haven''t considered that every one of your actions and decisions is made based on the accumulation of your previous life experiences. It''s impossible to step out of your own behavioral patterns. Even if the future does change, the variation won''t be significant."


    "...I don''t understand."


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment, then simplified his language: "Don''t worry about the future. Do whatever you want to do. Even if the future trajectory is different from before, Muyang will still be born."


    "How can you be so sure?" Chu Qing was curious.


    Qi Weichen looked at her firmly: "Because no matter what happens, no matter what decisions you make, I will always be with you."


    Since they would always be together, Qi Muyang, as their child, would definitely be born.


    Chu Qing was stunned, then nodded after a while: "I understand now. Then I won''t worry about it anymore."


    "Mm."


    Having resolved her doubts, Chu Qing immediately felt relieved. She got up and went to the kitchen to get drinks. Qi Weichen looked at her somewhat messy room, quietly cleaned it up, and put her things back in their proper places. When he opened the drawer to organize it, he immediately saw the materials for other universities that had been flipped through many times.


    He recalled what she had just told him, and his fingertips trembled slightly.


    "Qi Weichen, do you want some cola?" Chu Qing''s voice sounded from outside.


    Qi Weichen calmly closed the drawer and remained silent for a long time. Chu Qing ran in with a bottle of cola: "Why aren''t you saying anything? I only brought one bottle, I''ll just let you have a sip."


    "I don''t want any, you drink it," Qi Weichen lowered his eyes.


    Chu Qing knew he rarely drank these things, so she unashamedly claimed the entire bottle of cola for herself. Qi Weichen was silent for a long time, then asked: "Besides A University, are there other schools you want to apply to?"


    "No, I''m not interested in other schools," Chu Qing said casually.


    If she wasn''t interested, why did she keep a pile of materials from other universities, which had clearly been flipped through many times? Qi Weichen''s words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn''t ask. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "If there are other schools you want to go to, remember to tell me. I''ll go with you."


    "Come on, you''re the top scorer in the college entrance exam. How could I dare to make you accommodate me?" Chu Qing teased, winking at him. "Right, Mr. Genius?"


    Qi Weichen''s fingertips unconsciously pressed on the chair, his tone still calm: "So, if you go to another school, you don''t plan to take me with you?"


    "... Didn''t I just say I''m not planning to go to other schools?" Chu Qing looked at him, puzzled. "Were you spacing out just now?"


    Qi Weichen shook his head slightly, not speaking further.


    Chu Qing didn''t think much of it and started chatting about other things with him. She seemed much more relaxed after his brief reassurance. Qi Weichen, however, grew heavier in his thoughts. He kept getting distracted while talking to her and eventually left early, not even giving Chu Qing a chance to ask questions.


    Chu Qing was curious about his sudden change in behavior, but seeing he didn''t want to communicate, she didn''t follow him. Instead, she continued to ponder what major she should choose.


    After thinking for two straight days without reaching a conclusion, she secretly logged into Qi Weichen''s account to see what major he had chosen. She knew Qi Weichen always wanted to do research that would be meaningful for humanity, so she wasn''t surprised to see he had chosen a medical major.


    Although A University''s medical program wasn''t the best in the country, they had partnerships with the best medical schools abroad and sent outstanding students there for further studies every year. Just in terms of faculty, they were leagues ahead of other universities. This was precisely what Qi Weichen was interested in, which was why he didn''t go to the top-ranked school.


    If he were to engage in research and development in this field in the future, A University would indeed be an excellent choice. Thinking about her boyfriend possibly bringing home a Nobel Prize one day, Chu Qing couldn''t help but chuckle to herself. As she was laughing, she suddenly had an epiphany, feeling like she had found her own choice.


    ... Since she couldn''t find a major she liked, why not choose a more meaningful direction? Chu Qing''s heart suddenly started racing. After being lost for so long, she seemed to have found her future direction.


    Almost without hesitation, she chose the exact same major as Qi Weichen. Although it was risky for her to apply for this major with her scores, she decided to take the chance once she made up her mind. At worst, she could opt for an adjustment and be placed somewhere else.


    Unlike her previous confusion and worry, this time after making her choice, she felt joyful and happy. She couldn''t wait to share it with someone, so she did just that. In the middle of the night, she ran into her parents'' room and announced her decision.


    "Mom will support you no matter what you do."


    "Dad too!"


    Chu Qing grinned, then cautiously asked after a moment, "Can I go see Qi Weichen? I want to tell him this good news."


    "Go ahead, it''s too late now, just stay at his place," her mom said, yawning.


    Her dad frowned, "They''re so young, how can Qing Qing stay over?"


    "She''s been able to stay over for the past few months, what''s wrong with it now? If we were going to control it, it''s too late now," her mom said, unconcerned.


    Chu Qing stuck her tongue out at her dad and quickly slipped away.


    When she arrived at Qi Weichen''s door, she suddenly felt a bit shy. After composing herself, she knocked solemnly.


    Qi Weichen appeared at the door quickly, frowning when he saw her, "Why are you out at this hour?"


    "I''ve already chosen my major," Chu Qing''s eyes sparkled.


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment, turning his face away nonchalantly, "So you''ve come to inform me?"


    "Yes, I''ve come to tell you." Chu Qing was too happy to notice his unusual mood.


    Qi Weichen''s Adam''s apple bobbed slightly. After a while, he lowered his eyes and said, "Chu Qing, don''t think about leaving me behind."


    "Huh?"


    Qi Weichen raised his eyes to look at her, "Even if you go to another school, somewhere far away from me, I''ll come to see you every holiday, every weekend. I''ll openly appear in front of everyone you know, letting them know you have a boyfriend. I''ll become friends with your friends, asking them to keep an eye on you for me. I''ll... I''ll marry you as soon as possible, binding you to me legally. Don''t think about separating from me..."


    "Hold on," Chu Qing interrupted, looking completely bewildered. "Who told you I''m going to another school in another city?"


    "You still want to hide it from me?" Qi Weichen''s eyes were slightly red, the last bit of his composure disappearing. "I saw it all, those university materials in your drawer, clearly flipped through many times. You just want to leave, and you want to leave secretly."


    Chu Qing was stunned for a moment, finally remembering those materials she had forgotten about.


    "Why did you hide it from me? Did you think I would stop you? Or have you prepared to leave me, so you wanted to catch me off guard? Planning to break up right after graduation. Chu Qing, you''re cruel."


    Qi Weichen''s voice was cold, but a hint of accusation seeped through his words.


    Chu Qing didn''t know whether to laugh or cry, "Those materials were flipped through by my mom. She gave them to me and I just put them in the drawer. I''ve indeed been struggling with what major to choose these days, but I never thought about going to another school. I came here to tell you that I''ve chosen the same major as you. If I can get admitted with my first choice, we can continue to attend classes together in the future."


    Joking aside, even without the Qi Weichen factor, A University was her initial goal. How could she not come to this school?


    Qi Weichen was stunned, "What did you say?"


    Chu Qing gave him a sidelong glance, then stood on her tiptoes and shouted in his ear, "I said I''m going to stick to you forever! Not just in school, but at work too, always and forever..."


    Before she could finish, Qi Weichen pinned her against the door, silencing her with a kiss.

 Chapter 15

    While Chu Qing was internally grumbling about not being her parents'' biological child, she looked towards Qi Weichen along with her parents, also curious about why he had chosen her.The gap between them was too great. For a long time after he had agreed to be with her, she couldn''t believe it was real. She really didn''t understand how such a good student could be so blind, but she didn''t dare to actually ask him. What if he realized he truly was blind and broke up with her?


    Later, when they time-traveled, she rarely thought about this question anymore and naturally never asked. Now that her parents brought it up, she wanted to know the answer again.


    Under the gaze of the three, Qi Weichen calmly answered Mother''s question: "Uncle and Auntie have taken care of her for so many years, you should know her good qualities better than I do. I''m the one who''s fortunate to be with her."


    Chu Qing: "?" What''s this, just some empty flattery?


    She was a bit dissatisfied, but her parents really liked Qi Weichen''s answer. Father, who had been frowning all along, finally softened his expression: "That''s true. Though my daughter may be lazy and gluttonous, and often causes trouble, she has a kind heart. Everyone likes her."


    Chu Qing: "..." A bunch of flaws listed first, and only one virtue of kindness after the "but"?


    "Anyway, you two will be quarantined together for a while. Don''t say uncle doesn''t trust you. You''re still a boy, and at an age where it''s easy to be impulsive. Let me be blunt upfront: if you dare to do anything with my daughter during this time, even if I die, I will never accept you as my son-in-law," Father said sternly.


    Chu Qing sheepishly replied, "Dad, we won''t."


    "You''d better not, otherwise, if anything happens, I''ll break your legs," Mother chimed in.


    After the parents expressed their stance, they both looked at Qi Weichen. Qi Weichen was silent for a moment before saying, "Uncle, Auntie, I promise I''ll behave and won''t do anything inappropriate."


    "Alright, that''s settled then. I''ll leave my daughter with you for a few days. When the quarantine is over, I''ll come pick her up. In a while, Auntie will transfer some living expenses to you. Check if the supermarket in your community is still open and try to stock up on food as much as possible," Mother instructed.


    Qi Weichen was about to say he had money, but Chu Qing lightly pinched his thigh, so he changed his words to: "Thank you, Uncle and Auntie."


    After dealing with her parents, Chu Qing put her phone aside and nervously asked, "Will they beat me when the quarantine is over?"


    "If you study hard during this time and show them your progress, they won''t beat you," Qi Weichen comforted her.


    Chu Qing snorted lightly, "My current grades are already a big surprise to them."


    "But there''s still a gap to A University," Qi Weichen pinched her face.


    Chu Qing: "... Please don''t discourage me."


    Qi Weichen chuckled, then went to get a mask from the flower stand by the door, preparing to go out. Chu Qing asked, "Where are you going?"


    "To the supermarket," Qi Weichen replied.


    Chu Qing quickly stood up, "Wait for me, I''ll go too."


    "We don''t have enough masks, we need to save them. You stay at home and wait for me," Qi Weichen refused.


    Chu Qing stopped, "Alright then... Be careful and come back soon."


    "Mm, I''ll be quick."


    After Qi Weichen left, Chu Qing sat in the living room waiting. It took almost an hour before he returned.


    Qi Weichen, carrying two large bags of food, didn''t look too happy. He went straight to wash his hands and disinfect after entering, then sat down on the living room sofa, staring at the table without a word.


    Chu Qing worriedly moved closer, "You were fine just now, did something happen?"


    Qi Weichen''s eyes flickered slightly, and after a while, he said in a low voice, "I saw contraceptives at the checkout counter earlier."


    Chu Qing: "?"


    "They were almost sold out, the shelf was nearly empty."


    Chu Qing: "... Hey, don''t forget what you just promised my parents."


    Qi Weichen glanced at her, "I haven''t forgotten."


    "Then why are you so dejected about other people''s stuff being sold out?" Chu Qing looked exasperated.


    Qi Weichen pursed his lips, and after a long time, he said softly, "Seeing the empty shelf made me remember that I forgot to bring back the ones we bought in 2042."


    Chu Qing: "..."


    "I was thinking we could try them out after coming back, but now we''ll have to wait twenty years to try them," Qi Weichen''s voice was muffled, clearly quite disappointed.


    Chu Qing was about to go crazy, "Is this the time to talk about that? You bought a bunch of those things, did you ever think about what would happen if Qi Muyang found them after we left?! What would he think of us?!"


    Qi Weichen paused, "He''s an adult now, he should understand."


    "Understand my foot!" Chu Qing collapsed onto the sofa, suddenly feeling like she didn''t want to see Qi Muyang anymore.


    Qi Weichen''s disappointment lessened a bit, and he reached out to poke her ear, "The embarrassment would be for our 40-something-year-old selves, it has nothing to do with us now."


    Chu Qing''s ear twitched.


    "Besides, at forty-something, we probably wouldn''t find it embarrassing anymore," Qi Weichen added.


    Though he wasn''t very good at comforting people, Chu Qing was quite receptive to his approach. With just these two short sentences, she calmed down considerably.


    Seeing that she had calmed down, Qi Weichen handed her a bag of snacks, "Eat something first, I''ll go make dinner."


    "... You remembered to buy snacks while grocery shopping?" The blush on Chu Qing''s face hadn''t fully faded as she glanced at him and took the snacks.


    Qi Weichen ruffled her hair, "We can''t go out for a while, so I had to buy you some snacks to keep you content while studying."


    Chu Qing, who had been blushing, suddenly sobered up, "Quarantine... and still have to study?"


    "The quarantine won''t cancel this year''s college entrance exam, so of course you need to study. I bought several sets of practice questions before, but I was afraid they''d be too difficult for you so I didn''t give them to you. Now they can be put to use," Qi Weichen said the most terrifying things in the gentlest tone, making Chu Qing swallow hard, wishing she could go home quickly.


    However, going home was impossible. She could only eat her fill and do a couple more sets of questions. Her parents still seemed uneasy about them being together, often making sudden video calls while she was studying. The first time they saw her at the desk studying, they were so shocked their jaws nearly dropped, and they hurriedly hung up. After a few times, they got used to it.


    "My parents don''t trust you," Chu Qing teased the person beside her after hanging up another call.


    Qi Weichen calmly placed his hand on her head, turning it back, "Focus on your questions."


    Chu Qing''s mouth twitched, and she obediently started working on the questions. After finishing, she went through the answers with Qi Weichen and corrected her mistakes. Just to fully understand one set of questions took over two hours. By the time she had done sets for all subjects, a whole day had passed.


    Even though there was no physical labor involved, Chu Qing was so exhausted after each session that she didn''t even want to move her fingers. She would sprawl out on the chair until Qi Weichen carried her to bed, where she would lazily adjust to a comfortable position.


    This style of studying was a bit tiring, but the effects were significant. She made fewer and fewer mistakes, and Qi Weichen''s explanation time grew shorter. Sometimes, if they were fast, they could finish a whole set of questions before dinner. After doing questions like this for about ten days, the epidemic still showed no signs of ending, and the school finally returned to online classes.


    "I don''t want to listen to teachers'' lectures, I don''t want to get up early," Chu Qing hugged her blanket with teary eyes, refusing to leave the bed.


    Qi Weichen was a bit helpless, "If you attend classes, I won''t assign you homework. You just need to follow the teachers'' pace."


    "No! I prefer your method," Chu Qing refused.


    Qi Weichen sat down on the bed and gently persuaded, "But the teachers have more rich experience with the college entrance exam and are more suitable to guide you through systematic learning. Before, it was because you couldn''t understand them that I taught you. Now you can understand the questions they''re teaching, so why are you still resisting?"


    "I... I..." Chu Qing stammered for a while before squeezing out, "I prefer your method, it''s more flexible."


    "I know you find online classes boring, but in this final stretch, it''s best to review completely according to the teachers'' methods," Qi Weichen pursed his lips and continued patiently, "Besides, the school requires you to check in. Not checking in is equivalent to skipping class. If you skip class, your parents will beat you."


    The last sentence was clearly more effective, as Chu Qing immediately got up from bed and obediently began her online class journey. She then discovered why she had been resistant to starting classes - it was even more tedious to listen to lectures alone at home than with a group in a classroom. Fortunately, Qi Weichen was by her side, promptly reminding her whenever she was about to get distracted.


    Patiently beginning to listen to the lectures, she found it awkward at first. Gradually, as she realized she could easily understand much of what the teacher was saying, she finally started to take it somewhat seriously. While she was in class, Qi Weichen began working on his independent admission to A University. Worried she might get distracted during class, he came up with a brilliantly ruthless idea.


    On another day of online classes, Chu Qing glanced at the computer in front of her, then at the phone stand next to it with the phone displaying an ongoing video call. After a moment of silence, she asked her mother on the phone, "Why are you video calling me at this hour?"


    "Weichen said he''s a bit busy lately, so he asked me to watch you study," her mother replied elegantly, looking as if she planned to stay for a while.


    Chu Qing calmly responded, "Wait a moment, let me ask him about this."


    She ended the call and stormed into Qi Weichen''s room, grabbing him as he was preparing materials and angrily demanded, "Did you ask my mother to supervise my studying?!"


    "Not supervise, just keep you company," Qi Weichen, having dated for a while now, had mastered the art of conversation. "I was worried you might get bored."


    "Don''t give me that useless talk, you''re just having her supervise me. Why are you guarding me like I''m a thief?!" Chu Qing was furious.


    Seeing her genuinely angry, Qi Weichen paused before trying to soothe her, "I was just worried about your self-control. I''m sorry, I didn''t consider your feelings. I''ll tell Mother, and I''ll keep you company from now on."


    "I don''t need you to keep me company! Focus on preparing for your independent admission!" Chu Qing glared at him angrily before storming back to her computer.


    In this short time, her mother had made several video calls. Chu Qing called her back with a sullen face, greeting her when she answered, "Mom."


    "Did you bully Weichen?" Her mother glared, "Don''t be ungrateful. Your parents have never managed you like this. It''s your good fortune that he''s willing to care for you!"


    Chu Qing grunted in response without saying a word. Her mother frowned, "What kind of attitude is this?"


    "...I get it, I''m not being ungrateful," Chu Qing reluctantly spoke, "I just feel like he doesn''t trust me. I''m not a child anymore, is it necessary to watch me constantly?"


    Her mother gave her a stern look, "Don''t I know you? If no one''s watching, you''d get distracted all the way to the South Pole."


    "Mom, why don''t you believe in me either?" Chu Qing was unhappy.


    Her mother scoffed, "I won''t say anything more, and I won''t supervise you either. Study on your own."


    Chu Qing hesitated for a moment before asking uncertainly, "Really?"


    "Really. You think we don''t trust you, right? So I''ll trust you this time. I''ll give you one day. If your efficiency today is the same as when you''re supervised, we won''t interfere anymore. But if it''s not, you''ll have to apologize to Weichen." With that, her mother promptly ended the call.


    Chu Qing pouted, vowing to make them see her in a new light. Having made her decision, she immersed herself in studying, listening to online classes and solving problems. The morning passed busily and productively, just like before. While feeling proud, she refused to even look at Qi Weichen properly.


    "What would you like for lunch? I''ll cook," Qi Weichen asked softly, knowing he had acted inconsiderately.


    Chu Qing, still a bit angry, glanced at him and grabbed a pack of cookies, "I''ll eat these," before returning to her room.


    Qi Weichen paused, then sat in the living room without moving.


    When afternoon classes began, Chu Qing came out of her room. Qi Weichen had already gone back to his room, and there was no hint of food smell in the living room air, indicating he hadn''t eaten lunch. Thinking about him not eating made her heart soften, but she resisted the urge to check on him and continued with her classes.


    Although she was supposed to be listening to the lecture, her mind was preoccupied with wondering if he was hungry. Moreover, not having napped at noon, she kept dozing off, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep worrying about him. When she woke up, an hour had passed. Chu Qing quickly sat up straight, but despite her best efforts, she kept getting distracted and barely absorbed anything throughout the afternoon.


    In the end, as her mother had predicted, her efficiency was very low. Chu Qing felt dejected.


    After classes ended, she sat on the sofa lost in thought. She didn''t even notice when Qi Weichen approached until he had embraced her like a big dog.


    "I''m hungry," Qi Weichen mumbled.


    Chu Qing''s hand, which was about to push him away, paused. After a moment, she couldn''t help but say softly, "Go eat something."


    "You''re still angry with me. I don''t have an appetite," Qi Weichen said, rubbing his forehead against her shoulder and pressing his cheek tightly against her neck.


    Chu Qing stiffened at his intimate gesture, her anger instantly dissipating. "Serve you right. Who told you to act on your own?"


    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked Mother to watch you without your consent. Next time, I''ll definitely discuss it with you first. But I hope you understand, I didn''t mean to disrespect you." Qi Weichen''s attitude was as humble as could be.


    Chu Qing was the type who needed gentle handling. Seeing his good attitude, she felt a bit guilty. After a moment of silence, she said dejectedly, "You were right not to trust me. This afternoon, my mind was full of thoughts about you, and I even accidentally fell asleep. I barely heard anything... My self-control is really poor."


    "It''s all my fault. I shouldn''t appear in your thoughts so frequently," Qi Weichen said, kissing her neck before sitting up and pulling her into his arms.


    Chu Qing laughed at his words, but her expression quickly turned gloomy again. "Forget it, it''s my own problem. Without someone watching me, I really can''t accomplish anything."


    Qi Weichen frowned slightly, finally realizing the negative impact his actions had on her¡ª


    She was developing some insecurities based on his judgment, genuinely believing she had no self-control. If the situation worsened, she might become overly dependent on others, lacking confidence in her ability to complete tasks independently.


    He sighed, his voice filled with sincerity: "That''s not true. You were upset because of me, which is why you didn''t rest well at noon, affecting your afternoon classes. It was the external factor - me - that influenced you, not your own doing."


    "I really..."


    "Why don''t we try again tomorrow? I won''t make you angry, and you try not to worry. Study like you normally would for a day, how about that?" Qi Weichen interrupted her.


    Chu Qing looked at him glumly, "Will it work?"


    "It definitely will. I believe in you," Qi Weichen reassured her gently.


    Chu Qing snorted softly, "If you believed in me, you wouldn''t have asked my mom to supervise me."


    "That''s why I want to apologize to you. I was wrong. Can you forgive me this once?" Qi Weichen asked sincerely.


    Chu Qing bit her lip, then muttered after a while, "Does the almighty Qi make mistakes too?"


    "I''m human too, and I make mistakes often. Otherwise, why would I keep making my Qing angry?"


    Chu Qing paused, suddenly feeling a wave of grievance that needed comforting. Qi Weichen, sensing her thoughts, gently held her chin and slowly kissed her. Chu Qing relaxed a bit, quietly exchanging a long, tender kiss with him.


    When both of their breaths became slightly unsteady, Qi Weichen spoke softly, "I''m sorry. Please don''t be angry anymore, okay?"


    "...I''ll think about it." Though her words were awkward, Chu Qing''s cheeks were flushed red, all traces of anger gone.


    Qi Weichen smiled gently, then cooked many delicious dishes for her, feeding her until she was full. The tension between them that had lasted all day finally dissipated.


    It''s unclear how Qi Weichen communicated with her mother, but the next day, she didn''t make any video calls. Chu Qing calmed down and tried to listen to classes and study on her own without any negative emotions. To her surprise, her efficiency for the entire day was almost the same as when she had been supervised.


    She regained her confidence and excitedly called her mother, asserting that she had enough self-discipline to handle her studies. She also expressed her dissatisfaction with her mother''s lack of trust in her, acting as if she hadn''t been the one doubting herself just yesterday.


    Her mother couldn''t be bothered to argue and, following Qi Weichen''s instructions, lavished praise on her. She then hung up the phone while Chu Qing was still basking in self-satisfaction. After that, whenever she called, she only inquired about Chu Qing''s daily life and rarely interfered with her studies anymore.


    "You must have said something to my mom. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be able to hold back," Chu Qing clung to Qi Weichen, unwilling to let him get out of bed. Ever since she confirmed that Qi Weichen wouldn''t dare do anything to her before high school graduation, she occasionally slept in his room. While Qi Weichen welcomed this, it also gave him a headache. After all, when a cake is in the display window, one might not have any thoughts of eating it. But when it''s right in front of your mouth, it''s quite difficult to resist the urge to take a bite.


    For instance, right now, with her arms and legs wrapped around him, he didn''t even dare to move.


    "Come on, tell me what you said to my mom," Chu Qing narrowed her eyes, completely oblivious to how precarious her position was.


    Qi Weichen''s ears turned bright red, but he struggled to maintain his composure on the surface. "I just told her not to discourage you and to give you more trust."


    "Is that all?" Chu Qing asked suspiciously, lying on his chest.


    Qi Weichen looked down at her and caught sight of her loose neckline and the view it offered. He froze for a moment, then quickly looked away, but it was too late. Chu Qing clearly felt his reaction, and she immediately stiffened.


    "...I didn''t mean to. Can you please get off me?" Qi Weichen said with difficulty.


    Chu Qing stiffly climbed off him and was about to sneak away when she noticed his furrowed brows. Suddenly feeling a bit sympathetic, she stammered, "You know, if we hadn''t time-traveled, we''d be almost in our second year of university by now."


    "Hm?" Qi Weichen was still trying to calm down and didn''t quite catch what she said.


    Chu Qing''s lips moved, and she said something in a low voice.


    Qi Weichen''s eyes widened in obvious surprise. "What did you say?"


    Chu Qing''s face turned crimson, but she still mustered up the courage to step forward and embrace him again, saying, "I can help you with that."


    Qi Weichen: "..."


    Fifteen minutes later, Qi Weichen was hiding under the covers like a shy bride, completely wrapped up. Chu Qing sat on the edge of the bed, trying to comfort him: "It was just an accident this time, don''t mind it. If you''re really that embarrassed, we can pretend it never happened, okay?"


    As she spoke, she realized her tone sounded a bit like a scumbag boyfriend, and she couldn''t help but laugh.


    Qi Weichen silently peeked out with just his eyes, staring at her quietly. Chu Qing coughed and stopped laughing: "What''s wrong?"


    "You''re laughing at me," Qi Weichen said flatly.


    Chu Qing hurriedly replied, "I''m not laughing at you, I''m laughing at myself."


    Qi Weichen: "..."


    Chu Qing felt that her words might have been a bit off, so she quickly explained in detail why she had laughed. After finishing, she looked at him innocently: "So I really wasn''t laughing at you."


    "Really?" Qi Weichen frowned.


    Chu Qing nodded solemnly: "Really... pfft..."


    She had almost finished speaking when she unexpectedly broke down, accidentally letting out a laugh. Qi Weichen gave her a long look, then silently covered himself up again.


    Chu Qing quickly lay on top of the lump under the covers to comfort him: "I really wasn''t laughing at you. I just thought you were cute, that''s all. Haven''t you learned about basic physiology? It''s normal for guys to not last long their first time. Don''t take it too seriously."


    Indeed, the reason for Qi Weichen''s current state of self-isolation wasn''t embarrassment, but rather because it had been over too quickly.


    ...She hadn''t expected it either. They had spent ten minutes just psyching themselves up, but it had all ended barely a minute after they started. Both of them had been stunned for a while, and then Qi Weichen had quietly hidden himself away.


    Chu Qing finished reminiscing and sighed, continuing to comfort him: "Don''t overthink it. Look at it this way, maybe it''s because you like me so much that you got a bit excited and couldn''t control yourself... That''s totally normal, right?"


    The lump under the covers moved a bit at her words. Seeing an opportunity, Chu Qing quickly continued: "I really won''t mock you. I''m actually quite happy because it shows how much you care about me and like me. I''m grateful, if anything."


    Qi Weichen peeked out with his eyes again, and after a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice: "Really?"


    "Really," Chu Qing dared not laugh this time.


    Qi Weichen looked at her for a moment, then lowered his gaze and said: "What if it''s always like this?"


    Chu Qing was taken aback: "Huh?"


    "I''ll only like you and care about you more and more. Does that mean it''ll get... faster and faster in the future?" Qi Weichen''s ears were so hot they were almost cooked, and a rare hint of panic appeared in his eyes.


    Chu Qing laughed awkwardly: "Surely not. We managed to have Qi Muyang, so there''s obviously no problem with our bodies."


    "You can still... conceive even if it''s quick," Qi Weichen said with some difficulty.


    Chu Qing: "..." This was beyond her realm of knowledge. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a long silence, she cautiously suggested: "Well, should we... try again?"


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment, then silently nodded.


    Chu Qing took a deep breath. With one arm around the lump under the covers, she carefully slipped her other hand under the blanket. Qi Weichen''s muffled groan sounded in her ear, causing her own ears to start burning as well.


    The angle was awkward, and after several unsuccessful attempts to adjust, she was considering moving to the other side when Qi Weichen suddenly lifted the covers and pulled her underneath with him.


    Half an hour later, Chu Qing lay in Qi Weichen''s arms, her breathing uneven. The blanket had long since been kicked off to who knows where, and they were both sweaty, lying lazily without moving.


    Chu Qing''s arm was a bit sore, and she left it motionless by her side. After a while, she muttered softly: "See? There''s nothing wrong with you. Why did you pretend to be incapable?"


    "The first time really was unintentional. I was a bit scared then," Qi Weichen, having now proven himself, could speak frankly, though his ears were still persistently red.


    Chu Qing glanced at him sideways, her face flushed as she complained: "I told you it was normal. Don''t you even know this basic information?"


    "I do," Qi Weichen said, then paused for a moment. "But I thought I was different from others."


    ...Fair enough, probably every man thinks that way. Chu Qing inwardly scoffed, then adjusted her position in his arms and quickly fell asleep. Qi Weichen gently patted her back and slowly drifted off as well.


    After that day, they rarely mentioned the incident again. Chu Qing became a bit more careful not to stimulate him too much, and Qi Weichen didn''t ask for her help again. Their lives continued to be dominated by studying.


    Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the pandemic was finally under control. The lockdown in various neighborhoods was lifted. On the second day after the restrictions were eased, her parents came to pick her up.


    They had thought her parents would arrive around noon, but to their surprise, they showed up early in the morning. When Qi Weichen opened the door and saw them, he was visibly startled.


    "You must be Weichen. My, you''re so tall," Mother said, trying to make conversation.


    Qi Weichen came to his senses: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt. Please come in."


    The parents exchanged a glance before entering without hesitation. Mother looked around the living room as she spoke: "We''re here to take Chu Qing home. Where is she?"


    "It''s the weekend, so there are no classes. She''s probably still asleep," Qi Weichen said respectfully, standing beside them.


    Father looked up at his face, feeling a bit disgruntled: "What did you eat to grow so tall?"


    "Being tall is good for boys. The taller, the more handsome," Mother, seeing how clean the house was, felt quite satisfied and was happy to speak up for him. "I think you look more handsome in person than in the video calls. You must not be very photogenic."


    Qi Weichen smiled politely.


    Hearing the commotion outside, Chu Qing came out yawning, but froze when she saw her parents: "Why are you here?"


    "The lockdown''s been lifted. We''re here to take you home," Mother said. Seeing her daughter''s unkempt appearance, she felt irritated, but tried to control herself in front of Qi Weichen. "May I have a look around?"


    "Of course," Qi Weichen, understanding her concerns, readily agreed, taking the opportunity to ingratiate himself with his future mother-in-law.


    The two of them toured both bedrooms. Mother didn''t see any of Chu Qing''s things in Qi Weichen''s room, nor any of Qi Weichen''s things in Chu Qing''s room. She immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and her fondness for Qi Weichen grew even more. "Her room is usually not this clean. Surely she didn''t clean it herself, did she?"


    "Who says that? I''m always very clean," Chu Qing protested.


    Qi Weichen smiled gently. "Yes, she''s very tidy."


    "She may be tidy, but she absolutely doesn''t touch housework. You must have put in a lot of effort these past few days," Mother said. She knew Chu Qing too well to believe that such meticulous cleaning could be her handiwork.


    This time, Qi Weichen didn''t refute, silently agreeing with her assessment.


    Afraid that her mother would expose more of her shortcomings, Chu Qing quickly stepped between them to interrupt. "Shall I introduce you two?"


    "Why didn''t you wait until we got home to introduce us?" Mother gave her a sidelong glance, then turned to Qi Weichen. "Well, let''s do it this way. We''ll take her home with us now."


    "Of course, Auntie," Qi Weichen naturally didn''t dare refuse.


    It was Chu Qing who felt a bit reluctant. "We''re leaving now? Isn''t that too sudden?"


    "Sudden, my foot! You''ve been here for two months!" Mother''s attitude turned harsh as soon as she addressed her daughter.


    Father was somewhat displeased. "Don''t talk to our little princess like that."


    "That''s right, that''s right," Chu Qing immediately agreed.


    Mother sneered. "Little princess? Do you think you''re the emperor? Want to bet I''ll throw you both out and let you beg on the streets?"


    Father and daughter instantly fell silent. Mother made the final decision to take Chu Qing home, and Qi Weichen escorted them all the way downstairs. Chu Qing looked at him reluctantly, whimpering, "I''ll come visit you often."


    "Now''s not the time to be running around," Qi Weichen said gently.


    Chu Qing pouted. Mother glanced at her askance, then looked up at Qi Weichen. "If you''re free, come over for dinner sometime. You can also help tutor her studies."


    "Certainly, thank you, Auntie," Qi Weichen replied politely.


    After chatting for a few more minutes, the family of three got into the car. As they drove out of the complex, Chu Qing leaned on the back of the seat, looking out. As Qi Weichen''s figure grew smaller and smaller, she let out a melancholy sigh.


    "He''s already been invited to our home, what are you sighing about?" Mother scoffed.


    Father immediately responded with displeasure. "Our daughter is still young. Letting him come over now, what would others think if they found out?"


    "At a time like this, few people are visiting each other. If you don''t say anything and I don''t say anything, who else would know?" Mother brushed it off. "Besides, it''s to tutor our daughter. He''s the top student in his grade. Where else could you find such a good tutor?"


    "That''s right, that''s right," Chu Qing chimed in.


    Father sneered. "The college entrance exam is just around the corner. Our daughter has been slacking off for three years. Even with the top student tutoring her, how much progress can she make? Won''t she still end up in a vocational college?"


    "Dad, I''m going to A University!" Chu Qing protested indignantly.


    Mother, who was about to defend her, choked for a moment and looked at her daughter in exasperation. "If you''re going to brag, at least pick something believable. Your mother doesn''t have the ability to get you into that school."


    "I can get in on my own!" Chu Qing insisted stubbornly.


    Her parents exchanged a glance, thinking she had gone mad. Knowing she couldn''t reason with them, Chu Qing angrily lowered her head to message Qi Weichen and complain.


    With Mother''s support, Qi Weichen came over the next day. He obediently accompanied Chu Qing through a day of online classes and took the initiative to help Mother with housework. This not only made Mother like him even more, but even Father couldn''t find fault with him. In fact, because he could chat with Father about his favorite teas, Father began to warm up to him as well.


    The start of school seemed far off, and after Qi Weichen had settled his independent recruitment matters, he accompanied her in online classes every day. His status in the Chu household skyrocketed. When Mother gave him one of the two chicken legs at dinner, Chu Qing finally felt a sense of crisis. "Aren''t you coming over too often?"


    "Is that not okay?" Qi Weichen looked at her.


    Before Chu Qing could answer, Father spoke up. "What''s wrong with that? We''re not short of food for you. Hurry up and finish eating, I want you to try my newly arrived tea leaves."


    "That''s right, eat more," Mother said, putting more food in his bowl.


    Chu Qing pouted, only cheering up when Qi Weichen gave her the chicken leg from his bowl.


    The weather warmed up imperceptibly, and by April, they finally welcomed the start of school. At this point, there was only a little over a month left before the college entrance exam. On the first day back, they were greeted with a mock exam to test the effectiveness of their online classes during the home quarantine period.


    To better coordinate with parents for the final month and a bit, the school hurriedly convened a parents'' meeting after the exam. By the time of the meeting, the results were out.


    Chu Qing held her report card, hardly daring to believe it. "I... I''m second in the class this time? Right behind you? Are you sure?! This isn''t like when Qi Muyang was here. Our class has over eighty people!"


    "You''re not mistaken. It''s excellent, but you need to keep working hard," Qi Weichen said gently.


    Chu Qing was almost delirious with joy. Just then, she saw her mother walking towards the classroom and immediately ran over, cheering.


    Mother was startled. "What''s going on? Why are you so happy?"


    "Mom, guess how well I did on this exam," Chu Qing said excitedly.


    Mother understood. "You''ve improved, haven''t you? You''ve been working so hard lately, of course you''d improve. Don''t get carried away, though. Try to maintain it and get into a regular university. That would shock your father."


    "Pah, a regular university isn''t good enough for me. I''m going to A University!" Chu Qing declared, then proudly handed over her report card.


    Mother took it with a smile, but fell silent upon seeing the score. Chu Qing''s eyes curved with delight. "How about that? 643 points. If I work hard for another month, I''ll definitely get in."


    But there was no smile on Mother''s face. After a long pause, she looked at her daughter dryly. "Sweetie, even if we''re eager for success, we shouldn''t cheat, you know."


    Chu Qing: "?"

 Chapter 16

    "So what''s going on? What flu? What quarantine?" Little Chu Qing suddenly had many questions.Qi Weichen, feeling a bit better after a night''s sleep, leaned against his pillow and frowned as he opened his phone to check the news. After they had time-traveled, they hadn''t used the phones they brought with them, leaving them at home in 2042. When they suddenly returned, they hadn''t brought the phones, but fortunately, he had several old phones, so they each took one to use for now.


    After reading some news, Qi Weichen slowly said, "The news came out on the 28th, but I was busy helping you find suitable review materials those days, so I didn''t pay attention. You love being online so much, why didn''t you know about this?"


    "I was busy... busy thinking about how to break up with you those days," Chu Qing said softly.


    Although the breakup was in the past, every time he heard her mention those two words, Qi Weichen still instinctively felt displeased. Chu Qing coughed and quickly changed the subject: "Surely they must notify people before quarantine, right? As a resident of this community, why didn''t you know?"


    "Didn''t log into WeChat," Qi Weichen calmly replied, then opened the app on his old phone, logged in, and said flatly, "There''s a notice in the residents'' group, I just didn''t know."


    "...So what do we do now?" Chu Qing looked at him speechlessly.


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment: "Get up, I''ll take you out."


    "Is that okay?" Chu Qing was a bit uncertain.


    Qi Weichen nodded: "You''re not from this community, it should be fine."


    Seeing him so certain, Chu Qing felt a bit more at ease. After changing her clothes, she quickly followed him out the door.


    Ten minutes later, facing the inquiries of the staff on duty, Qi Weichen honestly answered, "Yes, I had a low fever yesterday, but it''s gone today."


    "...You had a fever, so she was in close contact with you, right?" The staff member''s expression became more serious when looking at Chu Qing.


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment: "I probably just got sick from not dressing warmly enough."


    "I''m sorry, we can''t be certain about that at the moment, but since you had a fever and she was in close contact with you, for the sake of others, I suggest you both go back and self-isolate for now," the staff member said officially.


    Chu Qing became anxious: "But, but I''m not from this community!"


    "There''s nothing we can do about that. You''re visiting relatives, right? The whole of City A is under quarantine now. Even if you go home, you''ll just be staying indoors, so you might as well stay here for now," the staff member said.


    Seeing that the other party wouldn''t budge, they had no choice but to return home together. On the way, Chu Qing couldn''t help complaining: "Why did you tell him about the fever? Everyone''s already so cautious about the flu, now that you''ve said that, they definitely won''t let me leave."


    "In times of national crisis, we must tell the truth," Qi Weichen gave her eight words.


    Chu Qing''s lips moved, but in the end, she just sighed deeply: "But you clearly know why you got sick."


    "I know, that''s why I reported the situation truthfully, to avoid causing them trouble," Qi Weichen''s voice softened.


    Chu Qing was anxious about going home, but also felt he was right. After struggling for a moment, she couldn''t help but rub her face in frustration: "So what do we do now? If I''m quarantined with you, my mom will definitely kill me!"


    Just as she finished speaking, the sound of a WeChat video call rang out. She jumped in fright and quickly hung up. The phone was quiet for three seconds before ringing again.


    Chu Qing carried her phone like a bomb all the way back to Qi Weichen''s house. Only when she sat down on the sofa did she tearfully click to accept the call. Her mother''s voice immediately came through the phone¡ª


    "You little brat, where did you run off to? Disappearing early in the morning, come back right now! There are viruses everywhere outside, you''re not allowed to go anywhere after you come back!"


    Mother paused after speaking, suddenly realizing something was wrong: "Let me see what''s behind you, are you at someone''s house?"


    "Mom, I might not be able to come back," Chu Qing said pitifully like a little lamb, "I came to see a friend, but ran into the quarantine and got isolated at his house."


    Qi Weichen paused when he heard how she defined their relationship, but didn''t say anything.


    Mother frowned as she looked at her daughter: "Which friend''s house?"


    "Just... a normal friend," Chu Qing said, then felt Qi Weichen''s gloomy gaze and couldn''t help but swallow.


    Mother had raised her for over a decade and immediately saw something was off. She coldly said, "Chu Qing, call your friend over."


    "Mom..."


    "Hurry up!"


    Chu Qing''s hand trembled as she looked timidly at Qi Weichen. Just as she was debating whether to ask him to show his face, Qi Weichen graciously took the phone and politely greeted the mother on the screen: "Hello, Auntie. My name is Qi Weichen, I''m Chu Qing''s friend."


    Hearing him emphasize the word ''friend'', Chu Qing silently shrank away.


    There was a moment of silence from the phone, then Mother''s calm voice came through: "Please give the phone to my daughter."


    Qi Weichen paused, then obediently handed the phone back to Chu Qing, who was almost scared to tears: "Mom..."


    "You were wearing his clothes yesterday?" Mother interrupted her.


    Chu Qing carefully glanced at Qi Weichen and lied: "No."


    Qi Weichen''s eyes darkened for a moment.


    The phone went quiet again, and just as Chu Qing was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Mother suddenly exploded: "Chu Qing, you little brat! Do you think your mom''s forty-plus years of life have been for nothing?! His hoodie is the same brand as the down jacket you wore yesterday! Stop lying to me!"


    Chu Qing was so startled that her hand shook and the phone fell to the ground.


    Qi Weichen glanced at her and picked up the phone. He calmly looked at the furious mother on the screen. Seeing his face, Mother fell silent again.


    "Auntie, it''s all my fault. Please don''t be angry with Chu Qing," Qi Weichen said slowly. He looked very calm, but his fingers holding the phone were white from gripping it so tightly.


    Hearing him speak, Mother calmed down a bit: "Let me ask you, how far have you two gone?"


    Qi Weichen was about to speak when Chu Qing hurriedly said: "We''re just normal friends, how far could we have gone?"


    "Chu Qing, if you lie to me one more time, don''t bother coming home ever again," Mother threatened coldly.


    Chu Qing immediately didn''t dare speak. Ignoring the meaningful looks she was giving him, Qi Weichen honestly answered Mother''s question: "We''re together, but we haven''t had sex."


    Hearing him be so direct, Chu Qing was about to lose it: "Hey, Qi Weichen..."


    "You be quiet!" Mother scolded her, and she immediately didn''t dare make a sound.


    Qi Weichen frowned slightly, hiding his faint displeasure: "Auntie, she''s very well-behaved. Please don''t yell at her."


    "I can''t even scold my own daughter?" Mother retorted, though her tone towards him had softened. "Let me ask you, when did you two start dating?"


    "Not long after the start of our senior year," Qi Weichen answered.


    Chu Qing covered her face in despair, feeling she was truly doomed.


    Hearing this, Mother was about to explode again, but then suddenly realized something: "Chu Qing''s grades seemed to improve a bit in the first half of the year. She kept bringing home study materials."


    "She improved by twenty places. I prepared the study materials for her," Qi Weichen replied.


    Though they were talking about recent report cards, it had actually been over a year since their final exams in 2019. Chu Qing was surprised he remembered so clearly, and felt an untimely sweetness in her heart.


    Mother was silent for a moment: "Is it related to dating you?"


    "Yes, I''ve been tutoring her," Qi Weichen said, suddenly grasping how to please his future mother-in-law, "She came to see me today for tutoring too. She''s been improving quickly lately. When school starts again, she should be able to rank in the top ten of our class."


    "Her? Even if you want to sweet talk me, at least find a better excuse," Mother scoffed.


    "Auntie, I''m the top student in our grade at school," Qi Weichen said calmly.


    Mother was immediately speechless.


    Chu Qing had a sudden inspiration and quickly leaned into the phone screen: "Mom, he''s amazing. He''s not just the top student at our school, he was also first in science for all of City A in the last unified exam. If he performs steadily in the college entrance exam, he''ll definitely be the top science student."


    "Who are you trying to fool? Why would the top science student date you?" Mother exclaimed in disbelief.


    Chu Qing was silent for a moment, then said sincerely, "It''s because I''m good-looking, isn''t it?"


    A hint of amusement flashed in Qi Weichen''s eyes, and the gloom he felt earlier due to her not admitting to their relationship completely disappeared.


    Mother had calmed down considerably, and Chu Qing boldly said, "Mom, don''t worry. Even if we''re quarantined together, we won''t do anything bad before the college entrance exam. I need to save my energy to get into A University."


    "You still think you can get into A University? I don''t even expect you to get into any university, and now you''re aiming for a top school?" Mother''s voice sounded more relaxed.


    Chu Qing was dissatisfied: "Don''t underestimate me. I''ve been improving really fast lately. You''ll see when school starts."


    "We''ll talk about that when school starts. You two can''t be quarantined alone together. I don''t trust it," Mother frowned. "Your father and I will think of something, see if we can bring you back home."


    "Mom..."


    "Enough, no more arguments. I''m going to discuss this with your father." With that, Mother abruptly hung up the phone.


    Chu Qing immediately let out a sigh of relief: "She loves children who do well in school. When she hears how good your grades are, she should start to like you. Don''t worry."


    "You seem to be the one who''s more relieved," Qi Weichen calmly pointed out.


    Chu Qing gave him a sidelong glance: "And whose fault is that? If you hadn''t suddenly fallen ill, I wouldn''t have come to find you, and now Mom''s discovered we''re dating because of this."


    "I''ll take responsibility for you," Qi Weichen said softly.


    Chu Qing scoffed: "Who needs you to take responsibility? My parents will definitely come to take me back."


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment: "It probably won''t be that easy."


    "How could it not be? With my parents on the case, it''ll definitely work out. This outbreak is quite serious. After I leave, we probably won''t be able to see each other for a long time. Take good care of yourself, okay?" Chu Qing cupped his face as she spoke, unable to hold back her laughter. Under his supervision, she had to study even during summer vacation. Now, finally free from his monitoring, she could properly relax.


    A hint of amusement flashed in Qi Weichen''s eyes: "I think you''re giving your farewell speech too early."


    Chu Qing let out a light snort, not taking his words seriously. She calmly waited for her parents to come and take her home. However, as evening approached, no one had arrived. Instead, she received another video call from Mother. This time, both parents were sitting in front of the phone, looking at her with serious expressions: "He had a fever before?"


    "...Yes, but it was just a normal fever. He caught a cold the day before yesterday because he wasn''t dressed warmly enough. He''s better now." Chu Qing quickly explained, afraid they would worry about her.


    Hearing this, her parents'' expressions relaxed slightly, but they still didn''t look happy. Chu Qing cautiously asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "He had a fever, and you''ve had too much contact with him. Their community won''t let you leave. You''ll have to quarantine with him," Father said stiffly.


    Chu Qing swallowed: "For... for how long?"


    "Until the quarantine is lifted," Father said, then his face suddenly darkened. "Get him over here."


    Chu Qing''s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly said, "If you have something to say, you can just tell me. Why do you need to call him? Let me be clear, I won''t do anything bad, and don''t try to force us to break up. I won''t agree to it!"


    She had lied before when trying to keep it a secret, but now that they had been found out, she naturally had to stand her ground. Qi Weichen, who was preparing dinner, heard this and looked at her tenderly.


    Drawing courage from his gaze, Chu Qing took a deep breath and said to her parents, "I want to be with him!"


    "You!" Father''s face turned purple with anger. "I didn''t say you had to break up! Get him over here! If you two are going to be quarantined together, I need to know his basic information!"


    Chu Qing hesitated for a moment, torn about whether to call him over. Just then, Qi Weichen took the phone from her. He sat properly on the sofa, holding the phone and politely greeting, "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt."


    "So you''re Qi Weichen?" Father frowned. "I just asked your homeroom teacher. Your grades are very good."


    Qi Weichen nodded politely.


    Father looked at him disapprovingly: "How tall are you?"


    "Over 185 centimeters, I think. I measured my height over a year ago and haven''t measured since, so I''m not sure if I''ve grown," Qi Weichen answered.


    Father clicked his tongue: "What do your parents do?"


    "My father is a university professor, and my mother is in business," Qi Weichen seemed to know what they wanted to ask, so he answered directly without waiting for them to continue. "They divorced a few years ago. I don''t know if they''ll remarry in the future, but currently, they both have their own lives. I''ve been living alone since I was very young."


    "Then how do you eat usually?" Mother couldn''t help but interject, her eyes inadvertently revealing her concern.


    Qi Weichen replied gently: "I can cook."


    "So you''re alone now?" Father asked again, his brow furrowing even deeper.


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment: "I have the ability to live independently. Currently, this apartment is 130 square meters and is my personal property. Before my grandfather passed away, he also left me two properties and some stocks and funds, which is enough for Chu Qing and me to live on."


    "...Who asked about your financial situation? You''re just a high school student, you''re thinking too far ahead," Father snorted lightly.


    Chu Qing couldn''t help but quip: "If you don''t care about the financial situation, why did you relax so much when you heard he''s rich?"


    "Be quiet, who do you think I''m doing this for?" Father glared at her.


    Chu Qing stuck out her tongue at him and obediently sat down next to Qi Weichen without saying a word. Seeing her so outgoing, Father felt his chest tighten with anger. Mother''s attitude, however, had softened considerably: "How many times have you dated before? Be honest, Uncle and Aunt can tell if you''re lying." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Chu Qing is my first love," Qi Weichen paused after speaking, "and she''ll be my only love for life."


    Chu Qing giggled happily.


    Mother glanced at her askance and spoke slowly: "From what I''ve seen, your family is wealthy, your grades are excellent, and you''re tall and handsome. You seem to have a bright future ahead of you, right?"


    Qi Weichen wasn''t sure whether he should nod, but Chu Qing beside him kept agreeing enthusiastically.


    Mother and Father exchanged a glance, finally voicing their heartfelt confusion: "So, being so outstanding yourself, why would you be interested in Chu Qing, this good-for-nothing little troublemaker?"


    Chu Qing: "..." Who... who''s a good-for-nothing little troublemaker?

 Chapter 17

    From the moment Chu Qing had the intuition that they would return to 2019 today, she and Qi Weichen began bustling about, getting everything in order at home. She wanted to take one last look at Qi Muyang''s room, so she and Qi Weichen held hands as they opened his door. As soon as the door opened, a flash of white light appeared, and in the next second, the temperature suddenly dropped.Snowflakes fell from the sky, and the biting wind seemed to penetrate their bones, causing their entire bodies to ache from the cold. Chu Qing came to her senses and realized she was standing in the park where she had been before the time travel, with Qi Weichen, who had returned with her, standing in front of her. For a moment, she was speechless.


    Qi Weichen was the first to react, frowning as he embraced her. "Are you cold?"


    When they had traveled from 2019 to 2042, it had been winter, but when they returned, it was during the height of an Indian summer. As a result, they were both wearing only short sleeves and shorts. Now, suddenly back in the past, they clearly couldn''t adjust to such a drastic temperature change so quickly.


    Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Chu Qing sneezed and hugged him back, shivering. "It''s... it''s too cold. Let''s hurry home."


    "My place is closer. Follow me," Qi Weichen said. Another gust of cold wind blew past, and he gritted his teeth as he let go of Chu Qing, taking her hand as they ran towards his home.


    As they ran, the wind seemed to grow stronger. Their clasped hands turned red from the cold, and they drew many bewildered glances from passersby. Fortunately, Qi Weichen''s home was indeed nearby, and they soon entered the house with its floor heating.


    "I can''t take it anymore. It''s too cold," Chu Qing said, followed by another sneeze.


    Qi Weichen frowned and pushed her towards the bathroom. "Take a hot shower. I''ll get you some clothes."


    "Okay, thank you," Chu Qing sniffled as she quickly entered the bathroom.


    Qi Weichen, familiar with his surroundings, went to his wardrobe and found the thickest cotton clothes, placing them outside the bathroom door. He raised his voice, "The clothes are by the door. Just grab them when you''re getting dressed."


    "Okay!"


    After giving instructions, Qi Weichen went to the kitchen and saw the vegetables he had bought on the 29th. For a moment, he felt disoriented. These vegetables were purchased a year ago for him, yet in reality, only a day had passed. Gathering his thoughts, he lowered his gaze and picked out some fresh ginger, chopped it, and made ginger tea. By the time Chu Qing came out, bundled up in thick clothes, he was already waiting at the dining table.


    When Chu Qing had been pursuing him before, she often staked out his building, so she knew he usually lived alone. She casually sat down across from him and, noticing he was still in short sleeves and shorts, immediately frowned. "Why didn''t you change your clothes?"


    "I''ve already warmed up," Qi Weichen said, reaching out to hold her hand.


    Chu Qing felt the warmth of his hand and relaxed a little.


    "Drink this," Qi Weichen said, pushing the ginger tea towards her.


    Chu Qing took it to warm her hands but didn''t forget to ask, "What about yours?"


    "There''s only one set of bowls and chopsticks in the house. I''ve already had some," Qi Weichen said slowly.


    Chu Qing frowned. "Don''t tell me you only made one bowl..."


    Before she could finish, Qi Weichen suddenly stood up, leaned across the table supporting himself with both hands, and kissed her lips. As she froze in surprise, he asked, "Can you taste it?"


    "I can... the ginger flavor is strong," Chu Qing said, her face slightly flushed.


    Only then did Qi Weichen smile and sit down, watching as Chu Qing sipped the ginger tea. The room fell into silence.


    After what seemed like an eternity, Chu Qing spoke, sounding a bit dazed, "We''re back just like that?"


    "Yes, we''re back," Qi Weichen replied, his eyes soft.


    Chu Qing bit her lip. "We left without saying goodbye. Qi Muyang will probably be very upset when he wakes up."


    "He''ll adjust. Besides, the versions of us from that time will be returning soon. He''ll only need to stay at school for a short while," Qi Weichen consoled her gently. "If you''re really worried, we can keep this in mind and try to finish our work earlier when we go on that business trip in 20-some years, so we can get back to him sooner."


    Chu Qing nodded silently, then after a long pause, suddenly said, "I find it a bit scary."


    "What is it?"


    Chu Qing met Qi Weichen''s gaze for a moment before carefully explaining, "Think about it. The 41-year-old versions of us already knew we would travel back in time, so they gave us a lot of help. Now that we''ve returned, as we slowly grow to 41, we''ll also give a lot of help to our 18-year-old selves. Then those 18-year-olds will travel back to 2019, continue living to 41, and then help their 18-year-old selves again... Isn''t this an infinite loop?"


    The more she spoke, the more confused she became. She felt her head starting to ache and desperately wanted Qi Weichen to give her an answer.


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment before asking softly, "Do you know your future life?"


    "Of course not. I haven''t experienced it yet," Chu Qing immediately replied.


    Qi Weichen gave a slight smile. "Exactly. You don''t know because you haven''t experienced it. So from your personal perspective, the timeline is always unidirectional. You accidentally traveled to the future and lived there for a year, then came back. You''ll live your life normally until you''re 41, then find a way to help your 18-year-old self a bit. After that, you''ll go to work for a year or so, return home when the work is done, and continue living your life until you grow old and die. From this timeline perspective, there is no loop."


    "But..."


    "Time is a very mysterious thing. If you insist on overthinking it, you''ll find that everything is cyclical. It''s better not to think too much about it and just live well in the present," Qi Weichen said, reaching out to stroke her forehead. "Understand?"


    Chu Qing bit her lip and looked at him silently for a while before her eyes reddened. "I''m already starting to miss Qi Muyang."


    Qi Weichen paused and withdrew his hand.


    The emotional distress that Chu Qing had been too cold to feel earlier now burst forth. She choked up as she spoke, "I just wanted to see him before we left, but I didn''t get to. What if he cries when he wakes up and finds us gone?"


    As she spoke, tears began to fall. Qi Weichen stood up awkwardly and walked around the table to her side. Chu Qing let out a whimper and hugged his waist, starting to cry in earnest. Qi Weichen tried to comfort her in a low voice while gently patting her back, hoping to calm her down. However, Chu Qing only cried harder, showing no signs of stopping.


    "If you keep crying like this, your eyes will hurt," Qi Weichen said, his voice deepening slightly.


    Chu Qing, with tears in her eyes, defiantly replied, "I''m going to cry!"


    Qi Weichen silently took a step back, forcing Chu Qing to separate from him. She looked at him through her tears, wondering what he was going to do¡ª


    Then she saw him take off his short-sleeved shirt.


    He had always been diligent about exercising, and although he was lean, his muscles were clearly defined¡ªpowerful without being exaggerated. Chu Qing stared blankly at his well-defined abs, momentarily at a loss for words. It wasn''t until he approached her that she jumped back like a startled cat. "What, what, what are you doing?!"


    "Didn''t you want to see Qi Muyang? I''ll make you pregnant with him right now," Qi Weichen said with a straight face.


    Chu Qing: "..."


    Seeing Qi Weichen approach again, Chu Qing quickly hid behind a chair and begged for mercy. "I, I don''t want to see him anymore, not at all!"


    "Then are you going to cry anymore?" Qi Weichen stopped.


    Chu Qing immediately shook her head. "No more crying."


    Only then did Qi Weichen glance at her and put his shirt back on. Chu Qing let out a small sigh of relief. All her sadness had disappeared, and she grumbled at him a bit before putting on his down jacket, preparing to go home.


    "I''ll come find you tomorrow," she reminded Qi Weichen before leaving. "But I have to visit my godfather''s family in the morning, so I probably won''t be able to see you until the afternoon."


    Qi Weichen gave a soft acknowledgment and was about to see her out, but Chu Qing quickly stopped him. "You haven''t even changed your clothes. Just stay home. I can walk by myself."


    With that, she hurried away as if afraid Qi Weichen might insist on accompanying her. Qi Weichen could only watch her figure disappear before closing the door.


    After Chu Qing went downstairs, she found the snow falling even heavier than before. Wearing Qi Weichen''s down jacket, Qi Weichen''s pants, and shoes that were much too big for her, she trudged through the snow, her mood quite cheerful despite the circumstances. Although 2042 had been nice, it wasn''t her own era after all. Only upon returning to her proper time did she feel a sense of true contentment deep in her heart.


    It had been over a year since she''d been home. Her steps were hurried as she ran to the front door, her heart racing. She stood there for a while to calm herself. Spring festival couplets were pasted on the door, and red lanterns hung outside, exuding a joyful New Year atmosphere. She swallowed hard, finally mustering up the courage to knock after a long moment.


    "Who is it?" Mother''s voice came from inside. Chu Qing''s eyes welled up before she could even answer.


    The door opened, revealing her youthful and beautiful forty-something mother. Chu Qing''s tears could no longer be held back and streamed down her face.


    "You ran out early in the morning and only now you''re back, how dare you..." Mother''s words trailed off as she noticed Chu Qing''s clothes, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.


    Chu Qing hurriedly wiped her tears and explained, "I- I got my clothes dirty. These are borrowed from a friend."


    "...Borrowed, I see." Mother forced a smile, then noticed Chu Qing''s red, swollen eyes, a flash of pain crossing her face.


    "Mom!" Chu Qing could no longer hold back and threw herself into her mother''s arms, sobbing. Mother embraced her tightly, and both women cried together.


    Father, hearing the commotion, came out. Seeing the two in this state, he was startled, "What''s wrong? What happened?"


    "Never mind, just close the door!" Mother glared at him, leading Chu Qing into the bedroom.


    Having released her pent-up longing for her parents, Chu Qing''s mood had calmed considerably. As she watched her mother close the door, she suddenly felt confused¡ª


    She had been away from her parents for over a year and seeing her mother''s aged appearance made her want to cry. But for her mother, it had only been a few hours since they last saw each other. What was there to cry about?


    Before Chu Qing could voice her confusion, Mother came over, choking back tears, and sat on the bed holding her hand. "Tell Mom, did something happen?"


    "...There are some things." But I''m afraid you won''t believe me, so I''d better not say.


    Mother looked away, wiping her tears, then steeled herself after a moment. "Listen to me, child. We must call the police."


    Chu Qing was stunned. "What?"


    "Bad people must be punished. Mom knows this is cruel for you, but if you don''t bring the culprit to justice, you''ll be trapped in this shadow for the rest of your life. So even if it''s for your future, I can''t let that person go free," Mother''s tears fell freely. "Don''t worry, after we send the bad person to jail, Dad and I will move with you somewhere where no one knows us..."


    "Mom, wait a minute. What are you imagining?" Chu Qing was speechless.


    Mother froze. "Aren''t you..."


    "No, I''m not." Chu Qing said firmly.


    Mother hesitated. "Then why did you come home wearing boys'' clothes?"


    "I told you, I accidentally got my clothes dirty," Chu Qing explained quickly, hoping to avoid further questions about the clothes. "I was running too fast and fell in dog poop. Those clothes couldn''t be saved."


    Sure enough, at the mention of excrement, Mother immediately became disgusted, but still pressed on, suppressing her revulsion, "Then why did you cry as soon as you came in?"


    "...I was just being emotional." Chu Qing said dryly, truly not knowing how to explain this point.


    Mother stared at her for three seconds, then frowned, "Take off your clothes. I won''t be at ease until I see for myself."


    "Mom!"


    "Hurry up!"


    Chu Qing finally yielded to her mother''s pressure and reluctantly took off her clothes. Mother examined her carefully, and after confirming there were no marks on her body, she angrily smacked Chu Qing. "So you were just being dramatic for no reason!"


    A red handprint immediately appeared on Chu Qing''s fair skin, though it looked worse than it felt. She quickly jumped to the closet, found some pajamas to put on, and then whined, "Can''t I just cry if I want to? Don''t you ever feel melancholic?"


    "I don''t!" Mother stood with her hands on her hips.


    Seeing her mother''s lively demeanor, Chu Qing grinned and said flatteringly, "Mom, I just realized today how young and beautiful you are. I hope you''ll never grow old."


    "What nonsense," Mother glared at her, but her expression softened. "It''s good that nothing happened. You really scared me."


    "Mom, you''re being too cautious. Think about it, even if someone had bad intentions, who could overpower me?" Chu Qing said casually.


    Mother took a deep breath, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "You don''t know anything. In today''s world, of course we have to be extra careful raising a daughter. If it weren''t for your mother keeping a close eye on you and making you learn martial arts, would you have grown up so safe and healthy?"


    "Yes, yes, you''re the best," Chu Qing quickly agreed.


    Mother scoffed, "You''ll understand when you have a daughter of your own."


    Chu Qing thought to herself, I don''t have a daughter, just a son.


    Seeing that Chu Qing was truly fine, Mother turned to leave. She paused at the door, hesitating before turning back.


    "What is it, Mom?" Chu Qing widened her innocent eyes.


    Mother was silent for a moment. "Did you change clothes at a boy''s house?"


    Chu Qing: "..."


    "You did, didn''t you? You changed everything from head to toe. Where''s your sweater? Where are your thermal pants?" Mother grew increasingly shocked. "Did you take everything off at his house? What''s your relationship with that boy..."


    "Mom, Mom, it''s like this," Chu Qing hurriedly interrupted, "There was water where I fell, so I had to change my inner clothes too. That boy and I are just ordinary classmates. He couldn''t just leave me in trouble, so he had to take me to his house to change. Don''t overthink it."


    Although she and Qi Weichen were destined to marry and have children in the future, it was best not to reveal their relationship to their parents before graduating from high school.


    Mother frowned. "Really?"


    "Of course!" Chu Qing quickly replied.


    The mother and daughter stared at each other for a moment before Mother snorted coldly. "I should hope you wouldn''t dare." With that, she turned and left.


    Chu Qing let out a huge sigh of relief, jumping onto her long-missed bed. After a while, she chuckled softly.


    That day was New Year''s Eve. The family spent a lively evening staying up to welcome the new year. Chu Qing was distracted the whole time, hearing others discuss something about a flu epidemic but not paying much attention. After dinner, when the others weren''t looking, she snuck back to her room to call Qi Weichen.


    However, after two attempts, he didn''t answer. It wasn''t until more than two hours later that he called her back, his voice hoarse as he spoke, "What''s wrong?"


    Chu Qing paused. "Are you sick?"


    "Mm, I have a bit of a fever. I just took some medicine," Qi Weichen said softly.


    Chu Qing frowned. "Is it because you were in the wind earlier today? Do you need to go to the hospital?"


    "It''s nothing serious. My temperature is already starting to go down. I''ll be fine after some sleep," Qi Weichen replied.


    Chu Qing quickly agreed. "Then go to sleep right away. I''ll come see you tomorrow."


    "Okay." Qi Weichen was truly exhausted and hung up after acknowledging her.


    Chu Qing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After all the guests had left, she couldn''t sit still any longer. Once her parents were asleep, she snuck out of the house and headed straight for Qi Weichen''s place.


    In the early hours of New Year''s Day, the streets were deserted, let alone any taxis. Fortunately, there were still shared bicycles available, so she pedaled hard through the night towards Qi Weichen''s home.


    When she arrived, she regretted her impulsiveness. Qi Weichen had said he needed rest, and coming to knock on his door would only disturb him. But she couldn''t put her mind at ease without seeing him with her own eyes. So she stood at his front door, conflicted.


    After a while, she decided to send him a message: Are you asleep?


    There was no response. He must be sleeping, Chu Qing thought, sighing lightly. She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her. She looked back in surprise. "You''re not asleep?"


    "I guessed you''d come." Perhaps due to his illness, Qi Weichen''s eyes had a watery sheen, and his hoarse voice sounded both gentle and rough.


    Chu Qing quickly pushed him back inside, closing the door before scolding him, "It''s so cold, and you answer the door in just a thin pajamas? Don''t you want to get better?"


    "We have floor heating inside."


    "But not at the doorway. What if you catch a chill?" Chu Qing frowned, pulling him to the bedroom.


    Qi Weichen followed languidly until they reached the bed. Then, with a sudden strength in his wrist, he pulled her into his arms and they fell onto the bed together.


    "You really are..." Chu Qing didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. "You''re sick. Can''t you behave?"


    "It''s so late. Since you''re here, why don''t you stay?" Qi Weichen gazed at her with misty eyes.


    Chu Qing''s face flushed slightly. "Mm, I''ll stay."


    "What if your parents find out?" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chu Qing was speechless. "...You''re quick to change how you address them."


    "Won''t you get scolded?" Qi Weichen asked.


    Chu Qing reached out to feel his forehead. Finding that it was no longer hot, she let out a small sigh of relief. "Don''t worry. They went to bed late today, so they won''t wake up until after 9 tomorrow. As long as I go back before 9, it''ll be fine. If they do find out, I''ll just say I went out for breakfast."


    "Okay, let''s sleep," Qi Weichen said lazily, holding her close and not moving.


    Chu Qing lay quietly in his arms, and soon both of them drifted off to sleep.


    Chu Qing had planned well, intending to run home at dawn. However, when they woke up the next morning, the world seemed to have changed. News of a flu outbreak was everywhere, and everyone was gripped by real panic. City A responded with the utmost speed, and suddenly all residential areas began self-isolation.


    Chu Qing, who had accidentally become quarantined in Qi Weichen''s home, was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 18

    Ever since Chu Qing realized that Qi Weichen wasn''t being affectionate with her anymore, she became preoccupied with it. When they were alone at home, she couldn''t help but "accidentally" touch his hand with her fingers while he was tutoring her, or brush her foot against his calf. When he looked at her, she would pretend nothing had happened, trying to tease him with these methods.However, Qi Weichen would only glance at her and warn her flatly, "Focus on the lesson."


    Chu Qing, undeterred, moved even closer to him until she was almost leaning against him. Only then did Qi Weichen, unable to tolerate it anymore, pick her up. Chu Qing was delighted, about to throw her arms around him, when she heard him say in a deep voice, "Do you want to be punished with extra writing assignments?"


    Chu Qing: "..."


    His unresponsiveness was like a bolt from the blue for Chu Qing. A boyfriend unmoved by her teasing - what did that mean? It meant their relationship was heading for a crisis! Chu Qing stayed up late reading dozens of relationship articles about this and felt she couldn''t let things continue like this.


    Another dinner time came, and the two of them went to the school together. Qi Muyang came running up, his face full of apology as he said, "I forgot to text you guys. There''s a basketball game later, and I''ve already eaten."


    Chu Qing paused for a moment. "It''s okay, we''ll go back and eat by ourselves." In just a few days, Qi Muyang seemed to have integrated into college life. Recently, he had been texting them less and often not letting them come over.


    "That won''t do. I''ll come with you to eat," Qi Muyang glanced at his phone. "The game doesn''t start for another half hour, there''s time."


    "You should use that half hour to warm up more. Go play, we''re not kids, we don''t need you to accompany us," Chu Qing immediately refused, afraid of delaying his plans.


    Qi Muyang looked at her helplessly. "Then... make sure you take photos of your meal for me, okay? Don''t just eat whatever."


    "Do I look like someone who would do that?" Chu Qing asked, amused.


    Qi Muyang thought about it and realized she was right. He then recommended a few snack shops near the school and got so excited he was about to take them there himself when he received a call from the basketball team urging him to return.


    "Alright, you go back now," Chu Qing shooed him back towards the school.


    Qi Muyang couldn''t help but turn back. "Make sure you eat enough, okay?"


    "Stop with all the talk," Chu Qing laughed, efficiently sending him off. Watching Qi Muyang''s hesitant retreating figure, she suddenly felt a wave of sadness for some reason.


    "In the future, he''ll leave us with only his back view more and more often. You''ll have to get used to it," Qi Weichen said calmly.


    Chu Qing looked at him and couldn''t help but ask after a while, "Aren''t you feeling melancholic at all?"


    "What is there to feel melancholic about?" Qi Weichen asked in return.


    Chu Qing frowned. "He''s your child. He''s grown up and leaving you to embrace a new life. Aren''t you sad?"


    "It''s a good thing that he can grow up safely and welcome a new life. There''s no need to be sad," Qi Weichen looked at her calmly. "Parents and children growing apart is an inevitable part of life. I think you should get used to these things as soon as possible, lest in the future..."


    "Alright, I don''t want to hear it," Chu Qing interrupted glumly, glancing at him before lowering her eyes and walking forward.


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment, then silently followed. After they had walked quietly for a while, he asked in a low voice, "Weren''t we going to eat?"


    "I''ve lost my appetite," Chu Qing said listlessly. His recent aloofness had already been making her sad enough, and now being lectured by him again, she no longer had the mood to eat with him.


    Qi Weichen looked at her dejected expression, finally realizing his words had upset her. After a moment of silence, he was about to explain when Chu Qing gave him a weary glance. "Just looking at you makes me angry now. You''d better not say anything."


    Qi Weichen immediately closed his mouth, quietly walking beside her. They returned home without another word. As soon as they entered, Chu Qing went to her room, and a click was heard as she locked the door behind her.


    Qi Weichen stood silently in the quiet living room, like a tree. After a long while, he walked to her door and gently knocked twice. "Can I speak now?"


    Inside the room, Chu Qing heard his question and rolled over on the bed in frustration, biting the corner of her blanket without making a sound. After a moment of silence, Qi Weichen spoke again, "If you don''t say anything, I''ll take it as a yes."


    Chu Qing let out a light hum, gently biting her lower lip.


    "I didn''t finish what I was saying earlier," Qi Weichen paused, his gaze softening. "Although life is full of disappointments, I will always be by your side. I will take good care of my health, have regular check-ups, work hard to earn money. The parts of your life that parents and children can''t accompany you through, I will accompany you through them."


    Chu Qing paused, her eyes suddenly becoming warm.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t handle it well earlier. At times like this, you need an understanding hug more than any grand principles," Qi Weichen''s voice carried a hint of guilt, though not obvious.


    After he finished speaking, silence fell around them. It was already past seven in the evening, and the sun had set, making the house increasingly dark. Qi Weichen stood in the dim light, and after a long while, he said softly, "You must be hungry. How about I steam an egg custard for you? Will you come out to eat?"


    He waited for a moment after speaking, but received no answer. He sighed lightly and went to the kitchen. He put on an apron and prepared the ingredients, his movements quick and skillful. Although he often cooked for himself when he lived alone before, he was nowhere near as proficient as he was now.


    Qi Weichen stood straight in the kitchen, his long fingers quickly whisking the eggs. Just as he was about to add water, he felt a warmth press against his back, and then two arms wrapped around his waist. Qi Weichen paused, his expression relaxing. "Do you want shrimp in the steamed eggs?"


    "Yes," Chu Qing, hugging him from behind, mumbled.


    "How about green peas?"


    "Those too."


    The corners of Qi Weichen''s lips curved upwards slightly. "Anything else?"


    "And some minced meat. Remember to stir-fry it," Chu Qing hummed, hugging him a little tighter.


    The smile in Qi Weichen''s eyes grew deeper. "Besides these, is there anything else you want?"


    "I want a kiss."


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment, then put down the chopsticks. Chu Qing loosened her grip at the right moment, and he turned to face her. "What do you want?"


    "Don''t pretend. Don''t think I don''t know, you''ve been giving me the cold shoulder just to get back at me for rejecting you that day," Chu Qing''s voice was nasally with grievance. "And you said it was to make me feel secure. You ignoring me like this is what makes me feel insecure..."


    Before she could finish, her chin was gently lifted, and Chu Qing let out a surprised gasp. The next second, she found herself sitting on the countertop. Just as she was about to speak, her lips were sealed with a kiss.


    This kiss was fierce and urgent, like a summer downpour, hitting so hard it hurt, yet giving a sense of exhilaration. Chu Qing sat on the counter, slightly higher than Qi Weichen, her fingers clutching a bit of his collar, so nervous that her fingertips turned white.


    Qi Weichen, contrary to his usual cool demeanor, was like a raging flame, seeming to want to consume her entirely. His hands had somehow found their way to her back, pressing her firmly into his embrace.


    Things spiraled out of control at some point, and when Chu Qing found her back against the bed, she suddenly came to her senses. She hurriedly grabbed Qi Weichen''s hand, looking at him helplessly. Qi Weichen''s temple throbbed, and after a long moment, he took a deep breath and leaned down to hug her.


    Although he had a lean build, his height made him not light at all, and now he was pressing down on Chu Qing with his full weight. She felt like she could hardly breathe.


    She moved slightly, accidentally touching a sensitive part of him. Qi Weichen let out a soft groan and said in a muffled voice, "Don''t move."


    Chu Qing immediately froze.


    Qi Weichen remained still for a long time before finally letting out a long breath. "A few more times like this won''t be good for the body."


    "...I''m not ready yet," Chu Qing said, feeling a bit guilty.


    "It''s okay, I can wait," Qi Weichen pinched her earlobe, his breath hot as he spoke. "But right now, I need you to wait for me."


    "...Okay," Chu Qing responded in a small voice, obediently letting him hold her.


    After a long while, Qi Weichen sighed and finally let her go. Chu Qing, face flushed, hid under the blanket and refused to come out. Qi Weichen patted the small blanket bundle comfortingly, and when she was a bit less tense, he turned and went back to the kitchen to continue what he had been doing earlier.


    Ten minutes later, the egg custard with minced shrimp that Chu Qing had requested was ready. Chu Qing was lured out of her room by the enticing aroma and went to the kitchen to find Qi Weichen, feeling both hungry and shy. Before she could enter the kitchen, Qi Weichen stopped her, saying, "Wait in the living room."


    "Okay," Chu Qing obediently went to sit in the living room. After he brought out the egg custard, she asked anxiously, "Will you kiss me again in the future?"


    Qi Weichen paused for a moment before asking, "Do you want me to kiss you?"


    "...Well, couples are supposed to do things like that, aren''t they? It wouldn''t be right if we didn''t do anything at all. Of course, I''m not saying you have to kiss me," Chu Qing mumbled, her face red as she lowered her head and pretended to focus on eating.


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment, then reached out and tapped her shoulder. Chu Qing looked up in confusion, and the next second, he placed a kiss on her forehead.


    "Did you like that?" Qi Weichen asked directly.


    Chu Qing''s grip on her chopsticks tightened, and she nodded shyly, "I liked it."


    A hint of a smile appeared on Qi Weichen''s lips. Afraid that she might be too embarrassed to eat and run away, he quickly changed the subject and started chatting with her about today''s dishes.


    After that day, the two became as affectionate as before, but they stopped visiting Qi Muyang at school on weekends after he started returning home regularly.


    Perhaps because she had so many problems to solve every day, Chu Qing felt that time was passing exceptionally quickly. In the blink of an eye, Qi Muyang''s two-week military training had come to an end.


    In 2043, the Mid-Autumn Festival fell on September 17th of the Gregorian calendar. The day after Qi Muyang finished his military training, the Mid-Autumn holiday began.


    Early in the morning, Qi Muyang excitedly ran to Chu Qing''s door and knocked, then went to knock on Qi Weichen''s door. However, Qi Weichen had already gone to the supermarket, so he only managed to wake up Chu Qing.


    "Qi Muyang, what are you making such a fuss about so early in the morning?" Chu Qing asked, unable to suppress a yawn.


    Qi Muyang''s eyes crinkled with happiness as he smiled, "Mom, Little Fatty and the others are coming home today."


    "Oh right, they''re on holiday too," Chu Qing realized. Holidays were longer now than in their time. Qi Muyang had five days off for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and other universities probably had similar breaks.


    Qi Muyang nodded, "Gu Quan also took time off to come back, but they have to visit relatives during the day and have family gatherings in the evening. We can only meet up with them after dinner tonight."


    "Don''t gatherings usually last until very late? Why not meet tomorrow?" Chu Qing asked with a chuckle.


    Qi Muyang protested, "But I can''t wait that long!"


    "I thought you might have forgotten about these guys now that you have your new university friends," Chu Qing said, eyeing him sideways.


    Qi Muyang had a more volatile temper than her, and she had always worried about him getting along with his roommates. However, it turned out that all three of his roommates were gaming experts, and he was the only novice. To get them to carry him in games, he behaved exceptionally well. The three treated him like a pampered son, not even letting him clean the dorm. Recently, Qi Muyang had been praising his roommates non-stop to her and Qi Weichen.


    Hearing her comment, Qi Muyang immediately retorted, "How can that be the same?"


    "How is it not the same?" Chu Qing asked, yawning.


    Qi Muyang thought for a moment, "It''s not like I''m dating, where I can only be with one person. With friends, the more, the merrier."


    "...Thank goodness you at least understand that you can only date one person at a time. Otherwise, your dad and I would have so much more to worry about," Chu Qing said, giving him an exasperated look before turning to go back inside. "I''m going back to sleep. If you disturb me again, I''ll beat you up."


    Although it was a light-hearted threat, it was enough to keep Qi Muyang in check. At least until she woke up from her nap, Qi Muyang remained as quiet as a mouse.


    Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, but for the family of three, it wasn''t much different from any other day. The only difference was that there was a plate of mooncakes on the table for lunch and dinner.


    "...I never thought that five-nut mooncakes would still be popular now," Chu Qing remarked, looking at the colorful dried fruits and nuts in the mooncake.


    Qi Muyang broke off a piece and munched on it, "It''s delicious. Five-nut is a traditional mooncake flavor, it''s the most popular."


    "Fashion really does go in circles," Chu Qing clicked her tongue. No wonder she didn''t find the clothes here particularly fashionable after her time travel - it seemed the cycle had returned to their era.


    She showed little interest in the mooncakes. Qi Weichen glanced at her and asked, "Do you want some cake?"


    Qi Muyang''s hand, still holding the mooncake, froze. Chu Qing paused for a moment, "Did you buy some?"


    "Yes, I did," Qi Weichen said, then paused briefly, "But since it''s a holiday, the bakery only had one strawberry mousse cake left."


    "...So you let me eat the mooncakes first to fill me up so you could give the cake to Mom?" Qi Muyang asked, his voice trembling.


    Qi Weichen remained very calm, "Don''t you like mooncakes?"


    Qi Muyang: "..." That was before he knew there was cake!


    Ignoring his protest, Qi Weichen brought out the small mousse cake. Chu Qing ate it with absolutely no guilt, finishing it off contentedly and letting out a small burp under Qi Muyang''s mournful gaze.


    By the time the family finished eating, it was already past seven in the evening. They waited for another two hours before the others managed to escape from their family dinners. After gathering in the park, they each scanned a bicycle and rode together towards the lake.


    "Wouldn''t it be better to take a taxi? Why do we have to suffer like this?" Little Fatty, who had just endured the torment of military training, complained mournfully. He had tanned and lost weight, clear evidence of how intense the training had been.


    Lackey was in a similar state, but he seemed much more energetic: "The weather isn''t hot, riding bikes is nice. It''s good to get some fresh air."


    "Yeah, with wind from all directions, how could we not get fresh air?" Little Fatty snorted lightly.


    Gu Quan lazily rode his bike, "Why are you two complaining so much? If you don''t want to exert yourselves, just scan an electric bike when you see one later."


    "Big Orange''s brain works so well," Little Fatty''s eyes lit up, and he immediately started looking out for electric bikes.


    Gu Quan''s mouth twitched, "...Don''t fucking call me Big Orange."


    "Big Orange, your hair dye looks pretty good. What color is it?" Chu Qing, sitting on the back of Qi Weichen''s bike, asked curiously.


    Gu Quan completely gave up, "Indigo. It should look black at night, I''m surprised you can tell."


    "Of course, my eyes are amazing. Back in the day, I could distinguish all the colors when someone dyed their hair like a rooster''s comb," Chu Qing said proudly.


    Qi Muyang sighed, "Can we stop bringing up my embarrassing past?" Just thinking about his former ''rooster comb'' hairstyle made him want to go back in time and strangle himself.


    Everyone laughed at this. Chen Xiu, who had been quiet until now, couldn''t help but say, "I did try to talk you out of it back then, but you wouldn''t listen." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s because Lackey and the others kept saying it looked good," Qi Muyang said indignantly.


    Lackey immediately declared his loyalty, "I was being honest! I really thought it looked good!"


    "Bootlicker," Little Fatty looked at him scornfully. Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly became excited, "Boss, let me tell you, when Lackey came to visit me at my school, he fell for a girl there..."


    "Shut up, you fat idiot!" Lackey shouted angrily, stretching out his foot to kick him.


    Little Fatty pedaled his bicycle quickly, running away while laughing loudly, "At first, he didn''t have the courage to ask for her contact information. Then he started going there every day to look for her, and even posted a confession on the school''s message board!"


    "You fat idiot!"


    Everyone hurried to speed up. Chu Qing urged Qi Weichen to pedal faster while asking curiously, "Then what happened?"


    "When I helped him look for her, I found out that the girl was actually a teacher at our school," Little Fatty laughed heartily.


    Lackey''s face turned red, though it wasn''t clear if it was from anger or embarrassment, "Shut your mouth, you fat idiot!"


    Taking advantage of their long legs, Gu Quan and Qi Muyang quickly caught up with Little Fatty. Gu Quan said calmly, "Many university teachers are very beautiful, it''s normal for Lackey to like one."


    "That teacher was a man, he just had long hair. And he''s already married with a three-year-old kid, hahaha..." Little Fatty laughed uncontrollably as he sped forward.


    There were so many shocking points in this statement that Gu Quan and Qi Muyang exchanged a speechless glance, not knowing where to begin with their comments.


    Having his secret exposed, Lackey angrily sped up to chase Little Fatty, and the two quickly disappeared ahead. Qi Weichen, carrying Chu Qing, and Chen Xiu, who was riding at a slower pace, gradually caught up. Qi Muyang immediately shared the gossip with them, causing Chen Xiu and Chu Qing to burst into laughter as well.


    By the time the five of them caught up, Little Fatty and Lackey had already rolled around on the grass by the lake, their clothes covered in grass clippings. They lay motionless on the lawn, clearly having been through a fierce battle.


    Chu Qing curiously ran over, "Who won?"


    "In this war, there are no winners," Little Fatty said solemnly.


    Chu Qing nodded, "Looks like you lost."


    Little Fatty gave her a lifeless look, "Chu, can''t you give me a little face?"


    Chu Qing laughed and patted his shoulder comfortingly.


    The young people sat side by side on the grass by the lake, chatting about their college lives. Little Fatty, as if facing off against an evil minister, occasionally dropped some juicy gossip, angering Lackey who repeatedly punched him until he wailed for mercy.


    "Do you ever learn?" Chu Qing asked exasperatedly.


    Little Fatty grinned, "Don''t you think it''s fun to see him so flustered?"


    "...I actually think it''s more fun to see you getting beaten up," Chu Qing glanced at him sideways, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Qi Weichen''s knee was smudged with dirt. She hurriedly helped him clean it off bit by bit.


    Gu Quan couldn''t help but quip, "You two, don''t be so lovey-dovey. Have some consideration for us five single dogs, will you?"


    Chen Xiu quietly corrected, "Four."


    Everyone froze for a moment, then Lackey gasped, "You have a girlfriend?"


    "Yeah, we met during military training," Chen Xiu''s face reddened, "We just got together a few days ago. I wanted to tell you guys right away, but since we were coming back for Mid-Autumn Festival, I thought it would be more proper to tell you in person..."


    Before Chen Xiu could finish, Qi Muyang pinched his face, and the next second Lackey and Little Fatty pounced on him. Chen Xiu, tickled mercilessly, laughed and cried as he begged for mercy, "I really wasn''t trying to hide it from you, honestly! I wanted to tell you from the start..."


    "Well, well, well, you quiet one," Lackey smirked as he tickled him, "Who knew you were such a player, being the first among us to find a girlfriend."


    Gu Quan looked at them with disdain and quietly scooted away, but not before reminding them, "You can punish him anytime, but right now the most important thing is to get all the details about his love life."


    Hearing this, Qi Muyang and the others immediately stopped and assumed the posture of a tribunal, interrogating Chen Xiu, who blushed as he slowly recounted the story. It was actually a tale of a hero saving a damsel in distress, except in this case, the hero was the girl, and Chen Xiu was the one who fainted during military training and was rescued.


    "When I opened my eyes, it was love at first sight," Chen Xiu said, pulling up a photo on his phone to show them, carefully bragging, "Isn''t she beautiful?"


    In the photo, the girl smiled confidently and naturally. A small mole between her brows added a touch of cuteness to her delicate features. She was effortlessly holding a 30kg dumbbell with one hand, clearly someone who worked out.


    Qi Muyang glanced at Chen Xiu''s thin, frail frame and couldn''t help but worry, "She doesn''t engage in domestic violence, does she?"


    "Of course not," Chen Xiu hurriedly defended his girlfriend, "She''s very protective of me."


    "That''s good then," Qi Muyang relaxed, and after a moment, awkwardly offered his congratulations.


    With Chen Xiu''s love life settled, the group turned their attention to Qi Muyang. When they heard him constantly praising his three genius roommates, everyone fell silent for a moment.


    Chu Qing leaned close to Qi Weichen''s ear, concerned, "Won''t Lackey and the others be upset that he''s praising other people in front of them?"


    As she spoke, a gentle breeze brushed Qi Weichen''s ear. His eyes darkened slightly, and he turned to plant a kiss on her cheek. Chu Qing sat up straight in surprise. Although it had been dark for ages and the streetlights here weren''t very bright, Qi Muyang and the others were right next to them. How could he steal a kiss like that without fear of being discovered?


    "Not afraid," Qi Weichen said slowly, as if he had already guessed her thoughts.


    Qi Muyang turned his head, "Not afraid of what?"


    "Nothing," Qi Weichen said nonchalantly.


    Qi Muyang rubbed his nose and continued praising his three roommates. Chu Qing couldn''t help but remind him, "All your friends are here, why are you talking about them?"


    "No, no, keep going," Lackey hurriedly said, "Are they really that good at gaming?"


    "Of course. Last time when someone insulted me, the three of them beat that person down to just a sliver of health," Qi Muyang said proudly.


    "Damn, I want to be friends with them too!" Little Fatty immediately raised his hand, and Lackey and the others chimed in as well.


    Chu Qing: "..." I guess I was overthinking it.


    The group stayed by the lake for a while longer, until the mosquitoes became too numerous. They got back on their bicycles and discussed where to go next.


    "Let''s go back to the school for a look," Little Fatty suggested.


    Qi Weichen looked at him, "It''s already eleven o''clock at night."


    "That''s perfect, there won''t be anyone around. It''s a great time to take a stroll," Little Fatty winked at him.


    It seemed that every student who had recently left high school life had the desire to go back and take a look in the short term. As soon as Little Fatty suggested it, everyone agreed. Seeing that Chu Qing wanted to go, Qi Weichen agreed.


    The group easily found the low wall they used to use to skip school, climbed over it, and started wandering around brazenly. Even though they had only left this place a few months ago, it felt like several years had passed. Especially when they saw the newly renovated cafeteria, everyone felt a complex mix of emotions.


    "Why did the school start renovating as soon as we graduated?" Little Fatty was very confused.


    Chu Qing casually replied, "Who knows."


    After strolling around the school for a while, they arrived at the familiar bulletin board. Looking at the new rankings and scores posted there, they finally felt a sense of how times had changed.


    "The big guy went from here," Lackey pointed at the last name and then swept his finger to the top of the first column, "to here in just one year. It''s really amazing."


    Chu Qing looked at Qi Muyang proudly, "Yes, he is amazing."


    Qi Muyang smiled sheepishly, thinking back on his year of hard work, it all felt like a dream.


    "Our names are over here," Chen Xiu quietly reminded them while the others were discussing rankings.


    Chu Qing and the others looked over and saw the posted results of this year''s college entrance exam. They moved closer, and Little Fatty looked at the first place position with some regret, "If Qi God had taken the exam, his name would definitely be here."


    "Qi God is awesome even without taking the exam," Lackey immediately said.


    Chu Qing and Qi Weichen exchanged a glance, smiling, "You guys should look for your own names."


    "We''re definitely all here. Our school posts the names of everyone who got into a public university," Lackey said while searching for his own name. After finding it, he gestured for Chu Qing to come look, "I''m here, right next to Fatty."


    Chu Qing walked over, confused, and stared for a long time before asking seriously, "Which one?"


    "This one," Lackey pointed with his chin.


    Chu Qing paused, "Which one?"


    Lackey: "..."


    After an awkward silence, Little Fatty asked with a twitching mouth, "Chu, you don''t know our names, do you?"


    Chu Qing was quiet for a moment, then gave an innocent smile.


    Little Fatty couldn''t help but roll his eyes, "The story is about to end, and you don''t even know the names of the best supporting actors?"


    "So which one are you?" Chu Qing laughed awkwardly.


    "Liu Chao! Liu Chao! Got it?" Little Fatty repeated exasperatedly.


    Chu Qing clicked her tongue, "That name is pretty ordinary. ''Fatty'' suits you better. You''ve disappointed the audience."


    "Who says so? My name sounds good. It''s rare for people nowadays to use ''Chao'' in their names," Little Fatty snorted.


    Not knowing people''s names beforehand, Chu Qing humbly nodded, then looked at Lackey. Lackey sighed and voluntarily reported his name: "Li Hui."


    Chu Qing had a moment of realization: "Ah¡ª"


    "Don''t pretend you knew," Lackey mercilessly exposed her.


    Chu Qing fell silent, then looked at Qi Weichen after a moment, trying to shift the focus: "You didn''t know their names either, right?"


    "I knew. Liu Chao, Li Hui," Qi Weichen calmly replied.


    Chu Qing narrowed her eyes, "You just learned them now, didn''t you?"


    Qi Weichen said nothing, and Chu Qing could tell he had just learned them. However, Little Fatty was still defending him: "Qi God definitely knew long ago, not like you who only gives us nicknames but can''t remember our real names."


    "Who says that? Qi Weichen didn''t know!" Chu Qing argued, then looked at Qi Weichen, wanting to force him to admit it.


    Qi Weichen was silent for a moment: "Mm, I didn''t know."


    Chu Qing: "..." He really didn''t know, why did he have to act like he was just going along with me?


    Qi Weichen''s behavior once again directed the fire towards Chu Qing, who eventually had to use force to subdue them, only then did the two kids dare not to chatter anymore.


    The group played around the school for a while, then moved on to other places. They wandered about, only parting ways after eating breakfast at dawn.


    By the time the family of three returned home, they were all quite exhausted. Thinking back on riding bicycles all night, it seemed absolutely crazy.


    "Dad, Mom, I''m going to sleep," Qi Muyang yawned.


    Chu Qing nodded drowsily, suddenly feeling an inexplicable urge to hug him. This feeling came abruptly and strongly. She hesitated for a moment before looking at Qi Weichen, who also seemed to have sobered up considerably. As their eyes met, they both fell silent simultaneously.


    Chu Qing reached out and grabbed Qi Muyang''s hand. Qi Muyang looked back at her, puzzled. "Mom, what''s wrong?"


    "Muyang, baby..." Chu Qing only managed four words before her voice trailed off.


    Qi Muyang stood there confused, waiting for her to continue. Chu Qing took a deep breath and smiled, extending both arms towards him. "Can I hug you?"


    "Oh..." Qi Muyang walked over perplexed, obediently letting her embrace him. While in her arms, he looked at Qi Weichen with a questioning gaze.


    Qi Weichen met his eyes for a moment, giving him a faint smile before embracing both mother and son.


    The family of three hugged for a long while until Qi Muyang couldn''t help but yawn. "Are we done?"


    "Yes, yes, go to sleep," Chu Qing hurriedly released him, keeping her head down to avoid eye contact.


    Qi Muyang paused for a moment, curiously bending down to look at her face, but Qi Weichen pulled Chu Qing into his arms, her face pressed firmly against his clothes.


    "Go to bed, don''t disturb us," Qi Weichen said calmly.


    Qi Muyang gave him an exasperated look before yawning and returning to his bedroom. Once his door closed, Chu Qing emerged from Qi Weichen''s embrace, rubbing her reddened eyes and murmuring, "Is this thing so mystical? I actually feel like I should go back today."


    "Many things can''t be clearly explained by science. Whether your intuition is right or not, we should be prepared," Qi Weichen comforted her, gently stroking her hair.


    Chu Qing took several deep breaths, but tears still inadvertently fell. Qi Weichen quietly accompanied her until she calmed down, then held her hand.


    The sun slowly rose from the east. Although the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, the weather was still sweltering until a heavy rain in the afternoon finally brought some coolness to the air.


    Qi Muyang was awakened by a clap of thunder around four in the afternoon. Seeing the pouring rain outside the window, he yawned and rolled over, lazily sprawling on the bed. It wasn''t until his stomach started growling that he languidly picked up his phone to text Chu Qing: Mom, is there anything to eat?


    When there was no response for a long time, he paused, then texted Qi Weichen, but still got no reply. Qi Muyang sat up and called Chu Qing, soon hearing the phone ringing in the living room. He walked out, confused.


    "Dad? Mom?" he called out, circling their bedroom amidst the ringtone of Chu Qing''s phone. Seeing their room tidied as if no one had lived there, he suddenly felt a hint of panic. "Dad! Mom!"


    Still no response. He hurriedly walked to the living room, where he found an A4 paper under Chu Qing''s phone, covered in her messy handwriting¡ª


    "Muyang, baby:


    By the time you see this note, we should have returned to 2019. Because the time of travel is uncertain, and we didn''t want to disturb your rest, we could only say goodbye to you in this way.


    During this year together, your dad and I have been very happy. You are our pride, the best boy in the world, and we love you as much as we love our own lives.


    Before coming to this era, I was always aimless and muddle-headed, just living day by day without ever thinking about the future. Since meeting you, my concept of the future suddenly became clear. I will work hard to become a great person first, then a great mother, and when everything is ready, welcome your birth.


    You''re probably waking up in the afternoon or evening, which can be a lonely time. We''ve left you food in the fridge. After you eat, go play with your friends. You don''t need to be sad about the separation because all separations mean reunions. Take good care of yourself during this time, and we will eventually meet again."


    Qi Muyang held the note in a daze, only realizing how tightly he was gripping it when his fingertips began to hurt. He stood up slowly, disbelieving, and circled the house again and again, calling out for his parents until his voice began to break, but no one responded.


    He sat on the living room floor, his eyes red, looking lost and helpless. It wasn''t until the heavy rain stopped and cool air seeped through the window cracks that he silently got up from the floor and walked to the refrigerator. Opening it, he found it full of meals, each packed in a food container, enough to last him a week.


    Faced with a fridge full of food, Qi Muyang''s fingers began to tremble.


    As he stood staring at the fridge, there was suddenly a knock at the door. He started, then rushed to open it. "Dad!"


    "Muyang, baby!" Chu Qing smiled, extending her arms. "Give me a hug!"


    Qi Muyang stared at her for a moment before bursting into tears with a wail, embracing her like a big bear and stammering, "You... you left... I mean, the younger you left..."


    "I know, I know. We guessed you''d be upset, so we finished work early and rushed back," said Chu Qing, now 42 years old but with eyes still as clear as ever, seemingly untouched by the years.


    Behind her, Qi Weichen stood tall, less sharp than his 18-year-old self but more easy-going, his gaze towards Qi Muyang gentle and warm.


    Qi Muyang cried for a while before asking chokingly, "So... so you traveled back and then lived until now?"


    "What a strange way to put it," Chu Qing laughed, wiping his tears. "Yes, after we went back, we studied hard, had you, raised you well, and that''s how we got to today."


    "Then why didn''t you tell me about the time travel before?" Qi Muyang rubbed his eyes.


    Chu Qing quickly grabbed his hand, using a wet wipe to clean his tears. "Because spoilers are no fun. You saw how our 18-year-old selves tried not to ask too much about their future when they came here. Life is just a few short decades, it''s best to live each day full of anticipation."


    She paused for a moment. "Ah, we must have left you lots of food, right? Quick, serve me a portion. I''m starving from rushing back to you."


    "Qingqing, aren''t you forgetting something?" Qi Weichen reminded her.


    Chu Qing, who had been walking into the house, froze mid-step and stopped sheepishly. Qi Muyang, his sadness at the separation somewhat diminished after seeing his parents, asked with red-rimmed eyes, "Forgot what?"


    Chu Qing laughed awkwardly, leading him to sit on the sofa. Seeing the paper on the table, she clicked her tongue. "Seeing this paper reminds me of how sad we were when we left."


    "Get to the point," Qi Weichen said calmly. "I''m going down to get the basket. Explain everything to him before I come back."


    Chu Qing glared at him, waiting until he turned to leave before looking sheepishly at Qi Muyang.


    "What is it?" Qi Muyang asked, confused.


    Chu Qing coughed. "Well... it''s just a small matter."


    They knew each other too well; from her subtle change in expression, Qi Muyang could see her guilt. He immediately narrowed his eyes. "What exactly is it?"


    "...It''s like this. Your dad and I weren''t really on a business trip. The reason we accepted this job was because we knew our 18-year-old selves would come to this era, not only taking good care of you but also helping you study well and get into A University."


    "Get to the point," Qi Muyang frowned.


    Chu Qing slapped her forehead, somewhat frustrated. "If I hadn''t lost to Qi Weichen in rock-paper-scissors, he''d be the one explaining this."


    Qi Muyang: "..."


    "First, promise me you won''t get angry," Chu Qing cautiously began.


    Qi Muyang sighed helplessly and reached out to hug her, "You''ve loved me so much since you were eighteen, how could I ever be angry with you?"


    Hearing this, Chu Qing''s heart melted, but meeting his clear gaze, she still felt a bit awkward: "Well... you know, most of our work is just collecting various data, and we have very few entertainment activities. Your dad and I could only entertain ourselves, and we accidentally... entertained a little something into existence..."


    "What thing?" Qi Muyang asked, suddenly nervous, "You didn''t mess around with experimental equipment and create some kind of virus, did you?"


    "Do you think your mom would be that irresponsible?" Chu Qing glared at him.


    Qi Muyang: "..." He used to think she was quite reliable, but after interacting with her eighteen-year-old self, he wasn''t so sure anymore.


    As mother and son stared at each other, Qi Weichen had already brought up the so-called basket. He entered the room and placed the basket directly on the coffee table.


    Chu Qing coughed, "This is the little thing we entertained into existence."


    Qi Muyang vaguely guessed what it might be and suddenly became nervous. After hesitating for a while, he finally mustered up the courage to reach out and pull back the fabric cover propped up on the basket.


    Inside the basket lay a chubby baby, as docile as could be, with eyes like a little deer, beautiful as a New Year''s painting. Qi Muyang swallowed hard, staring at the little baby in a daze.


    Chu Qing looked to Qi Weichen for help. After a moment of silence, Qi Weichen took on the task of explaining: "You''re an adult now, so we can talk to you about some things. This time when I went to work with your mom... we didn''t bring enough contraceptives, and because we were so busy with work during that period, we didn''t pay attention for a while. By the time we realized, she was already three months pregnant."


    "...You were only gone for a year and a few months in total, and this child looks at least two months old. Did you use up all your contraceptives as soon as you arrived?" Qi Muyang looked at them, speechless.


    Chu Qing, her face thickened by the years, smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, what could we do? After I got pregnant, I wanted to ask for your opinion, but we had no way to contact you. Plus, I was a bit reluctant to... Anyway, I gave birth to her. But don''t worry, Mom loves you the most."


    "Dad loves you the most too," Qi Weichen said, then paused, "If you don''t like her, I''ll send her to your grandmother''s house until you can accept her."


    "...It''s not that I don''t like her," Qi Muyang reached out to poke the chubby baby, who unconsciously grabbed his finger, instantly melting his heart. "Boy or girl?"


    Seeing his interest, Chu Qing quickly said, "A girl, she''s your little sister."


    "What''s her name?" Qi Muyang carefully played with the chubby baby''s hand.


    Chu Qing and Qi Weichen exchanged a glance, then said, "We haven''t named her yet. We wanted to leave that for big brother to do."


    "Me?" Qi Muyang looked at them hesitantly.


    Qi Weichen said gently, "Yes, you name her."


    "Then I''ll have to think carefully," Qi Muyang began to ponder seriously. "Since she''s my sister, we should give her a name that matches mine... How about Yueyang? Qi Yueyang, a name that includes all three of us, isn''t it nice?"


    Chu Qing repeated it once, unable to help smiling. Qi Weichen silently took her hand, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.


    Muyang, Yueyang, as time passes, our love for you remains unchanged.