novelraw Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 10 Fierce BeastWhen Yishi High School started its new term, it was during the peak of Qingcheng’s scorching summer.
The sun was so bright it made it hard to keep your eyes open, hanging high in the sky and baking the ground as if it might start to melt. Even adults struggled with the intense heat, let alone the freshmen in high school, most of whom were pampered at home. Half a day of military training felt like it was taking half their lives.
The boys at this age were mostly tough, many of them used to playing sports in such weather, so they could manage. However, among the girls, except for a few who were as resilient as the boys, most were wilting under the oppressive sun.
Finally, when the instructor called for a break, many of the girls didn’t waste any time. They rushed to the rest area and immediately reapplied several layers of sunscreen.
Qin Qing also followed the crowd back to the rest area, unzipped her backpack, and grabbed a bottle of mineral water. She tilted her head back and took a few sips.
But before she could lower the bottle, a shadow fell over her.
Still jittery from the scare the day before, Qin Qing’s heart skipped a beat, causing her to choke on the last gulp of water.
“Hey, are you okay?”
The girl who had walked up to her quickly asked.
After her coughing subsided, Qin Qing squinted through the blinding sunlight to see who it was.
It was a vaguely familiar girl, probably from the same class.
Qin Qing let out a breath of relief, shook her head, and bit her lip, giving a quiet smile.
“I’m fine.”
Hearing Qin Qing speak, the girl smiled as well and sat down beside Qin Qing on the tall stone steps.
“My name is Zhuo Anke, what’s yours?”
Qin Qing was about to reply when the girl squinted her eyes and smiled again, “You don’t need to tell me; I already know. You’re Qin Qing.”
“…”
Qin Qing blinked.
Her personality was somewhat peculiar—she could only be herself around complete strangers or her closest friends. But when it came to classmates, who were neither strangers nor close friends, she often felt at a loss.
She had grown accustomed to using silence to mask her discomfort, which made others see her as hard to approach or interact with.
This was why, during her three years of middle school, the only person who became close to Qin Qing was Lin Manxue, who had a very outgoing personality.
And it seemed Zhuo Anke shared quite a bit in common with Lin Manxue in terms of personality—
For example, the ability to carry on a conversation even when Qin Qing didn’t respond.
“Everyone in our class knows your name.”
Zhuo Anke gestured in a circle and then smiled as she turned back to Qin Qing, “You were already famous in our grade even before the summer break—first place in the grade, and you’re a girl too.”
Hearing this, Qin Qing’s soft and harmless smile faltered slightly. She pursed her lips and looked at Zhuo Anke. Her clear black and white eyes sparkled with a hint of seriousness.
“Whether someone is a boy or a girl shouldn’t make a difference.”
“Huh?”
Zhuo Anke was taken aback.
“…”
Qin Qing wanted to say more, but after hesitating for a moment, she missed the perfect opportunity to continue.
So she pursed her lips and said nothing more.
After a few seconds, Zhuo Anke seemed to understand what Qin Qing meant. She didn’t mind and shook her head with a smile, changing the subject.
“I noticed you didn’t put on any sunscreen. Did you forget to bring it?”
Qin Qing was a bit surprised that Zhuo Anke was still willing to continue the conversation.
She lifted her gaze.
“No… I’ve never used sunscreen.”
Zhuo Anke looked Qin Qing up and down with a sense of wonder.
“You’re so fair-skinned, and you’ve never used sunscreen in the summer?”
“…” Qin Qing honestly nodded.
Zhuo Anke suddenly leaned in, bringing their faces close together.
Startled, Qin Qing almost jumped up but was held in place by Zhuo Anke’s next excited exclamation—
“You have such great skin! Don’t tell me you don’t use any skincare products either.”
“…”
The close distance made Qin Qing instinctively pull back, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“Sigh, born with such natural beauty… and such an adorable personality,” Zhuo Anke said with a sigh, shaking her head. “No wonder someone has taken a fancy to you…”
Though Zhuo Anke’s last sentence was spoken quietly, Qin Qing still caught it.
She frowned slightly and turned to Zhuo Anke, “You…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Zhuo Anke cheerfully turned back to her.
“So, what’s your relationship with Wen Yufeng?”
Qin Qing’s eyes flickered, and then she lowered them.
“I don’t know him.”
Zhuo Anke looked exaggeratedly shocked. “How could that be? He just—”
“Don’t know me, huh…”
A deep, magnetic voice laced with amusement interrupted Zhuo Anke, suddenly sounding from behind them.
Startled, both Qin Qing and Zhuo Anke turned around—
A boy in the high school uniform, his tie loosened, was sitting on the stone steps two levels above them. When he saw them turn, he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. The rolled-up sleeves of his uniform shirt revealed smooth, pale muscles that extended to his naturally hanging slender fingers.
The curve of his thin lips carried a hint of a lazy, teasing smile, and his jet-black eyes were fixed on Qin Qing.
“Are you sure?”
Qin Qing felt a shiver run down her spine as those eyes bore into her, and she instinctively wanted to get up and run away.
But before she could move, a sharp whistle sounded from behind her.
It was the signal for assembly from the drill instructor.
Never in her life had Qin Qing found a sound so wonderful. She immediately sprang up and dashed away at full speed.
She didn’t stop until she had crossed the rubber track and reached the training area on the sports field, still shaken.
Qin Qing glanced back.
Good, he didn’t follow.
… After all, it’s the high school training area, and there are dedicated drill instructors watching the perimeter. There’s no way he could get in.
Reassuring herself, Qin Qing refocused her attention.
“You there!”
The instructor’s voice suddenly rang out in her direction.
Qin Qing reflexively looked up and met the instructor’s gaze.
Seeing the innocent-looking girl with a cute face under her military training cap, the instructor’s stern tone softened a bit.
“You’re not allowed to bring water bottles into the training area. Didn’t I emphasize that?”
“…”
Qin Qing was momentarily stunned and then looked down as if realizing something.
She was clutching the mineral water bottle tightly in her hand.
—She had forgotten to put it down in her haste to get away.
Her cheeks instantly burned with embarrassment, and, amidst the harmless laughter from her classmates, she quickly ran back to the rest area, her face flushed.
But the closer she got, the more she could feel a disconcerting gaze following her every move.
Qin Qing’s pace unconsciously slowed as she lifted her eyes to look in that direction.
There he was, still wearing that lazy, half-smiling expression. Unlike before, though, this time the boy was sitting on the third step from the bottom of the stone steps, his beautiful arm propped behind him. He leaned back, his chin slightly raised, his black eyes half-lidded, and his thin lips curved into a smirk.
Arrogant and carefree, yet with a charm that was hard to deny—
such boldness at this age came with the confidence to back it up. A single casual smile was enough to capture anyone’s attention.
Qin Qing pressed her lips together, slowly shuffled over, and, from a distance, set the water bottle on the ground before turning around and hurrying back to the training area.
Sitting on the stone steps, Wen Yufeng couldn’t help but laugh as he leaned back and looked up at the sky.
——
So cute.
Like a crystal bunny scurrying away in panic.
When Qin Qing returned to the training area, she was met with a multitude of knowing glances from her classmates.
After all, the other classes were too far away to really make out who had interacted, but they were different.
——The day before, on the first day of school, the entire class of Class 15 had witnessed firsthand the infamous school bully from the high school department, who was well-known both inside and outside of Yishi, getting close and interacting with their class’s top student.
There was no way they would believe these two had nothing to do with each other.
But soon, they were forced to shift their focus away from the gossip—
The instructors, who had held a meeting while the students were on break, were now announcing new orders, The classes currently training on the sports field were to all participate in a running drill in sequence.
As soon as the command was given, the entire field was filled with groans of protest.
Unfortunately, their collective complaints fell on deaf ears, and the order was strictly enforced. The students on the soccer field could only line up and start running under the scorching sun, feeling like they were on the brink of death.
And they had to chant slogans as they ran.
Before they had even completed one lap, Qin Qing and several other students had already fallen behind the main group.
Qin Qing, in particular, stood out—she was trailing far behind the group all by herself, like a lonely little tail.
Qin Qing wasn’t surprised by this outcome.
Back in middle school, whenever they had to run the 800 meters, she was always in the last group to finish, often completing the run with a pale face.
Usually, around 100 meters before reaching the 400-meter “extreme point,” her limit was already reached.
This time was no different.
Qin Qing’s face was slightly pale as she tried to regulate her breathing, but her trachea was already stinging in protest; she forced herself to swing her arms more vigorously, but it only made her body and mind more exhausted.
Experiencing a near-death sensation from just a simple run—this was probably a rare experience…
Qin Qing smiled bitterly to herself.
She really couldn’t hold on any longer. She might as well give up, after all—
Before the thought could fully take shape, she once again felt that familiar presence.
—That kind of presence that made you feel its scorching intensity just from its gaze alone.
Biting her lower lip, Qin Qing raised her eyes and wasn’t surprised to see that tall figure in the rest area.
He was standing at the bottom of the steps, holding a bottle of mineral water that Qin Qing knew all too well. He gave it a light shake in her direction.
Nearby, two instructors were glaring at him, clearly ready to rush over and take him down if he stepped into the training area.
The thought amused Qin Qing, but exhausted as she was, she could only manage the faintest of smiles.
Then she turned her gaze away.
She really wanted to give up… but she didn’t want to give up in front of him.
As for why she had that thought, Qin Qing no longer had the energy to ponder.
So, under the relentless summer sun, Qin Qing squeezed out the last ounce of strength in her body, dragging herself in a near-mechanical motion—slower than a normal walking pace—until she finally completed her second lap.
Just a few more steps to the finish line, and she thought she could hear Zhuo Anke cheering her on through the wind.
The resting group was also within reach…
Finally…
With a sense of relief, Qin Qing took the last step, her body tilting forward. Then her eyes closed, and she collapsed.
A chorus of gasps rang out.
Meanwhile, over by the stone steps, the smile on Wen Yufeng’s face instantly vanished.
He lifted his foot, ready to dash toward the training area.
“Non-participating students are not allowed in the training area!”
One of the instructors, who had been keeping a close watch on him, immediately shouted and blocked his path.
“…”
Wen Yufeng turned to look at the instructor, his gaze icy and dark.
It was as if a ferocious beast was lurking in the depths of his black eyes, ready to pounce.