novelraw Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Chapter 19 Call MeWen Yufeng’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for the students in the back rows to hear.
The surprise was inevitable, but more than that, there were exchanged glances full of gossip among the students; some even leaned in closer to their deskmates to whisper.
Qin Qing, however, didn’t notice any of this.
The voice that seemed to still linger in her ears was tinged with the husky, magnetic quality of someone who had just woken up, with an inexplicable allure. It took Qin Qing a few seconds of silence before she stepped back to reclaim the half step she had retreated in surprise.
She composed her expression and looked seriously at Wen Yufeng. “But, Wen classmate, you haven’t turned in your paper.”
“…”
Reflected in the glass window, the boy’s handsome face showed a slight raise of his eyebrows, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.
He slowly turned his head back toward her.
“What did you call me?”
Qin Qing hesitated for a second before repeating what she had said.
“Wen classmate, you haven’t turned in your paper.”
However, Wen Yufeng wasn’t distracted by the point she was trying to emphasize. Instead, the dangerous glint in his eyes grew more pronounced.
“‘Wen classmate’?”
“…”
Qin Qing didn’t respond this time, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in frustration.
She thought this person was being overly picky—he didn’t accept being called “senior” or “classmate.” Did he really insist on being addressed like everyone else?
But she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Qin Qing furrowed her brows even tighter and ultimately decided to pretend she hadn’t heard his question, lowering her gaze to the class roster.
“You’re the only one who hasn’t turned in your paper.”
“…”
Knowing that this wasn’t the right time or place, Wen Yufeng didn’t pursue the matter of how she addressed him further.
He smoothed out the sharpness in his gaze and let a lazy, mocking smile play on his lips.
“I don’t do homework.”
Qin Qing frowned, looking at him with disapproval in her eyes.
“Not doing homework is bad.”
That sentence sounded familiar to Wen Yufeng, and he couldn’t help the upward curve of his lips.
He lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes tinged with amusement.
“Why is it bad? …Will I not find a good job in the future, and no girl will want to marry me?”
“…”
Remembering the conversation from last semester in the first-year math group, Qin Qing’s cheeks flushed.
Realizing she wouldn’t get the paper from him, Qin Qing clutched the stack of papers tightly, glared at Wen Yufeng in frustration, and then quickly ran away.
It wasn’t until he saw the petite figure disappear out the classroom door that Wen Yufeng lowered his gaze and chuckled softly.
After a couple of seconds, he suddenly lifted his head, his sharp gaze sweeping across most of the classroom.
Even though there was still a hint of a smile on his lips that hadn’t fully faded, the coldness in his eyes made the students who were secretly observing him flinch, quickly diverting their gazes and lowering their heads.
No matter how strange it was for them to see Wen Yufeng joking and being friendly with the new student, it didn’t change the fact that a single glance from him could create a sense of distance.
And the only exception to this rule seemed to be this new student.
…
Five minutes before the end of the second evening self-study session, Qin Qing had already packed her backpack and was staring intently at the clock hanging at the front of the classroom with a serious expression.
At times like this, the second hand seemed to move exceptionally slowly.
When she occasionally let her mind wander, she would suspect that the second hand had secretly moved backward without her noticing.
After repeatedly suspecting that the clock had somehow become enchanted, Qin Qing finally reached the last minute of the second evening self-study session…
Thirty seconds… fifteen seconds…
Just as Qin Qing was about to start counting down in her head, a very soft sound of footsteps broke the silence in the classroom.
Before she could turn to see what was happening, a shadow was cast over her by the classroom lights.
A tall boy stood beside her desk, his hands in his pockets, his handsome face bearing a lazy smile.
“You’re going to burn a hole through that clock, little classmate.”
After speaking, Wen Yufeng continued walking out of the classroom.
Qin Qing was left sitting there, her cheeks gradually turning red, while the other students, now aware of what had just happened, let out suppressed chuckles.
The combination of embarrassed and irritated looks from most of the classroom made Qin Qing want to crawl into a hole. Thankfully, just after Wen Yufeng’s figure disappeared outside the door, the dismissal bell rang.
Without hesitation, Qin Qing stood up and, amid the good-natured laughter of most of the classroom, rushed out.
The hallway was still relatively empty, mostly populated by students who were staying for the third evening self-study session; those who only attended two sessions were usually more relaxed, rarely as eager to leave as Qin Qing.
But she didn’t care about any of that. All she could think about was getting home as quickly as possible and curling up in her soft bed.
However, just as she descended the stairs and stepped out under the corridor, taking her first step outside, a low chuckle came from the corner of the corridor wall behind her—
“Tiantian.”
Qin Qing was startled and let out a small “Ah!” as she stepped sideways in surprise.
When she turned her head and focused, she saw Wen Yufeng leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, looking at her with a half-smile. It was the same person who had left the classroom just before her.
Only he would dare to call her by that embarrassing nickname in public at school.
Qin Qing felt a wave of relief wash over her—thankfully, they weren’t in the classroom, and no other students were around to hear him call her by that shameful nickname.
With that thought settled, she quickly turned around and briskly walked toward the school gate.
Even though she didn’t say a word in response, Wen Yufeng could clearly see the blush on her cheeks under the dim streetlights.
Amused, he smiled to himself, pushed off the wall, and leisurely followed her with long strides.
The walk to the school gate wasn’t too long, but it was long enough for Qin Qing to fully understand the disparity in speed that came from the difference in leg length.
She felt like she was almost running as fast as she would in the first lap of an 800-meter race, yet he still strolled leisurely behind her.
—It seemed he was just taking a walk, not even bothering to take his hands out of his pockets.
Qin Qing averted her gaze from the shadow cast in front of her by the streetlight, pouting slightly as she tightened her grip on her backpack straps.
Her defiant pace was eventually slowed by fatigue, forcing her to give up on maintaining the distance between them.
Noticing this, Wen Yufeng’s lips curled slightly. From his observation of the entire walk, he could tell that the girl had given up trying to distance herself from him.
So he quickened his pace slightly, closing the already short distance between them until they were side by side.
They walked in silence for several meters, Wen Yufeng not saying a word, just quietly walking beside Qin Qing; his expression held a faint smile, and his demeanor was lazy and relaxed.
Qin Qing, who had been holding her breath since he started walking beside her, felt her face flush slightly. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, she turned her head and spoke.
“…Could you please stop following me?”
Her voice was soft and gentle, and even though she was slightly annoyed, she couldn’t help but sound cute.
If she hadn’t opened her mouth to push him away, Wen Yufeng might have agreed to anything she said at that moment.
…That was a bit scary.
With complicated feelings, Wen Yufeng lowered his eyes and looked at the petite girl beside him, his usual sharpness unconsciously softening.
“Isn’t this your first time going home after evening self-study? Since we’re going the same way, I’ll walk you home.”
“…”
The girl hesitated for a few seconds, as if wanting to say something, but then she changed her mind and asked a different question.
“Senior, why?”
Qin Qing widened her eyes, her gaze curious and inquisitive as she looked at the boy walking beside her.
She really couldn’t understand why, from the very beginning, his actions toward her seemed so different from the school bully that Manxue had described.
If the earlier, casual encounters hadn’t been enough to make her curious, then the inevitable interactions since she transferred into his class had made it impossible for her to ignore the question anymore—she couldn’t just leave this undefined and unanswered question hanging in front of her.
Even though her question was vague, Wen Yufeng looked into Qin Qing’s eyes for a couple of seconds and somehow understood what she was trying to express.
He remained silent for a few seconds before chuckling softly and turning his face away.
“I don’t know.”
He was always straightforward, whether with others or with himself.
So when he said he didn’t know, he really didn’t know.
“…”
But at this point, Qin Qing hadn’t yet seen or understood this aspect of Wen Yufeng’s personality. So, when she heard his light laugh and what sounded like a dismissive answer, a different kind of annoyance started to rise in her heart.
Qin Qing lowered her eyes.
After a few seconds, she spoke softly.
“Senior, the dessert today was delicious. Thank you. And thank you for all the times you’ve helped me before… But even if this is just as you said, repaying kindness, I think we should have settled things by now.”
“…” Wen Yufeng narrowed his eyes, sensing that the girl was a bit upset. He was just about to say something when she cut him off.
“Thank you for offering to walk me home, but my mom has already informed my cousin, and he’ll be picking me up after school from now on.”
Qin Qing took a deep breath after saying all this, and when she looked up at Wen Yufeng again, her face was still slightly red, but her black-and-white eyes were clear and bright.
“So, Senior, we don’t need to talk about ‘repaying kindness’ anymore; let’s leave it at that.”
After finishing, Qin Qing didn’t give Wen Yufeng a chance to say more. She quickly added one last line.
“I’ll be going now, Senior. Goodbye.”
With that, she dashed out of the school gate like a fluttering butterfly and ran toward the boy waiting under the pine tree.
The boy smiled as he took her backpack, then led her toward the parking area.
Wen Yufeng stood just a step inside the school gate, watching them go, his eyes slightly narrowed as he followed the car with his gaze until it disappeared from sight.
When he could no longer see even the taillights, Wen Yufeng lowered his eyes.
Behind the cover of his dark gaze, a cold and dangerous emotion swirled within.
—Watching your girl being taken away by someone else and not having the right to take her back…
It really is…infuriating.
After a long moment, Wen Yufeng slowly lifted his gaze, looking in the direction where the car had disappeared, his lips curling into a smirk.
But there was no trace of a smile in his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the car that had already driven away, Qin Hao glanced at his cousin in the rearview mirror.
The delicate and beautiful face of the girl was slightly tense, with no visible emotion.
But Qin Hao, who had grown up with her, knew that whenever his little cousin looked like this, it meant she was upset about something.
“Xiao Qing,” Qin Hao asked as he turned the steering wheel, “Are you still upset about the evening self-study?”
Qin Qing snapped out of her thoughts at his words and shook her head.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“…” Qin Qing watched the students walking home through the car window.
After a few seconds of silence, she asked quietly, “Second Brother, do you also randomly flirt with girls at school?”
This question made Qin Hao fall silent.
After a while, he cleared his throat.
“Ahem, well… it’s human nature, isn’t it? Beautiful things always attract people. Besides, your second brother is still single, so I’m fully entitled to have romantic interests…”
Qin Hao was racking his brain, trying to come up with an excuse, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
His previously awkward expression immediately changed. “Is there a boy in your new class flirting with you?”
Qin Qing turned to him, confused, and repeated the word, “Flirting?”
Qin Hao, now more urgent, explained, “I mean, is someone being unusually nice to you for no reason and constantly teasing you?”
“…”
Qin Qing was silent for a while before she turned her face back to the window.
“No.”
Qin Hao let out a sigh of relief but still seemed a little uneasy.
“Xiao Qing, those smooth talkers are usually bad boys. Don’t let them fool you with a few sweet words or small favors. These types are full of tricks, and who knows how many girls they’ve messed around with.”
Qin Qing remained silent for a longer time before she slowly nodded.
“Okay, I understand.”
…
The next day when she arrived at school, Qin Qing was feeling a bit uneasy.
After all, just the night before, she had firmly rejected all of Wen Yufeng’s kindness. Although her cousin’s words had eased her guilt, the thought of possibly having to interact with him again today made her feel especially distracted.
But when she got to the classroom, she realized that he wasn’t even there.
The person who walked in didn’t even bring a backpack. He was dressed neatly in his school uniform, with his tie slightly loosened, and the buttons of his blazer undone, revealing his slim waist. The tails of his shirt hung neatly outside his trousers, making his long legs look even more straight and slender.
As he walked through the classroom without saying a word, the students naturally quieted down and stopped their playful antics. It was only after he passed that they gradually resumed their usual behavior.
However, this time, to everyone’s surprise, the girl sitting in the front row didn’t get even a second of his attention.
——
As Wen Yufeng walked past Qin Qing, he didn’t lift his eyes, as if the person sitting there was a complete stranger to him.
Qin Qing couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret. After all, this person was technically the first male classmate she had come to consider a “friend.” But aside from the regret, she mostly felt relieved.
Unfortunately, that relief didn’t last long.
Before the last class of the morning, the class representative for Chinese walked into the classroom with the teacher’s materials.
As he placed the books on the teacher’s desk, he reminded the class, “The teacher will be randomly checking on your memorization of the text in the next class. Please prepare quickly.”
Upon hearing this, the previously rowdy classroom immediately descended into chaos. Everyone rushed back to their seats, flipping through their Chinese textbooks in a last-minute attempt to cram.
Qin Qing was still a bit dazed when she noticed her deskmate, Fang Xiaojing, quickly ending her conversation with the person behind her and pulling out her Chinese textbook, flipping through it rapidly.
Noticing Qin Qing’s gaze, Fang Xiaojing turned her head briefly while flipping through the pages and said, “This new Chinese teacher is particularly strict. If you fail the memorization check, you’ll have to go to the office and get scolded in front of everyone. You should borrow a Chinese textbook quickly; I can’t help you.”
Qin Qing paused and nodded.
After Fang Xiaojing turned back to her book, Qin Qing’s small face scrunched up in worry.
…This is a bit awkward. She had just told him that they were “even” yesterday, and now she really shouldn’t be borrowing a book from him today. But then again, she didn’t really know anyone else in the second year…
Meanwhile, in the back of the classroom.
It wasn’t until he was almost at the door that Li Xiang realized no one was following him. He paused and looked around, only to see Wen Yufeng hesitating in the aisle.
Curious, Li Xiang turned back and asked, “Yufeng, why aren’t you leaving?”
Before he could finish, he saw Wen Yufeng grab a brand-new Chinese textbook from the stack on the shelf and start walking toward the front of the classroom.
Seeing where Wen Yufeng was heading, Li Xiang’s interest was piqued. He stealthily followed him.
Thanks to his long legs, Wen Yufeng quickly reached the aisle next to the first row. He stopped and turned slightly.
As soon as the students saw him stop, the sound of their recitations immediately dropped in volume.
Once again feeling a shadow fall over her, Qin Qing hesitated before raising her small face to look up at him.
…He’s really tall.
Her neck was starting to ache from looking up so much, and she couldn’t help but silently marvel at this in her heart.
Wen Yufeng, of course, had no idea what she was thinking.
Seeing her look up, he casually shook the book in his hand.
“Need a textbook?”
He looked like he was trying to coax a small, disobedient kitten with a treat.
The “kitten” nodded slightly, feeling a bit guilty.
…He’s really nice, not even holding a grudge about what she said yesterday.
But before Qin Qing could finish this thought, she heard the boy’s low, magnetic voice take on a slightly teasing tone.
“But you said yesterday that we’re even. So, I can give you the textbook, but in return, you have to promise to help me with something.”
“…”
Qin Qing paused, but after thinking about all the times Wen Yufeng had helped her, she figured he wouldn’t ask for anything unreasonable.
And she did feel a bit guilty about how she treated him, so being able to help him with something would actually be a good thing.
With that in mind, Qin Qing obediently nodded.
Wen Yufeng’s lips curved into a smile.
Then he raised his eyes and said, “Call my name.”
Qin Qing: “…???”
Wen Yufeng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he patiently repeated himself.
“Say my name—all three characters, not one less.”
He stared at her intently. “Call me by my name, and I’ll give you the book.”
Qin Qing: “…”
The area around them, once filled with the sounds of students reciting their texts, fell into a dead silence after his words.
—
The students who had stopped their recitations thought: Lately, Yufeng has been… quite baffling.