novelraw Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Chapter 62 “Not the college entrance exams… right?”
As the girl’s words fell, the T-shaped corridor fell silent.
The motion sensor lights suddenly dimmed.
Outside the window, thousands of lights glittered, casting long shadows on the corridor inside.
The two stood facing each other in the dark, but no one spoke, leaving the sensor lights off.
Until a sudden explosion echoed from the distant sky, and brilliant fireworks fell like shooting stars, outlining the night sky.
Then, as if startled, the sensor lights flickered back on.
The tall and slender figure of the boy reappeared in Qin Qing’s view. But he looked down, his tousled hair partially obscuring his eyes, making it hard to discern the emotions within them.
Qin Qing waited in silence for a moment, but no answer came. It felt as if a stone had fallen into her heart, endlessly plummeting into an unknown abyss.
But Qin Qing said nothing. She slightly leaned forward, took the shopping bag containing the fruits from the boy’s hand, and was about to turn and head home.
“… It’s not.”
Just before she turned into the entrance, behind her, the boy’s deep voice suddenly reverberated.
“……”
Qin Qing turned around, standing still and staring at Wen Yufeng without blinking.
Wen Yufeng said, “I definitely won’t be taking the college entrance exams.”
He paused for a moment, “Or rather, I will take the exams with you, but I won’t go to university.”
“Why?” Qin Qing instinctively furrowed her brows and asked.
As she spoke, she even unconsciously clenched her fingers and took a step forward.
But after asking, Qin Qing seemed to realize her own lapse in composure. She bit her lip in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s your choice and I have no right to interfere… but can I know why?”
“Because it’s not something I want to do.”
Wen Yufeng frowned, looking seriously at the girl in front of him.
“Sweetie, I have my own goals. For the past few years, before I met you, I was able to get to where I am now because of this goal. I have been shaken by you, but I found that if I deny it, it’s like denying the past and present me.”
His gaze became slightly intense, “I wouldn’t know what else I could do.”
“……”
The girl’s eyes turned slightly red.
Wen Yufeng’s heart trembled. He instinctively reached out his hand.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s going to be very dangerous… isn’t it?”
Qin Qing pulled away from Wen Yufeng’s hand and took a step back.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling voice, “The path you’re taking will be very dangerous… so that’s why he warned you and me?”
Wen Yufeng fell silent.
Sometimes, his girl’s sensitivity made him feel heartache.
“Can’t you not do it?”
Seeing Wen Yufeng’s tacit acknowledgment, Qin Qing, although she had anticipated it, still panicked. “Can’t you just go through college and work like an ordinary person?”
Wen Yufeng sighed.
The more the girl tried to remain calm while struggling with anxiety, the more it made him feel helpless.
“You know I can’t, sweetie.”
After a long pause, Wen Yufeng explained just this.
But those words made Qin Qing’s heart drop into the deep abyss.
…… Yes.
From the first time she saw him, this person had never been one to meekly submit.
If she forced him to follow the seemingly safe and smooth path that others see, what difference would there be from her mother’s previous insistence on practicing piano, painting, transferring schools, and skipping grades?
Under the pretense of care, causing real harm.
Qin Qing could only calm herself with red eyes.
She forced her rational mind to take control of her emotions. After a while, she finally raised her head to ask, “Can I know what your goal is?”
Wen Yufeng’s eyes dimmed.
He didn’t speak, only reaching into his coat pocket. The cold touch of the metal bracelet made his consciousness waver slightly.
If speaking it out meant losing everything, he didn’t know if he had the courage to say it.
But Qin Qing suddenly thought of something and widened her eyes, her amber pupils shrinking.
“Is it… mixed martial arts?”
That was the most dangerous and crazy sport she had come across in her years.
If so, she really couldn’t imagine being anxious every time or even more terrified.
However, in her view, the boy shook his head.
A glimmer of light appeared in Qin Qing’s eyes until she heard Wen Yufeng speak.
“More dangerous than that.”
“……” Qin Qing’s heart suddenly felt like it was gripped by some irresistible force.
And now that the words were out, it was too late to turn back. Wen Yufeng knew everything was irreversible.
All he could choose was to be honest.
“Being a mixed martial artist is a means to achieve my goal,” he looked at Qin Qing, “After finishing high school, I will enter… the special forces through the selection of combat athletes.”
“……”
Qin Qing’s breath suddenly caught.
In an instant, she thought of Wen Jing’s way of coming and going, and her palms immediately broke out in a thin sweat.
“Just like your… uncle?”
Wen Yufeng’s gaze paused slightly, then he shook his head. “He’s different.” Before Qin Qing could ask further, Wen Yufeng added, “He’s not in the special forces— or rather, he’s not a national of this country.”
Qin Qing was stunned, her eyes widening. “He’s not your… your uncle?”
“He’s mixed-race, as you should have noticed.”
Wen Yufeng lowered his eyes. “His mother is not the same as my… grandmother.”
“……”
Qin Qing was at a loss for words.
When she regained her composure, she shifted her attention back.
“So, is what you’re going to do as dangerous as his work?”
Wen Yufeng hesitated.
“Are you referring to the danger of high-altitude climbing?”
Qin Qing nodded.
Wen Yufeng averted his gaze.
“… That’s not considered dangerous, just regular training.”
Qin Qing’s hand, which had been hanging by her side, clenched tighter, her nails digging into her palm.
If even something that terrified her was only considered routine training, then…
Qin Qing’s eyes trembled. After a long pause, she managed to suppress her inner anxiety and asked, “So what is considered dangerous?”
“Different units have different levels of danger.”
Wen Yufeng’s gaze flickered slightly.
The almost chilling sense of fear only made Qin Qing’s awareness sharper.
She wasn’t swayed by Wen Yufeng’s evasions but went straight to the heart of the issue. “How dangerous is the place you want to go to?”
“……”
This time, Wen Yufeng remained silent for a particularly long time, so long that the motion sensor lights dimmed again.
An overwhelming sense of anxiety began to envelop Qin Qing.
She stamped her foot hard, making the sensor lights turn back on, while she kept her gaze fixed on Wen Yufeng.
Under this gaze, Wen Yufeng finally lowered his eyes and spoke, “The mortality rate is… percent—”
“Enough!” Qin Qing abruptly interrupted Wen Yufeng’s words.
After suppressing her emotions all night, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
The suddenness of the situation made the normally silent boy panic.
“Sweetie—”
“Don’t call me that!” Qin Qing pushed away the boy’s outstretched hand with force.
She glared at Wen Yufeng, her eyes red, “Go— just go! If you want to throw your life away, I won’t stop you—!”
Her voice trembled as she pushed the boy towards the door—
“What does your life have to do with me… If you don’t care… Just go, I won’t stop you…”
As soon as Qin Qing finished speaking, Wen Yufeng, not having time to say anything, glanced warily into the T-shaped corridor.
Moments later, without saying more, Wen Yufeng stepped forward, pulling the girl into his embrace while pressing down and whispering “shh” in her ear.
He then lifted the girl almost off the ground, and even so, their movements remained silent.
Only the wind could see their figures spinning in the corridor before quickly disappearing into the nearby fire escape.
The heavy metal door closed silently.
At the same time, the door to Grandma Qin’s house opened, and Grandma Qin stepped out, looking puzzled at the empty corridor. “Huh? I clearly thought I heard Sweetie’s voice… Did I really mishear?”
Qin Jingguo followed behind, scanning the area and smiling. “Mom, you must have misheard. It’s cold outside; let’s go back inside.”
“You, as her father!” Grandma Qin scolded. “Quickly call Sweetie— she shouldn’t be out alone!”
Qin Jingguo said helplessly, “I just called ten minutes ago. Didn’t she say she was heading back with her classmates? I’m sure she’ll be home soon.”
“Always so careless…”
Their voices gradually faded away, and finally, the sound of a door closing marked the end of their conversation.
In the fire escape, Wen Yufeng had already set Qin Qing’s phone to silent and, once certain of their privacy, handed it back to her.
With tears still on her face and a lingering sense of panic, Qin Qing now felt a bit resigned.
— Even if she had been discovered in such a disheveled and inexplicable state, was it really more terrifying than the news Wen Yufeng had brought her?
Thinking of this, although the sudden interruption had left her unable to stop crying, Qin Qing couldn’t help but glare at Wen Yufeng in anger.
Then she realized that she was still held tightly by him, pressed against the door and wall.
“… Let go,” Qin Qing tried to use a cold tone to express her deep heartbreak.
But she didn’t realize that her current red eyes, flushed nose, and lips were hardly convincing.
It only made Wen Yufeng feel more heartache and, perhaps, a bit restless.
Wen Yufeng’s voice was hoarse, his eyes dark. “No.”
“……” Qin Qing was frustrated but couldn’t break free, so she glared at him angrily. “All those senses and combat skills— did you learn them just for that so-called goal of yours?”
“Of course, it’s not just that.”
Noticing the subtle change in Qin Qing’s attitude, Wen Yufeng felt a sense of relief in his heart.
He then effortlessly freed one hand, tapping his head. “There’s more knowledge and ability stored here.”
Qin Qing blinked.
Then she realized and asked in annoyance, “The ability to remember all subjects… was that also trained for that goal?”
“To achieve the level of eidetic memory in a short time and then turn it into long-term memory after repeated memorization— that’s an important training.”
“……” Qin Qing was left speechless with anger.
After a moment of tense silence, she finally struggled again. “I need to go back. You—”
“At least,” Wen Yufeng suddenly spoke, interrupting her. “Take the New Year gift I prepared for you with you.”
Wen Yufeng straightened up, looking at the girl with shining eyes.
Then he lowered his gaze and gently placed the bracelet, which he had taken from his coat pocket, on her right wrist.
Qin Qing was momentarily stunned, looking at her wrist.
The rose gold bracelet had two simple interlocking bands, with six round-cut diamonds set in the thin band, and six pink sapphires embedded in the main band, with a simple and beautiful screw design.
However, Qin Qing had never been interested in such things, only finding them visually pleasing. Because of what had happened earlier, she instinctively wanted to take it off.
“I don’t—”
“Happy New Year, Sweetie.”
Wen Yufeng interrupted her, his slender fingers slowly brushing over the screw design of the bracelet.
“Click.” He made a sound imitating a mechanical lock.
Then he looked at the girl, a smile in the corners of his eyes, “It’s locked.”
— Locked. You’re mine alone.
“……”
Facing those eyes that seemed to hold the entire galaxy, Qin Qing was momentarily dazed.
“From now on, ‘Happy New Year’—” Wen Yufeng leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers.
The sensor lights went out.
In the darkness, his voice was the softest she had ever heard:
“This is something I only say to you.”
—