novelraw Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Chapter 68 In her final year of graduate school, Qin Qing had prepared her thesis in advance and had nothing much left to do. She asked her advisor for leave and returned to Qingcheng two months early.
After queuing at the airport and getting into a taxi, the driver asked where she was heading. Qin Qing instinctively said, “Fulin Garden.”
However, as soon as she said it, she froze.
After a moment, she adjusted her backpack and looked down, correcting herself: “Sorry, driver. I made a mistake. Please take me to Yunshan Mansion on Huating Road, Building 15.”
The driver responded and glanced at her strangely through the rearview mirror. He then joked, “Are you returning from being away so long that you’ve forgotten your way home?”
“…” Qin Qing leaned back in her seat and sighed, “My old home was just moved a year ago, and I’m not used to it yet. Sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s nothing. I’ve seen worse…” The driver began to chat non-stop.
Qin Qing didn’t engage much, occasionally responding. Most of the time, her gaze was fixed outside the window.
Over the years, the route from the airport to the city was probably the most familiar part of Qingcheng for her.
Even this route, she only passed through three or four times a year. Besides returning during the New Year, she avoided coming back during the summer holidays.
Grandma Qin often mentioned her on the phone, and Zhuo Anke joked about her being ungrateful, but she really was busy.
Endless research topics, unending thesis writing, and countless documents… Qin Qing seemed determined not to rest until she had absorbed all the relevant materials in the library. Among her fellow graduate students, whether senior or junior, they often joked about her dedication, saying that in a hundred years, the school should build a monument for her, urging future generations to cherish their time and study hard.
Even her advisor frequently encouraged her to go out and enjoy life like other young people. Qin Qing promised but continued with her usual routine.
As graduation approached, when Qin Qing voluntarily requested leave, her advisor naturally agreed, joking, “The vacation time you’ve accumulated over these two or three years could support you until graduation without needing to return.”
Qin Qing accepted the joke with a smile. She had originally planned to travel, but since Grandma Qin’s birthday was coming up soon, she decided to postpone her trip.
So she packed her things and went straight back to Qingcheng.
Grandma Qin’s health had deteriorated over the past two years. Since Li Jinghe had retired, she had decided a year ago to move Grandma Qin to Yunshan Mansion to make it easier to care for her.
Thinking of this, Qin Qing was momentarily distracted.
—
She wouldn’t have to return to Fulin Garden anymore.
Qingcheng had one less place she disliked but had to visit… which was actually quite good.
As Qin Qing’s thoughts were in a bit of disarray, a phone call came in.
Before Qin Qing could say anything, the person on the other end started speaking rapidly, “Have you landed? I’ve called your phone many times, but it’s been off—I’ve been worried sick. How about meeting this afternoon for a chat? It’s been so long since we last saw each other or talked.”
After the rapid-fire speech, Qin Qing smiled helplessly and replied, “Anke, I just got off the plane. Can’t you let me rest for a couple of days?”
“Rest? You still need rest? How many years have you been cooped up in your school’s library? If you don’t get out and move around, you might rust!” Zhuo Anke replied with a teasing tone.
Zhuo Anke then softened her tone a bit: “You’ve always been in and out quickly before. Since you have two months of vacation this time, you should spend more time with me.”
Qin Qing said, “It seems I shouldn’t have told you about my two-month break. That was a mistake…”
“Regret it? Too late!”
“…”
Rather than staying alone in a familiar yet unfamiliar environment and overthinking, Qin Qing thought that chatting and having coffee with Zhuo Anke might be a better option.
So she didn’t resist any further and just changed the time.
After spending two days at home with Grandma Qin, Qin Qing left the house on the afternoon of the third day.
At the agreed coffee shop, Qin Qing immediately spotted Zhuo Anke sitting by the window.
It had been a year since they last met. Although they had kept in touch through calls, messages, or online tools, seeing each other again after a year made them feel somewhat unfamiliar.
However, that sense of unfamiliarity vanished as Qin Qing walked towards the window and Zhuo Anke saw her. Zhuo Anke waved her arm excitedly after a brief moment of surprise.
Qin Qing smiled faintly.
The male server passing by couldn’t help but glance at them.
“Wow, Qin Qing!”
Before Qin Qing could sit down, Zhuo Anke began to tease her, “It’s been a year, and you’ve become even more stunning—Is your school’s graduate program a place for cultivating beauties? Did you steal any new students’ hearts this year?”
Qin Qing just smiled, “You’re still as good with words as ever.”
Zhuo Anke, who had been working at a law firm for two or three years, laughed.
Soon, the server brought the coffee, and Qin Qing listened as Zhuo Anke talked about recent events.
After talking for ten minutes and taking a sip of her latte, Zhuo Anke said, “Don’t just talk about me; tell me about you. You’re graduating soon.
What are your plans?”
The topic shifted to Qin Qing, and she was momentarily taken aback.
But after a moment, she smiled and said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
Zhuo Anke’s eyes flashed, “You’re not… planning not to come back, are you?”
“…” Qin Qing lightly rubbed the side of her cup with her thumb before shaking her head.
“I will come back. My grandmother is in Qingcheng. How can I go too far?”
“Then what are you uncertain about?” Zhuo Anke asked.
Qin Qing replied, “I might take a break and travel.”
Zhuo Anke was momentarily speechless, her eyes showing a mix of emotions.
“But it’s fine. I won’t be leaving Qingcheng in the next two months. I’ll finish my graduation defense and then decide.”
“… Ah.” Zhuo Anke cleared her throat and said with a smile, “Since you’ve earned some money from writing articles these past two years, it’s good to go out and enjoy yourself. There’s no rush to settle down.”
“Yeah.” Qin Qing agreed, “But I probably won’t stay at home during these two months. The living conditions are too different. I’ll rent a place. Can you, our great lawyer Zhuo, help me check it out?”
Hearing the title, Zhuo Anke laughed. After finishing her laughter, she made an effort to look serious, though her eyes still twinkled with amusement. “Of course, this lawyer will do her duty!—And helping you move and tidy up is no problem!”
The two continued to joke about this topic for a while.
Then Qin Qing casually brought up something. “How’s the cat you’re taking care of?”
Zhuo Anke’s expression changed slightly when Qin Qing mentioned it.
Years ago, when she took in the cat, she had vaguely known its background. She also knew that, for Qin Qing, the cat, like many places in Qingcheng, was a sensitive subject.
She hadn’t expected Qin Qing to bring it up.
Zhuo Anke quickly adjusted her expression and said, “It’s doing well, fat and shiny. Although I think it might need to lose some weight.”
“… Has its name changed too?”
“Yes.” Zhuo Anke pretended not to see Qin Qing’s emotions and continued, “I was lazy and named it ‘Miao Miao’. Every time I feed it, I’m more ‘meow’ than it.”
Zhuo Anke’s playful tone made Qin Qing smile as well.
“Miao Miao…” Qin Qing repeated softly, then looked up with a slight smile, “That’s nice. After I sort out the rental, I’d like to visit it. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Why would I mind!”
Zhuo Anke paused, then tentatively asked, “If you want to take it back, you can—”
“No rush.” Qin Qing interrupted her.
She took a sip of her coffee and said, “Let me clear my mind first, then come back to Qingcheng.”
Zhuo Anke sighed internally and looked at Qin Qing: “Okay.”
…
The two chatted in the café until dinner time.
When Zhuo Anke noticed the time, she paid the bill and led Qin Qing out of the café.
“There’s a new restaurant in Qingcheng that’s very good. I’ll take you to try it.”
With no experience in Qingcheng’s dining scene over the past six or seven years, Qin Qing let Zhuo Anke guide her to the car and head to the destination.
After driving for about ten minutes, Zhuo Anke signaled:
“We’re not far from the street.”
“…”
As Qin Qing looked out the window, she was lost in thought.
Qingcheng had changed a lot over the years, and many familiar places were now hard to recognize.
For example, it wasn’t until the larger “Fenghua Entertainment City” sign passed by that she realized where she was.
At that moment, many memories flashed through her mind.
Qin Qing’s eyes dimmed. Then she smiled wryly—
No wonder she didn’t want to return here. To her, having a strong memory felt more like a punishment. It would be better if she could forget it all.
“We’re here!”
Zhuo Anke, who hadn’t noticed Qin Qing’s reaction, turned the steering wheel and smiled as they parked.
They got out of the car, and Zhuo Anke led Qin Qing to the restaurant, which appeared to be quite busy.
After they entered and informed the server of their party size, Zhuo Anke turned to Qin Qing and whispered, “Luckily, it’s a weekday and we came early, otherwise—”
Before she could finish, Zhuo Anke’s steps halted abruptly.
Her casual glance had landed back on a group of people ahead, her expression frozen as she focused on one of them.
To be precise, she was looking at one of the two people who were always with Wen Yufeng at the First High School.
Li Xiang.
Zhuo Anke’s first reaction was to look at Qin Qing and hoped to get away before Qin Qing saw them.
But she turned around only to find it was too late.
Not only had Li Xiang seen them, but Qin Qing had also seen Li Xiang.
What Zhuo Anke didn’t know was that Qin Qing recognized not just Li Xiang but also the man standing next to him—Qiao An, the owner of Fenghua Entertainment City, who was close to Wen Yufeng.
The atmosphere between the two groups was almost stagnant.
After a moment, Li Xiang, standing across from them, sneered and walked over, saying, “Oh, isn’t this the little beauty who dumped our Brother Yu back then?”