novelraw Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Chapter 86 In mid to late July, Qin Qing was summoned by a phone call from Zhuo Anke.
As soon as she arrived at the café, two red invitation cards slid across the table from Zhuo Anke.
Qin Qing was startled, and her eyes widened: “Anke, you’re getting married?”
“…Huh?”
Zhuo Anke was also confused, then realized, and laughed awkwardly—”What marriage? Come on, Miss Qin—take a good look, do you think I’m here to deliver a wedding invitation to you?”
Realizing her mistake, Qin Qing looked at Zhuo Anke apologetically and picked up the two red invitation cards on the table.
Opening the exquisitely crafted invitations, Qin Qing quickly glanced at the ornate calligraphy and then looked up, slightly puzzled: “An alumni association for Yishi High School?”
Zhuo Anke nodded: “Yes, yes, I mentioned it to you and Wen Xuezhang before. Don’t you remember?”
“Kind of…” Qin Qing furrowed her brow, “But I’m not very interested in it.”
“You’re not interested, but Wen Xuezhang is.” Zhuo Anke winked at Qin Qing playfully.
Qin Qing gave her an “innocent” look.
Zhuo Anke conceded: “Well, you and Wen Xuezhang are both outstanding alumni of the 37th class, and both of you are still renowned figures at Yishi. Many people are interested in knowing about your current situation.”
Qin Qing frowned: “If they want to know, should we just give it to them?”
“You misunderstood me.” Zhuo Anke looked at her helplessly and clarified, “Let me put it this way, last year at the alumni association, there were inquiries about your current situation, including students from your science preparatory class… I think his name was Lin, Lin something Tao…”
“—Lin Wentao?”
Qin Qing asked in surprise.
“Yes—exactly!” Zhuo Anke clapped her hands, but then her smile twisted, “Wait… It’s been several years since high school, how do you remember so clearly? Do you really know him well?”
Hearing this, Qin Qing’s earlier surprise had long faded.
“Not really, just met him a few times and discussed some problems.
…He’s good at math and physics, but his character is average.”
This time, Zhuo Anke was surprised.
—
After knowing Qin Qing for so many years, this was the first time she had heard Qin Qing directly evaluate someone—of course, Wen Yufeng was an exception.
And the evaluation wasn’t positive.
Zhuo Anke’s curiosity was immediately piqued, and her gossiping spirit was more active than ever.
“Tell me more, why is his character not good?”
“Not much.” Qin Qing lowered her eyes, hiding the displeasure in her gaze, “He spread some negative comments about Wen Yufeng among many people.”
“…Honestly, during school days, it was rare to hear anyone speak well of Wen Yufeng behind his back, right?”
Qin Qing didn’t respond.
She thought for a moment with her head down, then looked up again: “All right, I’ll go with Wen Yufeng to the alumni association.”
Zhuo Anke was taken aback and then laughed: “I feel like I see a blazing fire of revenge in your eyes.”
Qin Qing’s lips curved up slightly, but the smile in her eyes was faint.
In a corner of the café, the girl’s voice was gentle and calm, “…He’s not worth it.”
Zhuo Anke: “…”
Even though it was summer, it felt a bit chilly.
Maybe it was due to the air conditioning being too strong.
…………
The invitations were issued anonymously, and after confirming attendance, personal information had to be submitted according to the instructions on the invitation.
Qin Qing discussed with Wen Yufeng and submitted both their information as required.
The day before the alumni association, Qin Qing and Wen Yufeng each received a courier package from the same city.
Seeing the sender’s name was Yishi High School, Qin Qing was quite surprised. After calling Wen Yufeng, she confirmed he had received the same package.
Wen Yufeng didn’t let her touch it. After a simple inspection, he opened the package.
Not long after, Qin Qing received a message from Wen Yufeng informing her that the package contained no dangerous items.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Qin Qing couldn’t wait to open the box after Wen Yufeng’s message.
What was inside made Qin Qing stare for a while.
—
It was their old school uniforms.
A small suit jacket, white shirt, plaid skirt, and a bow tie.
Without asking, Qin Qing knew that Wen Yufeng had received the same jacket and shirt, along with the boys’ long pants and tie.
Judging by the size, it was clearly based on the personal information provided earlier.
Looking at the familiar style she hadn’t seen in years, Qin Qing felt a flood of emotions.
Memories from those three years hit her unexpectedly.
Holding the uniform, Qin Qing stared blankly in front of the sofa for a long time.
Then she took out her phone and typed a message one word at a time to someone—
“I’m suddenly a bit looking forward to this alumni association.”
A few seconds later, her phone vibrated.
Qin Qing picked it up and smiled.
“I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“And Anke said you’ve been invited many times before but always refused?”
After sending this message, her phone was quiet for a long time.
It wasn’t until Qin Qing was about to head out and get her clothes cleaned that a new message suddenly popped up—
“Without you, I didn’t dare to go back.”
Seeing the words “dare not,” Qin Qing was stunned.
After a moment, she understood.
It was probably like… how she once didn’t dare to return to Qingcheng.
While Qin Qing was lost in thought, her phone screen lit up again.
—
“Returning there with you is something I’ve been looking forward to for many years.”
…………
The first Saturday of August, at 8 am, the alumni association of Yishi High School began.
As the largest private high school in Qingcheng, Yishi’s campus is one of the top in the province.
Moreover, it was summer vacation, and the students had all gone home, leaving the vast campus empty. The leaders decided to use the campus as the temporary venue for the alumni association.
In the morning, Qin Qing even skipped light makeup.
She only washed her face with cleanser, applied some moisturizer, tied her long hair into a ponytail with a hair tie, and put on the freshly dried new school uniform before stepping out of the bedroom.
When Qin Qing came out, her grandmother and parents were still dining in the restaurant.
Hearing the noise, they all glanced over unintentionally.
After a second, Li Jinghe’s expression froze, and Qin Jingguo’s spoon clattered onto the table.
A few seconds of silence later, Li Jinghe, the first to react, asked with a strange expression: “…The alumni association you mentioned yesterday?”
“Yes.”
Seeing the reaction of the three elders, Qin Qing couldn’t help but laugh.
Especially seeing her father’s expression as if his jaw might drop to the floor, she found it even more amusing.
Qin Qing twirled in her plaid skirt and asked with a smile: “Dad, how do you feel, is the youthful vitality hitting you full force?”
Qin Jingguo placed his hand on his chest, looking pained—”I’m getting older, and it’s better to avoid such shocks.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was glared at by Qin’s grandmother.
“What do you mean, ‘shock’? Sweetie looks so good in this. Besides, Sweetie has maintained 162 cm since high school, right? Her face is still petite and pretty, and she would fit right into the school.”
“…”
The praise made Qin Qing almost want to change back.
Qin’s grandmother seemed to notice Qin Qing’s feelings and smiled, “Looking young is good, as they say online, you’re a ‘frozen age’ beauty.”
Qin Qing: “…”
“Grandma, I’m running late. I’m heading out now.”
Without giving her grandmother a chance to continue “praising,” Qin Qing rushed to the entrance, quickly put on the black round-toe shoes she had prepared earlier, and left the house.
Once the door was closed, Qin’s grandmother sighed with a smile in the dining room.
“How nice… It feels like Sweetie is back to her high school days.”
“How did so many years pass in the blink of an eye…”
At this moment, outside the door, Qin Qing, holding a matching black small backpack, walked cheerfully.
But when she turned into the elevator, she was stunned.
At the end of the corridor, by the window in the morning light, stood a person wearing a well-fitted school uniform.
The uniform pants had straight, slender lines, and the suit jacket was slightly open, revealing a slim waist cinched by a belt and the attractive muscle lines that the white shirt couldn’t hide.
The person seemed to have been waiting for a long time, standing there with half-closed eyes, in a relaxed and lazy posture.
When he heard the noise, he raised his face, the black tousled hair moving aside to reveal a fair and handsome face and deep black eyes.
With just one glance, Qin Qing was transported back many years.
“…What are you daydreaming about?”
When Qin Qing was brought back to her senses by the husky laughter near her ear, Wen Yufeng had already walked up to her.
Qin Qing smiled lightly: “I guess I was stunned seeing a ‘frozen age’ beauty.”
“…”
Wen Yufeng’s eyes flickered, “You’re stealing my lines, Sweetie.”
Qin Qing laughed and pulled him to the elevator door, pointing at the blurry reflection above: “Don’t you feel like you’ve gone back seven or eight years?”
As she spoke, Qin Qing turned her head to look at Wen Yufeng and noticed that his gaze was still fixed on her.
“…Why are you looking at me like that—”
Before Qin Qing could finish her sentence, Wen Yufeng leaned down and quickly kissed the corner of her lips.
Then he stepped back with a muffled laugh—
“Sorry, seeing you like this, I really couldn’t help it.”
Qin Qing: “…”
Just then, the elevator door opened, and Wen Yufeng pulled Qin Qing into the lift.
Qin Qing came to her senses.
“…I was going to ask, our apartment building requires a card swipe and password to enter—don’t tell me you climbed up here by hand.”
Wen Yufeng was silent for a moment: “I bought another apartment last year.”
Qin Qing waited three seconds, her eyes widening.
“Don’t tell me the neighbor across from my house who has never shown up or lived there… is you?”
“Yeah, let’s not talk about it.”
Qin Qing: “…”
The elevator soon reached the ground floor, and Wen Yufeng led Qin Qing out of the building and towards the street.
It wasn’t until they were outside and bathed in the gentle morning sunlight that Qin Qing suddenly realized—
“Are we not driving?”
Wen Yufeng smiled, “Since we’re in school uniforms, we should take the bus to school.”
Qin Qing nodded, then her eyes suddenly curved into a smile after a couple of seconds.
—
“This time, are you not afraid of someone touching your waist?”