novelraw Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Chapter 89 When Qi Lulu called out Qin Qing’s name, Qin Qing was leaning against a desk by the wall, listening to a classmate summarize past events for her.
Just as the voice was describing how Yu Wen made a fortune in stocks two years ago and returned with his beautiful school flower girlfriend to show off, Qin Qing suddenly heard her own name in the crowd.
—The commotion was quite noticeable.
Qin Qing raised her gaze in confusion, and her innocent eyes immediately met the gazes of most of the people in the classroom.
Many people’s eyes lit up.
—
Qi Lulu was right; Qin Qing was indeed beautiful, with a natural and flawless kind of beauty.
Compared to the small and delicate girl from before, Qin Qing had grown up a lot. Not only had her slender legs lengthened and become well-proportioned like a pair of white jade sculptures, but even her already delicate features now had a refined elegance without any makeup.
If the past Qin Qing was seen as just a pretty girl who hadn’t fully developed, now she had clearly become a beauty who naturally drew attention wherever she went.
The way she wore the high school uniform seamlessly also made some of the more heavily made-up girls present feel a bit envious.
The transition from innocence to maturity was never a reversible process.
At this moment, Qin Qing, the center of everyone’s attention, had already understood the context thanks to her classmate’s reminder.
She couldn’t help but lower her eyes with resignation.
The situation was clearly Qi Lulu’s frustration—Ling Yu, who was once on par with her, had overshadowed her with Yu Wen’s wealth and others’ admiration, leading to this provocation.
As for Qin Qing, it seemed she was just unlucky to be caught up in their conflict.
Had it been someone else, those admirers would have likely mocked or praised Ling Yu without restraint. However, seeing Qin Qing’s unadorned beauty compared to Ling Yu’s expensive makeup, they felt a bit awkward to speak up.
After an awkward silence, someone stepped in to smooth things over—“We’re all classmates, so why take things so seriously? Besides, Qin Qing is clearly here without makeup, just reminiscing about high school. It’s not fair to compare her to Ling Yu, as both are outstanding beauties in their own right…”
The person who spoke felt they had done well and looked towards Yu Wen and Ling Yu with satisfaction.
However, Ling Yu, who was standing with Yu Wen, had a smile on her face but was nearly drawing blood from her palms with her clenched fingers.
—To say that Qin Qing, who appeared without makeup, was a top beauty meant Ling Yu was being compared unfavorably to her, suggesting that she was less pure and beautiful without makeup.
Moreover, Qi Lulu had uncovered the deepest scar Ling Yu had hidden, causing her feelings of shame and pain to surge… Just when Qin Qing thought the page would turn safely, a strange female voice cut through the murmurs, addressing her directly—“I noticed from the announcement board earlier that Wen Yufeng is here this year as well. …
Qin Qing, do you still keep in touch with him?”
With these words, the crowd parted, revealing a woman walking toward Qin Qing.
The pretty face looked vaguely familiar to Qin Qing.
But given the hostility in her eyes, Qin Qing felt quite helpless.
Even though Ling Yu and Wen Yufeng had once been rumored to be a couple, this was before she became familiar with Wen Yufeng.
She had never exchanged a word with Ling Yu, so this hostility was truly inexplicable.
…One could only blame some people’s excessive romantic entanglements.
Qin Qing thought resignedly.
With Ling Yu having spoken, and others intimidated into silence, Qin Qing saw no way to avoid the situation.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she decided to be honest—
“We did keep in touch.”
“……”
—Do you still keep in touch with him?
—We did keep in touch.
This exchange was akin to admitting that they had lost contact, which was just as good as saying it.
Ling Yu evidently thought so as well.
She curled her lips slightly.
“What a pity.” Ling Yu’s eyes and expression clearly didn’t match her words, “As Qi Lulu said, back in school, Wen Yufeng seemed to be devoted to you alone. Seeing you two inseparable back then, I thought you’d still be together now.”
Qin Qing remained silent, not even responding.
She took out her phone from her black backpack and began typing:
—I’ve encountered someone who’s pursuing me.
—But it’s not mine; it’s yours.
Qin Qing thought to herself.
Imagining the other person’s reaction, she couldn’t help but smile and set her phone to silent.
Sure enough, her phone screen soon began flashing with incoming messages.
The faint shadow of the current situation was swept away by the flood of messages.
“……”
Ling Yu had been watching Qin Qing’s actions with keen interest.
The seemingly unaffected reaction from Qin Qing irritated her deeply.
Ling Yu’s eyes twitched slightly.
Then she forced a smile, stepping closer to Qin Qing.
Qin Qing furrowed her brows and looked up at Ling Yu.
Everyone has their own comfort zone—Ling Yu had stepped into Qin Qing’s zone, and the heavy scent of her perfume made Qin Qing quite uncomfortable.
“Since you have been in touch, could you give me his phone number?”
Ling Yu’s red lips curled up, “We’re all old classmates, so there’s no reason for any hard feelings… There were things I did wrong back then without considering how it would affect him, and I should apologize to him.”
Upon hearing this, the nearby people’s expressions became somewhat nuanced.
—The rumors of Wen Yufeng and Ling Yu being a couple had once been very popular. Although they eventually fizzled out, no one was uninterested in the truth about their complicated relationship.
Now, Ling Yu’s words seemed to imply that she had broken up with Wen Yufeng?
It seemed that the stories of her and Qi Lulu pursuing unrequited love might have been misunderstandings. Qin Qing’s gaze turned cold.
Ling Yu’s intentions, which Qin Qing had previously failed to understand, were now clear.
She put her phone back into her backpack and stood up straight.
The crowd watching this scene was momentarily stunned.
It seemed like the girl in front of them had suddenly shed her previously elegant and aloof demeanor, with her expression turning stern.
Her face was still incredibly beautiful, but this beauty now carried a somewhat intimidating aura.
—Is this going to escalate into a fight?
People whispered anxiously.
Ling Yu, facing the sudden cold glare, also slightly changed color.
She involuntarily shifted her high heel back a bit.
Noticing this movement, Qin Qing, dressed in a clean school uniform, glanced down and then back up.
Qin Qing then lifted the corner of her lips and looked at Ling Yu—
“His phone number is still the same as it was in high school, he hasn’t changed it. If you don’t have it, then he probably doesn’t want to give it to you, and I can’t intervene.”
“……”
Ling Yu’s face turned pale immediately.
Partly because of the ruthless rebuttal, and partly because… Ling Yu clenched her fists.
—
She had once so carefully cherished a boy in her heart…
To the point where every action, every smile, and every anger was deeply etched in her mind.
How many dreams had she had where that person finally looked at her, where only she was the focus, and the expression was familiar to her?
—Just like the smile on the girl’s face now.
What kind of daily interactions would it take… to reach such a level of resemblance?
Ling Yu felt she couldn’t imagine it any further. Jealousy gnawed at her heart.
Ling Yu forced a smile, “You’re right. … But I think I’m luckier than you.”
Ling Yu looked towards Yu Wen, who was still chatting with others across the classroom, her eyes flickering.
After a moment, she looked back at Qin Qing.
“I didn’t win his affection, which is regrettable, but also fortunate—because I can’t imagine how I would go on to find another person to be with if I were in your position.”
“And I already have someone to walk with me. Even if I don’t love him that much, and he doesn’t love me that much, we each get what we need, and this relationship can last. —That’s much more fortunate than your situation, isn’t it?”
This time, Ling Yu’s words carried a confident tone.
Qin Qing knew better than anyone how fragile this self-deceptive confidence was.
But she didn’t expose it.
“Maybe.” Qin Qing responded perfunctorily.
She suddenly felt a bit bored, perhaps she shouldn’t have come to this reunion.
After all, she had no interest in who bought which land this year or who made a few hundred thousand more from stocks…
This kind of indifference and loss of interest was naturally seen as a failure’s feeble attempt at maintaining composure.
Ling Yu’s smile became even brighter, her volume slightly raised—“I heard he gave up on college applications after the college entrance exam and left Qing City directly. Is that how you two broke up?”
The crowd’s attention was drawn back to the conversation.
“……”
Qin Qing, who had been preparing to send a soothing message to someone for the earlier “teasing,” paused her fingers. She lifted her gaze to look at Ling Yu.
After two seconds, Qin Qing lowered her gaze and couldn’t help but laugh.
…For some people, she really shouldn’t waste sympathy.
While she intended to spare Ling Yu’s dignity, Ling Yu wanted to strip away her final bit of face.
Ling Yu smiled, “Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”
Just as Qin Qing was about to speak, a voice drew everyone’s attention away.
“Who exactly told you that among the two of them, Brother Yu is the unfaithful one?”
As soon as Qin Qing heard this voice, she furrowed her brows.
She turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice.
— Li Xiang, who had somehow entered the classroom, was now slowly walking over with his arms crossed.
He walked with a grin on his face, but his eyes were devoid of warmth.
“The person who was fickle and took the initiative to break up back then… was it Brother Yu, Miss Qin?” Li Xiang stopped a short distance away, baring his teeth at Qin Qing. “Seems like it wasn’t Brother Yu, was it, Miss Qin?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Qin Qing, with varied emotions among them.
Qin Qing frowned at Li Xiang, remaining silent and not explaining.
— That past was something neither she nor Wen Yufeng wanted to talk about.
At least, the wound had not yet healed, and neither of them could casually discuss it with a smile.
She also had never liked to use her wounds to seek attention or sympathy from others.
But this silence made others think it was an admission of guilt and unease.
Some sought this out, while others discarded it.
— At this point, Ling Yu couldn’t help but cast a scornful look at her.
“So that’s how it is. Then I take back what I said earlier. You probably don’t care about that person’s existence at all, right?”
Qin Qing opened her mouth to speak.
“Why does it feel like nowadays, people think breaking up is a crime?”
A fourth voice interrupted the conversation and drew everyone’s attention.
Qin Qing instinctively looked up at the newcomer, and upon recognizing him, felt a sharp pang in her temples.
“Qin Qing, long time no see.”
The man who had come to her defense was now standing beside Qin Qing in a suit—”Do you remember me? I’m Lin Wentao. We worked on some Olympiad problems together in our second year of high school.”
“…Haha, are you saying you broke up with Brother Yu for this pretty boy?” Li Xiang sneered at Lin Wentao.
Lin Wentao’s expression didn’t change when he heard the derogatory words.
He just gave Li Xiang a cold look. “You were the one who always followed Wen Yufeng around back then, right? …As expected, birds of a feather flock together.”
This remark struck a nerve with the other three people in the circle, but Lin Wentao was oblivious.
He adjusted his tie and looked at Qin Qing. “It would have been good if you had seen that person’s true colors earlier, but unfortunately, after graduating from high school, I lost contact with you. Now I—”
“Are you looking for trouble? What did you just say?!”
Li Xiang had already reacted, rolling up his sleeves and rushing to grab Lin Wentao by the collar.
The classroom immediately fell into chaos.
As the situation seemed about to spiral out of control, the classroom door was knocked three times.
Not too heavy, not too light.
But it was just enough to draw everyone’s attention—
A boy in uniform stood at the door.
His blazer hung over his arm, his white shirt had two buttons undone, and his tie was casually draped below his pronounced collarbone.
He leaned against the door with one hand in his pocket, his dark eyes and handsome face exuding a lazy smile. With his long legs and height advantage, he looked down at everyone.
After a few seconds of silence, his thin lips curled into a smile—
“Tsk, so lively?”
As soon as people recognized him, the previously noisy classroom instantly quieted down.
Many stared at the man at the door with blank expressions.
The sunlight fell behind him, casting a golden shadow from his tall, lean frame to the ground.
In the silence, he walked into the classroom, each step measured and deliberate, as if emerging from the depths of memory.
This scene was both familiar and nostalgic, bringing everyone back to many years ago in an instant.
How long had it been since they had seen this man’s confident and unruly smile… Among them, only Qin Qing was unsurprised. Although she had to admit, she was momentarily dazzled when he walked in… for two or three seconds at most.
When everyone regained their composure, the newcomer had already reached the center of the tense group.
“Y-Yu, Brother Yu?”
Li Xiang looked dazedly at the man with a faint smile on his face.
Wen Yufeng, however, seemed not to hear and did not even glance at Li Xiang.
He stopped just a few centimeters from Qin Qing.
This positioning was ambiguous and subtle, drawing the curiosity and gossip of the rest of the classroom.
— A reunion of old lovers with at least four people involved, this kind of dramatic scenario was the most entertaining for them.
However, the key person who could control the situation clearly lacked the spirit of self-sacrifice for the audience’s entertainment— Wen Yufeng, after reaching Qin Qing, immediately wrapped his arms around her.
Then, half-jokingly and half-seriously, he turned his body to shield the girl from everyone’s view.
“You guys continue your fight.” Wen Yufeng said, “As long as you don’t touch her, I won’t interfere.”
This statement left everyone stunned.
A few seconds later, the thirty-seventh class alumni’s gaze shifted to the three people other than Wen Yufeng and Qin Qing.
Their strange and subtle expressions could not hide their mockery.
As the three recalled their previous remarks and looked at the two people’s seemingly natural intimacy, their faces burned with embarrassment.
— Nothing was more humiliating than the current scene.
Among the three, Ling Yu felt it the most. Seeing Wen Yufeng carefully protecting the girl was almost glaringly familiar to her.
Her already strained smile almost cracked.
“Wen Yufeng, didn’t Li Xiang say that Qin Qing broke up with you right after high school? …How did you two… get back together?”
The smile that had initially appeared on Qin Qing’s face due to Wen Yufeng’s arrival suddenly froze at Ling Yu’s question.
Such a blatant and uncensored act of stirring up trouble truly tested her patience.
Qin Qing lifted her foot to step forward, but before she could speak, she was pulled back by Wen Yufeng.
Wen Yufeng glanced at Li Xiang with a faint expression and then turned to look at Ling Yu.
When Ling Yu met Wen Yufeng’s gaze, she instinctively tensed her knees and back, trying to appear presentable.
She waited with some hope for Wen Yufeng’s first words to her after all these years.
Then Ling Yu heard that familiar deep voice, “Who are you?”
“……..”
The smile on Ling Yu’s exquisitely made-up face froze like a mask.
After several seconds of stunned silence, Ling Yu, with a slightly flustered expression, forced a smile and said, “Don’t you remember me? We—”
“Ling Yu, the school beauty from high school.”
Qin Qing took over, as her icy gaze from earlier shifted away from Ling Yu. She then looked up at Wen Yufeng, “You were rumored to be in a relationship back then… Don’t you remember?”
The meaningful glance at the end of her words made Wen Yufeng’s lips curve upward.
“Since you say so, I must have forgotten,” he joked, leaning in slightly. “After all, I have a strong survival instinct.”
Qin Qing chuckled at Wen Yufeng’s teasing.
Seeing the displeased expression on the girl’s face fade, Wen Yufeng’s own discomfort also vanished.
He then glanced sideways at Ling Yu, his expression half-smiling and his tone lazy.
“In twenty-seven years of life, I’ve only liked one person and been in love once… even if I live another seventy-two years, that won’t change. So, alumni, do we really not know each other?”
“…”
Ling Yu’s expression changed several times within just a few sentences. In the end, only the rosy blush on her cheeks still barely held up her color.
She stared blankly at Wen Yufeng, opening her mouth but unable to speak.
After a long moment, she finally lowered her head slowly.
“… Yes.”
“We don’t know each other.”
With that, Ling Yu, eyes reddened, walked out with her high heels clicking against the floor.
The rest of the classroom sighed quietly, watching her leave.
Facing the various curious gazes, Wen Yufeng remained calm and turned to Qin Qing, withdrawing the hand that had stopped her from standing up earlier.
Wen Yufeng leaned closer and whispered with a low laugh in Qin Qing’s ear, “If you have to handle such matters yourself, then I must be quite useless as a boyfriend.”
Qin Qing teased, “You’re certainly not useless now, but others might say you’re heartless.”
“What others say is none of my concern,” Wen Yufeng replied.
“Besides, when have I ever been heartless?”
“Isn’t forcing a girl who’s liked you for so long to admit she doesn’t know you enough?” Qin Qing looked at him innocently. “And wasn’t it me who almost made a girl cry?”
Wen Yufeng didn’t agree with this.
“I only acknowledge that you like me. I don’t recognize others.”
He tugged at the corner of his lips. “Moreover, I only cherish my own ‘Jade.’ I don’t concern myself with others’ affairs.”
“Such a childish thought,” Qin Qing laughed. “But I like it. Now… it’s my turn.”
“Hmm?” Wen Yufeng looked at her in confusion.
Qin Qing didn’t explain.
She walked around Wen Yufeng and approached the dejected Lin Wentao.
“… Qin Qing?”
Lin Wentao looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting Qin Qing to come over and talk to him.
A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.
“I—”
Qin Qing didn’t give him a chance to continue, making a shushing gesture with her hand.
Then she looked seriously at the stunned Lin Wentao. “I heard people say that you’ve asked others about me in previous alumni meetings.”
Lin Wentao’s eyes brightened.
“So that’s why you came this time?”
Behind Qin Qing, the man leaning on the desk with his long legs stretched out narrowed his eyes slightly, the cold glint in his gaze.
“Don’t misunderstand,” Qin Qing didn’t give him any room to think otherwise. “I’m here today just to accompany my boyfriend. Since I’ve seen you, I’m letting you know.”
At this point, Qin Qing deliberately paused, then she softly bent her eyes and smiled. “In high school, I knew you spoke badly of Wen Yufeng to many people… but to me, he is the best. Our relationship is between us two; you have no right to judge.”
Qin Qing took a step back.
“Mr. Lin, if we unfortunate meet again, let’s pretend we don’t know each other, okay?”
With that, Qin Qing turned and left without giving Lin Wentao a chance to respond, her plaid skirt fluttering gracefully in the air.
She returned to Wen Yufeng’s side.
“Shall we go?” She asked softly, with a smiling face.
Wen Yufeng replied, “… Not staying?”
“Isn’t your goal already achieved?”
“…”
Wen Yufeng, rarely feeling guilty, had a brief moment of hesitation.
But after that moment, he grinned again, stood up, and took the girl’s hand. “All right. Then let’s… go home.”
As they left the classroom, Qin Qing seemed to remember something and hesitated a bit.
She glanced back at the classroom. At the end of her sight, someone stood there, looking dazed.
Qin Qing turned back and asked, “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Li Xiang before leaving?”
“…”
Wen Yufeng didn’t answer, just held Qin Qing’s hand and went downstairs.
Seeing Wen Yufeng’s reaction, Qin Qing realized he didn’t really care, so she hesitated and stayed silent.
Until they were outside the teaching building, with sunlight pouring down and everything bathed in a golden-red glow, Qin Qing heard the deep and gentle voice of the man beside her.
“No one can use my name to hurt you… I won’t give anyone that chance.”
“Because you are the most important to me.”
…………
As Wen Yufeng and Qin Qing walked hand in hand outside the school, it was the peak time when people were entering the campus.
Everyone was headed inward, but these two students in uniform were going against the flow.
Passersby couldn’t help but notice them—
They saw the tall, slender boy frequently raising his hand to shield the petite girl from the crowd. Every so often, they would look up, their gazes meeting in the air, followed by a shared smile.
They had none of the restrained demeanor of adults, appearing like two truly carefree and happy high school students.
Onlookers couldn’t help but stop and watch, wondering if there were any cameras around—perhaps these two were filming some kind of youthful promotional video?
Otherwise, why would there be such a beautiful scene that made people reluctant to look away?
They were naturally unable to find any cameras.
As they passed the sports field, alumni standing outside the fence saw the girl suddenly burst into joyous laughter, pointing at the empty track behind her.
“What are you laughing at?” The boy in a white shirt squinted slightly and reached out to ruffle the girl’s long hair.
The girl’s eyes curved into crescents, but she wouldn’t admit it.
“I’m not laughing. I’m clearly accusing you—back then, I was the one who fainted from heatstroke while standing there, and you just carried me to the infirmary like a sandbag—this is your accumulated crime—”
“It was you who wouldn’t let me carry you.”
“Then you could have carried me in your arms!”
“If I had chosen to carry you, you would have definitely struggled. But if I carried you like this—”
The boy’s voice trailed off, then he sighed with a chuckle—“You must have never seen the view from that height, right? How was it, scared? At that time… were you completely unable to move?”
“………… Wen Yufeng!”
Qin Qing, slightly annoyed, rushed up but was quickly embraced by the man with intention.
With an “ah” sound, she was swept up into Wen Yufeng’s arms.
His hot breath brushed against her ear, accompanied by a low, seductive laugh—“How did you want me to carry you back then? Like this?”
“Wow Wen Yufeng, you really have no shame anymore…” Qin Qing muttered, her face buried in his chest.
The corners of her lips, which couldn’t help but curl up, revealed her current mood.
Wen Yufeng was completely unfazed by the astonished gazes around them.
He laughed openly and took long strides.
“Haven’t I said? As long as I have you, I can give up anything.
What’s a little dignity compared to that?”
Qin Qing looked up at him quickly, her tone incredulous—
“You still seem quite proud of it?”
After saying this, feeling the probing eyes, Qin Qing hurriedly buried her head again.
Looking down at the girl in his arms, Wen Yufeng couldn’t help but laugh, his voice rumbling from his chest—“Are you an ostrich, sweetie?”
Qin Qing remained unmoved by the coaxing: “Whenever you put me down, that’s when I’ll show my face.”
“Then should I just carry you home like this?”
“………… Don’t be ridiculous, Wen Yufeng! Be careful or my mom will kick you out—”
“Tsk, then I’ll just endure for now.”
After saying this, Wen Yufeng “readily complied” and set Qin Qing down.
When her feet touched the ground, Qin Qing was still somewhat incredulous.
She opened her eyes wide and carefully observed. Confirming that Wen Yufeng hadn’t taken her to any crowded place, but rather had brought her behind a large locust tree near the school gate, Qin Qing felt even more amazed.
The voice of the man above her suddenly sounded—
“Now you can shout.”
“Ah?” Qin Qing was taken aback, looking up, “Shout what?”
Wen Yufeng’s gaze dropped, his lips forming a slight curve.
“Under this large locust tree, did you forget what you said?”
Qin Qing thought seriously for a moment.
After about half a minute, a flash of memory struck her.
“Ah, I remember now!”
Qin Qing smiled and tilted her face up—
“I was shouting ‘Brother Yu’ for the first time here, right? At that time, your expression was so scary…”
Before Qin Qing could finish, she was suddenly lifted by her waist.
Wen Yufeng raised his long leg, placing the girl in her school uniform skirt onto his bent knee, then leaned down to push the still dazed Qin Qing against the sturdy locust tree—his lips and tongue entangled, the laugh deep and husky—
“I wanted to do this back then… for two whole years.”
“And now, you’re finally mine, sweetie.”
【THE END】
【Epilogue】
Wen Yufeng –
I’m sorry that I’m not the kind of person they wanted you to like… I regret it deeply.
But this is who I am.
I’m sorry, this version of me only loves you.
Qin Qing –
Thank you for walking through youth with me.
Thank you for the fact that we will grow old together.