As soon as the boy entered the classroom, the boy who had been red-faced with anger immediately acted as though his backer had arrived. He ran over, pointed at Chu Qing in the seat, and complained, “Boss, it’s her! She’s been sitting in your seat this whole time. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t move!”
The boy looked in the direction he was pointing, and in an instant, his eyes met Chu Qing’s. He froze at first, then his gaze suddenly became subtle.
At first, Chu Qing’s attention had been entirely on his colourful turkey-like hair. After being stared at by him for a while, she reluctantly shifted her gaze downward. Their eyes immediately met in mid-air, and when she saw his eyes, she also froze for a moment.
…Why did this brat’s eyes look so much like Qi Weichen’s?
But on closer inspection, they were not that similar. Qi Weichen’s eyes were like a cold winter pool, always carrying an unconscious chill, naturally distant. This brat was different. His gaze was like that of a pampered cat—innocent and ignorant, yet with a familiar, punchable kind of… bared-claws arrogance.
Although being woken up halfway through her sleep was very annoying, Chu Qing unexpectedly found herself unable to dislike this little turkey chick. She did not really want to argue with him.
However, while she was being magnanimous, the others had no intention of letting it go. The boy who had shouted at her earlier now stood beside the turkey chick with the face of a treacherous minister. “Boss, so many people are watching. You have to teach her a lesson. Otherwise, if people find out that some little girl took your seat, how are we supposed to survive in Chengde from now on?”
The boy was still staring at Chu Qing. Hearing him speak, he gave no reaction at all. He walked straight over, threw the schoolbag on his shoulder onto the desk in front of Chu Qing, and kept staring at her face. “Hey, where did you come from?”
The boy was about the same height as Qi Weichen. Having him suddenly loom in front of her while staring like that would definitely pressure most people. However, Chu Qing felt no discomfort at all. She simply told him seriously, “This is my desk.”
A curse instantly reached the boy’s lips, but facing her face, he could not get a single word out. After holding it in for three seconds, he pulled over a chair and sat across from her impatiently. “I’m not talking about the desk. I’m asking where you came from. What’s your name?”
The boy who had just been acting like a treacherous minister had his mouth hanging open, staring at his back in shock. The other boys familiar with him also exchanged glances. After a while, someone whispered, “This is the first time Boss has asked a girl’s name. Could he have taken a liking to her?”
“I think so too. She’s really pretty… But why do I feel like she looks so familiar? Don’t you guys think she looks a lot like Boss?”
“I can hear you,” the boy said with a frown.
The little lackeys immediately went as silent as quails, standing obediently and not daring to make a sound.
“Hey, talk,” the boy said, staring at Chu Qing.
Chu Qing glanced at him, then innocently shoved the schoolbag on her desk aside. The bag fell straight off the desk and made a distinct thud when it hit the floor. Several sharp intakes of breath sounded in the classroom, and the few boys who had been following the boy looked especially incredulous.
Just when everyone thought Chu Qing was doomed, the boy only yanked off his mask irritably, revealing a handsome face. Chu Qing was a little surprised. She had not expected that aside from his eyes resembling Qi Weichen’s, even his face shape and nose looked somewhat similar. It was just that his lips were a little redder than Qi Weichen’s, and the shape was not quite the same… but they also felt very familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
…This brat couldn’t be some relative of Qi Weichen’s, could he? The moment this thought appeared, Chu Qing asked directly, “What’s your name?”
“Fuck, who’s asking who here?” The boy became even more irritable, but for some unknown reason, he kept desperately suppressing his anger.
…What a temper. Chu Qing clicked her tongue. “My name is Chu Qing. Do you need something?”
The boy froze. “What’s your name?”
“Chu Qing. Chu as in ‘ci-wu Chu’, Qing as in ‘qi-yi-ying Qing’. Chu Qing.” After introducing her name, Chu Qing looked at the boy’s stunned face and suddenly felt that she was truly patient.
After a long while, the boy’s gaze suddenly sharpened. “Impossible! How could your name be Chu Qing?!”
“Why would I lie to you? Do you want to see my identity card?” In 2042, ID cards had already been abolished and replaced with identity cards, multifunctional cards that combined proof of identity, medical insurance, savings, and more. This was what the forty-one-year-old Qi Weichen had prepared for her.
After speaking, she took out her identity card and openly showed it to the boy.
After seeing the name on it, the boy remained silent with a cold face for a long time. Finally, he frowned and asked, “Why are you called this name?”
“Can you leave now?” Chu Qing’s patience was fading, and she gave him a fake smile.
That smile felt far too familiar to him. The boy felt as though his hands were about to tremble, but he still refused to give up and pressed, “Who gave you that name?”
“My mum.”
“Who told you to come to this school?” The boy’s expression became increasingly grave.
Chu Qing’s patience completely ran out. Expressionless, she casually lied, “My mum.”
The boy stared at her fixedly. After a long while, he stood up irritably, paced around on the spot twice, then turned and was about to walk out. The boy who had kept urging him to teach Chu Qing a lesson quickly stopped him. “Boss, class is about to start. Where are you going?”
“Where… I’m not going anywhere.” The boy came back to himself and barely managed to calm down.
The boy glanced at Chu Qing. Seeing that she had already lain back down on the desk to sleep again, anger immediately rose in him. “Boss, did you really take a liking to her?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” After saying this, the boy paused and said something that was very inconsistent with his rebellious appearance. “My mum doesn’t allow early dating.”
Everyone familiar with him knew that he listened to his mother very much. Now that he had said this, they immediately understood that he had no interest in Chu Qing. So the boy began confidently fanning the flames again. “Since you haven’t taken a liking to her, Boss, what are you waiting for? Everyone in Chengde High School knows the corner seat in the last row is yours. If this little girl steals it, how badly will you be laughed at?”
“Right, the seat.” Only then did the boy return to his senses. He came back to Chu Qing again and knocked on her desk. “Hey, move one seat over. This is my seat.”
After being pestered all morning, Chu Qing was now truly and thoroughly annoyed. She sat up straight and looked at him. “On what basis?”
The boy had a temper that exploded at the slightest spark, but facing her now, for some reason, he could not flare up at all. “Just move over by one seat. You’ll be my deskmate. It’s not that different.”
“I want this seat. You can be my deskmate. It’s not that different.” Chu Qing said the same words in a different tone, doubling both the arrogance and the urge to punch her.
Before the boy could speak, the boy behind him could no longer hold back. “Hey, Chu Qing! Don’t refuse the face we’re giving you!”
“Don’t randomly call her name!” the boy scolded with a twisted expression. The other boy immediately did not dare speak again.
The boy’s brows were tightly furrowed. For the first time, he tried reasoning with someone. “The people who sit here are all delinquents who don’t like studying. If you sit here, be careful you don’t get into university.”
Chu Qing stared at him expressionlessly. “Tell me, what will it take for you all to shut up?”
“Fuck…” The boy endured and endured, but finally could not hold back one curse.
The boy who had been holding back for a long time immediately chimed in, “Boss, teach her a lesson!”
“Shut up, treacherous minister,” Chu Qing said, rolling her eyes at him.
Boy: “?” Who, who was the treacherous minister?
The boy stared at Chu Qing with his brows tightly locked, a little irritated and a little depressed, as if he did not know what to do with her. Being stared at by him like that, Chu Qing completely lost all sleepiness and looked back at him with a stern face. Just as the two of them were staring each other down and the atmosphere reached a deadlock, Qi Weichen came in from outside. Seeing several tall boys surrounding Chu Qing, he paused.
Chu Qing noticed Qi Weichen walking over and immediately waved at him. “I’m fine. Go back to your seat.” She could not lose today’s matter, or it would be hard to establish authority in the future. At a time like this, she did not really want Qi Weichen getting involved.
Qi Weichen stopped, but did not listen and return to his seat. He simply stood there, looking fixedly at her. One of the boy’s companions glanced at him and could not help blurting out, “Holy shit, they look alike!”
The boy frowned and casually turned to look back. When he saw Qi Weichen’s face, he suddenly stiffened. And the moment Qi Weichen met his eyes, even his usually calm, still gaze seemed to change slightly.
The boy felt as if it had become difficult to breathe. His whole body felt wrong. Only after a long while did he speak with difficulty. “Fuck?”
“Don’t swear,” Qi Weichen said.
That familiar tone, that familiar expression—the veins at the boy’s temples throbbed. “…What’s your name?”
“Qi Weichen,” Qi Weichen said flatly.
Chu Qing looked at him in surprise. She had not expected the usually aloof study god to actually be willing to pay attention to a colourful little turkey chick.
The boy’s Adam’s apple moved. After a long while, he tried hard to calm himself down. “Who gave you that name?”
“My dad.”
“Who sent you to Chengde?” the boy pressed.
Afraid Qi Weichen did not know how to lie, Chu Qing quickly interrupted before he could speak. “Still his dad. Can’t you ask something else? Is it interesting to ask everyone these two questions?”
The boy looked like a camel about to collapse under the last straw. He forced himself to stand between Chu Qing and Qi Weichen, his gaze constantly moving back and forth across their faces. Finally, clinging to one last breath, he asked, “You two… do you have the same parents?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Of course not!” Chu Qing handed him the final straw.
The boy clenched his fists tightly. After a moment of silence, he turned and strode out. The treacherous minister anxiously called out, “Boss!” and ran after him. The remaining boys wanted to follow, but Qi Weichen blocked their path.
“What’s his name?” Qi Weichen asked calmly.
Those boys had originally been anxious to leave, but for some reason, when they met Qi Weichen’s calm, cool gaze, they subconsciously stood obediently and answered, “Qi Muyang.”
“Qi Muyang.” Qi Weichen repeated the name softly, his lowered lashes hiding all his thoughts.
While Qi Weichen stopped the others to ask his name, Qi Muyang had already run far away. He had long legs and good stamina, and the treacherous minister lost him after chasing for a short while. He ran around the school for an hour before finally finding him.
When he found Qi Muyang on the roof of the teaching building, the other boy had already calmed down and was staring blankly at his phone.
The treacherous minister collapsed beside him and sat down. Looking at the glaring sun overhead, he swallowed and asked, “Boss, aren’t you hot?”
Qi Muyang said nothing.
The treacherous minister glanced at his phone. The battery was already below five percent. The page was currently on recent calls, and the two contacts at the top, saved as Dad and Mum, each showed dozens of calls. Clearly, this was how the battery had been drained.
“Boss, didn’t you say uncle and auntie went off to work on a project and can’t be contacted for a year and a half? Why are you suddenly calling them now?” the treacherous minister asked, confused.
“I have something to ask them.” Qi Muyang’s face was dark. He did not want to say another word, as if he had suffered a huge blow.
Treacherous minister: “But you can’t reach them right now.”
Qi Muyang remained silent.
The treacherous minister wiped his sweat and asked with a worried face, “Boss, what exactly happened? Why are you acting so strange today? Is it because of the seat, or those two people? Just say the word, and I’ll take the brothers to deal with them right now and snatch your treasured corner seat back for you!”
“I’m not in the mood to care about the seat right now. If she wants to sit there, let her… Also, don’t touch either of them.” After Qi Muyang finished speaking, he lowered his head, looking more dejected than ever before.
The treacherous minister looked at him in shock. “Boss! What exactly is wrong with you? That’s your favourite seat! How can you just give it up like that?! And you’re not going to hold it against them at all?”
Qi Muyang glanced at him. “You don’t understand.”
“Boss, if you explain, I’ll understand.” The treacherous minister immediately grinned and moved closer.
Qi Muyang smelled the sweat on him and moved back in disgust. Only after shifting to a safe distance did he speak with a world-weary expression.
“If I haven’t guessed wrong, those two should be the children my mum and dad each had from separate affairs. My half-brother from my dad’s side, and my half-sister from my mum’s side.”
“…What?”
**Nomad: ahahhaha he misunderstood >-<**
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