As soon as the young man entered the classroom, the previously agitated male student suddenly felt emboldened. He ran over, pointing at Chu Qing sitting in a seat, and tattled, "Boss, it's her! She's been sitting in your spot and refuses to move no matter what I say!"
The young man looked in the direction he was pointing, instantly locking eyes with Chu Qing. He was stunned for a moment, his gaze suddenly turning peculiar.
At first, Chu Qing's attention was entirely focused on his colorful rooster-like hairstyle. After being stared at for a while, she reluctantly shifted her gaze downward. Their eyes met immediately in midair, and she too was momentarily stunned when she saw his eyes.
... Why did this kid's eyes look so similar to Qi Weichen's?
Upon closer inspection, they weren't exactly the same. Qi Weichen's eyes were like a cold winter pond, always unconsciously exuding a sense of coolness, naturally distant. This kid was different - his small eyes were like those of a pampered cat, innocent and naive, yet also familiar and annoying... bristling with attitude.
Although being woken up halfway through her nap was irritating, Chu Qing found herself unable to dislike this rooster-haired kid. She didn't feel like bothering with him anymore.
However, while she was willing to let it go, others weren't ready to drop the matter. The boy who had been yelling at her earlier now stood next to the rooster-haired kid with a sycophantic expression: "Boss, everyone's watching. You've got to teach her a lesson. If people find out a little girl took your seat, how are we going to survive in Chengde High School?"
The young man was still staring at Chu Qing, completely ignoring what the other boy said. He walked straight over, tossed his backpack on the desk in front of Chu Qing, and kept staring at her face. "Hey, where are you from?"
The young man was about as tall as Qi Weichen. Suddenly standing in front of her, staring like that, most people would have felt intimidated. However, Chu Qing didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She just told him matter-of-factly, "This is my desk."
The young man had a curse on the tip of his tongue, but facing her, he couldn't utter a single word. After holding back for three seconds, he pulled up a chair and sat down across from her impatiently. "I'm not talking about the desk. I asked where you're from. What's your name?"
The boy who had just been playing the sycophant's mouth fell open, looking at his back in shock. A few other boys familiar with the young man also exchanged glances, and after a while, someone whispered, "The boss is asking a girl's name for the first time. Could he have taken a liking to her?"
"I think so too. She's so pretty... but why does she look so familiar? Don't you guys think she looks a lot like the boss?"
"I can hear you," the young man frowned.
The little followers immediately quieted down like quails, standing still and not daring to make a sound.
"Hey, speak up," the young man stared at Chu Qing.
Chu Qing glanced at him, innocently pushed the backpack on the desk, and it fell to the ground with a clear thud. There were several audible gasps in the classroom, and those who had been following the young man looked even more incredulous.
Just when everyone thought Chu Qing was in for trouble, the young man merely yanked off his mask irritably, revealing his handsome face. Chu Qing was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected that not only did his eyes resemble Qi Weichen's, but even his face shape and nose were somewhat similar. It's just that his lips were redder than Qi Weichen's, and the shape was a bit different... but also familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
... Could this kid be some relative of Qi Weichen's? As soon as this thought occurred to her, Chu Qing asked directly, "What's your name?"
"Damn, who's asking who here?" The young man grew increasingly agitated, but for some reason, he was trying hard to suppress his anger.
... What a temper, Chu Qing clicked her tongue. "My name is Chu Qing. Do you need something?"
The young man was stunned for a moment. "What did you say your name was?"
"Chu Qing. 'Chu' as in 'to store', 'Qing' as in 'clear sky'. Chu Qing." After introducing herself, Chu Qing looked at the young man's dumbfounded face and suddenly felt she was being incredibly patient.
After a while, the young man's eyes suddenly turned sharp. "Impossible! How could you be called Chu Qing?!"
"Why would I lie to you? Do you want to see my ID card?" In 2042, physical ID cards had been replaced by ID chips, a multi-functional chip that combined identification, medical insurance, and savings accounts. It was prepared for her by the 41-year-old Qi Weichen.
After saying this, she pulled out her ID chip and openly showed it to the young man.
After seeing the name on it, the young man remained silent with a cold face for a long time. Finally, he asked with furrowed brows, "Why do you have this name?"
"Can you leave now?" Chu Qing's patience was waning, and she flashed him a fake smile.
This smile felt all too familiar to him. The young man could feel his hands starting to tremble, but he still persisted in asking, "Who gave you this name?"
"My mom."
"Who told you to come to this school?" The young man's expression grew increasingly serious.
Chu Qing's patience had completely run out. She replied expressionlessly, making up an answer, "My mom."
The young man stared at her intently. After a long while, he stood up irritably, paced in circles for a bit, then turned to leave. The boy who had been urging him to teach Chu Qing a lesson quickly blocked his way. "Boss, class is about to start. Where are you going?"
"Where am I going... I'm not going anywhere." The young man came to his senses, barely managing to calm down.
The boy glanced at Chu Qing, saw that she was preparing to go back to sleep on the desk, and immediately became furious. "Boss, you really like her?"
"Don't talk nonsense," the young man paused after speaking, then said something that completely contradicted his rebellious appearance, "My mom doesn't allow me to date early."
Those familiar with him knew he always listened to his mother. Hearing this, they immediately realized he had no interest in Chu Qing. So the boy started to feel at ease and began to stir things up again. "Since you're not interested, what are you waiting for, Boss? Everyone in Chengde High School knows the last row by the wall is your spot. If this little girl takes it, imagine how much you'll be laughed at!"
"Right, the seat," the young man finally snapped back to reality and returned to Chu Qing. He knocked on her desk, "Hey, move over a bit. This is my seat."
Chu Qing had been pestered all morning and was thoroughly annoyed now. She sat up straight and looked at him, "Why should I?"
The young man had a hair-trigger temper, but facing her, for some reason, he couldn't get angry at all. "Just move over one seat. You can sit next to me. It's not much different."
"I want this seat. You can sit next to me. It's not much different." Chu Qing repeated his words with a different tone, doubling the arrogance and annoyance factor.
Before the young man could speak, the boy behind him couldn't hold back anymore. "Hey, Chu Qing! Don't be ungrateful!"
"Don't call her name so casually!" the young man rebuked with an uncomfortable expression. The boy immediately fell silent.
The young man furrowed his brows, trying to reason with someone for the first time. "This area is where all the troublemakers who don't like studying sit. If you sit here, you might not get into college."
Chu Qing stared at him expressionlessly. "Just tell me, what will it take for you all to shut up?"
"Damn..." The young man held back, but finally couldn't help letting out a curse.
The boy who had been holding back for a long time immediately chimed in, "Boss, teach her a lesson!"
"Shut up, you sycophant," Chu Qing glanced at him dismissively.
The boy was confused. Who... who's a sycophant?
The young man stared at Chu Qing with furrowed brows, feeling a mix of irritation and dejection, seemingly unsure of how to deal with her. Chu Qing, being stared at like this, lost all her sleepiness. So she stared back at him with a straight face. Just as the two were locked in a staring contest and the atmosphere was becoming tense, Qi Weichen walked in from outside. He paused for a moment when he saw several tall boys surrounding Chu Qing.
Chu Qing noticed Qi Weichen walking towards them and immediately waved at him. "I'm fine, go back to your seat." She couldn't afford to lose this battle today, or it would be hard to establish her authority in the future. At a time like this, she didn't want Qi Weichen to get involved.
Qi Weichen stopped in his tracks but didn't return to his seat as she said. He just stood there, looking at her intently. The young man's friend glanced at Qi Weichen and couldn't help but blurt out, "Holy crap, they look alike!"
The young man frowned slightly and casually turned his head to look back. When he saw Qi Weichen's face, he froze abruptly. As Qi Weichen's eyes met his, even his usually calm gaze seemed to show a hint of change.
The young man felt like he could barely breathe, his whole body going numb. After a long moment, he managed to choke out: "What the f***?"
"Don't use foul language," Qi Weichen said.
That familiar tone, that familiar expression - the young man's temple throbbed with a pulsing vein. "...What's your name?" he asked.
"Qi Weichen," Qi Weichen replied coolly.
Chu Qing glanced at him in surprise, not expecting the usually aloof top student to bother engaging with this colorful turkey chick of a boy.
The young man's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. After a moment, he struggled to compose himself and asked: "Who gave you that name?"
"My father."
"Who sent you to Chengde?" the young man pressed.
Fearing Qi Weichen wouldn't know how to lie, Chu Qing quickly interrupted before he could answer: "His father too. Can't you ask something else? What's the point of asking everyone these same two questions?"
The young man looked like a camel about to collapse under the final straw. He stood there between Chu Qing and Qi Weichen, his gaze darting back and forth between their faces. Finally, summoning his last ounce of strength, he asked: "Are you two... from the same parents?"
"What nonsense! Of course not!" Chu Qing exclaimed, handing him that final straw.
The young man clenched his fists tightly, stood still for a moment, then abruptly turned and strode away. One of his cronies called out "Boss!" in alarm and hurried after him. The others were about to follow when Qi Weichen blocked their path.
"What's his name?" Qi Weichen asked calmly.
Though they had been anxious to leave, something about Qi Weichen's cool, detached gaze made them instinctively stand at attention and answer: "Qi Muyang."
"Qi Muyang," Qi Weichen repeated softly, his lowered lashes hiding all trace of his thoughts.
By the time Qi Weichen had stopped the others to ask for the name, Qi Muyang had already run far away. With his long legs and good stamina, he quickly outpaced his crony. It took an hour of frantically searching the school before the lackey finally found him.
When the crony found Qi Muyang on the roof of the teaching building, he had already calmed down and was staring blankly at his phone.
The exhausted lackey collapsed next to him, glancing up at the blazing sun overhead before gulping and asking: "Boss, aren't you hot?"
Qi Muyang said nothing.
The crony peeked at his phone screen. The battery was down to less than 5%, with the call log open showing dozens of outgoing calls to contacts labeled "Dad" and "Mom" at the top. Clearly that's how the battery had drained so quickly.
"Boss, didn't you say your aunt and uncle went away on a project and couldn't be contacted for a year and a half? Why are you calling them now?" the lackey asked, puzzled.
"I had something to ask them," Qi Muyang replied grimly, not wanting to say a word more. He looked like he'd suffered a massive blow.
"But you still can't reach them now, can you?" said the crony.
Qi Muyang remained silent.
The lackey wiped away some sweat, asking worriedly: "Boss, what's going on? Why are you acting so strangely today? Is it because of the seating, or those two people? Just say the word and I'll round up the guys to teach them a lesson and get your throne in the corner back!"
"I'm not in the mood to deal with seating right now. Let her sit there if she wants... And don't touch those two," Qi Muyang said, then lowered his head, looking more dejected than ever before.
The crony stared at him in shock. "Boss! What's wrong with you? That's your favorite spot - how can you just give it up like that?! And you're not even going to get back at them?!"
Qi Muyang glanced at him. "You wouldn't understand."
"I'll understand if you explain it to me, Boss," the lackey said eagerly, leaning in closer.
Catching a whiff of the crony's body odor, Qi Muyang wrinkled his nose and scooted back. Once at a safe distance, he began in a world-weary tone: "If I'm not mistaken, those two are probably children my parents had from affairs. My half-brother from my father, and my half-sister from my mother."
"...What?"
