"Why did you call me over if there's nothing?" Chu Qing raised an eyebrow.
Qi Muyang's mouth twitched, and he replied impatiently, "I said it's nothing, so it's nothing. Can't you understand?"
Chu Qing gave him a look as if he were an idiot, then pulled out a yogurt drink from her pocket. She took a sip and walked towards the dormitory, while Bad Monkey had already limped away. The remaining five or six boys stood there awkwardly, maintaining their original postures even after her figure disappeared into the dormitory building.
"I remember Bad Monkey was a sprinter, right? Even though he looks like a monkey, his explosive power isn't bad at all. How did he..." a fair-skinned boy mumbled, his eyes unfocused, as if still not recovered from the shock.
The others weren't much better off. Qi Muyang glanced at these people, feeling increasingly irritated, and turned to walk back the way he came. Lackey and the others hurried to follow him. As their shock dissipated, only excitement about seeing an intriguing new person remained, and their discussion about Chu Qing became increasingly animated.
"Did you see that? Chu Qing took down Bad Monkey in less than three seconds. I hadn't even reacted before he was beaten. Her moves looked simple, but it would take at least three to five years of practice to achieve that level."
"Three to five years isn't enough. Her skills must have been honed since childhood. You wouldn't expect such explosive power from someone so small and thin. Even though I'm much taller than her, I probably wouldn't be a match for her."
"Come on, seeing how she dealt with Bad Monkey, forget about you, even the boss probably..."
"What about me?" Qi Muyang turned to look coldly at the speaker.
Realizing his mistake, the person quickly made a gesture of apology and sheepishly fell silent.
"Damn..." Qi Muyang felt increasingly annoyed. He kicked a pebble on the path and strode off alone towards the classroom.
The others looked at each other, and after a while, someone whispered, "Why is the boss angry again?"
"It's because you talk too much," Lackey said irritably, then jogged off to catch up with Qi Muyang.
With the two of them gone, the atmosphere among the remaining few immediately became less lively. They returned to where they had been eating earlier, and just as they picked up their chopsticks again, the chubby one among them slapped his thigh: "I know why the boss is angry!"
"Why?" someone immediately asked.
The chubby boy smiled smugly: "The boss probably has a crush on Chu Qing. He was hoping to play the hero and save the damsel, leaving a good impression on her. Who knew she could fight even better than him? He couldn't show off in front of the girl he likes, that's why he's upset."
"No way, the boss always listens to his mom, and she doesn't allow him to date in high school," someone doubted.
The chubby boy snorted, "Can you stop love when it comes? Chen Xiu, you know the boss best. Don't you think he treats Chu Qing differently?"
The person he called out was the fair-skinned boy who had spoken first earlier. He had been in the same class as Qi Muyang since middle school and was considered the one who knew him best among them.
As soon as Chen Xiu was singled out, everyone fell silent. He adjusted his glasses, thought for a moment, and then spoke: "The boss does treat Chu Qing differently, but..."
Whatever came after the "but" no longer mattered. The brainless buddies had already decided that Qi Muyang liked Chu Qing, and no one listened to the rest of his words.
Meanwhile, Lackey had been jogging all the way and finally caught up with Qi Muyang at the entrance of the supermarket. Panting, he asked, "Boss, are you upset because of what they were saying? Don't take it to heart. What do they know? My boss is the toughest among all the high schools in City A. How could you not beat a mere girl?!"
"That's not why I'm upset," Qi Muyang said impatiently.
Lackey was stunned for a moment. "Then why?"
"Those moves she used earlier, I saw my mom use them on a robber when I was little," Qi Muyang brought up the incident, his anger seeming to seep from every pore. "I always wanted to learn them, but my mom never taught me, saying she was too busy. Now it seems it wasn't about being busy; she just didn't want to teach me."
Lackey opened his mouth, but apart from expressing sympathy, he couldn't say a word. Despite his boss's wild behavior at school and his hair-trigger temper, at home, he was a model child who loved his mother the most.
Now, discovering that his mother not only had an illegitimate daughter but also treated her very well, his mental state must be on the verge of explosion.
"Forget it, the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. I'll stop thinking about it," Qi Muyang casually ran a hand through his hair, instantly turning his multicolored mohawk into a bird's nest. "Come on, I'll treat you to a drink."
"Boss is the best!" Lackey immediately followed him into the supermarket, wagging his tail.
As soon as Qi Muyang entered, he asked the cashier for a plastic bag, opened the nearby refrigerator, and started filling the bag with drinks.
Seeing him pack so many, Lackey knew he was buying for the other buddies too, and was deeply moved. His boss might have a bad temper, but he was generous and loyal. Even though they had just annoyed him, he didn't forget their share.
The afternoon sun was at its most fierce, and the entire earth seemed to have been baked. At a time like this, to be able to drink an ice-cold beverage, feeling the chill from lips to tongue to throat and all the way to the stomach – what a pleasant thing that would be.
As Chu Qing hurried to the classroom after her nap, she passed by the supermarket and glanced inside. Thinking of the little money she had at her disposal, she gritted her teeth and didn't go in, heading straight to class instead.
Today was the first day of the new semester. All the teachers had gone to a meeting in the morning, so the entire first half of the day was self-study. The afternoon would start following the regular class schedule.
It was still lunch break time, with about ten minutes left before the first class. When Chu Qing entered the classroom, most of the students were already there. The room was as noisy as a vegetable market, with Qi Weichen sitting quietly amidst the chaos, catching the eye at a glance.
Perhaps because his aura was too strong, the seat next to him remained empty, and no one chatted with him. Even though they were all in the same classroom, he seemed to have a built-in shield, completely out of place with the others... well, that was his usual behavior.
Chu Qing remembered how he used to ignore everyone in class before and couldn't help but click her tongue. At that moment, Qi Weichen looked over, and she unexpectedly met his gaze. Caught staring, Chu Qing coughed awkwardly and walked straight past him to the last row, saying to Qi Muyang, who was sitting on the outside, "Excuse me."
At this point, it's worth mentioning the seating arrangement in the classroom. There were seven rows and four columns of seats. Each column had two desks side by side, with aisles between the columns. If we consider the column closest to the door and corridor as the first column, then Chu Qing was in the last row of the fourth column, next to the wall – commonly known as the corner seat.
For a poor student, it was indeed a good spot. Not only was there no aisle outside the wall on her side, preventing surprise attacks, but she also had a deskmate as a natural shield, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. The only downside was that she had to ask her deskmate to move every time she wanted to get in or out.
Due to the unpleasant seat-grabbing incident in the morning, Chu Qing was prepared to make the mohawk kid cry before getting to her seat. However, Qi Muyang just gave her a complex look and moved aside with a cold face. Chu Qing paused for a moment, feeling that his gaze seemed full of... jealousy?
She sat down in her seat, puzzled. Just as she settled in, Qi Muyang's group of friends entered. Lackey, who was separated from Qi Muyang by an aisle, immediately called out to them: "Hurry up, the boss bought drinks for you guys!"
"Woohoo! Thanks, boss!"
"Thank you, boss!"
A group of people noisily rushed in, making the already bustling vegetable market even livelier.
Chu Qing, who had just painfully given up on buying a drink due to poverty, watched as Lackey magically produced a large bag of drinks from under the desk, her eyes revealing a hint of envy. Qi Muyang turned his head and saw her staring at the plastic bag with eyes identical to his mother's, full of longing.
He felt his heart soften for a second involuntarily, but remembering her irritatingly skilled moves, he immediately snapped at her with a nasty attitude: "What are you looking at!"
Chu Qing glanced at him sideways, then silently turned her head back. Qi Muyang had expected her to retort, but she just turned her face away, making it seem like he was bullying her.
He felt indescribably uncomfortable. Just as he was about to get depressed, the Lackey next to him shook the plastic bag in his hand and said, "Boss, I think we bought an extra bottle."
"Give it to me! I can drink two bottles!" The chubby kid immediately tried to grab it.
Qi Muyang's hand moved faster than his brain. By the time he realized what he'd done, he had already snatched the last bottle and tossed it onto Chu Qing's desk. Chu Qing looked at the extra drink that suddenly appeared in front of her, paused for a moment, then looked at him and said, "Don't push it. I'm already ignoring you, why are you still provoking me?"
"Who's provoking you? I'm treating you to a drink!" Qi Muyang said impatiently.
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Treating me?"
"If you don't want it, give it back!" Qi Muyang said and reached out to grab it.
Chu Qing quickly snatched up the drink, twisted it open, and took a sip. "I've already drunk from it. Do you still want to take it back and drink it?"
"Who would want to drink your leftovers?" Qi Muyang scoffed, withdrawing his hand that hadn't really intended to grab the drink.
Having gotten the cold drink she wanted, Chu Qing's mood improved considerably. She was now willing to properly look at these troublemakers scattered around her. She saw that the chubby kid, having failed to get the last bottle of drinks, seemed a bit depressed. The "Bad Monkey" immediately tossed his ID card to him, saying, "Go buy some."
"Thanks, boss!" The chubby kid's face immediately lit up with joy, and a few others chimed in. So, they went to the supermarket in groups of three or five.
Seeing how generous Qi Muyang was, Chu Qing was a bit surprised. "How much is your monthly allowance?"
"Why are you asking about that?" Qi Muyang looked at her warily.
Chu Qing shrugged. "Just curious. If you don't want to say, forget it."
"Two thousand. What about you?" Qi Muyang narrowed his eyes.
Chu Qing didn't know why, but she had a feeling that if her allowance was more than his, he would kill her. Pushing away the strange thoughts in her mind, she answered honestly, "One thousand."
Hearing that it was half of his, Qi Muyang immediately felt better. Before he could speak, he heard her add, "Per year."
Qi Muyang was stunned for a moment, then his brows furrowed sharply. "What nonsense are you talking about? Less than a hundred a month and you're still eating grilled sausages?!"
"...Just because it's less than a hundred, I can't eat grilled sausages? What kind of logic is that?" Chu Qing gave him an exasperated look. "Can't I work part-time to earn living expenses? Do I have to be that poor?"
Qi Muyang stared at her for a long time, his brows never unfurrowing. "Are you serious?"
"Of course. Since I was little, my mom always told me that the children of the poor have to grow up fast," Chu Qing casually made up.
However, these words took on a different meaning in Qi Muyang's ears. He had been a bit jealous of Chu Qing before, but now he felt a subtle sense of superiority. After all, his mom was extremely generous with him, and his habit of spending money without a care was cultivated by his mother.
After discussing living expenses with him, Chu Qing began to sip her drink slowly. She hadn't brought any tissues, and class was about to start soon. She was afraid that if the drink spilled on her, it would make her sticky, and she had no way to clean up. So she drank particularly carefully. This scene, in Qi Muyang's eyes, was interpreted as the drink being a luxury item for her, so she had to savor every sip.
...What's the use of learning so many fighting techniques if you can't even afford a bottle of drink? Qi Muyang glanced at her face, which bore some resemblance to his own, and awkwardly pushed his unopened drink towards her.
Chu Qing paused for a moment. "What are you doing?"
"Take it and drink it," Qi Muyang said with an impatient expression, but the tips of his ears were gradually turning red.
Chu Qing: "...Did you take the wrong medicine?" Why was he suddenly so nice?
"Do you want it or not? If not, I'm going to throw it away," Qi Muyang said fiercely.
Only a fool would refuse. Chu Qing quickly stuffed the drink into her desk compartment. Qi Muyang kept a straight face. "Why aren't you drinking it?"
"I'll take it back to the dorm and drink it tonight." She would be doing well to finish the bottle in her hand, why open another one?
...It's just a bottle of drink, why treasure it so much? Qi Muyang instantly became agitated. "Drink it! I'll buy you a whole case tonight and send it directly to your dorm. Drink to your heart's content!"
Chu Qing: "..." Does this guy have some kind of illness?
Realizing that his reaction was too extreme, Qi Muyang tried to control himself. He looked away with a stern face. "Forget it. Just tell me when you want to drink, I'll buy it for you."
Chu Qing's mouth twitched. She was sure he had some kind of illness.
Qi Muyang sat there with complex emotions for a while. Then, seeing Qi Weichen's straight back in front of him, he suddenly became curious about how much money his half-brother got per month. His mom was such a generous person, yet she was so harsh with her illegitimate daughter. His dad, being an emotionless machine, must be torturing his illegitimate son.
Thinking this way, Qi Muyang started to eye Qi Weichen's ID card covetously.
For two consecutive classes, he kept staring at Qi Weichen. As his deskmate, Chu Qing couldn't help but notice. During the long break after the second class, she coolly spoke up, "Hey, I can't control what you do to others, but you can't mess with him."
"Are you two close?" Qi Muyang glanced at her.
Chu Qing narrowed her eyes. "Very close. We were in the same class before. Why?"
Qi Muyang paused for a moment, then started to scrutinize her again. After a while, he determined that she probably didn't know about the relationship between the three of them. He just didn't know if Qi Weichen knew.
"I'm not interested in him. I just want to know how much money is on his ID card," Qi Muyang gave her a sidelong glance.
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow. "What, are you planning to rob him?"
"I get two thousand a month, why would I need to rob him?" Qi Muyang said with disdain. "I'm just curious."
After spending most of the day together, Chu Qing also felt that although the "Bad Monkey" was a bit arrogant, he wasn't a person of bad character... Well, actually, she was quite curious about how much money Qi Weichen had too.
Qi Muyang saw through her thoughts at a glance. He snorted and slapped the desk as he stood up. "Wait here. I'll get him to treat us at the supermarket. The card reader there can directly show the amount."
Getting Qi Weichen to treat them at the supermarket? How did that sound so far-fetched? It wasn't that Qi Weichen was stingy, but rather that social behaviors like treating others were completely unrelated to him.
Chu Qing was waiting for him to return defeated, but she saw him walk up to Qi Weichen, say a few arrogant words, and then wave at her. "Come on, let's go to the supermarket with us."
Chu Qing: "?"
