Chapter 97: This Might Be an Opportunity to Get Closer
The dismissal bell rang, and Qin An went back to the classroom by herself.
Lu Zhiyin had been standing in the corridor for a while, feeling a bit dazed. When she came to her senses, Qin An was already gone.
“This might be an opportunity to get closer.”
Qin An was behaving unusually today. Lu Zhiyin thought that something must have happened at her home. As for what specifically, Lu Zhiyin didn’t think Qin An would tell her, so she would have to find a way to find out herself.
“She said she’ll be like me soon. Are her parents in a situation where they’re about to die?”
Touching her chin, she misinterpreted Qin An’s odd remark quite naturally. This was normal, after all, Lu Zhiyin knew nothing about Qin An’s family situation. She knew something about games, but not much. The game had very little plot related to Qin An’s background. Lu Zhiyin only knew she was difficult, but not the reason why.
“Classmate Zhiyin?”
As Lu Zhiyin was thinking about Qin An, Long Qinxin’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Huh? Classmate Qinxin?”
She turned her head.
Long Qinxin had a worried expression on her face. She quickly came to Lu Zhiyin’s side and pushed her back into the classroom.
Perhaps she was afraid Lu Zhiyin would catch a cold. Although she had found Lu Zhiyin’s behavior towards the class teacher a bit strange earlier, Long Qinxin still couldn’t stop caring about her only friend. Because of the rain, the temperature dropped quickly. Although the students were all wearing autumn school uniforms and wouldn’t normally catch a cold, Long Qinxin still couldn’t relax.
“Classmate Zhiyin, you were outside for so long, are you very cold?”
As she pushed Lu Zhiyin along, Long Qinxin asked with concern.
“No, the temperature isn’t that low yet, I won’t be cold.”
Shaking her head, Lu Zhiyin was still thinking about how to approach Qin An. It would probably be impossible to approach Qin An directly. So, could she find Qin An’s followers? She figured she could probably talk to them if she paid them. They were just thugs from school, and she remembered that thugs weren’t usually very wealthy. A meal of barbecue would be enough for them to do favors. Although these thugs were currently employed, it should be okay to just ask a few questions, right?
While she was thinking, Long Qinxin had already pushed Lu Zhiyin back to her seat.
“Classmate Qinxin.”
After Long Qinxin returned to her seat, Lu Zhiyin poked Long Qinxin’s back with her finger.
“Is something wrong? Classmate Zhiyin.”
She immediately turned her head back, as if Lu Zhiyin was the most important person to Long Qinxin.
“Um, do you still remember the Taimei who wanted to hit you in the restroom that day?”
Lu Zhiyin felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it wasn’t a good thing to make someone recall someone who had bullied them.
“…”
After Lu Zhiyin finished speaking, Long Qinxin fell silent. As expected, her mind started replaying the things that had happened to her before. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and her emotions were in turmoil, it was unclear whether it was fear or anger.
“It’s okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. What’s past is past.”
Noticing Long Qinxin’s abnormality, Lu Zhiyin cupped one of Long Qinxin’s hands and gently comforted her. The girl’s soft words of comfort, and the soft touch from her hand, made Long Qinxin slowly calm down.
“I’m fine, it’s just that thinking about that person makes me a bit uncomfortable.”
Shaking her head, Long Qinxin didn’t know why Lu Zhiyin was asking about that person, but since her friend wanted to know, there was no need to hide anything.
“The last time she cornered me in the restroom with her group and wanted to hit me, her name was Xie Ping. She’s a loyal lackey to that scumbag Qin An.”
After answering Lu Zhiyin’s question, Long Qinxin turned back and then rested her head on her desk.
“Classmate Zhiyin, why are you looking for her?”
She buried her head in her arms and asked in a muffled voice. It was clear that Qin An and her group had left a significant psychological shadow on her.
“Nothing, I just want to talk to her about some things.”
Shaking her head, Lu Zhiyin then looked at Leng Qingqiu. Now that she knew the person’s name, she could go find her, but Lu Zhiyin wasn’t planning to go talk to the Taimei alone. She had been bullied by those girls quite a few times. If she went to them alone with money, she would probably just get beaten up and have her money stolen, achieving nothing in the end. She needed some form of physical protection. Among the people she knew, Leng Qingqiu was the strongest fighter.
Glancing at Long Qinxin, and confirming that Long Qinxin was no longer paying attention to her, Lu Zhiyin poked Leng Qingqiu next to her.
Leng Qingqiu ignored her, leisurely writing and drawing in a notebook, seeming absent-minded.
“Leng Qingqiu, Leng Qingqiu.”
Calling Leng Qingqiu’s name twice, Lu Zhiyin pursed her lips. She hugged Leng Qingqiu’s left arm, and only this rather obvious move finally got a reaction from Leng Qingqiu.
“What is it? My dear Zhiyin.”
She turned her head, her expression a half-smile, and her tone was teasing. Lu Zhiyin didn’t quite like this side of Leng Qingqiu, but she couldn’t express her displeasure.
Ignoring the sarcastic undertone in Leng Qingqiu’s voice, Lu Zhiyin tightly hugged Leng Qingqiu’s left arm.
“After school today, can you accompany me to find that person named Xie Ping?”
Slightly raising her eyes, she carefully observed Leng Qingqiu’s expression.
“I told you, I can’t afford to mess with Qin An.”
Leng Qingqiu’s reply was still blunt, but she didn’t pull her arm away from Lu Zhiyin’s embrace. Although her expression wasn’t pleasant, Leng Qingqiu was actually enjoying the feeling of being relied upon. She was indeed becoming stranger.
“No, you don’t need to provoke Qin An. Qin An’s current situation is a bit off, she probably won’t pay attention to her followers. Besides, you don’t need to fight. You just need to follow me and intimidate that person, just don’t let her hit me. I don’t want to do anything to her, I just want to ask some questions.”
Leaning closer, Lu Zhiyin tried hard to persuade Leng Qingqiu.
“If I help you, what will I get?”
Tilting her head, Leng Qingqiu asked. This was indeed a problem, and it successfully stumped Lu Zhiyin. She hesitated.
“What do you want? Anything I can give you, it can be anything…”
Her tone became very soft, and Lu Zhiyin closed her eyes.
“Please…”
When she opened her eyes again, Lu Zhiyin had lowered her own status even further.
“Alright.”
Pinching Lu Zhiyin’s chin, Leng Qingqiu looked at the girl’s red eyes. After a moment of thought, she finally agreed to the girl’s request.
“Anything I can give you, anything at all?”
Leng Qingqiu shook her head slightly. The girl seemed oblivious to how heavy such a promise was.
