CH 2

Qin He’s life remained the same: attending classes, eating alone, and working. It seemed like there was nothing else for him to do.

Perhaps the only pleasure he had was saving a bit of money each week and using it to buy some photography magazines from the bookstore.

Qin He had never been to any other places besides his hometown and Yao’an City since he was born.

Later on, his life became even more restricted. His world seemed to only revolve around home, school, and his part-time job.

So he longed for the outside world, Qin He believed that the beautiful things in the world can never be retained and are fleeting; he wanted to capture them and preserve them forever.

Whether it’s the last falling leaf, the fleeting fireworks, or the flying snow in the sky, Qin He loves them all.

He yearned for the day when he could explore the vast world after having a stable job.

This was his only desire and aspiration.

As the night fell, the setting sun cast a gentle glow. The rustling sound of leaves was carried by the gentle breeze. The swaying leaves in the air reflected people’s emotions.

“Hey, bro, do you know which store has comfortable and affordable clothes?”

Yu Cheng asked his brother on the phone in a somewhat awkward manner. His body couldn’t help but twist, and his fingers fiddled with the hanging willow branches.

The personalities of the two brothers from the Yu family were polar opposites. One was gentle and refined, always with a smile even before speaking. He was extremely easy-going and low-key, disliking extravagance and waste.

The other was rebellious, like a stick of dynamite. If something didn’t go his way, he would make everyone unhappy.

He also liked things that were flashy but lacked substance, exuding a unique sense of arrogance that set him apart from others.

Of course, the latter personality was probably cultivated by the Yu family, and he couldn’t escape it.

When Yu Cheng was a child, he was very likeable and proud like a peacock. Pretending to be an adult, he always managed to make many people laugh, and being the youngest, most people would just go along with him.

“Hey, the sun rises in the west, and now you’re even asking if something is worth it before buying it.”

The low voice on the other end of the phone laughed. Yu’s older brother had already gone to college.

Also being strong-willed, he never really took money from the family and generally made a living by tutoring others.

“Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I’ll hang up.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I have a friend whose family owns a clothing store. I’ll send you the address, and you can go buy it yourself.”

The older brother of the Yu family listened with annoyance and refrained from teasing the person.

“Okay,” Yu Cheng said awkwardly, thanking his brother and hanging up the phone. “Thanks, bro.”

He was confused as to why he was making such a fuss over finding a comfortable and cheap piece of clothing.

Why was he so invested in this?

But he had a hunch that if he just bought any old outfit, the person wouldn’t accept it.

Yu Cheng was a very casual student, coming and going as he pleased. He skipped class after napping through lunch, grabbed his clothes, and climbed over the school’s wall.

In the class of Yu Cheng, most of the students are rich kids who come to school to mess around and are difficult to manage. Most teachers turn a blind eye and just take their money without caring much. However, recently the school hired an English teacher named Yang Man, who is arrogant and looks down on them.

Last time, Yu Cheng fell asleep during his class, as usual. He knocked on the door and apologised before entering. But the teacher threw chalk at him and made him stand outside. Yu Cheng didn’t care and just left. However, Yang Man didn’t let it go and stopped teaching. She sat there with her legs crossed and mocked them, saying whatever she wanted.

“I think you guys are a bunch of useless people, just like the son of a fallen king. You sleep all day long; even pigs don’t sleep as much as you do. Teaching you guys is a waste of my time, and I don’t know how your parents discipline you.”

The students in the classroom glared angrily but didn’t move, even after Yang Man had spoken at length.

However, Yu Cheng kicked the door open directly, causing the others to jump in fright.

Yu Cheng had used a lot of force, causing the door to hit the wall and scrape off some of the white plaster.

Yang Man looked at him fearfully and stepped back towards the desk, still putting on a show of bravado.

“What do you want? You’re not going to hit a teacher, are you? I’ll tell the principal!!”

Yu Cheng hated it when people pointed fingers at him, especially when they involved his family.

His eyes were unrelenting, like those of a vicious wolf staring at its prey, determined to tear off a piece of flesh until it was satisfied.

The tone of warning in his eyes and voice was strong. The 17- or 18-year-old boy’s voice became deeper, with a coldness to it.

“Has no one taught you not to point fingers at others? It’s better to have some manners as a person.”

With a buzz cut and deep eye sockets, Yu Cheng always had an impatient expression on his face. When he was cold-faced, he was even more intimidating than when he was fighting.

“If there’s a next time, I don’t think you should continue being a teacher. It’s better for you to just leave.”

After being embarrassed, Yang Man was ignored by the class. Although they didn’t dare to provoke her, every time they saw Yu Cheng, they stared at him fiercely, like a venomous snake waiting to bite.

Yuchieng didn’t feel like dealing with people, especially after the incident with that teacher. He didn’t want to attend her class anymore, and when he remembered it was her class this afternoon, he left without hesitation.

He carried a bottle of ice water, and the hot weather made the water moisten his hands. Sweat beads hung from his chin, about to fall.

He looked at his phone and the store in front of him and cursed.

“Damn, can these clothes even sell? Is the store going bankrupt and the owner’s brother is here to save it?”

Yuchieng frowned, muttering to himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He walked into the store and looked around, finally finding a pair of pants that satisfied him.

The light-coloured denim jeans, with some hand-embroidered patterns on the edges and corners, may be too plain for Yu Cheng, but perhaps just right for Qin He.

When Yu Cheng looked at Qin He, he also noticed his discomfort. Qin He came from a poor family and was extremely averse to being stared at.

Yu Cheng also knew that people like this were usually sensitive, did not like to owe money, and did not like to be entangled.

So he had to act with great care and ask his brother to run such a long way to find a not-too-expensive but durable piece of clothing.

If he sent a big brand of clothes himself, it would probably be sent back within two days.

In schools like Thirteen, the most abundant group of students were the rich kids, and there was no strict requirement to wear school uniforms.

Perhaps the item would be discovered to be beyond Qin He’s budget after just wearing it for a day, which could bring unnecessary trouble.

“Such a hassle.”

Yu Cheng looked at the bag in his hand and checked the time. He didn’t know when he would go back.

He might as well go out and have some fun with it and give it to Qin He tomorrow.

“What’s in the bag, Brother Yu?” A companion who was with him asked casually.

“Nothing much, just some clothes. Don’t mess it up,” Yu Cheng replied.

“Wow, such a precious thing. Where did you get the new clothes from? Let us see, and we will buy one when we go back,” the companion said.

“It’s not new. You already have all the clothes from the previous seasons. Are you trying to curry favour with someone by giving it away?”

More people came, and the environment became noisy, so they had to raise their voices to speak.

Upon hearing this, several people turned their heads to look at Yu Cheng, who was drinking.

“No, it’s just a piece of clothing. What’s the big deal? Are we still playing or not?”

Yu Cheng was getting impatient. How could these people be so nosy?

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, a boy from the same school as Yu Cheng started to meditate.

“Hey, you’re from the same school as me, do you know Qin He from Class One in the second year?”

Yu Cheng looked at the person and felt a little familiar. He thought for a moment and realised that he had seen him before, not just in the same school but also in the same class.

However, this “ancestor” didn’t usually stay in school and considered his classmates as insignificant, not remembering anyone.

“Oh, Qin He, he’s always been at the top of our school’s grade level. He speaks as the student representative every week,” the male student’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of flattery.

The Yu family was always one to be flattered in Yao’an City. Even if everyone said that they were raising a useless young master, they would always be flattered, no matter what they thought.

It’s no wonder that Yu Cheng didn’t have an impression of him; he didn’t care about his grades at all.

He also didn’t care about the student speeches, which were like gibberish to him. He listened and only felt annoyed, and he had barely attended a few times.

“I knew that person had good academic performance, but I didn’t expect it to be so good.”

He is articulate and eloquent, which is not in line with Yu Cheng’s perception of good students. He always thought they would be nerdy and introverted.

The next day after school, Yu Cheng and his friends blocked the classroom door, looking like they were worshipping a Buddha.

The students of the class walked out and looked back, thinking that Qin He had provoked Yu Cheng.

Qin He looked up at Yu Cheng and blinked, searching for his memory.

“Is there anything wrong?”

Qin He had long forgotten about the previous day’s incident, along with Yu Cheng.

Yu Cheng examined Qin He’s school uniform as if he were seeing such a disciplined person for the first time.

The blue and white school uniform looked particularly good on Qin He. Qin He’s appearance was not the kind that would immediately surprise you, but the more you looked at him, the more comfortable you felt.

When the school uniform is worn, it gives off the feeling of a TV star with rosy lips and white teeth. It is pleasing to the eye and comfortable, but there is also a sense of alienation around the person.

Even though Yu Cheng is close to him, he still feels that this person is distant and cannot get close.

No matter how good-looking Qin He is, Yu Cheng couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark.

“How did you get into the experimental class with such a bad memory?”

Yu Cheng stuffed the clothes into Qin He’s arms and walked away.

“I’ll pay for your clothes.”

He had been thinking about it for so many days that he even lowered his face to ask his brother. As a result, his brother didn’t remember this incident at all, nor did he remember him.

When did he become so forgettable?

Qin He looked bewildered as he watched the other person walk away in anger. He opened the bag in his arms and found a pair of pants. Memories flooded back to him.

It’s not that Yu Cheng has a bad memory, but Qin He is just used to forgetting unimportant things.

It feels comfortable and durable to wear, as Qin He thought based on his years of buying clothes.

During the afternoon break, Qin He’s roommate, Gao You, came over with a mysterious expression and asked about what happened at noon.

“Did you upset Yu Cheng?”

“Yu Cheng?”

Qin He was a little puzzled.

“The one who stopped you at noon was Yu Cheng. Stay away from him; he’s not easy to deal with,” Gao You said with some concern.

“No, he broke something of mine and paid for it today. We don’t have any interaction, let alone being close or distant,” Qin He replied.

Qin He  explained that from the first time he met them, he knew they wouldn’t have any intersections.

Although Qin He didn’t know anything about brands, but he had seen enough of the expensive clothing worn by the wealthy students in the school to recognise its value.

He wasn’t overly friendly with people, partly due to his personality and partly because he knew that he couldn’t afford to mess with most of the people in the school or because they were simply not from the same world as him.

How does one make friends with people from a different world?

They were talking about new clothing lines and how nice a certain watch looked.

While Qin He was thinking about saving money to buy magazines this week and working somewhere tomorrow, they couldn’t find common ground to chat about…

——

Xian Nan Zhi

Little Yu is still very attentive~
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