First Meeting (2)

Today was the day of their return to school from vacation. The classes hadn’t started yet, but some class teachers were already nagging inside the classroom. That gossipy society didn’t dare to watch the bustling scene outside the window, so they could only observe the corridor’s emergency live broadcast from the group chat.

“Reporting the latest news, Ruan Qingmu’s provocation had succeeded. Fu Songhua raised his fist in anger!”

“Reporting again! Top student Qin appeared at the scene. He separated the two parties with two moves. The killing intent has fully appeared!”

“Reporting again: Ruan Qingmu pulled up his hair, gazed at Boss Qin, and sent out three questions: You’re Qin Yuan? Don’t you recognize me? … Don’t you remember my face anymore?”

The messages inside the group were madly sent out like a waterfall. Beside the corridor’s window, a pile of heads and shoulders stretched out, not wanting to be left out.

Some classes still had their class teacher inside, so they didn’t dare poke their heads out. In frustration, they anxiously asked inside the chat group: “What’s happening? I just entered the chat and haven’t figured out who this Ruan Qingmu is! Which class is this brazen girl from?”

“Which underclassman girl has been scummed by Boss Qin? Look at these three tormented souls!”

Qin Yuan frowned imperceptibly.

Obviously, he didn’t recognize this person. But he didn’t know why, as he looked at the pair of bright, beautiful peach blossom eyes in front, the denial was blocked at his throat and couldn’t be said.

After a long time, he asked in reply, “Should I recognize you?”

The brilliance inside that youth’s eyes seemed to dissipate slowly.

Ruan Qingmu had gazed at Qin Yuan for a long time. After a while, he then smiled; the smile oddly lonely. 

“It’s nothing.” He shook his head as if mocking himself. “I’ve recognized the wrong person.”

Someone had suddenly sent out a secretly taken picture inside the group chat.

Class 1 top student and Class 9 learning scumbag stood face-to-face inside the image. Both boys stood in silence; one was as cold as an iceberg, and the other blankly staring.

Beside them were rays of the blazing sunlight.

Fu Songhua furtively glanced at his phone. He was stunned into letting out a “Fuck.”

What kind of person this was ah… if they wanted to send pictures, they could just do so, but they had even specially edited him out of the image.

He was the dignified sports representative of Class 1 and ranked in the top three among the school grass. Was he so unwelcome to be seen in the picture?

It must’ve been that grandson who lost to him in basketball!

Someone secretly sent out a message inside the chat anonymously.

“Doesn’t it look like there is some strange broken feeling sinvolved? Look at Sister Ruan – Oh no, Student Ruan’s expression. He looks like a broken-hearted man that someone had scummed!” 

“Puff, hahaha, this Yuanfang1 also thinks there must’ve been a hidden feeling.”

“I bet five yuan2 that Boss Qin had rejected scumbag Ruan’s goddess, so he dropped by to meet his love rival.”

Ruan Qingmu looked at Qin Yuan and finally remembered the purpose of this trip.

His mood dimmed, and he said in a low voice, “Right, your class teacher entrusted me to pass on a message. She told you to bring a few boys to move the teaching materials.”

Fu Songhua’s eyes widened, “…This student, can you not take such a large breath the next time you speak?”

Was he deliberately doing this? He called people out to move teaching materials as if he was calling gangsters out for a street PK.

Ruan Qingmu grabbed his crutches and put them under his armpit. Just as he was about to turn, his arm was suddenly caught.

Qin Yuan’s cold voice sounded out, “You’re Ruan Qingmu? The Qing (light) from ‘qīng zhòng’ (severity) and Mu (sunset) from ‘mù sè’ (twilight)3 ?”

Ruan Qingmu’s eyes brightened instantly as if he had heard something delightful.

“That’s right…Do you remember?”

Qin Yuan frowned again.

He had an excellent memory, and this was a sure thing. He had never met this person and had never heard of this name before.

But why could he determine which two words they were when he heard this name?

In the end, he still shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t recognize you.”

Ruan Qingmu looked at him, and a trace of strange emotion flashed in his eyes. 

He suddenly threw his crutches away, grabbed Qin Yuan’s collar, and pushed him against the wall before everyone’s eye.

In a flash and without waiting for any reaction, his slender hand firmly pressed on the top student’s shoulder, and his other hand tore open Qin Yuan’s collar with lightning speed!

There wasn’t any dress code for the first day of returning to school.

Every girl wore their most beloved and beautiful dress, and not many boys wore the school uniform. Most of them wore their favorite T-shirts and jeans.

The only exception was the most handsome boy in the whole school, Qin Yuan. He had meticulously worn the school uniform of Experimental No. 3 High School like usual. 

It was the most common style: a white short-sleeved shirt and dark blue trousers. There was only a little decoration on the collar and breast pocket of the shirt, which was the same dark-blue-colored as the trousers. The entire set of clothes looked mediocre and dull. This was an extreme pain for the teenagers who wanted to appear good-looking.

However, when Qin Yuan wore this uniform, he looked neat and brilliant— fashionable, making people unable to move their eyes away.

 The boy with long legs and a muscular waist appeared upright. Every button near the neckline was tightly fastened, and the Adam’s apple on the slender neck was prominent. His meticulous appearance gave off a more cold and self-restrained feeling.

It was just that this self-restrained feeling had been completely obliterated at this moment. Two buttons were torn and disappeared without a trace, and half of his shirt was spread open, revealing the beautifully-shaped collarbone and a young man’s straight shoulder.

The boys who had just wanted to leave, “…”

The girls who looked out from the windowsill, “!!!”

Inside the big group chat: “Reporting again, Student Ruan had knocked Qin Yuan against the corridor wall and tore open his shirt!”

“Reporting again, Student Ruan is currently bowing his head, looking down below Boss Qin’s shirt!…”

Ruan Qingmu unwaveringly stared at Qin Yuan’s chest. There was a familiar red triangular dot below his collarbone. It was a shocking sight, like a thorn that pricked people’s eyes.

He involuntarily reached out, his palm slightly moved down, and a finger pressed on that tiny red dot below the collarbone.

“This…”

Qin Yuan’s calm complexion finally changed.

He abruptly raised his arm and pried open Ruan Qingmu’s hand. His elbow pressed on Ruan Qingmu’s throat with a hold. He forced Ruan Qingmu to lean back and pushed him against the corridor wall.

“What’s wrong with you?” He was obviously angry, but he didn’t raise his voice. On the contrary, it was even lowered down. 

“Reporting again: After Boss was harassed, he has now knocked the opponent against the wall!”

“Crash –” Few people from the next-door class had formed a stacked Arhat4. They didn’t stand firmly because of the excitement, staggered, and fell into a rolling gourd.

Ruan Qingmu was short of breath. The force of this violent oppression made him unable to breathe.

However, he didn’t move and firmly looked dead into Qin Yuan’s eyes.

After that, he softly asked a question in a low voice that nobody else could hear.

“It was bitten by a viper, right? There?”

Footnote:

1 A popular line from Chinese TV series <神探狄仁杰> that was spread on the internet, becoming an internet phrase called Yuanfang style.

2 Chinese currency

3 Chinese people tend to introduce their name using this method so that the speaker knows which character is used in their name. Ruan Qingmu’s name “阮轻暮” used the 轻 from 轻重 and 暮 from 暮色. 轻暮 in Ruan Qingmu’s name could be interpreted as soft sunset light or twilight.

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