After killing Liu Dazhi, Qin Siyang enjoyed a week of peace.
This week was all about the routine of school, the cafeteria, and the library. On weekends, he obediently stayed home doing nothing.
He had made too many big moves in the first few days after his rebirth, so it was time to take a break.
The slow-paced life of this week allowed Qin Siyang to relax his previously tense nerves.
During school, chatting more with Teacher Zhu in the library was quite interesting.
This old lady had profound insights into life and was quite helpful to Qin Siyang.
Of course, he saw Wen Shu's figure in the library every day.
With less than half a year until the college entrance examination, Wen Shu almost never attended classes anymore. She spent every day in the library working on past exam papers, filling in the gaps in her knowledge.
Another morning came, and Qin Siyang got out of bed and glanced at the calendar.
[Blue Star Calendar, January 14, 2010]
[Gregorian Calendar, Thursday.]
[Xia Calendar, Year of Ji Chou, November 28, Suitable for Burial]
Qin Siyang glanced at it, feeling that today's perpetual calendar had nothing to do with him.
A boring day quickly passed.
After school, he went to the library once again.
"Teacher Zhu, I'm here to help you tidy up."
Qin Siyang put down his bag and lunch box, noticing that only Wen Shu was left at the table in the library.
Seeing Qin Siyang come to tidy up the library, Wen Shu knew it was time to close, so she got up to leave.
"Continue with your studies, Wen Shu. Qin Siyang and I still need about ten more minutes to clean up," Teacher Zhu casually said to Wen Shu.
Wen Shu glanced at Teacher Zhu, nodded in thanks, and sat back down to continue studying.
Teacher Zhu came over to Qin Siyang, her face full of affection, and whispered to him, "Student Little Qin, do you like her?"
Qin Siyang was taken aback, "Huh? No."
"No?" Teacher Zhu showed a somewhat disbelieving expression.
Qin Siyang waved dismissively, "Dating is meaningless."
Teacher Zhu sneered, "Dating is meaningless? I remember you used to follow a girl around like a flower."
With Teacher Zhu's reminder, Qin Siyang felt a bit guilty.
Before his rebirth, wasn't he just a simp trailing behind Li Jingwen?
He could only say, "It's because I've been a simp... dated before, that I find it meaningless."
Teacher Zhu patted Qin Siyang's shoulder, "Little Qin, as someone who's been through it, let me tell you something."
"Go ahead," Qin Siyang smiled, tidying the books on the shelf while listening to Teacher Zhu.
Teacher Zhu, being older, loved to chat with young people, and Qin Siyang knew this.
He quite liked Teacher Zhu's kind demeanor and appreciated her warmth towards him.
Since the elderly lady wanted to chat, he would accompany her.
"The girl you used to follow around seemed a bit flighty, not someone you could settle down with. So, you might feel that after dating her, your feelings got hurt, and it seemed meaningless."
Teacher Zhu's words left Qin Siyang stunned.
He was both surprised by Teacher Zhu's gossiping nature and impressed by her keen observation.
In his past life, he had been so close to Li Jingwen without seeing her true nature. Yet, Teacher Zhu, a library teacher who hadn't spoken a word to Li Jingwen in three years, could see right through it.
One had to admit, older people indeed had a sharper eye for people.
"Teacher Zhu, have you been observing me?"
"Well, in the whole library, only you and Wen Shu talk to me more, so of course, I pay attention to you two. Besides, you were always with that girl, I almost got calluses in my eyes from seeing it, naturally, I recognized her."
Teacher Zhu said disdainfully, "If I had said anything bad about her while you were dating, you young man wouldn't have listened. Now that you're not dating, I can finally speak my mind."
"I've seen her getting close to several boys. Especially with Director Zhou's nephew, that Zhou... Zhou something..."
"Yes, that kid. They were really close! But every time they were together, you weren't there. And when you were with her, he wasn't there. So, I thought that girl wasn't good."
Qin Siyang nodded, "You're right. I found out about it later, so I stopped associating with her."
"Yes, as they say, 'better to have none than settle for less.' Someone like her, the farther away, the better. But, Student Little Qin, Wen Shu is a rare good girl. If you seize the opportunity, you'll be happy for life!"
"This... what are you talking about?" Qin Siyang frowned, caught off guard by Teacher Zhu's sudden matchmaking.
"Oh, what's there to say? Anyway, after graduation, you'll probably have to venture out on your own. It's not too early to find a girlfriend now. I just think Wen Shu is great. You're great too. Two kind people should be together!"
"Teacher Zhu, I didn't expect you to be so open-minded despite your age. Our Grade Dean is still cracking down on early relationships, and here you are busy matchmaking."
"Pfft, what Grade Dean? Just a lackey of the Principal. You guys are unlucky, with the apocalypse coming, universities reshuffling, and colleges scarce, most high school graduates can't continue their studies. Since high school is the end of student life, how can high school dating still be called early love? I don't think it's a big deal."
"But seriously, Wen Shu is really a good kid. I know her grandmother too, met her a few times when Wen Shu was little, very gentle. Maybe it's because of her grandmother's good nature that Wen Shu also has a good character."
"Little Qin, you have a good character too, always considerate of this old lady, always eager to help."
"I'm not that good. I've only started helping you these past few days, before that I ran off right after school, not really a good person."
"I know, you were off doing homework for that little girl before, not blaming you. Now that you're not with her, you're here helping me, shows you have a kind heart."
Qin Siyang was dumbfounded, "You even know about that?"
Teacher Zhu smiled proudly, "I, Teacher Zhu, strategize within the library, winning battles outside the classroom!"
"I... I admit defeat to you."
"Don't take what I say lightly. Student Little Qin, a good match like Student Wen Shu is rare. You two kind kids together would make me happy too."
Qin Siyang shook his head helplessly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Wen Shu was indeed a good kid, no doubt about that.
As for himself?
How could he be a good kid with so many lives on his hands?
Just last week, he killed and set fires, and this week he's being praised as a good kid by a teacher in the library.
Qin Siyang felt there was something strange about this, but couldn't quite pinpoint what.
"What, you think I'm being long-winded?"
"No, I just think Wen Shu can get into college, and I'll just be a drifter in society, being together would only hold her back."
"You look quite handsome, why do you talk so softly like a girl! If she goes to college, can't you work near the college? What's the point of staying on the edge of this Safe Zone for a lifetime, there's no future!"
Seeing Teacher Zhu's eyes full of disappointment, Qin Siyang knew this old lady was genuinely thinking about him.
But he didn't want to be a simp anymore.
"Alright, I understand, Teacher Zhu, thank you."
"Forget it, seems like you didn't really listen. The choice is yours, I'm just saying. Hurry up and tidy up, I need to lock the door."
Seeing Qin Siyang's perfunctory response, Teacher Zhu lost interest in continuing the conversation and started ushering him out. Qin Siyang was helpless, this old lady could change her mood as quickly as flipping a book.
When he finished tidying the shelves, Wen Shu had also packed her bag, ready to leave.
Teacher Zhu locked the door and said, "I'm going to the restroom, you two go ahead."
With that, she left Qin Siyang and Wen Shu at the library entrance.
Qin Siyang watched Teacher Zhu's retreating figure, feeling quite touched. The old lady had good intentions, but this was clearly casting pearls before swine, as there were no feelings between him and Wen Shu at the moment.
"Let's go."
"Mm."
The two walked shoulder to shoulder out of the school.
They reached the fork in the road, the point where they would part ways.
Wen Shu said, "Goodbye."
She was about to turn and leave when Qin Siyang grabbed her backpack strap.
Qin Siyang smiled slightly, but his eyes were filled with cold indifference, "Today, I'll walk you home."
Wen Shu didn't understand why Qin Siyang suddenly became proactive.
"No need..."
Ignoring her protest, Qin Siyang took her hand and started walking towards her home.
Wen Shu frowned, trying to pull away, but then she heard Qin Siyang's voice, low and serious, "I warned Li Jingwen last week, didn't expect she'd dare to follow today." Get faster updates on novelping.com.
Wen Shu looked back but saw nothing, then turned to Qin Siyang in confusion.
Qin Siyang held her hand, striding forward.
"My home isn't that way."
Qin Siyang weaved through the alleys, then turned back to her with a smile, "Do you expect me to kill someone at your doorstep?"
"Kill..." Wen Shu's eyes widened in shock.
She thought Qin Siyang was joking.
But the cold look in Qin Siyang's eyes made her realize he might be serious.
"No... Student Qin, shouldn't we try to talk to Li Jingwen and the others?"
Qin Siyang replied, "If it were just Li Jingwen following us, I'd slap her and send her away."
"But... it's not Li Jingwen? Then who..."
Qin Siyang glanced back, continuing to pull Wen Shu along.
Wen Shu also glanced back.
Suddenly, she noticed seven or eight shadows emerging from the alley they had just passed. The shadows held weapons, appearing to be iron rods and short blades.
Qin Siyang quickened his pace, pulling Wen Shu into a run.
Wen Shu looked up at Qin Siyang in panic, "Who... who are they..."
"They're probably Li Jingwen's uncle's men. Her uncle is a notorious thug around here, with blood on his hands."
"Why would her uncle be following us?"
Qin Siyang thought for a moment, "To kill us both. For me, it would be a beating followed by death. As for what they'd do to you..."
He didn't finish his sentence, just gave Wen Shu a symbolic up-and-down glance, and she immediately covered her neckline.
"But why?! Why kill us?!"
"You heard what I said to her last time, didn't you?"
"Because of her and Zhou..."
"Zhou Yang."
"Because of her and Zhou Yang?"
"Yes."
"Who exactly is Zhou Yang?"
"Just an ordinary person. But his uncle has awakened a Sequence Ability, so he's on the rise. Li Jingwen wants to cling to Zhou Yang to live the life of a wealthy wife."
"But didn't you say you set a timed email to warn her not to act rashly?"
Qin Siyang smiled at Wen Shu, "I lied to her."
"Lied?"
"Going to the Internet Cafe is expensive, where would I get the money? She must have realized this and sent her uncle to deal with us."
"But how does her uncle know if you went to the Internet Cafe or not? Has he been following you?"
"No, following me would be too tiring. I think her uncle had someone stake out the Internet Cafe for a week. I said I'd go to the Internet Cafe to set a timed email delayed by a week, needing to go every week to postpone it."
"If I didn't go to the Internet Cafe for a week, it would mean I never set the timed email."
Wen Shu was utterly shocked, "They... care so much about Zhou Yang?"
"It was my oversight. Now it seems, Li Jingwen's entire family sees her relationship with Zhou Yang as a chance to turn their lives around. That's why her uncle went to such lengths."
With Qin Siyang's confirmation, Wen Shu was completely bewildered. She glanced again at the figures closing in from behind, despairing, "Then... aren't we... going to die here?"
"Getting you involved in this is my fault. So, I'll handle this."
"You?"
Qin Siyang's smile carried a hint of menace:
"You can keep a secret, right?"