Qiao Zhen was pressed against a scorching, warm chest, her mind a complete mess.
Qin Yichi’s deep, pleasant voice fell into her ears, carrying a wild, rogue quality—exactly the same as the voice in her memories.
It sounded like he was about to go at it any second.
Qiao Zhen’s heart pounded wildly, her entire face flushing crimson in an instant, like a boiled shrimp, the redness spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
God help her, she still couldn’t accept the fact that she’d been pinned to a bed by Qin Yichi in her past life. She absolutely couldn’t accept it!
She only had fragments of those memories, and she had no idea why her past self had agreed to marry him on a whim.
Her legs went weak, her whole body melting in Qin Yichi’s arms as she stammered, “I… I’m fine…”
She just wanted to turn into a tiny ant and sneak away—what had she done wrong?
“Fine?”
Qin Yichi tilted his head slightly, staring at her seriously, his expression carrying a hint of sternness. “Then why is your face so red?”
Qiao Zhen bit her lip and stayed silent, nearly dying of embarrassment.
After seeing such an inappropriate scene, how could she possibly not blush?
She covered her face, flustered and indignant, raising her voice to retort, “I—I’m not.”
She wasn’t blushing at all… it simply didn’t exist… Anyway, if she hadn’t seen it, then it wasn’t real.
Her reasoning was shaky, but her confidence was sky-high.
Qin Yichi let out a light chuckle, watching her guilty expression without bothering to call her out further.
The girl melted softly in his arms, her slender waist so delicate it seemed fit for one hand, clutching his sleeve, her cheeks as if brushed with a layer of rosy clouds.
Her face was as red as a tomato, and she still said she wasn’t?
As if thinking of something, Qin Yichi dropped his lazy demeanor and spoke seriously, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Three times.
Three times she’d fainted in his arms.
The first was when she first entered the school gates, the second was during the downpour, and the third was now. Every time, Qiao Zhen suddenly collapsed, then moments later acted as if nothing had happened.
A very strange phenomenon.
Qiao Zhen shook her head, blinking. “Maybe… I’ve been staying up too late. I’m fine.”
She absolutely, positively would not tell Qin Yichi about these past-life memories.
Not to mention whether he’d even believe her—the main issue was that the two of them had been married and intimate in the past life… If Qin Yichi found out, would he be repulsed?
Then the next time they met, it would be way too awkward.
Qiao Zhen stammered out an excuse, covering her burning cheeks as she bolted. “Oh, I just remembered I have something to do. I’m heading back to the dorm first—I’ll treat you to a meal another day~”
Like a rabbit, she vanished in the blink of an eye.
Qin Yichi lazily curled his lips, amusement dancing in his eyes, the faint scent of jasmine still lingering on his fingertips.
Her waist—
so slim, so soft.
Qin Yichi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, unaware that a hint of red was also creeping up his own ears.
Like the sunset outside the window—gorgeous, radiant, endlessly burning.
Only when the girl’s figure disappeared around the corner did Qin Yichi finally withdraw his gaze. His throat dry, he stepped down from the platform.
In that instant, he sensed something sharply and immediately looked back up.
Ji Xian’s figure vanished into the stairwell, looking utterly alone.
No telling how long he’d been standing there, or how much he’d seen.
Qin Yichi’s smile faded, his expression darkening slightly as he slowly suppressed the disgust in his eyes. His fist clenched tighter at his side…
The stairwell.
Ji Xian’s eyes were icy cold, his face grim beyond measure, a swelling-reduction ointment crushed tightly in his hand.
He let out a cold laugh, walked to the trash can, and tossed the expensive imported ointment away without mercy, as if discarding something filthy.
He saw Qiao Zhen applying medicine to another boy’s wound.
He also saw Qiao Zhen collapse limply into someone else’s arms.
He witnessed it all with his own eyes.
A group of boys walked over and gathered around Ji Xian, crowding around him.
Ji Xian stood still, his face as cold as frost, and demanded in a chilly voice, “Why did you hit her?”
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Jian wiped the blood from his nose with a tissue, a large lump swelling on his forehead, and immediately retorted in anger and embarrassment:
“We already lost the basketball game and were pissed off enough. Not only did Qiao Zhen not bring us water, she actually went to give water to Qin Yichi? Whose side is she on anyway? She can’t even tell where she belongs!”
Ji Xian’s face darkened, but he said nothing.
Yuwen Jian continued to add fuel to the fire: “Young Master Ji, these past two days Qiao Zhen has been acting like she’s someone important, deliberately going to eat with other guys. If you ask me, she’s just putting on a show to get your attention.”
The other boys nodded in agreement, all sharing the same opinion.
In truth, at the very beginning, they had been fairly polite to Qiao Zhen—at the very least, out of consideration for the milk tea and snacks, they wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for her.
On top of that, Qiao Zhen had a good personality—obedient, quiet, polite, and knowing her place—so having her tag along behind them didn’t bother them much.
Later, seeing that Ji Xian didn’t care at all, and with Yuwen Jian’s instigation, they gradually grew accustomed to treating her that way and began to escalate, deliberately nitpicking and finding fault.
Indeed, why should an ordinary person get to hang out with people of their class?
By now, their dislike and contempt for her were practically out in the open.
Ji Xian stared at Yuwen Jian with a chilling gaze, his voice distant and calm, speaking each word slowly: “Did I tell you to touch her?”
As the words fell, it was as if even the air around them turned colder.
Yuwen Jian froze, stammering, “N-no… no…”
Sensing Ji Xian’s displeasure, he immediately reined in his arrogant demeanor, bent over, and lowered his head in apology: “I won’t touch her again, Young Master Ji. You can rest assured.”
Ji Xian warned him coldly, then left with an expressionless face.
Only after he was gone did the others exchange glances, surprise evident in their eyes.
In the past, no matter how they belittled or looked down on Qiao Zhen, Ji Xian had never reacted at all—they had assumed he simply didn’t care about her.
Someone let out a slow, disdainful snort: “Who would’ve thought that woman Qiao Zhen actually has some tricks up her sleeve.”
Yuwen Jian straightened up, a shadow of malice flashing in his eyes…
Baihua Garden, Female Dormitory 609
Qiao Zhen returned to the dorm feeling guilty the whole way, a faint blush spreading across her fair cheeks, as if she had done something she shouldn’t have.
All her roommates were there—besides Sheng Lulu, there were also Chen Meixiang and Yun Yue, both sophomores majoring in dance. The three of them were huddled together in a serious manner, as if studying some academic problem.
The moment they heard the door open, they immediately turned their heads and stared at her with meaningful looks, as if wanting to say something but holding back, complex emotions flickering in their eyes.
Qiao Zhen: “?”
What are they doing, looking so serious?
The next second, Chen Meixiang yanked her onto her lap, as if she wanted to take a bite out of her, and whispered in her ear: “Babe, tell me the truth—do you really not like Ji Xian anymore?”
Qiao Zhen leaned against her, nodding earnestly like a little chick pecking at rice: “Mm-hmm.”
Everyone knew she had been chasing after Ji Xian before—it wasn’t any secret.
She had poured out her passion and affection without reservation, only to end up frozen in an ice cellar, a miserable and tragic conclusion.
Countless people had laughed at her behind her back, mocking her for overreaching.
Yun Yue looked up, holding a few tarot cards in her hand, and said with a serious expression:
“Actually, I calculated the outcome between you and Ji Xian using tarot cards and astrology charts a long time ago, but back then, seeing how hopeful you were about pursuing him, I kept it from you.”
“Do you want to know now?”