The day after the first mock exam ended, Qin Mingyan went to the hospital to visit her mother as usual.
Qin Chengye had somehow caught wind of the news that Qin Mingyan visited the hospital every Saturday, and he was already waiting for her by evening.
Upon seeing Qin Mingyan, he repeated his usual rhetoric, “good environment, a bright future” yet he didn’t utter a single word about her mother lying in the hospital bed, nor did he show an ounce of concern for her condition.
Qin Mingyan initially intended to ignore him, until they reached the elevator and she heard him ask: “I heard you’ve been getting close with that child from the Bo family, the one in your class named Bo Liye. You’ve been tutoring her on the weekends?”
The night air’s chill seeped through the elevator’s steel plates and into her skin. Qin Mingyan’s voice turned even colder: “You’re investigating me?”
Qin Chengye seemed completely oblivious to her resentment, still smiling as he said, “Your father is just looking out for you.”
Looking out?
“Then you should investigate further and see if the people Qin Zixu sent to threaten me offended my friend as well.”
Accustomed to being flattered, Qin Chengye was stunned for a moment before realizing that his impoverished daughter was actually threatening him.
“The Bo family’s daughter was there that day? Does the Bo family know?”
The elevator doors opened. Qin Mingyan stepped out. Her features had fully matured, and her mind possessed the logic of an adult, she was not easily fooled. Only her silhouette, wrapped in a white coat, naturally exuded the aura of adolescence.
Clean, stubborn, yet sharp.
“I am merely a useful tool to you,” Qin Mingyan said. Whether it was using her grades to gain face or using her to curry favor with the Bo family.
Qin Chengye was clearly incensed by her words. His face darkened as he threw down a harsh warning: “I don’t know what kind of improper ideas your mother has filled your head with. You’re only eighteen. When you’re a bit older, you’ll realize exactly what I, as your father, can bring you.”
The hospital lobby was bustling with people, and the sound of weeping could be heard from time to time. Qin Mingyan said nothing more.
As Qin Chengye left, he dropped one last sentence: “You’d better reflect on yourself.”
Reflect.
Qin Mingyan took a deep breath, finding it utterly absurd.
She walked home alone along the street, the streetlights blurred by the condensing cold.
Just then, her phone received a video call from her classmate, Xia Yiwen. Today was the day Bo Liye had gone to celebrate Xia Yiwen’s birthday.
Qin Mingyan suppressed the hostility in her heart before answering the video.
“Hold on a second,” Xia Yiwen’s voice came through.
The camera shook constantly, and the background was so noisy she could hardly hear anything. Judging by the decor, they were at Feishi.
Xia Yiwen walked over to the sofa and displayed the sleeping Bo Liye to the camera: “Bo Liye is drunk. Come and pick her up.”
Seeing the “drunk” Bo Liye made Qin Mingyan’s heart tighten, but she remained rational and said calmly, “You can call her family driver to pick her up.”
Xia Yiwen shook Bo Liye twice, but she didn’t wake up. Xia Yiwen turned the camera back to her own face: “She was just calling your name and insisting you come get her. We don’t dare make her angry. Hurry over, Feishi, Booth A555.”
Qin Mingyan: “But…”
Xia Yiwen was experienced, she wouldn’t listen to any “buts.” She hung up immediately after speaking and leaned into Bo Liye’s ear: “Sleeping beauty, time to wake up!”
Bo Liye opened her eyes and gave Xia Yiwen’s head a soft, limp swat. The alcohol made her brain a bit foggy, but she wasn’t completely incoherent: “You guys are so bored, just messing with people.”
“Oh, I just wanted to see if she’d actually come. Besides, isn’t this her part time tutoring hours anyway?” Since many people were invited to the birthday party, Xia Yiwen deliberately emphasized the word “tutoring” to satisfy the curiosity of those wondering about the relationship between Qin Mingyan and Bo Liye.
Bo Liye threw the cards she had just drawn back onto the table and smiled softly. Her eyes were moist and tinged with red from the alcohol, looking breathtakingly beautiful.
“You’d better pray I don’t draw your card next round. Otherwise, watch how I mess with you.”
Xia Yiwen ducked away with exaggerated fear: “Heavens, I’m so scared!”
Laughter erupted around them.
The hospital was far from Feishi, nearly across an entire district. By the time Qin Mingyan arrived, an hour had passed.
A waiter led her to Booth A555. When she pushed the door open, the atmosphere inside was reaching a fever pitch. No one even noticed the newcomer as cheers erupted: “Quick! Share the cherry! Share the cherry!”
Following the sound, Qin Mingyan saw Bo Liye and a girl from the tenth grade surrounded in the center of the lounge. A plate of cherries was being held in front of them. Under the shifting colored lights, the younger girl’s face was completely flushed.
Meanwhile, the Bo Liye who was supposedly “blind drunk” according to Xia Yiwen was leaning against one side of the sofa. Her beautiful phoenix eyes were narrowed, and she lazily picked a cherry with her fingertips. She fed it into her own mouth, lightly biting down on one half, looking like an enchanting spirit from a ghost story.
The shouting from the crowd grew louder.
Bo Liye’s long, slender, fair neck arched back as she lazily leaned toward the younger student.
The girl seemed very shy, her cheeks glowing as she slowly opened her mouth.
With every inch their lips drew closer, the cheers from the onlookers rose a notch.
Just as the girl was about to bite into the cherry.
In the next second, she bit into thin air.
With a flick of her tongue, Bo Liye rolled the entire cherry into her mouth. The red juice burst inside, a blatant foul.
This immediately sparked a wave of dissatisfaction.
“Hey! That doesn’t count! They didn’t even touch!”
“We said each person has to bite off half. Start over! Start over!”
Bo Liye chewed the cherry unhurriedly. Amidst the complaints, she seemed to sense something and lifted her eyelids to see Qin Mingyan standing nearby. She raised an eyebrow slightly and reached out a hand toward Xia Yiwen. “Five hundred bucks. Remember to transfer it to me.”
Xia Yiwen followed her gaze and saw Qin Mingyan, letting out several collapsed “Ahhh” sounds: “It’s over. The honor student really was corrupted by you. How did she actually show up?”
Except for Bo Liye’s close friends, no one knew about the situation between her and Qin Mingyan. Seeing Qin Mingyan suddenly felt no different from seeing their homeroom teacher: “Why is she here?”
Students from other grades who didn’t recognize Qin Mingyan were being filled in by those next to them. In an instant, the air was filled with the sound of her name. Qin Mingyan stood there alone, looking completely out of place.
Bo Liye pushed through her friends and walked over unsteadily to pull Qin Mingyan: “I called her here. My friend.”
Only after she said those words did the whispering subside.
As her hand was taken, Qin Mingyan asked apologetically, “Did I cause trouble for you?”
Bo Liye had drunk quite a bit; her voice was airy: “You’re not planning to go back now, are you?”
Qin Mingyan said, “I can.”
“Is it a hassle?”
Bo Liye pulled her down to sit in the booth, then pointed at Xia Yiwen, speaking to Qin Mingyan as if teaching a child: “Say happy birthday to her.”
Qin Mingyan looked over: “Xia Yiwen, happy birthday.”
Xia Yiwen pushed her luck: “And where’s my birthday gift?”
Qin Mingyan looked back at Bo Liye.
Bo Liye was clearly amused by this gesture. She slapped Xia Yiwen’s hand away and said, “Isn’t a birthday wish from the top student of the grade enough? Maybe next time you’ll actually hit the passing line for an undergraduate degree.”
Xia Yiwen’s eyes flickered: “Then I’ll have to touch her hand before the next exam. Consider it a debt!”
Bo Liye slapped at Xia Yiwen’s hand again: “In your dreams!”
Since Bo Liye had fouled the game earlier, someone immediately began chanting for her to do it again.
Gu Baifan joined in the egging: “You can do it with Qin Mingyan. She hasn’t played any games tonight anyway.”
This suited the crowd’s taste perfectly. Everyone knew Qin Mingyan was usually either reading books or giving reports at school, she was like a cold learning machine. Where else would they get such an opportunity?
“Hurry up and make it up, or we won’t let you leave.”
“Right, right! The younger girl’s game can wait for someone else. I want to see the top student eat a cherry.”
“If you don’t want to perform, you two can split that row of drinks.”
“I want to see them share the cherry! Share the cherry!”
“You saw how it’s done when you walked in, right?” Amidst the clamor, Bo Liye asked Qin Mingyan in a low voice, “Do you know what to do?”
Qin Mingyan was clearly extremely uncomfortable in such a setting, but meeting Bo Liye’s gaze, she nodded and said, “I know.”
Bo Liye laughed, pressing a cherry into Qin Mingyan’s lips. She lightly scratched the back of Qin Mingyan’s hand and said in a light, ethereal tone, “Don’t move. If I accidentally kiss you, your reputation as an honor student is ruined.”
Qin Mingyan’s ears instantly turned red. She stared at Bo Liye intently, not moving a muscle.
Halfway through leaning in, Bo Liye felt that gaze was too scorching, so she commanded: “Close your eyes.”
Qin Mingyan obediently closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling violently.
In those split seconds, Bo Liye’s scent pressed in, carrying a faint smell of alcohol.
Qin Mingyan felt an outward pull on the cherry in her mouth. The surrounding noise fell silent, only to explode in another roar of cheers in the next second: “Why did you bite such a small piece? You two didn’t even touch!”
“Exactly! Bite a bigger piece and do it again!”
“Just once. The debt is settled. See you next time.” Ignoring the ruckus, Bo Liye greeted Xia Yiwen and pulled Qin Mingyan out of there.
After settling the bill at the front desk and walking out, the cool night breeze hit them. The alcohol she had just consumed, rather than being suppressed, surged to her head even more violently.
Bo Liye grabbed Qin Mingyan’s arm to stay steady, her vision was swimming with black spots.
When the dizziness passed, she urged Qin Mingyan: “Call a cab.”
Qin Mingyan immediately supported her: “Can you still stand?”
Bo Liye leaned against Qin Mingyan: “I’m okay. Hold onto me. How long for the car?”
Qin Mingyan took the opportunity to wrap her arm around Bo Liye’s waist and said, “Seven hundred meters. It’s at the next two traffic lights.”
The alcohol was hitting faster and faster. In just these few minutes, Bo Liye’s face had turned slightly pale: “It’s quite a way to your house. Remind me to transfer you the fare later.”
Qin Mingyan didn’t speak. The car finally arrived, and she helped Bo Liye into the back seat.
The night life hadn’t yet reached its peak dispersal time, so the roads were clear.
When they reached Huashui Alley, Qin Mingyan carried Bo Liye back on her back and helped her change her shoes.
Seeing Bo Liye unable to open her eyes, she leaned in and asked softly, “Why did you drink so much?”
“It tasted good.” Bo Liye smiled and opened her eyes, her phoenix eyes misty and shimmering. “Losers have to choose between drinking or the game. After watching them play all night, I’m still the one who came out on top.”
Qin Mingyan played along: “Mm, you came out on top.”
Bo Liye raised both hands, hooking them around Qin Mingyan’s neck, her lips curving into a continued smile: “When we left Feishi, I saw you secretly eat the cherry.”
“…You saw that?” Qin Mingyan’s voice was a bit hoarse.
“Yeah, I caught you doing something bad.” Bo Liye laughed triumphantly, her fingers moving downward, seemingly casually slipping into the collar of her shirt, while simultaneously kissing Qin Mingyan’s lips.
“When Xia Yiwen called you, do you know why I played along?”
After drinking, Bo Liye’s body was too hot. Qin Mingyan had been waiting for Bo Liye all night, and her adolescent body was like tinder, nearly catching fire at the slightest spark. She had to clench her jaw to keep from showing it. “Because Xia Yiwen is the birthday girl.”
Bo Liye giggled. “No. I did it on purpose because I wanted to punish you.”
She pulled Qin Mingyan down and flipped over to pin her, looking down and playfully swatting at her.
The wind from her palm brushed past, stopping at her chest.
Qin Mingyan arched her body in shame and indignation.
Bo Liye forcefully pressed Qin Mingyan back down, leaning in to bite: “Who told you to be so ‘acting on favor’ and keep trying to manage me lately? I have to punish you.”
Qin Mingyan’s heart seemed to sense something, beating faster and faster.
Bo Liye bit without any sense of moderation, gnawing on one spot without letting go. Yet it wasn’t pain; a more direct sensation was gradually stripping away Qin Mingyan’s reason.
Her breathing grew hotter. Just as she was about to become unable to bear it, Bo Liye suddenly stopped.
Her breathing became very light.
Qin Mingyan felt something was wrong. She gently pushed Bo Liye, only to find that she had fallen fast asleep.
Resigned, Qin Mingyan fetched a towel to wipe Bo Liye’s face, took off her coat, and tucked her into the blanket.
Only then did she go to the bathroom.
However, the “punishment” had only gone halfway. Her body, which had long since been “fed” and habituated, was far from satisfied.
Under the rush of cold water, images of Bo Liye, coupled with the heat in her body that refused to subside, unfolded one by one in her mind.
Whether it was the way she held the cherry in her mouth at Feishi, or every slight smile under the flickering lights, it all made Qin Mingyan incredibly restless.
Qin Mingyan turned off the shower and walked out, looking back at Bo Liye on the bed once again.