The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
Chi Ning was baffled.
If Qin Heng was feeling hot, why didn’t he take off his clothes?
As he pondered, he suddenly felt an itch at the corner of his lips and rubbed it with the back of his hand.
The soft, damp sensation made his thoughts stutter.
He knew what his forehead had just brushed against!
It was Qin Heng’s lips!
Mo Yuanzhou clicked his tongue inwardly. My student is only 16! That Qin Heng kid looks all proper, but he’s actually sharp as a tack. Who knows if that was intentional just now? If it was, how many layers of scheming did it take to pull that off?
Can Chi Ning even handle him?
Mo Yuanzhou set down his cue: "Ning, I have something to attend to later, so I'll be leaving now. Help me with my things—I'll go start the car first."
"Okay." Chi Ning was more than happy to escape the suffocating atmosphere. Eagerly carrying Mo Yuanzhou's briefcase, he escorted him to the parking lot and stood there watching for five minutes, unwilling to return even after the car's taillights had long disappeared.
Inside the billiards hall, Qin Heng checked his watch three times in five minutes.
Why was it taking so long just to see someone off?
Frowning, he said to Xu Jiahao, "I'll go check outside." Chi Ning had a soft heart—who knew if he'd been tricked again by some pitiful schemer.
Just as Qin Heng lifted the PVC curtain at the entrance, he heard a loud, cheerful voice from not far away: "Chi Ning!"
An arm was waving across the street like a flagpole.
The moment the traffic light turned green, the owner of that arm rushed up to Chi Ning.
It was Gu Zhe. He wasn't wearing his student uniform but had changed into a punk-rock leather jacket, with an electric guitar slung across his back and a bright smile on his face. "Chi Ning, long time no see—it's been two months!"
"Long time no see." Chi Ning eyed his shiny studded leather pants with hesitation. "Did... something happen to you?"
"Not at all! I've always loved rock. Now I'm the lead guitarist and vocalist for our university band!"
Gu Zhe pulled out a concert ticket and handed it over. "I'm a student at the College of Pop Music. I've been preparing for this concert these past two months. Honestly, I never liked that Japanese-style student uniform."
Chi Ning stared at the spray-painted concert ticket, his mind drifting back to the sweet, teary-eyed "white lotus" who had sobbed in his arms two months ago.
Was the music and entertainment scene in 2001 really this... eclectic? Or should he say, versatile?
"And I owe you thanks."
Gu Zhe was shy and bashful, stealing glances at Chi Ning. "Those people really did spread rumors about me on the school forum. Luckily, you warned me to check the surveillance footage. I copied it onto a USB and posted it on the forum—totally shut them up!"
Chi Ning: "Oh? Oh..."
Gu Zhe lowered his head. "You're so smart. If I hadn't met you, I might've had to ask my dad to transfer me to another school."
Chi Ning fell silent, feeling the concert ticket in his hand grow uncomfortably warm.
What was this little "love brain" up to?
Why did this feel... off?
"You'll come to my concert, right?" Gu Zhe's eyes were full of hope.
Chi Ning sighed. "Sorry. I won't be going."
Gu Zhe pressed his lips together. "Why not?"
Chi Ning handed the ticket back. "I wouldn't understand the music. It'd just be a waste."
Gu Zhe knew this was a rejection.
He reached up to fiddle with his hair with his expression pained. "I know you like someone else, but have you ever considered... that the person you like might not like you back?"
Chi Ning: ?
Huh? Who do I like?
Qin Heng, who is eavesdropping: ?
Xu Jiahao, who had also come to eavesdrop when Qin Heng didn't return: ?
"What's with the instigation?" Xu Jiahao commented.
Qin Heng turned to him. "Do you know who Chi Ning likes?"
Xu Jiahao: You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?
Isn't it you? Isn't it obvious?
The evening breeze was cool.
Gu Zhe cleared his throat, his logic sharp. "First, there's too big a gap in your social statuses."
Qin Heng's expression darkened instantly and his hand gripped the fiddle-leaf fig plant by the entrance until the poor greenery creaked under the strain.
Gu Zhe continued, "Second, ethically speaking, it's just not appropriate."
Xu Jiahao didn't catch the second half of the sentence, "Are you and Young Master Chi related by blood?"
Qin Heng shook his head, loosening his grip on the fiddle-leaf fig.
"Age is another issue. He's already working while you're still in high school," Gu Zhe counted off the points on his fingers.
Xu Jiahao looked at him with pity.
Did this kid think Qin Heng had dropped out of school?
When Gu Zhe reached his third point, he concluded decisively, "Lastly, he left without a second thought! You've been standing here watching him leave for so long, yet he doesn't even know you're reluctant to see him go."
Xu Jiahao: "..."
Qin Heng: "..."
Chi Ning understood now.
Gu Zhe thought he had feelings for Mo Yuanzhou.
This silly kid...
How could his intelligence be so lacking?
"You've misunderstood. I don't have feelings for my teacher."
Gu Zhe didn't believe him, "If not him, then who? Unless you give me a specific name, you have to come to my concert."
Chi Ning sighed and returned the ticket to Gu Zhe's hand as his ears turned red as he explained, "Our... numbers don't match..."
Gu Zhe's ears reddened too as he clutched the ticket and kept watching Chi Ning's retreating figure heading toward the billiards hall.
A kawaii 1 is still a 1 after all…
He wanted to chase after him but suddenly met a pair of eyes hidden in the darkness.
Qin Heng stood in the shadows beyond the billiards hall's doorway light, like a pool of thick ink.
Gu Zhe took a frightened step back, feeling as if he'd locked eyes with a dragon from the abyss.
Those eyes were pitch-black, sharp and devoid of emotion, and carrying an unmistakable hostility. He instinctively averted his gaze.
Qin Heng walked slowly toward Gu Zhe. "Is your affection so easily given?"
Gu Zhe froze.
Qin Heng scoffed. "What do you think love is? Do you know what Chi Ning likes to eat? Do you know what he’s doing right now? Do you know what kind of difficulties he’s facing? Do you know what kind of help he needs?"
Gu Zhe’s lips parted slightly, stubbornly resisting. "And you do?"
Qin Heng: "Of course I do. But you—you only share yourself, leaning toward self-satisfaction. What can you actually give him?"
Gu Zhe retorted, "And you can?" He seemed to find his footing. "You haven’t even confessed your feelings, while I at least have the guts to pursue him."
Qin Heng said softly, "Maybe you just like his face and personality. If that combination were on someone else, you’d fall for them instead."
Gu Zhe fell silent. He couldn’t refute it because Qin Heng was right. He clenched his jaw. "Then what about you? Are your feelings genuine?"
Qin Heng went quiet.
Two months ago, while having a meal with Chi Ning, he had noticed something unusual about himself.
For the past two months, he had tried to suppress thoughts of Chi Ning, drowning himself in work to maintain distance between them.
His upbringing and experiences had shaped him into someone ruthless, with a terrible personality, a habitual liar, controlling, fiercely territorial, and possessive.
He would never be a suitable partner.
And Chi Ning wasn’t even an adult yet—obedient, clever, sweet, and honest. They were nothing alike. He shouldn’t indulge his feelings.
But all those decisions and efforts had crumbled the moment he saw Chi Ning today.
Affection wasn’t something that could be turned on and off at will.
The mere thought of Chi Ning possibly being with someone else in the future made Qin Heng restless and jealousy gnawed at him uncontrollably.
Gu Zhe, as if seizing an advantage, lifted his chin smugly. "Well? Say it then. What, too scared to admit it?"
Qin Heng thought of how he had eavesdropped earlier and feared Chi Ning might do the same.
Uncertain of Chi Ning’s feelings and afraid they might not even remain friends, he answered ambiguously, "Who I like is none of your business."
Gu Zhe snorted.
Coward. Just wait and see how I’ll make things difficult for you later!
As Qin Heng watched Gu Zhe walk away, a chibi-style wolf popped into his mind.
Its lips moved, chattering, "Even if Chi Ning likes you, he only likes the version of you that you’ve fabricated. You’ve hidden yourself so well—he has no idea how terrible your true nature is."
His breathing grew ragged. What if Chi Ning really fell for the half-fabricated Qin Heng? Would he have to keep up the act forever?
The thought clung to him like a parasite, unsettling him the moment it surfaced.
Maybe he should peel back a layer of himself and let Chi Ning see a little more?
Qin Heng lifted the curtain and stepped into the billiards hall. There, he saw a boy in Hongnan International High School’s uniform standing in front of Chi Ning.
He paused before instinctively studying Chi Ning’s expression.
Chi Ning swept his gaze over the youthful yet hypocritical face before him, his tone indifferent. "Shen Minyi, what are you doing here?"
He rubbed his temple. "Given our relationship, isn’t it inappropriate for us to meet privately?"
Shen Minyi said, "What does the conflict between the adults have to do with us?" He took a seat on the sofa beside Chi Ning.
"We both competed in the provincial tournament and were supposed to go to the national competition together. Why didn't you go? Why choose to wallow in degradation like your elder brother?"
Chi Ning tugged at the corner of his mouth and glanced toward Qin Heng who had just entered.
Shen Minyi followed his gaze and sneered, "One takes the behavior of one's company. You've really learned bad habits from others."
He pulled out the first-place gold medal from the national competition from his pocket and placed it beside Chi Ning's hand. "This should have been yours."
Qin Heng could barely control his thoughts—if only he could hide Chi Ning away. Damn it, everyone coveted Chi Ning, yet Chi Ning remained completely oblivious! Shen Minyi was no ordinary opponent, not like Gu Zhe at all.
Chi Ning glanced at the medal, his peripheral vision catching sight of Qin Heng's leather shoes. He looked up and met those deep, penetrating eyes.
For a moment, Chi Ning froze, then reflexively smiled at Qin Heng. "What's wrong?"
His tone was gentle, entirely different from how he had spoken to Shen Minyi moments ago.
Shen Minyi clenched his fist tightly at his side.
Qin Heng smiled, raised his hand, and brushed aside the strands of hair falling over Chi Ning's eyes, revealing those starry, brilliant orbs. His fingers hovered just below Chi Ning's eyes.
Chi Ning felt the knuckles lightly graze his cheek.
Chi Ning: ?
Qin Heng pulled out the gold medal he hadn't had the chance to retrieve from his pocket, untied the dark green ribbon, and draped it around Chi Ning's neck. "This one—I earned it with my own skills."
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