There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 23.1

After Qin Ke sat down, the applause in the multipurpose hall continued for a long while before stopping.

Meanwhile, Huo Jingyan behind the small podium had already come back to his senses. He gazed deeply at Qin Ke for a moment, then smiled and shifted his gaze away.

“It seems you have already decided on the class representative for me?” he said.

“Yes—”

The students in the multipurpose hall laughed in unison upon hearing this.

Huo Jingyan smiled and turned to the side, “Since that’s the case, the people’s choice—Qin Ke, right? The duty of class representative for ‘Art Appreciation’ for the coming semester will be entrusted to you.”

Qin Ke wasn’t surprised—this was the fundamental reason why she had explained the creative meaning behind Huo Jingyan’s painting.

Under Qin Yan’s jealous and reluctant gaze from the side, Qin Ke stood up, her voice soft and quiet, “Thank you, teacher.”

Behind the podium, Huo Jingyan didn’t look up. He just lowered his eyes, tidying up things on the desk, but a gentle smile could be heard in his voice.

“No need to be polite, Qin Ke. From now on, we’ll be helping each other.”

“…”

Qin Ke couldn’t help but laugh lightly.

Almost at the same time, she suddenly felt sensitively that a gaze, much stronger and more noticeable than Qin Yan’s, had landed on her.

Qin Ke, sensing something, turned her head in that direction.

She met a pair of dark, slightly deep eyes under a baseball cap.

The moment their gazes met, the smile on Qin Ke’s face paused slightly.

Seemingly noticing this subtle change in her expression, the boy in her line of sight suddenly smiled at her. At the same time, his hands, with long, fair, and distinct joints, crossed and slowly rose to press against his own neck.

Qin Ke’s posture visibly stiffened.

“Class dismissed,” Huo Jingyan spoke at this moment from the podium. Students began to stand up, some girls couldn’t resist going up to Huo Jingyan under the pretense of “asking questions” to get closer to him. The entire multipurpose hall began to grow chaotic and noisy.

In Qin Ke’s line of sight, Huo Jun’s figure was gradually submerged by the overlapping forms of numerous students.

Freed from the pressure of that smile and gaze, Qin Ke’s eyes finally relaxed, and she withdrew her gaze with a helpless expression.

“Ke Ke,” Gu Xinqing curiously left her back row and walked to Qin Ke’s side, “Brother Jun was looking at you just now, right?”

“…Mm.”

“That gesture he made,” Gu Xinqing recalled the scene she had just witnessed, and puzzled, imitated crossing her hands and pressing them against her collarbone. After doing it, she was even more confused, “What did that gesture mean?”

Qin Ke’s face inexplicably heated up.

She looked away, reached out to pull Gu Xinqing’s hands down, and said casually, “Nothing.”

“…There must be something.”

Gu Xinqing leaned in with a grin, “Could it be that in such a short time, you two already have your own private code? What does that hand gesture mean, a confession??”

Fearing Gu Xinqing’s wild guesses, Qin Ke hesitated for a few seconds before vaguely telling the truth.

“No, it’s more like… a warning.”

“A warning?”

Gu Xinqing was bewildered.

“Mm.”

“Brother Jun warning you? Warning about what?”

“…”

Qin Ke was silent for two seconds, then jokingly sighed.

“Beware of vicious dog, keep chain tight, avoid harming the innocent.”

Gu Xinqing: “?”

Gu Xinqing: “Hahahahaha— Ke Ke, you’re too funny! If Brother Jun knew you were talking about him like this behind his back, he’d be so angry!”

Qin Ke: “……”

—

So, the tendency to dig deeper, but ultimately refuse to believe the one sentence that represents the truth, this really must be some kind of human flaw.

Gu Xinqing had a peculiar sense of humor, and was doubled over with laughter at Qin Ke’s words. Qin Ke found it impossible to explain further to her, and could only let her treat it as a joke.

When the multipurpose hall was less crowded, Qin Ke looked again in the direction where Huo Jun had been, but the seat was now empty.

Glancing once more at Huo Jingyan on the podium, surrounded by layers of female students, Qin Ke could only sigh quietly, suppressing her inexplicable unease, and left the multipurpose hall with Gu Xinqing.

…

It took Huo Jingyan nearly fifteen more minutes to finally break free from the female students.

He stood alone on the podium, rolled up the backdrop behind him, and looked down at the hall—the multipurpose hall was now empty of students, the lights dimmed, not a soul in sight.

Huo Jingyan stood silently for two seconds, then pulled out his phone from his suit pocket, pressed the first default number, and dialed.

Moments later, the call connected.

On the other end was a steady middle-aged male voice, carrying the weight and natural authority that comes with years of experience—a presence familiar to Huo Jingyan and one he respected the most.

As soon as the call connected, Huo Jingyan spoke first. “Uncle, I saw Xiao Jun.”

“Mm.” The middle-aged man’s voice on the other end didn’t reveal much emotion, but Huo Jingyan had followed Huo Shengfeng for many years before going abroad—he could predict even the slightest change in the other’s emotions, often before Huo Shengfeng even expressed them, let alone now.

The suppressed concern and unspoken words in that emotion were more than just a little evident.

“You’ve just arrived in Qian City, settle yourself in first. Don’t rush with his matters.”

“It’s alright,” Huo Jingyan lowered his gaze. “Apart from being a bit resistant to my arrival, Xiao Jun seems to be doing well in every other aspect.”

Huo Shengfeng’s voice lowered, “That child has been spoiled by his mother… Ever since he learned about his background, he’s never harbored good feelings towards the Huo family and me. It’ll be troublesome for you this time.”

“Uncle, this is my duty,” Huo Jingyan put away the last stack of teaching materials. “I will bring him back to the Huo family. It’s what I should do.”

Huo Jingyan paused, then hesitantly asked, “But, are you sure you want him to assume Huo Zhonglou’s identity?”

“What, do you also think my decision is wrong?” Huo Shengfeng’s voice slightly deepened. “Huo Jun is still young, he doesn’t understand the importance of one’s background. Do you not understand either?”

“No, it’s just…”

Huo Shengfeng interrupted Huo Jingyan, “If he doesn’t have the status of the Huo family’s eldest son and is just an illegitimate child, he’ll be looked down upon in social circles for his entire life. To give him a legitimate identity as the rightful heir of the Huo family, I’ve been preparing since the moment he was born. And now, just because of his birth mother’s situation, he wants to disregard my years of effort and insist on choosing a difficult path?”

Huo Shengfeng snorted heavily on the other end of the phone, delivering his conclusion.

“I will never allow him to ruin his future like this.”

“…”

Huo Jingyan was silent for a few seconds, then spoke softly.

“I understand, Uncle. I’ll do my best to make XiaoJun understand your good intentions.”

On the other end of the phone, Huo Shengfeng pondered for a moment, his tone softening slightly.

“If Xiao Jun could be as sensible as you, Jingyan, I probably wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

Huo Jingyan: “One day, Xiao Jun will understand.”

“I hope so.” Huo Shengfeng sighed, then changed the subject, “What about that matter I asked you to investigate?”

“…”

Thinking of the girl called Qin Ke from today’s class, Huo Jingyan’s gaze flickered slightly.