There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 3.1

The bar was dim, and the loud music eventually became numbing. Qin Ke hadn’t slept well for several days due to preparing for the high school entrance exam, and she soon felt drowsy while sitting on the piano stool.

Her rationality didn’t last long, and she fell asleep on the piano cover.

Qin Ke had a dream.

In the dream, she was alone in a large, empty bedroom, everything in sight was red.

She remembered this night.

The old house of the Huo family. The wedding of Huo Zhonglou and Qin Yan. Qin Yan was scared by the disfigured Huo Zhonglou and ran away from the wedding overnight. Qin Ke’s parents knelt on the ground, crying and begging Qin Ke to replace Qin Yan.

She agreed.

Qin Ke was panicked in her heart, wanting to pull the girl on the bed, telling her to run away, to get far away, not to be deceived and harmed by this family again.

However, in the next instant, the scene before her eyes flashed.

On the soft big bed, the girl had already been pinned by the wrist by the man in that soft, muddy, bright red.

[…Why is it you!?]

The man’s voice was hoarse, carrying the broken, unpleasant residual sound like a burnt-out instrument. His face looked like it had been burnt by fire, hideous and terrifying.

Qin Ke couldn’t stop it, her consciousness seemed to be floating in mid-air, she could only watch the girl on the wedding bed biting her teeth and holding back her tears. 

[It…was always…me…]

[Did you volunteer?]

Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a kind of pain that Qin Ke couldn’t understand, as if it was heart-wrenching.

Qin Ke’s consciousness was a bit blurred.

So back then, that man had also asked her this? She probably had been scared silly at that time and didn’t remember at all.

And in the dream, that person still whispered hoarsely,

[If I had known earlier, I shouldn’t have—]

Qin Ke was startled.

“…Miss? This Miss??”

A sudden sound by her ear pulled Qin Ke out of her dream, and the noisy music instantly brought her back to reality.

Qin Ke woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up abruptly.

But her consciousness was still stuck on the unfinished sentence of the man in her dream—

Shouldn’t?

What did Huo Zhonglou say he shouldn’t have done?

Qin Ke’s face turned pale, but she couldn’t remember no matter how hard she tried.

The waiter in front of her seemed to be startled by her sudden reaction, and after regaining his senses, he hurriedly spoke respectfully.

“Miss, I’m sorry to disturb you. However, Young Master Huo has spoken, inviting you to sit over there.”

“…!”

Still shocked by Huo Zhonglou in her dream, as soon as she heard that surname, Qin Ke instinctively stiffened, “Young Master Huo? Who?”

The waiter was taken aback, looked at Qin Ke, and only confirmed that she was not pretending not to know, he said somewhat helplessly, “Huo Jun, Young Master Huo. This Hell bar is under his name, and the piano stool you are sitting on is his exclusive seat.”

“…”

Upon hearing the two words “Huo Jun”, Qin Ke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the innocent and pure look of the girl, the waiter couldn’t help but feel a bit of compassion, and added in a low voice.

“Young Master Huo doesn’t like others touching his things, calling you over, it should also be for the matter of this piano.”

“Thank you.” Qin Ke nodded lightly at him, “Please lead the way.”

Hearing Qin Ke agree so readily, the waiter was stunned for a moment, but in the end, he turned around and led the way.

“Miss, please follow me.”

Following the waiter walking along the dim dance floor, Qin Ke slowly clenched her fingertips.

——

There were only three years left until she turned 19.

She didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, she could only avoid Huo Zhonglou, who loved her obsessively and crazily.

From the Qin family, she would take back everything that should belong to her; as for Huo Jun, she would avoid disaster for him tonight, which could be considered as repaying the favor of being saved, and she could let go of the regret of not being able to see him for the third time in her previous life…

The waiter in front suddenly stopped, and Qin Ke followed suit.

She instinctively looked up, her gaze directly hitting the man in the circular sofa above the stairs, who was slowly setting down his long legs and thin boots from the crystal table.

Huo Jun.

“Young Master Huo, this Miss has been invited over.”

The waiter bowed respectfully and stepped aside.

There was no longer any obstacle between Qin Ke and the young man on the stairs.

The beautiful knuckles holding the wine glass paused.

A few seconds later, Huo Jun, who was bonelessly leaning on the sofa, slowly straightened up and leaned forward.

The elbow of the arm that rolled up the sleeve propped on the straight leg that stepped on the ground. On that face that originally seemed to be overflowing with impatience and indifference, the corner of his mouth suddenly hooked up lightly.

“Just come over when asked, why are you so obedient?”

Qin Ke was taken aback, and looked up.

She caught a glimpse of a familiar emotion flashing in those pitch-black eyes.

Qin Ke suddenly shivered for no reason.

“Hey, don’t, Young Master Huo.” On the sofa, Wei Sheng’s eyes rolled, laughing and playing peacemaker, “Why are you so fierce to our little sister?”

“Who is your sister?” Huo Jun gave him a cold glance.

“…” Wei Sheng rolled his eyes, “Alright, alright, not mine, yours, your sister, okay?”

He turned back and looked at Qin Ke.

“Qin Ke, right? Come, come up and sit, don’t mind him. Young Master Huo is just like this, like a madman.”

His voice trailed off, half mumbling, obviously a bit wary.

Qin Ke stepped onto the stage, frowning in her heart.

He was right, Huo Jun really was like a madman—she could feel it, this man was actually angry because she was obedient.

She would repay the favor and leave, not staying a minute longer. And definitely not have any entanglement with him.

Qin Ke made up her mind.

She relaxed a little, her gaze sweeping across the circular sofa. It wasn’t until she met a pair of very complicated eyes that Qin Ke unexpectedly stopped.

“Qin Yan?”

Now it was the others’ turn to be stunned.

Wei Sheng: “You know each other??”

Qin Yan concealed the jealousy in her heart, smiling in a friendly and kind manner, “She is my sister.”

As she spoke, Qin Yan waved at Qin Ke.

“Xiao Ke, come sit here.” She patted the empty spot next to her on the sofa—coincidentally, it was far away from Huo Jun.

Qin Ke’s gaze flickered slightly.

She could already see through Qin Yan’s little pretense of being clever at this moment.