There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 37.2

Huo Jun looked down at her.

In those finally calm black eyes, emotions were still unfathomably deep.

“I already am one.”

He repeated coldly and calmly, word by word. After saying this, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but Qin Ke wasn’t sure if it could be called a smile.

Because all she felt was coldness.

“Only you don’t think I am, right, Qin Ke? They all see it much more clearly than you do.”

“…”

Qin Ke finally came to her senses and spoke in a deep voice.

“I know you’re not!”

Huo Jun was stunned for a moment, then let out a light sneer.

He turned back with cold eyes, a hint of that just-faded gloomy emotion creeping back into his gaze.

Huo Jun leaned forward, placing one hand on the railing behind Qin Ke on the other side.

He had almost forced her to the edge before revealing a cold smile—

“Is it so hard to admit? When you saw me just now, didn’t you, like them, think you were seeing a complete madman?”

Qin Ke looked at him without avoiding his gaze, her eyes clear as if one could see right through them.

Huo Jun’s expression froze slightly, and a few seconds later he said harshly—

“Seeing me like that just now, wasn’t there even a bit of fear in your heart?!”

“No.”

Qin Ke answered almost immediately after he finished speaking.

The girl’s gaze didn’t waver at all. In Huo Jun’s stunned line of sight, she instead raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a soft smile.

“Not fearing so many people who mean me harm, but fearing the only one willing to go mad for me—Huo Jun, do you think the person you’ve liked all this time is an idiot?”

Huo Jun stared wide-eyed, unable to say a word for a long while.

Meanwhile, the smile in Qin Ke’s eyes deepened.

“Although I don’t need anyone to help me at any cost, I won’t lie to you. I have to admit, Huo Jun, seeing you willing to stand in front of me, I feel very fortunate.”

The smile in Qin Ke’s eyes slowly settled, turning into a deep, intent gaze.

She spoke softly, as if thanking the boy from her past life who had recklessly saved her, through the person in front of her—

“I might have forgotten to say… Meeting you is the greatest fortune in my unfortunate life, Huo Jun.”

Huo Jun was stunned.

In that moment, countless emotions rose and fell in his eyes, finally churning into the deepest ink color.

The young man’s eyelids lowered, his gaze falling on the girl’s soft lips that had just moved.

“…Really?”

He asked in a low, hoarse voice.

The most sensitive alarm in Qin Ke’s heart was triggered.

Judging from Huo Jun’s demeanor, it wasn’t hard to guess what consequences an affirmative answer would bring.

But facing this young man who smiled and told her “I’m already a monster,” Qin Ke couldn’t deny it.

So she heard herself sigh lightly in resignation.

“Yes, really.”

The young man silently curved his lips slightly.

A glimmer flashed in his pitch-black eyes as he leaned forward, one hand tightly gripping the railing.

Qin Ke held her breath nervously, almost resignedly closing her eyes.

—

“Ke Ke!”

A sudden shout broke the silence between them.

“…!”

Qin Ke’s eyes flew open, and she hurriedly moved to the side.

A flash of frustration and slight grimace passed through Huo Jun’s eyes.

Gu Xinqing, who had just reached the stairway after calling out, was completely oblivious. She waved her phone vigorously—

“The, the homeroom teacher is looking for you—says you need to go to the office, it’s urgent—you should hurry over!”

Qin Ke was startled, but not surprised.

“I understand.” She nodded, then looked hesitantly at Huo Jun, “You go back to class or home… or wherever, but don’t scare the second-year elite class students anymore.”

Huo Jun glanced at her coldly, his eyes carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.

Qin Ke felt helpless, feeling as if she was coaxing a large dog that had just retracted its claws.

“You don’t want to be taken in for intimidation, right? The second-year students are almost traumatized by you.”

“…”

After a few more seconds of silence, Huo Jun finally let out a low, muffled grunt.

He didn’t say anything more, just turned sideways with his hands in his pockets and went down the stairs ahead of Qin Ke.

Watching Huo Jun’s figure disappear, Gu Xinqing gave Qin Ke a thumbs up in admiration.

“Ke Ke, from now on I won’t call you Ke Ke anymore. How about calling you the Dragon Tamer?”

“…”

Qin Ke laughed helplessly and pointed at her from afar.

“I’m not joking with you anymore, I need to hurry to see Teacher Song.”

“Mm, okay.”

****

When Qin Ke rushed to Song Qisheng’s office, she also saw Huo Jingyan, who had arrived at some unknown time.

Qin Ke looked at him awkwardly and guiltily.

“I’m sorry, Teacher Huo, for causing you trouble.”

Huo Jingyan, who was talking quietly with Song Qisheng, smiled bitterly when he heard this.

“How do you know I’m not the one causing you trouble?”

Qin Ke: “You’re new to Qiancheng, and it’s your first time at Qiande High School. There shouldn’t be many people wanting to scheme against you…”

“Mm, it’s indeed not aimed at Teacher Huo.”

Song Qisheng interjected.

Qin Ke was stunned and quickly turned to look at him, “Teacher Song, do you know who did it?”

“The student who did this was foolish, probably thinking there were no cameras at the bulletin board. There’s one hidden by a tree, though half of it was blocked by leaves. But at six in the morning, very few people would pass by the other half of that camera’s view.”

As Song Qisheng spoke, he pushed a student information form to the edge of the desk.

Qin Ke hurriedly stepped forward.

She picked up the form and quickly scanned the name and photo sections.

Upon seeing it clearly, she was stunned for a moment.

—

It wasn’t that she was particularly familiar with this person. On the contrary, she could hardly find any impression related to this person in her memory.

But it felt vaguely familiar…

Song Qisheng, seeing her reaction, asked curiously. “You don’t know him?”

“…”

Qin Ke shook her head.

She looked at Song Qisheng, then paused under his slightly strange gaze, “Should I know him?”

Song Qisheng and Huo Jingyan, who was standing nearby, exchanged a glance before he said helplessly.

“Back in junior high, he was in the same class as you. He was also a photographer for the school magazine—he probably saw you and Teacher Huo when he went to the art plaza to take photos for the bulletin board assignment. That’s why he took those pictures.”

“…”

Qin Ke’s expression became awkward.

Having returned to this life after the high school entrance exam, she naturally had no impression of her junior high classmates, but…

“School magazine photographer?”

Qin Ke was stunned, suddenly finding a few fragmented pieces from her past life’s memory ocean. A few seconds later, she realized—

“He’s the one who…”

“You can even forget someone who publicly confessed to you,” Huo Jingyan joked, feigning casualness. “Qin Ke, you were right just now—this incident is indeed due to your poor memory implicating me.”

Qin Ke had already realized.

Huo Jingyan was right. This person had left an impression on her in her past life’s junior high—because he had once confessed to her with several secretly taken photos of her.

At that time, Qin Ke hadn’t yet encountered “experts” like Huo Jun or Huo Zhonglou, and was terrified by this boy.

If she remembered correctly, she had even taken the photos to the homeroom teacher, asking them to definitely change her seat away from that person.

It seems this was because of that…

Qin Ke came back to her senses and smiled bitterly.

“I was too young then and didn’t handle it properly.”

“?” Song Qisheng looked at her strangely, “Wasn’t it just a year ago?”

Qin Ke smiled and made a joke to cover it up, “I’ve grown so much since entering high school, it feels like a lifetime ago.”

Song Qisheng was quite tolerant of his prized student, and even though he was usually serious, he laughed along this time.

Then he became serious, “For the sake of your reputation, this matter has already been submitted to the school publicity department. He will be immediately reported and criticized, and advised to withdraw for bearing the consequences of malicious slander.”

After saying this, Song Qisheng glanced at his watch, “Hmm, the broadcast in the classrooms should be over by now.”

Qin Ke’s eyes softened, and she nodded.

“Thank you, Teacher Song—”

Her movement suddenly stopped.

A few seconds later, Qin Ke quickly looked up, “It’s already been reported!?”

Song Qisheng was startled by her, “What’s wrong? Can’t it be reported? Don’t be soft-hearted, Qin Ke. Do you know how serious this matter actually is? It’s only because Teacher Huo handled it quickly. Otherwise, if it had constituted actual slander, do you know it could have had terrifying consequences that could directly ruin you?”

Qin Ke didn’t have time to listen to Song Qisheng’s lecture.

She bit her lip, only able to pray in her heart that Huo Jun had already left the school.

“Teacher Song, thank you. If there’s nothing else, I’ll—”

Qin Ke’s accelerating speech was interrupted by a sudden phone ring.

“I’ll answer this call first.”

Song Qisheng spoke.

He picked up the phone, and after just two sentences, his expression suddenly changed.

The next second, he hung up the phone and looked at Huo Jingyan with an ashen face—

“It’s bad! They say Huo Jun has taken that boy to the rooftop!”

“…!”

Qin Ke and Huo Jingyan exchanged a glance, their expressions changing simultaneously as they turned and ran out.

Two minutes later.

Qin Ke and Huo Jingyan, out of breath, ran to the top floor of the teaching building where the first-year regular classes were located.

Inside and outside the rooftop door, more than half of the students from that class, who had been frightened earlier when Huo Jun suddenly barged in and dragged that boy out by his collar, were now peering around.

Qin Ke was the first to rush out onto the rooftop.

As soon as she stopped, her pupils suddenly constricted.

—

Right in the center of her vision, Huo Jun, with a ferocious expression, was grabbing the boy’s collar, looking as if he was about to push him off the low wall of the rooftop!

Qin Ke opened her mouth to shout.

At that moment, Huo Jingyan’s furious voice sounded behind her.

“—Huo Zhonglou!”