There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 39.2

He frowned at Huo Jun.

“What do you plan to do with Qin Ke then?”

Huo Jun’s gaze flickered. At first he said nothing, but seeing Huo Jingyan’s look that he wouldn’t leave without an answer, he coldly looked over.

“None of your damn business.”

“…” Huo Jingyan was silent for two seconds, “Kidnapping is illegal, I don’t need to remind you of that, right?”

Huo Jun: “I won’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do.”

Looking at Huo Jun’s expression, Huo Jingyan’s gaze shifted.

A few seconds later, he lowered his head.

“You still have your father’s blood running through your veins. In some ways, you two are very similar.”

The temperature in Huo Jun’s eyes dropped to its lowest.

“What are you trying to say?”

Huo Jingyan raised his eyes,

“Qin Ke is a promising student. Don’t ruin her.”

Huo Jun laughed coldly.

“I cherish her ten thousand times more than you or anyone else.”

Huo Jingyan fell silent.

This, he believed – it was probably also the biggest difference between Huo Jun and his father.

“Qin Ke is my student. I’ll be watching you, no matter where I am.”

With that, Huo Jingyan walked out.

****

Seeing Huo Jingyan stop beside her, Qin Ke slowly regained her senses.

She looked up at Huo Jingyan.

“Teacher Huo, will you still come for the art appreciation class this weekend?”

Huo Jingyan smiled apologetically.

“I’m afraid not. I’ll submit my resignation to the school by tomorrow at the latest, and make a school-wide announcement with some self-reflection…”

He frowned slightly, joking, “I might also threaten them a bit, like saying if anyone spreads false rumors again, I’ll have my lawyer send them a notice.”

Qin Ke knew this was all for her sake, and felt guilty.

“Teacher Huo, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You haven’t wronged anyone.”

Hearing her words, Huo Jingyan was visibly displeased.

“What fault does a victim have? Not being invincible like Superman – so now it’s the victim’s fault for being hurt?”

“But you’re being forced to resign because of me.”

“It’s not because of you. It’s because of that student who maliciously spread rumors. He should have been disciplined too, that’s enough.” Huo Jingyan softened his tone, “Besides, I’ve actually achieved half my purpose in coming here, thanks to you.”

Qin Ke was stunned, looking up at Huo Jingyan in confusion.

“What… half?”

Huo Jingyan smiled.

“That’s a secret.”

Qin Ke looked at him helplessly.

Huo Jingyan: “Alright, you can be considered my star pupil – though old Song snatched you midway. I’m glad to have had a student like you. Let’s say goodbye for now.”

Huo Jingyan gestured behind him meaningfully.

“Besides, I have a feeling I’ll see you again because of a certain someone.”

Qin Ke didn’t have time to argue, hurriedly trying to stop Huo Jingyan from leaving –

“Teacher Huo, wait a moment.”

“Mm, anything else?”

“…I want to ask you a question.” Qin Ke hesitated, then gritted her teeth and looked up to ask directly, “You have a girlfriend, right?”

Huo Jingyan was stunned.

He was clearly a bit surprised, but didn’t try to hide it and nodded.

“Yes, I do.”

Qin Ke: “Then I boldly guess, you’re in a cold war period now?”

“?” Huo Jingyan was even more surprised, “How do you know?”

Qin Ke vaguely explained. “De-deductive reasoning, like how you’ve never had an intimate phone call with her, during the entire day of the art gallery exhibition I didn’t see you two communicate, and you don’t have any signs of having been intimate with someone…”

After hearing Qin Ke’s rambling, Huo Jingyan smiled.

“Looks like you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan?”

Qin Ke felt awkward inside and quickly changed the topic.

“I remember this weekend is your birthday.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Qin Ke nodded, taking two tickets out of her pocket and handing them to Huo Jingyan.

“This, I hope you can accept it.”

Huo Jingyan was stunned, but still reached out to take them, curiously looking at them while asking, “What’s this?”

“Two tickets for a concert, on the afternoon of your birthday.” Qin Ke took a light breath, “I hope you’ll definitely bring your girlfriend.”

Huo Jingyan was stunned.

After two or three seconds he came back to his senses, “This isn’t right, you’re still a student—these concert tickets must be very expensive, I can’t accept such a birthday gift.”

But Qin Ke looked at him determinedly.

“Teacher Huo, you’re the teacher I respect the most—actually, I knew you even earlier, I know you’re the painter ‘One Word’. You may not know, but your paintings were once the hope that kept me going… So even before you came to Qiande High School, you were already a teacher to me.”

Huo Jingyan stared at Qin Ke in shock.

“Qin Ke, you…”

“So please, you must accept it.”

Qin Ke stepped back and bowed to Huo Jingyan.

Remembering the guilt and remorse that flashed in Huo Jingyan’s eyes every time he mentioned his birthday in her previous life, Qin Ke tightly clenched her fingertips and said softly,

“Please also let your student be willful this once. If you and your girlfriend can’t attend, it will become a lifelong regret for your student.”

After saying this, Qin Ke didn’t give Huo Jingyan any room to argue, straightened up, and ran away.

Huo Jingyan stood there for a while, only able to smile bitterly at the two tickets.

A moment later, he put the concert tickets in his pocket and turned to go downstairs.

After Huo Jingyan’s footsteps disappeared at the stairwell.

At the corner facing the long corridor, Qin Ke’s figure reappeared.

She slowly let out a sigh of relief.

—

Judging from Huo Jingyan’s reaction, he should have agreed.

On the day of the concert, as long as they show up, she would definitely hold those two people back, only letting them go after the time Huo Jingyan had mentioned the accident would happen.

And if they don’t show up, she would have to resort to her original, most reluctant method…

Qin Ke was lost in thought, not noticing a long shadow suddenly cast by the sunlight from the window in front of her.

By the time she noticed and looked up, it was too late to run.

—

Huo Jun looked down at her with narrowed eyes.

The young man’s gaze and expression were almost cold.

She seemed to have never seen Huo Jun look at her like this before.

…Huo Zhonglou had once, though.

Here’s a translation of the continuation:

In her previous life, after that person misunderstood her to have some unspeakable affair with Huo Jingyan.

Thanks to this experience, Qin Ke immediately understood Huo Jun’s current thoughts.

She sighed inwardly.

The young man in front of her had already spoken—

“How much do you like him, Qin Ke? Do you have to see him bring his girlfriend in front of you to give up?”

Qin Ke lowered her eyes, not looking at him.

“I only admire Teacher Huo, I have no other feelings. You don’t need to make baseless speculations.”

“If that’s all, why did you give concert tickets as a gift, and why insist he bring his girlfriend?”

Qin Ke: “…”

Good questions.

All things she couldn’t answer.

Qin Ke’s silence naturally angered Huo Jun. He lowered his brows and eyes and suddenly stepped forward.

Qin Ke, who had been instinctively on guard due to mixing Huo Zhonglou’s identity with the young man before her, almost reflexively reacted—

The girl, as if frightened, hurriedly stepped back, leaning against the wall.

Huo Jun’s pupils contracted sharply.

Qin Ke seemed to feel the temperature around the young man drop by ten degrees.

The air was silent, almost deathly quiet.

After a long while, Qin Ke heard Huo Jun laugh very lightly, but the coldness in that sound seemed to pierce into her bones.

“A few hours ago, you said you wouldn’t be afraid of me… Qin Ke.”

That cold-toned breath slowly pressed down, approaching, as if about to touch Qin Ke’s ear.

“Was it you lying then, or are you putting on an act for me now?”

“…”

“In your eyes, have I always been like an idiot, no matter how you play with me, how sometimes distant, sometimes close you are, I just go along with it?”

“……”

Hearing this, Qin Ke was reminded of those nightmarish memories from her previous life. She clenched her fists and suddenly looked up, staring intently at Huo Jun.

“I’m never sometimes distant, sometimes close with you!”

Huo Jun looked down at her, his eyes black.

A moment later, he smiled coldly, “Right, I was presumptuous. You were just giving me a little pity, how did I—” His voice suddenly sank, almost hoarse, each remaining word seemed to be squeezed out between his teeth. “How did I just happen to take it as a response?”

“…”

Qin Ke’s gaze contracted, pierced by the pain in the young man’s eyes.

She instinctively avoided his gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, she said softly. “Too much has happened today, Huo Jun. We should all calm down and think carefully…..You probably have a lot to deal with after this week, let’s talk later.”

After speaking, Qin Ke walked through the gap between the young man’s body and the wall.

All was quiet behind her until she reached the stairwell.

Just as she was about to turn and go downstairs, that low, hoarse young voice came back—

“It’s always been only you who needs to consider and choose.”

“…”

Qin Ke was stunned. She turned her head to look back.

However, the young man had already turned and left as his words fell.

****

Saturday.

Qian City Central Park Concert Hall.

Half an hour before the concert started, the audience entrance to the concert hall was opened, and scattered audience members gradually walked in.

Most of the entering audience were adult couples, and they were formally dressed—which made a young man wearing only a T-shirt and trousers particularly eye-catching.

Moreover, that young man had a strikingly handsome, pale face that was hard to forget.

The scattered seated audience watched his figure walk straight into the hall, stopping next to a security guard not far from the entrance.

The two seemed to exchange a few low words. After initially showing a slightly disapproving expression, the security guard quickly turned almost fawningly respectful.

After the security guard repeatedly nodded and responded, the young man’s thin lips curved slightly, smiling with a hint of coldness as he walked towards the middle rows.

—

It was a VIP area with double sofa seats, offering very good privacy.

A few seconds later, he sat down in the seat at the very edge.