There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 51.2

In the car heading to the airport.

Qin Ke looked helplessly at the gloomy-eyed young man beside her, “Are you still angry about what happened just now?”

Huo Jun: “Which thing from just now?”

Qin Ke: “…”

This meant there was more than one thing.

Qin Ke thought for a moment, then tentatively spoke. “For example… when I didn’t let you say your own name?”

“…”

At the mention of this, annoyance flashed in Huo Jun’s eyes.

He turned his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile. “In the end, you only want my position in the Huo family, and only as the legitimate heir. Does being an illegitimate child make you feel… humiliated?”

As the young man’s words trailed off, his own gaze flickered uncertainly.

It seemed he had spoken a bit harshly.

As Huo Jun was seriously considering whether to play the pity card to get away with it, he suddenly heard the girl laugh lightly.

“So you’ve learned to throw tantrums at me now, Huo Jun?”

“…”

The young man, whose thoughts were suddenly exposed, froze for a second before tensing his gaze, still maintaining his previous demeanor. “Am I wrong?”

Qin Ke rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and then actually nodded. “Hmm, it does seem correct.”

“—!”

Huo Jun suddenly paused. A few seconds later, dark emotions swirled in his eyes, and almost simultaneously, he leaned forward, pressing the girl into the leather seat.

“Qin. Ke!”

He gritted his teeth in anger.

But the girl pinned beneath him still smiled, not at all afraid of his fierce appearance. “You’re the one who first threw a tantrum about this, how is it that you can say it, but I can’t?”

“…”

Huo Jun was so angry at the girl’s words that he couldn’t speak, yet he couldn’t really do anything to her.

So after a few seconds of stalemate, the young man just lowered his head and bit the girl’s mouth as if venting his frustration. However, when he raised his head again, the look in his eyes had changed somewhat.

It was no longer the previous anger; deeper emotions surfaced from the darkness in his eyes. His movements became gentler, his eyes focusing once again on the girl’s glossy lips.

Sensing danger, Qin Ke raised her hand to cover her mouth.

At the same time, she tried her best to steer the conversation back to a serious direction: “Why did you suddenly come to the provincial capital?”

“…”

Huo Jun slowly suppressed those emotions in his eyes. He took a deep breath and sat back, though his hand still held the girl’s delicate white hand, playing with it in his palm, unwilling to let go.

“Isn’t it because you won’t tell me anything?” The young man’s tone was a bit dangerous.

Qin Ke sighed. “The reason I won’t tell you is because if you knew, you’d go crazy like today, isn’t it?”

“……”

Huo Jun knew she had a point.

The car was quiet for a long time before Qin Ke heard Huo Jun speak again. “Don’t come back after this.”

“…” Qin Ke turned to look at him, but wasn’t surprised.

Huo Jun: “With people like Song Qingzhuo investing in the show, I’m not comfortable with you being here.”

Qin Ke was silent for two seconds.

“Okay.”

“…..”

This time it was Huo Jun’s turn to be surprised. He looked up at Qin Ke with a bit of astonishment, clearly not expecting the usually independent girl to be so “obedient” on this matter.

Seeming to sense his surprise, Qin Ke turned her gaze to him, “I’m not in a rebellious phase. I’ll agree to all reasonable requests—like this time, I don’t want to worry you anymore either.”

Huo Jun silently gazed at her.

A few seconds later, the young man suddenly spoke. “Come with me to Sijiu City.”

Qin Ke was taken aback.

She then frowned slightly, “That, for instance, is an unreasonable request.”

Huo Jun: “There are better educational conditions there, and more room for growth—that’s the place truly suitable for you.”

Qin Ke sighed.

“Of course I know all that. But the economic ability needed to live and study there is something I can’t afford right now.”

Before Huo Jun could speak, Qin Ke looked at him with a hint of warning, “Don’t say things you shouldn’t—we agreed on this.”

Huo Jun fixed his gaze on her.

“I won’t give you money, the Huo family will lend it to you.”

Qin Ke was stunned: “?”

Huo Jun: “I’ve considered it on the way here—let’s both compromise. I’ll have the Huo family cover all your expenses during your studies under the name of sponsorship—this is already one of the Huo family’s talent cultivation projects, so you don’t need to worry. After you graduate, as a condition of the sponsorship, you can choose to work for a Huo family enterprise, or you can choose free employment and repay in installments.”

While Qin Ke was still processing Huo Jun’s words, he had already taken her hand and placed light kisses on it.

The young man lowered his eyes, his voice low and slightly hoarse.

“Otherwise, I won’t be able to bear being apart from you for so long, Qin Qin.”

Hearing that intimate nickname, Qin Ke’s cheeks suddenly grew hot.

She tried to withdraw her hand, muttering softly.

“That’s cheating.”

But Huo Jun followed her retreating hand and pressed it down, leaning close to nuzzle the soft hair by her ear, “Qin Qin…”

“…”

The girl’s face was almost as red as a tomato.

After coaxing the girl for a while longer, Huo Jun finally got what he wanted when he heard a muffled, soft “mm” from the girl in front of him.

“This is the most I can accept, Huo Jun.”

“Mm, I know.”

The young man smiled happily by her ear.

Qin Ke let out a soft sigh in her heart.

——

No, you don’t know.

You don’t know how much courage I need, and how much I like you – more than I even realize myself – to make this decision to go with you again to that city once filled with my nightmares…

****

Qin Ke officially transferred to A University Affiliated High School in the second semester of her first year of high school.

In June of the same year, Huo Jun finished his college entrance exam and was admitted to A University with a score 20 points higher than the admission line.

At the end of August, A University Affiliated High School and A University started their new semesters respectively.

After a semester of adjustment, Qin Ke, now in her second year of high school, had basically adapted to the learning rhythm of A University Affiliated High School and the teaching methods of the teachers. She had also gradually become familiar with her previously unfamiliar classmates.

With the foundation of having already studied the high school curriculum in her previous life, plus her focus and hard work, in the final exam of the last semester – the end of her first year – Qin Ke once again achieved first place in her class and top three in her grade.

For the first place in the grade that she had tried her best for but still hadn’t achieved, Qin Ke could only sigh – there are always geniuses in this world that make people envious.

Like that first place in the grade.

Or like… someone in the neighboring university who hadn’t been diligent for many years, yet managed to get into A University with just one last semester of hard work.

Considering herself smart enough but definitely not on par with these geniuses, Qin Ke put on her earphones and continued listening to the original English text.

While distinguishing the article in her earphones amidst the noisy classroom, Qin Ke was doing dictation of key words and sentences – she believed this helped train her language sense.

So far, the effect had been good.

Just as she was about to listen to the second article, Qin Ke suddenly felt her ear loosen, followed by the noisy sounds of the classroom rushing back in.

Qin Ke was stunned for a moment and looked up.

Standing in front of her was her “new” deskmate whom she had known for over a semester, Qiao Xiaoyun, a girl whose personality was very similar to Gu Xinqing’s.

—Qin Ke had noticed before that although she herself had a quiet personality and didn’t like talking much, she seemed to prefer making friends with kind-hearted and easygoing girls like this.

Or perhaps, among girls, few would dislike such a personality?

“Ke Ke, stop listening to English.” Qiao Xiaoyun excitedly shoved the photo in her hand for Qin Ke to see. “I barely managed to snatch this back from them – quick, look! It’s that new campus heartthrob from A University I told you about yesterday – well, what do you think? I was right, wasn’t I? Isn’t he handsome??”

“…”

By the time she heard the latter half of Qiao Xiaoyun’s words, Qin Ke had already clearly seen the young man in the photo.

Wearing a black basketball jersey, the young man was standing in the sunlight, seemingly doing pre-game shooting practice. The late summer light fell on him, outlining his silhouette in a brilliant golden color. His already clear and fair features were further accentuated with a layer of beauty in the light.

And the slender figure that the basketball jersey couldn’t hide obviously instantly pulled his appearance rating to the highest.

No wonder, even though A University had only started for a few days, the position of campus heartthrob had already changed hands.

Qiao Xiaoyun: “Now it’s spreading all over the school. They say his name is Huo Zhonglou, and he’s from A University’s Business School, a top-notch major… He’s great in every way, but it’s a pity he looks a bit fierce.”

“Hm?”

Qin Ke looked up.

Qiao Xiaoyun reached out and moved the top photo aside, revealing the remaining one underneath.

“Look, only two photos were taken in total, because when the second one was being taken, he noticed the person. They got scared and ran away immediately.”

“…”

Qin Ke took a closer look.

The young man looking at the camera indeed had a fierce gaze. His brows were furrowed, with impatience barely concealing a hint of aggression, looking as if he was ready to punch someone at any moment.

Qin Ke smiled gently.

“This looks more like him.”

“Huh? Ke Ke, what did you say?”

“… Nothing.” Qin Ke gave a small laugh.

Qiao Xiaoyun didn’t think much of it and took the photo back, sighing regretfully, “He’s so handsome, it’s a shame we can’t talk to him—I heard that the girls chasing after him could form a line from A University, circle the entire campus three times, and still reach the gates of our school.”

“……”

Thinking about the terrifying size of A University’s campus, which required street names to navigate, Qin Ke couldn’t help but laugh, “Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

Qiao Xiaoyun’s eyes widened.

After a few seconds, she almost shoved Huo Jun’s photo in front of Qin Ke’s face—

“What’s wrong with you, last time when I said he was handsome, you didn’t believe me…”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”

“When you said ‘he’s alright’ back then, it was clear you didn’t believe me. Let me tell you, even if you’re pretty and have been looking in the mirror for seventeen years and are aesthetically fatigued, you can’t be like this—you need to have a basic appreciation for the opposite sex. He’s beyond a campus heartthrob; even calling him that would be a waste for that face!”

“Okay, okay…” Qin Ke laughed and “surrendered,” “He’s the most handsome, alright?”

Only then did Qiao Xiaoyun withdraw the photo.

“Alright, then I’ll take that as your agreement.”

Qin Ke was stunned, “Agree to what?”

Qiao Xiaoyun ran out with a triumphant smile.

“This afternoon, their school is holding a freshman basketball tournament. I’ll take it that you’ve agreed to come watch the game with me!”