There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Chapter 53.1

Qin Ke was dumbfounded.

A few seconds later, she heard chaotic noises begin to spread instantly inside the gymnasium, muffled by the thin school uniform jacket.

Qin Ke instinctively pushed Huo Jun away, lowering her voice. “Are you crazy?”

“…”

The girl’s startled appearance elicited a hoarse chuckle from Huo Jun. “This is the price for suddenly coming here without telling me and not wanting me to find out.”

“You—”

Before Qin Ke could finish her sentence, the person in front of her lightly pecked her lips again, then retreated.

Huo Jun still had the school uniform jacket draped over her. Then her arms were supported by a pair of hands, helping her up from her seat. Amidst the increasingly uncontainable noise, Qin Ke was protected in the boy’s embrace as she stumbled along, moving away from the surrounding sounds until finally, a large door closed behind them and it became completely quiet.

“Alright, it’s safe now.”

Seeing the girl unusually docile and curled up in his arms, afraid of being torn to pieces by the nearly crazed girls outside, Huo Jun laughed pleasantly from outside the jacket.

“…!”

Qin Ke was furious.

She pulled off the jacket and, judging by the sound, lightly kicked the shin of the young man standing half-bent in front of her, her face red.

“Hiss—”

Suddenly, a sharp intake of breath came from another direction.

Qin Ke froze, not bothering to fix her long hair messed up by the school uniform jacket that had been covering her head. She turned back to look in panic.

Then she saw the four teammates who were competing with Huo Jun earlier, now looking at her with various expressions.

As soon as they saw Qin Ke’s gaze sweep over them, all four quickly raised their hands in unison.

“We didn’t mean to watch.”

“This is our changing room.”

“We didn’t see anything.”

“And we won’t spread anything outside.”

“…”

The four looked as if they had been frightened by her fierceness, which made Qin Ke feel a bit embarrassed.

She turned back, giving Huo Jun an annoyed look.

“It’s all your fault,” the girl mouthed, her voice barely audible.

Huo Jun narrowed his eyes slightly, “I did it for your own good. Did you want them to see you?”

“You knew we shouldn’t be seen, yet you still—”

Swallowing the rest of her sentence, Qin Ke glared at him forcefully, finally venting her anger.

“I came with a friend… I need to go out and contact her.” As she spoke, Qin Ke took off the school uniform jacket she was wearing, folding it inside out as before, and hugged it to her chest.

From behind, one of the teammates who had been quietly pretending to be invisible finally couldn’t hold back and cautiously asked. “Brother Huo, is…little sister-in-law from the neighboring affiliated high school?”

“.” Huo Jun glanced at him with an ambiguous smile, “Where else?”

“Huh? Really? Oh my, isn’t this considered seducing a minor?”

As soon as he asked this, he was discreetly elbowed by a teammate next to him.

“….”

Hearing this, Huo Jun had no reaction – he never cared what others said.

Qin Ke, however, frowned slightly.

Then Huo Jun’s teammates saw the girl, who had barely spoken and seemed a bit shy from the start, turn towards them with a serious and stern look, her pretty face slightly tense.

“We are in a consensual relationship.”

“…”

The four were taken aback.

Somehow, the girl who had seemed gentle, quiet and harmless just moments ago suddenly had a gaze that could shoot daggers.

Whoever didn’t believe her would get stabbed.

The one who had blurted out the comment earlier was the first target. His back stiffened as he was stared at, and he hurriedly squeezed out a smile.

“Consensual relationship is good, consensual relationship is good.”

Qin Ke didn’t speak, but finally gave a very faint smile.

She turned back, giving Huo Jun a warning look.

“I was wearing the affiliated school uniform just now.”

Huo Jun looked to be in a good mood and merely raised an eyebrow, “So?”

“…” Qin Ke felt like kicking him again, but thought better of it and restrained herself, lowering her voice, “So if you don’t want this to blow up and get called in for a talk at school, you’d better think of an excuse to cover it up right away.”

Huo Jun laughed, completely unconcerned.

“They didn’t see you, it’s fine.”

“…”

Qin Ke was speechless with anger.

But when she glared at him, he found the girl’s angry look extremely adorable. Huo Jun chuckled hoarsely, “Alright, I’ll take you out through another door – I’ll handle the rest.”

“…”

Qin Ke gave him a deeply skeptical look, still worrying, “Teacher Huo is already stressed out busy with the wedding preparations, don’t give him more trouble.”

At the mention of this, Huo Jun’s eyes instantly darkened.

He sneered, angry and jealous, reaching out to pinch the girl’s soft cheek, “What? You care more about his wedding than he does? Still can’t get over him?”

Qin Ke: “………..”

He was being ridiculous again.

Qin Ke couldn’t be bothered to explain this topic that had been discussed to death with someone who got jealous every three days and went crazy every five. She knew Huo Jun was just using this topic to “act spoiled” and cause trouble in his own way. So Qin Ke swatted away the boy’s hand, while “warning”,

“You’ve already touched one high-voltage wire today, better not touch a second one.”

“…”

The dark emotions in Huo Jun’s eyes wavered for a few seconds, then surprisingly subsided, clearing up like the sky after rain.

“Alright then, we’ll discuss this issue tomorrow.”

Saying this, he took the girl’s hand and turned to walk in a certain direction.

“I’ll see you out.”

“……”

Watching the couple’s figures fade away as if no one else existed, the other four members of the Business School basketball team finally snapped back to reality.

The four exchanged complex looks, and after a long while, someone spoke up.

“What do you guys think of what just happened?”

“You mean how do I rate this dog food we were just fed?”

“Delicious.”

“Woof woof woof?”

“… Pfft, I meant what do you think about Brother Huo actually dating a girl – and a high school student at that!”

“What can we think? Even if we could see all the colors of the rainbow, it wouldn’t matter. Who dares to interfere in Brother Huo’s business?”

“But it really was an eye-opener just now. To think there’s someone who could make Brother Huo show something like ‘obedience’?”

“If our department head could see this scene, he’d probably be moved to tears, right?”

“… I don’t know if he’d be moved to tears, but if he heard you say that, he’d probably beat you to tears.”

“……”

“Sigh, no wonder he’s been unmoved by so many girls chasing him since school started. Turns out he’s taken, and his girlfriend is at the neighboring affiliated school.”

“I’m envious.”

“Don’t be envious. You need the looks, figure, grades, and temperament – can’t be missing any of those. And you don’t have any of them.”

“…… You bastard!!”

****

Qiao Xiaoyun gave Qin Ke the silent treatment for a full three class periods – until Qin Ke won back their friendship with an offer of “milk tea treat”.

Qiao Xiaoyun chewed on the tapioca pearls in her milk tea, fuming. “It’s too much! A University’s new campus heartthrob is actually your boyfriend – such an important thing and you never even hinted at it to me! This cup of milk tea can’t make up for our previous friendship!”

Qin Ke didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I only found out he was the new campus heartthrob from you.”

Qiao Xiaoyun: “Then why didn’t you tell me you had such a handsome boyfriend when we first met!”

Qin Ke: “If I had told you that when we first met, we probably wouldn’t have had this friendship that milk tea could salvage.”

Qiao Xiaoyun thought for a moment while biting her straw, “That’s true.” Just as she agreed, she suddenly came to her senses, shaking her head angrily. “No, no, it’s still your fault!”

“Okay, okay,” Qin Ke responded with a wry smile, “It’s my fault.”

Qiao Xiaoyun: “………..”

Wuwuwu, not comforted at all and still so angry.

Qiao Xiaoyun angrily finished the entire large cup of milk tea in front of her, then let out a satisfied burp and sank back into the soft sofa of the milk tea shop.

All resentment gone.

Qin Ke sat across from her, unable to hold back her laughter – having such a carefree and adorable friend was really the most fun thing ever.

Seeming to notice Qin Ke’s reaction, Qiao Xiaoyun coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed.

“Cough…This milk tea shop tastes really good.”

Qin Ke smiled gently, not exposing her.