There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Extra 1.1

Three years later.

The milk tea shop between A University and the neighboring high school had now been converted into a dessert shop. What remained unchanged was the bustling crowd of students inside.

By the window, there were four small round tables, known as the default “VIP tables” of the shop. Only lucky and frequent visitors had the chance to seize the opportunity to sit there.

—

For instance, Qin Ke and Qiao Xiaoyun, who had been coming to this shop for three to four years.

Both of them were now students at A University — Qiao Xiaoyun entered A University a year after Qin Ke, through hard work and with the help of her good friend and mentor beside her, finally passing the regular college entrance exam.

Unfortunately, they were in different majors, so they could only get together to have fun for a while on weekends when they didn’t have classes.

“I heard that your junior year is especially tough,” Qiao Xiaoyun said with a frown. “Thinking that in just a month, my happy life will end and I’ll enter my junior year, I feel like my life has lost all its color and light.”

“It’s an inevitable path, you can’t escape it,” Qin Ke teased her with a smile.

“And engineering should be even more tiring than us right away. I specially inquired for you — you’ll finish your basic theory courses at the start of junior year and move on to practical experiments. Get ready to face the reportedly overwhelming lab reports.”

“You… you’re gloating, Senior Qin Ke…” Qiao Xiaoyun gritted her teeth in frustration.

However, mindful of her image, Qiao Xiaoyun, who had been in college for two years, would no longer be as wild as she was in high school. So she just glared at Qin Ke across the table before angrily taking a bite of the icy dessert in front of her.

The cool and sweet sensation spread from the tip of her tongue, calming down much of Qiao Xiaoyun’s agitation. Her eyes rolled, and soon a teasing smile appeared on her face.

“I heard that Senior Huo has been away for internship for over two months now? How are you two lately – are you feeling lonely ‘keeping the empty house’?”

“…”

Even someone as calm and composed as Qin Ke blushed at the phrase “keeping the empty house”.

“Oh my, why are you getting shy now?” Seeing her success, Qiao Xiaoyun became even more smug and continued to tease Qin Ke, “Ah, such a sweet couple, suddenly being alone must not feel good, right?”

“…”

This time it was Qin Ke’s turn.

Qiao Xiaoyun was thoroughly enjoying her one-person show, and Qin Ke’s reactions made her laugh even harder.

“I really wish those juniors who always praise you could see these cute little expressions of their goddess senior — Senior Huo is your weakness, isn’t he, Senior Qin Ke?”

“Alright, I’m calling the police if you keep teasing,” Qin Ke joked.

“Haha, okay, I’ll stop joking. Let’s be serious,” Qiao Xiaoyun put on a serious expression and lowered her voice mysteriously. “I heard… Senior Huo proposed to you?”

“—!”

Qin Ke’s expression and movements suddenly froze.

A few seconds later, as the feeling of shock faded, she looked at Qiao Xiaoyun helplessly, “If you lived in ancient times, would your nickname be ‘The Know-It-All of the Jianghu’?”

“You flatter me, you flatter me,” Qiao Xiaoyun “humbly” cupped her hands towards Qin Ke.

However, just two seconds later, she immediately switched to a gossipy expression, “So it’s true then?”

“…Mm, it’s true,” Qin Ke sighed helplessly after a moment of silence. “Where did you hear about it?”

Qiao Xiaoyun: “I heard it from– wait, that’s not important. What’s important is, why do you have that expression?”

“…”

They stared at each other for three seconds.

Three seconds later, a sudden exclamation rang out in the dessert shop–

“You didn’t say yes?!”

“…” All the customers and staff in the dessert shop turned their heads in surprise.

Qin Ke said helplessly, “Do you want to borrow a megaphone?”

“…” Qiao Xiaoyun also realized what she’d done and covered her mouth embarrassedly. When people’s gazes had slightly dispersed, she finally sighed in relief, “I was just too shocked… What are you thinking? Senior Huo, how many girls have been eyeing him, hoping to steal him from you for three whole years, and he’s been as steady as a steel wall, not budging an inch — he’s the kind of boyfriend many dream of but can’t have.”

Qin Ke’s eyes flickered, but in the end, she didn’t explain her reasons.

Qiao Xiaoyun pondered for a while.

“Is it because of age? Getting married at your current age is indeed a bit early. You just turned 20 last year, right?”

Before Qin Ke could speak, Qiao Xiaoyun contradicted herself–

“But you two are different from others. You’ve been dating for so many years, so getting married a bit younger shouldn’t matter…”

Qin Ke moved the dessert spoon in front of her, and finally just lowered her eyes.

“I can’t really explain it… I just feel like there’s something always lingering. Actually, that time I was almost about to say yes, but in the end…”

It was as if there was a voice in the depths of her heart.

It forcibly held her back at the last moment.

“Sigh, if it were us, we’d probably be eager to drag him to get the marriage certificate on our 20th birthday, afraid he might run away,” Qiao Xiaoyun sighed.

“But maybe this is one of the fundamental reasons why we can’t get him and you’re the one being chased.”

“…”

Qin Ke didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Just as they were talking, they suddenly heard the shop door being pushed open behind Qin Ke, the wind chime on the door tinkling. Immediately after, a surprised and shy female voice rang out–

“Se-Senior, hello!”

Just this one sentence, without even the slightest echo of a response.

—A very familiar pattern.

Qin Ke turned her head to look, but before she could shift her view, a tall shadow loomed over her, casting a shade.

“Aren’t you not supposed to eat cold things today?”

“…”

Qin Ke was stunned for a moment, then raised her gaze.

Through the faint minty fragrance surrounding her, she clearly saw a face with distinct features bending down.

“… Why are you here?”

After a few seconds of shock, Qin Ke suddenly came back to her senses and asked in surprise.

As Qiao Xiaoyun had just mentioned, Huo Jun had been sent by his father, Huo Shengfeng, to intern at a branch company out of town for over two months.

According to Huo Jingyan, the company didn’t treat him like a prince at all. The position at the branch had been vacant for a long time, previously only covered by a few deputy managers. Now that Huo Jun had arrived, all kinds of accumulated work came crashing down – keeping him so busy he barely had time to breathe.

They had rarely even spoken on the phone in these two months.

—

If it weren’t for Huo Jingyan’s explanation, Qin Ke would have thought he was upset about the suspended proposal.

While Qin Ke was still in a daze, Huo Jun had already sat down intimately next to her.

The young man’s long arm wrapped around the girl’s slender shoulders, holding her securely in his embrace. Ignoring the various gazes from around the dessert shop, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and closed his eyes.

“I’m so tired, let me hold you for a while, Qin Qin.”

“…”

Qin Ke, who had initially wanted to push him away due to the burning gazes around them, paused at his words.

She helplessly lowered her hand and glanced down at him.

—

On that handsome face, faint dark circles were indeed visible under his porcelain-white eyelids.

“Didn’t rest well?” Qin Ke asked in a softened voice, feeling both helpless and concerned.

“…Mm.” Huo Jun frowned slightly, eyes still closed, his voice sounding tired and lazy. “They said it was just an inspection before I left. Inspection my ass… Those old geezers on the board of directors are trying to work me to death.”

“…”

Hearing the strong resentment in his words, Qin Ke felt helpless – she had always consciously avoided getting involved in these sensitive matters of the Huo family.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ke only asked, “Is it finished over there?”

“Mm.”

“But I heard from Teacher Huo that you were supposed to come back next week?”

“Rushed to finish the progress early.” Huo Jun finally opened his eyes, and at this moment, he seemed to notice that someone was sitting opposite Qin Ke and himself.

Huo Jun lazily raised his hand a bit.

“Hello, junior.”

After all, she was his Qin Qin’s friend, so this counted as a greeting.

Qiao Xiaoyun was pleasantly surprised and finally came back to her senses, quickly nodding.

“Hello, Senior Huo.”

Huo Jun glanced at the table.

“Are you two on a date?”

“…”

Although the young man across the table seemed to react indifferently, Qiao Xiaoyun, as Qin Ke’s close friend of four years, knew very well how jealous this man could be. Hearing this, she shuddered and immediately shook her head–

“No, no, we just happened to run into each other, just a coincidence.”

Qin Ke: “…?”

Huo Jun’s eyes flashed.

“So, she doesn’t have plans with you this afternoon?”

“No,” Qiao Xiaoyun replied without hesitation, firmly.

Huo Jun: “Then may I borrow her?”

“Senior Huo, you’re too polite– she’s yours to begin with, please take her.”

Qin Ke: “…??”

Huo Jun nodded with satisfaction.

He stood up, casually reaching to pull Qin Ke up.

Qin Ke raised the dessert spoon in her hand, still holding a scoop of ice cream, “I haven’t finished eating…”

As soon as she spoke, the young man in front of her leaned down, supporting himself on the back of her chair and the edge of the table.