บท 10: The New School Belle
บรรณาธิการ: Atlas Studios
Qin Ran clapped her hands together as a sign that she was done, went back to grab her jacket and then carried her bag.
She walked past that group of youths and furrowed her brows slightly as if thinking about something.
She then whistled at the leader amongst them and laughed easily.
"Thank you." Cheng Juan heard those two words as the girl with poor handwriting walked past him.
Lu Zhaoying had to close his jaw that'd practically dropped. He was a little unhappy as he watched Qin Ran walk to the school gate. "I was the one who was going to save her, why'd she thank you?"
Cheng Juan eyed him slowly before saying, "Let's go."
Lu Zhaoying took a while before he finally took his eyes off her back view. "Her tactics didn't seem that unorthodox, but I couldn't tell what it was either."
It was one person to four, and she'd beaten them easily with clean, swift moves.
As they walked past the four youngsters, Lu Zhaoying paused for a moment and commented, "Brothers, you guys are really lousy."
Cheng Juan looked in the direction Qin Ran walked in; she seemed to have entered the reception office.
He looked away and walked on until he reached an eatery deep in an alley.
"Boss Xu." Lu Zhaoying called out as he saw that the man had already placed his orders.
Principal Xu smiled and said something briefly before turning to Cheng Juan. "Cheng, what're you doing here?"
When Principal Xu first knew that he was going to join the school as the school doctor, he had shaken his head in dismay. He knew that this man wasn't all that easy to please.
Cheng Juan held the teacup. In it was tea of an inferior grade, provided by the eatery. But he did not despise it and went on to sip it as if he was savoring top grade tea leaves.
He smiled. "Just here to have a look."
He then changed the subject. "I heard that Boss Xu has been around here for three years and has been a principal of a school. I just wanted to have some exposure."
"What's there to look at here?" Principal Xu smiled, but the melancholy in his voice was unconcealable. "I've found a successor."
Even Cheng Juan was shocked, not to mention Lu Zhaoying. If those in the capital city knew that Boss Xu had found a successor, it'd be huge news.
"Who's it?" Lu Zhaoying did not hide his curiosity.
"That person doesn't wish to take over." Principal Xu shook his head but did not say more.
Lu Zhaoying widened his eyes in disbelief.
Cheng Juan sipped his tea quietly and did not probe.
Lu Zhaoying could barely contain his curiosity.
**
Qin Ran went to the reception office to get her luggage.
The luggage had already arrived at First Middle School the day before she and Ning Qing arrived in the city.
There were two huge and heavy pieces of luggage, too heavy for her to handle on her own. Seeing that she was alone, the uncle in the reception office kindly offered to help her move her items to her room instead.
Qin Ran had applied for a room on the second floor, near the end of the corridor—Room 216.
It was a six-bedder room, but only three beds were taken so far, while the other three were full of others' belongings. The beds by the windows were already occupied, so Qin Ran picked the bed with the fewest items piled on it.
She then went to get a bedsheet.
She opened one luggage and unpacked her clothes and everyday items, arranging them in her wardrobe neatly.
As for the other luggage, she simply stuffed it under the bed without even opening it.
After packing her belongings and having her meal, she still had about a half-hour to spare before her first afternoon class.
She walked past the Arts building on the way to her classroom.
The windows were open on the second floor and she could see the musical instruments in the room.
Qin Ran went up to the second floor. There were few people around and it was very quiet.
She opened the door to the music room and saw a violin right in the middle.
She loved the violin, it made her feel peaceful.
She lowered her head.
She'd look for a place to play the violin every once in a while.
"Young Master Xu, I'm being serious. That new transfer student is so damned beautiful, a whole class could stare at her…" Qiao Sheng got excited as he spoke with a can of Cola in his hand.
Nobody mentioned that she was Qin Yu's sister.
Xu Yaoguang did not bother about Qiao Sheng; in his hand was a cup of vanilla milk tea that he got for Qin Yu.
His handsome features were exuding a certain coldness, making it clear that he was disinterested in the transfer student that Qiao Sheng was talking about.
They walked past the Arts building.
Xu Yaoguang suddenly stopped in his tracks.
A mellow, melancholic violin melody was heard.
He looked up at the second floor and his eyes lit up.
Qiao Sheng did not know much about music and simply had his eyes on Qin Yu because she was the School Belle.
The music made him feel a little uncomfortable, not because it wasn't a good tune, but because the oppression that he could hear in it tugged at his heartstrings.
He was about to say that it sounded pretty good when he saw Xu Yaoguang turning away and walking towards the building.
Qiao Sheng was stunned for a moment before moving to catch up. "Young Master Xu, where are you going?"
Xu Yaoguang did not respond, but he quickened his footsteps.
He opened the door to the music room.
The melody ceased abruptly. The music room was empty and the windows were open.
Xu Yaoguang paused.
"Where did this person go?" Qiao Sheng found it odd too; they were listening to it just a moment ago. He walked towards the window. "Could he possibly have jumped from the second floor?"
Xu Yaoguang did not say a thing, but his eyes shifted from the open windows to the violin in the middle of the room.
Xu Yaoguang only snapped out of it when someone entered for practice.
Xu Yaoguang leaned against the piano casually and suavely, asking the girl who'd just entered, "Did anyone come in at noon for practice?"
The girl looked confused.
Xu Yaoguang repeated his question.
"The teacher did not arrange for any practice sessions at noon." The girl looked at Xu Yaoguang cautiously and stammered. "But only Qin Yu knows how to play the violin."
Xu Yaoguang was stunned for a moment but did not respond. His handsome features were rather warm and kind, but those eyes were strikingly cold, making him unapproachable.
He did not say more as he walked out of the music room and headed for the First Class to hand Qin Yu her milk tea.
She wasn't in the classroom at the moment.
Xu Yaoguang narrowed his eyes and thought for a bit before deciding to just leave it on her desk.
Most of the First Class students were already used to his presence every now and then, but a lot of them still had their eyes on him.
Meanwhile, Qiao Sheng was leaning against the doorframe casually and making small talk with the girls sitting in the first row.
Seeing that Xu Yaoguang was leaving the classroom, he smiled. "Do you think it was School Belle Qin who was in the violin room just now?"
Xu Yaoguang did not respond to that question.
**
Ninth Class.
Qin Ran sat at her desk.
She arranged her books and got her pen out to write her name.
She rested her head on her right palm and held the pen in her left hand.
Her slightly tilted head made her look even prettier than she already was.
Practically everyone in the classroom was stealing glances at her.
Qin Ran's deskmate, Lin Siran, took a long while to prepare herself for this moment. "Hello, Qin Ran. I'm Lin Siran, a student committee member for Studies. You can come to me if you need any help."
Qin Ran turned around to face her deskmate, before breaking into a smile. She didn't look so cold, after all. "Hello."
Lin Siran blushed a little. "Are you a left-hander?"
"You can say so." Qin Ran wrote a little slowly with her left hand, but she wasn't in a rush.
"The Mathematics teacher gave us a paper this morning. I have to collect it and hand them in before class starts," Lin Siran quietly said.
Qin Ran found the paper she was referring to, skimmed through it and then stuffed it under her desk.
She was in a much better mood than yesterday and did not appear as distant or hot-tempered.
She tilted her head and smiled, asking sweetly, "Can I not hand it in?"
Lin Siran blushed a bright pink, grabbed the stack of papers and dashed to the office.
Qin Ran took a book out of her bag and lazily wrote her name on it.
There were too many people in the classroom who were checking Qin Ran out, more so than in the morning.
Even guys from other classes were hovering by the front door and peering at her.
Qin Ran was used to such attention and did not give a hoot about them. She put on her earphones and tapped away at her cell phone, playing an online game that had recently become popular.
The guys surrounding her were shoving one another, but not a single one dared to approach her directly.
A while later, Qiao Sheng and Xu Yaoguang returned.
Qiao Sheng nudged Xu Yaoguang on the shoulder and excitedly said, "Look, that's Qin Ran!"
Xu Yaoguang took his book out and got ready for the next lesson. He seemed distant and disinterested.
He did not even look up.
A classmate with crew-cut hair chuckled softly as he scrolled on his cell phone. "Qiao Sheng, when have our Young Master Xu ever laid eyes on anyone else?"
"Shut your damn mouth." Qiao Sheng kicked his chair and asked, "Why are there so many people outside?"
"Looking at that new student." That same classmate said, his eyes still fixed on his phone screen.
He suddenly stopped scrolling and raised his cell phone up high. "My… gosh!"
Qiao Sheng turned around and looked at his screen.
It was a forum page of First Middle School—
[Absolute beauty! Is that the School Belle Qin Yu!]
Beneath the title was a picture.
In the picture were a few hooligans along the streets. They looked wounded and some bloodstains could be seen on the floor. Not too far away stood a girl dressed in the First Middle School uniform.
She was slim and her smile was radiant. She looked pretty laid-back, and even though the picture was pixelated, her pretty face was a clear focus.
There were more than 500 replies to that post.
2I: Hand me all the details of this girl!
3I: This isn't how Qin Yu looks like…
It didn't take long for a fellow classmate of the Ninth Class to post a reply as well.
The classmate with the crew-cut hair lowered his voice and tried to suppress his excitement. "The School Belle of First Middle School has changed!"
Qin Ran was oblivious to all that was happening.
She still had her earphones on as she played her game.
Gu Xichi's call came in, and she hung up nonchalantly.
The other party called again.
Qin Ran sped up and finished up the round quickly.
She then got up and walked out.
As she moved, everybody's gazes followed.
The classroom that was filled with chatter suddenly quietened.
A group of people gathered at the back door.
Qin Ran removed her earphones with one hand and glanced at them.
She looked them in the eye.
Everyone made way instantly.
Qin Ran got past the crowd and headed straight for the restroom at the end of the corridor.
Gu Xichi's call came in once again.
She found a cubicle, sat on the toilet cover and picked up the call.
The Middle East.
Gu Xichi had just treated the wounds of a child and was ruffling his head gently. He held the phone to his ear and walked away.
After lighting a cigarette for himself, he smiled. "You haven't replied to my text message this morning, and now you're hanging up on me."
"I'm in school." Qin Ran was fiddling with the earphones. "Cut to the chase, my class is starting soon."
"There's something." Gu Xichi puffed a ball of smoke, received a first aid kit from someone and thanked him before going on. "I've looked into the documents you gave me."
"What did you find?"
Gu Xichi paused for a while before saying, almost in a slur, "Babe, I got the Interpol to investigate it. But why did I see your name in the Interpol list? Did my eyes play tricks on me?"
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