Su Yanxi held two cups of milk tea in her hands, obediently following behind Mu Qi.
Mu Qi carried a large bucket of popcorn in one hand and held the movie tickets in the other. They scanned the code and entered the theater.
The theater was already half full, with students, couples, and parents with children. It was bustling and lively. Mu Qi led Su Yanxi to their seats.
Once they settled into their seats, the movie officially began.
After over an hour, when they came out, it was already around 5 o’clock. Since they had evening self-study, they grabbed a quick dinner outside and then headed home to grab their backpacks before going to school.
When Su Yanxi took out her books from her desk, she glanced at Hu Ying’s seat. However, from the time they arrived at school until now, she hadn’t seen her. There were only five minutes left until evening self-study.
“What’s wrong?” Mu Qi asked.
“Hu Ying hasn’t come yet,” Su Yanxi frowned. “Could she be late?”
Mu Qi took out her phone and said, “I’ll give her a call.”
The call was quickly answered, but it wasn’t Hu Ying on the other end—it was Qi Wei.
Surprised to hear her voice, Mu Qi then thought of Qi Wei’s girlfriend. A hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes as she asked, “Where’s Hu Ying?”
“She’s with me, just got stopped by someone,” Qi Wei said.
“Stopped by who?” Mu Qi couldn’t help but ask. There weren’t many people around the school who dared to cause trouble for them.
“The thugs from last time.”
“What?” Mu Qi asked anxiously, “Is everything okay?”
“Rest assured, in this area, besides you, I’m also a ‘boss’ of sorts,” Qi Wei couldn’t help but tease.
This statement was indeed accurate, and Mu Qi smirked, saying, “Thanks.”
On Sunday during evening self-study, Hu Ying didn’t show up. Mu Qi wasn’t sure if she went home scared or if she was with Qi Wei.
During this particular evening self-study, Hu Ying didn’t return home scared. Instead, she was dragged by Qi Wei to go drinking.
At the beginning of the drinking session, Qi Wei chatted incessantly about her past with her ex-girlfriend, Qin Yu. At first, Hu Ying listened, keeping her head down so Qi Wei couldn’t see her expression.
Although Qi Wei and Mu Qi were both school ‘bosses,’ they became good friends due to the saying ‘there’s no knowing each other without fighting.’ Of course, the one who interacted with them the most was Hu Ying.
Usually, the two of them were very talkative, discussing various topics. This time, Qi Wei, as usual, started talking about her troubles, but Hu Ying didn’t have the patience to listen.
When Qi Wei mentioned wanting to kiss Qin Yu but being rejected, Hu Ying slammed her glass onto the table with a ‘bang.’
Qi Wei looked at her in confusion.
Hu Ying, who had kept her head down, now lifted it, showing an expression of anger and sorrow. “Don’t bother telling me these things in the future.”
“What?” Qi Wei was momentarily stunned by her expression.
Hu Ying lowered her eyelids, and at that moment, she raised them again, her face now showing anger and sadness. “Do you know that I like you?”
“What?!” Qi Wei was even more dumbfounded now.
“Because I like you, I damn well don’t want to hear about you and your girlfriend,” Hu Ying said, tilting her head back and finishing all the beer in her glass. She dropped the glass on the table and stood up. “So, let’s end it here today. From now on, let’s go our separate ways.”
“No…” Qi Wei was left in a daze by these explosive words. It wasn’t until Hu Ying’s hand reached the door that she suddenly stood up, rushed over in two or three steps, and grabbed Hu Ying’s arm, ignoring the fallen bottle on the ground.
“Let go of me,” Hu Ying said without turning her head, fearing that the tears in her eyes would be seen by Qi Wei.
“What did you just say? You like me?” Qi Wei wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to. She thought Hu Ying was joking, just like before, teasing her.
Hu Ying remained silent. Just as Qi Wei was about to ask further, Hu Ying’s voice, low and firm, interrupted, “I’m leaving.” With that, she opened the compartment door and walked away without looking back.
Qi Wei stood still for a long time, not coming back to her senses. She looked at her empty hands, involuntarily clenched them tightly, then opened them again.
