**Chapter 9: She Just Can’t Face Her Former Self**
1204 Words
“Why is Wu Nian looking for Qin Ran?” In the classroom, Xiao Xizhou frowned as she watched Wu Nian standing in the hallway.
She stared at Qin Ran as he walked out of the classroom, but she couldn't think of a reason to stop him.
It's fine; after all, Wu Nian doesn’t like Qin Ran anyway... Xiao Xizhou reassured herself.
Their relationship is simply a pure friendship.
“Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Qin Ran and Wu Nian hanging out together. They were often seen at the downtown mall before.”
“Yeah, but it’s the first time Wu Nian has taken the initiative to find Qin Ran.”
“Xiao Xizhou, aren’t you going to take care of your Qin Ran? Just now you were telling me you wanted to go out with him tonight! He’s about to be taken away!” Jiang Yu laughed and placed a hand on her good friend’s shoulder, then leaned in close to whisper.
“He’s not my Qin Ran! Don’t speak nonsense! Besides, I don’t have any plans to go out with him; I’m just bringing him along! You, you can’t misunderstand…”
Daydreaming, Xiao Xizhou found herself teasingly pushed by Jiang Yu, glancing back at her friend. She then raised an eyebrow and said, “Hmph! He can do whatever he wants; after all, he’s just along for the ride. I can go have fun by myself.”
Jiang Yu sighed, shaking her head while meaningfully eyeing Xiao Xizhou’s pretty, rosy earlobes… which had turned as red as a lantern on New Year’s Eve.
“I don’t care if he goes out with me…” Xiao Xizhou turned her gaze toward the classroom door and said proudly.
Her voice held a bit of a mutter, gradually losing energy as she continued; it was like she had exhausted all her strength to say a single word.
Meanwhile, Qin Ran had already exited the classroom and headed for the hallway.
“Such a spoiled brat.”
---
“Qin Ran.” The girl in the hallway smiled as she called out to him, walking directly in front of him under curious gazes, her eyes bright with laughter. “Is school over?”
“Yeah, just ended,” Qin Ran nodded, lifting the test papers in his hand with a smile. “I was still organizing my holiday assignments.”
“Holiday assignments? I know you; you wouldn’t let assignments pile up for the weekend. You must have finished them a long time ago, right?”
Wu Nian was right; Qin Ran didn’t like leaving assignments for himself.
His weekends belonged to him; he preferred to do his own things rather than be bound by the homework assigned by school.
“Yeah.”
Qin Ran nodded and smiled at Wu Nian…
To outsiders, his smile radiated the kind of warmth seen when one meets someone they have feelings for.
However, only he knew how forced and awkward that smile was.
Wu Nian was wearing a sleeveless floral dress in pure white, her tall and slender figure highlighted by her long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her features were well-defined, and her gentle and graceful demeanor exuded an air of elegance.
A girl like Wu Nian was quite rare in high school, so she garnered a lot of attention, whether at her school or Qin Ran’s.
Of course, the crucial reason was: Wu Nian was easygoing with everyone, making everyone she interacted with feel warm. She didn’t need any pretenses, effortlessly drawing people into her soothing nature from which they could never escape.
“So… should I wait for you?” Wu Nian asked.
“Are we going out together?” Qin Ran asked, pretending not to know.
“Yeah, you haven’t come looking for me in a while. Have you forgotten me?”
Seeing there were fewer onlookers around, Wu Nian finally winked at Qin Ran, her bright eyes full of amusement, lightheartedly teasing him.
“Of course not! How could I forget you?” Qin Ran shook his head and said, “I’ll pack my things, and then we can go out together… any plans?”
“No plans; I’m waiting for you to make the arrangements.”
As Qin Ran turned back into the classroom, he wore an expressionless face but inwardly sighed lightly.
Wu Nian always had this way of using her soft smile, gentle tone, and easygoing nature to break down all of Qin Ran's defenses.
This was the first time Wu Nian had taken the initiative to find him, and while he was happy, it wasn’t the same kind of happiness he used to feel.
He couldn’t bring himself to feel that way… If Qin Ran felt happy again, it would be too heartless of him.
As he packed his belongings, Xiao Xizhou suddenly appeared in front of him, biting her lip hesitantly as she looked at him.
“Are you going out with her?”
“Yeah.”
Qin Ran had little emotional energy left; he simply shrugged off her question.
For some reason, a vague sense of grievance surged within Xiao Xizhou, quickly enveloping her entire heart. She blinked and pursed her lips, forcing a smile. “Then, congratulations! After so long, Wu Nian has finally come looking for you.”
Qin Ran looked up in silence, giving Xiao Xizhou a strange glance before saying nothing, only nodding as he finished packing his backpack.
As he approached the back door of the classroom, Qin Ran suddenly turned around, hesitatingly gazing at Xiao Xizhou. Seeing him stop in his tracks, Xiao Xizhou’s eyes brightened, a hopeful expression lighting up her delicate face as she looked at him.
Qin Ran was a person of his word, so he must have remembered their agreement, right?
They were going out tonight, so how could Qin Ran simply agree to meet Wu Nian?
Wu Nian clearly didn’t like Qin Ran, yet she continuously dangled him along, so this girl, forever adorned with a fake smile, clearly wasn’t a good person!
“You might be out late tonight, so go find someone else to hang out with.”
“Qin Ran, get lost!!”
“Qin Ran, go as far away as possible! Don’t come back tonight! Just die outside!”
The onlookers who had been casually watching the scene suddenly hurried away to leave the classroom upon hearing Xiao Xizhou’s familiar furious rebuke, eager to avoid being caught in the chaos.
Qin Ran couldn’t help but laugh before leaving, casting a teasing glance at Xiao Xizhou, who was throwing a fit and then walked out of the school without a care.
After Qin Ran and Wu Nian left, Xiao Xizhou sank down in her seat… In Qin Ran’s heart, how could she ever compare to Wu Nian?
“Are you going to head back?” Jiang Yu asked.
“You go ahead; I’m waiting for someone to pick me up.” Xiao Xizhou shook her head.
“Then take care and head home early; I’ll leave first.”
“Mm.”
She wasn’t some spoiled brat; she just didn’t have a reason to interfere with Qin Ran’s life.
- Writer
