Hedgehog's Belly - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

“Are you all set for the second mock finals next week?” Ye Nanqiao asked, leaning her arm against the back of her chair as she turned to check on Luo Daier, who had only been back from leave for a few days. Her gaze fell on the other girl’s bandaged left hand.

Luo Daier showed little expression and nodded slowly.

“Sister Daier could outscore you using only half her brain.” Yan Qingzhu couldn’t listen anymore. She sprawled across her desk, perhaps a bit exhausted, looking like a catfish that had lost its dreams.

The “catfish” comparison came from an illustration Ye Nanqiao had stumbled upon in a magazine; she had excitedly pointed at the grayish-black catfish and said it looked just like Yan Qingzhu.

Yan Qingzhu laughed indifferently, her eyelids drooping slightly.

Suddenly, several people entered through the back door of the classroom, their voices loud and grating.

—”Oh? How come our top student gave up on the competition? Is it because she looks down on domestic universities now?”

Ye Nanqiao whipped her head around and realized it was the group that used to hang out with Liu Jie, though Liu Jie himself was not among them.

Ye Nanqiao couldn’t help but shudder, hit by a strong sense of discomfort.

—”Maybe she’s already pulled some strings. Isn’t that how it goes for the illegitimate daughters of the rich? If they can’t cut it domestically, they just ‘lubricate’ their way abroad.”

Amidst the growing tension, Yan Qingzhu listened to their trashy words, and instead of getting angry, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Her expression was exceptionally calm. She turned her head to lie on the other side, as if she were eavesdropping on the gossip of total strangers.

—”Hey, Brother Rongshu, tell us—how much ‘child support’ does a rich man’s bastard get in a year?”

The group gradually moved toward Yan Qingzhu’s vicinity; Ji Rongshu’s seat was just a few rows behind hers. One of them naturally draped an arm over Ji Rongshu’s shoulder, trying to act buddy-buddy. His tone was crafty and sinister, his face like that of a mocking clown.

Ji Rongshu instinctively yanked the person’s hand away. His gaze was sharp and chilling, his eyes filled with cold disdain. The sense of distance he projected was overwhelming.

Ji Rongshu blinked, his voice low and laced with indifference: “Is she your bastard? You seem awfully concerned.”

The person was choked into silence for a moment, then turned back to his lackeys to continue stirring the pot.

Of course, that group didn’t know the truth; they simply thought that by doing this, they could provoke Yan Qingzhu and use a superior tone to crush her pride.

“Is this affecting you?” Luo Daier found the situation interesting. She leaned down near Yan Qingzhu’s ear and whispered the question.

Yan Qingzhu couldn’t help but laugh. She slightly raised her left eyebrow and said in a witty, relaxed tone: “This is it?”

She then pointed her right index finger at the center of her brow.

“If I so much as frown because of this trash, consider it my loss.” Yan Qingzhu shifted her position again, resting her head on her arms. Her eyes were full of mirth, like a spectator watching a play—especially one watching a rich brat who didn’t care how big the mess got. “If someone actually gets angry over this, then they must be a—”

Yan Qingzhu didn’t finish her sentence. Suddenly, a figure loomed.

“Ke Anzhi, do you have lung bubbles in your brain?!” Amidst the clamor, Ye Nanqiao stood up in a rage, screaming that sentence with all her might. Her chair wasn’t steady and hit the floor with a heavy thud, bringing the whole room to a dead silence.

Everyone’s eyes fell on her.

Even Luo Daier and Yan Qingzhu hadn’t expected Ye Nanqiao to have such a strong reaction.

“—absolute idiot.” Yan Qingzhu looked at Ye Nanqiao and finished her thought.

Ye Nanqiao was indeed an absolute idiot.

Yan Qingzhu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

That girl had grown up in a pampered environment; her life was colorful and full of fun. The troubles of a child filled with love could hardly be called troubles. How could she understand mockery, slander, or the coldness of the world?

But Ye Nanqiao didn’t care about any of that; she only thought about the fact that this was her friend. Let her be naive then—at least this time, Yan Qingzhu needed help.

“What, Ye Nanqiao, you have an opinion too?” Ke Anzhi raised an eyebrow, sensing something was wrong. He turned back to his group and laughed. “Oho! Did I kill two birds with one stone? Did I hit a sore spot for someone else too?”

“Ke Anzhi, you’d better start acting like a human being!” Ye Nanqiao gritted her teeth, grabbed his collar, and yanked him down. But due to the height difference, she had no advantage.

Ke Anzhi smiled faintly and leaned in close, whispering threateningly: “Miss Ye, you’d better not wade into these muddy waters. Be careful, or I might leak your own dirty laundry too.”

Ye Nanqiao froze for a moment, but her gaze didn’t waver; she looked as if she wanted to tear him apart.

Finally, Luo Daier pulled Ye Nanqiao back to her seat. Staring at the man’s face, she threw a single sentence at him.

“You really aren’t afraid of retribution.”

Yan Qingzhu, however, remained in her seat throughout, showing no emotion whatsoever.

They thought the matter would end there, until the day before the city-wide second mock finals. During the evening campus broadcast, though the voice had been altered, Yan Qingzhu could easily hear Ke Anzhi’s tone.

“Morally, we strictly condemn unfair competition, especially competition that relies on connections and power.” Ke Anzhi put on an air of self-righteousness, sounding pompously indignant. “We advocate for doing things honorably and aboveboard. Yet there are always those who want to take shortcuts to reach the top.”

“Even worse, some people’s very identities are illegitimate. Relying on being the bastard daughter of a rich man, they have no sense of shame—only arrogance and conceit.”

The classroom instantly erupted into a commotion.

Yan Qingzhu listened intently to every word, pondering them carefully. Her fingertip tapped the desk in sync with the second hand of the clock. She watched as the hand moved from the twelve, circled several times, and returned to the twelve.

Some people’s births are destined to be illegitimate.

Yan Qingzhu accepted it all.

“Yan Qingzhu of Class 3, please correct your—”

The moment Ke Anzhi mentioned her by name, the class broke into an uproar. Just as everyone was waiting for the rest of the sentence, Ke Anzhi suddenly cursed into the microphone: “Holy crap, who the hell are you—”

Suddenly, the broadcast let out a piercing screech of feedback that felt like it would puncture eardrums, and then it went silent.

At this moment, Yan Qingzhu felt gazes from all directions projecting onto her. She crossed her arms over her chest, her features refined, showing no fear or intent to hide. Even Luo Daier admired her psychological resilience.

“Seriously, you’re okay?” Luo Daier paused. This was a case of slander and libel in front of the whole school, yet the person in front of her was as composed as an old man watching a play. It felt strange.

“Yan Qingzhu of Class 3, please correct your attitude—” Yan Qingzhu tilted her head and gave a snort, repeating the phrase in an imitation of Ke Anzhi’s tone.

Facing the stares of the crowd, Yan Qingzhu stood up and slammed her fist onto the desk. The sound was deafening, and the chaotic noise instantly ceased.

Yan Qingzhu’s voice was low and powerful: “Whatever attitude you see from me is my attitude. There is no need to ‘correct’ it.”

The crowd was stunned. After a few minutes of silence, they returned to their daily chatter, but this time, no one mentioned the incident again.

No one dared to bring it up.

And they truly thought it was over.

Until Ke Anzhi walked into the classroom cursing, clutching a bruised spot on his back. With an arrogant look on his face, he bellowed: “Dammit, that dead bitch! As expected, she’s no good!”

One of his group asked: “Brother Zhi, what happened?”

Ke Anzhi snarled, his voice grating: “It was that chick Liu Jie’s dog-ass self wanted to hit on. Who the hell knew she’d just charge over and slam into me like a bomb!”

The group was standing at the back of the class, and Yan Qingzhu could hear them perfectly from her seat.

“That chick? Could it be that ‘Mu’ something from Class 5?”

Yan Qingzhu’s eyes turned ice-cold. The hand holding her pen trembled, causing her stroke to go crooked.

“Who else? D*mmit, I even got dragged to the Dean’s office for a lecture.” Ke Anzhi spat, glaring fiercely at Yan Qingzhu. “What a f*cking pyrrhic victory.”

Luo Daier purposely caught her eye, leaned over, and whispered in Yan Qingzhu’s ear: “Is someone about to lose her cool?”

“Shut up,” Yan Qingzhu replied.

Yan Qingzhu naturally didn’t know the cause of the sudden feedback from the broadcast, or who had finally turned it off.

She knew very well that Ke Anzhi had a violent temper; hitting people was second nature to him. But if—

Yan Qingzhu instinctively broke into a cold sweat. Everything seemed to freeze, including her breath.

Hitting a woman was something he was definitely capable of.

Bastard.

“If you’re really worried, go take a look.” Luo Daier observed the other’s slight tremor and reminded her: “Evening self-study is voluntary this time.”

Luo Daier continued nonchalantly: “We’ll keep an eye on things here. Since the room will be used as a testing center, we’ll help clear your desk later.”

Yan Qingzhu grabbed her bag and rushed out of the classroom, pushing through the crowds. A ringing echoed in her ears, drowning out the noise of the masses. When she reached the other girl’s classroom, the hope she had been harboring collapsed.

She wasn’t there.

Yan Qingzhu sent her a voice message.

“Where are you?”

By reflex, her first instinct wasn’t to ask if she was okay, but where are you.

Where are you.

I need to see you.

I want to see you.

Yan Qingzhu knew exactly what kind of person Ke Anzhi was. Unlike Liu Jie, he was even more despicable and shameless. Moreover, with an old grudge involved, he wouldn’t pull his punches.

Every time she thought about it, she broke into a cold sweat.

A moment later, a notification sounded.

lomo: Jiuhu.

Yan Qingzhu didn’t ask for the specific location at Jiuhu Lake, but she could vaguely guess where she would be.

“Stay there. I’m coming to find you.”

Yan Qingzhu could clearly feel that the end of her voice had faded away, leaving her hoarse and weak.

It doesn’t snow in Chujiang during the winter, but the chill is bone-piercing, enough to make one shiver. The sky darkened quickly; no stars could be seen when looking up. The weak lights by Jiuhu Lake carried a hint of gentleness, shining upon those who had not yet returned home.

Luo Mu was sitting in the same spot where the other girl had been drunk before, swinging her legs, which couldn’t quite reach the ground. A textbook was on her knees as she whispered the recitation of an ancient text. Her eyes were cast down, immersed in her own world. The light refracted, making her shadow long and slanted.

From now on, no worldly things would pluck at her heartstrings.

Suddenly hearing a noise, the corners of Luo Mu’s mouth turned up slightly.

Yan Qingzhu saw her face, and her pupils trembled. It felt as if her heart stopped for a beat in that instant. Panic, anger, despair, and chaotic emotions flooded over her; Yan Qingzhu couldn’t say a single word.

An intense sensation of suffocation, as if every breath were a sin.

She saw it clearly: a hideous, long gash had split from the corner of Luo Mu’s mouth, extending down to her right jaw.

On her flawless face.

The scab had already formed.

Luo Mu smiled faintly: “This time, it’s your turn to pick me up.”

That day, Yan Qingzhu clearly heard the sound of something breaking.

Her vision was cloudy, suffering the torment of her conscience.

What was it that broke?

Was it the moonlight?