Sweetheart, It's Time To Pay Your Debt - Chapter 2

Bo Liye gripped her phone with a clenched fist, staring intensely at the two text messages.

That person saw.

That person saw her with Qin Mingyan.

Did they see them from outside the window? Or hear the sounds from outside the door?

Or… was that person in the storage room just now?

The thought that someone in the shadows might have been lurking in the storage room long ago and likely watched the entire process, caused the color to drain from Bo Liye’s face. Cold sweat poured down her back. Her legs gave way for a moment, and she slipped, crashing directly against the stall door. “Ah!”

As she stood back up, a sharp pain radiated from her ankle. Bo Liye bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill over.

Just then, there was a knock on the stall door.

Knock. Knock.

It sounded exactly like the vibration of a phone receiving a message.

Panic seized Bo Liye. Thinking of the person who was constantly monitoring her from the dark, she cursed in a trembling voice, “Get lost!”

The knocking stopped.

Just as Bo Liye thought the person had left, the sound of footsteps returned. A cold, indifferent voice drifted in: “It’s me. Everyone else has left.”

It was Qin Mingyan.

Without a second thought, Bo Liye swung the door open and lunged at Qin Mingyan. As much as she usually loathed Qin Mingyan’s cold and boring nature, at this moment, she was profoundly grateful that the person appearing here was her.

Qin Mingyan had already closed the outer door of the restroom. Bo Liye clung to her, burying her head in the crook of Qin Mingyan’s neck, desperately trying to absorb her body heat. She was shaking uncontrollably.

Qin Mingyan let Bo Liye hold her. With one hand, she braced the door Bo Liye had flung open, in the other, she held a trophy and several award certificates. Looking down, she could see Bo Liye’s almond shaped eyes, startled and shimmering with tears. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat from the fright, her long lashes trembled incessantly, and the skin beneath her eyes was flushed a deep red.

She asked in a low voice, “What happened to you?”

“Did you… see anyone just now?” Bo Liye asked back, her voice shaking.

Qin Mingyan shook her head and said, “No. Who was I supposed to see?”

“No one.”

Bo Liye steadied her voice and said, “Don’t ask things you shouldn’t ask.”

True to her word, Qin Mingyan stopped asking. She simply stood there upright, like a silent statue.

Bo Liye didn’t mind. In fact, what she feared most right now was being interrogated about what had happened. She wrapped both arms around Qin Mingyan’s neck. It wasn’t just the shadows in the depths of her heart being dispelled, it felt as if her very soul was being filled in, seam by seam.

Outside, the sounds of a large crowd of students leaving the auditorium drifted in, punctuated by occasional laughter and playful banter. Even the magpies on the branches were chirping noisily.

Bo Liye held on for nearly five minutes before her heart rate finally began to return to normal.

She suddenly realized how weak her actions in front of Qin Mingyan had been. Just as she was about to do something to regain her dignity, she noticed that Qin Mingyan’s body was incredibly stiff. Her neck was tilted back awkwardly as if trying to evade Bo Liye’s breath. As Bo Liye leaned closer to the base of her neck, Qin Mingyan swallowed unnaturally due to the heat of her breath.

Bo Liye leaned in further to peer into Qin Mingyan’s eyes. There was no sympathy like she had imagined, but rather the same kind of endurance she had seen in the storage room. A few seconds later, Bo Liye smiled. Her slightly hoarse voice carried a hint of laziness: “I can’t stand up. Hold me.”

Qin Mingyan stiffly raised her left hand, which wasn’t holding the certificates, and politely supported Bo Liye’s arm.

Bo Liye let out a soft “tsk” and commanded, “Are you trying to let me fall? Support my waist.”

Qin Mingyan complied, though her hand was clenched in a fist as she touched her. “Can you walk?”

A flash of interest flickered in Bo Liye’s pale eyes. She followed Qin Mingyan’s lead, slowly moving outward. “Of course. Escort me out.”

With every step, she practically leaned her weight against Qin Mingyan’s neck. A distance of less than ten meters in the restroom somehow took a full five minutes to cross.

When they reached the restroom entrance, Qin Mingyan leaned down to remove the “Cleaning in Progress” sign.

Bo Liye noticed her right hand was now empty and was about to call Qin Mingyan back when she heard someone call her name from down the hallway: “Bo Liye?”

“It really is you! We thought you’d already gone home.”

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages? The homeroom teacher just asked where you went.”

A few girls who were close to Bo Liye swarmed her with concern, quickly squeezing Qin Mingyan out of the circle.

Surrounded by her enthusiastic friends, Bo Liye had just managed to stand steady when she saw Qin Mingyan’s departing back. The name ‘Qin Mingyan’ stayed on the tip of her tongue, suppressed by her friends’ fussing.

She pointed grumpily at her ankle. “Sprained it.”

“How did you get hurt all of a sudden? Let me see.” Xia Yiwen was about to crouch down when she noticed Bo Liye staring fixedly in one direction. She followed her gaze and saw Qin Mingyan.

Seeing the trophy in Qin Mingyan’s hand, she immediately made an assumption and chased after her, grabbing her. “Did you hurt Bo Liye?”

Qin Mingyan turned her head, her expression cold. “Let go.”

Xia Yiwen held on tight. “I won’t. If you don’t apologize to Bo Liye, I’ll take you to the teacher and the principal and have them punish you according to school rules!”

Qin Mingyan’s gaze suddenly became deep and terrifying, frightening Xia Yiwen into loosening her grip. But hearing her friends catching up, she regained her courage and grabbed her again. “You! If you don’t explain yourself, we won’t let you leave!”

Qin Mingyan’s thin lips moved. Her voice remained flat but carried an underlying chill: “I told you to let go.”

Despite wearing the same school uniform, Qin Mingyan’s excessively pale skin and solitary personality always made the hair on the back of Xia Yiwen’s neck stand up.

Gu Baifan walked over and patted Xia Yiwen’s shoulder. “This isn’t the place to cause a scene. Let her go first.”

Seeing the passing students, Xia Yiwen released her hand but remained standing in Qin Mingyan’s path.

When Qin Mingyan moved left, Xia Yiwen blocked the left; when she moved right, she followed. After a few repetitions, Qin Mingyan refused to continue this childish behavior. With a cold face, she replied, “It wasn’t me.”

Xia Yiwen immediately looked at Bo Liye to gauge her reaction, and the others looked too. “It wasn’t her?”

In their eyes, Bo Liye’s injury was likely because Qin Mingyan had won first place in the competition and stolen the spotlight, and Bo Liye had sprained her ankle while going to teach her a lesson. Regardless of whether Qin Mingyan had acted in self-defense, someone was hurt, even the principal would have to demand an explanation.

Bo Liye’s narrowed almond eyes remained fixed on Qin Mingyan. She could have cleared Qin Mingyan’s name with a single sentence, yet she curled her lips and asked ambiguously, “Why were you there just now?”

Qin Mingyan pulled out an award certificate and handed it to Bo Liye. “When the principal asked me to find you, someone said they saw you enter the restroom.”

What did that person look like?

Could it be the voyeur?

Bo Liye’s face darkened. “What did they look like?”

Qin Mingyan said, “Three girls. They had just come out of the restroom.”

Bo Liye had indeed seen a few girls earlier, they likely had nothing to do with the voyeur. Worried that someone would notice something was wrong, she didn’t even look at the certificate Qin Mingyan handed her. She said impatiently, “Go put it in my desk.”

Qin Mingyan nodded and turned to leave.

Xia Yiwen was completely confused. She pulled Bo Liye’s hand and asked anxiously, “You’re just letting her leave like that? I’ve disliked her for a long time. What’s the point of having good grades? She walks around with that deadpan face every day. Even if she gets first place, won’t she just be working for us in the future?”

The other girls chimed in one after another, belittling Qin Mingyan, looking as if they would go teach her a lesson the moment Bo Liye gave the nod.

Listening to them, Bo Liye said slowly, “I sprained it myself by accident.”

Xia Yiwen: “You can still teach her a lesson. It’s her fault for not taking you to the infirmary immediately. Besides, no matter what you do, the principal won’t blame you.”

Bo Liye narrowed her eyes. “And what do you think I should do?”

Xia Yiwen: “Of course, find trouble for her after school when there are fewer people. There are so many of us, can’t we handle her?”

Bo Liye: “Handle her?”

Xia Yiwen: “For example, make her have a crippled leg too.”

The moment these words were out, the girl behind Xia Yiwen immediately pulled at her. Bo Liye’s face darkened instantly. Her beautiful almond eyes held no warmth. “Are you calling me a cripple?”

Bo Liye had only sprained her ankle, it was far from being crippled. Adolescent girls were particularly sensitive about their appearance. Xia Yiwen immediately waved her hands. “I… I didn’t mean it that way.”

Bo Liye’s expression remained grim.

Xia Yiwen belatedly realized that Bo Liye might be angry about something else.

Bo Liye was popular with the teachers not just because of her family background, but because the Bo family made large annual donations to Haichuan High. Most of the time, Bo Liye was warm, sunny, and easy to talk to, but once she set her mind on something, she could be completely unreasonable and illogical.

Xia Yiwen said tentatively, “There are so many people coming and going here. I doubt Qin Mingyan would dare do anything to you. It’s finally Friday after school, let’s not waste time on someone like her.”

Bo Liye’s expression finally softened. She checked the time on her watch and said, “If none of you are in a rush to get home, help me to the south gate parking lot.”

Gu Baifan laughed. “None of us are in a rush! Let’s go together. If you don’t want to walk, we can take turns carrying you on our backs.”

Bo Liye swatted her hand away and smiled again. “Who wants you to carry them!”

As Bo Liye’s childhood friend of over a decade, Gu Baifan understood Bo Liye’s temperament better than Xia Yiwen and the others. She didn’t indulge Bo Liye’s petty moods and hooked an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. “If you don’t want us to carry you, do you want Qin Mingyan to do it?”

The expected retaliation didn’t come. Instead, Bo Liye said with utter calm, “We can try that later.”

Gu Baifan and the others were stunned. “Huh?”

Bo Liye dragged Gu Baifan along as she walked slowly. “I forgot to tell you all. My family found me a tutor or you could call her a study companion. It’s Qin Mingyan. She’s coming home with me later.”

A Friday afternoon without evening self-study was always filled with laughter and chatter on campus. Leaving the auditorium and passing the Haichuan commemorative monument, the basketball courts were packed with students. A standard three pointer accompanied the glow of the setting sun as the ball fell through the hoop, triggering cheers from girls on the sidelines.

To accommodate Bo Liye’s injured foot, the group walked very, very slowly. The atmosphere had become incredibly strange ever since they learned Qin Mingyan was going to be Bo Liye’s tutor. The girls wanted to ask more but didn’t know how, unable to even guess if Bo Liye was happy about it.

Finally, Xia Yiwen changed the subject. “A new French restaurant opened on Xingfu Road. I heard the chef came back from a Michelin starred place. They only serve twenty tables a day. I had someone book a spot, shall we go together on Saturday?”

“After dinner, we can catch a movie. There are some new releases. Liye, want to come?”

“This Saturday? I might not be free. You guys go check it out first,” Bo Liye said. The gold bow on her collar was dazzling, reflecting the sunset in shimmering glints.

“What about Sunday then?”

Bo Liye thought for a moment and said, “Sunday probably won’t work either.”

She didn’t want to reject her friends’ kindness, so she specifically added, “I really have something going on. My mother is coming home this weekend.”

At the mention of the powerful matriarch of the Bo family, the chatterbox teenagers went silent instantly.

Just then, a burst of cheers erupted around them. They looked over and saw someone score another basket. Many girls were screaming in excitement.

It was a very good-looking boy, nearly 1.9 meters tall. As he jumped for a three pointer, the wind caught his T-shirt, blowing it back to reveal lean, fresh abdominal muscles.

The boy seemed to spot something. In the next second, he suddenly tossed the ball to a teammate and jogged out of the court.

Gu Baifan poked Bo Liye, reminding her, “Looks like he’s coming for you.”

Xia Yiwen added, “That’s the best-looking guy in the senior year, Xia Lin. Captain of the basketball team. His family is in the textile business, they’re doing pretty well.”

Bo Liye frowned. “Both named Xia? Is he a relative?”

Xia Yiwen rubbed her nose sheepishly. “Sort of. He asked me to give you a love letter before but you didn’t look at it, so he planned to tell you in person.”

Bo Liye shot her a glare. Her upbringing pushed her to maintain politeness in public, so her displeasure was quickly hidden. When Xia Lin approached, she listened patiently to his confession.

The teasing and cheering from the crowd grew louder. This wasn’t Bo Liye’s first time dealing with this, she was long used to being the center of attention. She smiled faintly, her lips curled. Even with an injured foot, she couldn’t hide the innate pride in her bones.

Normally, Bo Liye would end a confession by saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t plan on dating in high school.” This way, she wouldn’t hurt the person and could maintain her image.

But today was different.

While Xia Lin was still rambling on about his history of falling for her, on the other side of the basketball court, a figure emerged from the far end of the teaching building.

The thin, solitary figure stood in stark contrast to the liveliness of the basketball court. Even as the sunset glow fell upon her, it seemed unable to dispel her coldness.

Bo Liye instinctively took half a step forward. Xia Lin, thinking he was being encouraged, excitedly grabbed Bo Liye’s arm. In his high-schooler fervor, he skipped the rest of his speech and jumped to the end: “I really like you, Bo Liye. Will you be my girlfriend?”

Bo Liye was startled by his sudden movement. She turned her eyes to chase Qin Mingyan’s figure, but she was nowhere to be seen. The direction Qin Mingyan had gone was toward the south gate parking lot, their agreed meeting spot.

Anxious to catch up, Bo Liye’s attitude toward Xia Lin wasn’t as friendly as planned. She pulled her arm away from him and said flatly, “No dating in high school.”

Xia Lin scratched his head awkwardly but chased after her again. He got in front of her and asked gently, “Then after graduation, will I have a chance? I can wait.”

Bo Liye looked toward the direction behind him. “I don’t know.”

Xia Lin looked at Xia Yiwen for help. Xia Yiwen gave an awkward laugh, trying to save some face for him. “Liye hasn’t had much contact with you. How would she know if she’ll like you after graduation? There’s still a year left. Oh, stop blocking the way.”

She placed extra emphasis on “still a year left.” Out of respect for her friend, Bo Liye didn’t argue and pulled Gu Baifan along.

Xia Lin took it seriously and smiled happily. “Okay, okay! I definitely won’t give up.”

As Xia Lin’s friends surrounded him, Xia Yiwen and the other girls continued to help him save face.

Gu Baifan looked back at the scene and was speechless. “The guy needs people to lie for him even after being rejected. How old is he? Basketball captain… what a waste of people’s eyesight.”

Bo Liye gave a hum of agreement.

Gu Baifan lowered her voice and asked, “What’s the deal with you and Qin Mingyan today? Letting her go to your house… are you still interested in her?”

Thud…

Bo Liye’s phone suddenly fell to the ground. Gu Baifan couldn’t help but laugh. “I just mentioned if you’re still interested in her. Is there a need for such a big reaction?”

She leaned down, about to help Bo Liye pick up the phone, when Bo Liye suddenly shouted, “Don’t touch it!”

Gu Baifan froze. “What is it?”

Ignoring the pain in her foot, Bo Liye quickly snatched up the phone and pressed the lock button.

On the screen, just before the light faded, were the messages just sent from that number:

[Sweetie, you like that man? Or do you like his abs?]

[You’re so close you’re almost touching him. I won’t allow it, I won’t allow it, I won’t allow it!]

[What’s so good about stinky men who play basketball? Developed limbs, simple minds. I have abs too. Whiter than his, and smelling better than his.]

Attached below was a picture. The lifted shirt revealed clean, smooth abdominal muscles, skin so pale it seemed to glow and was delicate to the touch. The person seemed to have nervously sucked in their breath when taking the photo, causing a hint of pinkish hue to bloom at the very bottom of the abdomen, like a delicious piece of strawberry candy.

[Sweetie, do you want to take a bite?]