That Girl Who Skipped Class — You're In Big Trouble! - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

An Qianyáng awoke to a brightly lit room. She turned her head and saw Xiāo Xuán’s dark eyes quietly looking at her: “Awake? Go downstairs for some breakfast and then head back to the group. I have a meeting soon.” The implication was, Professor Xiāo was seeing her off. An Qianyáng, not fully awake, was stunned for a long moment. Seeing her confused and silent, Xiāo Xuán curved her eyes and smoothed a wisp of hair from An Qianyáng’s forehead: “I remember that big meal I owe you.”

An Qianyáng was finally startled awake. This gentle tone and doting manner—was she overthinking things? She glanced at Xiāo Xuán and saw a large expanse of fair neck and a tempting collarbone nearby. Shoot, such a fatal attraction… Before she knew it, her lips were pressed against Xiāo Xuán’s warm neck, nibbling gently like a kitten. Unfortunately, the moment lasted less than two seconds before a hand gently cradled her entire face: “Ān Ān, no taking advantage of me.”

An Qianyáng immediately blushed to the tips of her ears: “It wasn’t me… my mouth moved by itself…” As she said this, she caught a glimpse of a hint of playfulness and triumph in Xiāo Xuán’s eyes, as if she had been completely seen through. An Qianyáng was extremely embarrassed and quickly changed the subject: “When are you going back to C-City?”

“I’m going back tonight. I have some personal matters to attend to,” Xiāo Xuán said, walking towards the bathroom in her slippers. “You should be good and focus on your painting. Go back to the hotel early tonight. Don’t wander around alone.”

An Qianyáng felt a pang of loss knowing Xiāo Xuán was leaving today. Just then, her phone rang again; the class monitor was urging her to return for the group meeting. An Qianyáng hesitantly walked to the door, turned around, and said timidly towards the bathroom: “Then I’m leaving. I was very hurt by what happened last night, but you’re right, I thought too simply. But it’s okay, I will get to know you properly. I’m actually not bad; I eat very little, and my family has property and cars, so I’m easy to keep. So, can you give me some time to spend with you?”

Xiāo Xuán poked her head out the door: “Student An, you’re quite confident. I will seriously consider your suggestion, but you need to focus on your studies first.” She stepped out of the bathroom with a towel and sunscreen, wiped An Qianyáng’s face, and carefully applied the sunscreen, rubbing it in bit by bit: “The UV rays are strong lately, be sure to use sun protection.”

Under Xiāo Xuán’s affectionate attention, An Qianyáng’s face, against her will, turned red again.

…

On the last day in Wūzhèn, the number of tourists on the streets gradually decreased. An Qianyáng continued to work diligently on her drawing board. Students around her were discussing their plans to return to C-City after the National Day holiday in small groups. Lǐ Chénchén had been avoiding contact with An Qianyáng ever since he got drunk, leaving her with only the occasional joking Ān Dōng and the highly responsible class monitor.

“Student Qianyáng, your painting is really good,” the class monitor walked over and paused silently beside An Qianyáng’s drawing board for a moment. “Look, this painting has more artistic conception with this blurred background figure. Wait, what is she doing?”

“A girl I saw eating fried chicken on the road. She was wearing a qípáo.” An Qianyáng replied, her hand continuing to refine the painting. The class monitor watched intently for a while before returning to her own spot to make corrections.

An Qianyáng put down her paintbrush and answered Bèi Xuān’s call: “Ān Ān, I found out some information about what you asked. That Xiāo Xuán had a girlfriend in Australia named Eileen. She is Chéng Fēi’s sister—the Chéng Fēi you know, your father’s subordinate. It was him who introduced her to the job when Xiāo Xuán returned to China.”

“What?!” An Qianyáng stopped painting, her brows furrowed.

“Listen to me. Eileen and Xiāo Xuán were together for almost three years and were planning to get married in Australia. Later, Chéng Fēi found out about Xiāo Xuán’s family situation and gave her a sum of money to return to China. After Xiāo Xuán returned, that Eileen quickly got a new boyfriend, and the two stopped communicating.”

“Xiāo Xuán had a girlfriend she was about to marry?! And what is her family situation?”

“She comes from a single-parent family. Her mother divorced and left with someone else very early on. Her father is unemployed, and she has a younger brother who is a freshman in university. Xiāo Xuán has been supporting them all these years by herself.”

“What about that girlfriend of hers?” An Qianyáng asked anxiously.

“She met her while working part-time at the Pullman Hotel. They don’t have any contact now. Yángyáng, I suspect Chéng Fēi interfered with Xiāo Xuán and Eileen’s breakup. I can’t comment on Xiāo Xuán, but her intentionally or unintentionally getting close to you, coupled with your father’s relationship with Chéng Fēi, could it be that she’s using you to take revenge on Chéng Fēi for being betrayed by her girlfriend? Plus, she became a professor at such a young age with such a heavy family burden; she looks like a very ambitious woman. You need to be careful.”

Hearing this, An Qianyáng recalled the incident where Xiāo Xuán was drugged and felt an inexplicable sense of aversion: “Professor Xiāo is not the kind of person you describe.”

“I know. I just wanted to warn you after finding all this out. Don’t be foolish and let your emotions cloud your judgment, or you might be sold out without knowing it.” Bèi Xuān hung up the phone and sent An Qianyáng a photo. The girl in the picture had long black hair and a sweet smile, her innocent demeanor scorching An Qianyáng’s eyes.

Pfft, such a fake smile, An Qianyáng thought maliciously, completely unaware that her inner cauldron of jealousy had already overturned, leaving behind only hollow anger and sourness.