That Girl Who Skipped Class — You're In Big Trouble! - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Back in City C, the autumn breeze was gently stirring. The streets were lined with plane trees, their leaves starting to turn yellow. An Qianyang threw on a light jacket before heading out. From several blocks away, she could already spot Bei Xuan in an absurdly short skirt that almost revealed her waist, and five-centimeter glittery boots that sparkled “bing bing” as she walked.

“You’re not cold, sis?”

“Would you believe me if I said no? I’ve got a date with a hottie today. Your sister is risking it all~” Bei Xuan linked arms with An Qianyang and steered her into a nearby mall. In less than half an hour, she’d bought three pairs of shoes. The sales assistant at the boutique looked so delighted it seemed her back molars might show. “Would you ladies like to take a look? Everything’s on sale today,” one overly eager attendant stopped them in a corridor. An Qianyang glanced inside—turned out to be a wine boutique. “Xuanxuan, let’s check it out. I want to buy a bottle of wine.”

Bei Xuan wandered the store aimlessly and eventually saw An Qianyang holding a rather pricey bottle of red wine at the counter. “Is this for your dear Teacher Xiao?”

“We’re having a get-together today. It’d feel wrong to show up empty-handed.” An Qianyang didn’t look back as she pulled out her wallet.

“You’ve never been this nice to me—I’m jealous,” Bei Xuan pouted dramatically. “We’ve known each other forever and you always spent your allowance on clothes. And now suddenly you’re willing to splurge on fancy wine?”

An Qianyang picked up the gift box and shot her a look. “This isn’t allowance money. It’s prize money I earned.”

Turns out, An Qianyang’s sketching trip to Wuzhen earned her first prize in the department’s evaluation. She received a 3,000-yuan reward and, along with An Dong and two other classmates, was selected to participate in an upcoming product design competition in November.

“Xiao-laoshi, Xiao-laoshi… I think she’s already bewitched you. All my warnings are going in one ear and out the other, huh?”

“If you stop talking now, that limited-edition lipstick I sent you last time is yours.”

Bei Xuan’s eyes lit up. “You said it! No take-backs!”

An Qianyang rolled her eyes. Truth be told, she cared a lot about what Bei Xuan had found out about Xiao Xuan’s past. She never doubted Xiao Xuan’s intentions—after all, she had been the one pursuing him. What really bothered her was the girl named Eileen. The thought that all those sweet gestures and tender moments she’d received from Xiao Xuan might have once been shared with Eileen too—she just couldn’t shake the discomfort.

After wandering around a bit longer, the two parted ways outside the mall. An Qianyang, clutching the wine box, waited in the parking lot until Zhang Xiaoxiao and Song Yingming arrived. She got in their car without a hitch.

This was one of their rare four-person gatherings. The meetup had been initiated by the ever-party-loving Zhang Xiaoxiao. It was also the first time An Qianyang would be seeing Xiao Xuan since the Wuzhen trip.

“What fancy thing did you buy? Show the queen her tribute!” As soon as An Qianyang got in, Zhang Xiaoxiao leaned over from the driver’s seat with her fluffy head, playing the curious cat.

“Just focus on driving,” Song Yingming, sitting beside her, scolded and took the gift box from An Qianyang. She looked at the bottle and said, “Oh! Xuanxuan really loves this brand. Says the acidity is just right. She even asked me to buy it for her last time.”

“Yeah, I saw it at her place.”

“Didn’t think you had it in you, An An. You’re a smooth operator. Give it two months and you’ll be a pro at wooing girls.” Zhang Xiaoxiao caught herself after blurting that out, realizing she might’ve gone too far. At a red light, she sneaked a guilty look at Song Yingming.

Song Yingming ignored her and turned to An Qianyang in the back seat. “I’ve never really liked red wine. Fruit wines are more my thing—tastes like soda, but gives you a nice buzz.”

That got An Qianyang chatting with her about fruit wines, and before long, they arrived at Zhang Xiaoxiao’s apartment complex. There was a convenience store by the entrance.

“Suddenly craving some ice cream,” Song Yingming stretched with a big yawn and nodded toward Zhang Xiaoxiao, who was still parking. “Let’s get some.”

A few minutes later, Zhang Xiaoxiao came out of the store carrying a plastic bag. She handed ice cream cones to both Song Yingming and An Qianyang. Yingming took hers with one hand while holding the wine in the other—but her face soured.

“When have you ever seen me eat Cornettos? And strawberry flavor?”

Zhang Xiaoxiao looked surprised. “You’re acting weird today. I just grabbed whatever. Anyway, I’ve hardly seen you eat ice cream at all.”

“I eat tons of it every summer. And it’s always the same brand, same flavor.”

“Baxi (Eight Happiness), right? Yinyin, I’ve got so much stuff on my plate all the time—how am I supposed to remember all that?”

“‘Stuff’ huh? Yeah, I sure have a ton of ‘stuff.’ Unlike you, whose problems are all capital-I Important. Last month when I was remodeling, I ran myself ragged with all the little things—nearly threw my back out. Remember that time I called you? What were you even doing?”

Zhang Xiaoxiao was clearly losing patience. “Which time? Why are you bringing this up now, out of nowhere? It’s just some stupid ice cream, fine, I’ll buy you a whole box of Baxi next time. Happy now?”

“Oh, so I’m just some pig to you, huh? Give me something to eat and I’ll shut up?”

“Lady, didn’t you say you wanted Baxi? I’m giving it to you, what more do you want? You’re always nagging—hell, even my cat’s sick of hearing it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m always nagging. Even my cat’s annoyed. Pretty soon I won’t be able to stand myself either.”

Song Yingming turned to An Qianyang and nodded. “Let’s go upstairs.”

An Qianyang silently followed her. Before they got far, Zhang Xiaoxiao reached out and grabbed Song Yingming’s arm. Song didn’t even turn around and pushed her away: “Don’t touch me.” But Zhang Xiaoxiao wouldn’t give up, grabbing her again. Song Yingming tried to shake her off, and the two began to struggle.

“Let go,” Song Yingming snapped, swinging her hand and shoving Zhang Xiaoxiao in the face. Zhang, caught off balance, grabbed at Song’s clothes—and crash—the wine hit the ground.

All three froze. An Qianyang rushed over, opened the gift box, and found the wine shattered. The red liquid spilled out, soaking through the box.

A hand landed on her shoulder. Song Yingming’s voice followed. “An An, I’m so sorry. I really am. I’ll make it up to you next time. There’s still some wine at home. Can we drink that instead tonight?”

An Qianyang shook her head. “It’s okay. Just a bottle of wine. I bought it for everyone anyway. Just promise me—no more fighting. Talk it out when we get upstairs.”

She turned to glance at Zhang Xiaoxiao, who looked just like a child who knew they’d done something wrong.