When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36.1

In fact, the moment the words left her mouth, Chu Qinghan regretted it. Her original intention was only to make Yan Jiang calm down, but she never expected it to turn out this way.

Yan slowly released her hand, her voice low and cold: “I’m sorry, I was reckless.”

As her lost sanity gradually returned, she realized how ridiculous she had been.

How could she have asked Chu Qinghan that in front of so many people? Chu Qinghan didn’t like her to begin with. Asking her in front of everyone, Chu Qinghan must think she was deliberately forcing her.

In truth, she just couldn’t stand the way Chu Qinghan reprimanded her for the sake of others. After all, she had stood up for her, but Chu Qinghan looked at her with such an expression of disgust, as if she were beyond saving.

Chu Qinghan watched Yan’s retreating back, feeling inexplicably irritated. She said coldly to the surrounding students, “Go back, don’t just stand here.”

That evening, some students went down the mountain, while others stayed. The college had contacted the guesthouses on the mountain earlier, securing an 80% discount on rooms, so many people were willing to stay the night.

Fanyi Meng looked at the dazed Yan, her heart anxious. She poked Yuzhi Xia, hoping she would say something. Yuzhi had already learned what happened from the large group chat and didn’t want to comfort Yan.

Let her suffer. That way, she won’t like Chu Qinghan anymore.

She knew she was being despicable, but she couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted. As long as they broke up, she would have a chance.

Fanyi had no choice but to take Yan’s hand and stammer, “Yan Yan, well… there’s nothing wrong with liking someone, but Senior Chu Qinghan really isn’t an ordinary person, so maybe you should… like someone else from now on.”

Yuzhi leaned in, pointing to herself: “Like me. I won’t be as insensitive as she is. If you confessed to me, I’d definitely be with you.”

Yan couldn’t even manage a perfunctory smile and said to them, “I’m fine. You two go and have fun. Let me be alone for a bit.”

Yuzhi pulled Fanyi out, afraid that this straightforward, clumsy girl would say something else that would make Yan even more withdrawn.

Outside, everyone was looking at the night view. Qinglu Mountain was beautiful at night. One could take in the entire city—the neon lights blazing, the fireworks flourishing.

Yan looked out the window and sighed deeply.

She wasn’t a sensitive person, so why did she feel like crying so badly?

Give up. Once you give up, it won’t be so painful.

She hypnotized herself over and over, yet cold liquid still traced down her face.

She wanted to smoke a cigarette but couldn’t find a lighter. Yuzhi must have taken it. She was like a busybody, saying she wanted to help her quit her bad habits.

How was it a bad habit? It was a distraction when she was feeling miserable. Back in her emo phase, didn’t people always say, smoking hurts the lungs but not the heart?

She wiped away her tears and silently lay down.

She hadn’t cried since her mother passed away. When she was little, Yao went to school and left her alone at home. She didn’t cry even when she spilled boiling water and scalded her hand. After so many years, she thought her heart was as cold as the snow on Changbai Mountain, but she could still shed tears.

How useless.

The door to the room opened. Yan quickly turned her body so the person entering wouldn’t see her vulnerability.

“Don’t hide. I already saw it.” Yuzhi walked closer, holding a plastic bag containing several takeout containers.

She sat next to Yan and opened the containers one by one. “Eat something. I bought everything according to your taste—chopped pepper fish head, extra spicy crayfish. Eat, sleep, and tomorrow will be a brand new day.”

Yan didn’t even look. She extinguished the cigarette in her hand, turned, and walked out.

“Where are you going?” Yuzhi was worried and wanted to follow.

Yan waved her hand, signaling her not to follow, saying she wanted to be alone.

The mountaintop was a bit cold at night, but it allowed her thoughts to clear. Chu Qinghan’s cold eyes kept resurfacing in her mind. Every time she thought of it, her heart would seize up, and finally, a dense, throbbing pain covered her entire being.

Yuzhi was still uneasy about her being alone, so she secretly followed her, keeping a distance.

Since she doesn’t like you, why must you be so persistent about her?

Why not shift your gaze from her? Perhaps you will discover someone is loving you.

Fanyi was in a terrible mood because of her crush and Yan’s situation. She was dragged out to drink, and once drunk, she went to demand an explanation from Chu Qinghan.

She couldn’t understand how someone who had just rejected another person with such vicious words could sit here so nonchalantly.

“Senior Chu Qinghan, why did you reject Yan Yan?”

Jing Fu, holding a glass of cocktail, raised an eyebrow, looking ready to watch a show.

Chu Qinghan remained silent. She had been restless all afternoon because of this matter. If forced to give a reason, she couldn’t articulate one herself.

It was precisely because she didn’t know why that she felt so uneasy and couldn’t concentrate on anything.

Seeing her silence, Fanyi became more agitated. She slammed her hand on the table, causing the wine bottles and glasses to rattle.

“Yan Yan is so wonderful! It’s one thing not to like her, but why did you have to say such hurtful things? How is she supposed to hold her head up in school now? Do you even have a heart?!”

After saying that, she swayed backward and was caught by another sophomore girl. The girl sighed helplessly, “I’ll take her back. She’s drunk. Don’t take what she said to heart.”

How could Chu Qinghan not take it to heart? Her heart ached every time she recalled the look in Yan’s eyes as she left.

“Are you really not going to check on that junior? I think she’s sincere about you. If you’re not absolutely sure you don’t like her, you’d better explain things clearly as soon as possible, otherwise…”

Jing stopped, took a sip of her drink, and her eyes deepened, as if recalling unpleasant memories.

Chu Qinghan stood up and silently left.

She still couldn’t let go of Yan and planned to go check on her. As for an explanation, she didn’t know how to give one.

Jing pulled her thoughts out of the past, put down her cocktail, and excitedly clapped the table. “Everyone, we’re finally out. Let’s all enjoy ourselves! No one leaves sober tonight. The Senior is paying for everything. Let’s party!”

Cheers, whistles, and music rose and fell, pushing the atmosphere to a climax, forming a stark contrast to the silent mountain world outside.

Chu Qinghan stood at the door of Yan’s room, hesitating for a long time. When she finally gathered the courage to knock, there was no response.

After waiting for a long time, there was still no movement inside. Chu Qinghan felt a little defeated. She turned to leave and ran into Yuzhi in the hallway.

“What are you doing here? Did you think you didn’t do a good job, so you came back to twist the knife a few more times?”

Chu Qinghan was annoyed and ignored her provocation, walking past her.

“Chu Qinghan, you’ve always been better than me in everything since we were little. So when I found out Yan Jiang liked you, I wanted to use my own methods to make her fall for me and steal her from you. But no matter how hard I tried, she only treated me as a roommate, without any of those feelings. Her heart and eyes are only for you. That’s why I grew increasingly jealous of you. But now, I’m not jealous anymore. You, someone who tramples on others’ feelings and acts so superior, will never find happiness. Don’t come looking for Yan Jiang anymore. I will be responsible for her happiness. You continue with your arrogance.”

One day, you will regret what you did today. By then, Yan Jiang will be mine.

Chu Qinghan’s breath hitched, and her steps became unsteady.

She admitted that she initially approached Yan with the intention of testing her, watching Yan play those little tricks in front of her, and she never expected Yan to be so persistent.

But when Yuzhi told her to stay away from Yan, her heart still tightened.

After a few steps, she turned back and asked Yuzhi, “Where is Yan Jiang?”

It was clear the room was empty, so where had she gone?

Yuzhi crossed her arms, leaning against the wall, smiling mysteriously, “What, are you really going to twist the knife again? Seriously, Sister, is there really a person as awful as you in this day and age?”

“Tell me, where is she!” Chu Qinghan’s voice held a hint of anger, clearly having run out of patience.

Yuzhi scoffed, the smile disappearing from her face. “Don’t try that with me. Others may be afraid of you, but I’m not. You won’t get a single piece of news about Yan Yan from my mouth today. And don’t ever bother her again. As long as I’m by her side, you can forget about getting close to her!”

In the past, Yuzhi wouldn’t have dared to openly challenge Chu Qinghan. After all, the Xia family’s business relied on the Chu family, and Chu Qinghan was the heir of this generation of the Chu family. The consequences of offending her were imaginable, but for Yan, she couldn’t care less.

That foolish girl was single-minded. If Chu Qinghan found her and coaxed her with a few nice words, she might forget the pain of today. But Yuzhi couldn’t let her forget. She had to protect the person she loved.

Chu Qinghan turned, walking away with hurried steps.

She shouldn’t waste time here. She needed to find Yan and explain to her that those words were spoken in a moment of desperation, not her true feelings.

Whether Yan listened to her explanation or not, she had to say it.

But after searching outside for a while, she still couldn’t find her. Seeing that it was already past midnight, she went back to Yan’s room one last time. Only Yuzhi was sitting there.

Yuzhi was also anxious. She was afraid Yan was getting cold, so she had come back to grab her a coat, but when she went back to look for her, she was gone.

The terrain in the mountains was complex, with steep rock faces everywhere, and it was night. For a grown person to vanish like that, Yuzhi couldn’t stop her mind from racing with terrible thoughts.

It was late, and the only sound on the mountain was the chirping of unknown insects. Fortunately, the moon was bright, lighting Yan’s way down the mountain.

She had stood in the night wind for a long time before finally deciding to go down the mountain alone.

If she went back, she would inevitably have to face Chu Qinghan, Yuzhi, and Fanyi tomorrow. They would definitely try to comfort her, and she didn’t want to trouble others with her problems.

It was just a breakup. It wasn’t a big deal. Why make such a fuss?

Because the trail was rugged, it took Yan a long time to reach the base of the mountain. By then, the sky was already showing the white of dawn.

She walked alone on the road, her feet aching excruciatingly, but compared to the pain in her heart, it didn’t seem so unbearable.

Passing a breakfast stall, the vendor stopped her and handed her a steamed bun.

“Little girl, there’s no hurdle in life you can’t get over. Eat my bun and go home.”

Yan took the bun and pulled out her phone to pay, but the kind woman stopped her. “I don’t need your money. Consider it a friendly gift from an old woman. I hope you can climb out of your sadness. The sun is about to rise. Today is a new day.”

Yan nodded, thanked her, and continued walking. She took a bite of the bun; it was delicious.

Tears streamed down her face, landing on the bun. She ate it with her tears and then booked a flight home.

The spring break was a total of fifteen days, and today was only the second day.

She was going home to sweep her mother’s grave and visit her elderly neighbors. She used to frequently sneak over to eat at their house when she was little, and even now, the grandparents often invited her over for meals. They were wonderful people.

Yan admitted she wasn’t a strong person. At a time like this, she would bury her head in the sand like an ostrich, but no one stipulated that she had to face it with a smile.

She would spend these fourteen days alone, licking her wounds in solitude.

Yuzhi received a text message from Yan at 2 a.m., only then realizing that Yan had gone down the mountain alone.

If she hadn’t been afraid to travel alone at night, she would have immediately gone to look for Yan.

After calming down, she just felt angry and kicked over a nearby rattan chair.

It was late at night! What if she ran into danger as a girl? Didn’t all those news reports about missing female college students give her any warning?

Then, she started to worry for Yan, sitting alone on a single sofa, awake until dawn.

The next day, the main group gathered, and Chu Qinghan’s team was missing three people.

Yuzhi and Fanyi had already gone down the mountain. They wanted to go back to the dorm to be with Yan, but when they returned, the room was empty.

Fanyi quickly called Yan. Yan told her she was already at the airport.

Yuzhi snatched the phone and said, “I’m coming with you. Which airport are you at? I’ll come find you right away.”

“I’m about to board. You won’t make it if you come now. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Yan’s voice sounded normal, but if one listened closely, they could hear the fatigue, indicating she was only pretending to be fine to put them at ease.

Yuzhi wisely hung up the phone, her eyes thoughtful.

Fanyi’s reaction was simple: she was furious, holding a grudge against Chu Qinghan, and later didn’t even acknowledge her when they met at school.

After Yan returned home, she first had a long, deep sleep. Then she went to the cemetery and spoke to her mother for a long time, including about being rejected. Although she kept a smile on her face, tears still fell without her noticing.

“You must think I’m so useless, being so distraught over a girl. But I just can’t stop liking her. It’s like something is driving me, making me unable to help but pay attention to her, like her, and be completely obsessed.”

“But don’t worry. I only show you my vulnerable side. When I go back, I’ll still be the ‘Player’ Yan Jiang.”

I will never like anyone again.

After the fifteen-day vacation ended, Yan returned to campus, but because of what happened, she began to be subtly and unintentionally targeted by her classmates. For example, during breaks, people would read gay-themed novels aloud, or someone would deliberately throw away her completed homework, getting her reprimanded by the teacher. Or people would constantly point and whisper behind her back, their tone disdainful and their eyes lewd.

She didn’t take any of these petty tricks to heart and never acknowledged them.

However, those people took this as her being guilty and afraid to fight back, so they became even more brazen, starting to intentionally frequent her class’s hallway.

Freshmen had evening study sessions that lasted until 9 p.m. with a ten-minute break in the middle. The people coming to watch the spectacle always chose this time, gathering at the entrance and occasionally peering inside.

Usually, if they weren’t too excessive, she would ignore them. But today, several girls from the art troupe gathered at the entrance of the Industrial Management class, talking loudly, severely disrupting the studying students.

“Yan Jiang, they must be here to watch you. Why don’t you go out and let them look? Once their curiosity is satisfied, they won’t gather at the classroom door anymore.”

The class monitor was a boy who usually spoke in a effeminate manner, but he was being tough now.

A girl slammed her hand on the table and challenged him, “Zhu Changqing, what do you mean by ‘let them look’? Is Yan Jiang a circus monkey at the zoo that they can just gawk at?!”

Fanyi, who was sound asleep, was startled awake by the girl’s voice. After asking the nearby student what was going on, she was instantly furious. She rushed to the door and shouted at them, “Are you sick? Gathering outside someone else’s classroom to talk? Your voices are grating. Do you think you’re nightingales?”

A girl who wasn’t particularly good-looking but had an extremely arrogant expression disdainfully said to Fanyi, “Isn’t this hallway a public area? I’ll chat wherever I want. Do you live in the Pacific Ocean that you have to manage everything?”

“Yeah, how weird. Are the girls in this class all being corrupted by that lesbian? So strange.”

“Hey, call that lesbian in your class out. Let us see her. I won’t hold a grudge against your attitude just now, sisters.”

At this, the girls behind her burst into laughter, their voices louder and more jarring than before.

Fanyi slammed her fist against the door, shaking all the dust off it.