You Like The Smart Ones? You Should Have Said So Sooner! - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Bullying

The school clinic fell silent.

Qin Mian was still thinking about Song Ying’s attitude toward him just now. What’s the deal? Did he just decide we’re reconciled on his own? Qin Mian curled his lips in displeasure.

He shifted his body, leaning back against the head of the bed. Looking at the clean environment around him, he suddenly had a jolt of realization.

“Sister Hong, how… how did I get here?” he asked hesitantly, a trace of wishful thinking still lingering in his heart.

Hong Yue flashed a brilliant smile, heartlessly shattering his hopes. “How else? The little handsome guy from just now carried you here on his back, of course!”

Qin Mian fell silent, his ears beginning to turn red.

She continued to add fuel to the fire: “You have no idea. It’s so hot outside and there were so many people, yet he insisted on carrying you all the way from that distant teaching building to here by himself.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. When he first arrived, his forehead was covered in sweat!”

Someone’s neck turned red as well.

It’s over. Most likely, he was carried here right after the exam ended; there’s no telling how many people saw them on the way.

“Oh, right. When your head teacher came earlier and told him to go back, he wouldn’t leave. He said he absolutely had to stay here to accompany you.” Hong Yue picked up her teacup and took a shallow sip, concluding as if casually, “I have to say, he really cares about his classmate, doesn’t he?”

Qin Mian remained silent for a long time after hearing this. After a while, he let out a non-committal “Mhm” as a response, though it wasn’t clear who it was for.

While he was quietly trying to cool himself down, the phone by his hand suddenly lit up. Qin Mian’s gaze was drawn to it. It should be Song Ying’s phone; he must have forgotten to take it when he put it on the bed earlier.

Qin Mian intended to place the phone on the side table, but as soon as he got close, he saw the message on the screen.

Sanshui Chen Miao: Actually, regarding Qin Mian’s business, if you really want to know.

Because the screen was locked, the rest of the content was hidden. But even without seeing the rest, Qin Mian could guess what Song Ying and Chen Miao were talking about.

His eyes darkened. Acting as if he hadn’t seen the message, he turned the screen off and placed the phone on the table.

Perhaps it was due to being sick, but Qin Mian felt extremely exhausted. He didn’t want Song Ying to bring up those messy things in front of him again. He just wanted to spend this repeat year in peace, and then, like a drop of water, merge into the river—vanishing into the crowd, guarding his little corner of Province Z in a mediocre and stable way.

As for Song Ying, he didn’t want to use his brain to think about him right now. Perhaps this was a form of escapism, but it was surprisingly effective.

In his grogginess, before he could wait for Song Ying’s sweet and sour pork ribs, Qin Mian drifted back to sleep.

When Song Ying returned, he found that the person on the bed was already asleep, and a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. He closed the door softly, placed the food on the table next to Hong Yue, and then returned to Qin Mian’s side to tuck him in.

Noticing his phone had been moved to the table, Song Ying’s gaze paused. He tapped the screen, and Chen Miao’s message immediately appeared.

Song Ying looked at the soundly sleeping Qin Mian and pursed his lips. He felt that Qin Mian had likely seen the message Chen Miao sent, and his heart felt a bit uneasy. He wasn’t sure what Qin Mian’s reaction would be, or if he would be angry. Is he sleeping now just to avoid talking to me?

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Hong Yue propped up her head, taking in all of his movements and expressions since he entered the room with great emotion.

At the sound, Song Ying shot her a glance.

Hong Yue raised an eyebrow and beckoned him over. “Come, come, sit here. Have a bite to eat.”

Song Ying looked down at Qin Mian again. Seeing that he was sleeping deeply, he let out a silent sigh and sat down quietly next to Hong Yue.

“Smells so good.” Hong Yue opened the takeout bags and laid out the food. Besides her requested eggplant and pork over rice and Qin Mian’s sweet and sour pork ribs, there were also some green vegetables.

With a ding, Hong Yue transferred the money to Song Ying and began to eat hungrily.

Seeing that Song Ying wasn’t moving his chopsticks, Hong Yue asked in confusion, “Why are you dazed? Eat something. Qin Mian is going to sleep for quite a while; the food will be cold by the time he wakes up.”

Only then did Song Ying slowly withdraw his gaze.

During the meal, combining everything she had just seen, Hong Yue couldn’t hold it in any longer and called out to the person eating opposite her: “Hey! Song Ying?”

Song Ying looked up.

Hong Yue’s gossipy gaze darted back and forth between Song Ying and Qin Mian. She asked softly, “Are you two… dating?”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Song Ying didn’t expect such a startling question from a school doctor and choked on his rice.

“Don’t get excited! Drink some water.” Hong Yue hurriedly handed him a bottle of water from the table.

After Song Ying calmed down, he looked at the doctor composedly. “No.”

“No??” Hong Yue’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? Doesn’t look like it…”

Song Ying: “……” He was starting to doubt if the person in front of him was a school doctor or Lin Zhixia in disguise.

Hong Yue rubbed her chin. “Tsk, Qin Mian looks so much different now than he used to.”

At those words, Song Ying’s previous reluctance to chat vanished. He suddenly looked up. “You knew Qin Mian before?”

“Oh ho.” Hong Yue stared back at him playfully. “Thought you weren’t dating? Why so concerned about him? Don’t give me that ‘neighbor’ excuse; I’ve never seen a neighbor whose eyes are glued to the other person like that.”

Song Ying was silent for a moment, then admitted honestly, “…I want to.”

“But you haven’t succeeded yet?” Hong Yue finished his sentence. She thought for a moment and asked, “Are you two having a fight?”

Song Ying looked up. “Is it that obvious?”

“Not that obvious. It just can’t escape my golden eyes.”

“Then, do you know the previous Qin Mian very well?” Song Ying asked. “Can I ask… what was he like before?”

Hong Yue didn’t answer him immediately. She lowered her head and took a few more bites of rice. After finishing her meal, she looked back at Song Ying. Her expression was no longer playful.

Her serious voice rang in Song Ying’s ears, causing his pupils to contract.

“Do you know… about school bullying?”

Vulgar voices and cruel jokes from his memories flashed deep in Song Ying’s mind. His eyes darkened slightly as he gave a light nod. “Yes.”

Hong Yue let out a long sigh. “Actually, this kind of thing is very common here in Dong’an.”

“Dong’an is relatively underdeveloped. In previous years, many people went away for work, leaving their children here. Some didn’t receive a good upbringing and went astray. Others had timid personalities and became targets for bullying.”

Song Ying pursed his lips. “So, Qin Mian was the latter?”

“Yes and no.” Hong Yue recalled Qin Mian’s appearance from the past two years and said, “Qin Mian’s personality wasn’t timid at all.”

“Even if there were five people facing him, he’d dare to pick up a brick and get into a scrap with them. Don’t look at me like that—I witnessed it with my own eyes.”