As Qiao Qingyu passed by Class 3 of the second year, a male student rushed in front of her and shouted, “Er Hua!”
His tall frame loomed close, forcing her to stop in her tracks.
“Er Hua~” the tall student sneered, leaning even closer, his unfamiliar breath hitting the tip of her nose, frightening her into backing away repeatedly.
“Her ears turned red!” the boy shouted over Qiao Qingyu’s head.
The crowd behind burst into mocking laughter. Qiao Qingyu was filled with hatred as her gaze slowly lifted, fixing intently on the boy’s exaggerated laughing face.
Sensing her icy stare, the boy stopped laughing and put on a pretend-fearful expression. “Oh, I’m so scared! Don’t touch me! I’m still a virgin, I don’t want to get AIDS…”
“Chen Yuqian.”
Ming Sheng’s voice drifted into Qiao Qingyu’s ears like a cold wind. Chen Yuqian’s mouth snapped shut.
Then Ming Sheng emerged from behind Chen Yuqian: “Come with me.”
He strode past Qiao Qingyu without a sideways glance.
Ever since someone had posted Qiao Baiyu’s photos online, Qiao Qingyu had been given the nickname “Er Hua.” Er Hua meant the second-rate village beauty, inferior to Qiao Baiyu. Sometimes male students would call her “Lao Er” with vulgar undertones, making her stomach churn with nausea. As time passed, she would feel dizzy whenever she entered crowded student areas.
She had seen that post on Building 88’s forum titled “The Most Beautiful AIDS Patient,” which contained artistic photos of Qiao Baiyu taken at some unknown time. The photos were as pure and transparent as diamonds, more captivating than the cover girls of romance novels. The poster claimed to be Qiao Baiyu’s classmate of many years, watching her descent into depravity from elementary school through high school. The post concluded: “Her ambitions reached the heavens, but her life was as thin as paper.”
Qiao Qingyu discovered that many things in the world were half-truth and half-fiction, just like this online post. The true part was the post’s examples of Qiao Baiyu’s improper behavior, such as stealing others’ boyfriends since middle school. The false part was the poster’s identity.
Qiao Baiyu had no long-term classmates from elementary through high school. She initially attended Lifang Township Central School, then transferred to Shunyun No. 3 Middle School before ninth grade, repeating eighth grade and falling behind a year. In her high school year, when the newly established Huajun Art School in Shunyun was recruiting students everywhere, her parents sent her there. The art school was expensive, with only two classes in its first year, gathering students from well-off families who couldn’t get into regular high schools. Qiao Baiyu was the only one who had studied in the countryside for eight years.
The post’s content revealed that the poster had merely collected hearsay, and combined with Qiao Baiyu’s outstanding appearance, easily reached the conclusion that “her ambitions reached the heavens, but her life was as thin as paper.” In Qiao Qingyu’s view, only the latter half of these eight characters rang true. Although Qiao Baiyu had stolen money and lived freely since childhood, Qiao Qingyu knew her sister wasn’t an ambitious person.
She just liked attention.
Qiao Qingyu found it difficult to explain to others that Qiao Baiyu’s actions were purely following her nature, unlike herself, who had the patience to endure. Qiao Baiyu’s criteria for choosing men was simple: gentleness.
That was enough to satisfy her.
Gentle, affectionate older men held a fatal attraction for Qiao Baiyu, regardless of whether they already had partners. In this regard, Qiao Baiyu was indeed as those online critics called her – “cheap.”
As she entered the auditorium, several chattering first-year girls in the front rows cast several contemptuous glances at Qiao Qingyu. As she passed them with an unchanged expression, the girl on the outside unconsciously moved inward.
The auditorium event was the second-year English recitation competition. Qiao Qingyu arrived late, and the audience seats were already packed with a sea of heads. Someone called out “Er Hua” again. Qiao Qingyu pulled her thoughts away from Qiao Baiyu, but the pool of stares made her dizzy.
Where was Jiang Nian? Oh, Jiang Nian was in the front row, preparing to compete.
Class 5’s section was in the middle portion, and most people had arrived. Qiao Qingyu distantly glanced at the few dark empty chairs among the crowd, steadied herself, and walked toward the back of the auditorium.
The rear half of the audience section was empty. She chose the darkest corner to sit down.
Ye Zilin and Chen Yuqian appeared silently after the competition began, sitting to her left and front, surrounding her.
“Hey, Er Hua,” Ye Zilin turned his head and lowered his voice, “Tomorrow morning, big brother will take you to see the Minjiang Tidal Bore.”
“Help you make some friends outside school,” Chen Yuqian leaned in from the side, “So you won’t be so lonely in Huan Zhou. If you run into trouble, you won’t end up helpless like your sister…”
Qiao Qingyu interrupted expressionlessly: “It’s Ming Sheng’s turn.”
As soon as she finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium, with piercing screams from both male and female students. Although Qiao Qingyu’s anxious thoughts were completely elsewhere, she couldn’t help but be captivated by Ming Sheng in his white dress shirt.
This guy usually only wore loose sports T-shirts, but for the competition, he changed into a crisp shirt and dress pants, his tall figure truly eye-catching. She couldn’t see his face clearly, nor did she need to. Before speaking, he first adjusted the microphone’s height and then held it with one hand while scanning the surroundings. These simple, flowing movements made it impossible for Qiao Qingyu to look away. The spotlight had a magical power, transforming the arrogant and difficult rebellious youth into a graceful and modest gentleman.
Like everyone else in the auditorium, Qiao Qingyu held her breath.
“Good afternoon.”
Ming Sheng’s controlled and courteous voice through the microphone crashed into Qiao Qingyu’s chest like a shock wave. Her suspended heart swayed unsteadily, like a swing in the wind.
Almost simultaneously, a scream of “Ah—” came from the center of the audience.
“Tiantian came too?” Ye Zilin turned back in surprise, smirking, “Too crazy, with teachers sitting here~”
Chen Yuqian grimaced: “Miss Su doesn’t care about teachers… Er Hua, coming to see the Minjiang tide tomorrow?”
“No.”
Hearing her cold tone, Ye Zilin and Chen Yuqian exchanged glances.
“Ahem,” Chen Yuqian coughed twice, “We’ll introduce you to your sister’s ex-boyfriend, he’s a rich second generation…”
His meaningful look made Qiao Qingyu’s hair stand on end.
“No.”
Qiao Qingyu left them behind and walked out of the auditorium.
The sky was clear, the breeze gentle and quiet. Without thinking, she walked toward the garden beside the auditorium. Finding a bench to sit on, she looked up at the sky, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, trying to expel Ming Sheng’s lingering voice from her mind.
The microphone had added a touch of depth and magnetism to his voice, which, combined with his unique languidness, was fatally enchanting.
She suddenly opened her eyes to find the sky pristinely blue and vast.
Qiao Qingyu remembered Qiao Baiyu telling her that Huan Zhou was beautiful. Three years ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival on a Sunday, less than a month after arriving in Huan Zhou, Qiao Baiyu had excitedly called home.
“Qingqing,” when she heard it was Qiao Qingyu who answered, Qiao Baiyu called out happily, “I’m at North Mountain. Wow, the view of Huan Zhou from here is so dreamy! Qing Lake is blue, just like the sky!”
Qiao Qingyu had forgotten how she responded, only remembering her lukewarm attitude. Before answering the call, she had seen the caller ID – the phone number wasn’t Qiao Baiyu’s. Heaven knew if there was a man with her. She hadn’t asked, firstly because she had been taught from childhood that as a younger sister, she had no right to question her elder sister’s affairs, and secondly because she truly had no interest.
Now, she couldn’t help but wonder if the “ex-boyfriend” Chen Yuqian mentioned was the person who had accompanied Qiao Baiyu up North Mountain years ago.
But whether he was or wasn’t, what did it matter to her? The further she stayed from the people Qiao Baiyu associated with, the better.