×××
…
The second semester's final exam passed in a hurry amidst the wailing of the students.
In the blink of an eye,
It was the day that Explode and An Qiu had agreed to go out. On this day, An Qiu didn't sleep in, which was rare.
Instead, she got up before the time that Prunus asked her to go out. The two girls specially matched their outfits the day before they went out.
At Prunus's insistence, An Qiu didn't dress sloppily this time.
An Qiu: "… Do I need to wear a dress?"
Prunus: "Think back to when I went out on a date with you!
You did the same to me! "
An Qiu: "So, instead of caring about me,
It's about revenge! "
An Qiu angrily pinched Prunus's cheeks, while the latter looked at her with a smile. After knowing that An Qiu was going out with Explode, she smiled happily.
Her whole face glowed with a happy maternal smile, and no matter how Angie teased her, she could not get angry.
An Qiu: "… I'm so angry."
"… Compared to being angry, An Qiu,
It's time! "
While the two girls were fooling around in the room, Prunus noticed that the only clock in the room showed the time — 9: 45. There were only 15 minutes left until 10: 00.
An Qiu was startled, and a trace of unknown nervousness arose in her heart.
She turned around and said goodbye to Prunus, "I'm going out."
"You don't have to come back so early … ~" Prunus smiled like a mother.
"… I'll kill you when I come back." An Qiu glared at her, closed the door, and trotted away.
…
After leaving the dormitory, a gust of cold winter wind whistled and blew on An Qiu's face, bringing about needle-like pain.
The trees on both sides of Xiong Ying's dormitory were stripped of their decorations as the seasons changed. Their brown, dry branches stood there, enduring the cold of winter — they seemed to have the same effect as her.
"… I want to go back." An Qiu narrowed her eyes.
Especially today, she was wearing a dress.
The cold wind blew from her knees to her crotch.
It didn't feel good to be chilly.
"Go back to hell!"
Just when An Qiu was about to retreat in her heart, a vulgar but not very fierce voice sounded behind her. An Qiu looked back and saw Explode's orange eyes, burning in the cold winter.
"It's so hot," An Qiu said sincerely when she saw him. "You don't know what cold is."
"… You talk too much."
Explode didn't know what she was trying to say. He clicked his tongue — it was her fault for walking so slowly. The bus was leaving soon, and they would have to stand at the bus stop and suffer the wind. Explode frowned and thought for a while. He reached out his hand to rudely grab An Qiu's arm and pulled her to run, "Let's run!
Stupid salted fish. "
"What a rude name." An Qiu shook her head, but didn't seriously protest. After all, being a salted fish was her attitude towards life.
…
Lin Sanjiu and Explode took a car out of the city. It turned out that what they decided to do today was related to Prunus.
The thing was, Prunus' birthday was coming. An Qiu accidentally learned about it a few days ago. Although her friends in class had been secretly preparing for her birthday party, An Qiu had to choose a gift for Prunus.
She had been worried about this for some time. She couldn't find a gift that she liked on the street, so today she decided to go to a place a little further away, with a huge department store.
On the other hand, Bao Hao had no objections to this program. Originally, he took the opportunity to ask An Qiu out. In reality, he couldn't think of anything to do with the two of them, so An Qiu's suggestion made him happy and relaxed.
"Speaking of which, do you know when Almond's birthday is?"
An Qiu tilted her head and looked at the gradually arranged Christmas lights at the bus stop. There was a faint doubt in her eyes.
"God knows."
Explode's mind flashed with the look of Boom's natural airhead. He said faintly, "That Half Bastard is weird. I don't know him well, and we don't get along."
"I think so."
An Qiu nodded in agreement. Thinking back carefully, she giggled. She had never seen Boisterous Tyrant and Boom having the same opinion. They would quarrel within three seconds of meeting, although she and Boisterous Tyrant were the same.
Explode thought for a while and casually continued, "Is that Half Bastard dating White Hair?"
An Qiu shook her head in response. She thought for a while and added, "But it should be soon."
Explode was not surprised to hear this answer. He imagined the scene of Boom dating Prunus in his mind. This scene made him a little unhappy. He twitched the corner of his mouth and commented in disgust, "I always feel disgusted by that Half Bastard."
"… How much do you have against him?"
An Qiu was a little helpless. She cleared her throat and pretended to be serious, "Senior Boom is tall and strong, handsome and has an excellent personality. He comes from a rich family and is devoted to people. He is a rare flower in Xiong Ying."
"… F * ck, are you trying to disgust me by saying this early in the morning?"
Kao Hao coughed a few times and looked at An Qiu next door with disdain. Speaking of which, this guy didn't mean anything when he said those words, right?
"Hehe." An Qiu's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
…
Just like that, the two of them chatted and strolled around for the entire day.
"Senior, what do you think of this?"
"Whatever."
"This one isn't just ugly … it's just like you, Senior."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll twist your head off here?"
"That looks delicious. Senior, please treat me."
"… Are you out of your mind?"
…
"Well, I've decided to buy this."
"You've finally decided …"
Explode stared at An Qiu who had dragged him around the shopping street for the whole day. Although he wanted to go shopping with her, he was almost tired of choosing a gift.
An Qiu finally chose a gift for Prunus and Explode almost broke down. The sky gradually darkened and the temperature dropped further. An Qiu looked at the white smoke coming out of her mouth and suggested that they eat.
Explode didn't refuse. Instead, he followed An Qiu very cooperatively. When they saw a restaurant that served spicy hot pot, he dragged her into it. An Qiu didn't complain about why she had to eat spicy hot pot every time she ate with him.
She just silently prayed that Explode could live longer.
…
After a full meal, the two held their stomachs and left a surprisingly delicious spicy hot pot restaurant.
"… It's so cold."
Just as An Qiu came out of the warm Mala Tang restaurant, a strong gust of cold wind brushed past her face, and she immediately shivered all over.
An Qiu rubbed her hands and her pair of black eyes slowly looked at the calm and composed Tyrant beside her. She couldn't help but feel a trace of envy towards his personality and physique.
Explode was really enviable in all aspects.
When Bao Hao saw An Qiu's habitual action of rubbing her hands to warm herself up, he fell silent again. He had already seen her do this action countless times today. Her white cheeks had been blown by the winter wind for an entire day and were also frozen red.
What a thin-skinned fellow. Boaster sighed in his heart and walked in front of An Qiu. He really couldn't stand her cold and warm actions, so he said in a muffled voice, "If you feel cold, walk behind me."
An Qiu was startled. When she heard the young man's words, although her body subconsciously followed him, she still felt warmth and surprise after savoring his words.
She didn't expect Explode to take the initiative to do such a considerate thing. In the past, even if he suddenly became enthusiastic, he would take a detour to help others.
"I think it's good for senior to be frank occasionally. It's very likable."
An Qiu spoke bluntly without fear. He was very satisfied with Bao Hao's suggestion of automatically applying to be a windshield, and praised him straightforwardly.
"Don't say such disgusting things." Explode glared at her unhappily.
"Senior is the one who's disgusting today."
An Qiu replied, not to be outdone. He did all kinds of considerate things, which made her think that the real senior had been replaced by someone else. She smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to tease him, she heard Explode say in an even more depressed voice, "Don't f * cking call me senior. You're in the same year as me, right?"
An Qiu was a repeater like Prunus, so although she entered the school a year later than Explode and the others, they were about the same age.
So every time Explode knew that An Qiu was in the same generation as him, he would go crazy when she called him "senior" without any respect.
"Then what should I call you?" An Qiu blinked and narrowed her eyes. "Remove the honorifics?"
"… Up to you." Explode said casually.
"Then … Like this?"
An Qiu looked up at the back of Explode's head. He insisted on walking in front of her, so she couldn't see his expression. She could only communicate with him. "Explode?"
… Explode's heart tightened.
An Qiu's voice was cold and her tone was light. But because it was the first time she called him by his name without honorifics, it gave Explode a new feeling that the distance between them had shortened a lot. His heart pounded wildly.
Indeed, he was not used to not being addressed as' Senior ', but just calling him' Bao Hao 'gave him a good feeling.
Explode slowly raised the corner of his mouth. He suppressed the joy in his heart and looked at An Qiu. "Hey, before we go back to Xiong Ying, let's walk around."
"I'm fine with it."
An Qiu nodded. She was aware of Boisterous Tyrant's sudden surge of emotions. Even though she was a little confused, she still followed obediently.
Explode looked at the girl. His frown relaxed slightly. Seeing that she cooperated with him without any objections, he suddenly became curious. "… Why did you agree to come out today?"
"What do you mean why?" An Qiu was startled.
"Don't you usually dislike trouble?"
"Are you asking why I'm willing to come out with you?"
"… Well, I guess so." Explode turned his head away. "It's okay if you don't want to say. I'm just asking."
An Qiu looked at Explode's bewildered face. She thought about the reason why she agreed to come out with him. She thought about the things she had been thinking about recently. Finally, she decided to be frank with Explode. "I won't go out with anyone. As long as I don't want to, no one can force me."
Explode's heart tightened. He nodded silently. Her words were apt. Every sentence was her way of doing things. If she was not willing, she would not give in even if he bombarded her.
So, did she mean that she wanted to go out with him?
Explode felt a little smug in his heart. But this was not the reason for his satisfaction. He had to know why she wanted to go out with him. "So, why is that?"
"Take a guess." An Qiu blinked and looked at him. Her eyes seemed to be permeated with a bit of slyness.
Bao Hao's heart tightened as he looked at the smug and playful expression in her smiling eyes. He only felt that her expression was cute, causing his mind to go blank and he was caught off guard. He didn't like her riddle, so he turned his head and said, "I don't like guessing. Don't beat around the bush."
An Qiu smiled and lowered her eyes to follow Explode. She fell into silence.
— How should she put it?
An Qiu's mind was in a mess. In the end, she looked up at the sky. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
This was a cold winter night. Even though the north wind was bone-chilling, it could surprisingly clear one's mind.
"Then I'll say it."
"…"
"… As you know, my personality allows me to release visible monsters from my body. My parents died because of me."
In the cold, An Qiu slowly opened her mouth. She narrowed her deep eyes slightly, her eyes rippling like the surface of a lake. "Even now, I still remember everything that happened back then clearly."
When Explode heard this sudden topic, he felt as if his heart was tied by a rope. His heart was throbbing painfully. "Why did you suddenly mention this?"
"… Do you think I'm beautiful?"
Just when Explode's eyes became serious, An Qiu suddenly spoke again. Her pure black eyes slowly looked up at Explode. She smiled at him. Paired with her delicate and beautiful facial features, her smile was so beautiful that it dazzled Explode for a moment.
"… You can actually ask such a question."
Explode blushed, but he didn't want to admit defeat and reprimanded her.
But to be honest, he didn't want to admit that she was beautiful in the past. But recently, he gradually couldn't deny it.
"Everyone says I'm beautiful."
An Qiu continued without blushing or skipping a beat. She didn't expose Bao Hao's unnatural reaction. Instead, she lowered her eyes and slowly explained, "… Because I inherited my mother's appearance.
She's a stage actress, and my father is a stage choreographer. The two of them are a perfect match. "
After An Qiu said this, Explode had another image in his mind.
An Qiu continued to speak. Even though her eyes were on the road, her thoughts had drifted far away. "In any case, from what I know, my father and mother worked in the same theater group. When I was about to enter kindergarten, my mother's acting skills seemed to have reached a bottleneck … Then, from then on, the two of them kept arguing, and sometimes they would even come to blows."
"And my personality was awakened during that time."
At this point, An Qiu's eyes changed again. There was an indescribable emotion in her deep eyes. "That day, after my parents fought, they wanted to vent their anger on me. At that time, because I was scared, my teleportation personality was awakened."
["An Qiu!
Who allowed you to run away!
Get back here!
You trashy child! "
"No, no!"
"I missed you so much!" The man held a feather duster in his hand and approached the girl with a fierce face …]
"I started to run, and my father started to chase me. After that, things got out of hand. And I, who didn't know the limits of my personality, finally summoned Hollow out of exhaustion."
Recalling the past, An Qiu's deep eyes hid a trace of helplessness. "Anyway, that's how the accident happened."
"I killed someone with that monster." An Qiu raised her arm, clenched her fist, and gently put it down. "That's my eternal shadow."
"No, you're just …" Explode wanted to say something, but An Qiu cut him off. "No, that's the unchanging truth."
"…" Explode did not comment.
"So, from then on, I never thought that I could get along with normal people, and I was not prepared to accept or be accepted by others.
But as I got along with everyone, I gradually let go. But … just as I almost forgot about the past, I was taken away by the Enemy Alliance. "
An Qiu's lips curled into a cold smile. "They triggered my shadow, so I was disheartened. I once thought about leaving Xiong Ying, but because of Almond and you, I gradually let it go."
"… It made me want to try to go on like this."
Speaking of this, she gradually raised her voice.
"Although I was sometimes confused, and I was afraid that I would cause trouble for many people. Just like the incident at the construction site, I almost hurt you. To be honest, I was scared to death. I was afraid that the tragedy would happen again."
"But you still helped me without hesitation. Before the exam, you also came to me on the shopping street. Although it was a mistake, I was still very grateful."
"The description of a mistake is superfluous." Explode snorted.
An Qiu thought for a while and shook her head, signaling Explode to let her continue. "Although I still felt disheartened occasionally … but every time, I would remember how you and Almond took care of me. So, I thought that if I continued to be shy, I would really cause trouble for others."
"So, I started to work hard."
An Qiu said calmly, looking at Explode. Her attitude was sincere and serious. "Do I look more interesting like this?"
Her lips curved into a perfect smile.
As for Bao Hao, he looked at An Qiu, who had made up her mind on her own accord, and felt a warm current flowing into his head, causing his heart to throb for her.
So this girl had such an expression.
He lowered his eyes and looked at the girl seriously. Looking at the satisfied smile on her face that was like a child's, his heart started to beat again. He stared at her and was about to speak when he noticed something snowy white was slowly falling from the sky.
…
"It's snowing!"
"It's the first snow!"
The passersby on the street exclaimed. An Qiu and Explode, who were looking at each other, noticed this and looked away. Instead, they looked at the sky.
"I didn't expect to see snow."
An Qiu's tone was full of admiration. Her pair of dark eyes reflected the white cotton that was slowly falling from the sky. She unconsciously reached out her hand to catch it. "It's snowing, so beautiful."
"Ah."
Explode nodded silently. It was also the first time he saw the shadow of the first snow, so he unconsciously looked at it for a while. The soft and light snowflakes fluttered in the sky like goose feathers.
Then, they gradually fell on the girl's shoulder like starlight. Explode's gaze moved from the snowflakes to An Qiu. Looking at her cold and naughty action to catch the snowflakes, the corner of his mouth raised into an extremely helpless smile.
"What are you laughing at?
Is there something on my head? "
An Qiu naturally noticed Explode's reaction. She suspiciously reached out to touch her hair. Then, she touched a piece of moist, probably snowflakes that had melted on her head.
"Oh, it's so cold."
She complained slightly and looked at her wet hand with some annoyance. Just as she was about to rub her hand to warm it up, Explode grabbed her hand.
Explode's palm was extremely warm, but it quickly warmed up An Qiu's icy hand. An Qiu's hand was suddenly wrapped by Explode's hand. Feeling the warmth that she had always dreamed of, although she was satisfied, she was still nervous that her heart suddenly stopped beating because of the skin contact.
In the past, she was the one who initiated the contact, so it didn't matter.
But this time, Explode was the one who initiated it. She was unprepared, so his action directly hit her heart.
The warmth that he gave seemed to have no end to it. It flowed all over her body and circulated to her limbs and bones. An Qiu looked at her hand that was held by Explode. She, who was always at ease, became shy at this moment.
"Explode, what are you doing?"
She called him carefully, like a wronged and timid little animal, as if she didn't understand the meaning of his actions.
"Do you want to be with me?"
…
Explode looked at her and saw her nervousness in her eyes. He felt that the woman in front of him was even more lovable. This made him dare to take a big step forward and hold her hand tightly.
He had been thinking a lot recently. Judging from his concern and possessiveness for her — no matter how he thought about it, he liked this fellow.
Although he didn't know the specific reason, he unexpectedly felt comfortable being with this girl.
After a year, he realized that she wasn't as cold and indifferent as she appeared to be. Her every frown and smile really affected him.
He liked her, so he wanted to be with her. This was what he thought about her.
As for him, there was no reason for him to keep his feelings for her a secret. Therefore, when the time came, he would definitely confess to her.
He looked at the girl's stunned and nervous face. She didn't seem to be bothered by his confession at all. This made him feel as if victory was already in his hands.
"Why are you in a daze?
What's the answer? "
Hearing Explode's bold question, An Qiu's heart started to beat wildly again. "This … this question is too abrupt.
Explode, can't you be a little considerate of other people's feelings? "
An Qiu's voice became softer and softer. She even frowned. This development was too sudden. Even if she continued to pretend, she couldn't stay calm.
Explode didn't say anything. He just held her hand and didn't let go.
"… You like me?" An Qiu lowered her head and didn't dare to look at Explode's eyes.
"What do you think?" He asked her back.
Faced with his self-evident attitude, An Qiu blushed. Feeling the warmth from his hand, her eyes turned red. She felt wronged and didn't know what to do. "… Your personality is too bad."
Facing An Qiu's grievance, Bao Hao was a little proud. He smiled as if he had gotten his way. Seeing An Qiu's terrified look after being harassed by him, he felt proud for the first time in his life. "So, what's your answer?"
Together?
Or not together?
An Qiu looked at Explode. This was indeed an abrupt multiple-choice question. Although the timing was abrupt, it wasn't that she didn't think about it.
Explode had been close to her recently and took the initiative to ask her out. She also thought about how Explode felt about her.
Her own meticulous preparation for today's appointment must have come from her own expectations for this person, right?
An Qiu's heart beat faster and faster. She knew that she had unconsciously regarded Explode as a special person to her.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be happy about his confession — and not be bothered at all.
It was also because of him that she felt comfortable and dependent on him.
If it were someone else, she definitely wouldn't be able to do it.
But because it was Explode, she felt that she could give an answer.
She pursed her lips. Although she was a little unhappy with Explode's confident smile, she still replied angrily,
"… Let's go together then, bastard!"
Was she afraid of him?!
No!
…
When Explode got An Qiu's special answer, he felt funny and happy at the same time. He smiled at her, his eyes were full of joy. An Qiu saw his obvious happiness and turned her head away helplessly, "… But you have to treat me to dessert!
I'm still a little unhappy with your face! "
Explode was stunned. Did she suddenly want to extort money from him?
But since it had come to this, Explode didn't care. He only felt sweet in his heart. Thinking of this, he smiled and held her hand. Without saying anything, he turned around and walked away, "… Then let's eat!
I'll take you to eat it! "
After all, from today onwards, she was no longer his trashy apprentice, but his girlfriend!
Of course, he would spoil her to the heavens!
If you don't like it, come and argue!
…