Chapter 1 Fleeting Life "Jiang Xuchi, I heard you like me?"...
As soon as Qin Man finished class, she picked up her schoolbag and headed towards the bar street.
The entire street was lined with luxury supercars, and the area in front of the Floating Life Bar was even more dazzling, with colorful neon lights flashing extravagantly. Through a curtain, you could hear heavy metal rock music coming from inside.
As Qin Man walked to the entrance of Fusheng, two or three boys were standing there smoking. They glanced at her clothes and whistled with a smile.
Qin Man stopped and didn't rush in.
She saw her reflection in the glass next to her, with her hair in a bun and wearing the Xilai Junior High School uniform. She looked very proper, except for a diamond brooch on her bow tie, but she still looked out of place in the flamboyant style of the bar street.
Qin Man took out her phone from her pocket, ready to call Qin Chen.
Suddenly, a young man in a leather jacket popped out from behind the curtain. He grinned broadly when he saw Qin Man and turned to the waiter at the door, saying, "Hey handsome, this is Brother Chen's younger sister."
Seeing that someone was there to meet her, the waiter didn't bother with them anymore, nodded, and let them in.
Leather-clad Qin Man led him through the chaotic dance floor and the dimly lit themed stage, finally arriving at a VIP box.
Several people were standing at the door of the private room. They were all Qin Chen's friends, just like him. They were all spoiled brats from wealthy families, good-for-nothings who loved to play around.
They all recognized Qin Man and waved to her with smiles.
Someone teased her about whether she had finished her homework and if she wanted to have a couple of drinks, but she retorted in the leather jacket: "Be careful Qin Chen breaks your legs if you say that."
The man touched his nose, chuckled sheepishly, and stepped aside to make way for her.
Qin Man glanced at the group of people outside and didn't see Qin Chen. She guessed he was in the private room, but she didn't dare to go in directly.
So she grabbed the sleeve of the leather jacket and asked, "Where's my brother?"
The man in the leather jacket whispered to the other person, "Has Brother Chen finished beating people up?"
The man replied in an even quieter voice, but the noise in the bar was too much for Qin Man to hear clearly.
After finishing speaking, the man in the leather jacket turned his head and said to her, "Go in and take a look. Try to persuade your brother not to go too far."
Qin Man frowned. Even his group of cronies couldn't persuade her to come?
Pushing open the door, Qin Man was immediately choked by the strong smell of alcohol inside and started coughing.
She squinted and saw a person lying on the side of the coffee table, wearing the same school uniform as her.
The person was lying face down, their face obscured, only a thin, pale arm visible; it was unclear whether they were dead or alive.
But you can clearly see the dirty marks from the soles of his leather shoes on his school uniform and arms.
Qin Chen was sitting on the sofa opposite, pouring himself a drink.
He heard the door open and peeked at her. Seeing it was his younger sister, he immediately looked away with disdain.
Qin Man remembered that the person Qin Chen beat up was named Jiang Xuchi, the son of her neighbor in the villa area. He was a rich second-generation and had grown up with Qin Man since childhood; he was also her classmate.
However, there are plenty of rich kids she's known since childhood, and someone like Jiang Xuchi doesn't catch her eye.
Because we live close by, we inevitably become somewhat familiar with each other.
One day, the younger sister of one of Qin Chen's brothers took a liking to Jiang Xuchi and pursued him relentlessly, but she couldn't win him over no matter what she did. When she was in a fit of anger, she suddenly heard that Jiang Xuchi liked Qin Man.
The younger sister then came to find Qin Man and said some very unpleasant things, which angered Qin Man.
Later, when his two older brothers found out about this, their solution was to beat Jiang Xuchi up.
They probably disliked Jiang Xuchi for a long time.
He's really something, inexplicably offending these rich kids.
"Qin Man," Qin Chen asked after finishing his last glass of wine, "who asked you to come here?"
"None of your friends dared to talk you out of it, so they called me." Qin Man glanced at the empty bottles. "Are you drunk?"
Even though Qin Chen was drunk, his eyes were still incredibly clear. He raised a finger from his wine glass and pointed towards the door, saying, "Get out, I'm not finished yet."
Qin Man immediately objected: "Are you trying to kill him? He's already unconscious."
秦琛啧一声，本来秦漫不过来，他能继续把这家伙往死里揍，现在秦漫被叫过来，他就没法这么干。
He looked at Jiang Xuchi, who was lying there lifeless.
Qin Man noticed his gaze and immediately stepped to the side, blocking his view.
"Brother, if you keep hitting him, do you want me to bring you jail food?"
Qin Chen glanced at her, picked up his coat, and stood up: "It's not your place to deliver it."
After Qin Chen left, the private room fell into a brief silence.
Qin Man breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that her brother had given up. She squatted down in front of Jiang Xuchi and reached out to check his breath.
Jiang Xuchi woke up as soon as she placed her hand on him.
He raised his head, opened his eyes, and leaned his head against the coffee table, his gaze sinister and cold.
Qin Man wasn't afraid of him at all. Instead, she scolded him playfully, "You scared me! So you're not dead after all."
Jiang Xuchi's lips were straight, and he didn't speak. He watched silently for a while, then took out a cigarette case from his pocket and took out a cigarette.
His hands were still trembling, his face was tense, and there was a blood-red scratch on his forehead.
Qin Man used to never give him a second glance, but after taking a closer look today, she finally understood why her girlfriends were so obsessed with him.
It has to be said that his face is both roguish and handsome, and the scar even adds a touch of charm.
Qin Man pulled out a piece of paper from the side and handed it over, saying, "Wipe it clean."
Jiang Xu didn't say anything and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with my brother. He has such a bad temper, I'm sometimes even afraid of him," Qin Man continued. "Don't talk to me anymore. Everyone looks down on you, and I'm ashamed of myself."
She heard Jiang Xuchi's breathing become heavier, but when she looked into his eyes, they were still cold.
"This isn't a place for you either. The brother of the girl who's pursuing you is this boss's son."
Qin Man patiently told him how many people he couldn't afford to offend.
She wouldn't apologize for Qin Chen at all; there was no need.
The Jiang family has had a bad reputation lately, and nobody in the circle looks down on him, let alone Qin Chen.
The hierarchy of contempt in this circle is very simple: whoever falls on hard times gets bullied.
Jiang Xuchi remained unmoved.
It's hard to reason with a damned devil.
Jiang Xuchi was a tough nut to crack, and Qin Man had no patience to deal with him.
Qin Man casually tossed the paper at him, saying, "You'd better watch yourself."
She got up and walked outside.
Jiang Xuchi behind her seemed to be watching her the whole time, and his cold gaze didn't disappear until she reached the door of the private room.
Qin Man turned around and looked over.
The private room was dimly lit and filled with melodious jazz music, a stark contrast to the heavy metal music playing outside.
He bent one leg, rested his elbow on his knee, and held a cigarette between his fingers.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he kept staring at her, his gaze blatant.
Qin Man was suddenly stung by his gaze and felt inexplicably offended.
After a moment's hesitation, she gave him a disdainful smile.
"Jiang Xuchi, I heard you like me?"
Her voice was very soft.
"It's better not to like it."
You don't deserve it.
After saying that, she turned and left without looking at Jiang Xuchi's reaction.
Back then, Qin Man lived an arrogant and spoiled life, never looking back or considering the consequences.
She can say the cruelest things in the most innocent tone.
Everyone will be tolerant of her.
Even if some people can't stand it, she doesn't care.
*
A leaf falls from a branch and drifts to the window; autumn arrives with a chill in the air.
Students began to flood into the classroom, dressed in the same Xilai school uniform, chatting and playing in small groups.
They are the least troubled group of people, the inheritors of the wealthy class.
Qin Man was originally one of them.
Until one day, Qin Man, who had just started her second year of high school, began skipping classes without a reason. When the teacher asked her why, she only said that she was sick and asked for leave.
Unbeknownst to them, Qin Man was about to experience the darkest month of her life.
Initially, the father, Qin Weiguo, could not be contacted, and the mother, Qu Lan, struggled to keep the company afloat until she discovered that Qin Weiguo was in debt for tens of millions of yuan and then disappeared completely.
Qu Lan cried and said that Qin Weiguo had taken four million yuan in cash from her home, and she couldn't contact one of his female assistants either. She was sure that the two bastards had taken the money and run away.
After that, Qu Lan locked herself in her room, making hysterical phone calls every day, or spending the nights in tears.
She was so glamorous when she married Qin Weiguo, and now she's in such a sorry state.
After Qin Chen learned about the situation at home, he didn't come back from New Zealand, and no matter how many times Qin Man called, it was no use.
That period of life felt unfamiliar to Qin Man.
She was born into a well-off family. Her mother took care of her wholeheartedly. No matter what trouble she got into, her mother and brother would always cover for her. No one could bully her, and nothing could bother her.
Her life was smooth sailing, wealthy and enviable. She enjoyed the convenience brought by her family's wealth, and the world seemed to revolve around her. Everything was easy, carefree, pure and radiant.
More than ten years have passed, and Qin Man has become accustomed to this kind of life, even believing that it can continue indefinitely.
But unexpectedly, the higher one climbs, the more painful the fall will be.
The halo behind Qin Man fell to the ground and shattered into pieces amidst the chaos.
Besides, no one in this family wants to face reality.
Qin Chen was unwilling to return to China because he would be faced with a mess upon returning. He preferred to live a life of extravagance and waste abroad, spending as much money as he could.
Qu Lan was used to the life of a wealthy wife and would rather mortgage her assets than not maintain a respectable lifestyle.
Qin Man was just like them.
At school, she never showed any flaws; she remained the same as always, and no one knew how much the Qin family had embezzled.
Just like the ever-changing business world, things change every day. As long as you pretend to be calm and collected, no one will notice that things have already become corrupt and decadent.
And so, the dazzling and extravagant days continued to propel Qin Man forward.
There is no other way.
Moreover, Qin Man didn't know how to take any other route.
*
Early that morning, Qin Man woke up in bed and suddenly realized that she hadn't washed her clothes in a long time.
The family driver resigned, and the nanny stopped coming. No one took her to school, and no one packed her clothes.
The room was a mess, with cosmetics and discarded underwear piled on the desk.
Fortunately, she had plenty of clothes in her closet. She picked and chose, and pulled out a black tank top with the tags still on from the very back of the closet. Although the style was old, she had never worn it to school.
She didn't want to wear the same clothes to school and become a laughing stock.
After tying her hair into a ponytail and putting on her school uniform, Qin Man pushed open the door and went out.
The large villa was deserted, with neither my aunt nor my brother present, making it exceptionally quiet.
Qu Lan's door was tightly closed. Qin Man glanced at it as she passed by, but did not intend to knock.
Qu Lan, who usually enjoys hanging out with wealthy women, has been locking herself in this house for several days now.
Qin Man was too busy dealing with school matters to care about Qu Lan.
Qin Man took a taxi to school.
On the bus, she made a cross-border call to New Zealand.
After the beep, the man said "Hello" in a hoarse voice.
Qin Man: "Give me some money."
Qin Chen hung up the phone immediately.
Qin Man kept calling until he answered again.
"Aren't you annoying?" Qin Chen said succinctly, "I have no money."
Before Qin Man could speak, he heard a girl's sweet voice on the other end of the phone, asking him in a muffled voice what was wrong.
Qin Chen whispered a few words of comfort, followed by the rustling of clothes. Qin Man guessed that he had probably just gotten out of bed.
Qin Man didn't have the energy to argue with him, and just said wearily, "Give me whatever you have."
"Get lost." Qin Chen was about to hang up again.
Qin Man's tone was sharp: "You have no money but you still know how to play around with women. Have you ever cared about me and Mommy?"
Qin Chen went abroad first, and that's when the Qin family went bankrupt. So he refused to come back and stayed abroad, not knowing how he could make a living.
Qin Man didn't know how much money he had in his account, only that he spent money like water every day and lived a much more comfortable life than she did.
Qin Chen chuckled on the other end, "You know what kind of person I am, so you trust me to manage him?"
Qin Man: "If I can't pay my tuition again, I'll go work selling alcohol at Fusheng. Anyway, they'll definitely agree because they think I'm pretty."
There was a pause on the other end for a second.
Then he roared, "You fucking dare! If you go to Fusheng's place and embarrass yourself, I'll fly back and beat you to death!"
Qin Man curled her lip indifferently and said, "Then fly back."
He hung up the phone after saying that.
Then her WeChat started popping up messages.
Qin Chen: [You still dare to sell alcohol? Don't think your brother won't beat you up.]
Qin Man lightly swiped the screen and blocked him.
Whether Qin Chen sends her money or not makes no difference to her. If he doesn't send her money, she can just sell a few more bags. As long as her classmates don't find out, she can just keep going until graduation.
She was just very unhappy with Qin Chen's current state and wanted to make him suffer.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of the private school.
Private luxury cars were everywhere, but some people, like her, took taxis to school, so when she got out of the car, she didn't seem particularly special.
There was a convenience store across from the school gate. Qin Man walked in with her bag, glanced at the shelves, and figured out what price range of drinks she should buy.
Finally, choose a new product that doesn't suit your taste.
When she took it to the front desk to scan the code, she was bumped by a person in black who was passing by.
The drink in Qin Man's hand was a glass bottle, which was heavy and she didn't hold it steady. The moment she was bumped, it slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. The bright green juice spilled onto the man's trouser legs and shoes.
Qin Man kept her head down. She knew her stuff and recognized his shoes as limited edition Air Jordans, which were very expensive.
So he looked up to see the unfortunate person in question.
The boy wore a black baseball cap and a black mask, covering two-thirds of his face. He had narrow eyes, strong brow bones, and a clear, sharp jawline, clearly the image of a nobleman raised with superior genes.
His eyes were dark, and he stared at her with a cold, emotionless gaze.
The gaze made Qin Man feel inexplicably flustered.
He has a completely unfamiliar face, yet I feel like I've seen him somewhere before.
Maybe they're someone I know in the industry.
No matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't recall who it was.
A note from the author:
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