Chapter 9 Celebrating as all the demons and monsters around her came to target her...
In the evening, after having dinner, Qin Man went to the front desk to ask for a takeout box.
This is a popular wonton shop in the neighborhood with long queues. Many local grandpas and grandmas love to eat here. Qu Lan's favorite is the pork ribs. Qin Man ordered a plate of pork ribs and a box of butterfly pastries to go before heading home.
When she got home, Qin Man went to the bedroom to call Qu Lan.
As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a strong smell of smoke and alcohol, and she frowned.
"Who...who...Manman..." Qu Lan lay drunkenly on the floor, her head resting on the edge of the bed, looking at her like a female ghost.
Qin Man felt a wave of dizziness and said in a trembling voice, "Mom, you're having another attack."
Qu Lan just kept repeating, her eyes vacant, "Manman... Where's Achen? Has Achen finished his exams?"
"Qin Chen is already in university in New Zealand, so don't worry." Qin Man walked over and helped Qu Lan up from the cold floor.
Qu Lan has lost weight, a lot of weight. Qin Man used to be unable to lift her up, but now she can be lifted up easily.
“You’re in college now? Yes, in New Zealand. My childhood friend’s daughter is there too.” Qu Lan gripped Qin Man’s hand so tightly it felt like she was going to crush it.
Qin Man cried out in pain, "Mom! It hurts!"
Qu Lan released her grip in surprise, stared at Qin Man's school uniform for a moment, then stroked her face. "Manman, you just got back from school? Why did Uncle Li take so long to pick you up? Did you not have dinner? I'll have someone heat it up. Aunt Mei? Aunt Mei!"
She called out to the door twice, but Aunt Mei didn't come out. She frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Did Aunt Mei take leave?"
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Qin Man's cheeks. Qu Lan had returned to the past, but she could never go back.
"I brought your favorite pork ribs, have some first."
"No, I have to go find Aunt Mei. She's getting old and starting to slack off." Qu Lan walked towards the door, but Qin Man stopped her.
"Did you take the medicine Aunt Mei gave you to replenish your qi and blood?"
“Medicine…” Qu Lan repeated her words.
"Here it is, I'll get it for you."
Qin Man quickly rummaged through Qu Lan's bedroom and found a medicine bottle. She poured out two pills and handed them to Qu Lan, then kicked away the wine bottles scattered all over the floor, took a bottle of mineral water from the bedside, and opened it for her to drink.
Qu Lan looked at the medicine, her expression showing great struggle.
"Eat quickly, or Aunt Mei will start nagging you again."
Seeing that she had eaten, Qin Man thought that she would fall asleep soon, so she picked up the packaged ribs again.
"I'm going upstairs to do my homework," Qin Man said softly before closing the door, looking at Qu Lan who was sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze. "Call me if you need anything."
She turned off the light, plunging the bedroom into darkness. Qu Lan remained motionless, staring at her until the door was tightly shut.
The next morning, Qin Man was woken up by Qu Lan.
The curtains were suddenly pulled open, and the thin blanket covering her was roughly ripped off by Qu Lan.
The first thing Qin Man saw when she woke up was Qu Lan's angry eyes.
"Qin Man, you actually made me take that kind of medicine!" Qu Lan held her temples, which were throbbing. "I already told you, next time I have an attack, just lock me up!"
"You almost cut yourself with a broken bottle last time!" Qin Man shouted. "All I could do was give you medicine and put you to sleep!"
"Then tie me up, or just call the police!" Qu Lan grabbed a pillow and slapped Qin Man repeatedly, hoping Qin Man would learn her lesson.
"Do you know that drug is highly addictive!"
“Once you start taking this medicine, you have to take it every day. If you don’t, your head will feel swollen.” Qu Lan sat on the edge of Qin Man’s bed, her hair hanging down in disarray. “Besides, one bottle of medicine costs ten thousand yuan. Where are we going to get that money!”
Qin Man knew that Qu Lan had become ill because of money.
Qu Lan still has to go to beauty salons, play golf with those wealthy ladies, have afternoon tea, and buy things on the side. In these daily social interactions, she also has to see who can lend her a hand and save her dilapidated company.
Qu Lan is under a lot of pressure. She has never learned any other way of life since she was a child, so her horizons are limited. She doesn't know anything outside of the upper-class social circles of wealthy women.
Qin Man looks exactly like her.
"Wait a minute."
Qin Man took out her phone and transferred 30,000 yuan to Qu Lan.
Upon seeing the notification that the money had arrived, Qu Lan opened her mouth.
"Where did the money come from?!"
"Scholarship." Qin Man repeated, "It's a scholarship."
"Really?" Qu Lan asked doubtfully.
“Cilles has always been very generous.”
We can't say that the money came from Qin Chen, otherwise Qu Lan would go crazy enough to buy a plane ticket to New Zealand to find Qin Chen.
Qu Lan was still hesitating and struggling when Qin Man opened the wardrobe door.
"Mom, go out, I need to change into my school uniform."
...
The school gate at Xilai is always bustling with traffic in the morning. Qin Man bypassed the parents dropping off their children and was stopped by the coach as she crossed the playground.
"Actually, your skill level is closest to Jiang Xuchi's, and your playing style is most compatible with his." The coach put the thermos on the table and earnestly advised, "Pei Shiyu is not as good as you. It would be most suitable for you and Jiang Xuchi to play in the competition."
Qin Man: "Coach..."
The coach raised his hand to signal her to shut up. "Okay, I know what you're going to say. Pei Shiyu and Jiang Xuchi are playing in the qualifiers today. There's still a long time before the finals. Think about it carefully in the meantime."
Qin Man lowered her eyes: "Okay."
During the last class before school ended, the two contestants who had easily won the preliminary round returned. As soon as Pei Shiyu and Jiang Xuchi entered the classroom, Xi Yue went over to ask them how it went.
Pei Shiyu smiled: "It's very easy."
Let's go see Jiang Xuchi again.
The latter showed no expression, put the racket in the cabinet, and sat back down.
He fell asleep during the last class in the afternoon, and the teacher, understanding his hard work, didn't say anything.
As the bell rang and the students filed out, Jiang Xuchi remained motionless, seemingly fast asleep.
Pei Shiyu walked over, leaned down and whispered something in his ear. As she straightened up, Jiang Xuchi also propped his head up and sat up, then glanced at the door.
Qin Man saw the entire tennis club waiting at the door. She knew everyone. Duan Kexin stood at the very front, right at the door, and gave Jiang Xuchi a smile. Her eyes were so sweet they were almost cloying.
Jiang Xuchi whispered something to Pei Shiyu, then got up and walked out.
Pei Shiyu paused for a moment, then turned around, "Qin Man."
Qin Man: "What are you doing?"
“Let’s go to Fusheng and have a celebration party.” As Pei Shiyu said this, Jiang Xuchi had already walked out of the classroom.
Qin Man: "What does this have to do with me?" She didn't want to see Duan Kexin right now.
Pei Shiyu smiled and said, "Since you're a substitute, of course you'll go too."
Qin Man did not want to agree.
Just then, several messages popped up on her phone. Qin Man glanced at them, stood up, and said to Pei Shiyu, "Let's go."
She still has to listen to Jiang Xuchi's damned words.
The celebration party was held in Fusheng's large private room. Fusheng is located on a bar street very close to Xilai and is also the most upscale dining venue. Young people in Xilai love to hang out here; it's quite a trend.
When Qin Man walked over, not everyone had arrived yet, so she went to the restroom.
Before they even left the cubicle, Duan Kexin's words rang out along with the sound of the flushing water.
"How could Qin Manlai be the substitute? Don't I even have the qualifications to be a substitute? I am the Minister of Sports, after all."
Another female voice rang out: "The coach must be blind to let Pei Shiyu be Jiang Xuchi's teammate."
"What a pity," Duan Kexin said in her usual cloying voice, "I don't even have a sparring partner now, and the coach can't even see my abilities..."
"Didn't we promise to help you?" The girl's voice was a little excited, but they deliberately lowered their voices after that, making it hard to hear what they were saying.
Qin Man waited until it was completely quiet outside before pushing open the door and going out.
She remembered that Duan Kexin was not only the Minister of Sports of the Student Union, but also the President of the Tennis Club. Almost all of the younger students in their club were members of the Student Union.
This celebration party is probably not simple.
Qin Man returned to the private room. The lights were dim, and there were many people around, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.
In the noisy crowd, Jiang Xuchi sat at the very back, his face mostly obscured by shadows. He rested his hands on his knees, swirling his wine glass, and glanced indifferently at Qin Man.
"Clap clap!" Duan Kexin immediately stood up and clapped her hands. After everyone's attention was drawn to her, she said, "Let's first toast to the seniors who won the preliminary round! Let's celebrate properly tonight and get off to a great start!"
Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke, staring intently at Jiang Xuchi.
Jiang Xuchi smiled and raised his glass in a very cooperative manner.
Amidst the commotion, Duan Kexin put down her wine glass and suddenly turned to Qin Man, "Won't the former Minister of Sports say a few words?"
Qin Man became the head of the sports department of the student council in her first year of high school, but was taken over by Duan Kexin in her second year. In her third year, Qin Man withdrew from the student council.
"We just won the qualifiers." Qin Man's calm voice stood out in the noisy atmosphere.
Everyone quieted down.
Duan Kexin put down her wine glass, which made a "clink" sound on the coffee table. Her face was flushed, whether from anger at Qin Man's arrogant and ungrateful remarks or from the exposure of her feigned innocence, she was embarrassed and annoyed.
"Qin Man, I never thought you were such a spoilsport before," Duan Kexin's eyes slowly revealed a smile, "You deliberately admitted defeat before, spoiling everyone's fun, and now you're pouring cold water on everyone's fun. No wonder you're the former Minister of Sports, such a big official air?"
She spoke extremely quickly, rattling off her words so fast that Qin Man didn't even have time to react.
Qin Man glanced at Jiang Xuchi subconsciously.
Jiang Xuchi's face was half-shadowed, and he looked on with a leisurely, detached air, as if watching a play.
He made her follow him around like a tagalong, while all the monsters and demons around them came after her.
Qin Man was furious and blurted out, "Am I wrong? You could have won first place in the preliminaries too, why all this fuss?"
"you!"
Pei Shiyu gently pressed Duan Kexin's hand and comforted her, "Kexin, it's alright, it's alright."
Qin Man couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Jiang Xuchi suddenly spoke up: "It really is just a preliminary round, she's right."
Duan Kexin was speechless for a moment, then suddenly flashed Jiang Xuchi a big smile: "The results of the preliminary rounds are also very important. It's better than someone not even qualifying for the competition."
She understood exactly what those words meant, and Qin Man felt nauseous.
She didn't want to stay there any longer, so she got up and went to the bathroom. The water from the tap was refreshing and icy cold, and Qin Man pressed the cool water against her burning cheeks.
The mirror in front of me reflected the door behind me being pushed open.
Duan Kexin walked in with her head held high, glancing at Qin Man. Her eyes practically radiated ill intent.
Qin Man stopped washing her hands.
Duan Kexin was followed by two other girls. They closed the door and stood at the doorway, waiting patiently for her to turn around.
Qin Man had a bad feeling.
Duan Kexin gave the girl next to her a look.
The girl immediately understood and pulled out a small dagger from behind her.
"Duan Kexin! What are you doing!" Qin Man shouted.
Duan Kexin crossed her arms and looked at her with a smile: "I think if our proud young lady injured her arm, she probably wouldn't be able to continue sparring, right?"
Qin Man coldly replied, "You dare to mess with me."
“I wouldn’t have dared to do that before,” Duan Kexin smiled. “But it’s different now. My dad said your dad seems to owe him some money, so I’m here to collect the debt for him.”
Qin Man's whole body stiffened. She knew that Duan Kexin had disliked her for a long time and had been trying to find something to use against her.
In Xilai, overt bullying is rare; it's more about subtle, clandestine gossip and ridicule. But even that can destroy a person, and Qin Man certainly couldn't withstand it.
Duan Kexin, however, learned of her family's decline as if it were mere hearsay. This matter would quickly spread among the students of Xilai, and how many people would mock her, isolate her, and tell their younger schoolmates, passing it around as a joke?
“After all, I’m more suited to participate in the competition and to stand on the field than you!” Duan Kexin’s face twisted into a grimace.
Competition is a common phenomenon everywhere.
But what's more terrifying than competition is the jealousy in people's hearts.
A sudden sharp pain shot through my arm; it was from the knife in their hand.
The pain triggered Qin Man's outburst; she immediately went berserk, her heart pounding wildly. She desperately pushed everyone away, her hair disheveled, and rushed out without a care in the world.
"Grab her! I'm going to make sure she can't move her arm!"
Duan Kexin's exasperated voice came through.
Qin Man stumbled and staggered through the Floating Life Dance Hall, the chaotic crowd serving as a good barrier.
She ran around aimlessly, vaguely remembering the direction of the exit.
Qin Man clutched her wound, the excruciating pain making her gasp for breath. Footsteps approached from the other side of the street, followed by Jiang Xuchi's voice:
"A ghost is chasing you?"
Qin Man was pulled by him, and when she turned her head, she saw Jiang Xuchi's slightly surprised eyes.
Jiang Xuchi looked down at her arm and frowned.
"Let me go," Qin Man said coldly.
She wasn't in the mood to explain herself to him; they were a bunch of lunatics, and she couldn't explain it to them.
Jiang Xuchi walked to Qin Man's side, bent down to look her in the eye, and reached out to help her stand up. "I'll take you to see a doctor."
He didn't ask any further questions.
Qin Man's face was deathly pale, and her forehead was covered with a layer of sweat.
The summer evening breeze that swept through the bar street brushed against my nose, carrying the warm scent of Jiang Xuchi.
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