Chapter 19 Punishing Little Yellow / Song.
The air seemed to freeze in place.
The moment Li Mingyuan finished speaking, Wen Yi felt Ning Jiu's hand being squeezed hard.
He hissed, but his expression was just a smile, a very amused and enjoyable smile.
You're welcome.
This was the last thing he mouthed to her before he straightened up.
The two quickly separated, but not too far apart. Wen Yi calmly met Qiao Bolin's gaze, and even tried to cover up his confusion by wiping his lips with the back of his hand.
They're incredibly cheap.
Li Mingyuan looked at Qiao Bolin, who was standing motionless at the top of the stairs, and quickly walked a few steps to the third floor. When he saw a strange boy standing next to Ning Jiu, he frowned.
"Aren't you the guy who was dancing just now?" He cautiously observed the atmosphere between him and Ning Jiu, sensing something was off between them, but dared not think in that direction. "Do you know Ning Jiu?"
Li Mingyuan's words fell to the ground, but no one answered.
The atmosphere fell into an even more tense stillness.
At this point, saying you don't know them would be incredibly fake.
Ning Jiu composed herself, about to say something, when a clear, calm voice came from the other side.
Qiao Bolin: "Have you received Gao Hexin's message?"
Because of the student club cultural festival, the school did not require students to bring their phones, and most students chose to bring them with them.
Qiao Bolin's words briefly saved Ning Jiu. She naturally took out her phone from her pocket and opened the app. Several new members of the "Love and Affection Model United Nations Group" had been tagged.
[Gao Hexin] Everyone, come back quickly! I ordered Heytea, let's all drink together! @All Members
[Gao Hexin] Everyone, whether from our school or Linjiang, is eligible! Come on, come on! @All Members
The messages kept flashing, mostly things like "Thank you, group admin" or "I'm coming right away."
Ning Jiu turned off the screen, finally having a reason to leave this suffocating atmosphere.
“I just saw it,” she said with a surprised smile to Li Mingyuan, “Sorry, Hezi is treating our club to milk tea, so I’ll be going now.”
Upon hearing that there was milk tea, Li Mingyuan immediately forgot what had just happened, his tone full of regret: "Can those who aren't in your club also come and grab a cup...?"
Ning Jiu said, "You can join our club."
"Forget it, I'm not really into those things."
Despite expressing her regret, Ning Jiu's steps were already incredibly cheerful. Before leaving, she didn't forget to put her arm around Qiao Bolin's shoulder like a good buddy, taking the person who saved her from dire straits with her.
Wen Yi raised an eyebrow and watched the girl's slender figure disappear from sight, then chuckled lightly with an ambiguous meaning.
Once the burning gaze behind her finally disappeared, Ning Jiu let out a barely perceptible sigh and immediately released Qiao Bolin's shoulder.
"......Thanks."
Although it was a bit of a surprise that Joel Bolton came in the afternoon, it was fortunate that he did; otherwise, who knows how far the story would have gone by now.
but--
Ning Jiu suddenly realized something; the cool, damp air from the rainstorm seemed to still linger between them.
She turned her head and glanced at the person who was not too far away from her.
He wasn't wearing his school uniform today, just a simple white T-shirt, with a wireless earphone in his left ear, giving him a more casual and carefree look compared to when he wore his school uniform.
His back was straight, his shoulders broad, and his wisps of hair fluttered in the wind over his high brow bone. His face showed no emotion, yet there was an undeniable quiet tension.
Therefore, we were never more distant than before that day, nor were we ever closer than before that day.
Ning Jiu looked away.
As expected, she had been deluding herself. He didn't mention the incident on the rainy day, as if he had completely forgiven her transgression, or as if nothing had happened.
How is he different now compared to when he first started school?
He only took her in during the torrential rain out of a damned sense of friendship with his classmates; he would have made the same choice for anyone he knew.
That's fine. We've both tacitly agreed to go back to being just ordinary classmates.
It would be best if he thought that way, because she had the same idea, so it wasn't a perfect match.
Ning Jiu should have been happy, but her mood, which had eased slightly, started to become inexplicably irritable again, even more so than when she was tricked by Wen Yi.
So annoying.
His voice is annoying, his personality is annoying, and he himself is even more annoying.
Unable to bear the inexplicable surge of emotion, she bit her lower lip and was about to walk a few steps ahead of Qiao Bolin when he grabbed her wrist.
"Ning wine".
The boy's voice was pulled near and far by the restless summer breeze. His pronunciation was clear and his voice was pleasant. It seemed that any word that came out of his mouth could be given a special meaning.
Qiao Bolin didn't use much force. She tried to break free and it went quite smoothly at first. But just when she was about to succeed, he pulled her back with a sudden force. She didn't manage to break free and instead got even closer to him.
Subtle pain reaches the nerves before other senses, and those who are not sensitive to pain begin to stimulate the tear glands.
My wrists were easily bruised and red, and my eyes were stinging with tears.
Ning hissed and immediately called for a stop.
"Joe Bolin, you're hurting me."
"......"
The boy's breath, carrying the pleasant scent of sandalwood, seemed to shift for a moment as he looked at her.
He did not speak immediately.
Ning Jiu received no response, so she could only slightly raise her eyes, only to see herself reflected in his eyes.
Her two light-colored eyes were wet and overflowing with grievances, like glass beads filled with water, sparkling brightly.
"I said, you hurt me."
She bit her lips until they were bright red, enduring the sharp, persistent pain in her wrist, and could only repeat herself.
After a few more seconds of silence, Qiao Bolin seemed to suddenly realize something and abruptly released his grip.
Ning Jiu wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but while she was the one whose grip was aching, it was he who was breathing rapidly.
"......sorry."
His gaze fell on the moisture rising at the corners of Ning Jiu's eyes, then subtly swept over her lower lip, which she had bitten until it was swollen and red. His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he spoke as slowly as possible.
"Ning Jiu, I didn't use any force."
fraud.
At first, I didn't use any force, but when I suddenly pulled her back, I definitely used force, and it lasted for several seconds.
She didn't speak, but continued to accuse him with her bright eyes.
How could there be such an incomprehensible girl? Qiao Bolin thought.
He was the one who had been tricked, and he should be the one who was angry. Before he could say anything, her eyes reddened, and she looked at him with a pitiful expression, as if he had done something very wrong.
"I'm sorry," he could only say again, "I'll be gentler next time."
That's a bit strange.
However, Ning Jiu thought about it for a while but still couldn't figure out what was wrong.
"I'm going to punish you."
Her greatest talent is taking things to extremes.
Before the tears in his eyes had completely faded, his tone had already changed completely.
Qiao Bolin watched silently as Ning Jiu approached him step by step, and then naturally retreated until—
The girl's knee pressed against his swollen thigh through a layer of fabric, radiating heat, and she cornered him against the wall.
Ning Jiu pointed to her ear, but her gaze fell on his headphones, clearly having been interested in them for a while.
Without asking why, Qiao Bolin lowered his head, his well-defined knuckles removing the earphones and handing them to her.
Ning Jiu took his headphones and gently twirled them between her fingertips. She had seen this brand online before; it was a Scandinavian brand known for its reverb and noise cancellation. Up close, the matte black body looked even more premium than in the videos.
"And the earphone case."
After watching her briefly study the device before opening her phone and starting the connection process, Qiao Bolin roughly guessed what she was going to do.
"Are you trying to control my headphones?" he asked, knowing the answer already.
Ning Jiu was engrossed in studying the cutting-edge technology at his fingertips, and absentmindedly said...
"I want to control you."
Every word she said seemed to be unexpected to him.
At first I was surprised, but now I'm more looking forward to her answer.
Qiao Bolin didn't speak again. His thick, dark eyelashes trembled slightly as he watched intently as she downloaded a special app, opened the music software on her phone, connected, and listened to the recording.
Ning Jiu was completely focused on fiddling with her headphones, so she didn't notice that the boy who had been obediently pinned against the wall was subtly shifting.
Rather than moving, it was more like finding a suitable position. Arms touched, warmth spread, heads lowered slightly to eye level, and legs subtly transformed from simple contact into an ambiguous squeezing and entanglement.
As long as Ning Jiu has even the slightest doubt about Qiao Bolin, that's fine.
She would then realize that their current actions were very similar to those she and Wen Yi had been doing in the stairwell.
The only difference was that Ning Jiu became the one who took the initiative, even though she was not actually aware of it.
But from the stairwell not far away, that was indeed the case.
Ning Jiu listened to the intros of several songs, and the sound quality was better than she had imagined. While adjusting the music, she heard some noises at the stairwell. When she tried to look back, the boy gently pinched the back of her neck with his warm hand.
He poured his body heat into Ning Jiu's body meticulously, his tone as clear and refreshing as ever, without the slightest hesitation.
"Just a stray cat."
So Ning Jiu lowered her round head and continued the test, not forgetting to pull out a hand to swat away the hand that was placed on the back of her neck.
"Don't move, it's itchy there."
When he tried to swat it away but failed, Qiao Bolin instead went even further, rubbing the spot where Ning Jiu had been most aggressively trying to escape with his fingertips.
"Where? Here?"
His voice sounded innocent, as if he genuinely didn't know.
Her most sensitive skin was carelessly kneaded, turning slightly red, which contrasted with the lingering crimson at the corners of her eyes, giving one the urge to continue teasing her.
“Joe…”
She wanted to reprimand him in a more threatening way, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the boy seemed to have found her Achilles' heel, and used the pad of his index finger to press down on her sensitive spot with a little force.
Ning Jiu's voice softened instantly, even the last syllable trembled slightly, and in the end she could only glare at him with a weak look.
How come I never noticed how annoying this person was before?
After making sure the earphones were connected to her phone, Ning Jiu stood on tiptoe and helped Qiao Bolin put them back on, not forgetting to warn him.
"No matter what happens later, you're not allowed to pick it." She poked his cheek and threatened, "Do you hear me?"
Qiao Bolin smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
When the two reached the conference room on the fifth floor, Qi Ruiheng heard the noise, opened the door with milk tea in hand, and waved to them familiarly.
"Come in quickly, come in quickly, there's air conditioning inside."
Ning Jiu followed Qi Ruiheng into the conference room. Various kinds of milk tea were neatly arranged on the long table. Gao Hexin was standing by the window, holding a milk tea and chatting with a group of girls. When he saw Ning Jiu arrive, he quickly pointed to the fruit tea on the far right, indicating that it was prepared for her.
The fruit tea was hot and still very sweet; it was very pleasant to drink. Ning Jiu took a couple of sips of the fruit tea, picked up a light and sweet song to play, and was about to walk towards Gao Hexin when a familiar-looking girl smiled and pulled her in another direction.
"Hello Ning Jiu, I'm Di Mingxi from Class 5. I've wanted to be your friend for a long time."
Di Mingxi pulled Ning Jiu into a group of people from Class 5. Yuan Qi, who was standing in the center, greeted her warmly and introduced her to several other familiar faces who were also participating in Model United Nations.
As they were chatting happily, several small groups gathered around them stopped talking and looked towards the stage in unison.
The boy stood beside the podium, sunlight streaming down his shoulders and cheeks. His features were striking, with clear eyes and a hint of sharpness in his profile. His well-defined metacarpals rested casually on the armrest of the leather chair as he chatted idly with the boys around him.
Noticing the silence around her, Yuan Qi put down her milk tea and sighed.
"Wherever he is, his presence is very strong."
When Yuan Qi said this, he leaned slightly towards Ning Jiu. His words, spoken neither too loudly nor too softly, reached Ning Jiu's ears, but she pretended not to hear them.
The others were clearly intrigued as well. A girl who was obviously close to Yuan Qi poked his arm and teased him.
"I've heard that your relationship with him is quite special. Tell me what's going on."
“Oh, how could my relationship with him be anything but ordinary?” Yuan Qi shrugged. “His father is of a much higher rank than mine. I can’t make things up.”
Middle school students don't have a clear understanding of similar levels. The girl paused for a moment, clearly thinking that based on her understanding of Yuan Qi, Yuan Qi's family background was already many times better than that of most ordinary middle school students.
The conversation froze for a moment, and Yuan Qi realized that what she had said was somewhat inappropriate, so she cleverly shifted the focus.
"But if you really want to dig up the melon, it might be more appropriate to ask someone else."
His gaze shifted to the back of the conference room, where a group from Linjiang International was gathered, his expression suggestive.
"Didn't you notice that Julie is acting differently today?"
Julie was the Model UN president that Gao Hexin had been complaining about all last year, and also the vice president of the Linjiang International Student Union. Although he kept complaining about her behind her back, he still had to maintain a friendly facade, and he even saved her a cup of milk tea.
Compared to last year's blatant favoritism, Julie has clearly toned down her behavior this year. Most strangely, she not only refrained from causing trouble, but she also stopped wearing her favorite red dress. Instead, she leaned against the wall, held another girl's hand, and called her "sister." Her usual mix of Chinese and English in her catchphrases has also decreased significantly.
The girl in the red dress next to him listened quietly with her arms crossed. Her profile was obscured by her chestnut brown curly hair, but her superior bone structure could be vaguely seen. Apart from occasionally responding with a few words, she didn't react much.
"That girl didn't seem to attend the meeting, right? Who is she?" Di Mingxi wondered. "It's rare to see Julie so enthusiastic towards people."
Di Mingxi's choice of words was already much more subtle; to be this enthusiastic was more like being overly solicitous.
“That girl’s name is Ke Shini. She just transferred from Beijing to Linjiang International this semester,” Yuan Qi said, glancing at Ning Jiu as she remembered something. “She transferred here at the same time as Ning Jiu.”
There was a moment of silence around them, then someone asked, "Which middle school in Beijing did you transfer from?"
Yuan Qi: "Jingfu International".
Someone gasped in surprise.
This is a "prestigious" school that you often see in short videos. Under related entries, you can often see terms like "gathering place for rich kids" or "preparatory camp for children of high-ranking officials." Even if there is an exaggeration, it is not entirely unfounded.
“No wonder Julie is like this,” Di Mingxi clicked her tongue, “So it’s the real young lady who’s here.”
Despite the banter, the people from Linjiang International were clearly not on their side. The real and fake young ladies had little to do with ordinary middle school students like them, and even if they knew their identities, they wouldn't go digging for gossip from them.
The topic was thus dropped, but after discussing it, everyone's interest clearly waned. Ning Jiu didn't say anything, instead fiddling with her phone during a break in the conversation.
Ning Jiu had a lot of playlists stored in her music app, with even more different types and styles. She had played almost all the sweet, ambiguous songs. After scrolling through a few more times, she found a playlist with a completely different style. The various English names in it were exciting to look at.
“Isn’t this that famous dirty song?” Di Mingxi glanced at Ning Jiu’s screen and leaned closer to her with a mischievous grin. “Have you heard it?”
She was referring to the last song on the playlist.
Ning opened the bottle and noticed that the lyrics looked familiar; she must have heard them before, but she hadn't realized it when she first heard them. The lyrics were so... suggestive.
“That’s normal. Nine out of ten English songs are erotic,” Di Mingxi guessed what Ning Jiu was thinking. “They have a strong rhythm, and you’re only enjoying the melody when you listen to them. You only realize how explicit they are when you look at the lyrics.”
She then changed the subject: "However, most Chinese people just enjoy the melody and don't pay attention to the meaning of the lyrics."
Yes, most people only listen to the melody of English songs.
But for someone who just got a perfect score in English last month, it's a different story.
The soothing and alluring music in my headphones had somehow changed to a tight drumbeat, and the blunt, explicit lyrics paired with provocative vocals assaulted my eardrums.
Qiao Bolin remained expressionless, even having the leisure to respond with a few words. His hands, which had been casually resting on the armrest, tightened slightly, and his jaw was clenched, as if he was suppressing something.
The black leather armrests were etched with shallow indentations from the knuckles, and the fine veins on the back of the hands throbbed and flowed down the wrist bones to the forearms. The unintentional movements revealed a restrained yet distinct sense of strength.
Ning Jiu followed the gazes of the crowd, but could not discern anything from his expression alone.
She raised an eyebrow slightly and turned up her voice a little without changing her expression.
After chatting for a while, many people around her were already looking to leave when she felt Di Mingxi nudge her arm.
“By the way, Xiao Jiu,” she said, taking out her phone, “let’s add each other on WeChat.”
Once someone takes out their phone, it's impossible for them to scan just one person's QR code. After adding Di Mingxi as a friend, the other students in Class 5 also took out their phones to look for QR codes.
Ning Jiu could only scan them one by one. When she got to Yuan Qi, the latter suddenly gave her a meaningful look.
"Ning Jiu, do you have Qiao Bolin's WeChat?"
Mentioning this name caused several people who were about to leave to stay. Ning Jiu narrowed her eyes, unsure of Yuan Qi's intentions, and cautiously answered after a moment's thought.
"We're in the same class group, but I haven't added them yet."
“Oh,” Yuan Qi responded, clicking the “friendship accepted” button, and casually remarked, “I thought you two were pretty close.”
How did he figure out they were close?
"Not very familiar."
She answered seriously, but her gaze inadvertently drifted to the lyrics that had been minimized and shrunk to the bottom right corner.
The song is currently reaching its climax.
"I can see that you were watching"
"I'm a make you fall in love"
A distance away on the platform, Qiao Bolin paused as he spoke, the veins on his neck bulging slightly. He released his grip, leaving deep dents in the skin.
As I glanced at the group of young men and women scanning each other's QR codes to add each other as friends, I heard their laughter.
His gaze lingered on the girl talking to Yuan Qi before subtly withdrawing it.
Meeting the gazes of the crowd, Qiao Bolin skillfully pressed the button built into his headphones.
The connection was cut off, the music stopped abruptly at its highest point, and there must have been a notification on the phone.
His tone was as calm as ever, yet it contained a rare directness.
"I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I'll go out for a bit."
-----------------------
Author's note: At the beginning: I'm sorry, it won't happen again.
Now: I'm sorry, I'll be gentler next time.
Xiao Qiao, how come your expression changes so quickly? [Sunglasses]
-
The lyrics are from "Watch Me Work".
The climax isn't actually these two lines, but they are very, very, very fitting.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
