When Qin Sheng and his group arrived at Xichong Pavilion, it was already past 8:40, close to the pavilion's closing time.
I thought there wouldn't be any other customers at this time, but as the manager led me to the private room, I heard bursts of laughter and playful banter.
Like the Xichong Pavilion in Ancheng, the Xichong Pavilion in Tiandu has excellent privacy and soundproofing. Under normal circumstances, even if you stand at the door, you can hardly hear any noise from inside the private room.
But at this moment, Qin Sheng and his group not only heard the sounds, but also faintly heard the conversations inside, which shows how loud the people in the private room were making.
Qin Sheng frowned slightly.
The manager, who had been watching her closely, certainly wouldn't miss that fleeting expression. He immediately stepped forward and said, "There are still ten minutes until closing time. We've already reminded them, and they'll leave as soon as the time is up. I'll keep an eye on things here and make sure they don't disturb you..."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a pause in the noise inside the private room, and the door slowly opened.
Just then, Qin Sheng and his group walked through the main entrance of the private room and their eyes met.
manager:"……"
The slap in the face came so fast, like a storm. His luck is just too good!
But it's okay.
It's good that they're out; let's get rid of them quickly so we can have complete peace and quiet.
The manager snapped out of his daze, apologized to Qin Sheng, and then quickly went to greet the group that had just come out, flashing a big professional smile: "Young Master Lu, are you having dinner? I'll have someone prepare the bill right away. This way, please."
As he spoke, he gestured with his hand, indicating that they should invite him.
He then winked at a waiter standing not far away and said, "Hurry up and lead the way for Young Master Lu!"
The waiter nimbly jogged forward.
But before he could get closer, the young master Lu, whom the manager had mentioned, casually withdrew his gaze from the area, glared at the manager, and said, "Why aren't you leading the way for me yourself?"
The manager hesitated for a moment, then looked embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I have some things to attend to. When Young Master Lu comes again next time, I will personally show you the way."
Young Master Lu Yuan gestured with his chin toward Qin Sheng and his group, saying, "Is it your business if they are like this?"
The manager smiled but remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
Lu Yuan's nonchalant expression deepened, and he said casually, "Didn't they say we'd close at nine and leave before then? It's already eight fifty, how come there are still new customers?"
He glanced at the manager and said with a half-smile, "I told you to stay open a little longer and I'd cover the extra costs, but you wouldn't agree. Now you're bringing other people in."
"What, is it that my words are no longer effective, or are their statuses so exceptionally high that even the Xichong Pavilion, which claims to never make exceptions for anyone, has yielded and compromised?"
The manager's expression changed slightly.
He opened his mouth to explain, but hesitated for a moment. Just then, a burst of laughter came from behind Lu Yuan.
San Sidao's figure emerged from behind the door of the private room in front of him, glancing at Qin Sheng and his group not far away with interest, while revealing an expression of surprise that was immediately apparent.
"Hey, am I seeing things? Isn't this Qin Zhao, our class's academic genius? Isn't it said that Qin Zhao is either studying or on his way to study every day? What's going on? I actually ran into him at Xichong Pavilion!" one of the boys with short, brown-chestnut hair exclaimed dramatically.
"You're not mistaken, because I saw it too, it's Qin Xue Shen (a top student)." Another slightly chubby boy affirmed seriously.
"Wait, what did I just hear? I think I heard Young Master Lu say that Qin Zhao and his group have exceptionally high status, and that Xichong Pavilion made an exception for them. No way, no way, no way, is he really talking about our academic genius Qin?!" The third boy, who had three blue diamond earrings in his left ear, exclaimed even more dramatically.
As he spoke, he walked towards Qin Zhao's direction.
The aisle between the private rooms was divided into two sides by a low screen. The boy with the earring didn't cross over, but leaned over and carefully examined Qin Zhao for a moment.
When he saw Qin Zhao's lips pursed in the same way as usual, a wicked smile flashed across his eyes.
He spoke slowly but clearly, saying, "Young Master Lu, you actually said that a mentally ill person's status is higher than that of us normal people. I'm not happy about that."
Mental illness...
Those three words struck Qin Zhao's heart like a heavy hammer. He couldn't even bother arguing with the other party or settling scores. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Qin Sheng and Gu Yueming beside him.
His face and eyes betrayed his barely suppressed panic.
There was also the dark color that Qin Sheng was familiar with.
The light in Qin Zhao's eyes vanished quickly, and in the blink of an eye, his eyes, which were as clear and bright as cat's eye stones, became as still as a pool of stagnant water.
Qin Sheng's heart sank.
Almost instinctively, she grabbed Qin Zhao and pulled him into her arms, patting his back repeatedly while whispering his name.
Over and over again.
"Qin Zhaozhao."
"Qin Zhaozhao."
"Qin Zhaozhao."
It was the girl's cool voice that he knew best, but it carried a softness, gentleness, and patience that she didn't usually have.
The sounds, like tiny insects, burrowed into his ears and then into the depths of his heart.
Qin Zhao's empty eyes regained their color, and everything around him came into view again.
Qin Zhao squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
A few seconds later, it opened its eyes again.
He pressed his lips tightly together, his voice hoarse, and called out to Qin Sheng, "Sister..."
Her voice was soft, tinged with grievance.
Qin Sheng felt as if his heart had been violently struck.
The thin, pale young boy I first met.
Later, he remained indifferent, but gained a bit more warmth and became a mischievous boy.
When the illness flared up, Qin Zhao bit his arm so hard that he refused to make a sound.
Her younger brother has always been intelligent, strong, and sensitive. He would silently endure whatever happened and try to solve it himself, afraid of causing trouble for her or the family.
This is the first time I've shown such emotional openness.
At least this was the first time Qin Sheng had met him.
An uncontrollable surge of coldness welled up within her, making Qin Sheng's already aloof eyes even colder.
She released her grip on Qin Zhao's arm and pushed him into the arms of Gu Yueming, who was also anxiously standing by. She then slowly turned around.
His unreadable eyes swept over Lu Yuan, the boy with short chestnut brown hair, and the slightly chubby boy, before finally settling on the earring-wearing boy who was still leaning forward.
His voice and gaze were devoid of emotion. I asked him, "Want to know what it's like to be mentally ill?"
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