Chapter 45: In Ancient Times, You’d Definitely Be a Heroine
Su Keke was still pondering what kind of relationship she and her uncle might have had in a past life when she completely failed to notice that the moment she said that, the expressions of the other two people in the room both changed.
Qin Xing’s shock was written all over her face, while Luo Man slowed down the motion of turning her book.
“Ke—Keke, what do you mean by not having parents?” Qin Xing usually had a loud voice, but now her volume dropped several notches. Her soprano practically turned into an alto, and she looked extremely guilty.
Had she just asked… something she shouldn’t have?
Su Keke wasn’t very familiar with the concept of “parents,” nor did she have any particular emotional attachment to it. Since Qin Xing asked, she simply answered, “My master said I was abandoned in the wilderness. He just happened to pass by that day and picked me up, otherwise I would’ve frozen to death out there. Later, my master did the calculations and said my parents were already gone.”
“Keke, I—I’m sorry.” Qin Xing opened her mouth, but her throat suddenly felt blocked.
After hearing this, Luo Man fell silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
She walked over, pulled Su Keke into her arms, and gently patted her back. “Don’t be sad. Everything is already in the past.”
Su Keke didn’t even realize that she had, in the span of a second, become a pitiful little thing in other people’s eyes. This turn of events left her rather confused.
She wasn’t sad at all. Why should she be sad?
But she was very happy—because the top student blessed by the Wenchang Star had hugged her!
Qin Xing stared wide-eyed from the side.
Luo Man wasn’t exactly aloof, but she was very quiet—so quiet that she rarely said a single extra word.
And yet she had taken the initiative to comfort Su Keke?
Taken the initiative!
With that hug, the distance between the two instantly shrank.
“Ahem, ahem—Su Keke, didn’t I say I’d introduce you to everyone in the dorm earlier? I haven’t finished yet.” Qin Xing couldn’t help trying to make herself relevant again, and also to divert the little pitiful one’s attention.
Luo Man glanced at her and let go of Su Keke.
Qin Xing curled her lips. What, it was just a hug. She was here under her Fourth Uncle’s orders to look after Su Keke anyway—Su Keke was destined to be on her side.
“Take a short nap,” Luo Man said with a smile to Su Keke. “Otherwise you’ll get sleepy in class this afternoon.” Then she climbed back onto her bed.
Qin Xing grabbed Su Keke and, after glancing at Luo Man already on the bed, whispered in her ear, “Su Keke, who do you like more—Luo Man or me?”
Su Keke froze for a moment, then said, “I like both of you. I already told my uncle that I made two friends on my very first day. He was happy for me.”
Qin Xing wasn’t very satisfied with that answer.
But since she’d just asked something she shouldn’t have and was eager to make up for it, she didn’t argue further and really did start introducing the dorm members.
Luo Man was a top student—taciturn and gentle.
Zhao Kexin was her best friend. Her grades were decent too, and her favorite thing was cramming at the last minute. Like now—at noon, instead of resting, she’d gone to the library to revise.
As for the former roommate Jiang Yueyue… Qin Xing didn’t really want to mention her.
“The one who moved out—Jiang Yueyue—that’s the one who argued with you today, right?” Su Keke asked.
“How do you know?”
Su Keke curved her lips into a smile. “Because you mentioned her.”
“I think I only said her name once, and you caught that?”
“I have a pretty good memory,” Su Keke said.
Mentioning Jiang Yueyue made Qin Xing roll her eyes. “Her dad has some business dealings with my second uncle, and her mom…”
She paused, then changed the subject. “Forget it, let’s not talk about that.”
Even when introducing Luo Man and Zhao Kexin earlier, Qin Xing had only talked about their personal situations, not their families. In her view, those things weren’t important. Although she disliked Jiang Yueyue, she also disdained speaking ill of her behind her back.
“Anyway, ever since we were kids, she’s wanted to compete with me in everything. When I came to Class Three, she came to Class Three too. Last time we made a bet, she lost, so she moved to another dorm as agreed.
“Hmph. I don’t like either of the Jiang sisters. Jiang Yueyue has an older sister who’s two months older than her—Jiang Fangfei. A pure, flawless white lotus of epic proportions. Jiang Yueyue is just stupid; her sister is fake to the extreme. And yet those idiot guys still voted her as the school belle. Pah! If I dressed up seriously, I’d definitely be prettier than her!”
Su Keke nodded. “Qin Xing, you’re already very pretty.”
At 1.68 meters tall, Qin Xing had a slender figure and long hair falling over her shoulders. She was a natural beauty who stood out easily among a crowd of girls—though her personality often left people at a loss.
Qin Xing snorted. “What’s the use of being pretty? Those boys are blind—they all like Jiang Fangfei’s type. I really don’t think she’s that good-looking. She’s just good at pretending, and that’s why she’s so popular with guys.”
Seeing her roll her eyes again, Su Keke thought it actually looked kind of nice. “You’re great just the way you are. Straightforward, kind-hearted, loyal, and generous—your popularity is excellent. If you were born in ancient times, you’d definitely be a heroine.”
Qin Xing laughed. “Really? I have the potential to be a heroine?”
But as soon as she finished laughing, she pouted again. “Forget the other points, but popular? If I were really popular, how come I can’t even get along with people in my own dorm?”
She glanced meaningfully toward Luo Man.
Luo Man seemed completely unaware, lying on her bed and resting.
Many of the top students who tested into the school looked down on the rich second-generation kids who got in through connections, carrying a sense of arrogance. But Luo Man wasn’t like that—she was quiet and low-key.
At first, Qin Xing had been quite proactive toward her. Later, when she realized Luo Man didn’t really engage with people, she assumed Luo Man was arrogant and resentful of the wealthy. Feeling upset, she gradually distanced herself.
Only later did she realize that Luo Man was simply that kind of person—not arrogant, but low-key; not resentful of wealth, just annoyed by too much fuss.
Unfortunately, by the time Qin Xing understood this, she’d already left Luo Man out in the cold. She couldn’t bring herself to take the initiative to make amends, so things stayed awkward and distant.
After nearly a year of this, it felt extremely uncomfortable for someone as straightforward as Qin Xing.
Just as Qin Xing was thinking about Luo Man, Luo Man suddenly called out to her, “Qin Xing.”
Qin Xing jumped. “What?”
Luo Man leaned over the bed rail and smiled faintly. “There’s plenty of time ahead. We can tell Su Keke about these things later. You two should rest for a bit now, or you’ll get sleepy in class this afternoon.”
“…Oh. Okay.”
When Qin Xing heard the words “we,” she felt a little lightheaded.
Since when did she and Luo Man become a “we”?
Su Keke’s bed had already been made for her. She climbed straight up.
Remembering that her uncle had sent her a text earlier, Su Keke quickly took out her phone to check.
Qin Mochen: Are you adapting well at school?
The message had been sent half an hour earlier. At that time, she’d probably been eating in the cafeteria with Qin Xing. It was crowded and noisy there, so she hadn’t heard the notification.
Even though they’d already talked on the phone, Su Keke still replied when she saw that lonely text.
Su Keke: Don’t worry, Uncle. I adapt really well! Other than classes feeling like listening to heavenly scriptures, I’m doing great in every other way.
