Chapter 538: 251 Autumn Dawn (First Watch)_3

“Shut up.” Mao Nana’s fist clenched with a crackling sound.

Every time the two met, they couldn’t help but expose each other’s dark secrets like a spinning wheel.

“I have an appointment with someone, so I’m not sticking around to play with you. See you later.” Qin Qiuxi picked up her bag, grabbed her coat, and stood up from the sofa.

She had a delicate baby face but was tall, with a stunning figure, perfect curves, and wore a tight, red hip-hugging skirt that left little to the imagination. One glance at her was enough to make one’s blood boil.

Her wavy hair added a touch of flirtatious allure, yet her doll-like face with its fair complexion seemed innocent. Her slightly upturned, fox-like eyes revealed a playful cunning, making her the pinnacle of both purity and allure.

As Qin Qiuxi came up to Ming Jing, she looked at her meaningfully: “What’s your name?”

Ming Jing replied indifferently, “Ming Jing.”

Qin Qiuxi examined her face while stroking her chin, “You look a bit like someone I used to know. How old are you this year?”

Mao Nana immediately pulled Ming Jing behind her, glaring at Qin Qiuxi, “She’s my sister, and you better not have any ideas about her.”

Qin Qiuxi raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ming Jing’s face, smiled, and turned to leave.

“No way your family’s genes could produce such a stunning beauty. Stop flattering yourself.” With a sarcastic sneer, she sashayed away, swaggering her slim waist.

Mao Nana cursed, “Pah, what a nuisance. I must have picked an unlucky day to go out and encountered such misfortune.”

Seeing Ming Jing’s gaze fixed on Qin Qiuxi’s retreating figure, unsure of what she was thinking, Nana said, “Ignore her; she’s just crazy. It’s lunchtime, let me treat you.”

After searching for a while without finding anything appealing to eat, they settled on hot pot.

Ming Jing didn’t eat spicy food, so Mao Nana ordered a two-flavor hot pot with various high-quality ingredients such as tripe, duck throat, goose liver, lamb, and fatty beef. She sought to make up for the anger brought upon her by Qin Qiuxi with delightful food.

Ming Jing only ordered a few vegetarian dishes, which looked so bland that it took away Mao Nana’s appetite. It was impressive how Ming Jing managed to eat them every day for the past ten years.

In the mist created by the bubbling hot pot, the young girl’s face appeared a bit blurred. Delicately holding a slice of watermelon, she took gentle bites. Mao Nana had never known that someone could make eating watermelon look so appealing.

“Aren’t you curious about my relationship with Qin Qiuxi?”

Ming Jing threw the watermelon rind into the small tabletop trash can and pulled out a wet wipe to slowly clean her fingers.

“Would you tell me if I’m curious?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t tell anyone else, but you’re different. I really enjoy being with you and talking to you; it feels especially comfortable.”

Ming Jing was quiet and tender, yet delicate, and knew how to care for others’ emotions. Although she was much younger and could have easily called Nana “Auntie,” she took on the leading role of taking care of others.

Talking to her was both relaxing and soothing.

Ming Jing shook her head, “Everyone has a past. Once it’s passed, it’s passed. You must have already let it go, so why bring it up again and cause unnecessary trouble?”

“I like that saying. It’s precisely because I’ve let it go that I can speak so carelessly about it. Let me tell you a bit about it…

Mao Nana took a sip of water to moisten her throat, “Back when I was in high school, I was considered the school belle, even more so than Qin Qiuxi.” This sentence had a touch of insecurity since Qin Qiuxi was the true school belle at that time, with countless admirers. Nana, on the other hand, had an immature, wealthy-girl temperament and was not well-liked then.

“Both of us fell for the same guy. You know how childish little girls can be when they’re fighting over a boy. We divided into two factions, constantly provoking and attacking each other. That guy ignored us, and we spent our entire three years of high school like that. He was a genius in his studies, even winning a national gold medal in a biology competition. He was admitted to a top medical school, while Qin Qiuxi and I merely kept fighting. In retrospect, it’s just laughable.”

Mao Nana shook her head, “He really was outstanding, the most unique amongst all the guys I’ve ever met. He had not a hint of a spoiled rich kid in him, always sunny and cheerful. His smile was like the warmth of the sun in the wintertime.”

Mao Nana’s gaze filled with memories of her youth.

“But he was blind and ended up falling for Qin Qiuxi. Other than looking pretty, what does she have that’s better than me? After they got together, I was so angry that I decided to study abroad. It wasn’t until I returned several years later that I found out they had already broken up, and that Qin Qiuxi had been swept away by someone else. It was simply poetic justice.”

Mao Nana took a fierce gulp of water.

“As for him, his family supposedly didn’t approve of his subsequent girlfriend, and it fell apart. He then went abroad to study for a master’s degree. Actually, if he had truly loved her, I would have blessed him. I had already let go during those years abroad, changing boyfriends like one changes clothes; there was no need to hang myself on one tree. But later, I discovered that Qin Qiuxi had been the one to break them up. Do you know what’s despicable about her? She had lied to me, claiming that he had never liked her in the first place. She did it on purpose to annoy me, causing me to leave for years and miss my chance completely.”

“Even though I never really had a chance.” Mao Nana laughed at herself.

“All these years, he’s never returned, and I can hardly remember what he looks like. At first, I would think of him occasionally, but now I have no feelings left. He must truly love that woman for him to have been away for so many years, even disregarding his family.”

“It wasn’t until I met Shen Zhou that I realized he was my true love. The drama of my youth was nothing but a petty squabble with Qin Qiuxi. If I had to say what I liked about him, it might have been admiration for a stronger person. Back then, I was young and naïve, thinking that everyone must like what’s best. But it also depends on whether that person likes you and if you’re a good match.”

Ming Jing listened quietly, then suddenly asked, “Do you think big brother Shen Zhou is suitable for you?”

Mao Nana was taken aback, “Maybe from your perspective, me stubbornly chasing after Shen Zhou is immodest and annoying. But the moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew that I was done for in this lifetime.”

“Emotions are hard to explain; who would have thought that such a distinguished man, back then, would remain unmarried for a woman even now?”