Chapter 6: 6. Chapter 6: An Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 6: An Old Encounter

The next morning, the family of three sat together for breakfast.

On the surface, all three seemed normal, but Qin Weiming’s dark circles and Deng Caijie’s puffy eyes betrayed them. It was evident that neither of them had rested well last night, unlike her, who had slept soundly until dawn.

As Qin Yike ate her wontons, she stole glances at the couple. Seeing them sighing and looking completely dejected, she couldn't help but frown slightly. Their psychological resilience was far too poor!

Deng Caijie was one thing—it was only natural for her to feel terrible after being played by her own mother and biological younger brother. But what was with Qin Weiming’s constant sighing and lamenting?

"Daughter, are you still looking for a job today? Do you need a ride?"

Qin Weiming owned an electric scooter, which he usually used for his daily commute.

"Ah! No need," Qin Yike replied without looking up. "I need to find a job quickly so people stop targeting us."

Hearing her speak this way, Deng Caijie felt a heavy, uncomfortable sensation in her chest, like she was carrying a lump of cotton. But what could she say?

Qin Yike took her finished dishes to the kitchen, tidied up briefly, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left. "I'm going!"

Fuming, Deng Caijie’s eyes turned red. She slammed her chopsticks down toward the door. "Look at her attitude!"

Qin Weiming hadn't intended to engage with her, but everyone has their temper. However, seeing her tears made him feel uneasy, so he turned to comfort her. "Don't blame Yike for her attitude. Just think about yesterday—what a mess that was! If our daughter hadn't put her foot down and made a scene, that two hundred thousand would have gone down the drain!" He wasn't implying they were rich; that two hundred thousand was money he had spent most of his life saving.

"I..." Deng Caijie felt miserable. Wasn't yesterday's incident a blow to her as well? She grabbed a towel, wiped her face haphazardly, and then grabbed her keys and handbag to head out.

Qin Weiming sighed. "Everyone's temper is getting bigger and bigger. I'm the only easy-going one."

The hot-tempered Qin Yike was already on a bus. She didn't have a specific destination; she just wanted to ride the bus and wander around this county town.

The streets were both strange and somewhat familiar. The people passing by her, though she might not have any connection to them, all seemed strangely recognizable.

Those were the memories left to her by the original owner of this body—perhaps they were also the original owner's lingering attachments.

"Next stop, Xinyi High School. Passengers wishing to alight, please prepare to get off."

The bus announcement sent a jolt through Qin Yike's heart. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, followed by sudden realization.

Xinyi High School was the high school the original owner had attended. She had studied hard there for three years and eventually got into Beijing Medical University.

Qin Yike immediately stood up, moved to the rear door, and got off at the Xinyi High School stop.

The school across the road was so familiar, yet so foreign. Qin Yike felt her heart rate quicken. Occasionally, as a student in uniform passed in front of her, a trace of nostalgia and joy welled up in her heart, and her eyes grew slightly moist.

This definitely wasn't her emotion.

Qin Yike glanced at the gates of Xinyi High School and turned to leave. Walking along the road, she suddenly spotted a very familiar sign ahead.

Dada Supermarket.

This was a supermarket the original owner frequented often, and it had a rather quirky name.

After a moment's thought, she decided to walk in to buy a drink.

It wasn't crowded in the morning. She picked out a drink at random and walked to the counter to pay, only to be recognized by the owner.

"Hey, didn't you used to go to school around here? You look so familiar!"

Qin Yike froze for a second. "Ah, yes."

"Ah, I remember now! It's you, little girl! It's been several years since I last saw you." The female owner was in her forties and looked a bit fuller than in Qin Yike's memory, but she had a pleasant, humorous face that made people feel at ease.

"You still remember me?" Just as Qin Yike was about to exchange a few more pleasantries with the owner, a sarcastic voice drifted over.

"What a coincidence. I remember you too."

Who was it?

Qin Yike turned her head and saw three people standing at the entrance. The woman speaking was heavily made up with a "shamate" hairstyle; her makeup was almost unbearable to look at, her lips were a color that looked like she'd swallowed arsenic, and her clothing style was hard to describe.

The other two men, who were around her age, both had dyed yellow hair and "shamate" styles, wearing earrings and ripped jeans. They looked like they were looking for trouble.

"What? Don't recognize me?" Peng Xiaoyu flirtatiously tossed her hair, acting as if she were a celestial being descended to earth. She had become so beautiful now; it was only natural if someone didn't recognize her!

"I recognize you." Peng Xiaoyu was her middle school classmate. They had had some friction back in school. After several years of not seeing each other, Qin Yike hadn't expected her to turn into this.

"Peng the Wild Chicken!" Qin Yike called out her nickname directly. Back in the day, Peng Xiaoyu was a notorious figure at school, the type who was extremely prone to dating; she had heard the record was six boyfriends in a single semester.

"You..." Peng Xiaoyu's expression changed drastically. She hadn't expected Qin Yike to be so bold. "All these years later, you're still acting so holier-than-thou. You, Qin, do you think you're so great? Looking down on us 'bad students'... You might have been good at studying, getting into Xinyi and then university, but look at you now—slinking back from Beijing in disgrace without even a job!"

Peng Xiaoyu lived in the same community as Deng Xinmin. Since Deng Xinmin's wife, Xu Yangyang, was somewhat related to Peng Xiaoyu's mother, it was only natural that Peng Xiaoyu knew about her current situation.

Qin Yike couldn't care less. She greeted the owner, took her drink, and prepared to leave Dada Supermarket. As she passed Peng Xiaoyu, she didn't even lift her eyelids, completely ignoring her.

Fuming with rage, Peng Xiaoyu gave a look, and the three of them immediately followed Qin Yike out of the supermarket.

Qin Yike walked quickly into a small alley. Seeing this, the three of them showed looks of joy and followed her without a second thought.

"You're quite bold, actually daring to follow me." From the moment she encountered Peng Xiaoyu, Qin Yike knew this wouldn't be settled with a few words. The other party clearly wanted to cause trouble. Fearing she would cause a scene in the supermarket, she had intentionally provoked Peng Xiaoyu to lead them toward a secluded area.

"Why wouldn't we dare? You, Qin, I just wanted to say hello. After all, we were classmates; it wouldn't be right to pretend we don't know each other when we meet. I didn't expect you to be so hurtful. It seems you need a lesson." Peng Xiaoyu said with a hint of triumph. Back in school, Qin Yike had stolen a lot of her spotlight, and she had never forgotten it!

Qin Yike laughed. "You just want revenge, so stop acting so righteous! Back then, it was Dong Xinliang who didn't want you because he thought your reputation was too bad. That's not my fault, you know?"