A Bookworm’s New Routine

FORCED BY TEARS

Su Yanxi has fantasized about seeing Mu Qi again for so many years, so when her father’s job moved here, the first thing she thought of was this school.
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Although she and Mu Qi hadn’t seen each other for ten years, Mu Qi’s former friends still had contact with her, so she could easily find out about her.

Even in order to be in the same class as Mu Qi, she begged her parents for a while and only then did she get into this middle (!) class.

(!) Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Chinese schools have an advanced class for those with excellent academic performance and average (middle) classes for everyone else? 

“Su Yanxi, have you turned in your homework?” The class president came down to collect the homework.

“Is it okay to collect it after morning self-study?” Su Yanxi said with a smile.

When she smiled, there were two dimples on the corners of her mouth, which looked unusually cute. No wonder Hu Ying, the little nymphomaniac, named her ‘Little Cutie’, Mu Qi thought in a mess in her mind.

When the little class president left, Su Yanxi hurriedly bent down and rummaged through Mu Qi’s desk belly (!). Today, her hair is parted in the middle, with both sides braided from the top to the back of her head, and the ends of her hair were slightly curly. When she bent down, the ends of her hair directly swept on Mu Qi’s legs.

(!) 桌肚 (Desk Belly): The compartment/cubby beneath the desk

Mu Qi leaned against the wall and watched the girl’s hair sweep her lap again and again. Her brows furrowed and her slender fingers lifted the ends of the other’s hair.

Su Yanxi continued to look for her workbook without feeling it.

“Qi-ge (!)!” Hu Ying, who had just finished using the toilet, came in through the back door and shouted loudly. However, when she saw this scene, she almost choked on her saliva.

(!) 哥 (Ge):  Older brother

This was staged every day, and Hu Ying was afraid her brain repaired her kidney deficiency (!).

(!) 胡颖怕自己脑补的肾虚: No idea how to translate this. MTL translations include ‘...kidney deficiency in her brain’, ‘...her brain had a kidney deficiency’, which was a little confusing, so I basically just tried translating 脑补的肾虚 word for word, ending up with ‘brain-to repair-kidney-emptiness’  / Anyways, apparently, poor libido is due to a kidney deficiency.

“Found it.” Su Yanxi sat up holding her workbook, and her hair was suddenly pulled.

“The sweeping was annoying.” Mu Qi glanced at her legs, and then at her hair.

Su Yanxi also followed her gaze and looked at the other party’s legs. Thinking of her position just now, her hair would indeed sweep the other party’s legs. She grabbed her hair and said, “I’m sorry.”

Because of the morning self-study, there were still many people who had to memorize the text and words, so Su Yanxi didn’t dare to continue talking. She took her workbook and the other party’s workbook and placed them in front of Mu Qi. She took out a pen from the pencil bag, handed it to her, and looked at her seriously.

Mu Qi: “...”

“I don’t want to do it today.” Mu Qi kept her posture and looked at her.

Su Yanxi pursed her lips, put the pen in the palm of her hand, and continued to look at her stubbornly.

Mu Qi raised her eyebrows but didn’t move.

Su Yanxi’s eyes immediately turned red, and because she wasn’t doing her homework, she cried for her to see.

Mu Qi: “...” What is wrong with people now? Even forcing people to copy homework? Even using tears?

Mu Qi felt that her worldview had been refreshed, and she even picked up her pen and copied her homework.

While copying the homework, her brain was still wandering. It was great when she had the two seats by herself, and taking up one of them is whatever, but how could she still urge her about her homework problems? And that’s not even all of it, why did she have to copy her homework just because the other person started crying? 

After thinking about this question, she wanted to put down her pen and not copy it, but was embarrassed as she had already finished copying it.

Su Yanxi had been watching her copy her homework with red eyes. When she finished writing the last word, the other person’s eyes were not red anymore. Her tears had stopped and she even had a smile across her face. It’s not an exaggeration to say that she’s a drama queen.

“Qi-ge, did you bully the Little Cutie?” After the evening self-study, Su Yanxi went to the toilet, and Hu Ying ran over and sat next to her.

Mu Qi gave her a sidelong glance and said indifferently: “Why don’t you say that the Little Cutie is bullying me?”

Hu Ying waved her hand and smiled: “It’s impossible, you have a stinky face, and the Little Cutie looks at you miserably. When a discerning person sees it, they see that you’re bullying her.”

I made a big fork (!), and Mu Qi didn’t even know what she was going to say.

(!) 我了个大叉: Not sure what this means

Her good friend actually betrayed her and sided with the transfer student.

On Friday afternoon, the second class ended.

School was dismissed this early, so naturally, Mu Qi will not go home directly, and will definitely go out to wander.

“Qi-ge, let’s go dancing. I heard that the stinky mushroom next door and them are all going.” Hu Ying came over ecstatically.

Mu Qi stood up, looked at her and said: “Don’t you dislike her? Why are you still rushing to go to her?”

Hu Ying laughed mischievously and said: “I heard that the stinky mushroom is going for the first time, so I can go over and mock her.”

“Then show off your dance skills?” Mu Qi said.

Hu Ying touched her nose, raised her head proudly and said: “I can’t beat her in a fight, of course I have to compete with her on this, otherwise, I’ll be embarrassed.”

Su Yanxi obediently packed her schoolbag beside her, and when she heard the conversation between the two, she raised her head and looked at them eagerly.

As soon as Mu Qi lowered her head, she saw her eyes full of expectation and refused without hesitation, “I won’t take you there.”

“I drink alcohol.” Su Yanxi stood up with her schoolbag in her arms.

“Then what?” Mu Qi stopped and turned to look at her, raised her eyebrows and said: “Just go out with us and hang out?”

Su Yanxi said quickly: “Then can you guys not hang out? We can go shopping, buy delicious food, and go to the playground to play.”

Mu Qi sneered and said: “Kid stuff, if you want to go, let your parents take you.” After saying that, she threw her schoolbag behind her and walked away.

Hu Ying looked left and right, smiled embarrassedly at Su Yanxi, and quickly followed in Mu Qi’s footsteps.

Su Yanxi, who was standing in the same place, felt wronged and pouted. Her eyes were red again, and then muttered: “If you don’t take me along, I’ll follow you guys secretly.” Then she followed.

Tomorrow night was another monthly gathering, and Mu Qi was restless, so she didn’t pay attention to the little tail secretly following behind her.

Hu Ying, the insensitive one (!), didn’t notice at all.

(!) 神经大条 (insensitive): Can also mean ‘thick-skinned’. MTL translates it to ‘neurotic’, ‘nervous’

She looked at Qi-ge silently carrying a small stone, pondered for a while, and asked: “Qi-ge, will your parents come to see you again tomorrow?” Then he muttered in a low voice: “Why didn’t your parents think of you when they divorced.”

Mu Q’s foot kicking the stone paused for a moment, and then continued to kick as if nothing had happened and was just venting about something, and as if she was distracting herself by kicking this stone.

“If you don’t want to see them, you can refuse.” Hu Ying really wanted to say these words to Qi-ge, but she knew that Qi-ge’s mind was clearer than hers. If she really didn’t want to see them, Qi-ge would have told her parents a long time ago.

And, even when annoyed, she takes part in the ‘family gathering’ again and again (!). Perhaps, Qi-ge was still a little reluctant to part with her parents. 

(!) 而这一次又一次烦躁的去参加‘家庭聚会’: The MTLs for this was worded weirdly so I re-worded it the way I understood it.

Thinking of this, Hu Ying glanced at Qi-ge’s indifferent side profile, closed her mouth, and didn’t say any more.

Su Yanxi, who was not far behind the two of them, heard it. Holding the strap of her schoolbag tightly, she looked at the tall but lonely figure, her eyes full of distress.
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She still remembers that ten years ago, Father Mu and Mother Mu were still very loving. At that time, they were a model couple, praised by everyone in the circle. What happened in these ten years?

Especially Mu Qi, when her parents divorced, she must have been very sad!

When she thought of this, Su Yanxi wanted to step forward and hug Mu Qi, but in the end, she held back.

If she went up now, the other party would not only treat her as a psychopath, but the next thing about secretly going to the night club would be ruined.

Thinking that she would have a long time to accompany the other party in the future, Su Yanxi put her heart down again.