Chapter 23: Weidong’s Spring

"Do you like Pan Weiwei? Why didn't I know about this?" Qin Anyi looked at Weidong with a face full of suspicion, trying to discern from his expression whether he was telling the truth or not.

Although Weidong was quite ordinary in appearance—standing at about 1.74 meters tall and weighing a little over fifty kilograms, slightly chubby, slightly short, and a bit homely—he had always been quite popular with girls at school. This wasn't just because he was witty and loved to joke around, but mainly because he was generous with his money. At this stage in high school, even in Changqing First High, very few students had as much pocket money as Weidong, who received at least three to four thousand yuan a month.

From what Qin Anyi knew, in just two years of high school, Weidong had already dated at least three girlfriends. And with each of them, after their relationship became physical and Weidong grew bored, he would break up. According to Weidong, those girls only liked him for his generosity; their relationships were more about financial need than any real affection. So, in his view, it wasn’t really dating—just a mutually beneficial arrangement, where both parties got what they wanted and owed each other nothing.

Whenever he was with those girls, Weidong would meet all their material needs, and in return, he enjoyed physical satisfaction. When it was time to break up, he felt no guilt; as he put it, it was all just a transaction. The open atmosphere of society nowadays, combined with the immaturity of seventeen and eighteen-year-olds, made this kind of arrangement all the more common for people like Weidong. Even though Qin Anyi didn't pay much attention to those around him, he still knew of other wealthy students who acted just like Weidong. However, because of Changqing First High's strict school culture, such behavior wasn't widespread. For example, Weidong's "girlfriends" were usually students from the nursing school or teacher training college.

Weidong had once explained to Qin Anyi that these schools had more girls, looser supervision, and most importantly, were boarding schools with closed-off management. At seventeen or eighteen, girls were at the height of their adolescence, and with so few boys around, it was only natural that they’d be more casual about relationships. The main benefit, in Weidong’s view, was that dating girls from other schools wouldn't affect his reputation at his own. Of course, that was just his opinion. In reality, as far as Qin Anyi was concerned, Weidong didn't have much of a reputation at Changqing First High at all. The school was full of talented students, and aside from outstanding individuals like Wang Yiran, few ever became the talk of the school.

Qin Anyi didn’t know much about Weidong’s affairs, not because he didn’t care about his friend—after all, Weidong was his only close companion and held a very important place in his heart—but because he believed that even best friends shouldn’t pry into each other’s private matters, unless the other chose to share. But with that attitude, could Weidong really fall for a girl? Qin Anyi suspected that, in Weidong’s mind, girls were more like outlets for his desires.

"Heh, Pan Weiwei? I really do like her. Ever since I first saw her in our second year, I’ve had my eye on her. It’s been a whole year, but I haven’t had a chance to get close. I’ve tried to make myself known to her, but she just treats me like a clown. That just won’t do..." Weidong complained bitterly.

"But… if I’m not mistaken, haven’t you always had a girlfriend?" Qin Anyi asked, puzzled.

"No way! I’ve always saved my first love for someone special. Those other women were just friends with benefits. You get what I mean? They’re there to get things done, not for feelings." Weidong shook his head with the air of a relationship expert. "There are two kinds of women. Some you cherish, and some you just sleep with. The first kind is unique, the second is common. I think Pan Weiwei is the unique one for me."

"You’re not joking?"

"Not joking!"

"Alright then, let’s go together tonight. But whether you can win her over is up to you," Qin Anyi replied. He couldn’t figure out what Weidong was thinking, but he did know that once Weidong set his mind on something, he would go after it with everything he had. The reason he hadn’t made a move on Pan Weiwei after a whole year was probably because he hadn’t found the right opportunity.

Pan Weiwei had transferred to their school in the second year. She was slim and, at first glance, didn’t really stand out, but over time she grew more and more attractive in a subtle way. She had a bold, almost boyish spirit, and carried herself with a certain grandeur. Qin Anyi had always thought Weidong preferred the sweet and gentle type, so he was surprised by his friend’s taste—was there some hidden masochistic side to him?

The morning classes were dull for Qin Anyi. He flipped through his textbooks quickly, finding the material so simple that he couldn’t muster any interest. What struck him as odd was that yesterday’s brawl outside the school seemed to have vanished without a trace; no teachers had come to talk to him. Although he’d left just in time, too many people had seen him walk away with that group of delinquents, and plenty had followed to watch the spectacle. He hadn’t pulled any punches, and those thugs must have been beaten badly enough to require hospitalization. That should have attracted the attention of the police. Yet, after an entire morning, no one had come to speak with him. He doubted the witnesses would all keep quiet on his behalf—something must have happened that he didn’t know about.

At lunch, Qin Anyi mentioned to Yang Cheng that it was boring to eat with just two people, and suggested inviting Weidong as well. He asked Yang Cheng to bring a friend too, so there’d be more people and more fun. Yang Cheng agreed without any objection, and, just as Weidong had hoped, invited Pan Weiwei.

Yang Cheng and Pan Weiwei’s personalities were complete opposites. If Pan Weiwei was like a tomboy, Yang Cheng was the quintessential delicate girl. It was a wonder how, after just a year, the two had become so close.

Changqing First High had a school cafeteria with good food but steep prices. So at lunchtime, Qin Anyi usually just bought something at the school gate to fill up. Weidong, being loyal, knew Qin Anyi wouldn’t want to spend his money on a cafeteria meal, so he always accompanied him to grab something outside—a habit they’d kept for two years.

The lunch scene in the classroom was a bit odd. Other students clustered in small groups, chatting about who-knows-what, but the way their gazes kept drifting toward Qin Anyi made it obvious who their topic was. As the root cause of all this, Wang Yiran seemed unbothered, calmly going about her own business as if none of the changes around her concerned her at all.

Suddenly, several tall, burly students blocked the entrance to Class 2, Senior Three. One of them stepped inside and, after scanning the classroom, shouted, "Which one of you is Weidong?"

Not many students ate at school—maybe only half did, and after lunch some would go for a walk or play ball, so less than a quarter of the class remained. The student shouting wore the school uniform, but his jacket was wide open, revealing a tight tank top and a muscular build.

Qin Anyi recognized these guys—they were all on the school track team. Judging by their aggressive demeanor, they clearly weren’t here for friendly reasons. He wondered what Weidong had done to provoke them. He nudged Weidong with his shoulder in a questioning way, only to see the same look of confusion on Weidong’s face. Clearly, he was just as in the dark.