Chapter 14 Grades Dropping Not as Light as He Imagined…

Chapter 14: Declining Grades

It wasn't as insignificant as she had imagined...

Tao Jiang was stunned, completely taken aback by Yu Kui's words.

She quietly observed the girl in front of her, memories of Yu Kui's past kindness flooding her mind. It was hard to reconcile that image with the person before her now.

"Yu Kui, did you misunderstand something? I can explain..."

"No need to explain," the girl shook her head, her clear eyes fixed calmly on Tao Jiang. "It's my own issue. I'm sorry. You should find friends who are a better fit for you."

"I..." Tao Jiang slowly clenched her fingers, took a deep breath, and said, "But I've always considered you my friend, my only friend."

"Is it because no one else is as foolish as me?" Yu Kui met her gaze.

Tao Jiang stiffened. "You know very well that's not what I meant."

"But I'm tired," Yu Kui offered a faint smile. "Being friends with you has always exhausted me."

She offered no explanation for her weariness, nor did she wish to probe why Tao Jiang had initially sought her out. "Let's just leave it at that. From now on, we'll still be classmates"—but no longer friends.

Tao Jiang couldn't articulate her feelings at that moment. The fleeting satisfaction of having taken Qin You seemed utterly trivial now.

Yu Kui's unsettling calm made her deeply uncomfortable.

Her relationship with Qin You had been kept a secret. Why was Yu Kui directing her anger at her?

Throughout their interactions, Tao Jiang had always held the upper hand. What right did Yu Kui have to trample on her dignity?

"If I've done something wrong, I can change. But you can't just stop being my friend," Tao Jiang insisted, her gaze unwavering as she looked into Yu Kui's eyes. "You can't abandon me. You promised you'd always be my friend."

Hearing these words, Yu Kui felt a pang in her heart. She had genuinely considered Tao Jiang a close friend once, but now she sensed no sincerity.

The words Tao Jiang had once spoken now sounded ironically hollow.

"People change," Yu Kui didn't avert her gaze. "I'm very tired right now. Can you please stop bothering me?"

A flicker of resentment crossed Tao Jiang's eyes, but she didn't react immediately. Her eyes first reddened, then she nodded with suppressed emotion. "I'll wait for you to feel better."

Yu Kui said nothing more, lowering her head to continue eating.

Sun Shuya watched Tao Jiang with a knowing smirk, as if anticipating her next move.

Qin You entered the cafeteria and spotted Tao Jiang's crestfallen expression. He paused briefly but ultimately decided not to approach her.

Yu Kui noticed his gaze. The moment she looked up and met his slightly worried eyes, she felt a sharp pang, as if pricked by a needle, and quickly averted her gaze.

Although she desperately told herself she wouldn't be friends with Qin You anymore, she wasn't a robot. The feelings cultivated over a decade weren't fake, and she couldn't completely ignore him.

Qin You lowered his eyes, wanting to go over and ask about Yu Kui's illness, but he held back, remembering their bitter parting that day.

Just let it be. Soon, she would forget about him.

After school, once Yu Kui had left, Qin You went to the classroom to find Tao Jiang and took her out for dinner.

"That Cantonese restaurant is my favorite," Tao Jiang said, seeing that the school was nearly empty. She looped her arm through Qin You's. "You have to take me there often from now on."

"Okay."

The meal cost Qin You half a month's living expenses, meaning he would have to live quite frugally in the coming days. But he didn't regret taking her out at all. Seeing the satisfied expression on her face made him feel incredibly happy.

"By the way, my birthday is coming up soon. What gift are you planning to give me?" Tao Jiang hinted meaningfully as they parted. "No half-hearted gifts, okay?"

Tao Jiang's birthday was in early January, and Qin You had already decided what to give her, though he wasn't planning to tell her just yet.

"I'll have it ready." Qin You looked at her fair face, leaned in slowly, and Tao Jiang met his deep gaze without shying away.

In the slightly chilly winter night, the two of them embraced tightly...

Qin You's grades had dropped significantly. When his homeroom teacher called Mrs. Qin, she urged her not to neglect her child's studies because of work, especially since Qin You was already in his second year of high school, and keeping up with his studies was absolutely crucial.

Mrs. Qin made a point to leave work early to have a heart-to-heart talk with Qin You, wanting to ask if something was troubling him.

Qin You didn't tell her about his relationship with Tao Jiang, only saying that school was stressful and he was adjusting.

Mrs. Qin was very busy with work and didn't spend much time with him daily. Seeing that she couldn't find out anything, she went upstairs to find Yu Kui, hoping to ask about Qin You's situation at school.

After all, the two had grown up together, and Yu Kui would know best what Qin You was up to.

Mrs. Yu answered the door. Seeing Mrs. Qin in her professional attire, she wasn't as warm as usual. After inviting her in, she went to the bedroom to call Yu Kui out.

"Ah Kui," Mrs. Qin was surprised to see Yu Kui had grown much thinner and asked concernedly, "Why have you lost so much weight..."

Yu Kui sat beside her mother, listening to Mrs. Qin's caring words, her feelings a complex mix.

From a very young age, she had known Mrs. Qin was extremely busy. Since she had no time to take care of Qin You, she constantly sent him to the Yu household. To repay the Yu family, she would frequently buy Yu Kui pretty clothes and toys, dressing her up as a little princess.

Yu Kui had always liked her and had even thought that if she ended up with Qin You in the future, she would be filial to her.

But now, seeing her only brought sadness.

After chatting with Mrs. Yu for a while, Mrs. Qin soon brought up the subject of Qin You. "Ah Kui, has anything happened to Qin You at school recently? His teacher called me today and said..."

When she mentioned Qin You's dropped grades, Yu Kui's heart skipped a beat.

Qin You had always had excellent grades, and it was unprecedented for a teacher to contact his parents. Logically, after Qin You refused to tutor her and spent most of his time studying, his grades should have improved. How could they have dropped...

"I'm really worried sick," Mrs. Qin sighed. "He's so withdrawn; I can't get anything out of him no matter how I ask. I don't know what to do."

She looked at Yu Kui. "Since you go to the same school, do you know what he's been up to lately?"

"How would Yu Kui know?" Before her daughter could speak, Mrs. Yu smiled and said, "They're on different floors, and they take different classes. You'll have to ask him about his grades yourself."

Mrs. Qin was taken aback. In the past, Mrs. Yu had always been very warm toward her, but this time she was noticeably colder, making Mrs. Qin feel distinctly distanced.

"Is that so?" Mrs. Qin managed a bitter smile. "Ah Kui goes to school with Qin You every day. I thought..."

"Not anymore, Auntie," Yu Kui looked up at the woman's somewhat weary face and said softly, "Qin You and I rarely go to school together now."

"How come?" Mrs. Qin's expression changed slightly. "Aren't you at the same school?"

"We get up at different times," Yu Kui offered a simple excuse. "He leaves very early, so we don't go together anymore."

Mrs. Qin felt a flicker of unease upon hearing this, but she didn't show it. She just smiled and said, "I see. I've been so careless as an auntie, I didn't even notice."

"You should ask Qin You," Mrs. Yu said. "High school academics are crucial. If he falls behind now, it'll be troublesome later."

"Okay."

Qin's mother glanced at the time, reiterated her concerns to Yu Kui's mother, and then hurried back home.

After the living room fell silent, Yu Kui's mother looked at her dispirited daughter, gently pinching her cheek. "What are you thinking about? Aren't you going back to do your homework?"

"Mom," Yu Kui blinked and said softly, "How come you're not surprised that I'm not going to school with Qin You anymore?"

"Why would I be surprised?" her mother replied, glancing at her. "Isn't this perfectly normal?"

"How is that normal?" Yu Kui widened her eyes. "We used to go together all the time..."

"Your routines don't match," her mother said calmly, looking into her eyes. "He wakes up too early. Don't you remember how hard it was for you to get up every day just to keep up with his schedule?"

Yu Kui: "..." It was true—she had always forced herself to adjust to Qin You's schedule.

"This is better," her mother continued. "You get an extra half-hour of sleep, and it saves me a lot of trouble."

Yu Kui: "..." She pressed her lips together, still unable to bring herself to tell her mother about the argument between her and Qin You.

She lacked the resolve to speak up, afraid of upsetting her mother and worried that she might lose her closest friend as well.

In the end, Qin's mother never found out the real reason behind Qin You's declining grades and could only attribute it to the heavy academic pressure of his second year of high school affecting his progress.

Because of this, she even considered getting him a tutor.

"No need," Qin You immediately rejected the idea. His grades dropped because he had been spending most of his time with Tao Jiang. As long as he focused, he could easily catch up.

"Then what's up with you and Yu Kui?" Qin's mother asked seriously, looking at her son. "Did you upset her?"

Qin You paused briefly before shaking his head. "It's nothing."

"Then why isn't she going to school with you anymore?" Qin's mother found it puzzling. "You two used to be so close."

"I don't know," Qin You replied after a brief internal struggle, still unwilling to confess what he had done. "It doesn't matter if we don't go together."

"It might not matter, but the Yus have done a lot for us. You mustn't hurt her."

Qin You lowered his gaze, avoiding his mother's tired eyes. "I understand."

"Alright," Qin's mother stood up and added, "Focus on your studies for now. I'll check with your homeroom teacher again next month."

Only after Qin's mother entered her bedroom did Qin You finally relax. He looked out at the dark night, but the expression in his eyes was not as lighthearted as he had imagined.

He opened his phone and checked his balance—it was still far from enough to buy that crystal bracelet.

As the date drew nearer, a trace of worry crept into his expression.

Author's note: