Chapter 130: Peeking at a Diary Is Wrong

"I'm finished." Ji Qian excitedly showed his clean bowl to his mother, then dashed off to watch TV after dropping the bowl in the kitchen.

"I'm full too." Qin Mo set down her chopsticks. Although she didn't quite feel full, she was too embarrassed to ask for another serving. Just as she planned to take her bowl to the kitchen like Ji Qian, Ji Ning's mother reached out and took it from her.

"Didn't you say my cooking was good? Have another bowl; otherwise, I won't believe you. I'll go get you some more." Ji Ning's mother spoke so naturally that Qin Mo had no choice but to accept the bowl and start eating again.

After everyone had finished, Qin Mo wanted to be helpful, but there was no way anyone would let a guest wash the dishes. In the end, Qin Mo went back to playing with Ji Qian on the sofa, while Ji Ning's mother washed the dishes and Ji Ning cleaned the kitchen.

"Mom, Qin Mo just said she was full. Why did you make her have another bowl? That makes you seem a bit inconsiderate."

"Nobody who is actually full keeps staring longingly at the food. That girl is just thin-skinned and too embarrassed to ask for seconds."

"You observed that so closely?" Ji Ning asked, skeptical.

Ji Ning's mother blinked. "It’s not just her first time meeting me; it’s my first time meeting her, too."

"That sounds strange."

"I was very nervous when I first met your grandmother. I was nineteen then. I could usually eat several bowls, but that night in front of her, I couldn't eat a thing. Later, your dad felt bad for me and took me out for a late-night snack. If only you were as observant as he was..."

After the cleaning was done, Ji Ning's mother took Ji Qian out, saying they were going to deliver some things to Ji Ning’s grandparents. Once they were gone, Ji Ning showed his true colors—he was still a high school student, after all, and had homework to do. As he closed the study door, Qin Mo leaned back on the sofa. She hadn't experienced such a quiet afternoon in a long time. No missions, no Deer Academy; here, she didn't have to do anything at all.

Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow on the floor. A gentle summer breeze kissed her face. The sound of the television faded until, when she finally woke up, the light outside had turned into a distant, orange-red hue, like a receding fire.

Qin Mo looked at her clothes. Not only were they still there, but she was also covered by a man's jacket. She stretched, secretly inhaling the unique masculine scent lingering on the garment. "Sometimes, he can be quite thoughtful."

Near dinner time, Ji Ning's mother returned with the little one, bringing some cake. "Have a little to tide you over; dinner will be ready in a moment."

Qin Mo licked the cream off the bread, feeling the long-lost taste of home.

After dinner, Ji Ning's mother had Qin Mo stay in Ji Ning’s room, as the other guest room hadn't been cleaned in advance and the sheets and quilts needed another day in the sun. There was no way a guest would be sleeping on the sofa, so Ji Ning took the couch for the night.

Having braced himself for this, Ji Ning carried his pillow toward the sofa with a look of distress. He dawdled before leaving, finally saying, "Don't say I didn't warn you—don't go digging through my room. You know, teenage boys always have some unspeakable secrets."

Qin Mo nodded solemnly. Only after Ji Ning had walked out, looking back at every step, did she wave at him cutely and end the conversation with, "Close the door on your way out."

Once the door clicked shut, Qin Mo immediately locked it. She pressed her ear against the door, listening until Ji Ning’s footsteps faded down the stairs. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She almost cheered aloud. Shedding her usual reserve, she rolled around on Ji Ning’s bed and hugged his quilt, taking a deep breath of his scent.

After all, Qin Mo was just a nineteen-year-old girl who had fallen in love for the first time. Pretending to be mature was a common trait for girls her age, but when alone, she couldn't help but let her youthful nature take over. Though she didn't say it out loud, she had always wanted to know everything about him.

A moment later, she got up, brimming with excitement, and began her adventure. What could be more thrilling than treasure unguarded by a dragon?

She examined the room: the off-white desk, the sleek wardrobe, and two maps hanging on the wall near the desk—one of the world, one of China. Next to the desk was a bookshelf flush with the wall, packed densely with every book Ji Ning had read since childhood.

It was too tidy. So tidy that, at first glance, there seemed to be nowhere to hide anything.

Qin Mo poked a straw into the yogurt Ji Ning had brought her earlier. As she savored the smooth, thick texture, she began to think.

The reason for this cleanliness was clearly his mother, who cleaned often. Since Ji Ning knew his mother cleaned regularly, he wouldn't hide his secrets in places that gathered dust or were easy to clean. She ruled out under the bed and the bookshelves.

Given Ji Ning's personality, he wasn't the type to believe "the most dangerous place is the safest." He would hide his secrets in the most obscure, secure spot. Qin Mo believed that if he could, he would have dug a secret compartment himself.

With great patience, she took a small desk lamp and began searching from the wardrobe, feeling every seam and every fluffy down jacket over and over.

By the time she finished the wardrobe, her only find was an old mobile phone. She tried to unlock it, but it required a passcode. She pouted, set the phone aside, and continued her search.

She lay on the bed, staring blankly, her gaze shifting to the bookshelf. It contained everything from *Phonetic Idiom Stories* to *Practical Stock Market Analysis*. This was the most likely place, though the workload would be significant.

Fortunately, she had the whole night.

Half an hour later, Qin Mo discovered Ji Ning's treasure trove. He hadn't hidden things inside hollowed-out books; instead, he had cleverly placed everything behind the row of books. If you only pulled out one book, you’d never find anything, but once the whole row was removed, his secrets were laid bare.

Curiously, Qin Mo flipped through a few magazines with very explicit covers. After only a glance, she blushed, let out a soft "hmpf," and tossed them aside as if they burned her fingers.

Having learned her lesson, she didn't even bother looking at the novels. She went straight for a box with a combination lock. She tried Ji Ning's birthday on a whim, and to her surprise, it opened easily.

She opened the box, finding a diary and several letters. With the principle of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," she decided not to read these items of personal privacy. But as she closed the box, a persistent thought echoed in her mind.

*"These things represent the Ji Ning before he met you. Don't you want to understand him better?"*

Qin Mo hesitated, but her hand remained still on the box.

*"This is wrong, but you are his girlfriend. Besides, this is just a dream; he can read your diary later."* Nothing in the world gives one more confidence than being favored. She picked up the diary, still wavering, until a final thought solidified her resolve.

*"If you want to wake Ji Ning from this dream, you must understand what he is thinking right now. Once you know what he cares about, you can find the breakthrough."*

"That's right. I'm only resorting to this because I have to wake him up. It’s absolutely, definitely not because I'm curious." After silently repeating this to herself, she opened the diary.

*July 7th, sunny. A pity it didn't snow.*

*Passing a bubble tea shop on the way home today, I saw a girl who looked like Michelle Reis. So beautiful. A pity she was picked up by a guy in a Trident-badged car. Zhehui told me it was a Maserati, probably an MC20. I asked him how much it cost; he said not much, just a bit over two million.*

*I asked him why he was acting so cool, and he said he’d never be able to afford one in this life anyway, so he might as well act indifferent.*

*When we parted ways, I thought he was right.*

*The more I thought about what Zhehui said, the stranger he seemed today. In the past, he would have bragged to me for ages, fantasizing about winning the lottery and buying an island in Southeast Asia. He always had new ideas, and I liked listening—after all, if I were the one to win the lottery, I could just copy his investment plans.*

*But today he didn't. He didn't tell me the fuel consumption per hundred kilometers or how much money you need to own such a car. After the guy in the Maserati left, he just asked if I wanted to go to the internet cafe.*

*I hadn't received my allowance for breakfast yet, so he went into the net cafe alone.*

*Under the streetlights, his back looked hazy. When the lights came on, I suddenly understood the sense of alienation he gave me. He had stopped fantasizing and started caring only about the concrete realities of his life, like a mature middle-aged man.*

*I don't know why, but I remembered a line from a book: the moment a person realizes they are not unique or extraordinary, they cross the boundary of youth and become a qualified adult.*

*I thought for a long time and realized I didn't have any traits that made me stand out. But strangely, I wasn't sad. I just felt like I had forgotten something. If I thought about it hard, there was no trace left. I suspect I'm like a squirrel that has stored up pine nuts, only to forget where they are when the snow clears.*

*So I pondered and pondered, but ended up with nothing. The main reason is probably that my life has been too dull, with no waves, so there’s nothing worth holding onto.*

Qin Mo hummed softly, her dainty nose twitching. *That’s only because you hadn't met me yet, which is why your life felt so ordinary.* She was convinced that she was the treasure the squirrel had hidden in the hollow of a fir tree.

*July 8th, still no snow.*

*That strange feeling is growing deeper. I even had a weird dream last night, but I forgot it completely upon waking. I only vaguely recall it being a cliché story about a hero saving a beauty. How boring. What era is this? Would a girl really offer herself to her savior? Really? Are you kidding me?*

*Sigh, I can't blame myself for having such dreams. I'm seventeen, after all, and I've never been in love. The last time I held a girl's hand was in kindergarten during a line-up. Who wouldn't want a sweet romance? I wonder what my future wife is doing right now? Is she thinking the same thing? I hope she isn't some airhead with nothing in her brain. Forget it, thinking about it is useless. Maybe I'll end up a bachelor.*

Qin Mo’s face flushed red. She looked down at her own well-developed figure and felt like this was directed at someone, but she had nowhere to vent her frustration.

*July 9th, a light rain.*

*If there is a God in this world, he must have heard my plea yesterday. Mo Qin gave me a letter today.*

*I think of her as a friend, but she wants to be my girlfriend.*

*I have to say, my hands are still shaking from the excitement. This is the first love letter of my life! Even though it's only 224 characters, I’m ready to treat it like a family heirloom.*

*But for some reason, the thought of being her boyfriend makes me feel inexplicably annoyed. It’s absurd.*

*She’s clearly so beautiful, with... with... wait? Why is her face a bit blurry in my mind?*

*I checked her QQ space and found a selfie. I looked at it carefully. Hmm, she doesn't actually look that good, does she?*

*Well, anyway, one shouldn't reject a girl who confessed to you just because of her looks, right?*

*You have to look at a person from multiple angles. Personality and temperament are important too. Mo Qin—didn't she report me to the teacher last semester for drawing cartoons behind her back? Hmm, forget it, not a good match.*

Qin Mo bit her lip in anger halfway through reading this entry, standing up in frustration. Only after finishing it did she breathe a sigh of relief. She couldn't wait to see the next day, feeling an anxious urge, as if something belonging to her were about to be snatched away.

*July 10th, a bit of sunshine.*

*After careful consideration yesterday, I decided to reject Mo Qin. But seeing her this morning, I still felt uncomfortable. As expected, even the most oblivious guy can't bear to reject a girl who is looking forward to your response.*

*I spent an entire class period thinking about how to reject her—from personality to energy, from studies to time. I thought about so much, but when I actually faced her, I asked her if she knew how to peel an apple.*

*She said she didn't, and I used that as my reason to reject her.*

*I want to slap my past self. What kind of nonsense was that? Even a decent excuse would have been better than making her cry like that.*

*But it’s strange—when I heard her say she couldn't peel an apple, I subconsciously felt relieved and rejected her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Looking back, I have no idea what I was thinking. Am I some kind of pervert with a special obsession with peeling apples?*

*Apples don't even taste that good, and peeling them is a hassle. Bananas are better.*

*Peeling an apple? How absurd. Does this mean if I see a girl I like in the future, I have to ask if she can peel an apple? I must be sick.*

Qin Mo let out a long sigh and lay back down. Her feet swayed in the air, revealing her mood. *I’ll have to peel apples for him every day in the future and keep up this Pavlovian feeding.*

*July 11th, the weather is still clear. I don't understand who decided diaries must include the weather. Who cares if it was windy or raining in the past?*

*Mo Qin won't talk to me anymore. She even told the teacher I didn't do my math homework. I haven't done it all semester, and she used to pretend she didn't know. Women are truly inscrutable; they flip their moods like pages in a book. Good thing I rejected her.*

*I got my breakfast money today. Zhehui and I went to play LOL during evening study hall. Women really do affect the speed of my blade; I lost five games in a row today playing Yasuo.*

*The net cafe has a new attendant. She looks like Maggie Cheung.*

*Zhehui said as long as she’s here, he’s only coming to this cafe. Ugh, how pathetic!*

*But going to a net cafe alone is boring. So, I’ve decided I’ll go there too.*

Qin Mo covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter. *This guy is so cute. Maggie Cheung?* Qin Mo jumped up and looked at her reflection in the window again. She was quite confident.

*July 12th, a storm is coming.*

*The teacher found out about the internet cafe. I got an earful when I got home.*

*...*

*August 17th, I met a strange girl on my way home from school today. She said her name was Qin Mo. She’s beautiful, but I can't say who she looks like. If I had to describe her, it’s a 'first love' face. Although, I’ve never had a first love.*

Qin Mo pouted.

*"Then what am I?"*