A Similar World

"Classmate Qiu... Classmate Qiu!" A soft voice was calling in her ears but then it grew more and more.

Banging at the desk in front of her, Qiu Qichen stood up and faced towards the voice. "Who the hell is yelling?!"

She opened her eyes and found a frightened pale face with large puppy eyes. Suddenly she wanted to take back her previous words...

The frightened boy replied weakly, "Classmate Qiu... Principal is calling you to his office..." The voice quieted down at the end.

Qiu Qichen looked towards left, then right and finally at the boy. "Ok.. give me a min." She sat back down and rested her head on the desk closing her eyes.

She didn't reincarnate... so sad. Is this another task now or not? She wanted to start over....

All the classmates looked at Qiu Qichen. Seeing her usual anger, squeezed a tear for Li Cheng, the poor deskmate, then turned their heads back as if they didn't see or hear anything.

Qiu Qichen stood up and turned to look at Li Cheng. The other still held that poor frightened face. Sighing she strode out from the class.

Li Cheng looked at the departing back. It was either lucky or strange today... he didn't get hit for waking up classmate Qiu.

Following the given memory, Qiu Qichen arrived at the principal's office. After knocking twice and getting permission, she entered.

There wasn't the principal only. Her class teacher as well as another handsome man, probably in his 20s wearing a suit, were looking at her.

Qiu Qichen halted. If anything that's surprising then that would be the young face of this man that highly matched her real father's face... "Papa?..."

The man's face contorted for a second, then became still again.

Seeing his rebellious student suddenly getting melancholy, even teacher Shi couldn't help but pat her shoulder trying to comfort her.

"Qiu Qichen, this person is your guardian." The principal gestured towards the man, seeing that she couldn't recognize him.

Coming to her senses, Qiu Qichen glanced at the principle who spoke and then at the man. "Sorry for just now." Then the man's face looked as if it lighted up a little.

"You two can talk it out in the garden. Is it alright?" Although the principal faced Qiu Qichen, his eyes looked towards the man. The man nodded and looked at her.

As if with a tactic understanding, the two nodded towards the principal and exited the room together.

"Uhm... you are which relative of mine?" Qiu Qichen glanced at the man, "Uncle?.." The man's face darkened.

"Cousin..." A serene voice entered her ears.

"I see. Cousin, then." The man nodded. No wonder he looked as if eating something dirty... he's probably unmarried too.

"I'm sorry." Qiu Qichen looked at her tall cousin. Her eyes a little lost as if looking at someone else through him. "I couldn't contact you during the funeral of uncle and aunt."

Qiu Qichen shook her head. The body's father though rich and having a company of his own, had almost no close relationship except his own family. Even the original owner of the body never knew that except for her parents, there existed any other relative. So, she also didn't care whichever relative will be her conservator. She only knew that she had to defend what her parents left to her.

"Grandpa regrets to let go of him." A sigh entered her ears.

A sense of silence and awkwardness invaded the conversation of the two. The two sat at a bench and looked towards the sky together.

"He wants to take you back to the family."

"I have enough inheritance to live well and support my studies." She didn't want to enter some rich family trouble.

"You are 15 only. Not legal." Meaning, she won't be able to inherit it yet.

"I can do part-time jobs to support myself."

"Not legal."

"..."

She didn't want to talk anymore. Is her cousin a lawyer?

"Come back with me. He misses you too." The grandpa she never met... "He saw you when you were just born."

"But I never saw him."

"Then see him now."

"I don't wish to."

"You were cuter when little." Another sigh. "He has a heart problem."

Qiu Qichen couldn't help but close her mouth that was gonna fire objections. She was reminded of her own ill grandfather who took care of the little her until he left the world.

"I will take a look then..." She pursed her mouth reluctantly.

"Heh-" A short abrupt laugh came from her right. Turning her head angrily, she saw the cousin who had a smile on his lips and looked totally different from his still face.

Fortunately, it was still class timings and there were no students walking in the area or this smile would have captured a lot of hearts.

"You two are exactly same." With a smile still on his lips, the cousin couldn't help but lift his hand to try to pat her.

"...." Qiu Qichen looked at the hand that was near her head angrily.

With a sigh, the cousin put his hand back and wasn't able to achieve his goal.

"Ahem." Though the face was back to the still before, the twitching corner of the lips still betrayed the joy that was hidden. "How about the weekend? You should be free then."

Qiu Qichen surfed through the memories and found that except going to scare some neighbor bullies, there was nothing else on agenda that day. Since the funeral of her parents, the girl reduced her activities except bullying the bullies...

"In evening on Saturday..?" The plan to ambush the bullies was during afternoon.

"Fine." The cousin nodded. "Also... my name is Qiu Shengzhe. Call Brother Zhe." The face was still yet the eyes seemed to blaze.

"Brother Zhe.." From cousin to brother in a short time, her corner of lips couldn't help but twitch.

"And-" A short buzzing voice came from the pant pocket of her cousin and cut off the words that he had intended to say.

Shooting a slight apologizing gaze and signaling for her to be quiet, the cousin stood up and walked a little farther to attend the phone and that he retrieved from his pant pocket.

While the cousin talked in a low voice there, Qiu Qichen looked through the memories cause everything seemed to fit too well. It was too similar. The personality of the girl matched hers as well... except that she didn't scare people but the girl did and was an expert at it. The lives of the two of them was same but still different though.

Both had weak relationships with their parents. Hers passed away early while the girl's were busy in their own work leaving her to a nanny, which were changed now and then.

Both were excellent in studies. She worked hard to get scholarships and increase the quality of the lifestyle of her and her grandfather while the girl wanted to get attention of her parents. But, she was an example of a model student following the wishes of her grandfather while the girl became rebellious to try to get attention of her parents when only excellent marks didn't work.

But... the faces of the parents of two matched.

Would the faces of her own and even her grandfather would match with the girl's and her grandpa?

"-chen. Sister Qichen. Little Chen." A hand waved twice in front of her face and she couldn't help but slap it way.

"Seeee....." The cousin shook his hand wincing slightly. "What were you thinking?"

"..." Qiu Qichen pursed her lips and stared at the slightly red hand. "...Sorry."

"It's okay." Qiu Shengzhe smiled slightly, "But it would be better if you say Brother Zhe."

"....." She looked at the cousin who had his eyes blazing again when saying 'Brother Zhe', "Brother Zhe, sorry."

Seeing the sudden blinding smile, she quickly brought her hands up to save her eyes. The cousin turned out to be addicted to 'Brother Zhe'...

"I have to go quickly. I will come to meet you on weekend." Patting his little cousin's head, Qiu Shengzhe hurried off before his hand could be slapped.

Qiu Qichen stared at the hand that waved at her from the backside as her cousin departed. Her head was patted at last.. "...sigh."

She knew there was no need to report to the principal that her cousin left, so she headed back to her class.

Reaching the class's door, she saw teacher Ming teaching maths.

As soon as her eyes met teacher Ming's, she felt teacher Ming go into a fiery spirit mode after she nodded towards the teacher. She entered the class without asking for permission.

Asking for permission at principal's office was something that even the girl used to do, she still had that respect... but for the teachers..... she was a little rebellious. Entering and exiting class without permission though still greeting them.

Qiu Qichen felt her mouth twitch.

When she followed her memory and reached her desk, she also found her pale deskmate. Li Cheng.

Nodding at him, she sat at the desk from the other side. She pulled out the maths textbook, a notebook out and a stationary pouch from her schoolbag.

All classmates, though trying not to, still glanced at the calm Qiu Qichen. She was less angry and gloomy now. Is this the calm before storm?

Li Cheng glanced at classmate Qiu, who was much calmer after being called out by principal. Was she scolded?

It was only 2-3 minutes after which teacher Ming suddenly called out. "Student Qiu."

Everyone's head except a few turned in Qiu Qichen's direction. Qiu Qichen looked at teacher Ming and stood up.

"Solve question fourth of exercise 3.2 quick." Teacher Ming extended a chalk towards her.

"Yes." After going over and taking the chalk, she walked towards the blackboard and started solving the question.

The more she solved, the more fiery was the gaze that looked at her from behind. No wonder teacher Ming had a fiery spirit seeing her. She's probably a maths enthusiast.

Putting down the chalk at the teacher's desk, Qiu Qichen looked at teacher Ming, who now looked as if she was seeing her true love.

"May I go back now?" Her mouth twitched. Teacher Ming nodded.

Once back at the desk, she sighed. Li Cheng went stiff.

She turned her head and looked at her classmate who went stiff. He still looked frightened and poor.... he gave her an image of a dog with drooping ears.

"Calm down.." She whispered. Yet Li Cheng went more stiff. "...sigh."

She turned her attention back at the textbook.

Unknown to her, Li Cheng wasn't sacred but was dazed out. He had just heard his gloomy deskmate calming him down... and the voice was still polite and soft. It was as if suddenly a light shined on him when he thought it would be hell as always...

Coming back to his senses, he looked at his deskmate who was engrossed in solving questions in the notebook. She looked very serene now as if a boat swaying very lightly on the surface of water.

When the bell rang, he snapped out of his illusion again. Classmate Qiu was packing up her bag and he... he hadn't written his notes!

Li Cheng couldn't help but whimper slightly... it's hard to get notes especially when you sit with an infamous person.

Qiu Qichen who was just done packing heard the whimper. She looked at her deskmate who had gone puppy mode again. With large pitiful eyes and pursed mouth, he looked at his notebook which had a half empty page.

Struggling for a second but still getting defeated by that puppy look, she unzipped her bag and took out her notebook and passed it to him placing it in front of him on the desk.

"Take it.." Her voice softened unknowingly. She quickly zipped her bag. "...Return it tomorrow morning."

She went away from the classroom.

As soon as she went out, the classroom boiled.

The legendary Qiu Qichen actually gave her notes. Still to Li Cheng who often angered her.

Those who were in class couldn't help but eye the notebook that was in front of Li Cheng. Though Qiu Qichen was infamous due to her gloomy behaviour, she was an academic genius.

As if perceiving the strong gazes, Li Cheng quickly took the notebooks in his hand and packed up his bag. His face was flushed slightly.

Leaving the classroom, Li Cheng looked around to see the familiar figure but there was none. He now had the academic genius's notes that had never been lent to anyone else before. And still... with a soft voice bonus.