Dazzling

After the start of the semester, Qing Ye officially began her university life, which still differed somewhat from what she had imagined.

Back in Anzhong, she had left the second-ranked student far behind, and even during her time at the international school, she had always been an academic prodigy. But after arriving at Q University, that long-held sense of superiority was instantly crushed beyond recognition. Looking around, every classmate she saw was on par with her in talent, and some were not only excellent in academics but also outstanding in other comprehensive abilities.

As a result, she became just an ordinary person among many exceptional individuals. From the very beginning of freshman year, the academic life fell into an intensely fast-paced rhythm, which left her a bit bewildered. But since everyone around her was pushing themselves hard, she had no reason to slack off.

Those who become top students often have some quirks that ordinary people find hard to understand.

Take her roommate Sun Wanjing, for example. After the lights were uniformly turned off at 11 p.m., her emergency lamp would stay on until one or two in the morning. Sun Wanjing’s mother was a professor at B University, and her father worked at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her family was very strict about her studies.

Qing Ye was one of the earlier sleepers in the dorm, aside from the top scorer in the college entrance exam, Xie Qianqian. Sometimes she wanted to invite everyone to go out for some shopping and relaxation, but seeing how hard everyone was working, it almost seemed like not having an emergency lamp would mean failing to prove oneself as a high-quality top student.

The most talkative person in the dorm was Qu Bing. After spending some time together, Qing Ye realized she was quite an outlier too. She was into chasing celebrities, shipping fictional couples, binge-watching dramas, and gossiping—yet none of it hindered her ability to instantly immerse herself in studying with complete devotion.

She told Qing Ye that the craziest thing she did before the college entrance exam was sneaking off to Xi’an, over two hundred kilometers away, to attend her idol’s concert, then rushing back overnight to take the second mock exam. And despite that, she scored full marks in math on the actual exam—who could make sense of that?

According to Qu Bing, most people who entered Q University’s School of Economics and Management came with the simple and unpretentious goal of earning an annual salary of a million yuan and aiming to become a CEO within five years of graduation.

Later, Qing Ye realized she wasn’t exaggerating at all. For instance, given the scale of her family’s business, becoming a CEO right after graduation—let alone within five years—would be an effortless feat.

Of course, the most unconventional of them all had to be Xie Qianqian, the top scorer in the college entrance exam.

This girl was the quietest in the dorm. Whether the others were gossiping or discussing serious academic topics, she never joined in, seeming somewhat aloof. She was rarely in the dorm, often returning late at night drenched in sweat. After a quick shower, she would collapse into bed and fall asleep instantly, sleeping so deeply that even when Qu Bing once shattered a glass, she didn’t wake up.

Her family background was even more of a mystery. If you thought her family was poor, she carried a blue embroidered D-brand backpack that Qing Ye had only seen in limited-edition photos. If you thought her family was well-off, she always wore canvas shoes that could be bought for just over twenty yuan on the street, and her bag was consistently stocked with ham sausages and savory scallion pancakes—a truly peculiar combination.Qing Ye had noticed her, of course, because her college entrance exam score was two points higher than his own. Originally, Qing Ye thought he was already one of the less studious people in the dorm, but Xie Qianqian was even more extreme—in the first week of school, he never saw her reading in the dorm, and he had no idea what she was busy with all day.

Xie Qianqian was not tall, with a sweet appearance that made her look fragile, and Qing Ye thought so too. So, in the first few days of school, he took care of her a bit, sometimes helping her carry things when he saw her thin arms and legs.

However, a week after school started, their dorm decided to go out for a meal to strengthen their dormitory friendship. Even the somewhat aloof Xie Qianqian went. Although Qu Bing very skillfully tried to indirectly inquire about her background, Xie Qianqian was even more skillful in deflecting the questions. Watching the exchange between these top students, Qing Ye found it increasingly amusing, so by the end of the meal, Qu Bing had learned nothing.

But when they left the restaurant, the tobacco and liquor shop next door happened to be unloading goods. A young man was struggling to carry two boxes and, just as he was about to reach the door, the top box tilted and fell straight toward Xie Qianqian’s head. At that moment, Qing Ye was about to cry out in alarm.

Before he could even make a sound, Xie Qianqian caught it out of the corner of her eye and jumped down the stairs.

More than ten steps! She executed a clean mid-air flip, landed steadily, and the box crashed right where she had been standing. Not only were the three of them stunned, but even the passersby were dumbfounded, and the unloading guy was scared into a cold sweat.

At that moment, Qing Ye had only one thought: This girl must know qinggong!

Whether she knew qinggong or not, no one could say for sure, but Qing Ye had figured out one thing: this girl was not to be messed with. She looked fragile, petite, and delicate—extremely deceptive—but she was absolutely a tough cookie.

After Qing Ye returned to Beijing, he and his father personally visited the Meng family to thank them, so Qing Ye and Meng Ruihang reconnected. After the college entrance exams, He Leling finally snapped out of her obsessive state, and her family decided to send her abroad.

When Meng Ruihang heard that Qing Ye was staying in the country, he impulsively decided not to go abroad either and enrolled in the foreign languages department at Q University. Qing Ye directly warned him not to fantasize about any possibility of them getting back together.

Meng Ruihang, however, retorted, "How far have things gone with that guy?"

Of course, Qing Ye wasn’t going to tell him how far, but Meng Ruihang chuckled and said, "I’ll keep it a secret for you."

Speaking of secrets, Qing Ye did owe Meng Ruihang a favor. Not long after, Qing Hongzhi personally sought out Meng Ruihang to ask if Qing Ye had gotten involved with anyone while she was away.

He had a feeling something was off about Qing Ye since her return. Qing Hongzhi, after all, was a businessman, skilled at reading people, and with only one daughter, he naturally paid extra attention to Qing Ye. However, Meng Ruihang honorably kept the secret.

Busy college life didn’t leave Qing Ye much time to overthink, but some people aren’t easily erased from memory, no matter how hard you try not to think about them.After returning to Beijing, she had no further contact with Xing Wu. Though they never discussed anything explicitly—not even a formal breakup—it felt like a silent agreement, a promise that someday in the future, they would find their way back to each other.

Qing Ye still received a substantial sum of money every month—the profits from Sunny Valley.

By now, Qing Ye was no longer short of funds. The money she had lent Xing Wu’s family to build their house had long been repaid in installments, aside from the 150,000 yuan Xing Wu transferred to her in one go later. Yet, without fail, Du Qiyan would still transfer the monthly payment to her on the 10th of each month.

Although Qing Ye had told Du Qiyan there was no need to send the money anymore, Du Qiyan simply replied, "Don’t make things difficult for me."

Qing Ye understood—it was that person’s wish.

So, during her university years, Qing Ye could be considered quite well-off, almost as if money was falling from the sky.

Aside from Du Qiyan, Qing Ye also kept in touch with Pang Hu because she had helped refer a doctor to him. She heard that he now spent four hours every day practicing reading aloud, which deeply impressed her. That meant aside from attending classes, sleeping, and doing assignments, he dedicated all his remaining time to speech correction—a level of perseverance few could sustain.

At first, the progress was slow, and Qing Ye felt anxious for him. She inquired around Beijing and shared every method she could find with him. There was a period of over a month when Qing Ye was particularly busy and didn’t contact Pang Hu. When they spoke again, he could already articulate complete sentences, pausing only once midway—a remarkable improvement.

After learning that Xing Wu and Pang Hu were repeating their final year of high school, Qing Ye mailed two boxes of review materials from Beijing. Of course, these included the familiar eight-province exam papers that Xing Wu knew well. Though she claimed the package was for Pang Hu, she had prepared two copies of every material. Qing Ye didn’t say anything, but Pang Hu knowingly delivered one box to Xing Wu’s home.

It’s worth mentioning that every time Qing Ye called Pang Hu, she would ask, "Where are you?"

If Pang Hu replied, "I’m at home," then he truly was at home or alone. But if he answered, "I’m out," Qing Ye would know that person was beside him—it was like an unspoken understanding.

Whenever Pang Hu took Qing Ye’s call in Xing Wu’s presence, he would kindly put it on speakerphone, letting Xing Wu hear Qing Ye’s voice, even though he knew Xing Wu wouldn’t answer the call himself.

Each time, Xing Wu appeared not to be listening, seemingly indifferent and preoccupied with his own tasks. But whenever Pang Hu and Qing Ye shared a laugh, a faint smile would often appear at the corner of Xing Wu’s lips.

To be honest, Pang Hu wasn’t entirely sure what was going on between Xing Wu and Qing Ye. If they had broken up, why did they still seem to care for each other in subtle ways? If they were still together, why had they stubbornly avoided contacting one another for so long?

One night after National Day, as Pang Hu was leaving Xing Wu’s home, he couldn’t resist asking, "Brother Wu, if—if, just hypothetically, you don’t get into Q University, does that mean you’ll never reach out to Qing Ye again?"The autumn wind lifted the hem of Xing Wu's clothes as he leaned halfway against the doorframe, his gaze fixed on Pang Hu. His eyes were as dark as ink, like a bottomless pool, impossible to fathom.

Pang Hu forced an awkward laugh and said, "Hey, just... just forget I said anything."

Even after Pang Hu turned and left, Xing Wu remained standing in place, watching his retreating figure. Suddenly, he shouted, "There are no 'what ifs'."

After that day, Pang Hu never brought up that foolish question again. He gradually came to understand why Xing Wu acted this way—perhaps only by doing so could he push himself relentlessly toward that goal. As Xing Wu had said, he would never give himself the chance for "what ifs," nor would he allow himself to live with lifelong regrets.

...

Some time after the semester began, Meng Ruihang indeed hadn't contacted Qing Ye. He was probably quite busy himself. But just before Christmas, he suddenly started reaching out to her frequently, often inviting her to the library.

So, on a certain sunny and pleasant afternoon, Qing Ye spoke to him with heartfelt sincerity, "There's no possibility for the two of us."

Then, Meng Ruihang replied with equal seriousness, "I've taken a liking to Xie Qianqian from your dorm. Can you help set us up?"

The two of them stared blankly at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Qing Ye, finally stifling her laughter, asked him, "What do you like about her?"

Meng Ruihang said with a straight face, "She's really cute, kind of like one of those anime girls. A bit shy, right?"

"..." Qing Ye could no longer hold back and covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably.

Seeing Qing Ye's unusual reaction, Meng Ruihang frowned and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Qing Ye quickly waved her hands, "No, no problem at all. I'll find a chance for us all to hang out, and you can get to know her yourself."

Meng Ruihang felt quite pleased, thinking Qing Ye was really stepping up.

Coincidentally, the sunlight was warm that day. They sat by the window, and perhaps because the New Year was approaching, Qing Ye had been in a better mood lately. She suddenly realized she hadn't posted on her social media since starting college, so she straightened her posture, smoothed her hair, and asked Meng Ruihang to take a photo of her.

In the photo, Qing Ye sat in the elegant and serene library, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, exuding an aura of tranquility. A gentle smile graced her face, and everything seemed perfect.

So, Qing Ye posted the photo on her social media with the caption: Long time no see, sunshine.

As soon as she posted it, her feed exploded. Friends from Zhazha Pavilion flooded the comments with likes and messages, asking how she'd been, saying they hadn't heard from her in ages, and wondering when she'd come back to visit them.

But then, a comment from Huang Mao appeared: "Holy crap, I zoomed in and saw a guy reflected in your pupils! Did you get into another relationship this fast?"

After that, the comment section under Qing Ye's post fell dead silent. No one dared to say another word.

Pang Hu thought to himself, "Well, Wu Ge hardly ever posts on social media anyway, so he probably won't notice this."

However, the very next morning, Xing Wu was seen with a dark expression on his face, and he didn't speak a single word to anyone the entire day.