Dazzling

Qing Ye quickly picked up her phone and walked away. Xing Wu glanced sideways at her retreating figure, hearing only a faint "hello" before she disappeared inside.

After the call connected, both she and Meng Ruihang fell silent for a moment. Despite growing up together since childhood, they now found themselves unable to speak a single word to each other.

People often say neighbors are better than distant relatives. After her family had a falling out with her uncle, the Meng family had become closer to them than actual relatives. Since they were young, Father Meng would joke that Qing Ye should marry into their family when she grew up, so they could become real family.

But when her father needed to temporarily place Qing Ye with the Meng family during his troubles, they politely declined. As a last resort, she was sent here.

She couldn't blame the Meng family for being pragmatic. When her father first encountered problems, Father Meng had actively tried to help. However, after her father was imprisoned, the Meng family—being upstanding citizens—naturally chose to protect themselves. Logically, Qing Ye understood this, but emotionally she couldn't let it go. That's why she hadn't even told Meng Ruihang when she left Beijing.

Meng Ruihang asked over the phone, "How are you? I want to visit you before school starts."

Qing Ye clenched her fist tightly before suddenly releasing it, replying coldly, "I'm fine. Don't come see me. I won't have time to entertain you."

There was a pause on the other end before Meng Ruihang called softly, "Qing Ye..."

"Anything else?" she interrupted coldly.

After another pause, Meng Ruihang told her that his father had managed to recover the money Uncle Feng owed her family. Uncle Feng promised to repay in three installments. Though the amount wasn't large, knowing Qing Ye was alone and needed money, Father Meng had asked Meng Ruihang to contact her with the first payment as soon as they received it.

This Uncle Feng used to be their old neighbor. After his business failed, he often borrowed money here and there. Although Qing Ye didn't want to maintain contact with her former neighbors, she still needed to get her money back.

When Xing Wu went upstairs, he saw Qing Ye standing by the window, still talking to that guy on the phone. He heard her say, "Next time you need to give me money, just transfer it directly."

Xing Wu, who had been about to enter the room, suddenly stopped and turned to lie on the sofa instead, turning on the TV.

Xing Wu still didn't go out that evening. While he was watching a ball game on the sofa, Qing Ye suddenly shouted from her room, startling him. Thinking something had happened again, he went to her doorway only to find her looking distressed as she asked, "Where's the bag with my skincare products?"

Xing Wu replied impatiently, "How should I know?"

Qing Ye frowned, trying to recall, "Did I leave it behind when I watched your competition?"

"Did you look for it?"

"I did. It's not there."

Xing Wu sighed, "Just buy new ones later."

As he was about to leave, Qing Ye suddenly called out, "Hey, actually the esports scene in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou is developing really well now. There are many famous teams, and I heard skilled players can earn good money. More and more investors are paying attention to this industry."

Xing Wu frowned at her, "What are you trying to say?"

"I mean, given your family's situation..."

"What about my family's situation?" Xing Wu's face suddenly turned cold.Qing Ye shrugged and pulled the curtain shut. She wasn't one to meddle in others' affairs. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe it was because Xing Wu had taken her out for a stroll earlier, but she'd had a sudden pang of conscience and tried to offer him some well-meaning advice. Instead, he'd bluntly shut her down. Fine then, she'd never interfere again.

...

The next noon, Xing Wu went to Shunyi, tossing a bag of items aside as he arrived. Quan Ya and the others immediately gathered around him.

Ever since that night when Xing Wu had abruptly left in the middle of a card game during the rain, no one had seen him for over two days. When they called, he didn't explain much. His buddies assumed something had happened at home but didn't press for details.

When they peeked inside the bag, they discovered it was full of women's skincare products—all branded items.

Da Hei immediately sidled up, slinging an arm around Xing Wu with a sly grin. "Wu, you got a secret mistress stashed away somewhere? No wonder you haven't been coming around even at night lately."

Xing Wu irritably shook him off. "Get lost, it's boiling hot."

Then he turned to Quan Ya. "Any jobs lately? Don't care if it's far, as long as the pay's good."

Quan Ya looked surprised. "Haven't you earned enough this summer? Where's all your money going?"

Xing Wu crossed his legs and lit a cigarette. Quan Ya glanced at the bag of branded daily necessities—he didn't know the exact prices, but each bottle of those name-brand items would cost several hundred, and there was a whole bag of them.

Quan Ya stayed silent, but Xing Wu said flatly, "Who the hell complains about having too much money?"

Quan Ya responded, "Got it. I'll check with my sister later."

Xing Wu only stayed briefly before riding off on Little Angel. When he returned home at noon, Qing Ye had just finished lunch. He tossed the items to her and turned to leave, but she chased after him. "How much do I owe you? I'll pay you back."

Xing Wu glanced at her, started Little Angel, and began to turn around. To his complete surprise, Qing Ye suddenly dashed out and blocked his path. "I asked how much it cost!"

Xing Wu gave her a cool look. "Did I ask you for money?"

Qing Ye tilted her head and took a deep breath before raising her voice. "Xing Wu, what do you mean by this? Do you think your family runs a bank? Or that I can't afford this stuff?"

Xing Wu silently stared at her for a few seconds. The sun was blazing outside, and Qing Ye's nose was beaded with sweat from the heat. He averted his gaze and said two words: "Move aside."

Qing Ye suddenly flared up, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "I appreciate you buying these things for me, but I'm definitely paying you back. Xing Wu, I don't want to owe you anything. This has nothing to do with whether you have money or not."

Xing Wu slowly lowered his gaze, remembering how confidently she'd told that guy to transfer money last night. Now tasting her words "I don't want to owe you anything," he suddenly broke into an amused smile. He twisted the throttle and rode straight toward her. Qing Ye jumped aside in alarm, and Xing Wu sped right past her without looking back.

Fuming, Qing Ye stamped her feet on the spot, wishing she could take off her shoe and hurl it at the back of his head.

She carried the items back to her room, opened WeChat, and transferred 3,000 yuan to Xing Wu. When there was no response from his end, she repeatedly sent him the message "Accept the money." On the fifth attempt, she discovered he had blocked her. Blocked! BLOCKED!!!

Qing Ye let out a furious roar that nearly made her set Xing Wu's room on fire.

By evening, the more Qing Ye thought about it, the angrier she became. She sent him a friend request with the note: "If you have any guts, don't come back."

Then, he really didn't come back...In the week before school started, Qing Ye hardly saw Xing Wu at all. It was only when she heard Li Lanfang mention that Xing Wu had gone to the county town on business and wouldn't be back for a few days that Qing Ye realized his absence. She couldn't understand—what could be more important than the start of school for a senior high school student?

But to say he never came back wasn't entirely true. At least one morning when Qing Ye woke up, she saw that the wardrobe Xing Wu had built had been moved to the second floor. Of course, she knew Li Lanfang couldn't have done it.

As the school opening day drew nearer, even Huang Mao and Pang Hu, who were always loafing around, had disappeared recently. Qing Ye felt like she was winding up a spring, ready for battle.

On the morning school started, Li Lanfang surprisingly got up early, made breakfast for Qing Ye, and even asked if she needed a ride to school.

Qing Ye politely declined. Everyone here knew Li Lanfang was Xing Wu's mother. If she went to school with her, would she have to explain her relationship with Xing Wu to everyone? The key point was, given that he had blocked her for so many days, Qing Ye didn't want to have the slightest connection with him.

So that morning, Qing Ye slung her bag over her shoulder and walked to school. Along the way, she occasionally encountered small groups of An County High School students, mostly wearing their uniforms. The school uniforms here truly matched the local aesthetic—white collared short-sleeved shirts paired with hideous green athletic pants, identical for both boys and girls. The green alone was bad enough, but why did they have to add two bright red stripes along the seams? Were they determined to perfect the art of making red and green look unbearably ugly together?

The whole way, Qing Ye kept thinking about one thing: she needed to talk to Teacher Yang Li about skipping the uniform fee since she was about to graduate.

The moment she stepped through the gates of An County High, the serene and beautiful image she had in her mind from days before was instantly shattered. Before her eyes drifted group after group of what could only be described as hardcore rural fashion enthusiasts.

She finally realized that Liu Nian and Du Qiyan weren't oddities—they were just insignificant specks of dust in An County High.

Take the students in front of her: some had ear piercings, others rolled up their pant legs, and there was even one girl with hair covering half her face who floated past like a ghost from a horror movie. Was there not a single girl who could properly tie up all her hair?

Qing Ye even took a few steps back to double-check the sign at the entrance, making sure this was indeed a high school and not some vocational or technical school.

And so, among this crowd of self-proclaimed fashionistas, suddenly appeared this breath of fresh air—her hair tied up in a high bun, perfect hairline framing a smooth, full forehead, revealing a long, pale neck, every feature exquisitely proportionate.

Her white lace dress was tailored elegantly and modestly, playful yet carrying a dignity and composure rare among the local girls. Under the morning sun, it shone so brightly it almost glowed. As she walked down the main path to the high school building, it was as if she had her own background music. Everyone cast strange glances her way.

Though in the eyes of these rural fashion followers, Qing Ye's style wasn't "trendy," she radiated an unattainable quality that clearly set her apart from everyone else in this high school.

But the next second, all the surrounding gazes shifted away from her, turning uniformly toward the back. Instantly, students scattered to both sides of the path. Qing Ye followed the crowd and stepped to the roadside, initially thinking some teacher or the principal was driving in, but she didn't hear any car engine.However, when she turned her head, she saw a boy in black sportswear standing against the light, hands tucked in his sweatpants pockets, swiftly gliding into the school gate on a Ninebot. His tall figure moved like a whirlwind.

Even Qing Ye was surprised—how could someone in this place handle a self-balancing scooter so skillfully? From a distance, his speed made it seem as though he were stepping on a pair of wind fire wheels, flying toward the main path without glancing sideways, his expression cold.

Gradually, all the students on the main path instinctively made way. In the blink of an eye, the Ninebot swept past Qing Ye like a storm. At that moment, she caught a glimpse of the person's profile. Though it was only a fleeting look, the striking horizontal scar near his temple abruptly seized her attention, freezing her in place. Xing Wu?

She tightened her grip on her bag and quickly followed. But before she could reach the teaching building, she saw that figure arrogantly glide into the elevator on the scooter. She quickened her pace, only for the elevator doors to close right in front of her.

Qing Ye stared blankly at the words "Teachers Only" on the elevator door, utterly bewildered.