Dazzling

When Xing Wu came downstairs, a gust of wind swept past his eyes. Qing Ye, wearing a half-sleeved shirt and carrying a backpack, was playing with her hoverboard at the entrance of Dazzle Island.

Xing Wu walked out with unhurried steps, his sharp eyes hidden beneath thick eyebrows. Gazing at the first rays of light rising from the horizon, he seemed lost in thought.

Qing Ye glided up to him and waved a hand in front of his face: "What are you spacing out for so early? Still not awake?"

Xing Wu lowered his eyelids and looked at her expressionlessly: "Aren't you tired? How many hours did you sleep last night? Still buzzing with energy like you're on stimulants."

Qing Ye giggled twice: "No hardship, no fatigue, senior year is tasteless."

Then she turned to Xing Wu and said: "I want to eat tofu pudding. Huang Mao said the chili oil at your regular spot is super fragrant. Take me there."

Xing Wu checked his phone - 5:45. Going for tofu pudding at this hour? This young mistress must have been really stimulated last night.

So Xing Wu swung his arms as he led her to the back street, with Qing Ye following behind on her hoverboard. Xing Wu kept glancing back at her, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

Finally, on his Nth glance back, Qing Ye couldn't help asking: "What are you smiling about?"

"Don't you think, at this hour, like this, I kinda look like I'm walking a dog?"

Qing Ye immediately sped up and flicked his ear hard, then quickly zipped past him. Xing Wu rubbed his ear and smiled silently.

Though just past six, a modest queue had already formed in front of the Qi family breakfast stall.

Qing Ye said with some surprise: "So many people?"

Xing Wu turned to tell her to find a seat while he joined the queue.

The so-called seats were just a few small wooden tables by the roadside, already partially occupied. Fortunately, they had come early enough to find empty spots.

After sitting down, Qing Ye glanced sideways at Xing Wu. He had changed into a long-sleeved hoodie before going out, paired with black sweatpants featuring a white stripe down the sides. His long legs were particularly striking. She had never met Xing Wu's father. Though Li Lanfang wasn't bad-looking, she wasn't particularly tall. Could Xing Wu's proportions be inherited from his father? Then how handsome must his father be as a middle-aged man? Qing Ye's thoughts wandered.

When Xing Wu turned around carrying bowls, he saw Qing Ye hugging her arms and curled into a ball, her eyes dazed.

The autumn weather did bring a chill in the morning. After putting things down, Xing Wu asked her: "Aren't you cold?"

"Of course I am," Qing Ye replied matter-of-factly.

Xing Wu was damn speechless: "If you're cold, why didn't you dress warmer?"

Qing Ye pulled over her bowl and incidentally tugged his sleeve. Xing Wu looked at her: "What?"

"Lend me your jacket. I'm cold."

"You think I'm not cold?"

Qing Ye stared at him seriously: "Though everyone feels cold, I think your physical condition is better than mine. Plus, I'm your school's only hope for topping the county exams. So you can't let me catch a cold, you know, safety monitor." By the end, Qing Ye's eyes were curved with laughter.

Xing Wu was both angered and amused by her high-sounding reasoning. Glaring at her, he pulled down his zipper and threw his jacket to her. Qing Ye unceremoniously put it on, then picked up the legendary incredibly fragrant chili oil.

Xing Wu got up and crossed the street. Qing Ye didn't know what he was doing.

After a while, he returned with a steaming roujiamo and handed it to Qing Ye: "Here, eat up, top scorer. Our county's counting on you to shine and generate heat."Qing Ye smiled as she took it and took a bite. The fragrant, meat-filled bun instantly brought her a sense of comforting satisfaction.

Xing Wu didn’t seem bothered by spiciness at all, adding several spoonfuls of chili to his bowl until it was completely red and looked intimidating.

Qing Ye stirred her own bowl, took a small sip, and looked up to ask Xing Wu, "I heard Du Qiyan’s mom urgently needs money for medical treatment. That Yang Gang doesn’t seem to know when he can gather the funds. Do you think… if I offered to pay for her mom’s treatment first, would she accept it?"

Xing Wu shot her a sidelong glance. "Are you made of money?"

Qing Ye stayed silent, but Xing Wu suddenly asked, "How much does it cost to study abroad in Canada for a year?"

"Even being frugal, it’d be at least over a hundred thousand a year."

"How much did your dad leave you?"

The two locked eyes for a few seconds. Although it’s unwise to flaunt wealth, especially in such a remote and impoverished place, Qing Ye’s instinct for self-preservation told her not to reveal her entire financial situation. Yet, faced with Xing Wu’s question, she felt no need to guard herself and answered truthfully, "Three hundred thousand."

Xing Wu frowned slightly. "That’s only enough for two years. What about after that?"

Qing Ye, however, didn’t seem overly concerned. She casually stirred the tofu pudding in her bowl and said, "So I have to find a way to secure a scholarship. The spots are limited, and the competition is fierce."

As she spoke, she took a big, determined bite of her roujiamo, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.

Xing Wu’s frown deepened. He told Qing Ye, "Don’t worry about Du Qiyan’s mom. I’ll figure something out."

Qing Ye looked up at him in surprise. Just then, more people crowded into the breakfast stall. Two girls in Anzhong High School uniforms sat down at their table. Judging by the uniform colors, they were likely second-year high school students. Naturally, the two of them dropped the topic.

With limited tables at the breakfast stall, sharing was common. At first, the two girls didn’t pay much attention, but after sitting down, they realized the person next to them was Xing Wu. Instantly, they didn’t dare to breathe too loudly. They wanted to stand up, but there were no other seats available. Staying put left them with nowhere to rest their eyes.

Xing Wu paid them no mind, scrolling through his phone while sipping his tofu pudding. Despite the chilly morning, he wore only a short-sleeved shirt, his arm muscles taut and well-defined, his profile sharp and clean. The girl sitting beside him couldn’t help stealing glances at him from time to time.

Xing Wu seemed to notice her gaze and lifted his eyes. His sharp, hawk-like stare made the girl blush instantly, the redness spreading to the tips of her ears.

Qing Ye pushed her bowl toward Xing Wu. "It’s too spicy."

Xing Wu slid his empty bowl aside and naturally pulled Qing Ye’s bowl over, continuing to eat from it.

Only then did the two girls across from them look up, suddenly recognizing Qing Ye—the top student who had been the talk of the school lately.

As for why Qing Ye was having breakfast with Xing Wu at the stall so early in the morning, or why Xing Wu was eating the tofu pudding she found too spicy, they had no idea. And they didn’t dare to ask.

More and more students from An Vocational School and Anzhong High gathered around. While not everyone knew Qing Ye, almost no one failed to recognize Xing Wu. Many stared at him in surprise, probably because no one expected to see him at the breakfast stall at this hour.

So, Xing Wu quickly took a couple more sips and stood up to leave.When Qing Ye glided into the campus on Xing Wu's Ninebot, passersby were stunned. Xing Wu never came to school before morning self-study ended, yet today he arrived so early—everyone doubted their own eyes.

Moreover, it was well-known that Xing Wu disliked others touching his belongings. Yet this transfer student not only touched them but seemed to have fully claimed them as her own. Even more bizarre was that their living, breathing school bully followed right behind her without a hint of temper, completely overturning everyone's worldview.

Thus, in just one morning, many gradually began to believe the rumor that Xing Ye was Qing Ye's subordinate. Even when Qing Ye went to the restroom today, girls from the neighboring class politely let her go first, leaving her utterly confused. Since when had these non-mainstream types become so courteous?

And what was even stranger was that not only in Class Two but recently, the entire school had caught a trend of tying hair into buns. Qing Ye only did it because the weather was hot—it kept her cool and didn't get in the way while solving problems. Yet the non-mainstream students in the school tied their buns so high they practically reached the sky, reminiscent of Faye Wong's iconic "Meet in '98" hairstyle with its skyward ponytail.

This directly led to Qing Ye feeling as if she had traveled through time whenever she walked around campus recently, with all sorts of eye-straining sights. However, at the same time, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of a way to make money.

When the bell for the last class of the afternoon rang, Qing Ye hurriedly packed her things to rush back. Seeing Shi Min still bent over copying English vocabulary, Qing Ye felt a pang of sympathy for the girl as she packed up. A few lousy English words, and she still hadn't memorized them after copying them all day. If Qing Ye weren't in such a hurry, she would have given her a heartfelt "666" for such dedication.

Carrying her backpack, she hurried out of the school gate and glanced across the street, where several motorcycles were parked. A group of people stood at the corner, and as she scanned the area, she spotted Xing Wu with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. Few of the people around him were from An High School—Quan Ya and his crew were all there, and even Shu Han, whom she had seen the night before, was present.

Shu Han stood beside Xing Wu, also smoking a slim ladies' cigarette. She wore a black leather skirt that hugged her hips and high heels, looking sexy and fiery. Passersby couldn't help but steal extra glances at her.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, but there was a careless, cold elegance in her eyes and brows. She and Xing Wu were clearly cut from the same cloth, both exuding an intimidating aura that warned others not to mess with them.

For the first time, Qing Ye felt so clearly and directly that she and Xing Wu belonged to two different worlds. Perhaps in the eyes of those people, she was even an outsider.

If her father hadn't run into trouble, she might never have met people like this in her lifetime. In the past, she wouldn't have even glanced at them. Yet now, as she watched them from across the street, a complicated feeling welled up inside her. She didn't know why she felt this way.

Xing Wu was laughing and joking with them when he seemed to notice her gaze. As he turned his head, the smile on his lips remained, but his eyes settled on Qing Ye. Silently, Qing Ye turned around and walked back, not even glancing at him again.

For a moment, she felt an unprecedented sense of loss. When she realized this terrifying feeling had taken root in her heart, she quickened her pace even more. She had to shake this dreadful thought out of her mind, not allowing this complicated emotion to spread like a virus and consume her thoughts.Xing Wu watched her quickening pace, nearly breaking into a run, as his smile gradually faded.

When Qing Ye rushed back to Dazzle Island in one breath, Liu Nian and Du Qiyan were just about to get off work. She tossed her backpack aside and immediately pulled them aside, asking, "Do you know how to do lamb curls, carousel curls, air curls, or cloud perms? Any one of them?"

"Cloud perms?" Liu Nian stared at her blankly.

Qing Ye went upstairs to get her laptop and called a small meeting with them. She pulled up several trendy hairstyles popular among girls in big cities. Clearly, in this county where the standard of living lagged far behind, Liu Nian and Du Qiyan had never encountered these styles. Just take Du Qiyan's Firework Perm for example—the aesthetic here seemed stuck at least a decade ago.

Qing Ye asked if they wanted to make money. Initially uninterested, their eyes lit up at the mention of earnings. Even Li Lanfang, who happened to be passing by, stopped and asked, "Qing Ye, what's this about making money?"

Qing Ye swiveled the laptop around, stood up, and addressed them: "You guys keep recycling the same tired hairstyles here. A perm only costs a few dozen yuan, and without innovation, you can't attract more income. Why not try some new styles to draw in a larger clientele? Right now, every salon in this county turns out questionable looks. If we can master these trending styles, we could set prices at least three times higher than current rates."

Li Lanfang immediately chimed in, "Not to be a downer, Qing Ye, but people here live on modest means. No one's going to pay two or three hundred for a perm."

"How do you know without trying?"

Li Lanfang chuckled dismissively. Qing Ye turned the laptop toward her and said, "Then how about this: if we can develop new styles with pricing and actually bring in customers, then for every client who chooses the new perms or dyes, Liu Nian and Du Qiyan get a 30% commission per head. If next month's total profit doubles compared to this month's, I'll take a 10% operational fee."

Li Lanfang got tangled in Qing Ye's explanation and laughed, "I'm not really following what you're saying. Do whatever you want—just don't burn the place down. I've already fed the old lady. I'm off to play cards. Liu Nian, Yan Yan, help yourselves to some food in the kitchen. Qing Ye, look after them."

Then Li Lanfang whisked away like a gust of wind. Qing Ye suddenly realized that discussing commission structures and performance plans with her nominal aunt was like talking to a brick wall. As Li Lanfang said, as long as the shop remained standing and she received her monthly income, she had no interest in managing such details. She'd rather think about her next card game.

So that evening, Qing Ye started working on a research plan with Liu Nian and Du Qiyan. Qing Ye was completely clueless about the technical aspects—a total novice. But she could gather all sorts of useful materials and tutorials through various channels, showcasing her studious diligence. However, she had no idea if it would actually work.

It was then that the difference between professionals and amateurs became apparent. Although Liu Nian usually seemed a bit slow, with the reference materials Qing Ye provided, he could roughly grasp curling techniques and heating methods.After discussing for a long time, they decided to try it out first. After all, armchair strategy gives no real sense of the situation. The most troublesome question then became who to test it on. Liu Nian and Qing Ye slowly turned their gaze toward Du Qiyan. Du Qiyan, looking rather dumbfounded, said, "Then I'll do it."