Qing Ye sat limply in her seat, spinning a pen. She felt as if she’d choked on water and was completely drained, listening without energy as Lao Yang on the podium passionately delivered the mobilization speech for the Winter Camp.
From what Qing Ye gathered, this Winter Camp was somewhat like military training, though not as long—just two days. Participation was voluntary, mainly because it involved an 80-yuan fee per person, making it hard to enforce. However, Lao Yang emphasized that, as per tradition, the main significance of the Winter Camp was the David Cup. Thus, he hoped the top ten students in the class would actively sign up to bring glory to the school and add a brilliant touch to the final stretch of high school.
Being a Chinese teacher, his mobilization speech was highly inspiring, almost as if they were heading to the front lines. Yet, the students sitting below looked listless, including Qing Ye today.
After class, she received a phone call from the foreign classmate who had previously bought sweet potato jerky from her. His Chinese name was Huang Feihong. His parents were standard Turks, and his father was a huge fan of Bruce Lee, which eventually led the family to move to China for work. As for why, despite his obsession with Bruce Lee, he named his son Huang Feihong—Qing Ye still hadn’t figured that out.
She and Huang Feihong weren’t in the same class; they’d met during a school celebration event. The guy was quite amusing and could even speak Northeastern dialect, so they’d added each other on WeChat at the time.
A couple of days ago, after visiting the factory, Qing Ye contacted Huang Feihong and told him she had other goods available, but she wouldn’t sell them individually—only by the case. If he could help her distribute them in Beijing, she’d give him some for free.
She’d mentioned it casually, never expecting Huang Feihong to actually place an order with her today. Over the phone, he bragged about how he’d worn out his lips persuading people to secure the order. Qing Ye just listened; she knew from her previous school that many classmates came from business families with wide connections. If they really wanted to move a batch of goods for sale, it was just a matter of making a call—it all came down to connections.
Qing Ye then directly contacted that sly old fox General Xie to discuss shipping arrangements.
Including Liu Nian—since reposting Qing Ye’s Moments, the young women’s group had been placing scattered orders recently. Although the profits weren’t substantial, the orders were too fragmented, so Qing Ye was busy consolidating them and negotiating profits with Boss Xie. She hadn’t given a single thought to signing up for any Winter Camp. After all, from what Xiao Ling Tong had implied last time, going would be pointless anyway—why waste the time?
As it turned out, her leading the charge in not signing up caught the school administration’s high attention. By the next day, she was summoned to Lao Yang’s office. Lao Yang spoke with deep concern, earnestly persuading Qing Ye that, as a top student, she should set an example. If she was facing financial difficulties, he could consider applying for assistance on her behalf.
Qing Ye found it strange, watching Lao Yang’s frantic demeanor. Did she look like someone who couldn’t afford 80 yuan? She was busy making 8,000-yuan deals, for heaven’s sake! Ignorant mortals!
And so, Qing Ye was forcibly signed up, basically against her will. On her way back to the classroom, her mind was still filled with profit margins. She was even calculating how to negotiate tiered profits with that crafty old man and, in the process, try to suss out his costs.When she returned to the classroom, she glanced sideways and saw that Xing Wu's seat was still empty. She didn't know where he had gone, just like her heart felt hollow at that moment. Xing Wu hadn't come home last night—though it wasn't unusual for him. When she first arrived at Zhazha Pavilion, he'd hardly ever spent a single night honestly staying home.
But ever since they got together, Xing Wu had never stayed out overnight. No matter how late it was, he would always come back to be with her. Truth be told, Qing Ye spent most of her time studying and doing practice problems, so they weren't recklessly clinging to each other all the time. Sometimes, to avoid disturbing her, Xing Wu would even stay downstairs.
Yet as long as Qing Ye knew he was home, her heart felt at ease—the kind of steadiness that could withstand even violent storms outside.
However, last night's peaceful evening had left her restless the entire time because Xing Wu didn't return. She even woke up in the middle of the night and glanced at the empty bed next door.
In fact, Qing Ye had woken up this morning feeling quite annoyed, filled with an urge to vent her grievances. She had decided that when she saw Xing Wu at school today, she wouldn't give him a friendly look. But then he didn't even show up today.
Qing Ye took out her notebook and uncapped her pen, intending to calculate the tiered commission she had been thinking about on her way back to class. Yet as she started writing, she unconsciously wrote "Xing Wu" and inexplicably drew a heart-shaped box around his name. Then, suddenly angry, she crossed it out with a large X. Staring at his name, her nose inexplicably tingled with sourness.
Xiao Ling Tong in front of her turned around again, trying to make small talk for no reason. Qing Ye simply laid her head on the desk, burying her face in her arms. She wouldn't let anyone see her in such a disheveled state. But as darkness enveloped her, she suddenly felt like crying—she had never experienced this kind of torment over another person before.
She thought it must be her period making her emotions unstable—one moment angry, the next wanting to lash out, then overwhelmed with sadness. Even after the class bell rang, Qing Ye didn't lift her head from her arms. Shi Min didn't dare disturb her, assuming she was tired from lack of rest last night. After all, since entering their final year of high school, the pressure of review was intense, and occasionally teachers allowed good students to rest briefly.
It wasn't until Qing Ye felt a jacket draped over her shoulders that she slowly sat up. But she quickly noticed it was a black leather jacket. Instinctively, she turned around. Bright, warm light streamed in from the back door, casting a faint golden glow on Xing Wu's white sweater. When he lifted his gaze, his features appeared profoundly handsome.
Although Qing Ye had always found Xing Wu quite good-looking, this was the first time she saw him radiating such pure handsomeness—devoid of his usual roguishness and sharpness. His gentle, misty eyes held the youthful essence of his age. In that moment, Qing Ye deeply understood what it meant to have one's heart skip a beat.
What Xing Wu saw was a Qing Ye with slightly reddened eyes, a dazed gaze, and an unusual demeanor. He frowned slightly. Qing Ye had already turned away and didn't look back at him for the entire class.
But truthfully, Qing Ye didn't absorb the lesson at all. With Xing Wu sitting right behind her, she knew one turn of her head would bring him into view. She desperately wanted to turn around and ask him: Where did you go fooling around last night? Why didn't you come home?But she was still holding a grudge and unwilling to speak to him, so she kept writing his name on a piece of paper. Before she knew it, she had filled an entire sheet. Shi Min was about to ask her a question when she accidentally caught sight of the densely written "Xing Wu" and glanced back at him in surprise. Xing Wu, baffled, lifted his eyes from his phone. Shi Min quickly averted her gaze, not daring to ask Qing Ye any more questions.
As soon as the class ended, Qing Ye was dragged away by Fang Lei. Fang Lei was thrilled to hear that Lao Yang had approached Qing Ye and even linked arms with her, saying she finally had a companion. After Qing Ye signed up, more and more classmates followed suit, including Pang Hu and Shi Min. The two had practically become Qing Ye’s sidekicks, determined to stick with her no matter what she did and never stray from the group.
Qing Ye figured that, given their class’s overall ability, about two-thirds of those signing up were probably just joining in for the fun.
Meanwhile, Huang Mao and the others were already waiting outside Class 2 for Xing Wu. Xing Wu lazily walked out through the back door, but before they could head downstairs, Feng Bao suddenly stopped them. Having been classmates for three years, Xing Wu had almost no impression of Feng Bao—the boy was practically invisible in class, introverted and shy. Xing Wu was puzzled about why Feng Bao would seek him out.
Then he noticed the thick envelope in Feng Bao’s hand, which he handed to Xing Wu. Xing Wu glanced down and saw the words "To Qing Ye" written on it.
Mustering his courage, Feng Bao shoved the envelope into Xing Wu’s hands and said, "Brother Xing Wu, please give this to Qing Ye after you get home, not at school. I’m counting on you. Thank you."
Feng Bao kept his head down, not daring to meet Xing Wu’s eyes. He had been secretly paying attention to Qing Ye for months. Over the past few days, they had exchanged WeChat messages, though the conversations were brief and strictly about homework problems. Still, Feng Bao felt that Qing Ye wasn’t as aloof as she appeared—in private, she was actually quite approachable and patient. He felt as if he had found the spark of romance, even replaying her voice messages over and over. Last night, he finally mustered the courage to pour his heart out in a long letter expressing his admiration for her.
But even though he had written it, he didn’t dare hand it to Qing Ye himself, nor did he have the nerve to witness her reaction if she opened it at school. After much deliberation, he resolved to ask Xing Wu to deliver it for him, specifically requesting that it be given to her only after they left school.
As soon as Feng Bao finished speaking, he dashed off. Huang Mao immediately asked, "Brother Wu, should we go twist that kid’s head off?"
Xing Wu replied indifferently, "No need."
Huang Mao found Feng Bao’s gesture hilarious and chuckled about it for a long time. He thought the kid from Class 2 had some nerve, completely unaware that he was walking right into a trap.
Xing Wu, however, tucked Feng Bao’s love letter to Qing Ye into his pocket. After a cigarette, he sauntered back into the classroom through the rear door. Qing Ye had already placed his jacket on his desk as soon as class ended and was still chatting with Fang Lei and the others. When the bell rang for the next class, she turned to head back to her seat. At the same time, Xiao Ling Tong, jumping back from Huang Zhiming’s seat, accidentally bumped into Qing Ye’s desk, knocking a notebook off the corner. The notebook fell open, and as Xing Wu walked back to his seat, he saw that the pages were filled with his name.Qing Ye was still some distance from her seat when she witnessed the scene, her anxiety driving her to rush back. She shoved Xiao Ling Tong out of the way without a second thought. Xiao Ling Tong, bewildered, landed hard in his seat as Qing Ye sprinted breathlessly back to her spot. By then, Xing Wu had already bent down to casually pick up her notebook. When he lifted his gaze, a flicker of ambiguous amusement danced in his eyes—a look that hovered between a smile and something unreadable.
Qing Ye swore that what she wanted most at that moment was to turn around and knock Xiao Ling Tong out cold. Her face flushed crimson, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet Xing Wu’s intense stare. Fuming, she snatched the notebook back and was about to sit down when Xing Wu braced one hand on her desk, blocking her seat entirely. Just then, Miss Yu entered from the back door and began moving toward the front. Shi Min looked up in alarm, her eyes fixed on them, while other classmates gradually noticed the commotion at the back.
Breaking into a cold sweat, Qing Ye snapped at him, "Move."
Not only did Xing Wu refuse to budge, he leaned in closer, looming over her as he asked in a low, magnetic voice, "How long are you planning to keep this up?"
His warm, enticing breath brushed the top of her head, stirring a familiar, heart-pounding sensation that crashed straight into her chest. Unable to hold back, her eyes welled up with tears.
Miss Yu stepped into the classroom and glanced toward the back. "Class has started—why are you two still standing?"
Had it not been for Miss Yu’s interruption, Xing Wu, seeing Qing Ye’s reddened nose, might have pulled her into his arms. But as he scanned the room, he realized the entire class was staring at them with horrified expressions.
He rolled his neck nonchalantly, released his hold, and sauntered back to his seat. Qing Ye turned and sat down, her fingers gripping the notebook tightly.
No one had overheard what Xing Wu said to Qing Ye. All they saw was that he had made her cry, and instantly, everyone assumed he had yelled at her. Wasn’t their school bully truly a tyrant? How could he be so harsh to such a stunning beauty—one whose looks could outshine the moon and put flowers to shame? What a beast!
Soon, resentful glances were directed at Xing Wu from all around. Even Pang Hu bit his pen and glared at him unhappily.
Xing Wu met their accusatory stares, baffled. To make matters worse, Feng Bao, who sat in front of Shi Min, actually pulled out a tissue, turned, and handed it to Qing Ye—shooting Xing Wu an unfriendly look in the process. The gesture nearly made Xing Wu laugh in disbelief.
He narrowed his eyes, and Feng Bao quickly turned back around, not daring to meet his gaze again.
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