Dazzling

The eagerly awaited dumplings were finally ready. Pang Hu and another person brought over two large bowls. The moment they hit the table, everyone pounced on them like starving wolves, and within a minute, they were completely gone.

Qing Ye sat in her seat, utterly dumbfounded. She had raised her bowl but hadn’t even managed to grab any before they disappeared—just like that?

Just as she was staring blankly in disbelief, Xing Wu snatched her bowl and poured half of the dumplings he had managed to snatch into it, whispering in her ear, "You're quite foresighted. If I hadn’t come, you’d have starved."

"..."

Since everyone had made them with their own hands, the dumplings tasted especially delicious. Even Qing Ye, who rarely ate dumplings, found the ones they had made particularly tasty.

After finishing her portion, she glanced to the side and noticed that Xing Wu’s bowl was already empty. He was sitting beside her, head bowed as he fiddled with his phone, waiting for her. Qing Ye asked him, "Are you full?"

He stood up, his long legs stretching out. "More or less."

Qing Ye got up as well and said, "You definitely didn’t eat enough."

Xing Wu glanced at her sideways. "Skipping one meal won’t kill anyone."

She knew his appetite well—those few dumplings weren’t even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

After leaving the cafeteria, there was half an hour of free time. Some headed toward the tents, while most stood chatting in the open area outside the cafeteria entrance.

Fang Lei tugged at Qing Ye’s sleeve. "Can you come with me to find Wei Dong?"

Qing Ye glanced over at the group from Jin Zhong. Fang Lei said nervously, "I’d feel too awkward going alone."

Qing Ye turned to Xing Wu and Pang Hu and said, "Fang Lei and I have something to do."

Xing Wu nodded. Fang Lei immediately linked arms with Qing Ye, looking tense. Qing Ye found it amusing. Usually, at school, Fang Lei was fearless—even when facing Cao Fan and the other girls from Class Four, she never flinched. But now, she was acting all jittery. It seemed even the fiercest women could instantly turn into little girls when facing someone they liked—something Qing Ye felt she understood all too well.

Even during free time, the two schools clearly stuck to their own groups. Almost all the Jin Zhong students were huddled together, so when the two girls from An Zhong walked over, everyone turned to stare at them.

Qing Ye whispered, "Which one is he?"

Fang Lei pointed him out. "The one on the left, wearing glasses."

Qing Ye scanned the group and spotted the only bespectacled guy—tall and slender, with delicate features and a refined demeanor.

Fang Lei called out, "Wei Dong."

To Qing Ye’s surprise, the guy actually blushed. She had always assumed that, given Fang Lei’s assertive personality, the guy she liked would be the rugged, manly type. Who would have thought she’d be so infatuated with a soft, boyish-looking guy?

When the Jin Zhong boys beside Wei Dong heard Fang Lei call his name, they all started teasing and pushing him. Clearly embarrassed, he hurried over. Fang Lei said to Qing Ye, "Wait for me here. I need to talk to Wei Dong for a moment."

"Go ahead."

So Qing Ye stood there waiting. Fang Lei and Wei Dong moved a few steps away. Qing Ye couldn’t help but wonder if they were discussing the time and place for their "mission." The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t bear to watch.She stood alone by the group from Jin Zhong, wearing a tailored olive-green waist-cinching coat with a tall fur collar that kept her warm without looking bulky. Paired with black skinny jeans and short Martin boots, her slightly curled ponytail gave her a clean, sharp aura that seemed both elegant and unapproachable.

With her striking presence and pure, delicate features, the Jin Zhong students soon began whispering and stealing glances at her, many asking about her name.

Just then, a boy from the crowd walked directly over to Qing Ye and said, "Hello, Qing Ye. What a coincidence that you signed up for the Winter Camp too?"

Qing Ye turned her head and saw Ye Yingjian, whose hairstyle looked immovable even by a typhoon. Blending in among the Jin Zhong students all wearing identical uniforms, she hadn’t noticed him at all.

She gave him a once-over, a faint, elusive smile playing on her lips. This guy is seriously ridiculous, she thought. Coming to a Winter Camp with his hair slicked back like he’s attending a wedding. If his classmates weren’t around, she’d have snapped a photo to send to Liu Nian for a good laugh.

Of course, even as she mentally roasted him a thousand times, her expression remained neutral. "Not really a coincidence. Only our two schools are participating, and given our respective grades, as long as you’re in good health, the probability of us meeting is basically 100%."

Ye Yingjian looked surprised. "Why would I be the one with health issues, not you?"

Qing Ye tilted her head, smoothing her ponytail. "Who knows?" Because she’d just said it offhand.

Her light, indifferent expression, combined with her rosy, translucent skin glowing in the light, made her look especially striking.

But Ye Yingjian took it seriously. Puffing out his chest, he slapped what he considered his well-built torso and told her very seriously, "Qing Ye, I think you might have some deep misunderstanding about me. I lead a very disciplined life—I wake up half an hour early every morning to run, ensuring I get enough exercise. Plus, I take swimming lessons on weekends. I haven’t had so much as a cold or fever in over half a year."

"??? Why are you telling me this?"

Ye Yingjian probably didn’t want to leave Qing Ye with the impression that he was sickly or weak, so he felt compelled to explain. But now, even he didn’t know why he’d said all that, and he just stared at her awkwardly.

Qing Ye couldn’t help but laugh, mentally calling him an idiot at least ten times.

Ye Yingjian touched his stiff hairstyle and said to Qing Ye with utmost seriousness, "I’ve heard about your last monthly exam results. One good performance doesn’t mean consistent performance. Tomorrow’s David Cup—I’m determined to win and won’t go easy on you."

"..." What kind of person is this?

After the last monthly exam, Qing Ye had heard that Jin Zhong’s top score was 639, from the international class. It must have been this Ye Yingjian, acting like he owned a mine or something.

Facing off as two top contenders, Qing Ye gestured politely and said with a smile, "By all means, don’t hold back. There’s no friendship between us to consider."

Seeing Fang Lei approaching Qing Ye from behind, Ye Yingjian turned away with a sulky, defiant expression.

Qing Ye asked Fang Lei, "Finished talking?"

Fang Lei nodded. "Let’s go."

Just as Qing Ye was about to turn away, she overheard someone from the Jin Zhong group say, "She’s really pretty. I want to buy that coat too."Another girl said with a sarcastic tone, "I've seen the exact same parka online for just a hundred or two. What's there to be so proud of?"

Qing Ye turned her head and gave the short-haired girl a glance, then expressionlessly withdrew her gaze. Fang Lei also took a closer look at the parka Qing Ye was wearing.

As the two walked back, Fang Lei couldn't help but ask, "Qing Ye, is your parka really only a hundred or two?" If it were true, she'd want to buy one too.

Qing Ye responded with a half-smile, "What do you think?"

Fang Lei hesitated for a moment, touched the two-toned large fur collar, and asked again, "Is your family very wealthy?"

"You've been classmates with Xing Wu for three years. Don't you know if his family is rich?"

"..." Fang Lei was left speechless.

Qing Ye walked over to Xing Wu, who was leaning against the side with his arms crossed. He glanced at her sideways and said flatly, "Having a good chat, huh?"

Qing Ye stopped in front of him, surprised. "Are you talking about Ye Yingjian?"

"Yeah, the village chief's foolish son."

Recalling Ye Yingjian's earlier nonsensical remarks, Qing Ye couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, covering her mouth. She patted Xing Wu's shoulder and said, "You know what? I actually quite like him." After all, there's no shortage of oddballs every year, but he's truly one of a kind.

Xing Wu's face turned cold. He tilted his head slightly, removed her hand, brushed off his shoulder, stuffed his hands into his pockets, straightened up, and headed toward the sports field.

Qing Ye quickly caught up and bumped into him. "Hey, are you really not picky about who you get jealous of?"

Xing Wu took a step to the side to put some distance between them. "Please restrain yourself, madam."

Qing Ye kicked him, and Xing Wu narrowed his eyes, giving her a sidelong glance. Pang Hu, Fang Lei, and the others following behind were stunned. Since when had Xing Wu become so tolerant? Truly, the boss lady is the boss lady!

When they reached the sports field, they found that the afternoon competition events had all been set up. It turned out to be a ridiculously difficult obstacle course. Qing Ye slapped her forehead. "No way..."

Xing Wu, however, said nonchalantly, "Looks like fun."

"..." Fun? Where?

Instructor Wang ran over and shouted, "Line up!" The students from Jin Zhong and An Zhong quickly formed lines, separated by red and blue boundaries.

Instructor Wang announced that the lunch they had just eaten was actually the second competition event, titled "If you want clothes, weave them; if you want food, grow it," aimed at fostering teamwork and self-reliance.

Based on observations, both Jin Zhong and An Zhong performed well in the second competition, managing to fill their stomachs with the available ingredients. However, since Jin Zhong performed even better, they were declared the winners of the second round.

"???"

An Zhong immediately erupted with dissatisfied boos, while Jin Zhong retaliated with loud shouts. With their larger numbers, their voices easily drowned out An Zhong's.

Qing Ye had no idea what the judging criteria were. In terms of hands-on skills, their An Zhong team had clearly come up with more creative uses for the flour. Were they comparing who ate faster? If that were the case, their table would definitely have been first.

She immediately raised her hand, and Teacher Dong ran over to ask, "Qing Ye, what is it?"

"I'd like to borrow your megaphone."As soon as she finished speaking, Xing Wu directly took the megaphone from Teacher Dong and handed it to Qing Ye. Without hesitation, Qing Ye raised the megaphone and asked clearly, "May I ask Instructor Wang, could you announce the judging criteria for the second round? That way, we’ll know where we lost."

Instructor Wang’s face visibly twitched. Qing Ye’s lips curled slightly as she stared at him disdainfully.

Instructor Zheng beside him immediately took the megaphone and said very diplomatically, "The students from Jin Zhong took the initiative to help the cafeteria aunties clean the tables after eating. Behavioral habits are also one of the standards we consider."

The smile at the corner of Qing Ye’s lips faded. Clean my ass. When they left the cafeteria, those Jin Zhong students were clearly also standing outside sunbathing. With Qing Ye’s question and Instructor Zheng’s answer, anyone with eyes could see it was just an excuse.

Xing Wu said calmly beside her, "Forget it."

Qing Ye stiffly replied, "Thank you."

When she turned off the megaphone and handed it back to Teacher Dong, she seemed to hear Teacher Dong sigh softly.

Then Instructor Wang began announcing the third event for the afternoon: 20 male and 20 female students from each school would participate in the Warrior Challenge, which included crawling through obstacles, walking on a balance beam, rock climbing, and more. During the challenge, non-participating students from both sides could throw sandbags from outside the rope boundary to interfere with the opposing team’s progress.

Xing Wu lowered his head to look at Qing Ye. Her expression clearly showed how much anger she was holding in.

He tugged her hair lightly. "Is it worth getting this angry?"

Qing Ye pouted discontentedly. "I’m not angry about their unfairness. I’m angry that our school’s people are so spineless. Look at those three teachers—they didn’t even dare to speak up. If we were full, fine, but the problem is we’re still hungry."

"Still hungry?"

Qing Ye looked up at him. "I’m worried about you being hungry."

The corners of Xing Wu’s eyes curved. "I can handle hunger. Later, your brother will carry you to victory."

"Little brother."

Xing Wu shot her an unfriendly look for her to interpret.

Qing Ye confidently told him, "I’ve participated in this kind of obstacle course during military training before."

Xing Wu smiled without a word. Sure enough, when it came time to discuss the list of participants, she volunteered to join the sandbag-throwing team.

She even stomped her Martin boots seriously in front of Xing Wu. "It’s just that my shoes aren’t right, otherwise I’d definitely compete."

"..." What Xing Wu was thinking, however, was that given her shot-put accuracy the other day, he’d be thanking heaven and earth if she didn’t end up targeting her own teammates during the sandbag throwing.