Dazzling

The incident could be traced back to before Qing Ye performed her back walkover. She had taken off her jacket, and since carrying a phone during a back walkover was inconvenient, she naturally placed it in her jacket when she later joined the bonfire dance—she had no pockets on her. At the time, everyone had left their jackets by the edge of the field, and since they were all among friends, it never crossed her mind that someone would take her jacket.

However, the reality was that after Shi Min took over filming from Luo Xin of Class Three, the area they had been occupying was temporarily empty. As a result, no one noticed who had taken Qing Ye's jacket.

Rewinding the video by over half an hour, around the seven-minute mark, the people in the frame were laughing and chatting merrily. But outside the shot, Xing Wu suddenly said, "Pause it."

Shi Min quickly hit pause, yet the focus was on a group surrounding a dancing boy, not the spot they had been earlier. Nothing seemed amiss.

The three of them looked up at Xing Wu, puzzled. He then said to Shi Min, "Hand me the phone."

Not daring to be careless, Shi Min passed it over. Xing Wu swiftly scrolled back to that moment and, with a few adjustments, zoomed in drastically, locking onto the upper right corner.

At that point, Qing Ye clearly saw a girl in Jin Zhong's red windbreaker flash past behind the crowd, clutching a bundle of army-green fabric.

Xing Wu rewound the clip again and froze it. The side profile was of a completely unfamiliar girl—not from their school. But when Qing Ye roughly recognized the girl's hairstyle, she abruptly looked up, her gaze sharp as an arrow, scanning the surroundings.

Her eyes suddenly fixed on a specific spot. She snatched the phone from Xing Wu and strode over.

Exchanging a glance, Xing Wu and Pang Hu followed, while Shi Min, pale-faced, rushed after them.

The Jin Zhong group—some putting on jackets, others grabbing water—were getting up to return to their tents to rest. As Qing Ye's determined steps drew nearer, people gradually stopped what they were doing, watching this imposing girl.

Qing Ye halted just a step away from the short-haired girl named Tian Wei, her voice laced with anger as she demanded, "Was it you who threw my clothes into the fire?"

Everyone around turned to look at Tian Wei. She glanced left and right, showing no sign of backing down. "Who are you?"

Qing Ye curled her lips scornfully, thrusting the frozen screen in her face. Pang Hu had already moved behind Qing Ye—tall and imposing, his grim expression now quite intimidating. He directly cursed at Tian Wei, "Stop pretending, you damn white lotus."

Xing Wu stood on Qing Ye's other side, his brow furrowed, face cold, his sharp, narrow eyes exuding authority without anger.

Tian Wei seemed startled by the confrontation, flustered for a couple of seconds before she raised her head and yelled at Qing Ye, "Are you crazy—"

Slap! Before the word "crazy" could fully escape her lips, Qing Ye's hand swung out and struck her across the face.

The previously noisy clearing fell into instant silence. Even those who hadn't noticed the commotion turned around at the sharp sound of the slap, staring in shock at the scene. Pang Hu and Shi Min were equally taken aback—they never expected Qing Ye to skip the arguments and go straight to slapping, startled by her sudden move.Not to mention the onlookers who didn't know the truth, even Xing Wu was stunned. Having known Qing Ye for so long, although he was well aware that she wasn't the type to swallow insults, she had always endured temporary setbacks in the past, waiting for opportunities to retaliate later. He had never seen her explode on the spot like this.

As for Tian Wei, who had been suddenly slapped, she was completely dazed by the blow. By now, the rowdy crowd from Anzhong had gathered around, forming tight circles around them.

Qing Ye took a step closer to Tian Wei, her slender figure suddenly radiating an intimidating aura that made Tian Wei panic and glance frantically behind her.

Two boys from Jin Zhong couldn't stand it any longer and immediately stepped forward. As one raised his hand to point at Qing Ye, Xing Wu swiftly knocked the boy's arm aside and moved forward himself. Meanwhile, Pang Hu naturally positioned himself protectively on Qing Ye's other side.

Qing Ye glanced sideways at the boy who had tried to point at her and asked coldly, "I'll give you another chance. Still want to stand up for her?"

This boy seemed quite close to Tian Wei, his expression caught between defiance and suppressed anger, looking utterly constipated.

Qing Ye sneered contemptuously, then raised her hand and delivered another slap across Tian Wei's face. Tian Wei covered her cheek in disbelief, her eyes blazing with fury as her voice turned shrill: "You hit me again? I'm calling the police!"

No one expected the usually timid Shi Min to suddenly speak up from behind Qing Ye: "You say Qing Ye hit you? Who saw it? She's been standing right beside me this whole time, and I didn't see anything."

Shi Min threw back the exact words Tian Wei had used during the daytime competition. The Anzhong students immediately recalled the incident from earlier and began chanting in unison: "Didn't see it, didn't see it..." They automatically formed a human wall around Qing Ye's group, making it impossible for outside observers to see what was happening.

The Anzhong students' morale was high, while the Jin Zhong students, knowing they were in the wrong, all fell silent.

Qing Ye showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she took another step forward, staring down at Tian Wei with intense pressure in her eyes, her voice rising several decibels: "Fine, go ahead and call the police. Sue me if you want. But when it comes to settling accounts, there's an order to things. I came to you first, so I settle first.

The first slap was for the three sandbags you threw in my face this morning - returning the favor. The second slap was for burning my clothes.

Didn't you say my parka cost one or two hundred? Let me make this very clear to you now - that jacket retails for 3,889. I can get the transaction record from the bank anytime. My phone was in the pocket too, which cost over eight thousand if I remember correctly.

You've caused me twelve thousand in damages. Now you have two options: First, call the police immediately. I'll hand over all my evidence to them. I won't compromise on a single cent of that twelve thousand. Intentional destruction of property worth over five thousand can lead to criminal charges - wonder if you can take college entrance exams from jail.

Second option: If you don't want to pay, that's fine too. Consider the twelve thousand as my pleasure money for buying these two slaps from you."

When Tian Wei heard the words "criminal charges," she staggered backward, her face turning deathly pale.

The surrounding crowd watched like spectators at a show, witnessing such an audacious way of handling things for the first time.Twelve thousand yuan was a huge sum for these high school kids from a small county town—impossible for them to come up with on their own. If compensation was demanded, parents would inevitably get involved. Tian Wei began to completely fall apart, and the girl beside her quickly tugged at her sleeve, urging in a low voice, "Don’t call the police, just let it go."

Trembling with rage, Tian Wei was utterly helpless against the person in front of her. Just then, Ye Yingjian, who had been standing at the back, squeezed his way forward. He positioned himself in front of Tian Wei—tall enough to completely block her from view—and met Qing Ye’s imposing gaze head-on.

Everyone from Jin Zhong High School held their breath. Ye Yingjian’s father was the director of the target factory, making his family one of the most influential in this small county. He was chauffeured to and from school daily, and with his outstanding academic performance and role as student council president, he carried considerable weight among Jin Zhong students.

Seeing Ye Yingjian step forward, the Jin Zhong students instantly felt emboldened. Even Tian Wei was deeply moved, weakly uttering, "Ye Yingjian, thank you."

But to everyone’s surprise, Ye Yingjian suddenly turned and stood beside Qing Ye, fixing his gaze on Tian Wei. "Classmate Tian, I’ve always thought of you as ambitious. I simply can’t believe you’d do something like this."

Qing Ye frowned slightly and glanced sideways at Ye Yingjian. Xing Wu also lifted his cold eyes, ready to kick him aside if he spouted any more nonsense.

Tian Wei nodded vigorously, looking at him with hope. Yet no one expected Ye Yingjian’s next words: "Do you realize that in a collective activity like this, your actions don’t just represent you—they represent Jin Long High School, every teacher and student here. I am ashamed of your behavior. On behalf of the Jin Long Student Council, I formally issue you a warning. I hope you’ll drop this matter and stop causing a scene, lest we become a laughingstock in front of An Zhong High School."

Qing Ye’s slightly furrowed brows suddenly arched upward. Xing Wu nearly failed to restrain the hundred-meter blade he’d already drawn.

Tian Wei stared in disbelief, her eyes reddening with humiliation and anger. In the end, she was dragged away by a group of Jin Zhong girls.

Ye Yingjian turned to Qing Ye and said, "If you don’t have a jacket, I can arrange for the student council to bring you one of our school’s winter uniforms. I hope you don’t catch a cold—we should have a proper match tomorrow."

"..." So all that fuss was just because he was afraid she’d refuse to compete with him tomorrow? Truly a champion among oddballs.

Qing Ye didn’t refuse and nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you."

After a moment’s thought, Ye Yingjian added, "If you choose not to pursue this further, the school won’t cover your losses. If you’re in a difficult situation, I might be able to provide you with a phone."

Qing Ye shot a glance and exchanged a look with Xing Wu, who stood behind Ye Yingjian, his hand already raised to smack the stiff back of his head. Suppressing a smile, Qing Ye quickly stepped forward, grabbed Xing Wu’s sleeve, and tossed back at Ye Yingjian, "No need. Sis isn’t short on cash."

With that, she dragged Xing Wu away. Pang Hu and Shi Min glanced at Ye Yingjian and followed.

On the way back, Pang Hu stammered, "S-satisfying! Q-Qing Ye, I n-never thought you’d hit someone?"

Qing Ye turned and grinned. "I didn’t. You didn’t see anything."

Shi Min immediately laughed. "Right, none of us saw a thing."The group returned to the campsite in high spirits, where many people had already come back. Xing Wu and Pang Hu stopped at the entrance of their tent. Pang Hu stammered, "W-well, you should g-get some sleep early."

Then he turned to Xing Wu and said, "W-Wu Ge, let's go."

"I need to talk to Qing Ye. You go ahead first."

Pang Hu let out an "oh" without thinking much of it and turned to leave. Shi Min said she was going to fetch hot water. With people coming and going around them, the two stood properly. Xing Wu, with his hands in his pockets, smiled faintly and said, "Weren’t you the one telling me not to act impulsively this afternoon? Are you the one corrupting me now?"

But Qing Ye tossed her hair proudly and replied, "I don’t fight people I’m not sure about."

She didn’t care about a jacket or a phone. Rather than making Tian Wei pay compensation, she preferred to vent the frustration she’d built up over the day. So when she approached Tian Wei, she had already taken control of the situation, ensuring Tian Wei couldn’t make any waves and had no choice but to accept being hit.

Xing Wu knew she had been deeply angered today. It was the first time he had seen Qing Ye unleash her full force in front of outsiders, like a fierce little lioness.

He had encountered plenty of tough girls outside, but those delinquent types usually relied on numbers to act tough, merely giving off a fierce impression.

Qing Ye, however, had the composure to remain calm under pressure and the sharp thinking to strike where it hurt most, revealing the powerful aura deep within her. She always had a way of making Xing Wu see her in a new light, and he even wondered how many more sides of her he had yet to discover.

Xing Wu gazed at her, a smile tugging at his lips, and said, "Hurry inside, don’t catch a cold."

Qing Ye smiled back. "Goodnight."

Just as she turned around, Xing Wu glanced to the side. Seeing no one approaching, he grabbed her arm. When she looked back, he had already planted a light kiss on her. It all happened in the blink of an eye before he pulled away, acting as if nothing had happened. "Goodnight."

Qing Ye watched his nonchalant retreating figure, a tempting blush spreading across her cheeks.

When Qing Ye entered the tent, she noticed Fang Lei had already lain down at some point, curled up in the farthest corner, facing away and unmoving. Thinking of what had just happened, Qing Ye didn’t disturb her.

Shortly after, a girl from Jin Zhong brought Qing Ye a winter school uniform—the same red windbreaker they were wearing. So Qing Ye had no choice but to temporarily don the "enemy’s uniform."

In the middle of the night, Qing Ye seemed to hear soft sobbing beside her. She opened her eyes and glanced over at Fang Lei. Though the sound was faint, she could still see Fang Lei’s shoulders trembling in the dark.

Qing Ye sighed quietly to herself, got up, found some tissues, and walked over to her. Fang Lei looked up at Qing Ye, then shyly covered her face with the blanket.

Without a word, Qing Ye placed the tissues by her pillow. As soon as she lay back down, Fang Lei suddenly sat up and stared at her.

Qing Ye could feel someone staring at her in the dark, making her skin crawl. She sat up as well and whispered, "Can’t sleep?"

Fang Lei pointed outside, so the two quietly slipped out of the tent.

The campsite had long lost its noise and commotion, settling into a deep silence. Only a vast expanse of stars spread overhead. The development zone was empty and deserted, making the night sky exceptionally bright.

Qing Ye saw that Fang Lei’s eyes were still red. To be honest, this was the first time since knowing her that Qing Ye had seen her like this. Feeling a bit awkward, she wasn’t sure how to comfort her.Fang Lei rubbed her eyes and grabbed Qing Ye's arm as if having made a great resolution, pleading, "Qing Ye, can you help me? I've been thinking all night—besides you, I don't know who else I can turn to."

"Help you with what?"

"I want to get into Xiamen University."