Dazzling

Xing Wu took Qing Ye to a mobile phone store and had the clerk bring out a new model. It wasn't cheap, but Qing Ye simply smiled at the clerk and said, "Thank you, let me look around some more."

She then pulled Xing Wu over to the domestic brand section. Xing Wu grabbed her arm and asked, "Trying to save me money?"

"Who said you're paying? I'm buying it myself."

"Is there a problem with me buying my girlfriend a phone?"

"No problem at all, but it's unnecessary."

Xing Wu reached out and tugged her ponytail, smiling. "Save your money for when you go abroad, understand?"

Despite the bustling crowd and noisy surroundings, Qing Ye felt an inexplicable warmth at his words.

In the end, she insisted on buying a domestic phone costing just over two thousand yuan. Since she started using mobile phones, her father had always bought her the latest models as soon as they were released, never questioning the price. This was her first time using a relatively inexpensive phone.

Truth be told, she just couldn't bear to see Xing Wu spend too much. On their way back, she kept proudly demonstrating the new phone's features to him—how convenient, user-friendly, and powerful it was.

Xing Wu watched her performance with amusement. No matter how capable this phone was, it couldn't compare to her previous high-end model, but he didn't point that out. After getting off the bus, he stopped at the entrance of Dazzle Island, suddenly pulled her close, and said, "Use this for now. I'll get you a better one later."

Qing Ye lowered her head, her heart filled with indescribable mixed emotions.

After entering the house, Xing Wu received a phone call. It seemed something had happened to the boss of Shunyi, and they were all being asked to come over. Xing Wu immediately grabbed his bag and informed Qing Ye.

Qing Ye stretched out her hand in front of him. "Give it to me."

"What thing?"

"The little red box."

Xing Wu suddenly remembered and laughed. "What do you want that for? You can't use it."

Qing Ye said matter-of-factly, "Exactly, I can't use it, but you can. Are you planning to find someone to use it with when you go out?"

Suppressing a smile, Xing Wu tossed the box to her.

He didn't return until very late, saying that Shunyi might be closing down because the boss had some personal family issues.

Before going to bed that night, the two lay in their respective beds chatting. Qing Ye told Xing Wu that Fang Lei wanted to apply to Xiamen University. Xing Wu replied indifferently, "If she can get into Xiamen University, then I can get into Peking University."

Qing Ye thought about it and agreed—after all, one scored 62 points and the other 65; their starting points were quite close.

Xing Wu turned his head and, seeing she hadn't responded, asked, "How likely do you think it is?"

Qing Ye stared at the ceiling. "To be honest? I think it's zero."

"Then why did you agree to help her?"

In the darkness, Qing Ye turned to look at Xing Wu, her round eyes dark and bright. "Haven't you heard the saying? Never extinguish someone's hope, because you never know how that glimmer of hope might completely transform their life."

"Which famous person said that?"

Qing Ye turned on her side and laughed. "Me."

"..."

Then she suddenly became serious. "I want to visit the food factory when I have time these days."

"What for?"Qing Ye turned over to lie on her back. In fact, she had been pondering this matter for a while. Both Xiao Ling Tong and Feng Bao had mentioned to her about studying with Pang Hu and the others after school. It was impossible for her to drag everyone to Xing Wu’s house, nor was it realistic to go to any of their homes. If it weren’t for Fang Lei pestering her these past few days, she might not have planned to go see the old man.

It wasn’t that she had suddenly become charitable. Before coming to Zhazha Pavilion, she had always lived quite self-centeredly, never one to meddle in others’ affairs. Of course, most of the people around her back then were the same—each sweeping the snow from their own doorstep.

But perhaps it was because of Xing Wu—because of his purity, his honesty, all the sincerity in him that Qing Ye had never encountered before—that she gradually began to look at each person around him with genuine care.

She started to realize that it wasn’t that these people didn’t love studying or willingly chose to sink into depravity. It was just that, born into such an environment, they were all lost together, wandering together, sinking together, trapped in darkness with no way out, not even knowing what a way out could look like.

At best, they might end up like Huang Mao, following in their fathers’ footsteps just to scrape by, never knowing what life planning even meant.

Whether Qing Ye had influenced them or they were slowly influencing her, she suddenly realized that the college entrance exam was a crucial turning point for many of them, not just for herself.

For example, Shi Min hoped to escape the fate of marrying to support her family. Pang Hu wanted to continue his studies to avoid disappointing his family’s hopes. Fang Lei was striving hard for her own love. So, success or failure all hinged on this critical college entrance exam.

For all of them, this might no longer be just a simple exam but the first major choice they would make about their lives as adults. Before meeting Qing Ye, the people of Zhazha Pavilion had left their fate to the heavens. After meeting Qing Ye, they learned that “fate” could be firmly grasped in their own hands. Qing Ye, too, seemed to have rediscovered the belief in everyone working together toward a common goal, rather than the sense of isolation and solitary struggle she felt at the beginning of the school year.

Therefore, she needed to solve the venue problem, and the only place she could think of was the food factory. So, she decided to find time to meet the old man.

The days after the Winter Camp ended felt like a sudden transition from scorching summer to bitter winter. Everyone could sense the change in atmosphere. Although they still laughed and joked around, it seemed as if everyone had suddenly woken up. There were only a little over ten days left until the final exams. Once the finals were over, their high school life would have only half a semester left. Most of them had to face the reality that their academic careers were coming to an end.

Perhaps only Xing Wu remained unaffected. He was still busy every day. Shunyi had closed down not long after, and with one less source of income, he took on more odd jobs. Sometimes, after class, Qing Ye would turn around to talk to him, only to find him exhausted, sleeping with his head on the desk.

Whenever that happened, she couldn’t bear to wake him. Many times, she wondered whether her coming here had been good or bad for him. He seemed to have become even more exhausted. To support her studies abroad, he dared not slack off in the slightest. He had told her that he wouldn’t be able to stay by her side in the future, but having more money prepared would give her confidence when she went abroad.In order to give her more confidence, he took on jobs during the day and coached her at night, making his days quite busy. Qing Ye often wondered what she had given him in return. Fleeting memories? The bittersweet taste of youth? It seemed like nothing at all, but she couldn't afford to dwell on it. For her now, the only option was to charge forward with her eyes closed—there was no other path.

After returning from the Winter Camp, Qing Ye spent some effort creating a mind map for Fang Lei, outlining the directions for all question types, common pitfalls, and the essential rote memorization points. It was a massive, daunting mountain to climb, especially the memorization part. Qing Ye couldn't help her with that; Fang Lei had to face it alone to secure those easiest-to-earn points.

However, Qing Ye set clear deadlines for her, specifying what had to be memorized by which day, and made it very clear to Fang Lei that her time was limited. If Fang Lei failed to complete these tasks within the allotted time, Qing Ye would no longer waste her efforts on her.

Fang Lei knew that although Qing Ye was easygoing, she was a person of strong principles. If she said something, she meant it. Fang Lei didn't want Qing Ye to give up on her, so she pushed herself so hard that dark circles appeared under her eyes. Even when Li Wenhui and the others called her to the restroom during breaks, she avoided going if she could.

But what surprised Qing Ye was that Fang Lei had a good memory and could memorize things quickly. Qing Ye had always wondered why Fang Lei hadn't chosen the humanities track back then. Fang Lei's reply was: "I'm afraid of writing."

"…"

After returning from the Winter Camp, Qing Ye indeed kept her promise and helped Du Qiyan transform herself. Du Qiyan's figure wasn't actually bad, but her style was too rustic and sloppy. She always wore loose, ill-fitting clothes, and she and Liu Nian both looked like they couldn't pull their pants up properly, with their crotches sagging. Even though Christmas had passed, she still jingled with cheap decorations like a Christmas tree.

Qing Ye directly had her remove those tacky accessories and said to her seriously, "If you ever don't know what to wear in the future, subtract from your outfit—never add to it. Understand?"

Du Qiyan, however, wondered why Qing Ye could even relate this to addition and subtraction. Had she gone mad from studying?

Qing Ye took Du Qiyan to change into a camel-colored leather and fur biker jacket. Du Qiyan initially refused, saying such clothes didn't suit her. But under Qing Ye's insistence, she put it on and finally swapped her baggy pants for slim-fit jeans paired with short heeled boots. When Qing Ye led her back to Dazzle Island, Liu Nian didn't even recognize her and asked, "Here for a haircut or a perm?"

When his gaze shifted to Du Qiyan's face, Liu Nian froze completely. Qing Ye, watching his expression from the side, laughed and said, "A perm, straightening, and dye it black. Hmm... let me think, it should look black but with a faint purple shimmer in the sunlight. You figure it out."

Liu Nian immediately grinned at Du Qiyan, revealing his silly little fangs, while Du Qiyan grew embarrassed under his stare.

Qing Ye went upstairs to study. A few hours later, when she came back down, even she almost didn't recognize Du Qiyan.Perhaps it was because she used to favor those very voluminous hairstyles, creating the stereotype that she had a big head. But now, with her hair suddenly straightened, it became clear that her head wasn't actually big at all, and her face was quite proportionally sized. Moreover, her legs were actually quite slender. Dressed like this, her figure stood out, making her look like a completely different person. Indeed, clothes make the man—or in this case, the woman.

For the final step, Qing Ye handed her a makeup remover pad and told her to wipe off that Li Lanfang-inspired makeup.

Then, over the next twenty minutes, Qing Ye applied a very simple, everyday makeup look for her. Done.

Just then, Xing Wu happened to return from outside, carrying his toolbox. He glanced at Du Qiyan's back and went straight to wash his hands. When he came back, Qing Ye was blocking the back door. He reached out and pinched her cheek: "Missed me?"

But Qing Ye, with a mysterious air, pulled him over to the curtain and pointed outside: "What do you think of that beauty?"

Du Qiyan was sitting sideways on a high stool, chatting with Liu Nian. Xing Wu didn't recognize her at all and gave her a serious once-over before asking, "Who is she? A friend of yours?"

Qing Ye suppressed a laugh and urged him, "Just tell me, is she good-looking or not?"

Xing Wu, however, pulled out a tissue and wiped his hands: "Is this a trick question?"

Qing Ye glared at him, and Xing Wu chuckled: "Whether she's good-looking or not depends on her face."

Qing Ye immediately called out to her, and when Du Qiyan turned around, Xing Wu was startled: "Holy crap."

Qing Ye had stripped away all the packaging Du Qiyan thought made her beautiful, restoring her natural appearance with some enhancements. Though it couldn't be called stunning, it was far more pleasing to the eye than her previous look.

So, after saying hello to Xing Wu, she headed off to the food factory with Du Qiyan.

Du Qiyan's makeover had removed all those tacky, low-quality elements. Now, her entire outfit consisted of only three colors, finally avoiding the Christmas tree effect. She looked clean, fresh, and even a bit cool when standing still—of course, with the caveat that she couldn't open her mouth, or the illusion would shatter.

Sure enough, Du Qiyan turned far more heads today than usual. When she went to buy water, she was even hit on by a guy. It was probably the first time she'd ever been approached like that—not only did she give him her WeChat, but she was also excited about it for a long time.

As a result, Qing Ye spent the entire walk to the food factory lecturing her: Don't just give out your WeChat to anyone, especially when you don't even know who they are. Even if you're interested, you can't just hand it over so easily.

Du Qiyan thought Qing Ye made a lot of sense—women shouldn't be too forward; they should be reserved. Then she asked, "So, when do you usually give out your WeChat?"

"..." Qing Ye fell into an awkward silence. It seemed she had been the one to ask Xing Wu for his WeChat. How embarrassing.

Qing Ye had originally assumed the old man would discuss the rental fee for the space with her. She had already estimated a price in her mind—after all, it was only for a few months. As long as it wasn't too expensive, she could ask everyone for their opinions and, at worst, split the cost evenly.

But to her surprise, the old man was very enthusiastic when he saw Qing Ye. After all, she had recently moved two batches of goods for him, earning him a bit of money. The food factory was already on the verge of collapse, with hardly anyone around during the day, let alone at night. So, when the old man heard they wanted to use the factory space for evening self-study, he generously agreed. Probably because he was quite close with Du Qiyan's family, he didn't mention any fees—only asked them to cover their own electricity costs. Then he went back to asking Qing Ye about her client sources.Although Qing Ye had never run a business herself, growing up around her father had given her some commercial awareness. She knew that discussing client resources was the biggest taboo between distributors and manufacturers, so she remained highly vigilant in this regard. While she didn't believe the old geezer could actually poach clients, she still held back, especially regarding the local resources Liu Nian controlled.

Just after leaving the food factory and passing the shooting range's back door, a group of hoodlums were squatting by the roadside smoking. As Qing Ye and Du Qiyan turned the corner from the second district, the group stared at them like wolves.

At the sound of "Hey beautiful," Du Qiyan visibly tensed up, but Qing Ye turned her head to meet the speaker's gaze. To her surprise, she recognized a familiar face—it was Yang Gang, the "widower." His hair had grown long over the past few months, making him look like Dick Cowboy, though his pockmarked face was truly eyesore-inducing—enough to give someone trypophobia even if they didn't have it.

Qing Ye tugged at Du Qiyan, who stopped walking uncertainly. Qing Ye then jerked her chin toward the group.

When Du Qiyan turned her face sideways, Yang Gang was startled. He stood up incredulously, staring intently at Du Qiyan before throwing down his cigarette and striding over, his face full of surprise and uncertainty. "Yanyan?"

Du Qiyan still seemed somewhat timid facing Yang Gang. Qing Ye patted her back, making her straighten up as if giving her some confidence. She asked Yang Gang, "What do you want?"

Yang Gang looked her up and down and laughed. "You've gotten prettier."

Qing Ye watched him coldly. While Du Qiyan had indeed become prettier after changing her style, this "widower" was becoming increasingly hard on the eyes. He wore a ragged striped shirt with a lock hanging from his belt. Qing Ye even squinted to make sure she wasn't seeing things—it was a real lock, as if he had a gold mine in his home vault and was afraid nobody knew. Or was hanging locks from belts the new trend in this county town? What an anti-fashion statement.

Around the lock hung a row of jingling decorative accessories, like wearing a flea market on his person. Suddenly, Qing Ye understood why Du Qiyan had been drawn to Yang Gang in the past—apparently they both shared the beautiful vision of becoming Christmas trees.

Yang Gang, changing his previous attitude, asked Du Qiyan how she'd been lately. Du Qiyan replied matter-of-factly that she was working as usual, same as before. Then the shameless Yang Gang started inviting her to hang out in the county town tomorrow.

Just as Du Qiyan was about to speak, Qing Ye tugged her hair from behind. She stammered mid-sentence and put on airs, saying, "No time."

Then she lifted her chest and declared, "Yesterday you ignored me, today you can't reach my level."

"..." Girl, that's laying it on a bit thick.

The two walked away proudly, leaving Yang Gang cursing behind them.