Dazzling

After the Winter Camp, three unexpected developments unfolded. The first was learning from Teacher Zhu Fen that after Anzhong High's administrators made two trips to the education department, starting next year, the hosting rights for the David Cup would shift from Jinlong High to a cooperative effort between Anzhong and Jinzhong High. All competition questions and procedures would adhere to principles of fairness and transparency, with both schools participating and mutually supervising.

Though this no longer concerned the current senior class, the news still felt uplifting. As Pang Hu dramatically put it, "We used our flesh and blood to build a Great Wall for those who come after us." While his words might induce cringes, there was truth in their legacy—restoring the math competition to its essence. Qing Ye felt the eighty yuan spent had been worthwhile.

The second surprise left Xing Wu and Qing Ye stunned. Jinzhong High’s Sun Guangquan, after extensive inquiries, contacted Xing Wu by phone. He expressed concerns about recent cybersecurity issues at the school and requested Xing Wu’s assistance in diagnostics.

Qing Ye asked with a laugh if he’d go. Xing Wu replied calmly, "Why not? There’s money to be made." He then formally visited Jinzhong High to address server vulnerabilities, responsibly advising the staff on regular maintenance and upgrades. The teachers took his advice seriously, each saving his contact for future issues.

In half a day, he earned a thousand yuan and returned leisurely. Qing Ye realized their Winter Camp investment of 160 yuan had already been recouped—a net gain. She specifically asked if he’d genuinely fixed the vulnerabilities. Xing Wu nodded. She then questioned if he’d left any backdoors "just in case." He shot her a disdainful look, stating he had to uphold his professional integrity. Qing Ye nearly asked what profession—jack-of-all-trades repairman who digs and fills his own holes?

The third surprise was their after-school study group. Originally six members, it grew to over ten in under ten days before finals, attracting nearly every college-aspiring student from Class Two. The old caretaker, touched by their diligence, thoughtfully moved the yard’s large round table into the workshop, cleaning it for their use.

When final exam results were released, Fang Lei broke down in tears. Her score had only improved by over twenty points, still below 350—far from Xiamen University’s admission line. Shi Min showed slight progress, rising from the class’s bottom to over three hundred points—a significant effort for her.

Pang Hu made the biggest leap. Though usually inarticulate, he was sharp and quick to grasp concepts. This time, his total approached 400. With sustained effort, vocational college admission seemed assured within six months. Yet, as goals drew nearer, ambitions expanded. After a night of reflection, Pang Hu texted Qing Ye: "Do I have a shot at second-tier colleges?" She replied instantly: "Absolutely." Without hesitation, she assessed that gaining another 50 points in six months—aligning with the province’s past cutoff—was entirely feasible.After replying to that message, Qing Ye went to sleep, completely unaware that Pang Hu had read her text with tears in his eyes. Fired up as if injected with adrenaline, he immediately threw on his clothes and began tackling his exercise workbook through the night.

To everyone's astonishment, Qing Ye scored 702 points in the final exam, breaking the 700-point barrier for the first time—the highest score ever achieved in Anzi County. No one knew what the school administration was thinking, but they created a red poster featuring Qing Ye's photo and displayed it in the showcase. The design, done by who-knows-who, added a bizarre golden glow effect around her face, making it look as if she were about to ascend to heaven.

Qing Ye only needed one glance before she wished she could grab an iron awl and smash the showcase. Why did they have to add the words "Star of Hope" above her head on the poster? It made her look like some kind of special hardship case.

Under her strong protest, the school took the poster down after just one week, fearing it might cause her psychological stress. Principal Zhong even personally comforted her, telling her not to feel pressured.

Pressure, my foot. She simply thought the poster was hideous. If they were going to hang her photo again, couldn't they at least consult her and pick a flattering one? Though she considered herself photogenic from every angle and hardly capable of taking a bad picture, the graphic designer definitely needed to be replaced. Those tacky five-cent special effects had to go.

During this period, Qing Ye had been studying after school with her friends at the food factory. Xing Wu was also very busy, hardly ever seen in the evenings. Sometimes, he would only show up lazily riding his motorcycle to pick her up after she finished.

When she asked him what he had been up to lately at night, Xing Wu said he was taking driver's license classes with Huang Mao. She found it strange—driver's license classes at night? Xing Wu simply explained that they didn't have time during the day due to classes, so they had signed up for night sessions to practice driving.

Sure enough, while everyone else was preparing for finals, Xing Wu and Huang Mao rushed off to driving practice right after school, also too busy to be seen.

Right after finals came the long-awaited winter break. Time had flown by quickly; Qing Ye had unknowingly transitioned from summer vacation to winter break here. Though it had only been half a year, it felt like she had been here forever. She had met many friends and experienced things she never thought she would encounter in her lifetime—like getting a boyfriend before the college entrance exams.

When she called Sun Shu again to ask about her father's situation, he brought her good news: the witness had been contacted. However, due to the approaching Spring Festival, the appeal would have to wait until after the new year. If all went smoothly, Sun Shu would personally bring the witness back to the country after the holidays.

Although the news was positive, the thought of her father spending the festival in detention left Qing Ye feeling down. This was the first time in her life she would celebrate the New Year apart from her family, alone in a strange place. During her usual busy life, she hadn't felt it much, but with winter break arriving and everyone around preparing for the festivities—even Li Lanfang was busy shopping for New Year's supplies—she began to feel a tinge of loneliness.

So, it seemed the only thing left for her to do was to occasionally help Pang Hu and the others with their studies when she had free time. As for the college entrance exams, she had never slacked off throughout her academic career, and at this point, there was limited room for improvement. She decided to spend some time preparing for the language and pre-college soft skills needed for studying abroad.After the final exams, Fang Lei had been extremely despondent, so Qing Ye and the others didn't invite her. To her surprise, on the second day of the holiday, when she expected few to show up, everyone came without exception—even Fang Lei had pulled herself together and started anew.

Their determination subtly influenced Qing Ye as well. She left Dazzle Island early each morning and returned late, spending entire days helping them review from the basics. Drawing from her years of problem-solving experience, she could pinpoint key questions accurately. At this stage, every passing day felt like a race for points—who knew where a single point could alter one's destiny?

One day, Xiao Ling Tong mentioned to Qing Ye that some students from Class One had heard about it and wanted to join, asking if it was okay.

Qing Ye had no objections. Thus, within a week of the holiday, the group grew from over ten to nearly twenty people. With more attendees, explaining problems became more challenging, and written notes had to be passed around, inevitably slowing efficiency.

However, the New Year was approaching soon, and the grumpy old man was closing the factory to return home for the holidays, so they had to temporarily disband. As for when he might return, he hadn't given a definite date.

The next day, Qing Ye could only study alone at home, reviewing materials and browsing online for study-abroad information. Before dinner, Xing Wu returned. Perhaps due to the cold weather, his grandmother had recently lost her appetite and often threw tantrums, refusing to eat. So, Xing Wu had been rushing back before mealtime these days.

Qing Ye often saw him patiently coaxing his grandmother until she stopped making those strange noises, though she wasn't sure if his grandmother understood him.

Sometimes, his grandmother simply refused to eat, leaving Xing Wu sweating with anxiety. Even Li Lanfang would angrily yell, "Just starve then, you old nuisance!" But Xing Wu would still persevere, patiently feeding her.

At times, Qing Ye found it hard to watch. She felt that dealing with such a difficult elderly woman day after day would have driven her mad long ago. When she first arrived, she thought Li Lanfang was too harsh on the grandmother, but over time, she began to understand Li Lanfang's frustration.

Facing an elderly woman with no blood relation, who frequently caused trouble and needed assistance with everything from using the toilet to bathing—anyone's patience would wear thin eventually.

Sometimes, seeing Xing Wu too exhausted, she wanted to lend a hand, but he never let Qing Ye help. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to bearing this burden alone.

After dinner, Qing Ye returned to her room, unwilling to continue watching the grandmother's condition. Yet, she wondered when such days would ever end?

Soon, Xing Wu came upstairs. She turned and asked him, "Did Grandma eat?"

Xing Wu, looking weary, took off his jacket and pulled a chair to the window. "A little. She's back in her room sleeping."

Qing Ye sighed in relief and asked, "Why has she been like this lately?"

Xing Wu seemed accustomed to it, spinning a lighter in his hand as he looked down. "It's normal. The doctor said it's due to cerebrovascular disease."

What Qing Ye saw as exhausting, Xing Wu dismissed lightly. Gazing at him, she suddenly asked, "Are you tired?"Xing Wu lowered his gaze, still spinning the lighter, his tone indifferent: "When I was a kid, I was mischievous and never sat still to eat properly—always running around. She used to feed me like this too. Do you think she was tired?"

Qing Ye fell silent, not uttering another word. Seeing he had no intention of leaving, she set down her pen and looked at him: "Don’t you have driving practice tonight?"

"Not going. The driving school is on break."

"How’s your practice going?"

Xing Wu lifted his eyes with a faint, teasing smile. "I don’t have many flaws—my biggest one is being a natural at everything."

Qing Ye finally cracked a slight smile. Xing Wu took her hand, observing her clean, slender fingers, and said to her, "I’ll take you to the county town tomorrow to buy new clothes. Here, kids always wear new outfits for the New Year."

Qing Ye’s eyes gradually curved. "I’m not a kid."

Xing Wu rubbed the back of her hand with his rough fingertips, smiling. "Kid, your birthday is coming up."

"Little brother, your birthday is coming up too."

They both laughed while looking at each other, but just then, a voice suddenly came from the doorway: "Wu Zi, go to the county tomorrow and buy some Spring Festival couplets to put up. And while you’re at it—"

Li Lanfang froze at the bedroom door, staring at their hands on the table, and abruptly changed her tone: "What are you two doing?"

Qing Ye instantly turned pale with fright, but Xing Wu calmly turned Qing Ye’s palm over and replied evenly, "Reading her palm."

"...Read your mother’s head! Spouting nonsense all day. Get out here and stop bothering Qing Ye."

Xing Wu leisurely released Qing Ye’s hand and stood up. As he reached the door, he glanced back and quirked a corner of his mouth at her, leaving Qing Ye’s heart still pounding wildly.