Dazzling

After that, Qing Ye sat alone on a small stool scrolling through her phone when she suddenly remembered the Moments post He Leling had shared last time. She tapped open the chat window, sent an emoji, and typed a line: "I've left Beijing. How have you been lately?"

He Leling replied shortly after: "Heard about it—pretty sudden. Same old for me, attending classes every day. When are you coming back?"

Qing Ye stared at the words "When are you coming back?" for a while before typing: "Not going back for now. By the way, are you seeing someone? Do I know them?" (sly grin.jpg)

However, this message sank like a stone. He Leling didn’t reply for a long time. Qing Ye stared at her phone, waiting a bit, thinking maybe she was still in class at this hour. The teachers at their old school always liked surprise quizzes—perhaps He Leling was too busy to reply. Unlike her, once her computer broke, she was practically helpless. She had been here for over ten days now and had never heard of any intensive training programs or tutoring centers. Thinking about it, it made sense—people here didn’t seem like the type to spend extra money on education.

Qing Ye put her phone away and glanced up at Xing Wu. He was sitting with his legs crossed, holding a deck of cards. He was left-handed, and the shaved line on his temple looked bold and defiant. She wondered how the teachers at An Zhong High School allowed him to show up with that hairstyle.

She could tell that people here were quite afraid of him. Recalling her first day here, Li Lanfang had told her that Xing Wu was no good at studying but was a pro at stirring up trouble and getting by in the world.

For eighteen years, Qing Ye’s life had been relatively simple. She had never dealt with troublemakers before. Who would have thought that this unrelated cousin of hers was some kind of gang leader? A gang leader still in high school, skilled at repairs? The gang leaders here certainly had character.

The room was thick with smoke. After just twenty minutes, Qing Ye felt like she couldn’t breathe properly. But it was too hot outside. She coughed and walked over to the door curtain, breathing through the gap where the air was slightly better.

Xing Wu lifted his gaze and glanced at her back. Her black hair, smooth as silk, was tied back with a light pink hair clip. Her silhouette was elegant, and her pale-colored dress accentuated her porcelain-white skin, almost dazzling. If he hadn’t seen her in person, Xing Wu would never have known a girl’s skin could be so flawlessly delicate.

He raised his hand and smacked Da Hei on the left. Da Hei flinched and asked, confused, "Wu Ge, why’d you hit me?"

Xing Wu said flatly, "Put out your cigarette."

Da Hei stared blankly at the cigarette he had just lit. Hua Bi, who was standing nearby, chuckled and said, "Da Hei, take it easy. If you keep winning Wu Ge’s money, you won’t make it home today."

Unexpectedly, Xing Wu lazily lifted his eyelids and fixed his gaze on Hua Bi. "You too, put it out."

Hua Bi was baffled. He wasn’t even at the card table winning money—why was he being told to put out his cigarette?

Xing Wu’s expression darkened. Not wanting to provoke him further, they obediently stubbed out their cigarettes. Qing Ye turned and looked at Xing Wu, but he was staring down at the cards in his hand, seemingly paying her no mind at all.

Qing Ye ended up waiting for an entire hour. Only after their card game ended did Xing Wu stretch lazily, rise unhurriedly, and say to Quan Ya, "I’m heading out first."

Quan Ya asked, "Coming back tonight?"

"Yeah." With that, Xing Wu lifted the curtain and walked out. Qing Ye followed closely behind him.The evening heat rolled in waves as the sun slanted westward, the sky hazy with a feeling of Yellow Sand filling the air, making Qing Ye extremely uncomfortable. What made her even more uncomfortable was returning to Xing Wu’s room, which still had no air conditioning. She had no idea how she had managed to endure day after day like this—even the wind from the electric fan felt hot.

Just then, the group of people who had been playing cards earlier emerged one after another. Having held back for a while, several of them lit cigarettes as soon as they stepped out.

Xing Wu swung his leg over his Little Angel, which had a Doraemon sticker on it, and glanced at Qing Ye. Qing Ye very consciously walked over, but as she lifted her leg to mount the bike, she suddenly realized her skirt was too short—if she tried to straddle it, she would definitely expose herself.

The man standing at the entrance of Shunyi stared at her pale, bare legs, his eyes gleaming. Just as Qing Ye felt awkward, Xing Wu turned his head, glanced at her skirt, and said to her, "Sit sideways."

Pulling at her skirt hem, Qing Ye shifted onto the Little Angel. She didn’t hold onto Xing Wu, instead gripping the edge of the rear seat tightly with her hands.

Da Hei and the others rarely encountered such a stunning girl, and their minds were already swarming with wild thoughts. However, since she was riding on Xing Wu’s motorcycle, even if they had ideas, they didn’t dare act recklessly.

As soon as Qing Ye settled in, Xing Wu twisted the throttle and took off. He rode extremely fast, and Qing Ye, sitting sideways, already had an unstable center of gravity. She cursed inwardly, Damn it, why does everyone here ride like they’re in a suicide squad?

Fortunately, Xing Wu didn’t take her on the dirt roads but instead weaved through streets and alleys on cement paths. However, the cement roads here were different from the asphalt roads in the city—they were full of potholes and bumps.

Xing Wu skillfully maneuvered around the various potholes; he could navigate this road blindfolded and still know where every hole was. But his serpentine riding made the person on the back far from comfortable.

On his third sharp turn to avoid a pothole, Qing Ye finally got so scared that she grabbed his clothes and shouted, "Can’t you slow down?"

"Aren’t you afraid of getting sunburned?"

"..." She was afraid of the sun, but her life was more important.

Qing Ye couldn’t care less and clung tightly to the hem of his shirt, refusing to let go. Xing Wu glanced down at his T-shirt, which was stretched and choking his neck, and said helplessly, "If you pull any harder, it’ll tear. Let go."

Qing Ye didn’t want to die in a crash, so she steeled herself and simply grabbed his waist instead. Xing Wu’s body stiffened; he hadn’t expected this girl to be so bold as to touch him directly. If anyone else had touched him like that, he would have thrown them off the bike long ago. But at this moment, the sensation at his waist was so intense that he could even feel her soft, pale fingers through the fabric. He ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth—this feeling was seriously messed up.

Holding onto Xing Wu’s waist, Qing Ye felt much more stable. However, she was surprised that although Xing Wu looked tall and sturdy, his waist was quite narrow and firm. Back when she had just started high school, her deskmate had given her a romance novel about a domineering CEO. In it, men with significantly broader shoulders than waists and a sharply tapered waist from the ribs to the hips were described as having a "greyhound waist," and it was said that men with such lines were extremely sexy. At the time, Qing Ye had just read it and couldn’t really visualize it, but now, touching Xing Wu’s waist, she suddenly had a clear mental image.

As for why such an indescribable image popped into her head while they were on the street, she had no idea. Thankfully, she was sitting behind him, so Xing Wu couldn’t see her blushing.

But her fingertips could feel so clearly that Xing Wu’s waist was very firm, and she couldn’t help wondering if she could actually squeeze it.While avoiding another pothole, Qing Ye took the opportunity to pinch him. Xing Wu wasn't usually bothered by heat, but at this moment he actually felt a burning sensation in his chest. He asked in an unfriendly tone, "Why did you pinch me?"

Qing Ye was immediately at a loss for words. How could she possibly tell him she was testing whether she could pinch his waist? Such an absurd thought—even she couldn't understand what she had been doing just then.

She quickly changed the subject: "Do you always sleep at that place from earlier?"

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes" meant he didn't always sleep there. So where did he go when he wasn't sleeping at Shunyi?

Qing Ye didn't press further and switched topics again: "Do you work there?"

"Just doing odd jobs," Xing Wu replied bluntly.

After that, Qing Ye didn't ask more questions. When they arrived home, she got off the bike and was about to go inside when Xing Wu, while locking the bicycle, said to her, "I'll bring the computer back after it's fixed. Try not to go over there unless necessary."

Qing Ye turned back and blinked: "Why?"

Xing Wu straightened up. The dazzling sunset shone into his pupils, revealing a tired expression: "Haven't you noticed how all those men look at you like wolves? If something happens, I'll have to step in. It's troublesome."

"Hah..." Qing Ye let out a cold laugh and turned to enter the barbershop.

Troublesome. This wasn't the first time she'd heard that word from Xing Wu. In his eyes, she was nothing but trouble—so much trouble that he didn't even want to come home.

If she hadn't been absolutely desperate, would she have come here? Would she willingly share a bathroom with those bizarre people? Would she stay cooped up every day in a room without air conditioning?

Qing Ye's mood hit rock bottom. She rushed upstairs straight to her room. Li Lanfang had finished her mahjong game and, noticing Qing Ye looked upset, pulled Xing Wu aside to ask, "What's wrong with Qing Ye? Is she okay? That Zhao Mazi can't do anything right—how could he break Qing Ye's computer just by pouring water?"

Xing Wu frowned: "Uncle Zhao did it?"

"Exactly! I heard from Liu Nian that her computer was quite expensive, right? How much will it cost to repair? Qing Ye even said she'd make him pay for it. Old Zhao went home to ask his wife for money—he didn't even have the heart to finish the mahjong game."

Xing Wu glanced toward the staircase and told Li Lanfang, "Stay out of this."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Mazi came knocking on the roll-up door that evening, asking for Qing Ye and inquiring about the computer repair cost.

When Qing Ye came downstairs, Xing Wu was sitting silently in the barbershop. She walked over and saw Zhao Mazi clutching a few crumpled bills. Although Xing Wu had taken five thousand from him, looking at Zhao Mazi's worn-out clothes—probably his only set—she figured mentioning five thousand would scare him to death.

She said lightly, "The boss was feeling generous and didn't charge me. Keep your money—no need to pay."

Zhao Mazi breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, that's great."

As soon as Zhao Mazi left, Qing Ye turned to go back upstairs. Xing Wu was sitting on a chair in the hallway, his long legs stretched out blocking the path. With a half-smile, he remarked, "Paper tiger."

Qing Ye glared at him. Xing Wu curled his lips: "I heard from my mom you were quite tough when demanding money from him earlier?"

Qing Ye kicked him: "You think I'm like you?"

Xing Wu raised an eyebrow, slowly stood up, stretched lazily, and walked away.Qing Ye didn't have a computer, so the next day she could only idly write her English essay on a scrap piece of paper. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was a refund notification—the five thousand yuan she had transferred to Xing Wu yesterday had been returned because he hadn't confirmed the receipt.

She simply sent him a message: "Forgot to accept it?"

At Shunyi, Xing Wu had just finished reassembling Qing Ye's laptop and successfully booted it up. The screen lit up, revealing a desktop with pink heart bubbles—animated ones at that. He frowned, his face full of disdain.

The desktop was cluttered with study materials, making Xing Wu's head spin. After checking the performance to ensure everything was working properly, he was about to shut it down when he suddenly noticed a folder named "Favorite."

He had repaired many computers and never casually opened other people's files—that was a principle he adhered to. But for some reason, at that moment, staring at the folder, he suddenly grew curious about who that girl who looked down on everything cherished the most.

He stared at the computer screen for a few seconds, tapped the touchpad twice, and still clicked into it...

Author's note: Sniper Master is about to open the door to a new world. Tremble, old sniper~—

See you tomorrow, everyone. Keep going!