Dazzling

The folder contained several hundred photos—pictures of Qing Ye with classmates and teachers at school, travel photos, and family portraits. Notably absent were selfies. It was rare to find someone so good-looking yet not narcissistic.

Xing Wu flipped through them one by one: her on a cruise ship, skiing, parasailing at the beach...

One photo showed Qing Ye with classmates at her former international school, backed by its grand architecture. They wore dark green uniforms, plaid pleated skirts, and ties. Among the group were fair-haired, blue-eyed foreign children, exuding an air of sophistication. Qing Ye stood in the center, shoulders hugged by girls on either side, her smile radiant and bright—a sight he’d never witnessed since meeting her. Xing Wu lingered on this photo for a long time before moving to the next.

In another, Qing Ye and two girlfriends made peace signs at the camera in a room—likely hers, as zooming in revealed a row of trophies engraved with her name.

Her room was spacious, furnished with a white grand piano, European-style decor, a beautiful dreamy crystal chandelier, and soft pink carpeting. Even her bed was an ivory European-style large bed. The girls in the photo weren’t in uniforms but dressed elegantly and fashionably, all seeming to come from well-off families.

Later, Xing Wu saw a photo of Qing Ye with her mother in their yard. Her mother held a watering can while Qing Ye clung to her arm, head resting on her shoulder, smiling blissfully.

Behind them stood a Nordic-style luxury villa, the likes of which had never been seen in Anzi County. Xing Wu clenched his jaw, suddenly unwilling to continue.

Just as he prepared to close the folder, he spotted a solo photo of a boy smiling warmly at the camera, his eyes inadvertently revealing a hint of shyness and admiration.

Who was he looking at? Most likely the photographer—Qing Ye.

Xing Wu glanced at the caption below: "Meng Ruihang," the boy’s name.

He scoffed, shut down the computer, pulled down the rolling shutter, and mounted Little Angel to ride home.

The whole way, his chest felt tight—though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He knew Qing Ye had lived well before, but he’d had no concrete idea how well.

After viewing her photos, he suddenly gained a vivid sense of her former life, as if he’d deciphered her contemptuous gaze in an instant.

Her room alone was larger than his entire home. The flowers in her yard outnumbered those in Anzi County’s Backstreet Park. Her school was more impressive than their county government building.

She had traveled to so many places, mingled with so many high-born classmates, seen the world from a young age—how could she ever resign herself to exile here?

Recalling Qing Ye’s helpless tears outside his family’s shop on her first day, Xing Wu’s mind drifted to a caged oriole from his childhood. He was ten when his father brought home a shabby cage with a brightly colored oriole trapped inside. The bird perched on the edge, chirping incessantly. Whenever he approached, it would fix its bright little eyes on him and call out, as if pleading for rescue.

Eventually, he secretly freed the oriole behind his father’s back and was severely beaten for it.At this very moment, the song of that oriole echoed in his mind once more, carrying an air of despair. Xing Wu slammed on the brakes and rode back to Shunyi.

...

Xing Wu hadn't replied to Qing Ye's message. Qing Ye decided to wait until he returned in the evening to ask him about the money in person. He had been so urgent about collecting it yesterday, yet now there was no sign of it. Had he forgotten?

She waited until dusk when the buzzing sound of Little Angel finally came from the entrance of Dazzle Island. Qing Ye peeked out and saw that Xing Wu had returned, but there was a large object tied to the back of Little Angel.

Xing Wu glanced at Qing Ye, who was craning her neck at the doorway, and handed her the laptop. Her eyes lit up as she rushed out to take it. "It's fixed? Can it turn on now?"

"See for yourself."

After saying this, Xing Wu went to move the object tied to the back seat and said to her, "Step aside."

Qing Ye moved to the side and asked, "What is that?"

Following him inside, she saw it was an air conditioner and immediately exclaimed, "You bought an air conditioner?"

Xing Wu found her excitement somewhat amusing. She had an expensive piano at home, yet she could get this thrilled over a beat-up secondhand air conditioner. Just how poor were his family's conditions that they had reduced this young lady's living standards so drastically in less than half a month?

He said, "Got it from the shop. I'll install it after dinner. We'll use it for now."

Qing Ye grew concerned. "Is that okay? Did you tell your boss?"

"No need. If I hadn't fixed it, this thing would've been sold as scrap metal."

Qing Ye's mood suddenly lifted. Not only was her computer repaired, but even better, she could enjoy cool air at night and wouldn't keep waking up from the heat. It was absolutely wonderful!

Even dinner tasted better that evening, though she still barely touched the dishes and mainly ate plain rice.

Xing Wu had long wanted to ask her about this habit and finally couldn't resist commenting today: "If you're trying to lose weight, you should eat more vegetables and less rice. Your approach seems backwards."

Qing Ye looked puzzled. "Who said I'm trying to lose weight? Is my figure that bad?"

Xing Wu's eyes unconsciously flickered over her before quickly looking away. He hadn't really seen enough to judge, but it was true she had all the right curves.

Qing Ye muttered, "Don't you think this oil... I don't know, it just tastes weird to me."

Qing Ye didn't know how to cook and couldn't distinguish between lard, corn oil, or rapeseed oil. She just felt every dish had that particular flavor.

Xing Wu paused. He knew perfectly well that Li Lanfang always used lard for cooking. When it came to money, Li Lanfang had some extreme habits - she could lose hundreds gambling at mahjong without batting an eye, but in daily life, she would pinch pennies over a single scallion.

For instance, using lard was her long-standing habit. She'd ask for extra fat when buying pork, render it into a large bowl of lard to keep on hand, then scoop some out when cooking. The problem was, in this hot weather, sometimes she'd forget to refrigerate it and it would spoil overnight. Having eaten it since childhood, Xing Wu had long grown accustomed to the taste. All he knew was that he'd eat whatever was available at home. When he was younger, before Li Lanfang opened Dazzle Island, she would often go out to play mahjong, and there were times when he didn't even have food to eat.But Qing Ye was different. Her previous life had probably involved meticulous attention to every meal, with a particularly delicate digestive system. Yet she had endured over a week without complaint, eating plain rice every day—it must have been truly difficult for her. If he hadn't casually asked today, who knows how long she would have kept silent. Xing Wu suddenly felt a pang of discomfort in his heart.

After feeding his grandmother and wheeling her into her room, Xing Wu went upstairs to install the air conditioner. Qing Ye followed him up after finishing her meal and noticed his tools were quite comprehensive. When she arrived, Xing Wu was drilling the hole for the external unit, the noise deafening.

After drilling, he removed the stainless steel security bars and climbed out to install the external unit bracket. Qing Ye watched in horror as he climbed out the window without any safety equipment, relying solely on his bare hands. Although the second floor wasn't terribly high, a fall could still be fatal or at least break his legs.

Qing Ye rushed over and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? At least tie a rope or something!"

Xing Wu glanced sideways at her with a mocking expression. "I was climbing windows before you were even drinking milk in your mother's arms. Let go."

Qing Ye released his arm in disbelief but didn't dare move away from the window, watching his dangerous maneuvers with tense apprehension.

Xing Wu stood on an exposed steel pipe that wobbled precariously, looking utterly unreliable. Qing Ye genuinely feared he might fall, leaning out to watch anxiously.

As darkness deepened and visibility worsened, Xing Wu noticed her nervous expression and said, "If you've got nothing better to do, use your phone to give me some light."

Not daring to be careless, Qing Ye took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. Xing Wu's field of vision immediately improved. He measured the position and began installing the bracket, his body completely suspended in mid-air. Qing Ye felt her legs go weak just watching, yet Xing Wu remained calm and composed without any sign of panic.

In the phone's light, Qing Ye studied his profile—a drop of sweat tracing his defined jawline before falling onto his prominent Adam's apple, exuding a wild aura. She rarely saw him sweat; probably this standing position was genuinely uncomfortable combined with the stifling heat outside.

Watching his skilled movements, Qing Ye casually asked, "Why do you make a special trip back every day to feed your grandmother?"

Xing Wu pointed to the screws on the windowsill. "Pass them to me."

After she handed them over, he replied, "She doesn't always cooperate during meals. My mother has little patience—if she refuses after a couple bites, she'll either stop feeding or force her mouth open. Swelling is minor; I'm more worried she might choke her to death."

Regarding patience, Qing Ye felt Xing Wu wasn't particularly patient either—he often acted harshly toward people. But when it came to caring for his grandmother, he showed exceptional attentiveness. When his grandmother refused to eat, Xing Wu would even coax her like a child to open her mouth. This aspect truly overturned her perception of him.

"You're really good to your grandmother," Qing Ye couldn't help remarking.

Xing Wu had already finished installing one side of the bracket and asked Qing Ye to hand him the other. "When I was young, my parents were rarely home. My grandmother handled everything inside and outside the house. Without her, there would be no me."

The phrase "without her, there would be no me" touched Qing Ye. Then she remembered something that had puzzled her for days: "What about your father?"

Qing Ye noticed a hint of sarcasm cross Xing Wu's face at the mention of his father. "Dead."

Qing Ye froze slightly. "Dead? But your mother told me she'd divide the room after your father returns. How could..."Xing Wu maintained that posture for quite a while, finding it rather strenuous. He lifted his T-shirt due to the heat, his tone icy cold: "Coming back less than twice a year—what’s the difference from being dead?"

Qing Ye fell silent. She had never encountered anyone who would curse their own father like that. Even when her own father had numerous mistresses, she had hated him bitterly but never wished him dead. So she couldn’t comprehend Xing Wu’s indifference.

Xing Wu worked swiftly, soon securing the outdoor air conditioning unit before jumping back inside. Qing Ye stood by the window as the youthful sweat and masculine scent from his body washed over her. Her gaze fell on his partially rolled-up shirt, revealing clearly defined abdominal muscles gleaming with an enticing bronze hue. Instantly, Qing Ye’s face flushed.

Xing Wu happened to look up while putting away the drill, catching her flustered expression. He raised an eyebrow teasingly: "If you’re so hot your face is red, why are you still standing there?"

Qing Ye lifted her head, clearly seeing the mockery in his eyes. She strongly suspected he’d said it intentionally—to make her even more embarrassed.

Without looking up, Qing Ye walked over to her side of the room to sit by the electric fan. Xing Wu continued installing the indoor unit with efficient movements. Qing Ye realized that although Xing Wu had a bad temper, he wasn’t without merits. At the very least, he was highly capable—skilled in woodworking, lock installation, computer repair, and now air conditioner installation. These fragmented yet complicated life skills that seemed trivial in Qing Ye’s eyes were almost all within Xing Wu’s grasp.

Previously, Qing Ye had known many remarkable male classmates—some fluent in multiple languages, others accomplished in various musical instruments, and some who could discuss historical and literary topics eloquently even right after middle school.

But one thing was certain: none of her accomplished former classmates possessed the practical skills Xing Wu had. This suddenly struck Qing Ye as rather cool.

Soon, the air conditioner was fully installed. Xing Wu adjusted the temperature with the remote before turning to Qing Ye: "Done."

Qing Ye walked over and stood beneath the AC vent. The cool breeze washing over her felt incredibly refreshing, as if instantly dispelling the stifling heat in her heart. Unconsciously, her lips curved into a slight smile, revealing shallow dimples. A faint glimmer reflected in Xing Wu’s eyes.

Suddenly remembering something, Qing Ye turned and asked: "By the way, why didn’t you charge for the computer repair?"

Xing Wu gave a half-smile as he pulled out a clean set of clothes. Turning to head downstairs, he tossed over his shoulder: "Just teasing you. The motherboard wasn’t broken."

Qing Ye placed her hands on her hips, glaring at his retreating back. Think it’s funny, do you? Jerk!