Dazzling

The incident began right after Qing Ye left the competition venue. When Xing Wu was surrounded, Lao Zhu, Lao Dong, and the referees and staff on the sidelines were the first to rush in and intervene. However, as all the members of Anzhi Vocational School jumped down, the situation quickly spiraled out of control. In the chaos, someone swung a relay baton directly at Lao Zhu's head. To protect Lao Zhu, Lao Dong also got into a conflict with them. When Huang Mao and Pang Hu saw that Lao Zhu and Lao Dong were also being attacked, they immediately engaged with the Anzhi group.

As Hua Bi and Da Hei also rushed down, the members of the Dark Hall could no longer hold back and began descending into the fray one after another.

It was at this moment that Fang Jie's people took advantage of the chaos to meddle, playing both sides and inadvertently pulling Xing Wu away. The security personnel from outside all rushed in, but they were stunned by the sheer number of people involved.

The Dark Hall members naturally targeted Da Hei and his group. With their superior numbers and ruthless tactics, Da Hei and his men were quickly overwhelmed and forced to retreat step by step. Hua Bi was beaten so badly that he was barely recognizable.

Da Cao could no longer restrain himself. He charged into the crowd, leading his men to block Xing Wu and personally took action.

Within the Dark Hall, Fang Jie had always maintained a neutral stance, keeping his distance from everyone. Over the years, he had shifted to legitimate business and was steadily climbing the ladder. However, at the end of the day, he couldn't openly oppose the Dark Hall. All he could do was buy time; he couldn't actually stand up and help Xing Wu.

Xing Wu's clothes were already torn to shreds, his body covered in bloody marks. Yet, when Da Cao charged at him, Xing Wu grabbed him by the throat. Da Cao punched him repeatedly, roaring, "Let go of me, you bastard!"

Not only did Xing Wu not release his grip, but he tightened it even more. Amid the surrounding chaos, the two engaged in a fierce standoff. Da Cao, his neck tightly constricted by Xing Wu, soon found it hard to breathe, his face turning red. Just then, a man from behind punched Xing Wu, and with something sharp in his hand, he slashed open a wound on Xing Wu's back. A sharp pain shot through Xing Wu, forcing him to release Da Cao.

Doubled over and clutching his chest, Da Cao gasped for air. After just two breaths, he viciously kicked Xing Wu. Instantly, people from all directions surrounded Xing Wu once more.

As Da Cao's fists rained down on him, Xing Wu no longer felt pain. Instead, he laughed coldly, staring straight at Da Cao and enunciating each word: "If you have the guts, kill me today. As long as I'm alive, you won't leave this place breathing!"

An overwhelming aura of menace surged from all directions. There wasn't a single uninjured spot left on Xing Wu's body, but his dark eyes remained fixed on Da Cao—unyielding, mocking—sending a chill down Da Cao's spine. Soon, however, Da Cao was consumed by boundless rage. His eyes turned bloodshot, and with a furious roar, he began pummeling Xing Wu relentlessly.

Fang Jie could no longer bear to watch. He signaled to his men and left first. The situation had become uncontrollable. Several senior figures in the stands also grew restless, standing up and shouting, urging everyone to stop before things went too far and a life was lost. But Da Cao was already blinded by bloodlust, a sinister and cold smile twisting his face as he dragged Xing Wu, covered in blood, toward the awards podium.

Da Hei and his men were all restrained, forced to watch helplessly as Da Cao dragged Xing Wu by the feet toward the podium. Xing Wu had lost consciousness, his tall frame stained with horrifying shades of crimson.No one knew what Da Cao was really planning until he dragged Xing Wu all the way to the flagpole, lowered the flag, and tied a rope around Xing Wu's ankle. Da Hei and the others suddenly paled, realizing that Da Cao intended to hoist Xing Wu up—what an immense humiliation!

Pang Hu erupted in fury, letting out a Tarzan-like roar as he instantly took down three people around him, shouting, "Brother Wu, wake up!"

Just then, Fang Lei arrived at the sports field with reinforcements first. She had mobilized the entire Night Cram Class—a full fifty to sixty students—who charged into the field only to witness Da Cao wrapping a rope around Xing Wu's ankle at the flagpole.

Huang Mao spotted familiar faces at once and yelled at them, "Hurry! Da Cao's going to hoist Brother Wu up!"

Fang Lei cursed, "Holy shit, that's insane!"

With that, the fifty to sixty students surged toward the flagpole in a massive wave. The scene, the roars, and the sheer fury startled Da Cao, who had been about to pull the rope.

A group of passionate youths rushed forward and shoved Da Cao down. The girls ran to untie the rope while the boys encircled the flag-raising platform, ready to fight to the death. Among them was a short, bespectacled girl in a school uniform, but that didn't dampen their fierce, all-or-nothing resolve.

The two sides suddenly reached a standoff. Da Cao looked at this unexpected crowd and found it almost laughable, dismissing them entirely. He raised a hand and warned, "Get the hell out of here, all of you! If you block my way again, I'll beat you so hard you won't recognize your own mothers."

Da Cao had completely lost control. Today, he was determined to hang Xing Wu up, settling old and new grudges at once and branding him with lifelong shame.

Just as both sides were about to clash, no one expected Li Lanfang to ride into the sports field on Er Mazi's tricycle, hurling her shoe at Da Cao's face before yanking his ponytail hard.

Behind Li Lanfang, a steady stream of elderly folks, drawn by the commotion, poured in. Many carried vegetable baskets, and seeing the crowd, some thought they were late. One old man grabbed a Dark Hall member and asked, "Young man, where can we get the eggs?"

"…"

A swarm of elderly men and women in colorful clothes flooded in, asking about eggs everywhere. Instead of finding eggs, they heard Li Lanfang shouting at the top of her lungs, "Everyone, come see this! Is there no justice left? They're trying to kill someone in broad daylight!!"

It proved true: never push a middle-aged woman to her limit. Under Li Lanfang's relentless incitement, the egg-seeking elderly instantly sided with her, pointing their vegetable baskets at the gang members and cursing them out.

When Qing Ye rushed into the inner field with Ye Yingjian, she saw a chaotic brawl involving hundreds of people. An old man lay on the ground, claiming he'd been beaten and refusing to let anyone leave until his son arrived. An old woman wildly swung her vegetable basket at a Dark Hall youth. Another elderly lady tugged at a young man, demanding he pay for her broken reading glasses. The entire sports field had turned into a complete madhouse, like a chaotic market.

Qing Ye didn't hesitate, plunging into the crowd to find Xing Wu. Soon, she spotted Huang Mao supporting a bruised Lao Zhu. Over the heads of a few arguing old men, she yelled, "Huang Mao, where's Xing Wu?"Huang Mao heard Qing Ye's voice, turned his head, and told her: "The flag-raising platform."

Qing Ye had just turned around when she stepped on a shoe. Even several stray dogs had somehow wandered in to join the commotion, barking chaotically at people.

She rushed through the crowd straight to the flagpole, immediately spotting Fang Lei. Her heart leaped into her throat as she squeezed through to Fang Lei's side and asked: "Where is he?"

Without a word, Fang Lei grabbed Qing Ye's arm and pulled her behind the flag-raising platform.

When Qing Ye saw Xing Wu lying motionless on the ground, covered in blood, it felt as if someone had plunged a knife deep into her heart. Her legs went weak, tears instantly streaming down her face as she cried out: "Xing Wu, can you hear me? The ambulance is coming, hold on!"

The moment her hand touched him, Xing Wu—who had been lying with his eyes closed—suddenly grasped her hand back. Qing Ye froze for a second as he tugged weakly at her wrist. She quickly leaned down, and Xing Wu strained to whisper four faint words in her ear: "South Gate. North Gate."

After uttering just these four words, his brows furrowed tightly in pain. Blood flowed from his scalp down his cheeks, drying on his skin in a horrifying sight. Wave after wave of agony assaulted his consciousness as he pressed a steel ball bearing—which he'd been clutching tightly in his palm—into Qing Ye's hand. Then his eyes snapped open, locking directly onto hers.

Qing Ye glanced down at the object in her palm, instantly closing her fingers around it before leaning down to press a fierce kiss to his lips. "I understand," she told him. "Leave the rest to me."

Without another glance at the stunned Li Lanfang, Ye Yingjian, and the others, she stood and charged back into the crowd.

By then, the gang leaders had sensed things were going wrong and were urgently gathering their members to retreat. Wei Dong had mobilized several dozen Jin Zhong students who were now storming into the stadium through the South Gate, where they immediately encountered Qing Ye and the Anzhong crew charging toward them. Most of these two groups had clashed during the Winter Camp—formerly bitter rivals, now fighting side by side.

Qing Ye pushed through to stand between the two groups and shouted: "Don't let a single fly escape!"

Everyone immediately turned and formed a human wall around the stadium, tightly trapping the Dark Hall members who had been retreating toward the exits. Some tried to turn and flee toward the North Gate instead.

But at the North Gate, Li Lanfang and Liu Nian had already assembled neighbors from Zhazha Pavilion and the mom-and-sisters group from their chat, lying in wait. These older women were far less polite than high school students—the moment they saw the gang youth rushing toward them, they unleashed a storm of "tough love" beatings and lectures. One woman directly grabbed a young man by the ear and demanded: "How dare you cause trouble! What are your parents' names?"

Police sirens began wailing closer outside the stadium. The gang members, growing desperate, all converged at the South Gate, preparing to break through.

Ye Yingjian chose that moment to step grandly in front of everyone, elegantly smoothing his stiff hairstyle as he announced: "Let's see who dares try to get past here."

No sooner had he spoken than thwack—someone came out of nowhere and punched him. Ye Yingjian stared in disbelief at his assailant, clutching his face in outrage: "Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you hit me?"

His words were met with another punch. The Anzhong students nearby couldn't bear to watch, quickly pulling him aside and urging: "Just stop talking."On the other side, Fang Jie had long left the arena, though before departing, he left two men behind to monitor the situation. It was on his way back that he received a photo sent by one of his subordinates—the image captured Ye Yingjian being beaten. Seated in the back seat, he zoomed in on the photo and suddenly laughed, then forwarded it directly to President Ye at the shooting range.

The subordinate in the front passenger seat asked, "Brother Fang, where are we heading now?"

Fang Jie leisurely locked his phone, crossed his legs, and said, "Home to sleep. Rest well and wait to take over the pieces. Brothers, good days are coming."

...

As the situation inside the venue had spiraled out of control, several of the senior figures were now trapped in the stands. It wasn't until the first wave of police officers rushed into the arena and cleared a path that Shen Lao Si and his group finally descended from the stands. Qing Ye only saw them exchange a few words with the officers before swaggering out through the cleared exit.

She immediately pushed past the people blocking her way and took advantage of the chaos to rush to the announcer's booth. A piercing noise suddenly blared from the venue's speakers, followed by Qing Ye's voice echoing throughout the arena: "Everyone, look at the south gate! Those people walking out are the organizers of today's riot—publicly disrupting the competition rules, inciting group brawls, and even armed attacks on participants. Who gave them the audacity? And who is openly letting them walk away right under everyone's noses?"

The crowd erupted in uproar. At that moment, Qing Ye spotted two uniformed officers approaching her. She stood up, gripping the microphone, and backed away while shouting, "Don't let them leave!"

With that, she threw down the microphone and plunged into the crowd. The elderly spectators instantly erupted, and chants of "Arrest them! Arrest them! Arrest them!" surged through the arena in overwhelming waves.

Shen Lao Si and his crew had already reached the exit, shoving through the crowd in their attempt to escape. Just then, a group of people suddenly entered from the front—led by Quan Ya and Shu Han.

They immediately blocked Shen Lao Si's path, throwing the south gate into complete chaos. Qing Ye climbed onto the stands and caught sight of Quan Ya dragging a man by the collar. She looked closer and realized, to her shock, that the cowering man was none other than Yang Gang.