On an autumn evening, the setting sun cast its lingering glow, enveloping Qin Yuan Academy in a faint, fiery red halo, a scene of breathtaking beauty.
Having finished the day's classes, Bai Hao strolled along a fresh, clean path on the campus. The vegetation lining the path remained lush and green, exuding a spring-like vitality, much like the female students in their black skirts showcasing slender, attractive legs—there was no hint of autumn's desolation.
It had been over ten days since Bai Hao began his studies at Qin Yuan Academy. He felt his mind and body gradually immersing into this youthful campus. He had never imagined that learning could become such a delightful and enjoyable endeavor. After absorbing nourishing knowledge, walking under the sunset's afterglow, his long shadow stretched out behind him as he moved further away.
"What a familiar figure!"
Suddenly, Bai Hao halted, gazing at a slightly thin figure not far away. "Xiangyi?" he murmured softly.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile instantly appeared on Bai Hao's face. Since entering Qin Yuan Academy, he hadn't seen Ye Xiangyi, nor had he made a special effort to look for her. On one hand, as an auditing student juggling two places, he had little spare time; on the other hand, he saw no necessity to seek her out deliberately. He was here solely to acquire knowledge; everything else was irrelevant.
"It must be her!"
Confirming the familiar figure was Ye Xiangyi, Bai Hao subconsciously quickened his pace. Since they had met, it was only natural to greet her. Thinking of the comfortable storage room she had arranged for him, he felt grateful and a sweet warmth spread in his heart.
In Qin Yuan Academy, while Ye Xiangyi wasn't considered a peerless beauty, she was pleasant and delicate. Many male students passing by would instinctively glance at her once or twice. At that moment, she was walking slowly towards the dormitory building, holding a thick book.
"Ye Xiangyi, you, stop right there!"
Suddenly, three girls blocked Ye Xiangyi's path. The one in the middle was a imposing blonde girl with an oval face and a sharp chin, possessing some charm, but her eyes now were full of coldness, glaring directly at Ye Xiangyi.
The one who called out was precisely the blonde girl.
Ye Xiangyi slowed her steps, frowned slightly, a trace of confusion on her face, and asked softly, "Miss Ning, what is the matter?"
"Matter?" The blonde girl curled her lips into a cold smile and snorted. "Don't pretend you don't know."
Ye Xiangyi looked puzzled and shook her head.
Before the blonde girl could speak, a black-haired, short-haired girl beside her pointed a finger at Ye Xiangyi's nose and spat, "You shameless wretch, how dare you mess with Big Sister Weiwei's boyfriend? And you still act ignorant?"
Ye Xiangyi's expression changed slightly. "Please watch your language," she said firmly.
"Respect?" The blonde girl crossed her arms over her chest and sneered. "Do you think I need to talk about respect with a lowly barbecue girl?"
"You..." Ye Xiangyi's face flushed red. In an environment like Qin Yuan Academy, where most students came from wealthy or influential families, she felt a hidden sense of inferiority about her background.
"Did I say something wrong?" The blonde girl's face was full of contempt, her tone laced with sarcasm as she continued, "I've checked. Your father is just a street barbecue vendor working at night."
Another tall girl beside the blonde looked at Ye Xiangyi with disdain and said bitterly, "You, a lowly barbecue girl, dare to compete with Big Sister Weiwei for Young Master Haoxuan? Why don't you take a look at yourself in the mirror? Are you even worthy?"
"Yeah, Big Sister Weiwei, don't waste your anger on someone like this. Young Master Haoxuan is probably just playing with her," the short-haired girl quickly added scornfully.
The three of them were extremely arrogant, subjecting Ye Xiangyi to a barrage of sarcasm and ridicule.
Ye Xiangyi's cheeks turned even redder, a flicker of panic in her eyes.
On the path, many students, both male and female, slowed their steps, casting glances—some purely watching the spectacle, some sympathetic, others pointing and whispering, but no one stepped forward to intervene.
Seeing that quite a few people had stopped to watch, the blonde girl, Ning Weiwei, quickly gave a look to the short-haired girl beside her.
The short-haired girl understood and nodded knowingly. She sneered, pointed at Ye Xiangyi, and shouted, "Everyone, come and see! A toad lusting after a swan's flesh! This is Ye Xiangyi, a second-year from the Mecha Department, trying to seduce Young Master Ouyang Haoxuan! Let me give you a scoop: her father sets up a barbecue stall on Little Xiang Street every night. Interested classmates can go and support them! But let me warn you, I can't vouch for the hygiene. Her family lives in a basement. Those meat skewers might even be made of rat meat..."
It was currently the peak hour after classes, with many students coming and going. With the short-haired girl's shouting, the number of onlookers instantly swelled. However, they all stood on the periphery, some pointing and gossiping, others whispering among themselves.
Ye Xiangyi's cheeks were burning. She shifted her feet slightly, wanting to bypass the three and leave this troublesome situation.
But the next moment, the blonde girl, Ning Weiwei, directly blocked her path, sneering, "What's the matter? I haven't had enough fun yet, and you already want to leave?"
The short-haired girl and the tall girl immediately closed in, surrounding Ye Xiangyi, their faces full of mockery.
In an instant, Ye Xiangyi was trapped by the three, unable to leave.
The short-haired and tall girls launched into another round of taunts, even going so far as to shove and jostle her occasionally.
Ye Xiangyi looked helpless, her eyes reddening, tears rolling down her cheeks. In truth, her relationship with Ouyang Haoxuan was merely that of ordinary classmates. They had only had some recent contact discussing mecha operation techniques. While she had developed some好感 (favorable impression) towards Ouyang Haoxuan, who was not only handsome but also from a powerful family, it was absolutely not the kind of entrapment Ning Weiwei accused her of.
Seeing Ye Xiangyi in tears, Ning Weiwei said mockingly, "What? Trying to act pitiful? Too bad I'm not buying it."
The short-haired and tall girls stopped their berating, wearing faint, smug smiles, still blocking Ye Xiangyi's sides, preventing her from leaving.
Ye Xiangyi wiped her tears, barely holding them back, and said, "Please move aside."
"Move aside? Big Sister Weiwei, she actually wants us to move aside. Hah!" the short-haired girl laughed mockingly.
"Moving aside is possible," Ning Weiwei said coldly. "But you must apologize to me loudly, right now, and swear you'll never have any contact with Ouyang Haoxuan again."
But Ye Xiangyi clenched her teeth, remaining silent. Apologizing was something she couldn't bring herself
herself to do. There was nothing between her and Ouyang Haoxuan. If she apologized, wouldn't that be admitting she had indeed tried to seduce him? And with so many people watching...
"What? Not willing to apologize?" A cold glint flashed in Ning Weiwei's eyes. She sneered, "Then I'll have to use a more direct method to make sure you remember this lesson..."
Halfway through her sentence, Ning Weiwei suddenly raised her right hand and slapped Ye Xiangyi across the face.
Slap!
The sound of the slap was sharp and resounding.