Silence fell. It was as if only the echo of the slap lingered in the surrounding air.
The onlookers wore expressions ranging from mild surprise to utter astonishment. While they knew this young lady of the Ning family was not one to be trifled with, none had expected her to publicly slap Ye Xiangyi in front of everyone.
"This Ning Weiwei is simply too overbearing. This is Qin Yuan Academy, not her family's private estate," many students thought inwardly, feeling a spark of indignation. Yet, none dared show it on their faces. After all, as the young lady of one of the few top families in Baoli City, she was far beyond the reach of ordinary students like them. For Ye Xiangyi, they could only offer silent sympathy.
Ning Weiwei had acted swiftly. The slap seemed premeditated—clean and sharp.
Ye Xiangyi felt a stinging pain on her cheek and instinctively raised a hand to touch it. She hadn't imagined Ning Weiwei would dare to slap her so brazenly. The tears she had been holding back instantly streamed down her face, and a deep sense of grievance welled up in her heart.
However, Ning Weiwei showed no sign of stopping after the first slap. Her right hand, having completed its arc, swung back again, aiming for the right side of Ye Xiangyi's face. Her hatred for this girl who dared to steal her boyfriend seemed bone-deep, as if only these slaps could vent the fury burning within her.
But in the next moment, the crisp, sharp sound of another slap did not reach the ears of the crowd.
Ning Weiwei's right hand halted less than ten centimeters from Ye Xiangyi's cheek, frozen, unable to move an inch.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain escaped Ning Weiwei's lips. It felt as if her wrist had been instantly clamped in iron shackles—a firm, powerful grip locked around it, sending waves of sharp, piercing agony through her bones.
Many spectators gasped in surprise, their faces revealing unconcealed shock and disbelief. What held Ning Weiwei's wrist was not a shackle, but a solid, forceful hand. "Is this guy trying to get himself killed?" they wondered.
Bai Hao held Ning Weiwei's wrist in a vise-like grip, his face openly displaying his anger. He had been hurrying over, intending to greet Ye Xiangyi, only to stumble upon this sudden altercation. Six months ago, when he first arrived in Baoli City, Uncle Wu Jin had taken him in. Though his interaction with Ye Xiangyi had lasted only a couple of days, he had come to regard her as a younger sister. Now, seeing her being bullied in such a manner, a surge of uncontrollable rage ignited within him instantly. He had rushed over at his fastest speed to prevent her from suffering further harm.
"You... let go of me now!" Ning Weiwei's eyes blazed at Bai Hao as if shooting flames. Her face was a mask of mingled rage and pain. She felt the bones in her wrist might shatter under the grip of this seemingly unremarkable man. No one had ever dared treat her with such disrespect in her entire life.
Right now, she was truly furious!
Slap!
Yet, before she could finish her sentence, a forceful slap instantly struck her own face.
The sound was crisp and resounding.
Ning Weiwei was stunned.
She had never imagined anyone would dare treat her this way—delivering a heavy, stinging slap right in front of so many people. It was undoubtedly a monumental humiliation.
The slap was heavy. Ning Weiwei was directly knocked to the ground. The short-haired girl and the tall girl beside her hadn't yet processed the situation. A moment ago, they were contemplating what fool dared to intervene. But the next moment, an even more shocking scene unfolded before them. Not only had this fool intervened, but he had also audaciously slapped the young lady of the Ning family. After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, they snapped back to reality, hurriedly moving to help the fallen Ning Weiwei up, their voices filled with concern. "Wei... Weiwei-jie!"
The surrounding crowd was utterly astounded. From the moment Bai Hao intervened, they had already labeled him an idiot in their minds. They never expected this "idiot" would do something even more foolish—slapping the esteemed young lady of the Ning family right before their eyes.
After the slap, the fury in Bai Hao's eyes gradually subsided. He had never imagined himself hitting a girl in such a manner, but he had just done it. And in this moment, he felt not an ounce of regret for his action. That slap, he believed, was entirely justified.
"Weiwei-jie, you... your mouth is bleeding!" The short-haired and tall girls, supporting Ning Weiwei on either side, saw the bright red blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and immediately panicked. If something serious happened to the Ning family's young lady because of this, they would undoubtedly bear severe consequences as well.
Indeed, a significant amount of blood seeped from Ning Weiwei's lip. Clearly, Bai Hao's slap had been forceful. However, Bai Hao wasn't overly worried. Though fueled by anger, he had exercised considerable restraint. That slap would, at most, cause some superficial tissue damage, nothing too severe.
Amidst her shock and fury, a flicker of panic also surfaced on Ning Weiwei's face. One hand touched her left cheek, the other wiped the blood from her mouth. Her eyes glared venomously at Bai Hao as she spat through gritted teeth, "You... you dare hit me?"
By now, Bai Hao's anger had largely dissipated, his expression returning to calm. His tone was even as he stated plainly, "That slap was payback."
"Fang... Bai Hao-gege?!"
Ye Xiangyi, standing to the side, finally snapped out of her daze. Having been publicly slapped by Ning Weiwei, she had been drowning in humiliation, tears threatening to overflow like a torrential river. Yet, the next moment, she found a figure suddenly beside her, instantly preventing Ning Weiwei's second assault and, in front of everyone, delivering a heavy slap in return. When she clearly saw Bai Hao's face, she was utterly astonished. Though their interaction six months ago had lasted only two or three days, he had left a fairly deep impression on her—possessing a simple, earnest quality reminiscent of her father. What she never imagined was that the person now coming to her aid would be Bai Hao, someone with whom she seemed to have no real connection.
"Xiangyi, are you alright?"
Bai Hao shielded Ye Xiangyi behind him, a thread of concern woven into his voice.
Ye Xiangyi still had one hand pressed against her flushed left cheek, but the overwhelming sense of grievance had eased somewhat after Bai Hao's forceful slap. She managed to hold back her tears and replied weakly, "I... I'm okay."
Hearing this, Bai Hao felt slightly reassured, though his gaze remained fixed intently on Ning Weiwei, who stood less than a meter away.
Ning Weiwei's expression was a complex mix of fury, shock, resentment, and various other emotions. Just moments ago, she had been the one slapping another with an air of superiority. Now, she had been slapped back with even greater force. For someone accustomed to her elevated status, this reality was exceedingly difficult to accept.