Chapter 37 The Compensation Game is Over
The girl coldly threatened, "A pampered young lady like you, I can take on ten of you with one punch."
Pei Ci was taken aback.
"Ten?" she read out subconsciously.
"Of course." Ye Qingyu tightened her grip on Pei Ci's hand, her eyes narrowing. "Are you scared?"
Pei Ci wasn't afraid, but she said aloud, "I am."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu released her grip and took a half-step back, saying, "Then stay away from me."
"Why?" Pei Ci asked again.
But she knew Ye Qingyu wouldn't answer the question seriously. Pei Ci pondered the answer, "Because I didn't protect you well at the party?"
After all, they were already friends before the party, but she didn't protect Ye Qingyu, so it's normal that Ye Qingyu dislikes her.
But to accomplish the task, she needs to become friends with Ye Qingyu, at least for now and for a long time to come.
Pei Ci then apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't know Lu Ran was late, nor did I know he would lose control. If I had made more comprehensive arrangements that day, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
No response?
Pei Ci took a step forward, took her hand, and asked, "Are you blaming me for this?"
Ye Qingyu: "..."
Ye Qingyu almost sneered inwardly. She really didn't know what was going on in this young lady's mind. This matter had nothing to do with her, yet she was taking the blame upon herself.
They were being used without even realizing it.
And then, like an idiot, they came right up to me.
Do you want to fall into a coma a second time?
How foolish.
Oh well, if that's what she thinks, then so be it. After all...
Ye Qingyu lowered her eyes; her only goal was to get her to stay away from her.
“Yes.” Ye Qingyu no longer held back. She pulled away Ye Qingyu’s hand. “Miss, think carefully. Since I met you, how much trouble have you caused me? How many times have I been beaten?”
Pei Ci: "..."
“Every time we meet, you’re a high and mighty princess, while I’m trampled on, humiliated, and made to look ugly. Do you think I’m happy about that?”
"You're such a troublemaker," Ye Qingyu sneered. "Can't you have some self-awareness? Don't use your overflowing urge to save me. Can you stay away from me?"
"Do you want me to kneel down and beg you, young lady?"
After the emotional outburst, the air fell silent.
Ye Qingyu looked into her slightly widened eyes, and in those clear eyes, she saw her own hideous reflection.
LOL.
Will she start crying the next second?
It's really annoying.
Ye Qingyu didn't want to stay any longer. She turned her back to him, saying, "Find someone to lead the way yourself, I—"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a warmth on her back. Looking down, she saw a pair of slender hands on her abdomen.
Pei Ci hugged her from behind.
Is it acceptable for girls to be this intimate?
Ye Qingyu's face darkened, just then she heard Pei Ci's voice.
"Ye Qingyu, let's go together."
Ye Qingyu turned her head and met a pair of eyes, clear and bright, with a focused expression.
Surprisingly, she didn't cry.
Ye Qingyu bit her tongue. "Can't you understand me?"
Her tone became even more aggressive, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Pei Ci simply didn't want the relationship to sour.
“I want to make it up to you,” she said.
Just as Ye Qingyu was about to retort, Pei Ci grabbed her hand again, "Does it hurt, Ye Qingyu?"
Ye Qingyu hated it when Pei Ci said that.
Why do you have to ask her if she's in pain?
This was her own choice, and she should bear all the suffering. But just when she decided to take a gamble, her world saw its first ray of light.
The light was too bright, making the pain from the journey unbearable.
She couldn't help but look up at the sky, a clear, boundless blue. It was mid-October, and by early November, a grand campus celebration would be held.
Ye Qingyu fell silent.
Pei Ci didn't know what she was thinking in her silence. Her hand was gripped tightly. "After you make it up to me, will you stay away from me?"
Before Pei Ci could answer, Ye Qingyu said definitively, "After you've made amends, you must stay away from me."
*
When the two arrived at the gymnasium's changing room, the second period had already started five minutes earlier.
Therefore, there was no one in the locker room.
The changing room was large and bright, with nearly thirty or forty neatly arranged changing cubicles, and each student had their own locker.
Pei Ci's last visit to Anta Academy was two weeks ago, when she attended classes for only one day. However, as a student who receives special attention from the school, even small details like the sportswear she wears for physical education class are prepared well in advance.
At that moment, Pei Ci opened her phone, and the teacher in charge of her campus life had already sent her the locker number and password.
"Where is this?" Pei Ci walked over and asked Ye Qingyu.
Ye Qingyu was inexplicably reserved as she entered the changing room, her eyes fixed on the ground. She glanced at the number on Pei Ci's phone and led Pei Ci to her locker.
The changing room was quite large, and Ye Qingyu walked even slower than when she was outside. After many twists and turns, she finally arrived at a row of lockers.
She was efficient and proactively opened Pei Ci's cabinet before opening her own.
Coincidentally, her cabinet was also in this row.
As she opened the closet, picked up her workout clothes, and went to change, Pei Ci walked over.
"Ye Qingyu, which outfit should I wear?" Pei Ci asked.
Which set?
Ye Qingyu frowned.
The school provides two sets of sportswear, doesn't it?
One set of short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and one set of long-sleeved shirt and trousers.
However, she quickly realized that the school did only provide two sets of clothing, but the students disliked the poor quality of the provided clothing fabric and would order new ones based on the original style, with minor design modifications to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing result.
These minor alterations to clothing are quite popular at Anta School.
Since the order has already been placed, it's definitely not just one or two items. Wearing an entire outfit for one class period is perfectly normal.
Pei Ci, as the eldest daughter, was naturally no exception.
As she pondered, Pei Ci's gaze inadvertently fell upon the clothes Ye Qingyu was holding.
Her gaze paused, her brow furrowed, and she pointed at the clothes, asking, "What is this?"
Ye Qingyu snapped out of her daze and, following Pei Ci's gaze, saw the clothes she was holding.
This is the outfit she's about to wear. Unlike the neat clothes of the others, her clothes are tattered and have ink stains that can't be washed off.
Ye Qingyu didn't remember when it was destroyed, probably at the beginning of the semester when she offended Lu Ran, and then one day when she opened the closet, the clothes inside were destroyed.
Scratching it is secondary.
It was filled with trash, and the word "bitch" was written in ink on the clothes.
Fortunately, the clothes weren't see-through. After Ye Qingyu saw them, she washed them and wore them for a PE class. Afterwards, she washed the clothes again, but the writing had faded. There was nothing else she could do.
Even though it's a tracksuit, its value isn't something an ordinary person could easily buy a second one for. Ye Qingyu wearing this outfit to class as if no one else was around only fueled her anger.
"It was an accident," Ye Qingyu said casually.
Pei Ci stared at the stain without saying a word.
She didn't quite understand why Ye Qingyu had such a contradictory attitude towards being bullied.
She had a rebellious spirit, and her posture was always arrogant, which inadvertently attracted a lot of hatred. But after being beaten, she showed no intention of retaliating. Even now, after all this time, she hasn't mentioned the party at all, and just continues to be arrogant as always.
If I can't figure it out, I can only put it aside for now. The main thing now is to solve this problem for Ye Qingyu.
After thinking for a moment, Pei Ci pointed to the clothes in Ye Qingyu's hand, "I want this one."
Ye Qingyu: "..."
Ye Qingyu doubted her ears, her voice cold, "What's wrong with you?"
"I want this one."
"These are my clothes."
"Give it to me." Pei Ci reached out and took off the bracelet from her wrist. She didn't know the value of the items on her body, but what she had should be enough to buy a dress. "Let's exchange."
This wasn't the first time Pei Ci had given her something, but Ye Qingyu's life hadn't improved at all; the edges of her shoes were even torn. So Pei Ci added, "You can exchange them for money."
You are humiliating me.
Pei Ci shook her head. "I didn't think that way."
"Money never carries the meaning of shame or humiliation; it is often very useful."
These words made Ye Qingyu pause. The Pei family's wealth was beyond her comprehension. As a pampered young lady who had everything done for her, she couldn't imagine that Pei Ci actually had any concept of money.
"You actually know all this?" Ye Qingyu said coolly.
Pei Ci understood, of course. In her past life, she was the same kind of person as Ye Qingyu, or rather, even poorer.
She is a patient, a huge money-devouring beast.
These memories are just blurry now.
She rarely thinks about it anymore.
"You need money to get medical treatment," Pei Ci said calmly. "Ye Qingyu, do you think I'm an idiot without common sense?"
Ye Qingyu: "..."
"Ye Qingyu, give me the clothes," Pei Ci said.
Ye Qingyu: "..."
Ye Qingyu really didn't understand why Pei Ci was wearing her clothes, but in the end she let go of her hand.
Pei Ci glanced at the clothes after receiving them.
It's very spacious.
It's basically the largest size. The fabric is rather stiff. Although it's been worn, it's clearly been washed regularly and has a laundry detergent scent.
washing powder?
When the word came to mind, Pei Ci felt somewhat unfamiliar with it.
In a daze, she remembered how she used to wash her clothes with laundry detergent. His hands, white from washing, were covered in bubbles. After a while, he would look up at her to see if she was sitting properly on the bed. If he noticed, he would blow bubbles for her.
Of course, the bubbles didn't reach her; they landed at her feet and disappeared when they hit the concrete floor.
He hummed a song and continued washing his clothes.
"You should be a rich young lady again in your next life," he said with a smile. "Otherwise, who will be able to support you?"
Past scenes flashed through her mind, but Pei Ci stopped thinking about them. They belonged to the past, to her previous life, and should be sealed away.
She should move forward now.
*
Ye Qingyu gave her a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, but because it was two sizes too big, it was too big for Pei Ci.
She didn't know what it looked like, so she came out of the cubicle.
Ye Qingyu finished changing before her and happened to see Pei Ci in front of the mirror.
At first glance, her legs were straight, slender, and radiantly white. The girl wore socks that reached above her ankles, covering part of the beautiful lines of her calves. She wore disposable slippers, and her loose-fitting clothes turned her small round neck into a large round neck, revealing a patch of her white skin. Her bare arms looked like solidified milk, so smooth that scraping them would leave a layer of putty.
Ye Qingyu was always more than ten minutes late for PE class, and she would always keep her head down and keep her mind on edge whenever she encountered someone. This was the first time she had ever been in direct contact with a girl's body.
Ye Qingyu: "..."
Pei Ci's allure was all too clear to her. The boys, needless to say, were practically glued to her the moment she appeared. Even the girls seemed to have a possessive streak. On the way here, countless girls had touched her hands, shoulders, and arms, yet Pei Ci herself showed absolutely no sense of distance.
Ye Qingyu frowned, "You..."
As soon as she uttered the word "you," Pei Ci turned around.
She's so beautiful; in her uniform, she's the epitome of a pure and innocent school beauty. But this tattered, sporty T-shirt gives off a completely different vibe.
"Do you have any rubber bands?" Pei Ci asked.
Ye Qingyu lowered her eyes. Her hair was thick and usually tied with two hair ties, but she took one off her head. Because she took one off, there was less support, and her high ponytail became a low ponytail, making her tightly pressed hair much looser.
As a result, Ye Qingyu's face gained a touch of gentleness, and her thick hair covered her reddened ear tips.
She handed the rubber band to Pei Ci.
Pei Ci didn't answer, but instead asked her, "Do you know how to do hair?"
Ye Qingyu: "..."
She knew this was because Pei Ci was subtly asking her to tie her hair, but she insisted:
"Won't."
However, Ye Qingyu eventually gave in, as she was gradually losing patience with the young lady's "compensation" game.
She touched Pei Ci's hair; it was cool and smooth, and she had a unique fragrance. Ye Qingyu vaguely felt she had smelled it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it.
However, as expected of a young lady, even her hair was exquisite, leaving Ye Qingyu feeling at a loss for what to do.
"What's wrong?" Pei Ci asked.
Ye Qingyu took a deep breath, telling herself this was the last time. Then, her rough knuckles dug into her hair, gathering the strands together. Amidst her pounding heartbeat, she tied Pei Ci's hair into a slightly messy low ponytail.
Ye Qingyu frowned.
She was not satisfied with her technique.
However, Pei Ci had already separated from her.
With her hair tied up, Pei Ci revealed her slender, fair neck, like an elegant swan.
"Thank you," Pei Ci said.
Ye Qingyu frowned, no longer looking at the hair that was making her feel irritated. She looked down and saw her slender yet shapely legs. Because of the close proximity, she could see the pale blue veins beneath the pale skin.
Ye Qingyu frowned. "You're going to go to class dressed like this?"
Pei Ci, of course, didn't think that way. She went into the changing room and changed into her own trousers. The trousers fit perfectly, making her short-sleeved shirt seem even more ill-fitting.
Ye Qingyu noticed that Pei Ci's skin was red from being rubbed by the rough collar, and frowned without saying a word.
What exactly does this young lady want to do?
*
On the other side, the stadium.
The class has now started for fifteen minutes.
Pei Ci's class had finished warming up.
However, Pei Ci had not yet arrived.
"Has something happened?"
"The young lady walks slowly, but she should be here by now."
"Yes, we should be here by now."
Thinking of Ye Qingyu's aloof temperament, some people couldn't hold back for a moment.
"Could it be that Ye Qingyu abandoned the young lady and ran away?"
"Wow, really? She shouldn't be that bold."
"Is she really that brave?"
The girls looked at each other in bewilderment.
Antal Academy is a prestigious academy for the elite. Students who can enter not only need to be wealthy and well-connected, but also exceptionally talented. Special admissions students, however, only need to meet the criteria of outstanding academic performance and a background of poverty that attracts social attention to overcome all obstacles and stand alongside them.
This is why nobles generally look down on students admitted through special admissions programs.
Ye Qingyu and the others particularly disliked it.
She was arrogant, which was bad enough, but she also constantly provoked everyone in the academy.
The main reason Ye Qingyu became enemies with Lu Ran wasn't because she broke Lu Ran's things, but because she said these two sentences—
"You like Miss Pei?"
"Look in the mirror and see if you're worthy."
This touched a nerve with Lu Ran.
However, this should not have happened.
Because the day before the specially admitted students entered Anta Academy, student council members gave them a brief introduction. They explained who they shouldn't mess with, what taboos certain people had, and who to stay far away from. Although the explanation wasn't very detailed, it definitely included points about Lu Ran.
And it is relatively more detailed.
But Ye Qingyu was very bold.
She wasn't afraid of death at all.
He went straight into Lu Ran's arms.
"What should we do then?" Hearing this, some people became anxious. "Should we ask the teacher?"
"Or shall we go look for it?"
People keep coming up with solutions.
At that moment, Pei Ci and Ye Qingyu entered the venue.
Led by Ye Qingyu, they found the area where their classroom was located and then went to the teacher.
"I'm sorry, teacher, Ye Qingyu and I are late," Pei Ci said proactively.
Every teacher at the school knew Pei Ci and her illness, so they said, "It's alright, Pei Ci. Your health is more important than attending classes."
The PE teacher spoke gently, but his gaze turned slightly cold when he looked at Ye Qingyu. "Ye Qingyu, why are you only arriving now?"
The PE teacher disliked Ye Qingyu because she was always late for class and never changed her ways despite repeated warnings. Furthermore, Ye Qingyu easily caused trouble; she had been hit several times during the teacher's class.
While it is an objective fact that elite academies favor elite students, they do not openly condone bullying and will investigate the situation when such incidents occur.
Each time Ye Qingyu got into trouble, it was because she had a verbal disagreement with her classmates, which eventually escalated into a physical fight.
He specifically discussed this matter with Ye Qingyu.
"You're a special admission student, which means you're an outsider who got in here by a huge bargain. Just bear with it for now. Once you graduate, you won't have to put up with this anymore. Besides, you'll have a bright and promising future. Maybe you'll even become the one who sets the rules and changes everything."
"I understand, teacher," Ye Qingyu replied.
However, it had little effect.
The same thing will happen next time.
Ye Qingyu made her classes a complete mess.
At this point, she remained as unyielding as ever.
"I'm sorry, teacher, I'm late," Ye Qingyu said.
"Late again? No problem, just like before, I'll run a bit first..."
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Ci's voice was heard, "She was late because she was taking care of me."
"Teacher, are you going to punish her?"
The PE teacher was taken aback and looked at the two of them with some surprise.
Pei Ci's situation naturally caught the attention of the students in the class. They were initially shocked that Pei Ci was defending Ye Qingyu. Then, their gazes fell on her clothes.
These clothes clearly don't belong to Pei Ci; they look more like...
After the teacher finally finished speaking, a group of students couldn't sit still and crowded around. "Pei Ci, why are you so late? Did something happen on the way?"
“Pei Ci looks beautiful with her hair tied up.”
"Pei Ci, what are your clothes...?"
Pei Ci lowered her eyes. "This belongs to Ye Qingyu."
"ah???"
Pei Ci said calmly, "My clothes were torn."
These words made everyone gasp.
Seriously?! Who would dare damage the young lady's clothes?! Are they crazy?!
However, this is a good opportunity to curry favor with Pei Ci.
Immediately, someone exclaimed indignantly, "My God, who is it that's so outrageous?!"
"Yeah, how could anyone do such a thing?!"
"Pei Ci, don't worry, we will find the murderer. This kind of behavior must not be tolerated."
The people surrounding her chattered amongst themselves, but Pei Ci remained silent. The people speaking gradually sensed something was amiss and their voices trailed off.
At this moment, Pei Ci spoke up, "It seems everyone knows that it's wrong to damage clothes."
“Then,” Pei Ci said indifferently, glancing at the people surrounding her, “who ruined Ye Qingyu’s clothes.”
Upon hearing this, there was complete silence.
They couldn't help but look at Ye Qingyu, who was standing to one side, in the deathly silence.
They simply couldn't understand why Pei Ci was so protective of her.
*
Finally, thanks to Pei Ci's intervention, the person who ruined the clothes was found.
He was a specially admitted student in the class.
The girl stammered as she approached Pei Ci, "I'm sorry, Pei Ci, I... I just..."
She had actually been instructed to do so, but at this moment she dared not utter a single word. She could only turn to Ye Qingyu for help. Unfortunately, Ye Qingyu remained silent.
Finally, the girl was taken to the student council.
The student council at Anta College has a lot of power and responsibilities, and it manages most student disputes.
After resolving the matter, Pei Ci said, "Ye Qingyu's clothes are my clothes. From now on, bullying her is bullying me."
"I hope this kind of thing will never happen again, okay?"
After warning everyone, Pei Ci took Ye Qingyu's hand and found a quiet place to sit down.
Ye Qingyu remained silent throughout.
Pei Ci didn't care; she had wasted a lot of energy getting angry earlier and needed to rest now.
Not far from where they were resting, someone was playing badminton.
Before long, more and more people started playing badminton. The badminton rackets made a "whoosh" sound as they played, and shuttlecocks would occasionally fly out of the court and land near Pei Ci.
Pei Ci didn't care about any of the balls, but more and more people came over to pick them up.
But Pei Ci didn't notice anything unusual at all.
Not to mention the impact of her public defense of her.
Ye Qingyu felt like a prisoner trapped at the bottom of the cave. She had once been full of hope and vowed that she would give everything if someone could rescue her.
But a hundred years passed, two hundred years passed, and when she was reborn after a freezing winter night, the light came too late.
She felt only numbness and hatred.
Why did you return to China?
Why did you return to China this time?
Ye Qingyu was puzzled, but she decided to give her one last chance.
Pei Ci.
Ye Qingyu called out Pei Ci's name, and when Pei Ci looked over, Ye Qingyu pulled her hand away.
Her softened tone returned to its initial coldness. "Miss, the compensation game is over."
"Could you move away from me?"
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