Help! Please Take the Heroine Away [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Ye Qingyu gazed quietly at Xie Mingyao for a moment before lowering her lashes and turning to head for the restroom downstairs. Xie Mingyao, who had blocked the restroom door with her leg, froze briefly. By the time she snapped out of it, Ye Qingyu had already descended the stairs even if she chased after her now, it would be too late.

So frustrating.

Xie Mingyao glared at the stairwell for a while before listlessly walking away.

The moment she returned to the classroom, Wang Yuzhen rushed up to her, eagerly pressing, “Mingyao-jie, how did it go? Did that b*tch beg for mercy?”

Tang Yan and Zhou Ruohan also gathered around, looking curiously at Wang Yuzhen and Xie Mingyao, asking what had happened.

Wang Yuzhen immediately recounted yesterday’s events with visible anger, indignantly adding, “That b*tch, relying on her pretty face, goes around seducing people at school. Mingyao-jie was kind enough to let her off that day, but I was right, it would’ve been better to ruin her face. Then let’s see how she dares to seduce Brother Zhou, huh?”

“Isn’t that too cruel?” Tang Yan hesitated.

Though she followed Xie Mingyao’s lead, if Ye Qingyu really managed to win over Zhou Yanfeng even if she didn’t end up marrying into the Zhou family with her intelligence and looks, her future wouldn’t be bad. Tang Yan had been raised with the principle of never making unnecessary enemies, so there was no need to go that far.

Zhou Ruohan, sucking on a cigarette-shaped candy, answered earnestly, “I’ll do whatever Mingyao-jie says.”

Xie Mingyao subtly glanced at the two of them and sighed inwardly.

Between them, Tang Yan had indeed joined the original Xie Mingyao in bullying Ye Qingyu a few times, but it was mostly verbal, she rarely took direct action and often prioritized self-preservation.

Wang Yuzhen was the one who came up with the schemes, while Zhou Ruohan was even more extreme, she followed the original Xie Mingyao in everything, which naturally led to a similar fate.

Wang Yuzhen didn’t matter, but Xie Mingyao wanted to protect Zhou Ruohan after all, she was the only one who genuinely cared for her.

Resting her chin on her hand, Xie Mingyao replied lazily, “I don’t want to either. If Yanfeng found out, he’d probably hate me even more. He might even pressure his family to call off the engagement.”

That excuse was flawless. Wang Yuzhen immediately dropped the subject, though she couldn’t hide her disappointment, muttering resentfully, “Mingyao-jie, you shouldn’t have helped her last night. If those guys had done something to her, she wouldn’t have shown up at school unharmed, let alone had the chance to seduce Brother Zhou.”

Xie Mingyao’s expression darkened. “Are you blaming me?”

“No, no!” Wang Yuzhen quickly shook her head, realizing she had overstepped. Flustered, she made excuses, “I just think it’s unfair to you.”

Xie Mingyao scoffed. “Enough. Just stick to giving ideas, I’ll handle things myself. It’s more fun that way.”

When classes ended at noon, Xie Mingyao immediately rushed to Zhou Yanfeng’s classroom. But no matter how fast she was, she still didn’t see him, this time, even the guy who was close to Zhou Yanfeng was missing.

Annoyed, Xie Mingyao turned and headed for Ye Qingyu’s class to check if she was there. As she walked, she dialed Zhou Yanfeng’s number but of course, no one answered.

When Xie Mingyao arrived at Ye Qingyu’s classroom, she found that Ye Qingyu was nowhere to be seen. She haughtily grabbed a girl who had just come out of the back door and demanded, “Have you seen Ye Qingyu?”

This girl had gotten into the school through academic merit and came from a poor family. She had heard of Xie Mingyao’s reputation before and had even witnessed her causing trouble for Ye Qingyu on the playground.

Terrified of Xie Mingyao, the girl’s face turned pale the moment she was grabbed. Trembling, she stammered, “She… she went… to eat…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xie Mingyao’s expression darkened. The girl braced herself for a beating or a furious scolding, but to her surprise, Xie Mingyao simply released her with a cold face and turned to leave, her footsteps echoing sharply.

“Actually, I don’t think she’s as bad as people say,” remarked another girl who was slightly closer to the first, stepping out of the classroom and watching Xie Mingyao’s retreating figure with a hint of envy. “She’s beautiful, comes from a wealthy family, and sure, she’s arrogant and domineering but look, she didn’t take it out on you.”

The first girl rolled her eyes. “Then why didn’t you speak up for me earlier?”

The other girl gave an awkward laugh.

Xie Mingyao didn’t find Ye Qingyu in the school cafeteria. Curious, she asked her system for help and soon tracked Ye Qingyu’s whereabouts.

The school’s Crescent Moon Lake, shaped like a crescent, was lined with rows of willow trees, beneath which stood wooden benches.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Xie Mingyao caught sight of the lake in the distance.

At this hour, most students were eating in the cafeteria, so the area was nearly empty. From afar, she could easily spot Ye Qingyu sitting on a bench with her back turned.

The willow branches hung low, swaying gently in the breeze, filtering much of the sunlight. The figure sitting with her back turned wore a simple white blouse and a pleated skirt. Even without seeing her face, she exuded a quiet, cool elegance.

From a distance, Xie Mingyao could only make out the long, dark hair tied behind her head.

Afraid that Ye Qingyu might run if she spotted her, Xie Mingyao deliberately lightened her footsteps. Yet, just as she approached, Ye Qingyu seemed to sense her presence and turned to look.

Xie Mingyao halted mid-step, her gaze locking with Ye Qingyu’s deep, inscrutable eyes.

The willow branches swayed in the gentle breeze.

A golden halo seemed to envelop Ye Qingyu, making her appear as pure as the moon and as cool as freshly fallen snow.

Worried that Ye Qingyu might flee, Xie Mingyao quickened her pace and stood beside the bench, looking down at the lunchbox resting on Ye Qingyu’s lap.

It contained a simple homemade meal.

Xie Mingyao lifted her eyelids and sneered, “What, did Zhou Yanfeng not invite you out today? Reduced to eating such cheap food? I thought you were more impressive than this.”

Ye Qingyu’s expression remained indifferent, even slightly puzzled.

If she wasn’t eating with Zhou Yanfeng, shouldn’t Xie Mingyao be happy? Why come all the way here to confront her?

“Was there something you needed, Xie Mingyao?” Ye Qingyu asked politely after a moment, closing her lunchbox and standing up.

After all, she still owed Xie Mingyao a favor.

Xie Mingyao scoffed, her tone irritated. “What’s with that attitude? I saved you once, and because of you, Yanfeng misunderstood me and almost called off our engagement! This is all your fault, got it?!”

Her slender, manicured finger jabbed rudely at Ye Qingyu’s shoulder, the delicate nails accentuating the elegance of her hand.

Ye Qingyu lowered her gaze, her eyes resting on the exquisitely manicured fingers. Truthfully, she disliked when people styled their nails like this ornate, flashy, and overly long, appearing cumbersome at a glance.

Yet, somehow, when those nails adorned Xie Mingyao’s hands, they became pleasing to the eye.

With a calm expression, Ye Qingyu asked, “What do you want me to do?”

Xie Mingyao always felt like she was punching cotton frustrating and suffocating. She didn’t respond. Instead, she bent down to pick up the lunchbox resting on the chair and arrogantly lifted her chin. “Why am I here? You know perfectly well!”

Ye Qingyu pressed her lips together. She wanted to say she didn’t know, but deep down, she understood this young mistress was here to pick a fight.

She didn’t believe her.

Originally, Ye Qingyu should have endured it. But seeing Xie Mingyao poised to toss her lunchbox aside, a surge of intense displeasure rose within her.

She stepped forward, standing half a head taller than Xie Mingyao, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure. The usually domineering Xie Mingyao felt uneasy, eyeing her warily.

But the next second, realizing how weak she appeared, Xie Mingyao darkened her expression and snapped coldly, “What, you want to hit me?!”

Ye Qingyu didn’t move a muscle, only lifting her eyes to meet Xie Mingyao’s gaze.

For a moment, the tension between the two crackled with hostility. Ye Qingyu glanced at her lunch in Xie Mingyao’s hand and said coolly, “Give me back my lunch.”

Xie Mingyao let out a light laugh, taunting her. “No. If you dare cross me, I’ll make sure you don’t get to eat.”

As she spoke, she made a show of preparing to throw the lunchbox away.

Before she could act, her wrist was suddenly seized in a vice-like grip. The pampered Xie Mingyao nearly cried out from the pain, it felt like her bones were about to shatter. Her grip on the lunchbox loosened, and Ye Qingyu swiftly caught it with her other hand.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Xie Mingyao seethed inwardly, glaring at her with a cold expression. “Let go of me, you ungrateful wretch! First, you seduce Yanfeng, and now you dare lay hands on me?!”

The blatant distortion of facts and the audacity of playing the victim nearly made Ye Qingyu laugh in disbelief. She released Xie Mingyao’s wrist and said flatly, “Ever heard of ‘At noon they weed with hoes’?”

But Xie Mingyao was too consumed by her own sense of injustice to process Ye Qingyu’s words. Furious, she raised her hand to strike. “How dare you touch me!”

Ye Qingyu sidestepped the blow, only for Xie Mingyao’s other hand to come swinging at her. Her eyes darkened with irritation as she caught the incoming wrist mid-air. In one fluid motion, she twisted Xie Mingyao’s left arm behind her back and pinned her onto the wooden chair.

Leaning down, Ye Qingyu stared at her with icy black eyes, her clear voice enunciating each word deliberately. “Still want to fight?”

Xie Mingyao panted heavily, sprawled awkwardly over the cold wooden chair. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that she someone who always got her way, someone others yielded to, would be subdued by a girl she’d always looked down on.

Humiliated and furious, Xie Mingyao turned her head, her lips accidentally brushing against Ye Qingyu’s cool, pale cheek. The unexpected contact stunned her into silence, her mind blanking momentarily.

Ye Qingyu froze as well.

The girl pinned beneath her was so close that she could catch the faint scent of roses perhaps from her perfume. The lips that had grazed her cheek were soft, warm, and slightly damp, leaving a fleeting trace behind.

Her grip on Xie Mingyao’s wrist loosened slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Mingyao shoved her away and stumbled to her feet, fists clenched in anger.

“Just you wait!” she spat, her voice trembling with rage before storming off.

“Just you wait! How dare you hit me? I won’t let you get away with this!”

Ye Qingyu pressed her lips together, bent down to pick up the lunchbox from the wooden chair, and quickly left the scene.

After leaving, Xie Mingyao didn’t go to find her three lackeys to deal with Ye Qingyu as her earlier threats had suggested. Instead, she headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

As she ate, she asked her system: [How was my performance just now?]

The system spared no praise: [Excellent. The confrontation was sharp, perfectly fitting for a romantic rival.]

Xue Mingyao curled her lips slightly and said nothing more.

When school ended in the afternoon, Wang Yuzhen kindly found out the location where Ye Qingyu was working part-time and excitedly offered to accompany her to stir up trouble.

Naturally, Xie Mingyao refused. Taking the address from Wang Yuzhen, she got into her private car and instructed the driver to head to the destination.

The milk tea shop where Ye Qingyu worked was near a university. At this hour, there were quite a few customers. Sitting in the car, Xie Mingyao peered through the window and saw Ye Qingyu surrounded by several boys behind the counter. She couldn’t help but sneer before stepping out of the car.

The air conditioning in the milk tea shop was on, making it pleasantly cool. Most of the customers were university students, with a noticeable number of boys some even secretly taking photos.

Ye Qingyu was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a pink apron, which clashed somewhat with her usually aloof demeanor, giving her a hint of unexpected cuteness.

Standing behind the ordering screen, she tapped away at the interface. A boy took the opportunity to ask for her phone number, only to be coldly rejected.

After the last customer left, another person stepped up. Without looking up, Ye Qingyu asked flatly, “What would you like?”

“One hundred cups of hand-squeezed lemon tea, extra ice,” came a voice dripping with the familiar arrogance and provocation that Ye Qingyu knew all too well.

When Ye Qingyu finally looked up and saw Xie Mingyao, the latter smirked maliciously and added, word by word, “And I want you to squeeze them yourself.”

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