"Yun Xin, why did you come downstairs?"
Qiao Wei had nearly lost control of her temper a moment ago. Every time she saw Lin Xiao'ai and Ji Jiang together — all smiles, all affection — something inside her twisted, whispering that she had to break them apart.
A Xin walked right up to her and took the cafeteria card from her hand.
"Weren't you coming down to buy lunch?"
"Oh, right. Lunch." Qiao Wei stuck out her tongue, then leaned in and whispered near A Xin's ear. "It's just… Lin Xiao'ai looks so annoying. I can't help it. I really want to bully her — make her cry."
A Xin calmly caught Qiao Wei's wrist and pulled her into the lunch line.
Across the room, Lin Xiao'ai and Ji Jiang could only watch as the two of them walked past without even glancing their way, as though they were invisible.
"Ji Jiang, I already told you — Qiao Wei didn't actually do anything to me," Lin Xiao'ai said softly, tugging at his sleeve. "Don't hold a grudge against her, okay?"
Lin Xiao'ai stole a few glances at the two girls standing side by side. She couldn't understand how Qiao Wei and Yun Xin had become close. With the Qiao family ruined, how could Qiao Wei still have friends? For a flicker of a moment, anxiety crept into Lin Xiao'ai's heart — what if Qiao Wei was plotting to take Ji Jiang back?
"Yun Xin, did you hear that?" Qiao Wei's voice was sharp with anger. "She just said she won't hold a grudge against me. Like she's the saint here! What exactly did I do to her, huh?"
If Yun Xin hadn't been gripping her wrist so tightly, she would've stormed over and slapped Lin Xiao'ai right then.
"Eat first," A Xin said evenly. "Rest for a bit. Then I'll help you rehearse your dance for the New Year's Gala."
Qiao Wei glared over at Lin Xiao'ai's table one last time. "Fine, fine, I won't hit her."
A Xin's lips curved faintly. "It's not about whether you hit her. The moment you so much as look angry, everyone assumes you're the one in the wrong. If you want to fight back, Qiao Wei, you'll need smarter methods."
"Oh? Then tell me — what method?"
A Xin handed her the lunch tray, lowering her head slightly.
"Eat first. Rest twenty minutes. Go practice your dance. During class breaks, do extra exercises. After school, earn your tuition. If you waste time thinking about Lin Xiao'ai, you'll fall behind."
"…" Qiao Wei stared at her. Sometimes she really suspected Yun Xin was a spy sent by the enemy.
"You used to shine, remember? Even without the Qiao family's name, you should shine brighter still."
A Xin placed her food on the table, set down Qiao Wei's tray opposite her, then reached out to tuck a strand of messy hair behind Qiao Wei's ear. Beneath the black-rimmed glasses, her eyes glimmered with something warm and steady.
"I want to see the most dazzling you at the New Year's Gala."
It was such a simple sentence, yet under that gaze, Qiao Wei's heart gave a heavy thump. Heat flooded through her chest, and for the first time in ages, she wanted to perform — to show her best self on stage.
She ducked her head quickly, not daring to meet Yun Xin's eyes. "…Fine. I'll listen to you."
"Not just the stage," A Xin continued calmly. "I want you to shine in your studies too."
Her heart was still pounding when she heard the next line:
"I've set a small goal for you."
"A small goal?" Qiao Wei asked between bites.
A Xin's pale lips curved into the faintest smile. "Be ranked first in the entire grade."
Qiao Wei nearly choked. "Wait — me? First place?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Yun Xin, that's a daydream."
A Xin kept eating as if she hadn't heard. Qiao Wei gave up arguing — maybe she was joking.
After lunch and a short break, A Xin took her to the dance room and quietly watched her rehearse the ballet.
Qiao Wei's mood lightened; ballet had always been her strength.
And when she remembered Yun Xin's words — "Be the brightest one on stage" — she danced harder, pouring herself into every motion.
When she finished, she ran to A Xin, breathless and glowing.
"How was that?"
"Excellent."
Just two words — yet they filled Qiao Wei's chest with pride.
Being acknowledged felt… wonderful.
Later that afternoon, during the breaks, she realized Yun Xin wasn't joking about the "goal." The girl had actually drawn up an entire study plan for her — detailed to the minute.
Qiao Wei grabbed her wrist in disbelief. "Hey, you're serious? You really want me to get first place? That means beating you."
"Yes."
She stared at the dense pages of notes, overwhelmed and oddly touched.
"We have a common enemy, sure, but you don't have to sacrifice this much. Beating Lin Xiao'ai is enough for me."
Yun Xin's glasses reflected the classroom light. "I want you to be number one in everything — flawless, untouchable. So bright that Lin Xiao'ai can't even look up at you."
Then she added, matter-of-factly, "And you don't think your mission ends at dancing well, studying hard, and earning tuition, do you?"
Qiao Wei blinked. "…Doesn't it?"
"Ji family crushed the Qiao family, swallowed its assets, and ruined your name. You're just going to accept that?"
For a long moment, Qiao Wei stared at her deskmate — this quiet, mechanical girl who somehow spoke like a strategist. She's not ordinary, Qiao Wei thought. Definitely not ordinary.
"I can really take it back?"
"You can."
Qiao Wei bit her lip, eyes brightening. "Fine, Yun Xin. I'll listen to you. I'll take first place — just don't cry when I do."
Yun Xin's lips curved, a quiet, knowing smile.
First place? That was never her real goal.
Her real goal was to make this girl shine —
so brightly that Ji Jiang and Lin Xiao'ai would live forever in her shadow,
so that every time Qiao Wei stepped into the light, people would look up in awe.
The days that followed were busy.
Qiao Wei juggled classes, tutoring work, and dance practice.
Every spare minute went to Yun Xin's drills and study plans.
Strange glances from classmates no longer bothered her — she didn't have the time to care.
Then, at last, the New Year's Gala arrived.
Both Qiao Wei and Lin Xiao'ai had signed up for dance performances — Qiao Wei's solo ballet versus Lin Xiao'ai's group folk dance.
When the lights dimmed and a single spotlight landed on the girl in a white dress, the entire hall fell silent.
Qiao Wei found Yun Xin in the crowd. One focused look from behind those black-rimmed glasses was all it took to steady her heart.
She moved with grace, every motion perfect — the most dazzling version of herself.
For a moment, the entire school forgot her past.
They saw only a radiant, weightless figure gliding like a spirit through the air.
Among the crowd, Lin Xiao'ai bit her lip hard. Even stripped of wealth and status, Qiao Wei was still mesmerizing. The way she commanded the stage… made Lin Xiao'ai's own upcoming performance feel small and dim.
When the music ended, the auditorium stayed silent for five long seconds —
then erupted in thunderous applause.
Backstage, just as Qiao Wei turned to head to the dressing room, Yun Xin appeared and caught her arm.
"How was I?" Qiao Wei asked eagerly.
Yun Xin guided her a few steps to stand beneath a hallway camera — deliberately placing them in full view — and smiled.
"You were the brightest star tonight."
Qiao Wei beamed. "Then I'll go change!"
"I already brought your costume out," Yun Xin said, holding up a garment bag. "The dressing room's crowded. I borrowed a teacher's dorm — change there instead."
Grateful to avoid her old friends, Qiao Wei agreed without a second thought.
As Yun Xin led her away from the dressing room, that faint smile lingered on her lips.
From the corner of her eye, Qiao Wei caught it and felt a sudden, fleeting unease —
as if Yun Xin were planning something.
But she quickly shook her head.
Whatever it was didn't matter. She liked Yun Xin — liked her calm, her certainty, her warmth.
Meanwhile, inside the dressing room—
"My costume's gone!" a panicked voice cried.
"Has anyone seen my dance outfit? My performance is next!"
Lin Xiao'ai's eyes filled with tears. "Please — help me find it!"
Her teammates scrambled to search. After a few minutes, one whispered,
"Didn't Qiao Wei finish her dance first? We weren't here… what if she took it?"
"Yeah," another chimed in. "Wouldn't be the first time. Maybe she really wants Lin Xiao'ai to embarrass herself."