After a brief discussion regarding their interpretations of the choreography and a quick review of the instructional video, the two practiced their individual movements until the dismissal bell rang.
Bai Xi withdrew her hand from Ye Ying’s waist and glanced at her watch: 11:30 AM.
Recalling her agreement to meet Chen Jingmo at noon, Bai Xi shook out her wrist. She figured she still had enough time to grab a bottle of milk.
“Let’s call it a day for now. I have things to attend to,” Bai Xi said, rubbing her shoulder. “Keep the key with you. You can come back to practice whenever you like. I’m heading out.”
She handed the key to Ye Ying and turned to leave.
“Wait a minute,” Ye Ying said, grabbing her. She looked at the key in her palm. “Is it appropriate for me to keep this? Besides, when are we continuing? We only have two days left.”
Bai Xi sighed as she checked her watch again. She was currently a “pitiful soul” who didn’t even own a cell phone; this watch was her only link to the outside world, and even that was under Madam Bai’s surveillance.
“Do you have a phone?” Bai Xi asked, looking at Ye Ying. She felt it was time to modernize her situation.
Ye Ying nodded. She unlocked her phone and handed it over. “What’s your number? I’ll call you before I come next time.”
Bai Xi took the device and typed in a number. “Do you have a bank card?”
“I do, why?” Ye Ying asked, bewildered.
“I’m going to make a call. Read me your card number, and I’ll have someone transfer money to you. This Friday, I need you to buy me a phone and a laptop. Use your ID to get a SIM card for me as well. Everything should be in your name. We’ll meet this Saturday at that same milk tea shop, and you’ll hand the items over. Do you understand?”
Bai Xi instinctively spoke with the commanding tone she once used with her secretaries, raising an eyebrow in a silent demand for confirmation.
Ye Ying snatched her phone back, refusing to indulge the Young Master’s arrogance. “Don’t you have hands? Can’t you buy them yourself? Besides, you have so many servants and bodyguards—who do you think you’re ordering around? And using my account and ID… who knows what you’re planning to do?”
Bai Xi let out a cold laugh. “Do you think I’m interested in your account? If I could buy them myself, do you think I’d ask you? It’s simply inconvenient for me to use my own identity right now. Do I really look that untrustworthy to you? If I wanted to do something illegal, I wouldn’t need to involve you at all.”
“Not interested?” Ye Ying tucked her phone away. “Fine. Since the Great Young Master Bai thinks so highly of others, go find someone else to do your bidding. This commoner isn’t worthy. Goodbye.”
With that, Ye Ying slung her backpack over her shoulder and turned to walk away. She was used to seeing such attitudes at Nanluo Academy and usually just ignored them, but for some reason, she didn’t want to humor Bai Xi.
“Wait,” Bai Xi said, grabbing the strap of Ye Ying’s backpack and pulling her back. “I helped you out today, didn’t I? Is this how you treat your benefactor?”
“Are you trying to leverage a favor?” Ye Ying tugged at her bag, but she couldn’t pull it free.
“Well, you can’t be ungrateful either. I just can’t use my own identity. I’m not doing anything bad—can’t you see I don’t even have a phone?” Bai Xi released the bag and softened her tone. She realized that she truly had no other options, and since Ye Ying wasn’t her secretary, she had to play nice. “I even need help just to transfer money to you.”
Ye Ying looked at her skeptically. Why would the Young Master of the Bai family be without a phone?
“My health is fragile. My family is worried about radiation and they’re afraid I’ll get addicted to games, so they don’t allow me to have one. But I have urgent business. Just help me out—and keep this a secret. You’re the only one I can trust.”
Seeing Bai Xi’s sincere gaze, Ye Ying believed most of the story. “If something actually happens, I won’t get in trouble, right?”
Bai Xi: …
She felt like she was back on that lawn, listening to Ye Ying scream at her not to “scam” her. This girl was incredibly cautious—she was genuinely terrified of being held responsible if Bai Xi died.
“I promise that even if I die, you won’t face any trouble. Is that enough?”
“I don’t believe you. If you’re dead, what good is a promise?” Ye Ying said coldly.
Bai Xi: … What else do you want from me?!
Despite her skepticism, Ye Ying pulled out her phone. Bai Xi called Yu Mo’s number and explained the situation without using names, instructing him to transfer enough money for a phone and a laptop to Ye Ying’s account.
“Alright, it’s done.” Bai Xi returned the phone. It was 11:40 AM; time for the milk was running out.
Ping! A notification sound rang out.
Ye Ying looked down at her screen and was nearly blinded by the string of zeros. “One… ten… hundred… thousand… ten thousand… one hundred thousand? One hundred thousand yuan?!”
She checked her balance to confirm she wasn’t seeing things, then thrust the screen toward Bai Xi. “One hundred thousand? Did your friend add an extra zero, or did they forget the decimal point?”
“It’s correct,” Bai Xi glanced at the screen, unbothered. “If there’s anything left over, consider it pocket money for you. I really have to go now!”
Ye Ying: ???
It was 11:45 AM. Bai Xi realized the milk was a lost cause. She patted Ye Ying on the shoulder, signaled for her to keep the change, and ran out of the studio.
While the Art Building was connected to the teaching block, she still had to run down to the campus supermarket. As she reached the classroom area, she saw four bodyguards in black suits standing sternly outside her classroom door.
She squinted. They looked familiar. Then it clicked—these were the men Old Master Bai had assigned to her.
She ducked around the corner. The bodyguards were facing away from the room, suggesting someone was inside. Had the Chairman himself come? Was there news about the orphanage, or… had news of the rooftop fight reached his ears?
At 11:50 AM, Bai Xi painfully abandoned her quest for milk and walked toward the classroom.
She had expected to see Chen Jingmo cornered by the Old Master, but when she entered, only Old Master Bai and Yu Mo were there. Thinking of the call she had just made to Yu Mo, Bai Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
Meanwhile, Ye Ying watched Bai Xi disappear. She was wondering where on earth one could buy a laptop and phone that added up to one hundred thousand yuan.
She decided to ask Zhu Feng, who came from a wealthy family and might know. She sent a quick “Are you there?” but Zhu Feng replied with a message of her own first.
[Zhu Feng]: Ye Ying! Is Young Master Bai still in the studio?
Ye Ying assumed she was just gossiping again. She locked the studio door and replied truthfully.
[Ye Ying]: No, he just left. Said he had things to do.
[Zhu Feng]: Oh my god, I just heard a huge piece of news!
[Ye Ying]: ?
[Zhu Feng]: At twelve noon today, Young Master Bai is going to fight Chen Jingmo on the rooftop! Apparently, Chen Jingmo even called his guys from the affiliated middle school. Young Master Bai just got here; he doesn’t have any followers! If he brings bodyguards, he’ll be the laughingstock of the school, but if he doesn’t… he’s dead meat!
[Ye Ying]: ?
Is Bai Xi insane? Ye Ying thought of her repeatedly saying she had “business.” Was that business just getting into a fight? Were they three-year-olds?
[Zhu Feng]: Don’t doubt it! Reliable sources say everyone is there. I don’t know who Young Master Bai will call—wait, no, he doesn’t have anyone! Is he going to bring his family guards? But the rules of Nanluo say student business stays between students—no running home to parents! If he brings guards, he’ll never live it down!
[Zhu Feng]: Heaven, what do we do? Is he in danger? It’s almost twelve!
Ye Ying shoved the keys into her bag and frowned deeply. She remembered how Bai Xi had collapsed after her last fight. Was she not aware of her own health?
She gritted her teeth. She had just taken one hundred thousand yuan from the person; she couldn’t just stand by. Even if she just went there to call an ambulance, it was better than nothing.
Three minutes after Bai Xi entered the classroom to face Old Master Bai, Ye Ying sprinted up the stairs toward the rooftop.