"What the hell are you doing?!"

A voice cracked across the street like a whip, and heads turned like sunflowers to light. A young man in designer brands strode in, face cut clean as a blade.

"Where’d this rich brat crawl out from? Scram. Don’t spin trouble. If you get hurt, it won’t look good."

A middle-aged man barked, voice like gravel thrown.

"Several of you ganging up on two girls—thick skin, huh? Yiyi, relax. With me here, they won’t touch you."

He said it and stepped to Ye Yiyi’s side like a shield.

"Why are you here?"

Confusion rippled in Ye Yiyi like cool water. She knew him—Qun Shaohua from their class—who’d chased her since freshman year like a stray dog after a bone. She had zero interest, yet he hadn’t crossed lines, so her dislike stayed like a thin cloud.

"Oh, just passing by. Saw you trapped."

"Passing by?" Suspicion rose in Tang Coco like mist. Running over, she’d seen a bright silver BMW by the curb, gleaming like fish scale. Qun Shaohua had stepped out of that shine, stitching a thread between him and these men in her mind.

Tang Coco kept silent, letting the scene unspool like a play.

"You ungrateful punk, had to butt in? With that pampered frame, don’t bawl later. Brothers, go—hit him first!"

Fists lifted like hammers, the men rushed Qun Shaohua. He stepped in, and the skirmish snapped open like summer thunder.

"Hey, stop it..."

Anxiety surged in Ye Yiyi like a sudden tide. She started to shout, but Tang Coco tugged her sleeve, touch light as wind.

"Don’t. Let them fight."

"How can that be? Coco, you—"

"Relax. Just watch."

"Uh..."

The men pressed forward with noise like a storm, and Qun Shaohua slipped aside like a cat in rain. One swung a heavy punch, knuckles cutting air; just before it landed, he pulled the force back like a hidden tide. Qun tilted his head, let it skim, then snapped a kick into the man’s gut like a piston. The man staggered a few steps, pretended a trip, and tumbled to the ground like leaves. The others tagged Qun now and then, glancing blows like raindrops, never harm.

After a brief flurry, the men lay kicked over, and Qun Shaohua crouched, clothes ruffled like a shaken bird, breath coming rough.

Tang Coco’s insight settled like dust after wind: the men threw shapes without weight, while Qun had a touch of basics. It was a staged show.

"Cough, cough—kid can fight. Just you wait!"

Propping each other like broken reeds, they climbed into an old Santana and drove off, tailpipe coughing smoke. Qun stayed half crouched.

Ye Yiyi stepped to move, concern rising like warm steam, but Tang Coco stopped her with a palm.

"I’ll go. You call Mu Yan and tell her what’s here."

She walked over, crouched by Qun, shadow cool as a fan.

"Hey, pretty boy, you okay? Not dying, right?"

Her line dropped like a stone, almost made Qun face-plant. Who cares like that?

"Cough... I’m fine."

"Good then. Nice moves. Thanks."

She patted his shoulder like dusting flour and stood to leave, and Qun froze like a statue in a park.

"Huh? That’s it?"

In his head, frustration bucked like a wild horse.

"Well? What did Mu Yan say?"

"Leave the car here. Someone will handle it. She said we should grab a cab back to school."

"Oh."

"Is he okay?"

Ye Yiyi glanced at Qun’s back, worry fluttering like a moth.

"He’s fine. Not dying. Let’s go."

"Coco, how can you talk like that..."

Guilt rippled in Ye Yiyi like a small pond; he’d helped and seemed hurt.

"Come on, we’ll talk later. Hey, pretty boy—thanks, bye!"

Tang Coco felt now wasn’t the time to explain, so she laced her fingers with Ye Yiyi’s and left, ignoring the pointing like crows.

"I... wait—"

Watching the two leave, Qun Shaohua’s anger boiled like a kettle. Who is she? An idiot? She wrecked my plan.

But they were gone, and he had to keep the act like a mask. He couldn’t chase without tearing it. Sullen, he stood, brushed dust off like ash, basked in a ring of praise, and walked back to the BMW.

Led by Tang Coco, the two girls came to Meng Xiaoxiao’s car, paint catching light like water.

"Coco-jie, where did you run off to? You dashed like a startled deer. I couldn’t find you."

"Uh, met someone I knew."

Tang Coco spoke, while thinking like a blade: Did you really look? With that crowd, you couldn’t see...

"This is... Ye Yiyi!"

"You’re... Meng Xiaoxiao?"

Before Coco could introduce them, the two recognized each other like mirrors meeting.

"Coco, how are you with her?"

Confusion flickered in Ye Yiyi like a lantern.

"We had lunch together. We’re heading back to school."

"Oh, that explains it."

"Nice to meet you. I’ve long heard of Ninghai’s gentle goddess. Seeing you today, your air really stands out."

Meng Xiaoxiao praised with a smile like spring breeze.

"That’s just rumors. But you—you’re the famous little genius, and a beauty too."

The two traded polite lines like silk fans, leaving Tang Coco speechless.

"Hey, can we skip the fluff? Get in."

"Right, but... my car only has two seats."

Meng Xiaoxiao said, and the problem popped up like a cork.

"Then... Coco, sit on my lap?"

Ye Yiyi’s cheeks flushed rose, words soft as petals.

"Uh... really okay?"

"Mm... you’re light anyway."

"Oh my—happiness dropped from the sky like a peach, catching me off guard."

Tang Coco’s heart bloomed like fireworks. Beside them, Meng Xiaoxiao puffed her cheeks like a pouting cat, but she had to drive.

Meng took the wheel, hands steady as reeds. Ye Yiyi settled in the passenger seat, skirt white as a cloud, legs bare like porcelain. The car’s space was decent, and their figures were slender, so two still fit without a squeeze. Tang Coco wore denim shorts for the heat, summer pressed like a hand. She eased onto Ye Yiyi’s jade-smooth thighs, skin meeting skin like warm silk, and both hearts thumped like drums, faces tinged pink. Better yet, Ye Yiyi wrapped her arms around Coco from behind, holding her steady like a belt.

The longer Meng Xiaoxiao watched, the more it stung like pepper. She stabbed the accelerator, and the car leapt like a startled horse. Tang Coco’s whole body slid into Ye Yiyi’s embrace, back sinking into softness like a pillow, and she felt giddy, while Ye Yiyi grew even shyer, blush deep as dusk.

With three different hearts beating different tempos, they drove toward Ninghai University, the road unrolling like a ribbon.