Chapter 7: First Encounter

This was Jiang Li's first time seeing Wen Qingye at work. In front of the camera, she was relaxed and natural, her eyes carrying an untouchable aloofness, every frame dripping with story.

Thanks to Jiang Li, Wen Qingye had changed into a black high-neck top with a hollowed-out back design, paired with a floor-length black skirt. Large silver hoop earrings, hair swept up in a bun. Thanks to Wen Qingye's beautifully rounded skull, her profile was even more striking than her front-facing angle—standing out from everything around her.

Unlike the typical female idol face, this was a face born for the big screen.

The photographer kept praising Wen Qingye's extraordinary presence as he shot. Wen Qingye smiled politely, while Ning Si stood off to the side, beaming with pride.

Ning Si nudged Jiang Li with her elbow. "Well? Our Xiaoye is gorgeous, right?"

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

Jiang Li's eyes hadn't left Wen Qingye once. She didn't hold back her praise: "Gorgeous."

Ning Si snorted with laughter and teased in a low voice, "If she wasn't gorgeous, she wouldn't have bagged you in a single night either."

"……" Jiang Li actually felt embarrassed.

Truth was, she'd been bagged five years ago. Jiang Li corrected Ning Si silently in her heart.

[Flashback — Five Years Ago]

The squad leader's voice came through the radio, calm and steady: "Team A, seal the west exit! Team B, control the east corridor! Team C, prepare to breach!"

The tactical operatives fanned out rapidly, advancing steadily with ballistic shields, each taking optimal positions per command.

Simulated explosions and smoke billowed from the second floor of the academic building. The operatives donned gas masks and pushed through the smoke-filled corridors using night vision and tactical flashlights.

Simulated hostage cries echoed from inside—"The suspect" was holding a "student" at knifepoint.

The squad leader signaled: "Prepare to breach!"

An operative swiftly installed a breaching charge on the door while the others pressed flat against the wall, holding their breath, ready to storm in.

The door blew open. Several operatives rushed into the room.

One operative closed in on the "suspect's" left side, her left hand clamping onto the knife-wielding wrist and twisting hard. The "suspect's" grip went limp and the knife clattered to the ground.

The "suspect" tried to struggle, but the movement was clean and efficient—she wrenched his arm behind his back, drove her knee into his waist to pin him, and he was immobilized.

The "student" was rescued. The surrounding crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. "So cool!!!"

"Xiao Jiang, it's over! Let me go!" The hooded "suspect" grimaced as Jiang Li pinned him against the wall.

"Ah, sorry!" Jiang Li released him with an apologetic grin. "Brother Zhang, you okay?"

The "suspect" rolled his sorely pressed wrist, grumbling, "How is a little girl this strong…"

Jiang Li chuckled, casually pulled off her hood and mask, and shook out her sweat-dampened hair.

Today the Security Center had been invited to the university campus for a safety demonstration. A sizable crowd of students and teachers had gathered to watch.

The squad leader barked: "Fall in!"

All operatives lined up in formation. The familiar routine—showcasing equipment and self-defense techniques to the students and faculty. After the intro, the squad leader wanted to invite a student from the crowd to come up and learn some self-defense moves.

"Xiaoye! Look at that female operative, she's so cool!" Her roommate Hu Yue tugged excitedly at Wen Qingye's sleeve.

Wen Qingye followed her gaze. It was supposed to be an ordinary day. But Jiang Li walked into Wen Qingye's field of vision just like that—and from that moment on, became inextricably tangled with her life.

Jiang Li, working at the Security Center back then, still had a sharp, clean short haircut. Hard jawline, upright posture. Put a uniform on her, and she was impossible not to notice.

Wen Qingye couldn't help stealing a couple of extra glances. And those two glances were all it took for the squad leader to notice her, his gaze landing right on her. "That female student—would you like to come up and try?"

Everyone turned to look at Wen Qingye. Under so many stares, Wen Qingye felt self-conscious, her face flushing red to the ears.

Jiang Li also looked over. The college-era Wen Qingye stood out even in a crowd. Unlike the cold, untouchable aura she projected now, back then she was beautiful and warm. High ponytail, simple white tee and jeans, a faint smile on her lips that was slightly stiff, cheeks dusted pink.

Jiang Li's first impression of her: a somewhat shy young girl.

"Go on!" Hu Yue gave her a gentle push.

So Wen Qingye found herself on stage, standing there awkwardly, not even knowing where to look.

"Jiang Li, step forward!" the squad leader ordered.

"Here!" Jiang Li reflexively stepped forward, posture crisp.

The squad leader spoke: "You demonstrate for this student how to properly defend herself against an attacker."

As the only female operative present, Jiang Li was indeed the best fit for hands-on instruction.

"If you sense danger approaching, quickly scan your surroundings for escape routes and potential self-defense tools…"

Jiang Li was explaining earnestly, but Wen Qingye didn't absorb a single word. Her mind had already drifted miles away. The harder she tried to focus, the more random things popped into her head—even snippets of song lyrics.

Until Jiang Li raised her voice: "Student?"

Wen Qingye snapped back, blinking blankly. "Huh?"

Jiang Li smiled. "Student, pay attention."

Wen Qingye's face went even redder. "Sorry…"

Jiang Li grabbed a teammate at random. "Let me demonstrate for you."

The teammate played the attacker. The moment he reached for Jiang Li, she ducked swiftly, drove her knee hard into his abdomen. He doubled over—she followed with an elbow strike to the back of his neck, then broke away to "escape."

The whole sequence flowed like water. Jiang Li tipped her chin up at her. "Got it?"

"Got it!" This time Wen Qingye had watched very carefully.

"Now I'll play the attacker. You try."

Before Wen Qingye could react, Jiang Li's hand was already reaching for her neck. She belatedly ducked—too slow—and lost her footing, landing flat on her butt.

Laughter erupted from the crowd. Wen Qingye wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.

"You okay?" Jiang Li quickly reached down to help her up, barely holding back a smile.

Jiang Li's barely-suppressed grin triggered Wen Qingye's competitive streak. She brushed the dust off her white tee, gritted her teeth, and looked at Jiang Li. "Again!"

This time Jiang Li waited until she was ready before reaching out. Wen Qingye followed what she'd been taught—ducked, lifted her knee, and struck at Jiang Li's abdomen. The moment Jiang Li doubled over, she elbowed the back of her neck. It worked!

Not that hard, actually! Wen Qingye was feeling pretty pleased with herself when Jiang Li suddenly caught her leg with one hand and grabbed her wrist with the other.

Before Wen Qingye could process what had happened, she was already pinned flat against the wall by Jiang Li.

"Student, you're still underestimating your opponent."