Long before Fu Mingxuan told her he would make his move during the School Anniversary, Yu Qing had already begun scouting around the campus.
That’s right, it was during that period when she pretended to attract Fu Yi’s attention.
Everyone knew that Junior Yi wouldn’t blow up over such a trivial matter, and naturally, Yu Qing understood this as well.
But even so, she kept doing it day after day.
This wasn’t just to make herself seem harmless and naive.
More than that, it was to carefully select, from the addresses Fu Mingxuan gave her, places suitable for maneuvering according to her own judgment.
Including but not limited to the Library, Auditorium, Cafeteria—places crowded with people.
And now, the place Yu Qing planned to go was one of several locations she’d picked out on the map as temporary hideouts or observation points.
If there were no issues with these spots, then once a chase broke out, she’d have a brief place to take shelter.
The first destination was near the logistics passage of the Auditorium where the School Anniversary would be held.
Because of the stage construction over the past few days, many performance props and equipment were piled up here, and their irregular arrangement created several visual blind spots.
The passage was complex and interwoven.
If used well, it could be an easy place to hide or make a quick escape.
Yu Qing took out her Identification Badge for the performance.
She’d asked Jiang Zilin for it—it proved her status as a performer and was a vital credential for moving freely Backstage.
Fortunately, the badge had no photo or name.
Anyone could use it, so Yu Qing didn’t have to worry about people refusing her entry just because her makeup was different and she wasn’t recognized.
After walking in, she glanced around.
It looked about the same as when she’d first seen it; in fact, because of her sudden addition, even more “very important” equipment had been stacked up, making the pathways more complicated.
The only problem was that this area was guarded by Volunteers assigned by the Student Union.
This group of college students, working purely for credits, might let people in with just a polite word or two, even without an Identification Badge.
That meant it wouldn’t be a reliable barrier against pursuers.
But there was no helping it.
Yu Qing didn’t intend to drag innocent bystanders into her affairs.
She silently took note of a few Surveillance Blind Spots and potential escape routes, then greeted the nearby Staff, letting them remember her ordinary appearance in hopes of avoiding unnecessary trouble later.
The logistics area was about as she imagined, and for now, there didn’t seem to be any suspicious people watching.
After making a round, Yu Qing moved to the side of the Auditorium, where there was a relatively secluded emergency exit.
Outside the door was a path leading to the forested edge of the campus.
She checked the lock to confirm it could be opened from the inside, and inspected the condition of the path, considering the effect of rain on it.
If it rained, the problem of footprints would be unavoidable—a troublesome point for Yu Qing.
Following the path, she walked as if she were just another ordinary student passing by, all the while inconspicuously surveying her surroundings.
Throughout this, she maintained a high level of vigilance, her gaze sweeping the area for any suspicious figures.
Sadly, this place didn’t seem very safe anymore.
With just a few glances, Yu Qing spotted several people in black suits wandering aimlessly around the Auditorium—people whose presence was clearly different from the Staff.
Their expressions as they occasionally scanned the surroundings were unmistakably those of patrols.
Yu Qing guessed these were probably lookouts arranged by Fu Yi or Fu Mingxuan—obvious, unhidden operatives meant as a show.
Their role was likely just to act as a warning for the other side.
As for the real spies, they were probably elsewhere.
Perhaps she was too sensitive, but Yu Qing noticed that there were now more seemingly ordinary students near the Auditorium—yet their eyes were sometimes too sharp, and while pretending to mind their own business, they’d covertly watch people passing by.
Yu Qing saw it all, shrinking her presence to be less conspicuous.
For a while, she blended into the crowd like a drop of water, quietly gathering information and filling out the mental map and contingency plans in her head.
Until a sudden wave of abdominal pain forced her to stop.
She sat on a stone bench in the small grove, pretending to look at her phone while actually gritting her teeth and waiting for the pain to pass.
It seemed she really was dressed too lightly.
Yu Qing smiled bitterly to herself.
Just a chill from the breeze had nearly done her in.
There were indeed many troubles with a woman’s body.
As the pain eased, Yu Qing set off again.
Time slipped by unnoticed as she checked one location after another, and before she knew it, it was almost noon.
The sky grew darker, and at last, fine rain began to fall.
Students on the road raised their umbrellas or ran for shelter in the nearest buildings.
Yu Qing took the newly bought blue Raincoat from the side pocket of her backpack, put it on expertly, and pulled the wide hood over her face.
Under the eaves of a quiet walkway, she took out her phone, double-checked that she’d missed nothing, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
The rain drummed on the roof and ground, making a continuous, soft sound.
The damp, cold air made Yu Qing’s joints stiff.
Her period discomfort also seemed worse in the chill.
But her mind was racing, piecing together and analyzing all the fragments of information she’d collected.
Where would Fu Mingxuan choose to strike?
How would Junior Yi counterattack?
Would Junior Yi follow her own plan at the critical moment?
Cheng Qinghuan… would she heed the advice Yu Qing had given her?
Yu Qing didn’t know the answers.
Not even Fu Mingxuan had told her his supposed plan.
All she could do was passively watch as a bystander while Fu Mingxuan and Junior Yi faced off.
If Fu Mingxuan won, she’d be used as a puppet and thrust onto the stage.
If Junior Yi won, Yu Qing didn’t know what would happen to herself.
Her goal was to prevent either outcome—to make both sides lose, so that she, the fisherman, would be the final winner.
Thinking this far, Yu Qing unconsciously touched the small pouch hidden under her Raincoat.
Inside was a small bottle of high-potency Pepper Spray.
It was one of her trump cards to avoid capture, and also one of the things that gave her the courage to step into this dangerous game.
“That’s about enough…”
She muttered softly, her voice barely audible in the rain.
At this point, all the key reconnaissance and route checks in her plan were done.
Next, she needed to return to the storage room and observe the Auditorium and much of the campus through the window, waiting for the right moment.
Only when both sides were too busy to bother with her would it be time for Yu Qing to act.
She pulled her hood tight and stepped back into the drizzle, heading toward the Library.
Her figure looked thin in the rain, yet carried a desperate determination.
The clamor of the School Anniversary seemed cut off by the rain.
A silent war belonging to her alone was just beginning.