Cheng Che his way back to Peking University, photos of Cheng Che taken by fans at the airport had already gone viral online.
The first ones posted were from a few fans at the scene.
They posted the photos they took on the supertopic, with captions like "We picked up Che Baby!", "He's even better looking in person than in the videos!", and "He told us not to come next time because it's cold."
The photos aren't very clear; some are taken from the wrong angle, and some only show a side profile, but each one carries an irrepressible excitement.
The super topic quickly became lively.
[I'm in the Capital City, how come I didn't know!]
[Remember to let us know in the group chat next time you pick someone up from the airport; I'll take my annual leave to go.]
He told us, "I'm not going anywhere online," how can this guy be so good at talking?
[I went, but I couldn't get to the front. I only saw the back of his head, but that was enough for me.]
[Stop talking, I was studying in Magic City, and he went back to Capital City.]
The reactions of passersby, however, were quite different.
" Cheng Che is only now getting picked up at the airport? I thought he was already so famous that he was mobbed by the crowds as soon as he stepped out the door."
"Only a few hundred people? I thought top celebrities would have at least a thousand people greeting them at the airport. Looks like he's not that popular after all."
"To be honest, it's quite impressive that a tennis player has such a large fan base."
Fans quickly stepped in to explain below these comments.
"He's not in the entertainment industry, and we don't know if he intends to enter it, so we've never organized a pick-up service at the airport. Besides, he's studying at Peking University, and we don't want to wait for him at the school gate for fear of disturbing his classes. We only went today because he's returning from Magic City, and the airport is a public place."
This explanation drew nods of agreement from many passersby. One person commented:
"Your fans are quite sensible."
But the celebrity's fans weren't happy.
"Why is it that no one criticizes him for picking up fans at the airport? Last time, my idol was criticized and trended on social media for allowing fans to disrupt public order. How come it's Cheng Che's fans who 'know their limits'?"
The fans' response to this comment was swift and decisive.
"Others are Peking University students, who is your idol?"
Just this one sentence.
The comment section was silent for a few seconds.
Then someone replied, "... You win."
Cheng Che knew nothing about any of this.
He and Su Miaoyin took a car from the airport back to their courtyard in the alley.
The two pushed open the courtyard gate and went into their respective houses.
Cheng Che put down his luggage, he heard a soft humming sound coming from across the room.
The tune was disjointed, like humming the chorus of " Chasing the Wind," broken and intermittent, but you could tell the mood was very good.
Su Miaoyin leaned against the door, humming a song, but her mind was racing with plans.
She's an alumna, lives across the hall, and even has music lessons every week.
No matter how capable Yan Ruanning is, how many times a year can she see Cheng Che?
No matter how beautiful Pei Jingshu is, she's just across the sea.
She's different.
She's at Peking University, so we see each other every day.
She picked up her phone and opened her chat history with Cheng Che.
The last message she sent was "What time tomorrow morning?", to which Cheng Che replied "7:30".
She stared at the time for two seconds, then put her phone down and started choosing what to wear tomorrow.
The next day was the weekend.
Cheng Che got up early, ran five kilometers, took a shower, and ate breakfast.
When he went out, Su Miaoyin was already standing in the courtyard waiting for him.
She was wearing a light blue denim jacket over a white T-shirt, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she was carrying a small bag.
She saw Cheng Che come out and slightly raised her chin.
Let's go.
The two walked together toward Peking University.
On the way, they encountered several early-rising students. Some of them recognized Cheng Che and glanced at him a few more times, but no one surrounded him.
Students at Peking University have a natural sense of propriety; they know you're studying here and won't swarm around like fans from outside.
At most, I'd take a picture from afar, or whisper to my companion, "That's Cheng Che."
Cheng Che first went to the counselor's office to cancel his leave. The counselor was a female teacher in her forties, wearing thin-rimmed glasses.
She smiled when she saw Cheng Che come in.
You're back?
"Okay. Thank you for granting me leave, teacher."
"No need to thank me, you've brought glory to the country." The counselor handed him the leave slip, his tone carrying a natural pride. " Champion of the Magic City Masters, and you're ranked in the top 50 in the world. Do you know that several professors in our department were watching your matches?"
Cheng Che said a few modest words, signed the document, and left the office.
He walked towards the dormitory building. On a weekend morning, the curtains in room 302 were still drawn, and there was no sound from inside.
He took out his key, gently inserted it into the lock, and turned it.
The door opened.
Cheng Che tiptoed in, stood in the center of the dormitory, and took a deep breath.
"Class is starting!"
He shouted with great force.
Noises came from all three beds at the same time.
Wang Zheng was the first to jump out of bed, his eyes still closed, his hands already reaching for his clothes.
"What time is it? The alarm hasn't gone off?"
Zhou Hao rolled over, sat up groggily, and muttered, "Don't rush me, don't rush me."
Li Yuan was the most dramatic; he rolled off the bed, his knee hitting the floor, and he hissed in pain.
Then the three of them simultaneously saw Cheng Che standing in the center of the dormitory, arms crossed, a smile on his lips.
Wang Zheng's hand froze in mid-air.
Zhou Hao opened his mouth slightly.
Li Yuan got up from the ground, rubbing his knee, his expression changing from pain to speechlessness.
"What are you yelling about on a weekend?" Wang Zheng put down his clothes and sat back on the bed.
Zhou Hao lay back down on the pillow and pulled the blanket over his head. "Do you know what time we went to bed last night?"
Li Yuan, supporting himself on the bed frame, stood up and pointed at Cheng Che: "You wait, I'll settle the score with you later."
Then the three of them laughed again.
Zhou Hao poked his head out from under the covers, looked at Cheng Che, and said, "I haven't congratulated you yet, Champion."
"Congratulations," Wang Zheng added.
Li Yuan nodded.
Cheng Che accepted their congratulations as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Then he put his backpack on the table and unzipped it.
He took out a roll of anime posters and handed it to Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao took it, unfolded it, and his eyes widened instantly.
"This is... a limited edition?"
He then took out a box of figurines from his bag and handed it to Wang Zheng.
Wang Zheng opened the box; his hands were trembling.
"EVA Unit-01... this version isn't available in China..."
Finally, he took out two protective charms and handed them to Li Yuan.
Li Yuan took one of them and looked at the words on it. "A temple amulet from Kansai. My sister will definitely like this one."
The three people spoke in unison.
"Godfather!"
Zhou Hao was the first to rush over and hug Cheng Che.
Wang Zheng followed closely behind. Li Yuan was more reserved, but he was also moving forward.
Cheng Che raised his hand, blocking them.
"Stop."
All three people stopped at the same time.
Cheng Che's gaze swept over them.
Wang Zheng was wearing black underwear, Zhou Hao was wearing a basketball jersey and underwear, and Li Yuan was also wearing underwear.
The three of them stood barefoot on the dormitory floor, their expressions filled with emotion.
"Put some clothes on first," Cheng Che said disdainfully. "You all came in wearing only your underwear, who's not afraid?"
Wang Zheng looked down at himself, then smiled.
Zhou Hao laughed along. Li Yuan placed the amulet next to the pillow and turned to look for his pants.
Soon, the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets filled the dormitory.
Cheng Che sat in the chair, watching them hurriedly put on their clothes, and a slight smile curved his lips.
It feels so good to be back at Peking University.