That morning, Cheng Che walked into the classroom humming a tune.
The moment he stepped inside, more than a dozen gazes shot toward him, like a pack of cats that had finally spotted their long-awaited prey.
Cheng Che stopped short, a chill running down his spine. "Why... are you all staring at me?"
No one answered him.
The next second, they surged around him like floodwater through an open gate, blocking off every side of his seat.
"Cheng Che! You shot a music video?"
"Did Yan Ruanning invite you herself?"
"How did you two meet? Did you have dinner together afterward?"
"Is she prettier in person or on TV?"
"Did you get an autograph? Any photos together?"
"Any insider news? Where's her next concert going to be?"
The barrage of questions made Cheng Che's head buzz. He didn't even know what to do with his hands.
He opened his mouth, about to answer the first question, only for the third to come hurtling at him.
By the time he answered the third, the fifth was already shoved under his nose.
Amid the chaos, he noticed a few gazes that felt different.
In a corner of the classroom, Zhou Qing was pretending to look down and flip through a book, but she hadn't turned a single page in ages.
She peeked over the top of the pages, her gaze landing on Cheng Che's face as though glued there.
There weren't many people in the classroom yet, and the effect of Cheng Che's [Heartthrob of Ten Thousand] title was spreading silently.
His eyes and brows, his profile, his slightly helpless smile-all of it seemed to have a filter over it in Zhou Qing's eyes, making him so handsome he looked almost unreal.
Zhou Qing suddenly felt her face grow hot.
Just last night, she had mocked Lin Xiaoya for being boy-crazy, saying, "It's just a music video. Is all that really necessary?" And now-
She was screaming wildly inside: How can he be this handsome?! Aaaaaah!
On the surface, she calmly turned a page, while her other hand pinched her thigh hard beneath the desk, trying to snap herself out of it.
It didn't work.
"Move, move, move! Everyone move! Old Xu's coming!"
Guo Xin's booming voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.
The crowd scattered like cats whose tails had been stepped on. Within seconds, everyone was back in their seats, moving fast enough to join a flash mob.
Cheng Che finally caught his breath.
Guo Xin trotted eagerly over to his seat and sat down, a mischievous grin on his face.
Several girls turned to glare at him, especially Zhou Qing. If her eyes could fire concealed weapons, Guo Xin would have been a sieve by now.
The sight made Guo Xin shrink back in fright. Then he slung an arm around Cheng Che's shoulders, putting on a fierce expression.
"Talk! How did you end up shooting a music video with my goddess? Give me every last detail!"
Cheng Che swatted his paw away.
Lin Xiao, who sat in front of them, turned around too, staring at Cheng Che with sparkling eyes. That look was exactly like the stray cat downstairs from his home waiting for someone to feed it.
Cheng Che sighed, knowing there was no escaping this. "I just ran into her while working part-time at the tennis courts."
"Working part-time at the tennis courts?" Guo Xin's voice rose half a pitch. "When you used to work as a ball boy, did you get to watch pretty girls in short skirts play tennis every day? And now even my goddess goes there? How is that fair? All I saw when I went was a bunch of grown men's hairy legs!"
Lin Xiao couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Guo Xin, that's a matter of timing."
Guo Xin shook his head and heaved a long sigh. "Such a life of misfortune. Mine is such a life of misfortune."
As the three laughed and joked, the bell rang for morning self-study.
After morning self-study, Cheng Che and Guo Xin went to the restroom together.
Somehow, the walk from their classroom to the end of the corridor felt like a celebrity's red-carpet appearance.
Passing students kept turning to look. Some pointed, some whispered, and others took out their phones and pretended to reply to messages while secretly angling their cameras toward Cheng Che.
Walking beside him, Guo Xin grew more uncomfortable with every step. Finally, he simply hunched his shoulders.
"Holy shit, I'm never going to the restroom with you again. Walking with you is like visiting a zoo, except we're the monkeys everyone's staring at."
Cheng Che was speechless. "You're the monkey."
"Fine, you're not a monkey. I am, okay? You're the celebrity monkey everyone comes to see, and I'm the wild monkey they happen to stare at along the way."
Cheng Che couldn't help laughing out loud.
On their way back from the restroom, Guo Xin suddenly grew reflective.
"I used to fantasize about getting into showbiz, acting, going on variety shows, walking red carpets. Now that I've seen what it's like for you, forget it. Being stared at everywhere is one thing, but I probably wouldn't even get to keep my private life. If some stalker fan showed up at my house one day, how would I even live?"
Cheng Che glanced at him. "Where would someone like you get stalker fans?"
"Why wouldn't I? I look pretty decent, okay!"
"Sure, you look decent. You just don't look like you have fans."
Guo Xin was so furious he tried to strangle him.
As they laughed and fooled around, however, Cheng Che's thoughts were clear.
He might enter the entertainment industry sooner or later.
But not now.
He still had a [Stamina Trial] to complete and the college entrance exam to fight through.
Acting could wait.
"Guo Xin, if you ever go into acting, remember to call me," Cheng Che suddenly said.
Guo Xin froze. "Weren't you not interested?"
"I mean, I want to play the lead." Cheng Che smiled. "Forget being an extra."
"Pah! You think you can reach the heavens in a single bound? First, play your role as our class's 'dreamboat' properly."
"I already am."
"Screw you!"
Time slipped by like flowing water amid this atmosphere.
Two days later, Friday.
When the bell rang at the end of the last class, it was as though someone had pressed play on the entire school building. The corridors instantly filled with students carrying schoolbags.
Cheng Che didn't linger in the classroom. He grabbed his already-packed bag and headed out.
Outside the school gates, an old BYD was parked beneath a tree across the road. There were a few faint scratches on its body, and a faded red cord hung from the rearview mirror.
Cheng Che recognized it at once.
He jogged over, pulled open the door, and climbed into the back seat.
Cheng Jianguo was in the driver's seat, with Jiang Xue in the front passenger seat. A bulging bag of things sat in the car.
"Did you buy anything for Grandpa and Grandma?" Cheng Che asked as soon as he got in.
Cheng Jianguo glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Do I need you to tell me that? Is your dad the kind of person who doesn't know better?"
Jiang Xue turned around and studied Cheng Che for a moment. "Why are you so excited today? You look like you're going on a spring outing."
Cheng Che thought, If you'd been stared at like a monkey for two days, you'd be excited to get out of town too.
But all he said was, "I'm happy to go back home. I haven't seen Grandpa and Grandma in months."
This was also the only day during this period when he had a legitimate excuse to "neither play tennis nor grind practice questions."
Cheng Che leaned back in his seat, watching the streetscape speed past outside the window. The taut string inside him finally loosened a little.
Just one day.
Tomorrow, he would do nothing and enjoy a good meal.