Cheng Che was helping Yan Ping carry out the dishes when laughter and conversation drifted in from outside the courtyard.
Grandpa Xu and Xu Chengguo had returned from fishing.
Grandpa Xu walked in front with an old bamboo basket on his back, while Xu Chengguo carried a red bucket with several crucian carp still thrashing inside.
Both had their trouser legs rolled up to their knees and mud on their feet.
"Oh, we have a guest?"
Grandpa Xu spotted Cheng Che in the courtyard and paused.
Cheng Che quickly put down the dish he was holding and greeted them politely. "Hello, Grandpa Xu. Hello, Uncle Xu."
Grandpa Xu looked him up and down a few times, then suddenly smiled, revealing a neat set of dentures.
"You're Cheng Qingshan's little grandson, aren't you? Look how big you've grown. Such a handsome lad, too. Are you working now?"
Old Xu came out of the house just in time to hear that, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Dad, he's still in his final year of high school. He's in my class."
"Oh," Grandpa Xu said. He looked at Cheng Che again and nodded. "No wonder he looks so bright. Studying is good. Studying is good."
Cheng Che smiled and went back into the kitchen to carry out more dishes.
The family took their seats one after another.
The table was covered in dishes. In the center sat the crucian carp soup Xu Chengguo had started stewing early that morning, milky white with a handful of chopped scallions sprinkled on top.
Yan Ping was a good cook, and her home-style dishes looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.
"Come on, Cheng Che, don't be shy. Make yourself at home." Yan Ping kept putting food on his plate.
"Thank you, Mrs. Xu. I can help myself."
Old Xu picked up a piece of fish and spoke unhurriedly. "You don't know this, but Cheng Che and Ruanning already knew each other. He filmed that music video of hers."
"Really?" Yan Ping put down her chopsticks, her eyes widening.
Xu Chengguo looked up too. "You mean the one... with the tennis? The one that went pretty viral online?"
"Yes, that was him." Old Xu nodded, a faint note of pride in his voice.
Yan Ping looked at Cheng Che, then at Yan Ruanning quietly eating beside him, and couldn't help marveling.
"What a twist of fate. One went to Spring City to film a music video, and the other goes to high school there. After all those twists and turns, you turn out to be from the same hometown, and a teacher and student, too. Even a TV screenwriter wouldn't dare write something like that."
Xu Chengguo laughed too. "Exactly. What a coincidence."
The adults chatted and laughed without reading anything deeper into it.
After all, there really was quite a gap between their identities: one was a popular singer, the other a high school senior.
They hadn't known each other long, either. Who would think there could be anything between them?
Yan Ruanning, however, kept her head down over her meal and barely said a word.
Until Old Xu brought up tennis.
"Cheng Che, have you still been playing tennis lately?"
"Yes." Cheng Che put down his bowl. "I practice for a bit after getting up in the morning. It doesn't interfere with my studies."
"Mm. Exercise is a good thing, but you can't get obsessed." Old Xu lifted his glass and took a sip. "Your top priority now is the college entrance exam. Once you're at university, you can play however you like."
Cheng Che nodded. "I know, Mr. Xu. I know where to draw the line."
He had barely finished when Yan Ruanning, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly spoke. "Dad, you're wrong about this. He really does have a talent for tennis."
She put down her chopsticks and looked at Cheng Che, her tone serious.
"I think he could try going pro. I'm not just flattering him. I've played against him, and plenty of people who've trained for years can't match his level."
A little embarrassed, Cheng Che scratched his head. "Sister Ning Ruan, you're exaggerating way too much."
"I mean it," Yan Ruanning said. "At your age, you still have a chance if you really want to go pro. Of course, you still need to take the college entrance exam."
Old Xu looked at his daughter, then at Cheng Che, and smiled.
"All right, all right. It's good that you young people have your own ideas. Just remember, whatever you do, leave yourself a way back."
"I will," Cheng Che said.
The meal proceeded at an unhurried pace as the adults talked about crops, the weather, and which family in the village had put up a new house.
Cheng Che chimed in occasionally, but spent most of his time eating.
Yan Ruanning was quiet too, only lowering her head with a smile when the praise left him embarrassed.
After dinner, Cheng Che wanted to help wash the dishes, but Yan Ping shooed him out.
"You're a guest. Just sit down. Ruanning, go see Cheng Che off."
"Oh," Yan Ruanning replied. She slowly got to her feet, went back to her room to throw on an outdoor jacket, and put on a hat and mask, fully armored.
Cheng Che: "..."
"Do you do this every time you go out?" he asked quietly.
"This face of mine is a money tree in the city and a troublemaker in the village." Yan Ruanning tugged her hat brim lower. "Let's go."
They walked out along the village road.
Yan Ruanning didn't walk fast, so Cheng Che slowed down to keep her company.
The wind blew past, gently swaying the rice seedlings in the paddies, and the air was filled with the mingled scent of earth and sunset.
"Xiao Zhou said before that she'd give you a red envelope," Yan Ruanning suddenly said. "She forgot, but I remembered. I'm making up for it."
Cheng Che blinked. "There's no need..."
"Take it." Yan Ruanning pulled a red envelope from her pocket and pressed it into his hand. "The money for filming the music video was your fee. This is a bonus. I'm the boss. Don't refuse."
Cheng Che squeezed the red envelope.
It was thick.
He hesitated for two seconds before putting it in his pocket. "Then... thank you, Sister Ning Ruan."
"You're welcome." Yan Ruanning stopped at the village entrance. "Study hard. Don't give my dad a chance to scold you in his office."
"I'll try." Cheng Che smiled. "Then... I'll get going. Head back, Sister Ning Ruan."
Yan Ruanning nodded and stayed where she was, watching him walk away.
When Cheng Che reached the bend, he glanced back. She was still standing there, the wind lifting the hem of her jacket, like a flower standing on a paddy ridge.
In the car back to Spring City, Cheng Che handed the red envelope to Jiang Xue.
"This is a follow-up bonus for the music video. The shots I filmed made it into the final cut, so the production team paid me extra."
Jiang Xue took it and squeezed it, her eyes going wide. "This much?"
"How much?" Cheng Jianguo looked back from the driver's seat.
Jiang Xue opened the red envelope and counted the money. Even her voice changed. "Ten thousand."
"Ten thousand?!" Cheng Jianguo nearly jerked the steering wheel sideways. "One music video earned you as much as your mom makes selling buns for a whole month!"
"Could you stop making it sound so cheap?" Jiang Xue rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Cheng Che. "I'll save this money for you to use when you go to university."
"Okay." Cheng Che nodded.
He paused, then added, "Actually... Yan Ruanning is Old Xu's daughter."
The car fell silent for three seconds.
"Which Old Xu?" Cheng Jianguo was the first to react.
"Our homeroom teacher."
"What?" Jiang Xue whipped her head around. "That female celebrity is Mr. Xu's daughter?"
"Mm. Her real name is Xu Ruanning. Yan Ruanning is her stage name," Cheng Che said. "I only found out today, too."
Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo exchanged looks, at a loss for words.
Finally, Jiang Xue sighed. "What a small world."
Cheng Jianguo dropped Cheng Che off at the school gate.
Cheng Che returned to the classroom for Class Five of the senior year. As soon as Guo Xin saw him, he grinned. "Well, well, the fanboy boyfriend's here?"
Cheng Che smiled without answering, put away his bag, and sat down.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me you really had dinner with Yan Ruanning?"
Cheng Che said mildly, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Guo Xin punched him. "I knew you were full of it. Yan Ruanning's house, my ass. Why not say you and Yan Ruanning are childhood sweethearts while you're at it?"
The corner of Cheng Che's mouth twitched, and he nearly lost his composure.
He suddenly felt that not explaining was pretty good, too.
Some things, when said aloud, nobody believed-or could be bothered to believe.
Besides, Yan Ruanning being Old Xu's daughter was someone else's private business. He didn't want to blab.
Guo Xin laughed to himself. "Forget it, forget it. I'll buy you some grilled gluten tonight to comfort that dreaming heart of yours."
Cheng Che glanced at him. "Just one skewer?"
"In your dreams! Two! Not a single one more!"
The days slipped by, quiet and ordinary.
On the morning six days later, Cheng Che woke at half past five as usual.
He had only just opened his eyes and hadn't yet got out of bed when the system panel popped up with a ding.
[Charm: 70]
Cheng Che rubbed his eyes and took a closer look. Sure enough.
70.
A perfectly neat number, without a fraction left over.
He froze briefly, then grinned.
At a rate of 0.3 points a day, he should have reached 70.1 today.
The panel now showed 70.0. It had clearly been capped.
He had reached the limit for this stage.
Before he could think it through, another line appeared.
[Your charm has reached 70. The specialized trait draw will now unlock!]
A pale purple wheel appeared before his eyes, slowly spinning.
Cheng Che sat cross-legged on the bed, watching the pointer slow from a rapid spin until it finally stopped.
Ding.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the passive talent: Bard Incubus Voice.]