Over the next three days, the buzz online only grew.
It started when someone recognized Cheng Che as the boy playing tennis in the "Midsummer Reply" music video.
That made the trolls even more excited.
"What did I tell you? It's all publicity! He's been paving the way to enter the entertainment industry all along!"
"A high school student shooting music videos and making the news? Who'd believe he doesn't have a team behind him?"
"Look at him. His family definitely isn't short of money. A rich second-generation kid pretending to be poor, then claiming he rose from an ordinary family. I've seen this routine before."
"What top student? More like second-generation capital. Just a capitalist's kid entering showbiz to gild himself."
"Once the results come out, he might only get three hundred-something, then play the victim and say he 'underperformed' before slinking off to act."
"I've seen plenty of people like this. Bragging about Tsinghua and Peking before his results are even out-isn't it just to land ads and sell stuff later?"
"Students these days have barely read a few books, but they're better at marketing than anyone."
Su Qingyue saw these comments on her way to the airport.
She and her parents were in the back seat. She had only been scrolling through her phone out of boredom, but her expression grew worse the more she read.
Each comment was more vicious than the last, every word splashing dirty water on Cheng Che.
She couldn't take it anymore.
Her fingertips flew across the screen as she typed:
"You don't know him at all. His family is very ordinary. His parents run a breakfast shop. His good grades come entirely from studying his heart out. He scored 690 on the last mock exam, second in the entire grade, with full marks in math. How many people have you seen cheat their way to a perfect math score?"
After posting it, she thought things would get a little better.
Within a minute, her notifications were ringing nonstop.
"Here comes another whitewasher."
"Oh, you even know his family situation. Who are you to him? His girlfriend?"
"A breakfast shop? Hahaha, they've even got his persona all set up now. You really think we can't look into it? You say he's ordinary, so he's ordinary? It's not like his records are public anyway."
"Little sister, don't get fooled. Once you enter society, you'll know how good men like this are at pretending."
Su Qingyue was so angry her hands shook. For the first time in her life, she understood what it meant to be unable to defend herself even with a hundred mouths.
Her mother noticed her expression and leaned over to take a look.
"What's wrong? Who are you arguing with?"
Su Qingyue explained what had happened.
After listening, her mother sighed. "The internet really is a foul, smoky mess. Don't get mixed up in it. It's not worth making yourself sick with anger."
Su Qingyue said nothing and laid her phone facedown on her knees.
She watched the shadows of trees racing backward outside the car window, feeling a tightness in her chest.
It felt awful.
Even trying to say a word in his defense was this hard.
Lin Xiao felt even worse.
She had always been gentle and soft-spoken. How would she know how to fight people online?
But when she saw people accusing Cheng Che of "pretending to work hard" and "crafting a persona," she still couldn't hold back.
She opened the comments and carefully typed out a paragraph, deleted it, then typed it again. After several minutes of going back and forth, she finally posted:
"Cheng Che really does work incredibly hard. He runs every morning and goes to bed at ten thirty sharp every night. He has never once zoned out in class. The time he got full marks, he explained the problems to the whole class, and his reasoning was especially clear. I sit in front of him. Everything I'm saying is true."
The instant she posted it, she regretted it.
The trolls swarmed in like sharks scenting blood.
"You sit in front of him? Then you two must be pretty close. Defending him this hard-do you have a crush on him?"
"Haha, another girl bewitched by a pretty boy."
"Can you little girls stop chasing stars all day? Wouldn't spending that time paying attention to scientists be better than looking at some pretty boy?"
"Exactly. You praise actors and influencers every day, while nobody pays attention to the people doing real research. No wonder all our talent is leaving. Five trillion scientists have already gone abroad."
Lin Xiao froze as she read the comment about "five trillion scientists."
She stared blankly for a while, then searched it up.
Five trillion?
The entire country only had 1.4 billion people. The whole world only had seven billion.
She left the comments, put her phone aside, and slumped over her desk, burying her face in her arms.
After a long while, her shoulders gave a small shudder, whether from anger or hurt, it was hard to tell.
She probably hadn't expected there to be so many complete idiots online.
Guo Xin called on the afternoon of the third day.
Cheng Che was sitting in his room, watching recordings of tennis matches on his newly purchased laptop.
He had recently asked Old Chen to help him get videos of a few past junior championship matches, hoping to get a feel for the competitive atmosphere in advance.
His phone rang, and he answered.
"Hey, Cheng Che! Listen, I took down eight trolls single-handedly today!" Guo Xin's voice rang with vigor and the swagger of someone fresh from victory. "You have no idea how hilarious those people were. I'd barely said two words before they started slapping labels on me. 'Fanboy dog,' 'paid shill,' 'how much did they pay you?' Pah! All I've got is a heart full of hot blood!"
Cheng Che paused the video and said with a smile:
"Why not just stop arguing with them? The more you argue, the more worked up they get."
"No way! You're my brother. How could I pretend not to see them insulting you?" Guo Xin thumped his chest on the other end. Cheng Che couldn't see him, but he could tell from the sound. "But after these three days of battle, I've finally seen right through these trolls."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"These people are lunatics." Guo Xin suddenly grew serious. "If you're ugly and say you can get into Tsinghua or Peking, they say you're a toad lusting after swan meat. If you're handsome and say you can get into Tsinghua or Peking, they say you're desperate for fame. If you're ugly and act humble, they say you never had what it takes anyway. If you're handsome and act humble, they call you fake. Whatever you do is wrong, and whatever they say is right."
"To sum it up: sexual repression!"
Cheng Che's eyebrows rose as he listened. "Guo Xin, it'd be a waste if you didn't study philosophy."
Guo Xin chuckled.
"Right? I think so too. When I check my results tonight, I'll see which university's philosophy department has a lower cutoff."
"You might as well apply straight to a Buddhist academy," Cheng Che said.
"Get lost! I'm hanging up! Message me when your score comes out tonight!"
"Okay."
After hanging up, Cheng Che tossed his phone aside and looked out the window.
The sun was about to set. Bamboo leaves swayed gently in the wind, and the cicadas cried one after another, their calls making the heart tighten.
He actually wasn't nervous at all.
After dinner, Cheng Che's family sat in the living room.
Cheng Jianguo switched off the television, and Jiang Xue cleared the coffee table. The three of them each had a phone, their eyes fixed on their screens.
His grandfather, Cheng Qingshan, and grandmother, Zhou Lan, sat nearby too. Although they didn't really understand it, they knew their grandson was checking his score tonight, and they were nervous along with him.
It was time.
Cheng Che entered his examination admission number and tapped the search button.
The page loaded for a dozen seconds.
Then a number popped up.
732, first in the province.
Cheng Che looked at the number and slowly smiled.
"How much?" Jiang Xue's voice was trembling.
"732," Cheng Che said.
"How much?!" Cheng Jianguo shot to his feet, nearly hitting his head on the hanging light.
"732, Dad." Cheng Che turned his phone toward him.
Cheng Jianguo stared at the screen for three seconds, then slapped his thigh.
"That's my boy! 732! Do you have any fucking idea what that means? Last year's top scorer only got 728, right?"
Jiang Xue had already covered her mouth, unable to speak.
Her eyes reddened. She turned in place twice, then fumbled for her phone.
"I... I'll call your grandpa and grandma! No, your grandma first!"
Seeing how flustered Jiang Xue was, Cheng Jianguo took out his own phone, leisurely found a colleague's number, and cleared his throat.
"Hello, Old Li! Not asleep yet? Oh, nothing, nothing. Just wanted to tell you something. My son's results are out. He did so-so, only 732. Huh? My son? Yes, yes, the brat who argues with me every day. Hello? Hello? Is the signal bad? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Watching from beside him, Cheng Che didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
His dad was even more practiced at showing off than he was.
Cheng Che glanced down at his own phone.
There were several missed calls on it.
Just as he was about to call back, it rang again.
An unfamiliar number, with its location listed as the Imperial Capital.
Cheng Che answered.
"Hello, is this Cheng Che? I'm from the Shuimu University admissions office. Congratulations on achieving first place in the science track in Caiyun Province! Would you happen to have time for a chat?"
Before the caller had finished, Cheng Che's phone began vibrating again as another call came through.
"Hello, I'm a teacher from Yanjing University's admissions team..."
"I'm from Demon City Jiaotong University..."
"We're from Zhejiang University..."
Cheng Che answered one call after another, so busy he could barely finish a sentence.
Beside him, Cheng Jianguo grinned like an old fox.
"Son, do you know how to choose? If you don't, let them bid against each other. We'll go wherever offers the best terms. Scholarships, free choice of major, overseas exchanges-make them show you everything they've got."
Jiang Xue rolled her eyes at him. "Stop giving him terrible ideas. He knows what he's doing."
As they spoke, another call came in.
Cheng Che glanced at the caller ID and hurriedly signaled his parents to be quiet.
"Teacher Xu."
"Cheng Che!" Old Xu's voice came through the receiver, so excited that its pitch went awry at the end. "732! My heavens! I've taught for over twenty years, and I've never had a provincial top scorer! You've made me so proud! I don't even know what to say..."
He took a breath and steadied himself, then suddenly spoke with earnest gravity.
"Cheng Che, a lot of universities will be contacting you over the next few days. Don't rush, and don't let their offers go to your head. Ask more questions, think things over, and work out what you want to do. You fought for this score yourself. Whichever university you attend, you have to walk your own path. If there's anything you're unsure about, call me anytime."
"I understand, Teacher Xu," Cheng Che said, a smile in his voice.
"All right. I'm hanging up. I've got several more calls here, all asking about you. Damn it, how are these people even more excited than I am..."
Cheng Che hung up with a smile.
He walked to the window and pushed it open.
The night breeze swept in, carrying the fresh scent of bamboo leaves. Stars shone on the horizon, each brighter than the next.