Spring City, Pond Village.
In the main room of Cheng Qingshan's house, the old LCD TV was showing the tennis final.
The signal wasn't very good, and the picture would flicker occasionally, but nobody seemed to mind.
A group of people sat around the television, as if it were Chinese New Year.
Cheng Jianguo sat at the front, clutching the remote control in his hand, his knuckles turning white.
Jiang Xue sat next to him, clutching her apron in one hand and Cheng Jianguo's arm in the other.
Grandpa and Grandma sat in the middle of the sofa, their eyes fixed on the screen, not blinking.
Aunt Cheng Yulan and Uncle Xu Chengjun sat on either side, while cousin Xu Qian was squeezed to the very edge, one hand supporting her chin and the other scrolling through her phone.
The moment Cheng Che delivered his final inside ace and the referee announced the final score.
Cheng Jianguo was the first to jump up from the sofa.
"We won! We won! My son won!"
He raised his hands as if he had won Champion.
Jiang Xue's eyes reddened, and she covered her mouth, unable to speak for a long time.
Grandpa Cheng Qingshan slapped his thigh and said "Good!" three times.
Grandma Zhou Lan held Jiang Xue's hand and kept saying, "You're so promising!"
Cheng Yulan smiled as she wiped away her tears, and Xu Chengjun gave her a thumbs up.
Only my cousin Xu Qian didn't move much.
She sat on the side, swiping her fingers across the screen, muttering something under her breath:
"I won, but my brother still hasn't gotten Yan Ruanning's autograph for me..."
Her voice wasn't loud, but Jiang Xue heard it.
Jiang Xue turned to look at her, smiled, shook her head, and said nothing.
Cheng Qingshan stood up and patted his pants:
"Alright, alright, have a good lunch! Old woman, take that piece of cured meat out of the fridge."
Zhou Lan responded and led Jiang Xue and Cheng Yulan into the kitchen.
A fire was lit on the stove, and the sound of the spatula hitting the iron pot quickly filled the air.
A short while later, a table full of dishes was laid out.
Stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, braised fish, stewed free-range chicken, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a plate of tofu that Grandpa ground himself.
The family sat around the round table. Cheng Jianguo opened a bottle of baijiu and poured a glass for Cheng Qingshan and Xu Chengjun.
"Come, let's toast my son." Cheng Jianguo raised his glass.
Cheng Qingshan bumped into him. " Cheche."
Xu Chengjun also raised his glass. "To the Champion."
The three of them tilted their heads back and drank it all.
At the dinner table, the conversation quickly turned to business.
Cheng Jianguo put down his wine glass, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, and looked at Xu Chengjun: "Brother-in-law, I've been looking at the store lately."
"Store?"
"Hmm. Cheche said she wants us to sell the breakfast shop and start a small business in another location," Cheng Jianguo said. "I've looked at a few locations. There's a shop on Spring City Old Street that's being leased. It's not big, but the location is good, and the price is negotiable."
Xu Chengjun put down his chopsticks. "The old street has good foot traffic. Do you want to go into the restaurant business or something else?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'll wait and see, no rush."
Jiang Xue chimed in from the side, " Cheche said he'd pay for it."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yulan sighed:
" Cheche has really made something of himself now. He's Champion, got into Peking University, and is so filial. Unlike our Qianqian..."
She turned to look at Xu Qian, who was engrossed in her phone. " Qianqian, stop playing on your phone and eat properly."
Xu Qian didn't even look up. "Okay, okay."
Cheng Yulan reached out and patted her arm. "Put down your phone."
Xu Qian reluctantly raised her head, her finger still tracing the edge of the screen.
Suddenly, she froze.
"Ah--!!"
She suddenly screamed, her voice so high-pitched it almost blew the roof off.
Cheng Yulan was startled and slapped her arm again. "Why are you so jumpy!"
Xu Qian raised her head, her eyes wide open, her face flushed red.
My cousin and Yan Ruanning are together!
The whole table fell silent.
Grandpa and Grandma looked bewildered.
Cheng Qingshan put down his chopsticks and looked at Zhou Lan: "Who is Yan Ruanning?"
Zhou Lan shook her head. "I don't know."
Cheng Yulan and Xu Chengjun exchanged a glance, feeling that the name sounded somewhat familiar.
" Yan Ruanning..." Xu Chengjun frowned and thought for a moment, "Is she the singer? The one who's been on the Spring Festival Gala?"
Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue's reactions were completely different from the others.
The two of them put down their chopsticks at the same time and looked at Xu Qian.
"What did you say?" Cheng Jianguo asked, his voice slightly trembling.
"Where did you see that?" Jiang Xue asked immediately.
Xu Qian held her phone up, shoving the screen right in front of them:
"Look! Someone online analyzed my brother's tennis match videos and said they spotted a figure appearing in the stands at many matches. They finally confirmed it was Yan Sister Ruanning based on her clothes, build, and gait!"
Cheng Jianguo snatched the phone and stared at the screen for a long time.
Jiang Xue leaned closer, and the two of them squeezed together to watch.
The screen displayed a video clip titled. "The Woman Behind Cheng Che's Final Victory - A Full Record of Yan Ruanning's Multiple Appearances in the Audience."
The video shows screenshots switching rapidly.
In a corner of the stands, a dark hat, a masked figure from behind. Sometimes it's a profile shot, sometimes a head bowed.
Each image is blurry, but when pieced together, the outline becomes clearer and clearer.
The comment section below the video has exploded.
" Yan Ruanning?! That singer Yan Ruanning?!"
"Holy crap, is this for real? This figure really looks like her!"
"Look at the seventh picture, the coat she's wearing is the same one Yan Ruanning wore at the airport!"
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, my house has collapsed!!!"
"No, you're sure it's her based on just a few screenshots? What if it's someone who looks similar?"
"Without intimate photos or pictures of her holding hands, what makes you think she's in a relationship?"
"Exactly, there's a limit to making baseless accusations. Just because someone goes to a game doesn't mean they're dating. Does that mean if I go to a Jay Chou concert, I'm Jay Chou's wife?"
"But the problem is she didn't miss a single match! From the qualifiers to the finals! What else could this be but a romantic relationship?"
"They could be friends. Cheng Che and she filmed a music video together, isn't it normal for them to know each other?"
"Can your friends attend every single game? Can you watch every single one of your friends' matches?"
"Where did you go to every single show? You only went to a few! You need to use your brain to spread rumors. You were hired by our rivals, weren't you? Just jealous of my Ningning?"
"I've been a fan of Yan Ruanning for five years. I recognize her. That posture, that head-to-shoulder ratio, I can't mistake her."
"I'm no longer a fan. I thought she was quite aloof, but I never expected her to be like this in private."
"Love can make your brain explode! I can't accept that!"
"Don't rush to unfollow, wait for solid evidence first. Without solid evidence, it's just a rumor."
"What solid evidence do you need? Aren't these screenshots enough?"
Cheng Jianguo returned the phone to Xu Qian and exchanged a glance with Jiang Xue.
The expressions on their faces were very complicated.
They already knew who Yan Ruanning was.
Cheng Che had mentioned to them that Yan Ruanning was Old Xu's daughter.
They knew that Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning had filmed a music video together, but they always thought it was just a working relationship.
Now, the screen is filled with "together," "the show has collapsed," and "unfollowing"...
Jiang Xue remained silent for a few seconds, then looked at Cheng Jianguo.
" Old Cheng, do you think... this is a reliable plan?"
Cheng Jianguo clicked his tongue. "I don't know if it's reliable or not. But one thing is certain."
"What?"
"If Cheche didn't like someone, she wouldn't visit them on set."
Jiang Xue thought for a moment and nodded.
Grandpa and Grandma were still asking, "Who exactly is Yan Ruanning?", while Aunt and Uncle also looked confused.
Jiang Xue glanced at Cheng Jianguo, sighed, and explained:
" Yan Ruanning is Xu Ruanning. She is the daughter of Cheche's homeroom Teacher Xu Cheche. Her real name is Xu Ruanning, Yan Ruanning is her stage name."
The whole table fell silent for a moment.
Cheng Qingshan was the first to react. " Xu Zhiqiang's daughter?"
Jiang Xue nodded.
Aunt Cheng Yulan opened her mouth:
"So, Cheche's girlfriend is not only a big star, but also his homeroom teacher's daughter?"
Uncle Xu Chengjun slapped his thigh. "Good heavens, this is a double blessing!"
Only Xu Qian held her phone, looking on with envy.
"My brother is amazing. Yan Sister Ruanning is my goddess..."
The teachers' residential area of No. 13 Middle School.
Old Xu hung up the phone, walked back to the living room from the balcony, and still had a smile on his face.
"All done." He sat down on the sofa, picked up the remote, and said, "I told Ningning to tell Cheng Che to come back to Spring City and film a promotional video at the school. I can finally complete the task assigned by the school leaders."
Yan Ping came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food, and rolled her eyes at him upon hearing this:
"Why don't you just call Cheng Che? He's your student, what's there to be embarrassed about?"
Old Xu touched his nose:
"He's different now. He's Champion and a Peking University, he's incredibly popular. If I call him directly, what if he's too busy and refuses me? Where would I put my face then?"
"You're overthinking it." Yan Ping put the dishes on the table. "I think Cheng Che a good kid; he's not that kind of person."
The couple sat down to eat. Two dishes and a soup, a home-style meal.
Old Xu was enjoying his meal, but Yan Ping suddenly put down her chopsticks and picked up her phone.
She made two strokes, then frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"Wait a minute." Yan Ping stared at the screen, her expression growing increasingly strange.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
External playback.
" Pingping! Is your Ningning dating someone?!"
The voice was shrill and urgent; it belonged to Yan Ping's best friend, Sister Zhou.
Yan Ping's expression changed. "Who is it? What are you talking about?"
" Cheng Che! That tennis player! The internet is exploding! Someone dug up that Ningning watched the whole thing from the qualifiers to the finals! You have to check Weibo!"
Yan Ping stood up abruptly and opened Weibo without even hanging up the phone.
Old Xu was still picking up food when he saw her like this, and his chopsticks stopped in mid-air. "What's wrong?"
Yan Ping ignored him, her eyes fixed on the screen.
Three seconds later, she turned the phone towards Old Xu.
Old Xu put on his reading glasses and leaned closer to take a look.
The screen showed an edited video, and the comment section below had exploded. Eight out of ten comments were shouting "the story has collapsed" and "I'm unfollowing," while the other two were defending the video, saying "without solid evidence, it's just a rumor."
After reading it, Old Xu took off his glasses and breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's it?" He pushed the phone back, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating. "What can a few screenshots from the stands prove? It's all baseless speculation. How come young people these days are even more old-fashioned than we are? Watching a few games means you're in a relationship? Then if I go to watch students play basketball, does that count as cheating?"
Yan Ping didn't respond.
She paused for a few seconds, then opened her phone again and scrolled to another video.
That's a screen recording of the live stream of " Life Slowed Down ".
On the screen, Cheng Che sat at a bamboo table singing, bathed in warm yellow light.
The camera panned across the faces of the other people, briefly catching Yan Ruanning.
It only took a second or two, but Yan Ping saw it clearly.
The way the daughter looked at Cheng Che.
Yan Ping put down her phone and looked at Old Xu.
" Old Xu."
"Um?"
It's true.
Old Xu paused for a moment while picking up food with his chopsticks.
"What do you mean, really?"
" Ningning likes that child," Yan Ping said. "You can tell from her eyes. I'm her mother, I can tell."
Old Xu remained silent for a long while.
He put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.
After a long pause, he spoke.
" Cheng Che... he's not bad at all."
Yan Ping looked at him.
"He's just a bit young," Old Xu added.
"When you were pursuing me, weren't you two years younger than me?" Yan Ping said.
Old Xu choked.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
On the dining table in Guo Xin's home on Spring City Old Street.
Guo Xin took a couple of bites of rice when his phone suddenly vibrated more than a dozen times.
He picked it up and saw that the class group chat had exploded.
Someone sent me a link with a shocking title. "Rumors circulate online that Yan Ruanning has appeared at Cheng Che's competitions multiple times, suggesting she may be in a relationship."
Guo Xin clicked in, and the more he read, the more interested he became.
After reading it, he slammed his chopsticks on the table.
He immediately opened his WeChat history with Cheng Che and found the photo.
"Holy crap! The photo of Yan Ruanning that Brother Che sent me is actually real!"
Guo Xin was heartbroken; his brother was dating his goddess! He deserved to die.
But with a brother as outstanding as him, it would be strange if he didn't date a goddess, right?
So he quickly typed and sent a message to the class group.
[ Guo Xin: I knew they were up to something all along!]
[ Guo Xin: Do you guys remember when Cheng Che went to record that variety show? He said he was going to visit the set, and I immediately felt something was off. Visiting whose set? Yan Ruanning!]
[Someone replied: Visiting someone on set means you're dating? You're overthinking things.]
[ Guo Xin: No, think about it, why did Yan Ruanning go to watch his match? She even went to the qualifiers, a match with hardly any viewers! What else could this be but a relationship?]
[Someone replied: They could be friends, they've filmed a music video together, they're close.]
[ Guo Xin: So, according to you, why doesn't Yan Ruanning watch other people's matches? She's filmed music videos with Cheng Che, and with other people too.]
The group chat was silent for a moment.
Then someone posted:
[But then again, Cheng Che is truly outstanding. Top scorer in the college entrance Zhuangyuan, tennis Champion, and handsome too—who wouldn't be tempted?]
Guo Xin immediately continued:
[Exactly! Is my Brother Che not good enough for her? My Brother Che is clearly too outstanding!]
[I saw some people online saying that Yan Ruanning is marrying above her station? That's hilarious. With Cheng Che's current popularity, it's really hard to say who's marrying whom.]
[Stop arguing, let's wait for concrete evidence. Right now it's all speculation.]
Guo Xin snorted, put down his phone, and continued eating.
After taking a couple of bites, he couldn't resist picking it up again and sending a message to Cheng Che.
[ Guo Xin: Bro, the internet's exploded. Tell me honestly, what's going on?]
The message was sent out, but it disappeared without a trace.
Guo Xin stared at the screen for a long time, then finally sighed and placed his phone face down on the table.
"This guy is probably busy again."
He suddenly looked suspicious. "Could this kid be... with Yan Ruanning?"
"Damn it!"