After leaving the swimming pool, Cheng Che went straight to the tennis center.
He took the bus without wearing a mask, and no one on the bus recognized him anyway.
Upon arriving at the tennis center, before even entering, one could hear the sounds of balls being hit coming from inside.
Old Chen was doing the accounting at the front desk when he suddenly noticed the light at the door dimming.
He looked up and saw Cheng Che standing at the door, wearing a simple black T-shirt, and he was taller than the last time they met.
The pen in Old Chen's hand fell to the table with a "thud".
" Cheng Che!"
He rushed out from behind the counter, circled Cheng Che, and the more he looked, the more unreal it seemed.
The last time I saw him, he was a high school student following Yan Ruanning around filming a music video. Now he's a national Champion, and his name is trending on social media every day.
"When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Look at you, you've grown taller and more handsome—"
Old Chen reached out to pat his shoulder, but pulled his hand back halfway and wiped it on his pants, as if afraid his hands would get dirty.
Cheng Che smiled and reached out to pat Old Chen on the shoulder, " Brother Chen, long time no see."
Old Chen's eyes welled up with tears from the slap, and he quickly coughed to cover it up. "Alright, alright, come in and sit down, have some water."
Before the two even sat down, several young people who were playing ball surrounded them.
"You are... Cheng Che?"
"It really is him! I watched his final match!"
"Wow, he's even more handsome in person than in the videos!"
Several young women squeezed to the front, but were too embarrassed to get too close, so they stood about two steps apart, pushing and shoving each other.
"Could... could I sign my name?"
Cheng Che took the pen and signed it for them one by one.
One little girl was so excited that her hands were shaking, and she almost dropped the notebook when she handed it to her.
As Cheng Che took the notebook and bent down to sign it, the little girl stared at his profile for several seconds before covering her face and backing away.
After signing autographs and taking photos, Cheng Che chatted with Old Chen for a while longer.
"I watched every single one of your matches in the main tournament," Old Chen said, leaning against the counter, his voice full of emotion. "When I lost the first set, I even swore, and your aunt next to me asked me what was wrong with me. Then you won three sets in a row, and I was happy all night long."
Cheng Che smiled and said, " Brother Chen, thank you for letting me work part-time here."
"Why thank me? You did a great job." Old Chen patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, you just got back, you must be busy. Come over sometime, I'll cook you a meal."
Cheng Che nodded. "Okay."
The next morning, Cheng Che got up as usual to practice, and ran five kilometers home at 7:30.
I took a shower, ate a meal, changed into a clean white short-sleeved shirt and dark casual pants, and went to school.
A minivan was parked at the entrance of Spring City No. 13 Middle School.
Old Xu was standing next to the car, talking to a middle-aged man carrying a video camera.
Several students were standing next to him.
Su Qingyue, Lin Xiao, Zhou Mingxuan.
Cheng Che strode over and called out from afar, " Teacher Xu."
Old Xu turned his head, a smile on his face, but there was an indescribable complex emotion in his eyes.
He nodded. "They're here."
Su Qingyue stood to the side, and when she saw Cheng Che walk over, the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
She wore a light blue dress today, her hair tied in a ponytail, looking clean and gentle. She waved softly, " Cheng Che."
Lin Xiao is more lively.
When she saw Cheng Che, her eyes lit up, and she ran a few steps to meet him, tilting her head up to look him over:
You've really grown taller again!
Then she wrinkled her nose and said seriously, "But you seem to have lost weight. Was the competition too tiring? When I saw you on TV, your chin looked so sharp."
Cheng Che laughed and said, "I haven't lost weight. My mom said I looked thinner, but actually I've gained two pounds."
"That might be because the camera makes you look thinner." Lin Xiao nodded, finding a reasonable explanation for himself.
Zhou Mingxuan, standing at the back, showed the most significant change.
He used to be a quiet person in class, always sitting alone and not talking to anyone.
He's a shade darker now, with sunburn marks and peeling skin on his face, but he's in great spirits, and his eyes have a cheerfulness I've never seen before.
He stepped forward and extended his hand to Cheng Che: " Cheng Che, congratulations."
Cheng Che grasped his hand. "Thanks. Guo Xin told me you went cycling?"
"Yeah, I rode over two thousand kilometers to Western Yunnan." Zhou Mingxuan loosened his grip, his tone much more relaxed than before. "It was tiring, but it was worth it."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Looking at these classmates he had spent so much time with, Cheng Che felt a surge of familiarity.
Although only a few months have passed, it feels like a long time has gone by.
He turned to look at Old Xu, Old Xu was looking down at his phone and not looking at him.
Cheng Che felt that awkwardness welling up inside him again.
The group entered the principal's office.
A number of people were already waiting in the office.
Top students from other classes, student council members, and a few teachers.
The Cheng Che walked in, the entire room fell silent for a moment, and then everyone's eyes turned to him.
A boy whispered to the person next to him, "That's him, Cheng Che."
"I know, the top Zhuangyuan in the college entrance exam, a tennis Champion, and he even had a rumored relationship with Yan Ruanning."
"Weren't those all clarifications?"
"A clarification is one thing, but who knows if it's true or not? Do you think this is just baseless speculation?"
"True. So handsome and outstanding, who wouldn't be attracted?"
Cheng Che had excellent hearing, and every word he heard reached his ears.
He sighed inwardly.
Being watched by fans and being watched by classmates are completely different feelings.
Fans observe from afar, while classmates watch up close, creating a subtle awkwardness of "we all know about you, but we have to pretend we don't."
The principal cleared his throat, preparing to speak.
Cheng Che suddenly spoke up.
"Principal, are we here today to film ' Cheng Che's Day at the Zoo '?"
There was a moment of silence in the office, then a few young people burst out laughing.
The laughter was contagious; soon everyone was laughing, even some of the teachers couldn't help themselves.
The principal laughed too, adjusting his glasses. "You're still as humorous as ever, kid."
He was quite satisfied, though; she had a strong heart and could control the situation.
"Alright, let's get down to business." The principal's smile faded. "This promotional video is very simple; it mainly showcases the spirit of our No. 13 Middle School. You are all outstanding student representatives, so just play yourselves."
Cheng Che understood immediately.
School promotional videos are usually designed to avoid any unexpected problems, so they tend to be conservative and don't try anything fancy.
The filming was done in several groups.
The other students went to take pictures of the laboratory, library, and sports field.
Cheng Che and Su Qingyue were assigned to a group to film "study scenes in the classroom".
The two walked down the corridor toward the classroom, accompanied by a photographer and two staff members.
The corridor was quiet, and the afternoon sun slanted in through the windows, spreading strips of light across the floor.
"Um..." Su Qingyue spoke first, her voice soft, "I've gone to watch your match."
Cheng Che turned his head to look at her.
Su Qingyue's ears turned slightly red as she looked down at the tips of her shoes. "I went to both the quarterfinals and the finals."
"I know," Cheng Che said.
Su Qingyue suddenly looked up, her eyes widening slightly. "How did you know?"
"Someone took pictures of the audience seats, and I saw them online."
Su Qingyue bit her lip, her face turning even redder.
The two remained silent for a few steps.
The classroom was at the end of the corridor, but Su Qingyue suddenly slowed her pace and mustered her courage to say:
"We'll both be studying in Capital City from now on, you at Peking University and me at Shuimu, which is very close. We should... we should keep in touch!"
She spoke with a hint of nervousness, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.
Cheng Che glanced at her and smiled, "Of course, what kind of relationship do we have?"
Su Qingyue was taken aback.
These words exploded in her ears like a tiny firework.
What is our relationship?
He said this in a very natural tone, as if it were a matter of course.
But Su Qingyue didn't know if he meant "classmate relationship" or something else.
She lowered her head, muttering to herself: I don't know either.
We've arrived at the classroom.
The photographer set up his equipment and had the two sit behind a desk, pretending to "discuss and study together."
"You can chat freely, say whatever you want, just be natural," the photographer said.
The two sat down, Su Qingyue opened a book, Cheng Che leaned over to read. The photographer was snapping photos nearby.
"Hey! That's right! This angle's good! Let's take another one!"
"Su, turn to the side slightly, yes, look at his book, don't look at the camera."
"Cheng, pick up your pen and pretend you're explaining a problem. Yes, like that."
After taking a few pictures, the photographer put down his camera, looked at the playback, and his eyes lit up.
"No, we need to take another set. The lighting in this classroom is too good, and you two are so photogenic; it would be a waste not to take a few more pictures."
Cheng Che: "..."
Su Qingyue couldn't help but laugh.
For the next two hours, the photographer took countless shots of them in the classroom.
Turning pages, writing, making eye contact, looking down, looking up, laughing, pondering, discussing... Cheng Che felt like he was being used as a model.
"Last group!" the photographer finally said. "You all stand by the window. Yes, backlighting. Su, shift slightly to the side. Cheng, look at her—"
As the shutter clicked, Su Qingyue turned her head, and the sunlight shone directly on her face. She squinted slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Cheng Che tilted his head to look at her, his expression very natural.
The photographer watched the playback and nodded in satisfaction.
It was already afternoon when we finished filming.
The other students had already left, leaving only their group.
Su Qingyue's parents came to pick her up.
Standing at the school gate, Mother Su saw Cheng Che and Su Qingyue walking out together. Her gaze swept over the two of them, lingering on Cheng Che's face for a couple more seconds.
That look left Cheng Che a little confused.
He pondered it for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
Su Qingyue said goodbye to him and got into the car.
Cheng Che and Old Xu walked together towards the school gate.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people, which fell side by side on the ground.
As they approached the school gate, Old Xu suddenly stopped.
Cheng Che also stopped.
Old Xu didn't look at him, but stared at the old banyan tree at the school gate in the distance, remaining silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"I don't want to have a grandchild so soon."
Cheng Che: "...?"
After finishing his sentence, Old Xu put his hands behind his back and walked towards his teachers' residential compound.
His pace was neither too fast nor too slow, exactly the same as usual.
Cheng Che stood there, watching Old Xu's figure disappear around the corner of the alley, his mind buzzing.
What did he just say?
Holding a grandson?
who?
With whom?
He opened his mouth, wanting to chase after him to explain, but Old Xu had already walked far away.