When Xu Qian returned to the classroom, her smile hadn't faded yet.
Xiaoyu leaned closer. "What's wrong? Did your sister give you money?"
Xu Qian opened her mouth, almost pulling out the photo.
But after glancing at Xiaoyu's bright, shining eyes, she thought for a Xiaoyu and held back.
Xiaoyu is a very energetic person; if you show her a photo now, she'll call the teacher over on the spot.
"It's nothing, just some people came to visit."
Xu Qian gave a perfunctory reply and slumped back onto the table, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
I endured until the evening self-study session ended.
As soon as the bell rang, Xu Qian grabbed her schoolbag and pulled Xiaoyu along as they ran towards the dormitory.
They lived in a four-person dormitory. Luckily, their other two roommates hadn't returned yet; they were probably at the cafeteria for a late-night snack.
As soon as Xu Qian entered the room, she glanced outside, then closed the door, took a book out of her bag, and tucked the photo inside.
Xiaoyu, panting, asked curiously, " Qianqian, what are you doing?"
Xu Qian gave her a mysterious look, then pulled out the photo.
Xiaoyu curiously leaned closer. "What kind of photo is being taken so mysteriously—"
She glanced at it.
He froze completely.
Then she screamed, her voice high-pitched and shrill.
Xu Qian reacted quickly and covered her mouth.
"Mmm--"
Xiaoyu struggled desperately in her hand, her eyes wide open, her legs stomping on the ground.
Xu Qian let go of her hand, Xiaoyu Yu immediately grabbed her arm, her voice low but incredibly excited. "When did you take these pictures? You saw Yan Ruanning? You actually saw Yan Ruanning?"
"This afternoon," Xu Qian said proudly, "The teacher said an older sister was coming to see me, and that older sister is Yan Ruanning."
Xiaoyu clutched her chest, feeling like she was about to faint.
She took several deep breaths before finally managing to utter, "I want to take pictures too."
Xu Qian was somewhat embarrassed.
However, she waved her hand dismissively. "Leave it to me."
Then she thought for a moment and added, "But that depends on my brother. It was my brother who asked my sister-in-law to come."
"Sister-in-law?" Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.
"Don't tell anyone," Xu Qian quickly cautioned her. "My brother forbids me from saying anything."
Xiaoyu nodded frantically, but her mouth remained open.
The two chatted for a while, and then their other two roommates returned.
Xiaoyu lay on the bed and, when no one was looking, secretly took out her phone and sent a message to Cheng Che.
[ Xiaoyu: Brother Che Baby! Thank you, sister-in-law!]
A photo of Xu Qian and Yan Ruanning was attached.
Cheng Che was lying on his berth on the train when he saw the message.
He stared at the photo for several seconds.
Yan Ruanning squatted down, and Xu Qian stood next to her. The two leaned against each other, and Yan Ruanning made a "V" sign at the camera.
Her eyes were curved, and the corners of her mouth were turned up; she looked to be in a good mood.
He remembered Yan Ruanning calling him earlier to say "things are done," but he had assumed she had just sent him an autographed photo.
It turns out he personally went to the school.
Cheng Che put down his phone, turned over, and felt a warmth in his heart.
The train arrived at the station the following day.
Capital City West Station was teeming with people.
The four of them dragged their suitcases out of the station, stood in the square, and looked up at the city's gray sky.
Guo Xin took a deep breath and then patted Cheng Che on the shoulder.
"Alright," he said. "We're going our separate ways here. You're at Peking University, and I'm at that lousy second-tier university. Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao are also at different schools."
Cheng Che glanced at him. "What are you afraid of? We're all in the Capital City. Come out and have some fun during your rest time."
Guo Xin chuckled, "Then it's a deal, you have to treat me to dinner this weekend."
"OK."
The four people said goodbye at the train station entrance.
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao each dragged their suitcases to the subway, while Guo Xin hailed a taxi, waved, and drove off.
Following the directions on his phone, Cheng Che took the subway to Peking University.
As he exited the subway station, he looked up.
The school gate is right in front of us.
Grayish-white stone pillars, ancient-style plaques, and people coming and going at the entrance.
There were students carrying backpacks, tourists taking photos, and senior students whizzing by on bicycles.
Several old trees peeked their branches out from behind the wall, swaying gently in the wind.
Cheng Che dragged his suitcase and stood at the school gate for a long time.
He recalled that just a few months ago, he was in a classroom at Spring City No. 13 Middle School, staring blankly at a derivative problem.
At that time, he didn't even know if he could get into university, let alone Peking University.
And now, he stands here.
He took off his mask and took a deep breath.
The air carried a hint of autumn coolness, mixed with the scent of leaves and the fragrance of books.
He couldn't quite describe the smell, but he thought it smelled wonderful.
He dragged his suitcase and walked into the school gate.
Tall ginkgo trees line both sides of the main road, their leaves already beginning to turn yellow.
Students walked by in twos and threes; some were on skateboards, some were carrying books, and some were taking pictures under the trees.
The [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] phenomenon operates quietly and imperceptibly.
The first to notice him were several female students standing by the roadside.
They were leaning lazily against the tree, but hadn't handed out a single flyer for a long time.
One of the female students looked up and saw Cheng Che.
She paused for a moment, then nudged her companion with her elbow.
Her companion looked up and followed her gaze.
Then they both fell silent.
Cheng Che, dressed in a simple white short-sleeved shirt and dark casual pants, walked under the ginkgo tree, dragging his suitcase.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on him.
He walked at a moderate pace, with his back straight, broad shoulders and narrow waist, taking long strides with each step firm and steady.
Her features were so clear in natural light that they looked like they had been painted on; her skin was fair, her eyebrows and eyes were clean, and the corners of her mouth had a very faint curve.
"Who is that...?" a senior student murmured.
"I don't know... but he's so handsome."
"No, with looks like that, there's no way she could be unknown, right?"
"Is he a new student? Here to register?"
Several female students followed him for quite a while until Cheng Che turned into the direction of registration, at which point they came to their senses.
The registration area was set up in the gymnasium, with several long tables pushed together, and senior students from various departments sitting behind them.
When Cheng Che walked in, the previously noisy venue suddenly fell silent.
All eyes turned to them.
The [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] phenomenon is operating more and more rapidly.
A senior student who was looking down at the roster looked up and saw Cheng Che.
Her hand froze in mid-air, her mouth slightly open.
"Excuse me, are you here to register?" Another senior student next to her reacted quickly, standing up and asking with a bright smile.
Cheng Che nodded and handed over the admission notice.
The senior student took the admission notice, glanced at the name on it, and then froze.
" Cheng Che? You're Cheng Che?"
Cheng Che nodded.
The people next to the senior student looked up at the same time, their eyes wide open.
"That top Zhuangyuan in the college entrance exam? The tennis player? The one who makes cultural tourism videos?"
"That's him. I've seen his videos; he's even better looking in person than in the videos."
"My God, he actually came to Peking University!"
"I told you those messages online weren't fake."
One after another, the female seniors around the registration area looked over, muttering to themselves:
"My dream guy has arrived..."
Cheng Che stood in front of the long table, looking at those gazes, and suddenly felt that the scene was somewhat familiar.
His lips twitched, and he sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, it's the same everywhere you go.