Chapter 1: Big Star Classmate

“Fanshi City is located in the south of the Yangtze River region. It is rich in cultural heritage and ancient sites, and its scenery is exceptionally beautiful. This May, Zhu Xingyan officially became the city’s tourism promotion ambassador. He contributed greatly to his hometown, and as a result, the number of summer tourists reached a record high, with many popular check-in spots exploding in popularity…”

The intense summer heat had not yet faded. A gentle morning breeze arrived, and sunlight filled the living room.

On the cabinet stood an old-fashioned television broadcasting the news. At the solid wood dining table, a family of three was having breakfast.

Song Shiyue buried her head in her porridge bowl while listening to Song Qing and Zhao Siqian chatting casually beside her.

“The tourism in the city seems to have suddenly become really popular this year.”

“Yeah, I keep seeing lots of young people taking photos and checking in everywhere on the streets.” Song Qing ladled a bowl of porridge and tried to recall. “Is there a boy named Zhu Xingyan who’s endorsing and promoting it? He seems to be from our Fanshi City…” There was an unconscious pride in his tone, and he smiled as he added, “A big star. Thanks to him.”

“Kids these days…” Zhao Siqian shook her head, clearly not very interested in the topic. But Song Qing suddenly thought of something and looked at the girl beside him with interest. He asked, “Yueyue, that Zhu Xingyan seems to be about the same age as you. Do you like him?”

“Our Yueyue has never chased after celebrities,” Zhao Siqian frowned disapprovingly. Song Shiyue quickly finished the porridge in her bowl, put down her chopsticks, and answered honestly.

“Dad, I haven’t really paid much attention to him.”

“You should learn from Dali sometimes. Cultivate more entertainment activities. Watch some dramas or play casual games when you have free time. Don’t stay locked in your room memorizing vocabulary words all day.” Song Qing enthusiastically suggested this with the full heart of an old father. Beside him, Zhao Siqian turned her head and looked unhappy.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“It’s a good thing our Yueyue loves studying.”

“Mom, Dad, I’m full. I’m heading back to my room first.” Before the two of them could start bickering again, Song Shiyue quickly spoke up, said goodbye, and slipped away.

Fanshi City had been lively and bustling all summer long. When the new school term arrived, along with the fading of the scorching heat, the overwhelming crowds receded too, but the fiery temperature still lingered.

The autumn wind brought the first hint of coolness.

On the clean and tidy streets, blue-and-white school uniforms could be seen everywhere. Across the zebra crossing, once the traffic light turned green, the school gate of Fanhua No. 2 High School came into view.

Song Shiyue was wearing her short-sleeved school uniform. Her hands gripped the straps of her double-shoulder backpack, and her white sneakers absentmindedly stepped over a fallen leaf.

Beside her, her best friend Dali was holding her arm and chattering away nonstop. After half a summer apart, the two best friends had endless things to talk about.

Song Shiyue listened as Dali shared stories about daily life at her grandmother’s house in the countryside. The air grew slightly quiet. Ahead, from the audio-video store, a melody drifted over in the cool morning air. The drumbeats were clear, powerful, and full of vibrant, youthful energy with every strike.

A few girls were still gathered at the entrance, taking photos and checking in with their phones. They were all wearing matching orange-red T-shirts, which stood out as a unique sight against the otherwise ordinary street scene.

Beside her came Dali’s involuntary sigh of admiration.

“These must all be Zhu Xingyan’s fans. He’s really super popular. This whole summer, Fanshi City was filled with his presence everywhere. His popularity is even hotter than the forty-degree summer heat.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Shiyue casually glanced to the side and noticed the large poster stuck on the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the audio-video store facing the street.

In the vast, boundless night sky, meteors streaked downward in all directions. Their blazing trails tore through the darkness like long tails of fire, burning fiercely.

At the very center of the poster stood the figure of a young boy. He raised his head and gazed upward, stretching out his hand as if trying to pluck a star from the sky.

A burst of scorching light happened to illuminate the tip of his finger.

Above the poster, two bold, flamboyant characters were printed in an extremely eye-catching font.

— Xingyan.

The title of Zhu Xingyan’s latest album.

Even though Song Shiyue did not follow celebrities, she had often seen this album in the hands of girls at school. His image was everywhere on the streets and alleys, and the songs that played on the school broadcast station every few days had already become familiar melodies to everyone.

Stars hang high in the sky. You do not need to deliberately chase after them, because as soon as you look up, you can see them effortlessly.

“I heard that Zhu Xingyan’s hometown is right here in our city, and he occasionally comes back to visit family. Do you think we might get lucky and run into him on the street someday?”

“Oh my gosh, if that happens, I’m definitely getting ten or twenty autographs from him.” Dali was already excitedly imagining the future.

Song Shiyue thought back for a few seconds and asked in confusion, “…Isn’t your idol someone else?”

“Well, sort of! I’m just a casual passerby fan of his. But! Do you know how valuable Zhu Xingyan’s autograph is?! On the seafood market, it’s already gone up to this much.” She mysteriously held up four fingers toward Song Shiyue.

Song Shiyue did not quite understand but respected it anyway. She quietly swallowed and let out a small sigh. “…That’s impressive.”

The two of them continued chatting and gossiping all the way. When they reached the teaching building, they parted ways and went to their separate classrooms.

Back when the first-year high school classes were divided.

Song Shiyue and Dali were unfortunately separated. One ended up in Class 1, and the other in Class 12. They were at the very beginning and the very end, as if separated by an unbridgeable chasm, gazing at each other from afar.

Fanhua No. 2 High School is the best middle school in the city. It has excellent teachers and a young, modern management style. When dividing classes, they do not strictly rank students by grades. Instead, they make comprehensive evaluations based on individual characteristics.

No one knows the exact criteria even now. When Song Shiyue entered the classroom, her desk mate was already wearing earphones and memorizing vocabulary words. Upon seeing her, the first greeting after the long summer break was an excited request to help with dictation.

…Well… Song Shiyue thought helplessly.

Although she could not figure out the pattern, it was true that the study atmosphere in their class was very strong. Everyone was too focused on studying to pay attention to entertainment gossip. Their class had even earned the nickname “a bunch of bookworms.”

On the other hand, Dali’s class seemed to put more emphasis on developing interests and special talents.

Every time Song Shiyue went over to find her, she could always feel the lively atmosphere during breaks. Unlike the quiet and somewhat dull feeling in their own class, the air in Dali’s class was filled with a sense of relaxation and freedom.

During the first early reading period, the homeroom teacher Zhang Feng stood on the podium as usual and gave his new-semester ideological talk. He summarized the past and looked ahead to the future. This middle-aged male teacher with an ordinary appearance spoke at a calm and steady pace, his words clear and organized, and his face carried a natural air of composure and ease.

The students had given him the nickname “Instructor Zhang.”

After he finished speaking, the timing was perfect. Just before the bell for the end of class rang, he mentioned that a new transfer student would be joining their class this semester.

The reaction from the students below was lukewarm. Compared to this new transfer student, everyone was more concerned about the upcoming break.

Zhang Feng concluded his speech, rolled up the materials in his hand, and tapped them lightly on the podium. Before leaving, he specially called out to Song Shiyue.

“Class monitor, come to my office after class.”

In the teachers’ office, the doors and windows were wide open, and breezes from all directions freely poured in.

Song Shiyue stood in front of Zhang Feng’s desk. She watched as he pulled open a drawer, took out a certificate and a brand-new plastic-sealed box, and handed them to her.

“The award certificate for last semester’s English composition competition has finally come in. The first-place prize is a latest-model MP3 player, perfect for helping you all memorize vocabulary words.”

“Thank you, Teacher Zhang.” Song Shiyue reached out to take them and politely thanked him.

Zhang Feng looked at the calm, unruffled girl in front of him and felt a little helpless inside.

Their class monitor was excellent in every way, except that she was too quiet and gentle. She did not have the liveliness typical of teenage girls.

But that was also precisely why he felt completely at ease entrusting things to her.

“Next month’s city-level English speech competition — prepare well for it. Our whole class is counting on you to bring back a first-place prize.”

“I’ll do my best.” Song Shiyue promised calmly with an undisturbed expression, but in her heart, she was already itching to excuse herself.

“By the way, there’s one more thing I need to assign to you.” Zhang Feng called her back and reached into the drawer again, pulling out a file folder.

“The new transfer student in our class this time has a rather special identity. He probably won’t attend classes regularly, so it will be up to you, the class monitor, to take the trouble in your spare time after class to pass on the lesson materials or any important announcements to him.”

“Here’s his contact information. When you have time later, add him and send over our class schedule for this semester.”

He took a pen, copied down a string of numbers on a piece of paper, tore it off, and handed it to her.

Perhaps worried that Song Shiyue might feel unhappy about this extra little task, he earnestly added a few more words.

“You know, Zhu Xingyan has made a major contribution to the city’s cultural and tourism promotion this time. The higher-ups specifically instructed the school’s teachers and students to provide him with plenty of help in his daily life and studies. We must ensure that Zhu Xingyan can focus on learning at Fanhua No. 2 High School without distractions, so he can develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and in every other way.”

“So, class monitor, the organization places great hopes in you.” Zhang Feng delivered this bombshell news as casually as if it were small talk, and he even took the time to earnestly paint a bright future for her. Song Shiyue remained dazed even after she walked out of the teachers’ office. Her mind felt foggy, as if she were dreaming.

When she returned to the classroom, everything was as usual.

The ceiling fan whirred overhead. Classmates sat at their desks, heads buried in their books. Occasionally, a few people walked along the aisles, their conversations low and quiet.

No one knew that a big star was about to transfer into their class.

Song Shiyue sat down at her seat, took a few seconds to process everything, carefully folded the paper note in her hand, slipped it between the pages of her book, opened the textbook for the next class, and began previewing ahead of time.

Beside her, however, her desk mate Xiao Simin was behaving unusually. She was using the very last bit of break time to scroll on her phone.

“Do you know? It seems Zhu Xingyan is transferring back to Fanshi City to continue his studies.” As if she had just seen some huge news, Xiao Simin lifted her head from the phone and could not help sharing with her.

Song Shiyue’s hand paused for a moment while turning the pages of her book. Before she could respond, Xiao Simin continued talking to herself, unable to contain her excitement.

“If he really transfers back, could he possibly come to our school? Fanhua is the best high school in the city, after all. Oh, right — this morning, Instructor Zhang mentioned that a new transfer student was coming…?” As soon as she imagined the possibility, Xiao Simin’s eyes began to sparkle, and her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Song Shiyue did not know how to reply. Her sense of reason told her to respect other people’s privacy, but deep down, she also felt a small sense of relief that this was something everyone would find out about sooner or later.

She remembered Zhang Feng’s parting instruction to keep it quiet for the time being. In the end, reason won over emotion.

Song Shiyue probed gently. “Are you his fan?”

Just now, in that fleeting moment, she seemed to have caught a glimpse of the super topic page on Xiao Simin’s phone.

She quickly connected it to something she had overlooked last semester — the occasional Zhu Xingyan merchandise that appeared on Xiao Simin’s desk.

“I suppose so.” Xiao Simin hesitated for a moment before saying, “I really like his stage presence. It’s the first time I’ve felt that a person can actually shine.”

“Actually…” Song Shiyue hesitated. She was caught in an internal tug-of-war when the class bell suddenly rang. Xiao Simin quickly raised a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture, then hurriedly pulled out her books from the desk compartment to prepare for previewing.

Song Shiyue’s words came to an abrupt stop, and for some reason, she felt a quiet sense of relief in her heart.

The final period of the day ended. The sunset spread across the ground. Everyone packed up their things and prepared to leave, with the soft rustling sound of books and papers filling the air.

Song Shiyue finished writing the last bit of her notes, straightened up, and while tidying her desk, she remembered the slip of paper tucked inside her book.

By now, only a few people remained in the classroom, and the air suddenly turned quiet and still.

Song Shiyue took out the note from her book, unconsciously pressed her lips together, opened the QQ app on her phone, and typed the string of numbers into the search bar.

Soon, the account appeared below.

A simple black profile picture with a blurry flame in the center. The nickname was a single character: Xing.

It gave off an invisible aura of aloofness and cool distance.

Song Shiyue sent the friend request. For the verification message, she wrote only a brief introduction.

【Class Monitor, Song Shiyue】

After the request was sent, there was no reply for a while. Song Shiyue turned off her phone, packed her schoolbag, and headed home.

The bus swayed all the way to her stop. Outside her bedroom, the camphor trees were lush and green. After finishing her homework for each subject, Song Shiyue sat at her desk, relaxed, and gently massaged her neck.

She casually picked up the phone on the table and only then noticed that the friend request had been approved at some point. A new profile picture had appeared in her contact list.

In the chat window, just two words remained.

Xing: 【Hello】

Song Shiyue found the class schedule and sent it to him.

【Classmate Zhu, this is the schedule for this semester that the homeroom teacher asked me to send you. Please check it.】

Song Shiyue’s name appeared as a small moon, a built-in system symbol, resting quietly on the interface.

The message sank like a stone into the sea — no response at all.

Song Shiyue did not look again. She opened the new MP3 player she had just received today and began her listening practice.

It was only when she picked up her phone again before bed that she saw the reply he had sent much earlier.

The unfamiliar account sat right below the little yellow moon.

It felt as if a blank symbol had suddenly come to life.

Xing: 【Thank you】