Chapter 21 – Good luck on the college entrance exam!

——Did you have fun?

Song Shiyue stared at the message sent from the other side. For some reason, an inexplicable feeling welled up in her heart, as if an invisible low tide was silently flooding over her.

She could not stop this groundless association. Thinking back to today’s trending searches, she pictured Zhu Xingyan wrapped up tightly, with only a small patch of skin visible, yet still recognized and pushed onto the hot search.

As a public figure who had become famous too early, he could not even fulfill something as small and ordinary as strolling through a temple fair.

Perhaps he was feeling low too.

Song Shiyue could not help feeling a little regretful for mentioning the temple fair to him last time. Her thoughts churned; instinctively she wanted to comfort him.

「Moon」: 【Actually it was just a very ordinary gathering. We only ate a bit and then came back. Nothing especially fun】

The girl’s comfort was clumsy and unfamiliar.

Zhu Xingyan saw through it at a glance.

He lowered his eyes and smiled to himself. The next second, a sour ache surged in his chest.

See, she was so good. Falling for her was effortless, yet holding back only brought burning pain.

「Star」: 【Mm】

He slowly suppressed the longing in his heart.

「Star」: 【There were so many people, it was very lively】

Song Shiyue bit her lip, feeling a little uncomfortable.

「Moon」: 【It was really crowded and packed. Earlier on the street I almost got knocked over】

Zhu Xingyan immediately knew which moment she was talking about; the scene appeared clearly in his mind.

The rare trace of lightness he had felt a moment ago was submerged and disappeared. Reality covered him like a dark shadow. He typed on the screen, slowly, one character at a time.

「Star」: 【Are you okay】

「Moon」: 【I’m fine. Luckily my friend was right beside me and helped steady me】

In the darkness he blinked. His lashes lowered, and his face was lit by a small patch of light.

It was pale and held not a trace of spirit.

「Star」: 【That’s good】

The conversation seemed about to end there.

Song Shiyue hesitated, thinking about what kind of closing message she should send.

「Star」: 【Study hard and jiayou for the college entrance exam】

The other side had already sent it first.

The sudden sentence felt even more like a kind of farewell.

Song Shiyue’s heart sank sharply. An empty hole was filled with cold wind. From her chest all the way to her fingertips, everything felt a little chilled.

She stared motionless for a long time. The words in her line of sight froze and blurred. She did not quite dare to believe it, yet at this moment her intuition arrived swift and accurate.

「Moon」: 【You too】

After repeated inner struggles she finally gave a reply within the acceptable range. As soon as the three words were sent, the world fell silent. Zhu Xingyan’s profile picture no longer lit up.

This was the last contact between the two of them before the college entrance exam.

It was also, in her memory, a farewell without any warning.

The final semester of senior year opened quietly as usual, right at the moment when spring revived.

The atmosphere in the class had become much more restrained. There was no longer any idle talk about celebrity gossip. Everyone secretly pulled their focus inward, racing against time to absorb every knowledge point.

Xiao Simin still squeezed out time to follow Zhu Xingyan’s latest updates. She had already become an iron fan in his super topic and Tieba forums, checking in at fixed times every day.

“Zhu Xingyan is so amazing. His newly announced movie is directed by Zhang Xunli and is aimed straight at winning awards. He has really established himself firmly in the film and television circle. Heaven knows how much I want him to shake off the ‘idol’ label. May actor Zhu Xingyan keep walking the flower path from now on.” She sighed with genuine feeling. Everyone who had lived through last year’s online storm nodded in agreement. In the classroom, only when the topic turned to Zhu Xingyan would a bit more discussion spark.

“He has really stayed low-key these past six months. Before, he used to update Weibo on schedule and occasionally share bits of his daily life. Now, except for promoting his works, he basically stays offline.”

“Right. He has dropped all variety shows too. Apart from brand events and filming movies, there are almost no other exposure or announcements.”

“The concert that was supposed to happen once every year seems to have no movement this year either.”

“He really is planning to completely abandon traffic and transform.”

“Ah…” Someone let out a regretful sigh. The topic naturally came to an end in the slightly heavy atmosphere.

When early summer first arrived, Zhu Xingyan’s second movie was released.

One weekend, while casually passing by the cinema, they saw the huge posters plastered outside. He occupied the center position alone, his face cold and solemn as he stared into the camera.

The enlarged features on the poster were still sharp and distinct, without a single flaw.

Death of the Startled Spring was a suspense film with a suppressed, heavy style — the director’s specialty. His previous suspense work had won awards three years ago and received excellent reviews and box office.

Because of that, the promotional heat spread overwhelmingly from the very beginning.

He had not appeared in public for a long time, so his rare attendance at the premiere still drew a huge response. During these days of silence, his popularity had not dropped even a little.

It happened to be the holiday period, and cinemas gave it heavy screening slots. Wherever you went, you could see posters for this movie.

Song Shiyue rarely took an afternoon off. She went shopping at the mall with Zhao Siqian to buy a gift for Song Qing’s forty-fifth birthday. When the two of them reached the third floor, they saw the giant standing poster on the ground.

Zhao Siqian glanced over, then her gaze suddenly fixed. She could not help letting out a small “eh”: “Yueyue, isn’t this your classmate?”

“Yes.” Song Shiyue nodded, her expression unchanged. “His new movie is out.”

“This boy is quite impressive. He can dance and act in movies too.” Zhao Siqian sighed instinctively, a little tempted. The next second she raised her wrist to check her watch and felt regretful.

“It’s a pity you still have to go back and review soon — there isn’t much time left. After the college entrance exam, when we have the chance, we can go watch the movie he made.”

“Sure. We can watch it on the TV at home too. The movie he did last year was really good.” Song Shiyue said this, and Zhao Siqian asked for the title. She briefly introduced the plot to her. The two of them kept talking as they slowly walked away.

Only less than two months remained until the college entrance exam.

No one in the class mentioned organizing a group outing to watch the movie together like they had done last year. Instead, Xiao Simin went to see it on the very first day of release, squeezing it in right after school. When she came back, she raved nonstop in the classroom, using every praise word she could think of.

“It was so freaking amazing!! Zhu Xingyan’s acting has improved by leaps and bounds. He played the high-IQ teenage criminal with zero sense of mismatch. The plot is also insanely good — brain-burning the entire time. The director’s filming techniques are on another level. Several long takes and transitions left me completely stunned.”

“The whole theater was dead silent, fully immersed. When the lights came on at the end, all you could hear were waves of gasps and sighs from every direction.”

One after another, film reviews appeared online. Unlike the restrained mix of praise and criticism that Night Kill had received at the time, the feedback for Death of the Startled Spring was almost entirely one-sided praise. Even the most critical movie bloggers did not point out a single shortcoming in this film.

This time, when Zhu Xingyan was mentioned, no one attached the “immature acting” label to him anymore. The words that kept appearing were “stunning performance,” “a hint of veteran actor vibes,” “a true powerhouse actor,” “unexpected”…

When the movie’s box office broke 3 billion, fans collectively reposted and checked in. One highly liked and pinned comment resonated deeply with countless people:

—He has come step by step, and every single step counts.

Yesterday’s mud will become tomorrow’s glory.

More than a month after Death of the Startled Spring was released, just as it was about to leave theaters, only less than half a month remained until the college entrance exam.

Fan City High had canceled all weekend breaks, leaving them with only half a day off each week to go home and adjust their state.

Over the past six months, round after round of review exams had taken place. Teachers seized every knowledge point and wished they could cram it straight into the students’ brains. In this race against time, the more they could stuff in, the more they stuffed in.

Even Dali and the rest of the art class were suffering badly and had to attend make-up classes for the first time.

Outside the window, the tree shadows had grown lush once again. In her earphones played English vocabulary words on repeat.

Song Shiyue stopped the pen in her hand, briefly lost in thought, her mind pulling away from the endless sea of practice questions.

It was another summer.

Her three years of high school were about to come to an end.

An inexplicable restlessness and reluctance suddenly surged up without warning at this moment. She put down her pen, stood up abruptly, grabbed her phone and keys, and went out.

Song Shiyue stopped breathlessly at the entrance of the cinema. The poster on the wall was still eye-catching. She adjusted her breathing, walked inside, and asked about the latest screening times.

There were still plenty of showtimes for the popular film. Less than ten minutes later, she had her ticket and entered the theater, taking a seat in the second-to-last row.

The lights dimmed, and the large silver screen suddenly lit up. The boy’s face appeared with the cool tone of the camera lens.

Across the insurmountable screen, those deep, pitch-black eyes seemed to be looking straight into hers.

Long time no see.

Song Shiyue silently recited his name in her heart.

Zhu Xingyan.

The movie was far more brilliant than she had imagined. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, when she walked out of the cinema, she still could not calm down for a long time. Her entire being remained immersed in the story.

She wanted to talk to someone about it, but instinctively held herself back. This impulsive afternoon she had spent alone was supposed to remain a secret.

On the way home, Song Shiyue repeatedly opened the chat with Zhu Xingyan. She wanted to say: I went to watch the movie. It was really good. You were amazing. Everyone is proud of you.

However, her eyes stopped on their last conversation.

【Study hard and jiayou for the college entrance exam】

【You too】

The invisible chasm appeared before her eyes once again.

Apart from being classmates, they were just two ordinary people with no connection. She, as class monitor, had added his contact to dutifully pass on study-related matters.

Now that they were about to graduate, her duty was over, and he had essentially already said goodbye to her.

There seemed to be no more reason to stay in touch.

Contacting him again would only seem too presumptuous and lacking in proper boundaries.

The celebrity returns to the spotlight, while ordinary people disappear into the crowd. Everyone has their own real and definite life.

They were always meant to be two distinct, parallel lines.

In the end, Song Shiyue exited the chat, turned off her phone. That evening when she got home, she opened a movie review website.

She registered an account, found Death of the Startled Spring , and gave it a full five-star rating.

Before long, a new comment appeared under the movie’s main page.

It had nothing to do with the plot. It was like a simple confession from an ordinary fan.

——“The movie is really good. You are amazing. Everyone is proud of you.”

Song Shiyue looked out the window. The cicadas of midsummer were singing nonstop.

My boy, may you shine brilliantly in that dazzling world that captures everyone’s attention.