Chapter 4: Class Uniform

An unexpected encounter was like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings — it quickly faded without creating lasting ripples.

Song Shiyue never saw Zhu Xingyan again, and he never appeared at school either.

Her desk mate Xiao Simin had already joined his fan group’s private chat. She knew his schedule like the back of her hand. Every day after classes, she would seize any spare moment, phone in hand, and chatter away:

“Zhu Xingyan is still filming Night Kill. Director Cheng runs a very strict set — I heard no one is allowed to take leave. This movie has been in production for almost half a year already. They’re definitely aiming for awards.”

“He has extremely high standards. From interview leaks, if he’s not satisfied with a single shot, he can reshoot it dozens of times. Don’t you think all great directors have a bit of artistic obsession?”

She kept muttering to herself without waiting for Song Shiyue to respond, just continuing on her own.

“This is Zhu Xingyan’s first collaboration with such a big director, so the pressure must be huge. This is his debut work after transitioning, and countless people are watching — he absolutely cannot afford any mistakes.”

“So, I must work hard and become his strong backing at school.” Xiao Simin suddenly clenched her fist, looking as solemn and serious as if she were taking an oath under the national flag.

Song Shiyue felt a little curious and paused her pen. “How do you plan to do that?”

“I’ve decided to wipe his desk once every day.” Xiao Simin answered without a second thought.

“…That’s actually not a bad idea.”

Mid-October arrived, and the school sports meeting was approaching. After the class meeting ended, the physical education representative spent every day worrying over the registration form, using every ounce of persuasion to convince classmates to sign up.

Song Shiyue had been pestered from every direction. The women’s 800-meter race had become a hot potato, and no one in the whole class dared to volunteer.

Because of her height advantage, Xiao Simin had become the PE rep’s main target. As soon as class ended, he would come over to do some “thought work” on her, and she was thoroughly annoyed.

Xiao Simin could not stand it anymore. She looked at Song Shiyue, who was quietly writing beside her, and in a moment of impulse, she blurted out without thinking.

“Why do you keep bothering me? The class monitor is about the same height — why don’t you ask her?”

The PE rep’s reasoning was simple: Xiao Simin had long legs and natural advantages, making her the perfect fit for the 800-meter race.

But Song Shiyue was actually a little taller than Xiao Simin. At 166 cm of pure height, her proportions were perfectly balanced, and among southern girls, she stood out strikingly.

The boy froze for a moment, and soon his face flushed red. “Class monitor… Class monitor is too skinny…”

“What does that mean?!” Xiao Simin finally reacted, exploded in anger, grabbed her book, and chased after him. “Are you saying I’m fat?! Yu Chao, you’re dead!!!!!”

A life-threatening lunch break. Yu Chao barely escaped with his life and sat back in his seat, gasping for breath.

When he looked up, Song Shiyue was standing in front of his desk with a gentle smile, and her tone was completely normal.

“PE rep, sign me up for the 800-meter race.”

All the events were finally settled.

Before the school sports meeting, the class began customizing class uniforms. Once the style was chosen, they collected sizes. In the afternoon, Song Shiyue took the form to Teacher Zhang’s office. He flipped through a couple of pages and suddenly thought of something.

“Oh, right. Have you asked Zhu Xingyan?”

“Ah.” Song Shiyue was caught off guard. “Is he coming?”

“I haven’t heard anything, but since he’s technically still a member of our class, wouldn’t it feel a bit off to just ignore him completely?” Teacher Zhang rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. His tone sounded uncertain, as if he were discussing it with her. Song Shiyue felt slightly speechless but still responded kindly.

“Then I’ll confirm with him.”

【Moon】: 【Classmate Zhu, are you coming to the school sports meeting? We’re customizing class uniforms.】

【Moon】: 【The homeroom teacher asked me to check if you need your size recorded.】

At the Night Kill film set, in an industrialized northern city, vast expanses of reinforced concrete stretched out in black emptiness. The gloomy sky swept cold winds across the plains, carrying a desolate and stern chill.

After finishing a scene, they took a mid-shoot break. The director sat in front of the monitor reviewing the playback. Zhu Xingyan had not yet changed out of his costume — a three-piece shirt, vest, and suit, all high-end custom tailoring. He looked like a young master who had stepped straight out of the Republican era. Right now he was casually sitting on a shipping container, checking his phone.

When he saw Song Shiyue’s two messages, he suddenly felt himself pulled out of the character. It was as if he could smell the sunlight and fresh grass of the school campus. For a brief moment he felt dazed, realizing once again that he was still just a high school student.

Instinctively, Zhu Xingyan thought of that old little shop tucked deep in the alley — the rain dripping steadily from the eaves. In his vague memory, he could see a girl in a blue-and-white school uniform.

Her low ponytail was tied at the back of her head. Soft strands of hair fell gently. Her side profile was snow-white, and her eyes were clear, black, and bright. When she looked at someone, there was a special kind of purity and gentleness in her gaze.

But that day, he clearly had not seen her.

Zhu Xingyan thought back carefully. He realized that this scene in his memory was actually the very first time he had seen her.

That had also been a rainy day.

The filming schedule was extremely tight, with no holidays at all. His fingers hovered over the input box, about to reply, when something made him act on impulse.

Xing: 【I wear XL size】

Xing: 【I probably won’t have time to come back. Next time I’m at school, I’ll go pick up the class uniform.】

Perhaps he just wanted to keep it as a memento.

Song Shiyue saw the message several hours later. She guessed at his meaning, replied with a simple “Okay,” and conveniently sent him photos of the class uniform design.

Since that unexpected encounter, this was the first time they had contacted each other. Song Shiyue felt their conversation had become a little more natural. Compared to the distant politeness of strangers, there was finally a hint of classmate camaraderie.

The autumn sky was high and clear, and the sports field buzzed with excitement.

The green lawn had been freshly trimmed. The red-and-white striped track stood out vividly. The broadcast echoed across the campus.

After the opening ceremony, the various athletic events unfolded one after another. As class monitor, Song Shiyue coordinated supplies and handled all sorts of class matters. She was busy like a little bee, hardly able to stop.

The publicity committee encouraged classmates to write cheer messages. Song Shiyue and the PE rep checked the water bottles and first-aid supplies, constantly monitoring the announcements so they could remind the next event’s participants to report for check-in.

Their class uniform was very eye-catching: red-and-white sportswear that looked energetic and full of vitality. On the front was the specially designed Class 1 logo — a round white dove.

It symbolized friendship and unity.

Just like the slogan of every school sports meeting: Friendship first, competition second.

The next day was another bright, sunny day. The sunlight was brilliant, making the grass shine.

The women’s 800-meter race was scheduled for the morning. Several classmates crowded around Song Shiyue as she headed to check-in, showering her with concern in a flurry of voices.

“Class monitor, just do your best — don’t push too hard. Your health comes first.”

“The whole class is your strongest backing!”

“Shiyue, I’m so sorry.” Xiao Simin had a mournful face. She squeezed in among the group and grabbed Song Shiyue’s arm to apologize.

“Alright, everyone, trust me.” Song Shiyue waved her hands helplessly. “Actually, I have a habit of running regularly…”

“Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui is ready, glucose in the thermos is on standby. Class monitor, fly with confidence — we’ll always be with you!” Someone in the crowd vowed solemnly, and a wave of agreement followed. Song Shiyue’s quiet explanation was quickly drowned out.

She gave up struggling and went to draw her starting number.

Number 8 — it looked like good luck.

The number tag was pinned on her back. When the starting gun fired, the runners burst forward from the line. Song Shiyue kept a steady middle position, neither too fast nor too slow, her breathing even and controlled.

Just a few steps in, deafening cheers suddenly erupted beside her. The chant was loud, unified, and powerful.

“Class monitor! Go! Class monitor! Go!”

Song Shiyue glanced sideways with her peripheral vision. At some point, a whole circle of students from their class had gathered along the track — boys and girls alike — running alongside her.

Their class’s display was overwhelmingly grand and intimidating in its solidarity. Students from other classes could not help but stare curiously.

“Your class gets along so well?”

“Of course — that’s our class monitor.”

“She’s the light of Class 1. Top grades, gentle personality, and beautiful too. Who wouldn’t like her?”

“Ah, then she must have a lot of admirers.”

“Don’t joke around. We only have pure revolutionary friendship here. Only idealistic flowers can bloom so brightly. Early romance never ends well.”

“Speak plainly.”

“Who would dare?”

“That’s the real moon right there.”

“Our class monitor’s dream is the China Foreign Affairs University. Once we get through these three years, everyone will have a bright future.”

The spectacular escort-running team became the most passionate presence on the entire field.

Students from other classes also had classmates running alongside to cheer, but none matched the sheer number and momentum of Class 1. The girl at the center, wearing white sportswear, ran with her head held high. Under the sunlight, her face shone fair and radiant.

She was like an untiring point of light, maintaining a steady pace. In the final half lap sprint, she suddenly accelerated and overtook the runners ahead one by one.

Eighth, seventh, sixth — as the finish line came into view, with only a hundred meters left, everyone’s hearts were in their throats. The cheers were so loud they seemed ready to shatter the sky, voices turning hoarse.

“Class monitor! Go!!!”

The girl moved like a white dove taking flight. Her figure swiftly passed the shadows ahead and crossed the finish line.

First place!

“Ahhhhhh — Class monitor is first!! Champion!!”

People rushed over and surrounded her. Girls stepped forward to support and hug her. Their congratulations were so excited they distorted, as if they themselves had won the gold medal.

Song Shiyue leaned into their arms, breathing heavily. Looking at the familiar faces of her classmates around her, she pulled a smile across her pale lips.

Through the crowd, Song Shiyue saw the sky shining brilliantly blue, the grass fresh and vibrant, and students everywhere in the distance. Vaguely, a black silhouette seemed to flash before her eyes.

The outline felt familiar.

Song Shiyue blinked, thinking she must have imagined it. The oxygen deprivation after intense exercise had caused her to hallucinate.

She walked slowly around the track for a long time and was made to drink a bottle of glucose. Finally, Song Shiyue was able to rest. She returned to the class area, took out her phone from her bag.

There were no important messages.

Out of habit, she checked QQ. Surprisingly, there was a small red notification dot next to Zhu Xingyan’s name. She opened it in surprise and found that he had sent her a message about ten minutes earlier.

Xing: 【I’ve taken the clothes】

Right after was a photo.

In the back of the classroom, his assigned storage cabinet held the class uniform, neatly wrapped in a bag.

When Song Shiyue had left the uniform there earlier, she had already messaged him to say he could pick it up whenever he had time. Yet today, he had quietly taken it without a word.

So, the person she thought she saw on the sports field earlier — was it not an illusion after all?

Song Shiyue placed her fingers on the chat box. She wanted to say something but felt it would be abrupt. She typed and deleted several times.

【Moon】: 【Did you come to school today?】

I think I just saw you on the sports field…

Never mind.

Song Shiyue stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds. When she realized and was about to switch away, the phone vibrated slightly. He had replied almost immediately.

Xing: 【Yes】

Xing: 【I saw your race. It was very lively】

Ah — so he had probably seen her running the 800 meters.

Song Shiyue felt slightly uneasy and pressed her lips together.

The cursor kept flashing. Above it showed “typing…”. After a long while, Song Shiyue finally pressed send.

【Moon】: 【The school sports meeting still has one more day tomorrow. There will be a closing ceremony】

Zhu Xingyan’s reply came quickly again.

Xing: 【No, I have a flight this afternoon】

【Moon】: 【Okay. Have a safe trip】

There was no further reply from the other side.

Song Shiyue exited the app. She stared blankly at the blue sky in front of her. The sunlight felt warm on her skin. In this rare moment of rest, she opened Weibo on a whim and casually scrolled through her feed.

The first thing that popped up was a new post with nearly 100,000 likes.

The account name: Zhu Xingyan.

His profile picture was a dramatic album shot — sparks flying in the darkness, a solitary, proud silhouette standing tall.

A few minutes earlier, he had posted a photo.

Under the brilliant sun, the sports field was filled with school uniforms and crowds. He stood on a high step outside the field, one hand shielding his face, flashing a peace sign at the camera.

Behind him, the track gleamed brightly, the green grass lush and inviting.

He was wearing the red-and-white class uniform, looking like a student who had briefly slipped away from the group.

There was no caption — only a simple peace sign emoji, giving the post a rare touch of lightness.

The comments had already exceeded 100,000. Fans were ecstatic, thrilled by his sudden appearance online.

Song Shiyue’s gaze lingered briefly. As she scrolled past the post, she lightly tapped the like button.

She blended quietly into the countless netizens and disappeared from view.