Chapter 6: Autographed Photo

After a lively break between classes, the crowd finally dispersed.

Most people had managed to get an autograph.

The bell rang, and the classroom returned to its usual calm.

Xiao Simin hugged her newly acquired signed treasure book, basking in excitement and delight for quite a while before she gradually calmed down. Then she remembered Song Shiyue sitting beside her and asked with a hint of surprise: “Class monitor, why didn’t you go get an autograph?”

“You really don’t chase celebrities at all…?” She lowered her voice and leaned closer, her face full of disbelief.

“Not… really.” Song Shiyue paused in her movement and hesitated. “I just feel that treating him as a classmate between us feels a bit strange.”

“Ah?” Xiao Simin opened her mouth slightly and then understood. “You really treat Zhu Xingyan as just a classmate?”

“…………” Song Shiyue also looked puzzled. After a moment, she asked uncertainly in a low voice, “…Is that very strange?”

“It’s okay, I guess.” Xiao Simin held up her fingers to show a tiny distance and said seriously, “Just a little bit.”

The students of Class 1 could keep a secret when they needed to, but they were not completely tight-lipped either.

After getting the autographs, they could not resist the urge to show off and quietly posted them on their social space.

By the time lunch break arrived, the news had basically spread throughout the entire school.

Due to the school’s strict new rules, students from other classes did not dare to openly come to Class 1. They could only poke their heads out in the corridors, trying to catch a glimpse of the big star.

Those with connections found another way. They pretended to visit friends in Class 1, and while pretending to talk about something, they secretly stole glances.

The break time had never been so lively.

Looking around, most of the people in the classroom had ulterior motives.

The low whispers around them were not too loud, but the restless energy was hard to suppress. Song Shiyue stopped writing, rubbed her ears, and suddenly felt the air turn quiet in an instant.

She looked toward a certain spot. The figure that had been sitting quietly there had disappeared at some point. Zhu Xingyan had left.

The classroom finally returned to normal. The invisible undercurrent vanished, and everyone relaxed in a flash. She could even hear someone let out a long sigh of relief.

“Later, when Zhu Xingyan comes back, can you help me ask for an autograph? Please.” A classmate from another class begged a friend from Class 1. The friend found it hard to refuse and reluctantly agreed, “I… will try to find a chance.”

“How is he? Is he very aloof?”

“Does he usually talk to you guys?”

“Does he just ignore people?”

The barrage of curious questions came one after another. The surrounded Class 1 students were at a loss for words and looked troubled.

“Not… really. He seems quite approachable, but still… it makes people not dare to get close.”

“Maybe celebrities really are on a different level from ordinary people. Even if he’s in the same classroom, it’s impossible to truly treat him as just a classmate.”

Zhu Xingyan did not return to the classroom until right before the afternoon class began.

The geography teacher was always a lively old man. During the break, he called on someone to answer a question. He looked around the classroom with a smile and cheerfully called on the new big star in the class.

“This classmate Zhu Xingyan seems to be attending class for the first time.”

“Are you still able to keep up with the course progress?” He asked kindly.

The boy at the back stood up, gave a slight nod, and maintained a very polite attitude. His voice was fresh and clear, like the dappled shadow of the camphor tree outside the window.

“I’ve been catching up with the school progress through tutoring on the film set.”

“Good. Then come up and answer this question.”

On the blackboard was a question about ocean climate — a knowledge point straight from the textbook. Anyone who had studied seriously would have no trouble answering it, but as everyone knew, Zhu Xingyan had hardly ever attended school classes.

Song Shiyue could not help but feel a little nervous for him in her heart. She tried hard to recall whether the subject materials she had sent him earlier included this particular point.

While everyone held their breath waiting, Zhu Xingyan answered the question at his usual calm pace. The little old man on the podium looked visibly surprised for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction and let him sit back down, his eyes and brows full of approval.

“Zhu Xingyan answered very well. Look at him — even though he hasn’t been at school, he hasn’t fallen behind at all. Now look at all of you…” Taking the opportunity, the teacher began to urge the class along, giving them a satisfied lecture before moving on to the next knowledge point.

Song Shiyue could not resist turning her head to look. Zhu Xingyan sat there calmly, his eyelashes lowered. In the sunlight, his face looked ethereal and unreal. He seemed completely unaware of the gazes coming from all directions and listened to the lesson with quiet focus.

Zhu Xingyan’s return to school for classes became big news and caused quite a sensation throughout Fanhua.

He himself kept a very low profile and rarely appeared in public. With the hope of a chance encounter shattered, the students of Class 1 suddenly became hot commodities. People from other classes came to build connections, trying to get even a little bit of news about the big star through indirect channels.

Unfortunately, during the two days Zhu Xingyan was at school, he remained low-key and reserved, with very little gossip worth sharing — just some ordinary, harmless daily details.

Although he never showed a cold face, his sense of distance was clear. He rarely initiated casual conversations. During breaks, he spent most of his time sitting alone at his desk, earphones in, writing or doodling on paper.

The classmates around him did not quite dare to disturb him either. Even the most mischievous boys in the class would unconsciously slow their steps when passing his desk, afraid of offending him.

For the past two days, Song Shiyue had been pestered endlessly by Dali. When she learned that Zhu Xingyan was coming to class, she was even more excited than Song Shiyue. First she shouted that her dream had come true, then she began fantasizing about her signed photos. Originally she had assumed ten or eight, but knowing it was unrealistic, she considerately lowered it to three. After receiving a rare eye-roll from Song Shiyue, she quickly changed her tune again.

“One! Just one is fine! I’ll keep it for myself!”

…

To be honest, Song Shiyue felt that even one would be a difficult task.

After the group photo request was politely declined earlier, Zhu Xingyan did indeed bring some signed photos later and distributed them to the classmates who wanted one.

But by a twist of fate, Song Shiyue was not in the classroom that day. She had been called away by the English teacher to discuss competition matters.

The break time in Class 1 was not particularly noisy. The only sound was the soft scratching of pen tips on paper.

The next class was mathematics. Last week they had taken a surprise quiz, and Zhang Feng had asked her to go to the office first to collect the corrected papers and distribute them.

Not everyone had arrived yet, so there were still some empty seats. Song Shiyue carried a stack of test papers and handed them out one by one. When she reached the back, through two rows of desks, she saw Zhu Xingyan not far away.

He was reading a book. For once, he was not wearing earphones. Song Shiyue caught a glimpse of the words “Mathematics Supplementary Materials” printed on the cover.

This seemed like a good opportunity.

She hesitated. Before she realized it, she had finished distributing the papers up to his desk. The boy sensed the shift in light and shadow and suddenly looked up. Song Shiyue’s gaze plunged straight into his clear, dark eyes.

Whatever she had wanted to say vanished instantly. The little mental script she had painstakingly prepared earlier went completely blank. Her courage melted away like smoke.

Song Shiyue said nothing. She stepped past him and handed the next test paper to the seat behind.

The paper landed gently on the desk. Zhu Xingyan lowered his gaze. In his mind, only the girl’s fair, clean face remained.

Still so gentle and quiet, just like the gardenia that had quietly bloomed on that rainy night.

She had not greeted him at all.

Not from the moment he arrived at school until now.

“Dali… I might really not be able to get one. Or else I’ll help you ask for a signed photo instead…” A signed photo would definitely be no problem.

No.

“Dali, Zhu Xingyan and I aren’t that close. Suddenly asking him might be too abrupt…”

Ah, no. It was all her fault for being too thin-skinned. She could not even handle this small favor for a friend.

Song Shiyue sank into deep self-reproach. Even in the worst case, if Zhu Xingyan refused, at least she would have tried, right? Anything was better than disappointing Dali without even making an attempt.

She sat at her desk and sighed, feeling a little troubled, her chest tight and uncomfortable.

This mood followed her all the way until school let out. When the final bell rang, people around her began packing up and leaving one by one.

Pulling herself out of the focused lesson, the worry returned. Song Shiyue finished solving the problem in front of her, and her mood eased slightly. Still immersed in the train of thought from just now, her movements as she packed her bag were slow and unhurried.

By the time she finished tidying up, most of the classroom had emptied out. Her gaze wandered casually and suddenly landed on the corner — Zhu Xingyan was still there. He had not left yet.

Song Shiyue instinctively glanced at the clock beside the blackboard. Twenty minutes had already passed since school ended.

Outside in the corridor, everything was quiet. The entire school seemed to have dropped a tone.

Was he deliberately waiting out the peak rush hour to avoid the crowd before leaving?

Song Shiyue guessed silently in her heart. She listened to the sounds of people leaving one by one around her. The space gradually grew empty, until only the two of them remained at the front and back.

Finally, she gathered her courage, stood up, and walked toward the corner.

“Zhu Xingyan.”

In the silent classroom, only her soft voice echoed. Zhu Xingyan lifted his head. His eyes, just as calm and dark as in the afternoon, looked quietly at her.

“Um… could I trouble you with something?” Song Shiyue tried her best to make her voice sound steady and polite.

“I have a friend who really likes you. She wants me to ask if you could give her a signed photo. Is that convenient?” She finished speaking and quickly added,

“It’s okay if it’s not convenient. A regular signature is fine too.”

“Sorry to bother you.”

This was the first time she had done anything like this. Her ears were burning hot. Her hands, hanging at her sides, unconsciously clenched tightly as she waited quietly for judgment.

“It’s no trouble. I happen to still have some signed photos left to give out.” Zhu Xingyan’s reply was gentler than she had expected. He looked away, took out a signed photo from his desk compartment, but instead of handing it to her directly, he flipped it over and uncapped his pen.

“Does your friend have any wish she wants to fulfill?”

“Ah.” Song Shiyue opened her mouth slightly and quickly understood what he meant.

“Her… her name is Dali.” She searched her mind at lightning speed for the blessing message Dali would love to receive.

“Then could you please write: Eat as much as you want without gaining weight, stay positive and keep moving forward. A time will come when the long wind breaks the waves, and you will hang your sail high to cross the vast sea.”

“Would that… be too much…?” After saying it, Song Shiyue pressed her lips together nervously. Dali had just done poorly on her recent monthly exam, and she wanted to cheer her up at the same time.

“No, it’s fine.” Zhu Xingyan lowered his head. The seriousness in his brows and eyes as he wrote seemed somehow unexpected.

Song Shiyue looked at the signed photo handed to her.

The back was snow-white, covered with several lines of black handwriting — elegant yet vigorous, upright yet flowing.

His handwriting was surprisingly beautiful.

The writing was just like the person.

Restrained yet beautiful.

And still overflowing with a quiet boldness.

Song Shiyue took it and said sincerely, “Thank you. Dali will be really happy when she receives this.”

“Class monitor, you’ve helped me a lot too.” Zhu Xingyan paused slightly, as if choosing his words carefully. After a moment, his gaze softened gently as he looked at her.

“There’s no need to be so polite.”

She was momentarily at a loss for words. After a second, she nodded very lightly.

“Okay.”

“Then…” She was about to say goodbye.

“Then.” The person in front of her spoke at the same time.

Song Shiyue’s voice stopped.

He looked at her. His eyes were still calm and dark. He spoke at a steady, clear pace: “Do you need a signed photo of mine too?”