Chapter 8: It’s Snowing

Zhu Xingyan’s appearances at school were very irregular.

After that stunning moment on the basketball court, he disappeared again for several days. It was not until Friday that he reappeared at school.

By this time, the official local account for Fanshi City had already released a promotional video teaser. In the video, a fleeting silhouette was unmistakably Zhu Xingyan.

The theme of this project was to promote traditional culture — specifically, the traditional Chinese opera forms that had been largely forgotten by the younger generation.

The filming location was a remote ancient city under the administration of Fanshi City. Most of the people appearing in the footage were elderly. The teaser contained only a few shots, and Zhu Xingyan’s figure appeared for just a brief moment.

The official Weibo account, however, generated astonishing heat. Compared to the dozens or hundreds of likes and comments on surrounding posts, this one received tens of thousands of likes in just two hours. It showed just how powerful Zhu Xingyan’s traffic was.

When Xiao Simin scrolled to the video, she suddenly understood: “So that’s why Zhu Xingyan hasn’t come to class these past few days — he was shooting the promotional video.”

Song Shiyue listened with one ear and could not help shaking her head. A celebrity’s schedule seemed to be exposed to the public eye at all times. The four words “public figure” were both an honor and a restraint.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she could not help but laugh quietly.

She remembered Dali’s sharp and accurate description from earlier.

—“Us ordinary folks should stop trying to comment on a big star’s troubles.”

When Zhu Xingyan returned to school again, he brought several boxes of the milk brand he endorsed — all new flavors that had not yet been released. Many people in the class had grown up drinking this brand, so when they saw it, their eyes lit up.

“Everyone, please share them around. These are new products the brand sent over for everyone to try. There’s a little card here — after you finish drinking, you can select your top three favorite flavors. Of course, you don’t have to fill it out, haha…”

Zhu Xingyan’s assistant set up the boxes at the back of the classroom and distributed the milk. The students, who had just finished lunch, enthusiastically joined in. One by one they left carrying four or five boxes each, arms full.

Song Shiyue also went over and queued up. From the assistant’s hands she received several different new flavors to try. The man was about thirty years old, round-faced and kind. He smiled warmly and greeted her: “You’re Song Shiyue, right? Our little Xingyan owes you a lot for taking care of him. Here, take a few more boxes.”

He enthusiastically grabbed several more boxes and stuffed them into her arms. Song Shiyue could barely hold them all and said awkwardly: “You’re too polite. I really haven’t done much to take care of him…”

After a few rounds of polite refusal, Song Shiyue hurried away. But just as she turned around, she bumped head-on into the person walking in through the door. The classroom fell silent for a moment.

Zhu Xingyan’s gaze swept briefly across the items in front of her. Song Shiyue reacted and did not dare look down at the milk she could hardly carry. She lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze and quickly returned to her seat.

Her breathing skipped a few beats, and heat rose to her cheeks.

It was clearly… something perfectly open and aboveboard.

So why did it feel like she… was taking advantage of the situation?

Perhaps because Song Shiyue’s image as class monitor was so deeply rooted, and combined with Zhu Xingyan’s frequently empty desk, after the classmates finished drinking and filled out their cards, they did not know who else to give them to. Almost without exception, they brought them to her so she could pass them on to Zhu Xingyan.

Song Shiyue waited several days before she finally saw him again.

During this period, Zhu Xingyan’s schedule seemed to be blank, yet he did not come to school often. When he did appear, it was only for one or two classes he liked. While the entire campus was still immersed in lessons, he would quietly leave early.

This was a geography class.

The little old man was writing furiously on the blackboard. The classroom below was quiet. Song Shiyue took notes while occasionally glancing toward the back.

As soon as the bell rang, she stood up eagerly. Xiao Simin beside her was startled and called out: “Class monitor, can I borrow your notes for a moment? I missed a few key points.”

“I’ll give them to you when I come back.” Song Shiyue said hurriedly. She glanced toward the back — Zhu Xingyan had already left, his figure disappearing through the rear door.

She took out the collected cards from her drawer and rushed after him. During the afternoon break, there were few people outside. At the corridor corner, she caught a glimpse of a flash of clothing. Song Shiyue hurried downstairs. After the sound of footsteps faded, the outside of the teaching building was empty. She sighed in disappointment — then suddenly heard a voice beside her:

“Are you looking for me?”

She turned her head in surprise and saw Zhu Xingyan standing beside a pillar, his head slightly tilted, dark eyes looking at her.

Song Shiyue inexplicably held her breath for a moment. She took a quiet breath, steadied herself, and then calmly handed over the survey cards from last time.

“These — all the classmates handed them to me.”

“Your schedule at school is so irregular, and I was afraid I’d miss you, so I took the chance to give them to you today.” She tried to keep her expression natural as she explained. The person in front of her lowered his gaze, took the cards from her hand, and after a long pause suddenly looked up and asked her.

“Were the new flavors good last time?”

“……” She remembered their awkward encounter from before and fell silent for a second.

“They were good.” Song Shiyue answered honestly anyway. “There’s one with a gardenia flavor that’s really special.”

He nodded and did not say more. Just as Song Shiyue was about to leave, she heard him speak again.

“Last time my manager reminded me — you’ve helped me a lot with school matters during this period, so I’ve been wanting to find a chance to thank you.”

He pulled his hand out of the pocket of his school pants and held it out toward her in what seemed like a very casual gesture. His fingers opened, and in his palm lay a small white pearl hair clip.

“A little gift — just as a token of thanks.”

—

The semester was nearing its end, and winter vacation was approaching.

Zhu Xingyan’s presence began to appear frequently on major satellite TV channels — variety shows, galas, endorsements… business offers came one after another.

It was said he would not even be able to attend the final exams on schedule.

Xiao Simin explained it to her seriously.

“Zhu Xingyan is at the peak of his traffic right now. He definitely has to use exposure to solidify his fanbase, and the company behind him still needs to cash in on his popularity for one last big profit wave. Once his movie comes out, things will be different. By then he’ll be the serious actor Zhu Xingyan, and he won’t be controlled by the company anymore.”

Song Shiyue nodded half-understandingly, then handed over a math problem and reminded her, “This needs to be submitted tonight.”

“Ah——” The gossip was interrupted, leaving only a pained wail.

In the days leading up to finals, the entire class was immersed in an unusually intense study atmosphere. From morning till night, heads were buried in books. The occasional relaxed chats during breaks felt especially precious.

While brushing her teeth in the morning, Song Shiyue noticed her bangs had grown long. It had been a while since she last trimmed them, and they were already covering her eyes without her realizing it.

She was in a rush to get to school in the morning and had no time to fix them. She opened her drawer, saw the pearl hair clip inside, quickly clipped it into her hair, grabbed her schoolbag, and hurried out.

During lunch break, a few girls gathered around discussing problems. Wen Jie, the most fashionable girl in the class, suddenly noticed the hair clip on Song Shiyue’s head. She stared in surprise for several seconds before exclaiming,

“Class monitor, where did you buy that hair clip?!”

“It’s so pretty.”

“I wanted to say it this morning, haha.”

The others chimed in, all eyes fixed on the hair clip in her hair. Song Shiyue froze for a moment, then after a brief silence, she vaguely made up an excuse: “It’s a gift from a distant relative at home.”

“I knew it!” Wen Jie’s eyes widened. “This hair clip is a new release from a luxury brand. Even something this small costs several thousand yuan. I saw it with my mom at the counter when we were shopping. She didn’t want to buy it for me and ended up getting me a cheaper one instead.”

“Wow, Wen Jie, your mom treats you so well.” Envious voices came from beside her. Wen Jie’s eyes, however, remained glued to the hair clip, full of lingering curiosity.

Song Shiyue tried her best to act natural. She took the hair clip off her head and put it into her desk drawer, explaining in a calm tone: “He probably just bought it randomly from some small shop. I didn’t know it was the same as the brand version, so maybe it’s better if I don’t wear it.”

“It’s just a hair clip. It doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s really pretty.” The other girls rushed to comfort her. Wen Jie looked guilty and took hold of her arm.

“Yueyue, I was just speaking casually. But that hair clip really looks authentic. Are you sure you don’t want to go home and ask? What’s your relative’s family like?”

Song Shiyue fell silent for a moment.

Time pulled her back to that afternoon.

The pearl hair clip in his palm sparkled softly in the sunlight. His fingers were long and fair. Shadows of trees swayed gently. The scene looked exactly like a frame from a movie.

She had been stunned for a second, then quickly refused: “No need. I haven’t done anything special anyway.”

“This semester alone, you’ve already helped me send express deliveries three times,” Zhu Xingyan said in a calm voice. His refined features shone softly in the light.

“Just take it. It’s only a small accessory I picked up from a brand event. If you don’t want it, I won’t have any use for it either.”

“Let’s do our homework.”

Song Shiyue pulled her thoughts back. She changed the subject noticeably. Seeing this, the people around exchanged glances and tactfully stopped asking. The conversation returned to studying.

The hair clip in the desk drawer went untouched.

Just like it had been for the past month or more since she received it — quietly tucked away in the corner of the drawer, becoming a secret keepsake.

Local satellite TV channels kept looping the promotional video Zhu Xingyan had shot.

At the dinner table, when the topic turned to tomorrow’s exam, Zhao Siqian gave her usual reminder: check carefully and stay calm in the exam room.

Song Qing added a few words in agreement, but his attention was drawn to the television. He casually gossiped with his daughter.

“Hey Yueyue, that celebrity is your classmate, right? Are you guys close?”

“Not really. He doesn’t come to class very often,” Song Shiyue replied, glancing at the TV before continuing to eat.

“Then you kids in the class never got a chance to get close and chase the star or anything?” Song Qing showed an expression of watching a good show, a mischievous look that did not quite match his age.

“Being classmates with a big star.”

“Such a rare experience. When you look back on it later, it’ll feel really special, won’t it?”

Will it?

Song Shiyue could not help looking out the window.

Under the night sky, a giant billboard on a distant mall flashed brightly. Zhu Xingyan stood there in high-end custom tailoring, an expensive and refined watch on his wrist. He looked handsome and mature, as if he belonged to an entirely different world from theirs.

Her phone vibrated lightly.

She was pulled back to reality.

Xing: 【After the final exams are over, can you give me a copy of the test papers?】

The living room was quiet. Only the background sound of the television and the occasional clink of dishes could be heard.

Song Shiyue typed her reply.

【Moon】: 【I’ll have to ask the teacher first】

Xing: 【Okay】

Her fingers paused over the input box. The cursor blinked uselessly. Just as she was about to exit the chat, a new message came from the other side.

Xing: 【Good luck with tomorrow’s exam】

She froze slightly.

After a moment.

【Moon】: 【Thank you】

“Yueyue, do you think Dad is right?” Song Qing finished sharing his thoughts, but no response came. Zhao Siqian was too lazy to reply to him. Song Shiyue was looking down at her phone.

Feeling lonely, he could not help calling out again.

Her thoughts slowly returned. Song Shiyue recalled what he had just said and gave a gentle nod.

“Yes.” She repeated softly, affirming.

“It really is a very special experience.”

On the day the final exams ended, Fanshi City remained overcast.

Classmates gradually packed up and left. The classroom slowly emptied.

Everyone said goodbye — some reluctantly, some relaxed, some grumbling about the cram classes their families had arranged for the holiday. They promised to see each other when school reopened next year.

Song Shiyue was the last to leave. She checked the windows and doors and locked the classroom.

As she stepped out of the teaching building, something cold touched her face.

She looked up and raised her hand. Under the gray sky, a single crystal-clear snowflake landed in her palm.

It was snowing.

See you next year.

She said goodbye silently in her heart.