The morning air in the classroom buzzed with a strange kind of energy. Nobody could sit still. Pens tapped, whispers darted across the room, and every eye flicked toward the teacher's desk where a fat brown envelope rested.
Inside were the results. The names of those chosen by Star Entertainment. Futures wrapped in paper.
The teacher, a stern-looking man with graying hair, adjusted his glasses and sighed as though already tired of the chaos. "Since none of you seem capable of focusing, let's just get this over with."
A ripple went through the room. Chairs scraped, spines straightened.
But instead of opening the envelope himself, the teacher's gaze settled on the boy slouched at the back.
"Class president."
Heads turned. Xu Jianyu, who had been spinning his pen lazily between his fingers, lifted his brows.
"Yes, sir?"
"You're always restless. Here... " the teacher tossed him the envelope, "Do your job. Announce the names."
The class burst into whispers and muffled laughter. Xu Jianyu caught the envelope with one hand, smirk tugging at his lips. He rose with the kind of exaggerated grace only he could pull off, tugging at his blazer as though preparing for a show.
"An honor," he said, bowing theatrically. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give your undivided attention to your very handsome host of the morning."
A couple of students groaned, others clapped and whistled. The teacher rubbed his temples but didn't interfere.
Xu Jianyu slit the envelope open with deliberate slowness, eyes glittering with mischief. "And the first lucky soul to secure half a future in stardom is…" He paused dramatically, letting the silence stretch, "…Zhang Wei!"
Cheers erupted from the back. Xu Jianyu strutted down the aisle like a presenter at an award show, handing Zhang Wei his form with a firm handshake.
"Remember me when you're famous," he quipped, earning laughter.
He moved on, calling names one by one, each with a ridiculous flourish.
"And next, the jewel of the stage... Xiao Yuxi!"
All heads swiveled as Xiao Yuxi, sitting near the window, stiffened. Her caramel-colored skin seemed to glow faintly in the sunlight streaming in, a contrast that made her features sharp, striking. Xu Jianyu's grin widened as he sauntered over.
"Ah, look at this masterpiece," he said loudly, handing her the form with an exaggerated bow. "Golden voice, caramel beauty, and my future headache... Xiao Yuxi!"
The room tittered with laughter. Some students muttered, others exchanged knowing looks. Xiao Yuxi's lips curved into the faintest smirk as she snatched the paper from him.
"You talk too much," she said coolly.
"And yet you listen every time," Xu Jianyu shot back smoothly, before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. Gasps filled the room, followed by a wave of laughter and teasing whistles.
Xiao Yuxi rolled her eyes, cheeks heating, but she didn't shove him away. She only muttered, "Idiot," under her breath.
Xu Jianyu straightened proudly, dusting off his hands. "And that, everyone, is what peak romance looks like. Don't be jealous."
The class howled.
In the corner, An Ran watched with wide eyes. The way Xu Jianyu commanded the room, so effortlessly loud and unashamed, it was everything she wasn't. She clutched her pen tighter, a quiet ache blooming in her chest.
The announcements went on, laughter spilling here and there, until Xu Jianyu finally reached a name that made the entire room go still.
"And… oh? Ohhh." His eyes flicked up, scanning the room until they landed on her. A grin stretched his lips. "An Ran."
The whisper spread like a wave.
"Her?"
"The quiet one?"
"No way…"
An Ran froze, her breath caught in her throat. All eyes pressed against her like weights. Heat crawled up her neck.
Xu Jianyu strolled toward her desk with a swagger, holding the envelope like a prize. "Ladies and gentlemen, behold the dark horse of our class. The girl who pretends to be invisible but secretly knows everything. Congratulations, An Ran!"
The room rippled with a mix of surprise, envy, and disbelief. An Ran's fingers trembled as she accepted the form. She managed a whisper. "...Thank you."
Her voice was so soft the word nearly dissolved into the noise.
But in the back corner, Lin Ruoyi's knuckles turned white around her pen. Her smile, practiced and perfect, twitched at the edges.
Her? Out of everyone, her?
Lin Ruoyi felt something sharp twist in her chest, a mix of rage and disbelief. She had everything, beauty, popularity, the right friends... and yet this quiet little shadow of a girl was the one Star Entertainment wanted?
Beside her, Huang Ling glanced sidelong, lips pressed in a thin line. She didn't join in the whispers this time, didn't sneer or laugh. Instead, her brow furrowed faintly. It's not even that surprising. An Ran is smart. Maybe Ruoyi's taking things too far…
Ruoyi caught the look but said nothing. She only dug her nails into her palm until it hurt, her jealousy bubbling into something darker.
Meanwhile, An Ran slipped the form open, eyes skimming the neat lines of text. At first, her chest lifted with a flicker of pride, her name, written there, real, undeniable.
But then she reached the bottom.
"Parent/Guardian Signatures (At least one required)."
Her vision blurred. For a moment she couldn't breathe. Both parents.
Her mother's face surfaced in her mind, cold, distant, uninterested. Then her father's, far away in the countryside, unreachable without effort.
The joy drained from her chest like water from a cracked cup. She pressed her lips together, fingers curling tight around the paper. Why does it always have to be complicated? Why can't I just… be happy, for once?
The rest of the lesson blurred for An Ran, she sat frozen, her form folded neatly but tightly in her hands. She stared at the neat block letters, at the bottom line where a signature was required. At least one parent. Just one. It shouldn't have felt impossible. But it did.
Her chest ached.
She barely registered the scrape of chairs when the bell rang, or the way her classmates swirled out of the room in little groups. She gathered her books slowly, too slowly, as if moving at half-speed would somehow delay reality.
By the time she stepped out into the corridor, most of the students had already scattered. The hallway buzzed with voices, lockers slamming, footsteps echoing on the polished floor.
"Trouble?"
The voice was low, quiet enough that it almost disappeared beneath the noise. But she heard it.
She turned, startled, to find Jiang Cheng leaning against the wall just a few steps away. His posture was casual... arm folded, weight tipped onto one leg... but his eyes were fixed on her, dark and steady.
For a second, she considered pretending she hadn't heard, brushing past like she always did when people pried too close.
But something about the way he was looking at her… it wasn't mocking, or demanding. Just patient. Waiting.
Her throat tightened. "It's nothing."
He didn't move. Didn't speak. Just tilted his head slightly, gaze still on her like he could see straight through the lie.
An Ran shifted uncomfortably, clutching the form to her chest. The hallway seemed too long, too bright. She wanted to escape, to hide... yet her feet didn't move.
"It's…" she hesitated, the words dragging out of her like they didn't want to be born. "The form. It needs a parent's signature."
Jiang Cheng's brow ticked up, the faintest reaction, but he stayed silent.
She exhaled shakily, forcing the rest out. "My mother won't care. She'll just… ignore it. And my father… he's far away." Her voice lowered until it was almost a whisper. "I don't even know if…" She swallowed hard, unable to finish.
For a long moment, he said nothing. She wished he would. Anything to break the suffocating weight of her own confession.
Then, finally, his voice... steady, certain. "Then I'll help you."
Her head jerked up. "What?"
He pushed off the wall, stepping closer, not looming, just near enough that his presence cut through her panic. "I'll take you to him."
"He's at the countryside."
"wherever he is." His gaze didn't waver. "You need the signature. So, we'll get it."
An Ran's lips parted, but no sound came out. The hallway felt too small, her chest too tight.
"You... why would you... "
"Because you need it," he interrupted, not unkindly. The simplicity of his tone left no room for her to argue. "And I don't like watching you look like the world's already over."
Her cheeks burned. She looked away quickly, clutching the paper tighter. "I… don't even know if he'll agree. If he'll even... "
"Then we'll find out." His words were quiet but final, like a door closing.
She blinked at him, stunned, her heart thundering in her chest. Nobody had ever said something like that to her before, so direct, so firm, leaving no space for her to retreat into silence.
An Ran's pulse was still racing, her mind a tangle she couldn't sort through. She turned quickly, clutching her books like a shield, and started down the hall.
But she could hear him following.
The soft, unhurried rhythm of his footsteps fell in behind hers, steady as if he had nowhere better to be.
After a few strides, she couldn't take it anymore. She stopped, spun halfway toward him, and frowned. "Why are you following me?"
One corner of his mouth curved faintly, not quite a smile. "I'm not."
Her brow furrowed. "You clearly are."
"I'm just walking." His tone was maddeningly calm, like it was the most obvious truth in the world.
An Ran pressed her lips together, then tried again. "Your chauffeur is usually waiting with the car at the other side of the building. This isn't your way out."
That made him pause, head tilting slightly as his gaze flicked over her. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a soft huff of laughter. "Have you been monitoring me, An Ran?"
Her eyes widened, heat rushing to her cheeks. "N-no!" She hugged her books tighter. "I just… noticed."
"Noticed," he echoed, as if tasting the word, the faintest tease threading his voice.
An Ran ducked her head, quickening her pace. "Forget it."
Behind her, Jiang Cheng's footsteps matched hers again, unhurried, steady. He didn't press the matter, but when she dared a glance back, his lips were still faintly curved, as if her flustered denial amused him far more than he'd let on.