Early Sunday morning, as sunlight crept over the school building, Lin Chen pushed his little cart to the front gate. Besides the usual anime- and zodiac-themed stickers, today he had a brand-new signboard—a bold red scrawl across cardboard reading: "Custom Name Stickers!" Underneath, smaller text promised: "Exclusive fonts + creative designs, 0.5 yuan each, no extra charge." A few samples were taped to the side: "Xingchen" twined with a silvery-gray moon, "Xiaoyu" paired with a pink heart, and "A-Zhe" next to a cartoon basketball player. Each was vivid and delicate, all designed the night before by Su Wanqing, who had stayed up late sketching. Passing students couldn't help slowing down to take a closer look.
"Lin Chen, I'm here!"
Su Wanqing jogged up, pink backpack bouncing, a little sweat on her temple. She carried a clear plastic bag stuffed with over a dozen colored markers, blank cards, and pre-cut sticker sheets. "I came up with a few new fonts last night, and I drew some templates—anime characters, flowers, sports elements. Whatever style people want, we've got it covered!"
They had barely finished setting up when Zheng Hao barreled over waving a stack of flyers, hollering at the top of his lungs: "Don't miss out! Lin Chen's stickers can now be personalized with your name! Stick them on your textbooks so they don't get mixed up, slap one on your pencil box for style, decorate your water bottle—only 5 jiao apiece, best deal in town! Miss today, wait another week!"
He handed out flyers left and right, and the words "custom design" drew immediate attention. Soon, a small crowd had gathered, circling their stall.
"Wait, you can really make anything? I want one for my little sister—her name's An An, and she loves bunnies. Can you add a rabbit?" A seventh-grade girl waved a yuan coin, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Of course!" Su Wanqing grabbed a pink marker and a round sticker sheet. In quick, smooth strokes, she wrote the characters "An An" in plump, rounded art lettering, then drew a white bunny hugging a carrot, pink tips on its ears and round black grape-like eyes.
The girl squealed. "It's perfect! Looks just like her toy rabbit! I want another one—'Lele,' with an Ultraman next to it. That's for my little brother!" She handed over two yuan and skipped off, stickers in hand, shouting back, "I'll bring my classmates here later!"
Her excitement sparked a wave. More students crowded in, requests spilling out fast.
"Do one for 'Haoran,' with a basketball. I'm on the team!"
"Mine's 'Mengqi,' use a thinner script and add cherry blossoms—pink ones, please!"
"Can I get couple stickers? Mine says 'Ajie,' hers says 'Xiaoxin,' connected by a heart."
The line grew, but Su Wanqing kept pace. Her pre-drawn templates came in handy; she tweaked them on the fly, and when someone asked for something unusual, she sketched it freehand in minutes. With the markers dancing in her hand, each sticker turned out polished and vibrant.
Meanwhile, Lin Chen handled money and distribution with quick, practiced efficiency. He had sorted all the change into neat stacks in a tin box. A student handed over coins, he gave change and the finished sticker—done in under ten seconds. When Su Wanqing was swamped, he quietly passed her markers or organized the blanks. Their teamwork was seamless, eyes meeting occasionally in shared smiles, softening the bustle around them.
Zheng Hao kept order in the line, his booming voice doubling as marketing. "Hey, you love soccer? Add a ball next to your name—makes it personal!" Or, "Stars will look amazing with that font. Su Wanqing draws the best stars—I still have mine, and my desk mate's been jealous for days!" His cheerful energy kept the crowd in good spirits, the line running smooth like a lively mini marketplace.
As the sun climbed higher, the scent of steamed buns wafted from a nearby breakfast shop. Sweat beaded on Su Wanqing's forehead, sliding down her cheek. Lin Chen quickly pulled out a tissue from his bag and handed it to her, voice soft with concern. "Take a break, have some water. Don't push yourself—there are still plenty of students, but we've got time."
She wiped her face and smiled, shaking her head. "I'm fine. They're all waiting. If I speed up, they'll get their stickers sooner." She picked up a blue marker and went right back to drawing. The scratch of her pen, bursts of laughter, and cries of "Wow, that's amazing!" mingled together, creating a warm, bustling atmosphere.
By noon, the crowd finally thinned. Zheng Hao started gathering used papers and empty rolls while Lin Chen tallied the day's earnings. Counting bills and coins, he suddenly looked up, eyes wide. "One, two… fifty, sixty… a hundred eighty-seven yuan! That's eighty more than usual! Custom stickers are a total hit!"
"For real?" Zheng Hao's jaw dropped, then he slapped Lin Chen's shoulder. "Damn, genius! You came up with this idea? When you start a company someday, make me your first investor!"
Su Wanqing leaned in, joy glowing in her eyes as she looked at the neat stacks of cash. "That's wonderful! Your college fund just grew again—you're one step closer to your dream."
Warmth filled Lin Chen's chest. He knew their success was thanks to both of them: Su Wanqing's beautiful designs and Zheng Hao's loud, steady support. Quietly, he slipped a sticker from his pocket. It was one he'd made the night before, after hours of practice in his room: "Wanqing," written in her favorite slim-gold font, paired with a golden sunflower. Every petal was carefully detailed, even the seeds in the center painstakingly dotted, copied stroke by stroke from her textbook illustration. He'd wanted it perfect.
"Heading home! Gotta help my mom shop for groceries. See you guys tomorrow!" Zheng Hao waved and left, leaving Lin Chen and Su Wanqing to walk side by side.
They chatted about funny customer requests. Su Wanqing laughed. "That junior insisted on a sticker for his dog's collar—with a little bone next to it! Too cute."
Lin Chen chuckled, and while she bent down to adjust her markers, he quickly slipped the sunflower sticker into her backpack pocket. His finger brushed the strap, the warmth shooting through him like a spark. His heart pounded; he jerked his hand back, pretending to study the sycamore trees, ears burning red.
At her apartment gate, she stopped to say goodbye. Reaching into her side pocket, she suddenly pulled out the hidden sticker. Her eyes widened. "Wanqing," written in elegant strokes, framed by her favorite sunflower.
Her cheeks flamed red, and her voice trembled. "This… is this for me?"
Lin Chen scratched his head, nervous, eyes darting away. "Yeah. I know you like slim-gold font and sunflowers. I practiced for days copying from your book. I just wanted to make you something special. If you don't like it, I can redo it… anytime."
"I love it!" Su Wanqing clutched the sticker to her chest, smiling so wide her eyes curved into crescents. "This is the best gift I've ever gotten—better than the imported notebook my mom bought me! I'm putting it on the first page of my error notebook. Every time I see it, I'll be motivated." She bounced toward the building, turning to wave. "Thank you, Lin Chen! Let's walk to school together tomorrow morning!"
Sunlight caught in her hair, making her glow like a little sun herself.
Lin Chen stood frozen, heart swelling sweet as honey. He thought of his piggy bank at home labeled College Fund, now a little fuller. He silently vowed to dream up even more ideas, grow the sticker business, pay for college, and someday give Su Wanqing a life where she'd never feel inferior for family background again.
But not far away, behind a sycamore tree, Zhao Kai lurked in the shadows, fists clenched so hard his nails cut skin. He had watched everything—the endless customers, Su Wanqing's happy focus, her radiant smile when she discovered the sticker. Jealousy and rage coiled inside him like thorns.
Grinding his teeth, he stormed off, stabbing heavy steps into the ground. He yanked out his phone and typed a message to Zhou Tao:
"Next week's 1500-meter. You and Chen Hao stick to the plan. On the final bend, you 'accidentally' slam into Lin Chen, hard. Make him lose balance. Chen Hao cuts off his escape. He needs to go down bad. Best if he hurts his leg, so he can't even finish the race. Let him crawl off humiliated in front of Su Wanqing."
Sending the text, Zhao Kai's lips twisted into a vicious grin. He pictured Lin Chen's proud face at the money, Su Wanqing's joy over the sunflower sticker. Hatred flared hotter.
Don't get cocky, Lin Chen. So what if you made some cash? So what if your grades improved? So what if Su Wanqing sticks to you now? At the sports meet, I'll make sure you crash and burn. Then she'll see you for what you are—a worthless loser. Only I deserve her. The real show's just beginning.