Chapter 76

Fang Zhixiao not only ignored Fang Zhi that day but continued to do so in the days that followed. As the show aired, Fang Zhi suddenly became the center of attention in the entire competition, yet Fang Zhixiao still paid her little mind.

She neither approached her on her own nor initiated conversation. Even during the next round of team performances, she kept her distance, watching from afar as crowds swarmed around Fang Zhi.

Fang Zhi understood that the girl had chosen to keep hiding, so she had no intention of forcing the issue. Still, while rehearsing with her new teammates, she kept thinking of Fang Zhixiao—of the seamless chemistry they’d shared on stage.

Her new teammates worked hard, but Fang Zhi just couldn’t recapture that spark.

Every time she saw Fang Zhixiao after that, she couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret.

When the collaboration stage finally aired, Fang Zhixiao’s stellar performance sent her voting rankings skyrocketing that week. Fang Zhi and Chen Nian checked the numbers in private, exchanged a glance, and let out a long sigh.

“How can parents like that even exist?” Fang Zhi said. “Killing with a knife that doesn’t draw blood.”

Chen Nian glanced at her, then quickly looked away. “Zhixiao can handle it.”

“Yeah, her approach is smart—really clever.” Fang Zhi paused to think. “If it were me…”

Chen Nian’s heart clenched. Then Fang Zhi burst out laughing. “I’m not as bright as her. I probably never would’ve come up with something like that. I’d charge straight ahead instead, bash my head against the wall until it bled, and force my way to the top…”

Chen Nian’s eyes wavered. Fang Zhi met her gaze. “Truth is, I can’t let go of the stage. I can’t toss away an opportunity staring me in the face—even if it’s wrapped in thorns, I’d grab it anyway. Am I too hungry for success?”

“No, not at all.” Chen Nian ducked her head, twisting her fingers. “Everyone makes their own choices.”

Fang Zhi studied her, then slipped her arm through Chen Nian’s and rested it there lightly. “So yeah, I’m pretty lucky.”

So yeah, I’m pretty lucky.

Chen Nian wished all the good fortune life had to offer would land squarely on her head.

As the show’s broadcasts fueled its rising popularity, Fang Zhizhu’s name echoed louder and louder.

Her fan votes held steady in the top three—a rock-solid spot for debuting.

Chen Nian started accompanying Fang Zhi on outings, and little by little, people began recognizing her, calling out her name.

Fang Zhi didn’t quite feel the hype, though. She analyzed it coolly: their hangouts were all clustered around that one Guangdian neighborhood. Folks there lived and breathed the place, and with ads for the show everywhere, of course they’d tune in. That was the only reason she had any “fame” at all.

Chen Nian kept her thoughts to herself but urged her to start disguising herself on trips out.

Hats were perfect for summer. Chen Nian stocked up on a bunch—every style and color imaginable. Fang Zhi could mix and match to her heart’s content without sacrificing her look, and they actually shielded her pretty well.

But hats lost their magic fast. One day, as Chen Nian waited for Fang Zhi to finish work, two little girls sidled up and asked, “Who’re you waiting for?”

Chen Nian hedged. “A friend.”

Their eyes went wide. “Whoa, does your friend work here?”

Chen Nian nodded. “Something like that.”

“You know they’re filming the Super New Star Contest inside, right?”

Chen Nian stayed quiet. Undeterred, one girl gushed on: “Whoa, you haven’t seen the Super New Star Contest? It airs on Shanghai TV every Saturday! We looove Fang Zhizhu!!!”

Chen Nian blinked. “…”

Thanks. I do too.

The girls ignored her, craning on tiptoes to peer inside. “When’s she coming out? Mom says they eat around now.”

Unsure if Fang Zhi would welcome her pint-sized fans, Chen Nian turned away and fired off a quick text: 【Fans at the door.】

Fang Zhi replied in seconds: 【On my way.】

She was thrilled, then. Chen Nian pressed her lips together, fighting a smile.

It was a strange feeling, hard to pin down. She’d been one of Fang Zhizhu’s little fangirls once too. Back when the Super New Star Contest kicked off, she’d parked herself in front of the TV every weekend, shrieking with joy at every glimpse of her idol.

Sure, “stanning” wasn’t a thing yet, and she couldn’t chase stars to live events like these kids, but she’d burned through all her teenage energy on Fang Zhizhu for months.

Hawkishly recommending her to friends, practicing every song Zhizhu sang, swiping Mom’s phone to vote, snapping up posters and stickers to turn her room into a chaotic explosion of color.

In hindsight, those were the irreplaceable sparks of youth—hoisting a total stranger onto your personal pedestal, where she’d shine forever with that pure, blazing light.

These days, Chen Nian had watched Fang Zhi grow up, accompanied her to one competition after another, and witnessed her shatter records time and time again. They were so close—too close, really—that those old feelings had faded into the background…

Looking back suddenly now, it all came rushing in: the sour, the sweet, the bitter, the spicy, like unwrapping a candy bursting with rich fragrance.

Chen Nian scooted closer to the two little fangirls and whispered, “She’s coming out any second.”

“Awooo!!!” One let out a howl, yanking her friend’s hand back and forth. “Ahh, she’s coming, she’s coming! I’m so nervous. Should we say something to her? Will she even talk to us?!”

Her friend: “Aaah! Aren’t we supposed to cheer her on?!”

The first girl: “But I don’t think I can get the words out. The second I see her, I’ll freeze…”

Her friend: “Then let’s practice right now! Come on, quick! Fang Zhizhu, go for it! Fang Zhizhu, go for it…”

The first girl: “Fang Zhizhu, go for it! Fang Zhizhu, go for it…”

Chen Nian: “Pfft.”

The two girls practiced with utter seriousness, and those five words looped endlessly in Chen Nian’s head.

She was used to the waiting on ordinary days, but now, swept up in their anxiety, every moment crawled by. Each minute, each second felt like it had to loop a full circle overhead.

At last, a familiar figure emerged from the building, still wearing the blue dress Chen Nian had helped her pick out the night before.

Chen Nian couldn’t resist waving her over. The fangirls spotted the gesture and whipped their heads around, exploding into chaos. “Aaaah, she’s so pretty! Aaaah, fairy mommy! Aaaah!!!!”

Fairy already? Fang Zhi’s hat was pulled low, covering everything but her chin and mouth. She didn’t even think about her posture as she hurried toward Chen Nian’s wave, striding out of the building like a shooting star until she stood right in front of them.

Chen Nian: “Uh…”

The fangirls shrieked and stumbled back: “Aaaah…”

Fang Zhi’s mouth fell open slightly in surprise. Chen Nian shot them a glance and decided to bail the kids out. “Fang Zhizhu, go—”

The two jumped in seamlessly: “for it! Fang Zhizhu, go for it! Fang Zhizhu, go for it!!!”

Fang Zhi: “…”

Chen Nian chuckled. “These are your fans. They’re here to cheer you on.”

The fangirls: “Fang Zhizhu, go for it! Fang Zhizhu, go for it!!”

Fang Zhi stood there stunned for a long moment before murmuring, “Thank you.”

The fangirls: “Aaaah…”

Fang Zhi nudged her hat up a bit, revealing her eyes. “It’s so hot out here. Don’t stand around…”

The fangirls: “Aaaah…”

“Um…” Fang Zhi glanced around, looking a little lost. Chen Nian yanked two bottles of drinks from her bag—the ones she’d packed for lunch later.

Fang Zhi pressed her lips together, accepted them, and passed them to the fangirls. “Here, have some water.”

The fangirls: “Aaaaaah…”

They took the bottles amid their screams, hands shaking.

Fang Zhi figured that was enough. She pointed off to the side. “I’ve got things to do. See you.”

The fangirls nodded like maniacs.

Fang Zhi grabbed Chen Nian’s arm. Chen Nian: “That’s it? You won’t even mention the competition…”

Fang Zhi cut her off and turned back to the fangirls one last time. “I’ll give it my all in the competition.”

The fangirls: “Aaaaaah…”

In the midst of their nonstop shrieking, Fang Zhi hauled Chen Nian away in huge strides.

They’d planned to head north to the restaurant, but that road was too straight, too exposed. Instead, Fang Zhi veered south.

The southern road curved quickly. Once around the bend, she lifted her hat brim at last and let out a long breath.

Chen Nian watched her every move, savoring each flicker of expression. “Nervous, huh?”

Fang Zhi ignored the question, tilting her face away and tugging her hat brim back down.

Chen Nian: “The fans are the ones who get nervous seeing you. But you’re the nervous one?”

Fang Zhi: “…”

Chen Nian circled around her for a closer look. “It’s not just nerves, is it? You’re embarrassed too.”

Fang Zhi smacked her palm against Chen Nian’s back. “No one’ll mistake you for a mute if you shut up.”

Chen Nian let out a sharp “Gah!” before her grin stretched from ear to ear. “You really are embarrassed! Oh my god, Fang Zhizhi, who knew you had such thin skin? Teachers have praised you to the skies, people have chased after you, and you’ve never blushed once. But two little fans…”

Fang Zhi lunged, hooking Chen Nian’s neck in the crook of her elbow. “Life? Or more nonsense?”

Chen Nian hunched over. The position wasn’t unbearable, but she was laughing so hard already that the clamp left her gasping. “Life! Life! Life!”

Fang Zhi released her and eyed her neck.

Chen Nian followed her gaze, rubbing her neck awkwardly as she clamped her mouth shut for the moment. She quietly trailed after her.

Then, they slipped into a blind corner.

“Sis, where are we headed?” Chen Nian asked.

“…”

“Sis, come on, don’t be like this. Just two fans have you acting all weird. Imagine the crowds later on—how are you gonna handle that…?”

“No.”

“No what?”

Fang Zhi clenched her fist, at a loss for words. “No means no.”

How could she even explain? It wasn’t that she panicked at the sight of two fans, or that she’d blush after chatting with them for a couple of sentences.

The truth was, she’d simply misunderstood. She’d gotten the text from Chen Nian all wrong, thinking the “fan” Chen Nian mentioned was herself.

She’d always done this before, whenever she was kept waiting too long and Chen Nian would send those impatient nudges:

【Your Niannian is getting scorched by the blazing sun.】

【The great photographer awaits with bated breath.】

【Little sister’s tummy is rumbling.】

Who could’ve guessed that today’s 【There are fans of yours at the door】 would turn out to actually mean fans?

Fang Zhi had been caught completely off guard, and to make matters worse, Chen Nian had jumped right in with the crowd, cheering them on like she was in on some conspiracy.

It was all too much—the heat, the surprise, everything piling up at once. Suddenly, the scene had her truly flustered.

Her mind raced, her heart pounded, her throat went dry, and the tips of her ears burned.

It was raw, unadulterated affection staring her in the face—pure liking, with nothing else attached.

There was Chen Nian, right in the thick of that group, looking just like one of them. Waiting here for her idol under the scorching sun, all to shout a single word of encouragement—this innocent, fervent devotion that left her utterly rattled.