15
The commotion quickly drew the attention of passersby, who stopped to point and whisper.
The man probably couldn’t stand the embarrassment, or maybe he was still shaken by the look Cen Feng gave him earlier. His expression shifted several times before he finally said nothing, shot Cen Feng a fierce glare, and turned to leave in a huff.
Cen Feng withdrew his gaze, glanced down at Xu Zhaixing, who was still looking up at him in a daze, then turned, walked back, picked up his guitar from the ground, and packed it into its case.
Finally snapping out of it, Xu Zhaixing cautiously shuffled closer, pursed her lips, and asked hesitantly, “Brother, do you… remember me?”
Cen Feng looked at her, slung the packed guitar case over his back.
She rubbed her palms against her clothes, nervously reminding him in a small voice: “Last autumn… you were playing guitar here… you bought me a cup of milk tea…”
Her voice grew softer, and an expression of dismay appeared on her face.
She had been too impulsive just now!
Letting her idol see that fierce side of her, any good impression was ruined, wuwuwu.
Cen Feng adjusted the guitar on his back, tucked his hands into his pockets, his back slightly hunched, and looked down at the girl before him.
She was bundled up thickly, looking round all over. A red scarf wrapped from her neck all the way to her chin. On her head was a fluffy hat with two red fox ears on top, swaying back and forth in the night wind.
Only half her face was visible, reddened by the cold night, her eyelashes coated with fine snowflakes, each distinct. Her eyes were bright and clear, curving into crescent moons when she smiled.
Amidst her dismayed expression, he spoke calmly: “I remember.”
Her eyes instantly lit up, her small face flushed. Uncontainable joy filled her voice. “Brother, it’s been so long since I saw you. This time, let me buy you milk tea?”
It was still snowing.
His fingers, tucked in his pockets, trembled slightly. After a long moment, he finally responded softly, “Mm.”
Xu Zhaixing was overjoyed and followed him to a nearby milk tea shop. She looked at the menu on the sign and turned to ask, “Brother, what would you like to drink?”
Of course, she knew his preferences, but she still carefully sought his opinion.
Cen Feng gazed into the snow-filled night. “Anything.”
Xu Zhaixing called out to the owner with great enthusiasm, “Boss! Two caramel milk teas, with red beans and pearls! Full sugar! Hot!”
Her idol loved sweets and took his milk tea with full sugar. Even though caramel with red beans and full sugar could be cloyingly sweet, if her idol liked it, fans would follow suit, no matter how sweet or fattening.
A flicker of something passed through Cen Feng’s eyes. He glanced down at her.
Xu Zhaixing paid for the drinks, trying to calm her wildly pounding heart and act normal. When the owner finished making the tea, inserted straws, and handed them over, she happily took a sip.
She nearly choked on the sweetness.
Milk tea at this time wasn’t as good as in the future!
She swallowed with effort, secretly glanced at Cen Feng, who was sipping his drink with an unchanged expression, and asked hesitantly, “Brother, is it good?”
Cen Feng said, “It’s good.”
Xu Zhaixing: “…”
As expected of my idol who loves his sugar!
Since he said it was good, when she took another sip, it actually started to taste less terrible.
Her heart felt like it was filled with honey. Holding her milk tea, she sipped noisily, following closely behind him. They hadn’t gone far when Cen Feng stopped, turned to look at her, and asked, “Aren’t you going home?”
Snapping out of her sweet trance, she quickly took two steps back. “Yes! I am!”
Although she had so many things she wanted to ask him, wanted to tell him to take good care of himself, not to suffer in silence, when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.
Cen Feng had already looked away. “Thank you for the milk tea.”
Xu Zhaixing shook her head, trying to keep her voice light. “No need to thank me! You should head back now. It’s cold outside!”
Cen Feng nodded slightly, then turned and left. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when the girl’s gentle voice came from behind: “Brother, I’ll come listen to you sing here again tomorrow night.”
He didn’t respond.
By the time he returned to the dorm, his roommates were already asleep.
He was currently staying in the trainee dormitory arranged by the company. Four people shared the space, each with their own separate room. Cen Feng didn’t turn on the lights. As he walked to his room, the door opposite in the corridor opened from the inside.
Yin Chang stood there in pajamas, his hair messy, his handsome features looking innocent and harmless. His voice drifted over along with the light from his room. “Brother, why are you back so late today?”
Cen Feng ignored him, turned the doorknob to his own room, walked in, set down his guitar, and started changing his clothes and shoes.
Yin Chang followed and lingered at the doorway, looking at him hesitantly, as if wanting to say something. Finally, as if steeling his resolve, he spoke up. “Brother, I heard Brother Niu at the company today saying he was going to come find trouble with you. Rumor has it the higher-ups are very unhappy about you being late, leaving early, skipping training to busk.”
He looked at Cen Feng disapprovingly. “Brother, why have you changed so much this past year? Don’t you want to debut anymore?”
Cen Feng changed into a black tank top and slippers, draping a towel over his neck. The defined lines of his arms and calves, now exposed, immediately outshone Yin Chang’s soft and slender frame.
He glanced at Yin Chang indifferently. “Finished? If you’re done, leave.”
Yin Chang was choked up, his face turning red.
Despite his numerous attempts to show goodwill, he never received a single kind word from Cen Feng. Still young, he couldn’t fully hide his feelings. While his face still wore an aggrieved expression, malice seeped into his eyes.
Cen Feng remained expressionless. He sidestepped past Yin Chang at the door and headed to the bathroom to shower.
Yin Chang took two deep breaths, shouting at his retreating back, “Cen Feng! Even if you’re dissatisfied with the company, you don’t have to take it out on me! I treat you like a brother! What do you take me for?!”
The only response was the sound of the bathroom door closing.
Then came the rushing sound of water. The person inside seemed completely unfazed by his words. No matter what he said or did, he couldn’t earn even a glance in return.
Yin Chang thought back to two years ago, when they had first joined the company. He and Cen Feng were in the same batch of trainees, assigned to the same dorm. Cen Feng was a year older, and Yin Chang obediently called him “Brother.” Cen Feng truly treated him like a younger brother, looking out for him.
He gave in to him in everything, always thought of him. Helped him correct his pronunciation, practiced dancing with him, meticulously worked through dance moves Yin Chang struggled with. When Yin Chang’s flexibility was poor, Cen Feng would lift his legs, helping him stretch bit by bit.
When someone at the company called him a sissy, Cen Feng clenched his fists and fought them for him.
A teenager back then, facing a group alone without backing down, his lips swollen from being hit, still smiling to comfort him: “Don’t be afraid. They won’t dare say it again.”
At that time, he genuinely saw Cen Feng as an older brother and was grateful to him.
When did it start to turn sour?
Was it when the dance teacher openly praised Cen Feng but scolded him for being clumsy? When the vocal teacher marveled at Cen Feng’s talent but shook his head at Yin Chang? When Cen Feng mastered the piano in six months while Yin Chang was still stumbling through beginner etudes?
He knew he shouldn’t be jealous.
But he couldn’t control it. Those feelings of envy, jealousy, and resentment were like a fine net, wrapping around his heart layer by layer, drawing blood.
But he hid it well. While secretly seething with jealousy, he still basked in Cen Feng’s care.
Until…
Until last year.
Cen Feng had missed training due to a fever. After a dazed sleep, when he woke up, the way he looked at Yin Chang had changed.
He became a different person—cold, aloof, solitary, willful, his entire being covered in thorns that kept everyone at a distance.
At first, Yin Chang thought his hidden thoughts had been discovered. He lived in constant fear, pretending concern, carefully trying to please him. But no matter what he did, Cen Feng never responded again.
He even deliberately provoked conflicts with other trainees, only to receive Cen Feng’s indifferent gaze in the end.
Not only had he distanced himself from Yin Chang, but he had also severed ties with everyone around him. He began slacking off in training, arriving late, leaving early, and even, like a lunatic, started busking at night markets.
Brother Niu, who managed the trainees, tried every approach, but couldn’t make him relent in the slightest. People started saying the once most promising talent was ruined, and the company might give up on him.
Yin Chang secretly rejoiced, yet also worried: if Cen Feng left, who would help him in the future? What if those who used to bully him targeted him again?
Today, hearing that Brother Niu had stormed off to the night market to discipline Cen Feng, Yin Chang had been waiting for him to return to probe for information. Yet, once again, he was met with a cold shoulder.
Furious but helpless, Yin Chang stared at the closed bathroom door for a long time before finally returning to his room and slamming the door shut.
After showering, Cen Feng returned to his room damp.
The dorm had no underfloor heating; in winter, trainees relied on small electric heaters assigned by the company. He didn’t like using his, so the entire room was icy cold, even the wall lamp emitting a chilly glow.
After drying his hair, he put the money he earned today into his savings box. Glancing at the desk piled with mechanical parts and books, he picked up his laptop, sat on the bed, opened the browser, and searched for new mechanical assembly videos.
He watched until late at night. Just as he was about to close the laptop after exiting a video, a small pop-up appeared in the lower right corner of the browser: You have 99+ blog messages.
Blog?
He paused, then clicked the pop-up.
After debut, all public accounts were managed by the company, and even the personal blogs they once used were uniformly deleted. After being reborn, he had forgotten he still had a blog account.
The page loaded, showing the latest post was still his photo feeding stray cats from last year.
Cen Feng clicked into the comments section.
He finally understood where the 99+ messages came from.
All were from an ID called “Picking Stars From Heaven For You.”
He scrolled down the page, looking through them one by one. The initial tone was quite normal:
— Remember to eat on time, just like the little kitties!
— It’s dark now, time for bed. Don’t stay up late. Goodnight~
— It’s getting colder. Is it snowing where you are? Remember to dress warmly!
— Saw a super pretty little flower by the roadside today! Sending it to you to see!
— Today, I came across a math problem I couldn’t solve in the exam! Ahhhhh! My first-place ranking is in danger!
…
Then it gradually shifted to:
— Is it even allowed for you to be this good-looking?
— What good does it do you to steal my breath away?!
— Oh heavens, just look at this damned handsomeness!
Cen Feng: “…………”
Who is this?
Are they unwell?
**