Part 2
Bai Sinian covered his face, wanting nothing more than to disappear.
Bian Rui glanced at the security guard, then at Bai Sinian, who was trying to slip away quietly. “Sinian, is he talking to you?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, thank you, uncle!” Bai Sinian awkwardly flashed the security guard a smile and hurried out of the complex.
“What happened?” Bian Rui asked, confused.
“Nothing, nothing. How long till the car arrives?”
Bai Sinian looked around nervously.
Bian Rui checked his phone. “It’s almost here. 100 meters away.”
Bai Sinian pointed. “Oh? Is that it?”
Bian Rui checked the license plate. “Yep.”
“Alright! I’m off now! See you at school!” Bai Sinian dashed toward the car like he was racing to meet it, eager to get away. Bian Rui watched him get in the car and leave before heading back to the security booth.
“Uncle, what were you talking about earlier?” Bian Rui asked.
The security guard explained what had happened that afternoon. Bian Rui finally understood why the paparazzi were no longer outside the complex—Bai Sinian had helped chase them away.
In the elevator on his way back home, Bian Rui kept wondering what other hidden talents Bai Sinian had. This person intrigued him more and more.
But he still didn’t know how Bai Sinian’s phone was doing.
Meanwhile, Bai Sinian arrived home safely. His parents were there, and they were shocked when they saw him.
His mom, wearing a face mask, immediately pulled it off, worried she was seeing things. “Why are you back? Did something happen?”
His dad also came over, waiting for an explanation.
Bai Sinian had no choice but to explain what had happened that day while changing his shoes. After hearing the story, his parents remained silent for a long time.
“Son, come here, sit down.” His father, who had been about to take a shower, called him back.
Bai Sinian sat on the single sofa, looking at his parents in their pajamas, knowing they were about to give him a lecture. He sat up straight. “Mom, Dad, what is it?”
His mom wiped off the excess mask serum from her face and said, “We’re proud that you’re helping a classmate and taking care of his family. You’ve always been a kind-hearted child. But…”
“But you can’t neglect your own responsibilities!” His dad, unlike his mom, didn’t beat around the bush.
Bai Sinian couldn’t help but smile. “Mom, Dad, it’s just evening self-study. Most of my classmates use this time to catch up on weekend homework. I finished it a long time ago. It doesn’t interfere with my studies at all.”
His mom asked, “So, his family doesn’t have anyone else to help? Couldn’t they hire a caregiver? Why would a classmate need to step in?”
“Mom, their situation is a bit special.”
Bai Sinian then explained that since Bian Rui’s mom was a somewhat famous actress, they couldn’t just hire a temporary caregiver. Since their home was usually unoccupied, it wasn’t necessary to have a permanent one either.
With just the two of them, they had to look out for each other. Besides, getting sick wasn’t something that happened often. It was a low-probability event, and him helping out wasn’t a big deal.
One evening wasn’t going to affect his studies much.
In the end, his parents were convinced and let him go shower and get ready for bed.
Lying on his soft, comfortable bed, Bai Sinian took out his cracked phone, feeling a pang of heartache.
It still worked, but the screen was shattered, making it hard to read anything.
He didn’t have much pocket money. Most of the money his parents gave him was spent on printing photos or buying fan merchandise, which he kept to himself.
Sometimes, he’d spend money when hanging out with his friends.
Now, replacing the phone would cost hundreds, but a low-quality phone wouldn’t have a good camera, and he needed to take photos!
A good-quality phone with a high-resolution camera would cost at least three or four thousand, and the best ones could go up to ten thousand. Ugh, Bai Sinian felt frustrated.
He turned off his phone screen, stuffed it under his pillow, and pulled the blanket over his head, going to sleep in a bad mood.
The next day, he got up early for school, and his mom, who happened to be up as well, gave him a ride.
On the way, his mom kept reminding him to spend more time on his studies. Bai Sinian nodded repeatedly while eating his breakfast.
Back at school, Bai Sinian went about his day as usual—attending classes and working on practice problems, with a packed schedule.
Because of the cracked phone screen, he didn’t feel like using it much. After school in the afternoon, he took his phone from his locker without even looking at it and shoved it into his pocket before heading to the cafeteria for dinner.
As soon as he walked into the third-floor cafeteria, he instinctively glanced at the table by the window, and sure enough, Shen Bei was looking right at him, excitedly waving.
Bai Sinian smiled warmly, waving back like a proud father, then pointed to the food counter, indicating that he would get his food first before joining them.
Bai Sinian wasn’t too hungry for dinner. He found a less crowded line, bought a bowl of porridge, and grabbed a roujiamo (a Chinese meat sandwich), then went to join his friends.
“Sinian, have you been really busy lately? We’ve been trying to reach you in the group chat, but you haven’t responded.” Shen Bei asked, concerned.
Bai Sinian hesitated for a moment, debating whether to mention his broken phone. After thinking it over, he decided not to say anything, not wanting them to worry.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy.”
“Busy with what?” Cui Yeyi asked as he came over with a tray full of food: three dishes, a soup, and a mountain of rice.
Bai Sinian glanced at the heap of food in Cui Yeyi’s bowl, thinking it was a massive portion. “Bian Rui’s family had some stuff going on, so I went over to help.”
At that moment, Fan Hongyi also joined them, sitting down and listening to the conversation.
“What happened?” Cui Yeyi asked.
Bai Sinian lowered his head, sipping his porridge. After a pause, he said, “Just eat your food. If Bian Rui wants to talk about it, he will. Don’t pry.”
Cui Yeyi felt a bit annoyed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Bai Sinian and Bian Rui were becoming too close, like they were keeping secrets from him.
He had always sensed that Bai Sinian liked him, so why was he getting closer to someone else?
Cui Yeyi shot a suspicious glance at Bai Sinian, then silently started eating.
Fan Hongyi asked, “When is he coming back? We still need to film that video to cheer on the seniors for their college entrance exams. We can’t shoot it without the lead singer.”
“I’ll ask him. Let’s see if we can do it this weekend. It’s almost May Day, and the seniors will probably only have time to watch it online around then.”
Fan Hongyi: “If we do a good job with the video, why don’t we apply to the school to have it played on the big screen at the school gate? Or we could have our song played over the school broadcast system.”
Bai Sinian: “Great idea!”
The original purpose of doing this was to genuinely give the senior students some motivation. In addition, Bai Sinian had some ulterior motives—he hoped they could gain some fans online, laying the groundwork for their future debut.
A two-pronged approach, with guaranteed results!
As May approached, the weather gradually warmed up. After finishing their meal, the four of them got into Shen Bei’s car. The air conditioning was on, making the atmosphere cool and pleasant.
Just like on past occasions, they headed to Shen Bei’s study for their tutoring session. The study was neatly arranged, with various textbooks and study materials laid out on the desk.
In one corner of the study, a delicate tea table held an array of snacks—from exquisite French pastries to traditional Chinese cakes, along with both cold and hot drinks for them to choose from.
They scattered around the study, each starting their one-on-one tutoring sessions.
Bai Sinian’s teacher was lively and engaging. Not only did he explain the difficult concepts from the textbooks in detail, but he also combined them with practical examples, making the abstract knowledge come to life and easier to understand.
Since Bai Sinian had a solid foundation, he quickly grasped the new senior year concepts that the teacher was explaining.
Teacher: “Sinian, with your current progress, you’re ready to start a new round of review.”
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