Chapter 3: Youthful Memories He climbed so high, so far, and I…
After that, the first thing Zhu Qingting did every day after school was to turn on the bulky desktop computer at home and log into her QQ account.
One day, two days... one week... two weeks...
The friend request she had been longing for never appeared in her friend request list.
She clearly handed him the note with her QQ number written on it herself, and he clearly replied "okay"...
Even if his family really didn't have a computer or a mobile phone.
But can't I borrow one from another classmate when I get back?
Or, could you register at an internet cafe?
Ultimately, she came to the disheartening conclusion that he didn't want to add her.
This realization made thirteen-year-old Zhu Qingting taste bitterness for the first time.
She knew she was beautiful from a young age, inheriting her mother's elegant bone structure, coupled with the unique temperament she gained from studying dance, she never lacked the attention of boys and their careful attempts to please her.
But she was completely focused on dance and always avoided those naive advances.
This was the first time she had ever actively developed such a clear liking for a boy.
But this budding, secret joy was met with such a blunt rejection.
The girl's pride transformed into a strong sense of resentment.
The experimental middle school and the sports school where Zhu Qingting studied were not far apart, separated only by a street and a few intersections, a mere fifteen-minute walk.
So she decided to try her luck at the sports school. If she could see him, she would definitely ask him why he wouldn't add her as a friend.
Friday is the day when boarding students at sports schools are allowed to leave school to go home or go out for a short break in groups.
As soon as the school bell rang, Zhu Qingting packed her schoolbag and pulled aside her best friend He Shuyuan from the same class.
"Yuanyuan, will you come with me somewhere?"
Where?
"I went to the sports school for rehearsals the other day and discovered a super delicious milk tea shop there!"
He Shuyuan looked a little resistant and said, "Isn't the food near the school gate good enough? Why do we have to walk so far?"
Unfortunately, he couldn't resist Zhu Qingting's insistence and was pulled away with some skepticism.
The milk tea shop is small and simply decorated, with posters of Taiwanese actors and Korean idols on the walls.
The air was filled with a cloying, artificial fragrance.
Sure enough, there were boys and girls from the sports school out for some fresh air in the store. They were loud and boisterous, laughing and joking, with the carefree energy unique to their age.
Zhu Qingting and He Shuyuan chose a window seat, ordered two cups of bubble tea, and then opened their homework.
Zhu Qingting's mind was not on the topic at all; her gaze kept drifting to the window, searching for that familiar figure.
However, it was already dark, the homework was finished, and the milk tea was almost gone, but the person I was looking forward to still hadn't appeared.
On Sunday, she came alone again, wondering if she had missed him on Friday and if he would be returning to school from home today.
The result was still that no one was seen.
She went many Fridays and Sundays.
Sometimes he was with He Shuyuan, sometimes he was alone.
However, Chai Yundu seemed to have vanished into thin air and never appeared in her sight again.
That year, they were thirteen or fourteen years old.
The stirrings of youth had just begun to sprout, and before they could truly unfurl their branches, they were swiftly and decisively severed.
In the second semester of her second year of junior high school, due to her father's business expansion and in order to give her a better dance education, the family decided to move to the provincial capital.
On the Friday before she left, Zhu Qingting went to that milk tea shop one last time.
She sat in her usual spot, watching people come and go outside the window, knowing in her heart that this was probably the last foolish thing she could do for this fleeting affection.
Zhu Qingting's life unfolded in the new city, her studies suddenly became more demanding, and her dance training became more professional and intensive, taking up all her time and energy.
New environment, new friends, new challenges...
Distance and busy schedules gradually faded and blurred her impression of the sports school boy named Chai Yundu.
——————
Time flies, and seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.
One evening during her sophomore year, Zhu Qingting had just finished an afternoon of intense dance training and dragged her tired body back to her dormitory.
My roommate was facing the computer screen, cupping his face in his hands, and letting out silly giggles.
Upon seeing her return, he immediately waved excitedly, raising his voice as if he had discovered a treasure.
"Tingting! Come quick! I've discovered a treasure! This historical drama, 'The Strategist,' features Chai Yundu as the male lead! My god! The action scenes are amazing! Every punch feels real, it's so exciting! He's incredibly handsome! The mutual respect between him and the strategist Xu Yi is driving all those fujoshi crazy! But I don't care, I don't ship any couples, I just love his looks! You didn't see his battle-worn appearance in the first episode, so wild and pitiful, his eyes are absolutely stunning! You have to come and see!"
Chai Yundu?
I haven't heard that name for seven years, and the tall, upright figure from my childhood has long since faded from memory.
She moved closer as if possessed.
On the computer screen, there is an ancient battlefield filled with smoke and littered with corpses.
A young general, clad in tattered armor and covered in blood and dust, is wielding a long spear and fighting fiercely in the enemy ranks.
His movements lacked any fancy flourishes; they were purely primal and ruthless, as if he had truly traveled to a battlefield and was engaged in a life-or-death struggle.
His eyes were fierce like a wolf's, filled with the madness of impending death, yet within their brokenness shone an unyielding fortitude.
It was him.
Even though he has shed his youthful naiveté and awkwardness, his eyebrows and eyes have fully matured, his features have become more deep and strong, and his temperament has changed from the calm and reserved demeanor of the past to the aggressive wildness and sharpness he displays on screen today.
But she recognized him at a glance.
It was Chai Yundu, the one who practiced his movements repeatedly in front of the mirror in the training room of the sports school.
It was Chai Yundu, the one who would freeze up at the sight of her.
It was Chai Yundu, who would stand up to the senior students without fear in order to protect her.
My heart felt as if it had been clenched tightly by a large hand and then suddenly released, bringing a strange and intense throbbing.
Zhu Qingting never wanted to waste time on entertainment and watching dramas, but this weekend, she unusually did not go to the dance studio to practice dancing. Instead, she stayed in her dormitory, neither eating nor drinking, and almost greedily watched the entire 36-episode period drama "The Schemer".
An emotion that had been dormant in his chest for seven years sprouted like a seed awakened by the spring breeze.
She became his fan.
She frantically searched the internet for everything about him.
Because of his sudden rise to fame, many clips of his interviews and his past work as an extra have appeared online.
From these fragments, she pieced together the path he had taken over the past seven years:
After finishing his studies at the sports school, Chai Yundu, with his solid martial arts skills and tenacious spirit, was recommended by his teacher and went to Hengdian alone. He started from the bottom as a martial arts instructor and stuntman, and worked his way up on film sets with his senior brothers.
Thanks to his outstanding appearance, he gradually got some extra roles with lines and close-up shots. He moved from one film crew to another for three years.
On one occasion, he was responsible for designing martial arts moves for the highly respected veteran actor Chen Xiyi.
Chai Yundu's professional and focused attitude impressed Teacher Chen.
Teacher Chen, recognizing his talent, strongly recommended him to audition for the role of a young general in the dual male lead drama "The Schemer," a role that was extremely demanding in terms of both physical skills and acting ability.
Chai Yundu seized this hard-won opportunity.
On camera, he brought the character to life with his realistic and intense action scenes and emotionally charged performance.
After the series aired, he became an instant star.
It turns out that he had taken a thorny path that made it difficult to succeed.
From sports school to Hengdian World Studios, from martial arts instructor to leading man, he has carved out his own path step by step with sweat and strength.
In sporadic interviews, he also explained his reasons for practicing martial arts:
After his parents divorced and each started new families, he was seen as a burden. Eventually, his parents jointly paid for his tuition, and he was sent to a boarding sports school.
From that time on, the sports school became his only refuge.
He knew better than anyone that learning martial arts was the only opportunity he could seize to secure his livelihood.
This past experience deeply saddened a group of new fans, turning them into die-hard supporters who vowed to never abandon their idol.
Hearing this, the resentment and doubt that had accumulated in Zhu Qingting's heart for many years instantly vanished.
He didn't lie to her back then; with her family background, a computer, a mobile phone, or even a little pocket money were luxuries.
With nowhere to go and no money to spend, he naturally couldn't register a QQ account at an internet cafe, nor could he bump into someone off-campus.
From that day on, Zhu Qingting's previously monotonous and arduous life, which consisted only of dance, gained a sweet and anticipated new chapter.
I follow every new drama starring Chai Yundu, watch the few variety shows he participates in, browse his latest updates and official news on social media, and carefully collect and save every captivating still and poster of him...
This became her only source of spiritual comfort during her monotonous and arduous training career.
Watching him grow rapidly on his acting path, winning numerous film and television awards and constantly increasing his commercial value, becoming a true top star, Zhu Qingting was genuinely happy for him. At the same time, the competitive spirit that her mother had cultivated in her since childhood was also quietly ignited.
He has achieved so much, so far; how can I not work even harder?
Because of his example, which inspired her invisibly, Zhu Qingting practiced dancing even more diligently. Sweat soaked through countless practice clothes, the bandages on her toes were wrapped and unwrapped repeatedly, and old bruises and injuries on her body were replaced with new ones before they had healed.
Her efforts were not in vain.
During her university years, she won the gold medal in the most prestigious dance competition in China, graduated with excellent grades, and joined the top-notch Haicheng Song and Dance Troupe.
Four years later, thanks to her outstanding professional skills and unique artistic expression, she grew into the youngest principal dancer in the troupe. She rehearsed and starred in many well-known dance dramas, toured at home and abroad, and gained a very high reputation, becoming one of the representative figures of the younger generation in the Chinese dance world.
She has also reached her own peak in her field.
It will soon be the sixth year since she became his fan. The Haicheng Song and Dance Troupe has received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala, and she will lead the team as the lead dancer to present the dance "Zhuque Breaks Dawn" to audiences across the country on New Year's Eve.
Following them was Chai Yundu's singing segment.
After thirteen years, they finally reunited on a stage that was the focus of everyone's attention.
I never added them on QQ back then, but now they're WeChat friends...
It all felt like a dream.
As the tide of memories slowly receded, Zhu Qingting looked at the cloud-shaped profile picture on her phone screen and let out a soft breath.
Chai Yundu, are we now considered...?
Have they met at the top of their respective fields?
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