Chapter Seven: A Small Gathering

“Someone’s talking to you,” Ma Xiaoqian chided gently when she saw Lin Qihua lost in thought.

“Oh,” Lin Qihua snapped back to reality. “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”

“It’s fine, walk with me,” Ma Xiaoqian said with a radiant smile. In that instant, her charm made Lin Qihua reflect on how the shy little girl of the past had grown into a captivating beauty. “I never expected to bump into you here.”

“Ha, neither did I,” Lin Qihua mused on the strangeness of fate. “It’s been four years since we last met.”

“Yes, it has,” Ma Xiaoqian laughed softly, covering her mouth. Inside, she knew she had always kept track of this old classmate—from his time in the training camp, to his debut, and even his recent contract termination. It was a secret little habit, ever since that first day she saw the commanding boy at school, his shadow had lingered in her heart. But he was so dazzling, she never dared approach; and after he became an artist, destined for the spotlight, she resigned herself to quietly observing from afar. She hadn’t imagined they’d meet again in the school library; yet she recognized him instantly, for he had appeared in her dreams countless times. Though four years had passed, she was familiar with him, both past and present.

“Whew.” They strolled along the campus path. Lin Qihua let out a gentle sigh. “Except for you, everyone else must have gone their separate ways.”

“Yes, after four years of college, most people started working after graduation. Your dorm’s Fatty, Haizi, and Qin Shao all headed east to make their fortunes. They pop up in the group chat now and then—it seems they’re doing well. Most others are the same.”

Lin Qihua recalled his three dorm mates: Fatty, the oldest and leader, loved to drag everyone out for food and drink, earning his nickname for his size; Haizi, a tough guy and basketball star; Qin Shao, as his name suggested, was a notorious playboy—who knew if he ever reached his proclaimed “hundred conquests”?

“They talked about you at the graduation party,” Ma Xiaoqian said, noticing Lin Qihua’s somber expression and feeling a pang of sadness herself. “Fatty said his greatest regret in life was never getting you to drink with him.”

“Haha.” Lin Qihua laughed. Fatty, famous for his authority in the dorm, loved drinking with his brothers, but Lin Qihua was the exception—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make him drink. Not that Lin Qihua was unwilling, but his mother had always warned him against alcohol, saying it was the greatest harm to a singer’s throat. Many rising stars fell to their own lack of discipline. As his musical talent became apparent, his mother’s rules grew stricter, and with dreams of the future, Lin Qihua knew he had to protect his voice—the foundation of any singer. His mother even sought out recipes from veteran artists, preparing special throat-soothing tea for him since high school. This tea strictly forbade alcohol, so Lin Qihua never touched a drop. Fortunately, his friends understood and never forced him—just left with a regret.

“Oh, besides me, two others stayed at school for graduate studies. Shen Mengxue and Fan Ziming—they’re both grad students.”

“Real academic stars. I remember them, but I wonder if they still remember me?” Lin Qihua smiled. Shen Mengxue had been the class leader and class beauty upon admission, a scholarship magnet and active in student council and clubs. Fan Ziming was also a top student, well liked in class.

“How about I call them out for dinner together?” Ma Xiaoqian bit her lip, testing the suggestion. “Since we’ve met, let’s have a little reunion.”

“A get-together?” Lin Qihua looked at Ma Xiaoqian’s hopeful face and smiled. “Alright, let’s do it.”

“Yay!” Ma Xiaoqian jumped with joy, pulling out her personal terminal to make calls. After a while, she hung up. “It’s settled, they’ll be here soon. Let’s go wait for them.”

“Alright, you’re in charge today, I’ll follow your lead.” Lin Qihua nodded with a smile, walking after her. In this campus filled with memories, meeting an old classmate—especially a beautiful one—put him in a good mood. It hadn’t even been a full year since he left, but his youth remained here, didn’t it? And classmates were the classic symbol of youth.

They didn’t walk far before reaching the lunch spot—Ke Yuan, just outside the campus.

Lin Qihua gazed at the place with a strange expression. Ma Xiaoqian giggled beside him, “Surprised it’s here? Do you still remember?”

“Very much so. The nickname ‘Mini Concert Hall of Jiangjin University’ still rings loud. Lots of memories here,” Lin Qihua said with a wry smile.

“Ha ha,” Ma Xiaoqian laughed so hard she doubled over. “What I remember most is your dorm’s band—the Silly Band. I nearly died laughing.”

“Uh.” Lin Qihua scratched his head, embarrassed. It was one of their youthful follies: the four of them impulsively formed a band with the shameless name ‘Silly Band’ and even performed here openly. The performance was decent, but just the band name made the audience burst into laughter, while the four of them carried on, proud as ever. Truly, their stupidity knew no bounds—such is youth.

“This place hasn’t changed much,” Ma Xiaoqian said as she led Lin Qihua into Ke Yuan, found a window seat, and sighed. “After everyone graduated and scattered, I didn’t like eating in the cafeteria anymore. I mostly come here.”

“That’s because the cafeteria food is awful,” Lin Qihua made a face of painful nostalgia, sending Ma Xiaoqian into another fit of laughter.

“You weren’t like this before, so aloof that most people didn’t dare approach you,” Ma Xiaoqian murmured.

“Haha, I was just a kid, playing at being aloof. Now I’ve grown up—it’s time to change. Besides, in front of an old classmate who’s such a beauty, if I kept that act, I’d be struck by lightning,” Lin Qihua joked. In truth, his attitude had changed. Even in the training camp and the group, he remained distant—except for Little Scatterbrain, who approached him without fear.

“Is that so?” Ma Xiaoqian looked at Lin Qihua with a complicated expression, her heart aching: he must be forcing a smile because of recent events.

“Well, after so many years, just a short while and our Xiaoqian the beauty has already made our hero Lin laugh. No wonder he’s the great Lin!” After ordering food, a girl and a boy walked over together. The girl wore a white jacket, bright and pretty, and joked with Ma Xiaoqian—Shen Mengxue.

“Not at all. It’s normal to be happy when old classmates meet,” Lin Qihua stood and shook hands with them. “Long time no see, old friends.”

“Long time no see.” Shen Mengxue put away her smile and gazed at Lin Qihua for a long moment before replying. In fact, back in freshman year, the two were known as the Twin Stars—a talented boy and a beautiful girl, a dazzling pair. The girls’ dorm discussed them endlessly, and even Shen Mengxue thought they might end up together, but Lin Qihua was suddenly scouted by talent agents and joined an entertainment company, shattering those rosy dreams.

“Long time no see, superstar.” Fan Ziming, noticing Shen Mengxue’s complicated look, felt a twinge of jealousy and shook Lin Qihua’s hand with a smile.

“There are only classmates here, no stars. You flatter me,” Lin Qihua replied with a gentle smile, as if he didn’t hear the implication in Fan Ziming’s words.

Fan Ziming sat down, waving for the waiter. “Bring two bottles of beer.”

Taking the bottles, he popped one open and poured beer into two glasses. “It’s been years—let’s drink together for old times’ sake.”

“You know I don’t drink,” Lin Qihua looked at him deeply and smiled, shaking his head.

“So you won’t give me face?” Fan Ziming joked. “For the sake of not seeing each other for so long, can’t you break your rule?”

“Sorry,” Lin Qihua covered his glass, smiling and shaking his head. “You know—got to protect my voice.”

“You used to have to protect your voice, but now there’s no need, right? Why keep it up? You won’t be singing anyway,” Fan Ziming said carelessly.

“What?” Shen Mengxue and Ma Xiaoqian’s faces turned dark. That was a low blow, exposing Lin Qihua’s vulnerability in front of everyone. Normally, Fan Ziming was gentle and attentive, especially toward the girls, but today he acted out of character. Ma Xiaoqian’s rare anger flashed in her eyes—she regretted inviting him, but thought it would be rude not to, since they were old classmates.

“Ha,” Lin Qihua understood the intention behind the words, but remained unruffled. “Difficulties are temporary. If you give up your principles because of them, then temporary becomes permanent.”

Seeing the girls’ angry expressions, Fan Ziming realized he’d gone too far. He’d always looked up to Lin Qihua, but now, seeing him fall from grace and encountering him in person, he couldn’t suppress his excitement. Yet, after all these years, in front of the two girls, he was still overshadowed.

Lin Qihua smiled faintly. Fan Ziming was dressed well today, looking like a young gentleman, but compared to the training and style Lin Qihua had acquired, it was laughable. No matter what, he still had the aura of a star—his charisma wouldn’t fade just because of temporary setbacks. These things were elusive for Fan Ziming, though perhaps the two girls sensed the difference.