Chapter 476: Homecoming Whispers

Noon at Tiansheng Mansion.

Today, guests arrived at home: Sister Fang Jun, Wu Feifei, and Huang Qianqian.

It started with Wu Feifei suggesting a meal, and she naturally brought along Sister Fang Jun.

Surprisingly, Huang Qianqian joined in on the fun too.

As soon as Huang Qianqian entered and saw Xie Bingran, she seemed shy and awkward, hesitantly calling her ‘Bing Ge’.

But with her cheerful and straightforward personality, she quickly chatted with Wu Feifei and warmed up, touring Xie Bingran’s new home with endless amazement.

Xie Bingran pulled Sister Fang Jun aside to say ‘thank you,’ grateful for her help with the home’s interior design.

Sister Fang Jun wrapped her arm around Xie Bingran’s:

“It’s a shame you can’t join me for a drink.”

For lunch, Xu Chen ordered a full spread from a nearby hotel instead of cooking.

He wasn’t very familiar with the dining spots in Tiancheng, so he asked Sister Fang Jun for a recommendation.

Once the food arrived and was set on the table, it looked impressive, almost like eating at the restaurant itself.

Xu Chen, Xie Bingran, and Wu Feifei were all studying away from home, so they opted for local hometown dishes—hard to find in Shanghai.

The girls chattered away while Xu Chen focused on devouring his meal.

Everyone was so familiar that they skipped the formalities.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian were full of curiosity about Xie Bingran’s Spring Festival Gala appearance and bombarded her with questions.

Xie Bingran showed them some backstage photos from the gala; the two young women found it fascinating and were green with envy.

Wu Feifei pouted and complained:

“Xu Chen, you’re so sneaky—keeping something as big as Bing Ge on the Spring Festival Gala under wraps!”

Xu Chen was chewing a big piece of sausage and just grinned innocently.

Wu Feifei added:

“Though, I’m glad you didn’t spill it; seeing it on New Year’s Eve made it even more exciting.”

No surprise from the high-EQ Wu Feifei—she always knew how to phrase things perfectly.

They discussed where to go in the afternoon, but Tiancheng was a small place with not much to see or do.

Wu Feifei suggested checking out Xie Bingran’s high school, Tiancheng No. 1 High School.

Xu Chen thought there was nothing special about it, but the others eagerly agreed, reaching a quick consensus.

…

Sister Fang Jun had driven over, but now everyone piled into Xu Chen’s car.

Tiancheng wasn’t large, so driving from the new district in the west to Tiancheng No. 1 High School took just ten to twenty minutes.

As the car neared the school, Xu Chen couldn’t help glancing around at the familiar streets.

He had wandered these areas for three years of high school.

Weekends meant hitting New Summer Bookstore for studying, or gathering with buddies at the internet café for games, or grabbing meals at local spots…

And there was the McDonald’s where he had taken Xie Bingran.

That was when they started talking again—he took her to McDonald’s.

Back then, she was still in her ‘Bing Ge’ phase, wearing that oversized black jacket, hair slicked back, cigarette in her mouth, and a Band-Aid on her hand with faint bloodstains…

It felt like a lifetime ago.

They parked in the lot across from Tiancheng No. 1 High School.

Stepping out, they spotted the banner hanging high—it was about Xie Bingran’s victory.

Xu Chen said, “Why is there always a banner for Bing Ge every time we come here?”

Huang Qianqian replied, “It’s because Bing Ge won so many gold medals—

they can’t keep up with replacing them.”

Wu Feifei added, “A gold medal from the Asian Games! That’s an honor for one person across all of Asia…

If I were the principal of Tiancheng No. 1 High School, I’d hang it up every day!”

Reaching the school gate, Xu Chen felt a wave of nostalgia.

It had been less than a year since he left, yet it seemed like forever.

So much had changed in his life during that time.

Xu Chen glanced back at the parking lot across the street.

He vividly remembered last year when his father, Xu Zhiquan, picked him up in that van.

The school gate was locked tight.

It was winter break, after all.

Wu Feifei pouted, disappointed: “Looks like we can’t get in—I wanted to see Tiancheng No. 1 High School!”

She attended Experimental High School, so she had never been here, and was curious about where Bing Ge studied.

Xie Bingran glanced aside and pointed: “There’s a side gate over there—we can climb in.”

Xu Chen felt speechless.

“No wonder—Bing Ge must have skipped classes and fought a lot back in high school.”

Wu Feifei lit up with excitement: “Climbing the wall to get into school? That sounds so cool!”

Huang Qianqian’s eyes widened: “Yeah, yeah! Let’s go climb it!”

Sister Fang Jun stayed expressionless, exchanging a look with Xu Chen.

Xu Chen sighed, helpless.

On the west side near the athletic field, there was a small side door, but it was locked.

Xie Bingran grabbed the low wall, stepped lightly on the iron gate’s bar…

In a flash, she was inside the grounds—no one even saw her move clearly.

Xu Chen shook his head, amused at how effortlessly she did it.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian gushed like fangirls: “Bing Ge is so awesome!”

Xu Chen muttered, “…”

But then the two looked troubled: “We don’t have moves like Bing Ge’s.”

Xu Chen quipped, “Neither do I.”

Xie Bingran said nothing, just gripped the lock from inside and pulled it open with ease.

She unlatched the door and swung it wide.

The others stared in confusion—what kind of lock was that?

Xie Bingran said flatly, “This lock’s always been a joke. Can’t believe it’s still here after nearly a year.”

“…”

They sneaked in like thieves, sticking to the flowerbed edges to avoid the holiday security guard.

Everyone except Bing Ge was a ‘good student,’ but this gave them a thrill of acting out.

Once inside the teaching building, they relaxed a bit.

The shut classrooms, neat desks, colorful bulletin boards…

It was packed with youthful memories.

“The first floor is for lower grades—let me show you our senior class!”

Huang Qianqian acted like she owned the place.

They reached the top floor and turned into what used to be Class 5—the one Xu Chen and Huang Qianqian were in.

Huang Qianqian peered through the window, lost in thought.

Wu Feifei asked, “Where did Xu Chen sit?”

Before he could answer, Xie Bingran pointed to a seat in the back row.

Bing Ge had always known…

Xu Chen tilted his head, eyeing his old spot, wondering who sat there now.

Memories flooded back; he pulled out his phone and snapped a photo for his old desk mate, Chen Dahai.

[Damn… You’re back at school and didn’t call me?!]

A few steps further was Xie Bingran’s former class.

Peering in, they all lit up with surprise.

On the back bulletin board, someone had drawn Xie Bingran in action on the track with colored chalk.

The artist wasn’t bad—it captured some of Bing Ge’s spirit, even if not perfectly.

Clearly, the students knew this was the room of an Asian Games champion.

“Where did Bing Ge sit?” Wu Feifei asked.

Xu Chen pointed it out: “The spot closest to the back door.”

Huang Qianqian added, “That’s where the big boss always sat!”

Xu Chen: “…”

Sister Fang Jun asked, “Was Li Rui in this class? Where did he sit?”

Xie Bingran gestured forward: “Front row.”

Wu Feifei said, “Huh? Why front row?”

Xie Bingran explained, “The homeroom teacher didn’t want the troublemakers clumped together, so they spread us out.”

…

They wandered down from the teaching building to the dorms and cafeteria.

The campus was deserted, peaceful and relaxed.

At the cafeteria, Huang Qianqian pointed to a large table: “This is where Bing Ge and her crew used to hang out.

Every time she showed up, a bunch of girls would sneak over to watch and even pass love letters…”

Xu Chen thought about it—yeah, that wasn’t an exaggeration.

…

…

The fourth day of the Lunar New Year, early morning.

Xu Chen opened his eyes to see Xie Bingran blinking up at him from his arms.

He pulled her closer, feeling content.

“Anywhere you want to go today?”

“Nowhere—just stay with you.”

Xie Bingran whispered, her tone a bit forlorn.

It was the last day of break; she’d leave tomorrow, and she was clearly dreading the goodbye.

So they stayed home all day, cozy in their little nest.

From the bed to the sofa, they just held each other.

Xie Bingran was like a clingy puppy and a sweet kisser.

Xu Chen was getting tempted, pretending to pin her down on the sofa.

But she flipped the script in an instant, pinning him instead.

“If you keep teasing me like this, I’m going to lose it,” Xu Chen said, almost pleading.

Xie Bingran traced his lip with her finger, smirking: “Stay still and let me kiss you…”

“At this age, with all this energy, it’s tough to hold back.”

…

That evening, Xu Chen cooked a hearty meal, filling her cheeks as she ate.

“Eat up—give it your all in the upcoming competitions!”

Xie Bingran had events in March and April, heading to Beijing for training tomorrow to prepare.

Especially the April ‘International Athletics Grand Prix’—her first real global showdown against top hurdlers, a huge challenge.

That night, as Xie Bingran packed, she pulled out a cute little plush toy from her suitcase.

It was a pink pig with a tiger hat on its head—fitting for the Year of the Pig.

Xu Chen took it, wondering why Bing Ge would buy something so adorable.

She said casually, “Picked it up in Beijing—take it to Su Rong for me!”

“…”

Xu Chen rolled his eyes: “You two are so chummy—why didn’t you get me a little gift?”

Xie Bingran: “Su Rong’s adorable; I like her.”

Then she dug out another toy and handed it to him: “This one’s yours.”

It was a grayish-brown pig with a tiger hat.

“Why am I the ugly one?” he asked.

Xie Bingran shrugged: “It’s cute too!”

…

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Xu Chen drove Xie Bingran to the airport.

She looked like a sad puppy in the passenger seat.

Xu Chen chuckled and ruffled her round head.

…

…

In the following two days, Xu Zhiquan had some free time and took Xu Chen back to their hometown village.

There were elderly relatives to visit and New Year greetings to share.

Xu Chen learned just how big ‘President Xu’s’ reputation had grown.

Word that ‘President Xu’ was returning spread, and the village chief led a group to wait at the entrance, leaving Xu Zhiquan a bit embarrassed.

Xu Zhiquan greeted the villagers like a leader on a tour, and Xu Chen, following behind, got pulled into the warm welcomes.

Xu Zhiquan had fixed the village roads, renovated the school, and donated to the village committee.

Plus, his TV appearances made him the famous ‘President Xu’ around these parts.

Xu Zhiquan took Xu Chen to see several elders.

Xu Chen called them all ‘Grandpa’—they were direct blood relatives on his father’s side.

He had moved away from the village young, so he wasn’t very close, but he knew the proper greetings.

Xu Zhiquan was traditional and valued family ties deeply.

Tagging along, Xu Chen was on his best behavior, collecting a stack of red envelopes from the grandpas and uncles—quite the haul.

He also visited his eldest uncle, paternal aunt, fourth uncle, and fifth uncle, chatting briefly with New Year pleasantries.

The elders praised Xu Chen, the family’s only university student, and asked about his life in Shanghai, regardless of how genuine it was.

Some brought up that he was at marriageable age, making Xu Zhiquan awkwardly laugh it off.

Xu Chen played along innocently, keeping the mood light and everyone laughing.

On his mother’s side, there weren’t many relatives left to visit.

Xu Zhiquan took Xu Chen to see a few—maternal cousins who were still close.

They specifically stopped by his maternal uncle Zhang Yongqing’s house.

Zhang Yongqing had prospered in the tree business thanks to Xu Zhiquan and built a fancy two-story home.

His family was extra polite to the Xu father and son, grateful for the opportunity Zhang Yongqing had gotten.

Their words were full of thanks.

…