Chapter 158: Bonds of Graduation

Maybe it was the sheer exhaustion from the day before, but Xu Chen didn’t wake up until well past nine.

He headed to the reception room and knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Peeking through a crack in the door, he saw no sign of Xie Bingran.

Stepping inside, he noticed the thin blanket neatly folded and placed on the sofa.

On the coffee table in front of the sofa sat a packed breakfast.

Xu Chen pulled out his mobile phone and checked it—sure enough, there was an unread message:

“I’ve gone to school to handle the graduation paperwork.”

……

……

Xu Chen wandered over to the gate of First High School, surprisingly carrying a fruit basket.

A crowd of twenty or thirty people clustered around the flower bed at the gate, arms slung over shoulders, laughing and joking while sharing cigarettes.

Xie Bingran stood out in her bright orange tracksuit, sitting on the edge of the flower bed.

As Xu Chen approached, the group quickly turned and greeted him with smiles, calling out, “Xu Chen!”

Xie Bingran’s return had been rushed, and she hadn’t told these friends, but they showed up anyway.

High school graduation meant everyone going their separate ways…

“Bing Ge, let’s get a group photo—won’t see you around as much anymore.”

The group chimed in, egging each other on.

Xu Chen spoke up: “I’ll take the picture for you all!”

……

The group posed at the First High School gate, arms around each other, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, their stances casual and bold.

Xie Bingran in her orange tracksuit looked a bit out of place among them.

Above their heads loomed the school gate with its large banners hanging overhead.

Xu Chen held up his phone:

“Smile for the camera, Bing Ge!”

Amid the laughter, Xu Chen snapped the photo.

……

After saying goodbye to Bing Ge and Xu Chen, the group wandered off together, still joking and laughing.

Xu Chen asked: “Finished with the paperwork?”

Xie Bingran pulled her backpack from behind and fished out a thick booklet, handing it to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen glanced at it—it was the high school graduation certificate.

“Congrats, Bing Ge. I haven’t gotten mine yet; I have to wait for the grades and college applications…”

Xie Bingran: “I still owe you thanks. Without you, I might not have gotten this diploma, let alone gone to university.”

Xu Chen: “You’re giving me too much credit. With those long legs of yours, you’d have stood out anyway.”

Xie Bingran smiled slightly and tucked the certificate away.

“What’s with the fruit basket?”

Xu Chen: “Principal Huang pulled some strings for you joining the Provincial Team and National Team.”

Xie Bingran: “Oh… Teacher Chen Ming mentioned that.”

Xu Chen: “I heard several National Team coaches were his students.”

This counts as important connections—you’re back in town, so it’s worth paying him a visit.”

Xie Bingran: “Oh.”

Xu Chen: “I checked with Teacher Chen Ming first. Principal Huang lives in the faculty apartments behind the school.”

Teacher Chen Ming will meet us and take you over.”

He handed the fruit basket to Xie Bingran and pulled two packs of cigarettes from his own backpack.

“These are for Teacher Chen Ming—he helped out a lot too.”

“Oh.”

……

A few minutes later, Teacher Chen Ming emerged from the school.

He greeted Xu Chen and Xie Bingran with real warmth.

Xie Bingran seemed awkward about giving gifts, her movements stiff and unsure.

Teacher Chen Ming didn’t catch on at first, but Xu Chen’s knowing look clued him in, and he accepted with a laugh.

Bing Ge was heading to visit Principal Huang, and Xu Chen hadn’t planned to go, but seeing her looking lost and uncomfortable, he tagged along.

The principal took an instant liking to Xie Bingran.

Even though she didn’t say much, he was clearly delighted.

Many of his students had made it big in sports, but fewer and fewer came back to see him these days.

Besides, he hadn’t taught Xie Bingran directly, but Tiancheng and First High School rarely produced such a talented athlete, and he hated to see potential go to waste.

Xie Bingran was grateful to Principal Huang, but her personality made it hard for her to express it.

Even with Xu Chen dragging her along, she barely managed a few words of thanks.

Principal Huang asked about her training, competitions, and even the National Team coaches.

That’s how Xie Bingran learned that so-and-so and what’s-his-name were once Principal Huang’s students—which explained the extra attention she’d received.

……

With a kind smile, Principal Huang invited them to stay for lunch.

Teacher Chen Ming, picking up on the cue, exchanged a glance with Xu Chen and politely declined, saying Xie Bingran had a flight to catch.

As they left, Principal Huang gave Xie Bingran a brand-new leather-bound notebook and wrote an encouraging message on the first page.

Xie Bingran took it with both hands, her expression softening a bit…

Once they were out of Principal Huang’s place, Xu Chen made sure to thank Teacher Chen Ming properly.

Teacher Chen Ming chuckled and walked them all the way to the school gate.

……

With a TV shoot in the city later, they grabbed a quick meal at the Sports University cafeteria.

Xu Chen loaded his tray with heaps of meat and veggies, grinning as he said:

“This is great! Getting to mooch off Bing Ge’s meal again!”

Xie Bingran: “The National Team cafeteria has even better food.”

She paused: “You can come visit and eat there sometime…”

Xu Chen laughed heartily.

……

During the meal, Director Feng from yesterday called Xie Bingran.

Hearing she was at Sports University, he sent a car over.

After finishing, they stepped out of the cafeteria to find a black Audi A6 waiting at the door.

Director Feng got out of the passenger seat, smiling: “Perfect timing!”

Once in the car, Director Feng handed Xie Bingran a shooting script.

“Don’t worry too much—it’s just a few lines, and there’ll be cue cards to follow.”

Xu Chen sneaked a peek—it was full of flowery phrases like ‘Glorious Tiancheng, Bright Futures’…

They arrived at the filming location, which turned out to be the City TV Station studio.

As soon as they entered, several staff members spotted Xie Bingran and broke into applause.

It made her a little uneasy.

Xu Chen was directed to a side area with fruit platters and drinks.

A few people fussed over Xie Bingran, quickly fixing her hair and makeup while the director explained the shoot details.

The lines were simple, but it took a while with multiple takes.

Mainly, Xie Bingran’s cool and intense demeanor had the director scratching his head.

Finally, Director Feng stepped in and said:

“Director, I think this works fine.”

It matches her champion vibe perfectly…”

……

Once filming wrapped, Xie Bingran had to head to the airport.

Director Feng arranged a car to drop Xu Chen and Xie Bingran at the airport shuttle stop.

The shuttle went straight from Tiancheng to the Provincial Capital Airport without stops—very convenient.

With some time to kill, Xu Chen sat with Xie Bingran in the waiting area.

As she sipped a bottle of mineral water, she suddenly said:

“For the past decade or so, besides you, almost no one has been kind to me.”

“But now, it seems everyone is…”

Xu Chen smiled: “That’s because you’ve gotten stronger.”

“The world works that way—they’re friendly to the strong.”

Xie Bingran blinked and turned to Xu Chen:

“So why were you kind to me back then?”

Xu Chen didn’t say a word; he just reached out and gently patted her head.