Chapter 39: Xu 99

Chapter 39: Xu 99

Having said his piece, facing his brother's unchanged gaze, Xu Lang said in disbelief, "You didn't know?"

He continued, "Isn't this something everyone knows?"

It was common knowledge that Second Brother Bai had a good relationship with Qingzhou, anyone who occasionally watched a stream would be aware of it.

Xu Sinian asked, "Everyone?"

Xu Lang was speechless.

Deciding between retelling the story of Second Brother Bai or simply returning to his room, he chose to install a streaming app on his phone and search for Chen Erbai, letting his brother see for himself.

No wonder Second Brother Bai mentioned during their chat that he hadn't told his brother about the streaming.

It now made sense; the other party wasn't intentionally hiding anything, they just didn't know where to start.

After all, his brother didn't watch streams or play games; if he were to explain, he'd have to start from the beginning of time.

Having done what he could, Xu Lang decided not to stay and watch the beginning of time with his dear brother, getting up to slip back to his room.

But he didn't get far. His brother called out his name.

Turning around, he saw his brother's eyes fixed on the gift list on the phone screen.

Silence.

Some people were so busy helping others download software that they forgot they were still listed on the gift chart.

The high school student with the network-wide ID [xlll] paused for a moment before hastily explaining, "This is my own pocket money, I'm an adult now."

He then added, "Brother Bai has already lectured me about it."

His brother gave him a look before letting him go.

Given amnesty, Xu Lang quickly made his escape.

The living room fell silent again, leaving only the person sitting on the sofa.

Leaning back on the sofa, Xu Sinian looked down at his phone screen, the cool strap of his watch touching his cheek.

---

On an ordinary evening, Chen Erbai inexplicably made a tidy sum.

A newly registered account, whose origin was unknown, swiftly overtook Xu's younger brother's 3XL in the live stream chat within minutes, securing the top spot.

The user didn't speak or leave; after a couple of glances that revealed nothing unusual, Chen Erbai didn't pay much more attention.

He still signed off promptly at two o'clock as usual. With some energy left, he didn't go to bed immediately. Instead, he shut down his computer and started unpacking boxes in the living room.

By three o'clock, after unpacking boxes, he finally felt a bit drowsy and put the boxes aside to climb into bed.

"…"

The next morning, the person who woke up with tousled hair headed upstairs for his ablutions.

Last night, he had only unpacked half of the boxes, and his toiletries were still buried inside, unfindable for the moment. Thus, he went upstairs.

His good neighbor was indeed already awake, while Xu's younger brother was still asleep.

Chen Moubai went to the guest room for his ablutions. Afterward, he received a nutritious breakfast courtesy of his kind-hearted neighbor.

He ate breakfast together with his good-hearted neighbor.

A high school student has only two days a week to sleep in naturally without being disturbed, left to slumber soundly in his room.

When Xu Lang finally woke up and got out of bed, he learned that his Second Brother Bai had come by earlier in the morning and they even had breakfast together.

Waking up one hour later felt like missing the entire world. He ate breakfast through tears and discovered that the soy milk was delicious.

Here, there was no housekeeper to help clean, cook, or wash dishes. After breakfast, he needed to wash the dishes himself.

His broken heart was wounded even deeper.

With the goal of ranking among the top hundred in his grade, some people need to study even when their hearts are heavy. Opening his schoolbag with a somber heart, he pulled out his tests and began working on problems beyond his homework.

His brother, unusually, wasn't in the study or reading; instead, he joined him in the living room. While Xu Lang sat on the carpet doing his problems, his brother sat on the couch engrossed in his laptop.

"..."

In the room, only the sounds of paper flipping and occasional keystrokes echoed.

After studying for half an hour, Xu Lang changed his sitting position several times.

An hour into his studies, Xu Lang started playing with pens and erasers, engaging in anything but studying.

Finding the eraser uninteresting, he reached out to see what his older brother was up to.

If his brother wasn't in the study, he wouldn't be working on something work-related; it would be something he could take a peek at.

He caught a glimpse. The scene on the computer screen was familiar, as he had seen it not long ago.

His brother was watching Second Brother Bai's video, a recording from before, and he remembered that time when he failed to snatch the top spot.

—This person had been staring at the screen for so long, and all along, he was watching videos of Second Brother Bai.

It was somewhat unexpected. He thought his brother had no interest in such things and after watching yesterday's live stream, wouldn't pay attention to these anymore. Yet, today, this person had already started watching previous recordings.

Feeling that his older brother had finally developed an interest in games, Xu Lang put down his pen and went over, saying, "Do you think Second Brother Bai and Qingzhou have great chemistry?"

Then he added, "They also have a good relationship."

Xu Sinian's expression remained unchanged as he closed the laptop and tersely said, "Just friends."

Though they had a good relationship and many people joked about other aspects, neither party ever showed any inclination towards that direction.

As others had said before, this was just a friend he played games with.

Xu Lang felt, for some reason, that his older brother and he were not talking about the same thing. Before he could say anything more, the person got up with the laptop and left.

He truly went to the study this time.

With his brief distraction gone, he resigned himself to continue studying, waiting until lunchtime to see Second Brother Bai again.

So passed an ordinary yet blissful weekend.

On the day of returning to school, Chen Erbai worked, and the high schooler who had enjoyed a happy weekend was sent to school by his older brother alone.

And starting from the day of returning to school, his deskmate, who had spent two days gaming, could only watch in amazement as the person sitting next to him transformed into a study king.

Homework was done swiftly, questions about mistakes were asked relentlessly, test scores soared, as if he was living a real-life underdog success story.

Somewhere along the way, word began to spread among the students that the old teaching building at the back of the schoolyard, now unused, was undergoing renovation.

They initially assumed it was the school's tight-fisted attempt to refurbish the building for continued use. However, whispers from the teachers' office revealed that a film crew would be shooting on location during the summer vacation, and the renovations were being carried out by the crew themselves.

Although rumors mentioned a film crew, they didn't specify which one or who would be coming. After fruitless inquiries, this matter was temporarily put aside in favor of studying.

Then, just a month before the summer break, news broke online that the movie "Youth Journey," which swept through cinemas and awards a decade ago, was being adapted into a TV series, with the same director at the helm, set to begin production over the summer.

According to the information leaked online, the main filming locations were arranged at No.1 High School in City A.

The cast had yet to be announced, but it was certain not to disappoint.

A certain high school student, who already knew something about it, didn't participate in the classroom discussions and continued to bury himself in his studies.

In the cicada-singing July, time officially stepped into the scorching summer.

Outside the classroom building, air conditioners hummed as green shadows filtered through the windows. Inside, students bent over their papers, the sound of pens scratching against paper filling the room.

After the final exams ended and the students left the school, the film crew moved in, beginning the final preparations for the shooting area.

The high school student returned home, while Chen Erbai started work.

The production was scheduled to start filming in a few days, and these two days were for costume photos. He met up again with his money-making partner and the two assistants.

The costume photo shoot took place right within the No.1 High School premises.

After showing their work permits to the security guards, the vehicle entered the school grounds.

Outside the window lay the blazing ground without any shade, while inside the car, the agent turned to look at the person sitting beside her, still catching some sleep with his eyes closed while sipping black coffee, and asked, "How late did you stay up last night?"

The person leaning against the window raised his hand, making an 'OK' gesture.

The agent stared for a moment before realizing it meant three o'clock.

She smiled and flashed a '6' in response.

The vehicle pulled into the designated parking lot, where crew members guided them to disembark and led them to the location of the old teaching building.

After catching some sleep in the car, the heat outside instantly revitalized some upon exiting. Walking beside his agent, he slightly lifted his cap brim to survey the surroundings.

This area seemed to be the administrative office building, with its electronic screen shut down due to the school's vacation. On one side of the building was the motto "Nurturing Virtue and Talent."

On the other side lay a pond almost as large as the administrative building, its water shimmering brightly, almost blinding. Around the pond were shaded paths, appearing considerably cooler than this area.

He observed for quite a while before his agent turned around and asked, "What's up?"

Chen Bai withdrew his gaze, smiling, "Nothing much, just that this school reminds me of my previous one."

The agent nodded, "Most schools these days look alike."

She then continued, "Today, the internal cast list came out, and there's someone you know."

The cast list was accessible to anyone related to the production, and this person could view it too, but she figured that given how recently he had gotten out of bed, he likely hadn't had the time to check the list.

Sure enough, the person beside her, sipping black coffee, turned around, "Huh?"

Given Good Neighbor's apparent lack of experience in TV dramas, he was ruled out. The first name that popped into his mind was his third male lead buddy. Recalling this, he mentioned his third male lead friend's name.

The agent confirmed it was Zhou Jing.

Chen Moubai nodded in realization, finally remembering his study partner.

The agent, accustomed to his binary-like thinking, wiped her face, "Don't tell him you forgot when you see him."

Chen Bai ruffled his hair, smiling.

It wasn't that he had forgotten; rather, he momentarily couldn't locate the information storage unit in his mind. His memory wasn't so bad that he would forget his study partner.

All students had already finished their final exams and started their summer break. Even if a few needed to return for remedial classes later, they would have a few days off first. Today, the school was largely empty, except for some teachers and administrators who still had meetings, all staying inside the air-conditioned offices.

From the parking lot, passing by the administrative building, and then through the teaching building and sports field, they encountered hardly anyone along the way.

The staff informed them that the old teaching building they were heading to was behind the sports field, separated from the building where summer school students were studying by the entire field. This ensured no disturbance to learning or rest on either side.

Upon arrival, the filming equipment was already set up. The makeshift makeup and dressing rooms were on the first floor. The costume designer greeted them and took the person who had just finished his last sip of black coffee to try on a costume and assess the effect.

The two assistants headed to the dressing room to prepare in advance, while the agent went off to socialize as usual and gather information on the cast and crew.

Having just mentioned Zhou Jing, she found herself wandering around when she turned her head and spotted him.

He had arrived early, already looking ready in his blue-and-white school uniform. His previously gray hair was now dyed black and cut shorter, with a prominent nose, transforming into a fresh, clean-cut heartthrob.

He stood out quite a bit, surrounded by several assistants and an executive agent, easily noticeable at first glance.

He also saw her, nodded without immediately turning away, and inquired about Chen Bai.

The agent inadvertently averted her gaze, explaining that he had been taken to change clothes.

Here, someone took the initiative to ask about the situation, almost forgetting the person in question entirely.

The person being asked about had just emerged from the changing room.

Changing clothes was quick, unlike the multiple layers required in the previous production; this time, a simple outfit would do.

As soon as he stepped out, the costume designer's eyes lit up, the frequency of her fan-waving hand noticeably increasing.

The school uniform was loose and hot, with long sleeves and pants, making it a disaster to wear at this time. Some people wiped their sweat upon exiting the changing room before heading straight to the makeup room.

The production provided makeup artists for the lead actors, who were not allowed or needed to bring their own.

When the agent returned from her social rounds, she overheard someone praising a certain actor surnamed Chen for his good looks.

She knocked on the makeup room door, scanning the room upon entry, finally settling her gaze on the person sitting by the window, curious to see what made him so attractive.

"..."

Her eyes remained expressionless.

The person by the window slightly tilted his head back, eyes closed as the makeup artist applied makeup, strands of hair hanging down behind, the bridge of his nose reflecting the light from outside, seemingly brightening the view.

It was peaceful and beautiful, if one ignored the rolled-up pants above the knee, the school uniform casually tied around the waist, and the pink mini fan in this person's hand, blowing vigorously at his stomach.

In short, a handsome high school student, but fresh from transplanting rice paddies version.

Seemingly aware of her arrival, the rice-transplanting individual, eyes still closed, opened them slightly to look over, even smiling, and introduced the handheld fan in his hand with grandeur: "Borrowed from Sister Jing, incredibly useful."

Sister Jing was his makeup artist.

In this short time, he had already taken to calling her "Sis."

His agent wiped his face.

Makeup artist Sister Jing had several small fans blowing from all directions.

The air conditioning in this old classroom building had been removed, and the production team couldn't install a new one at this moment. They would arrange for powerful large fans later; for now, they could only make do with the small fans.

The main actors were allocated two actors per dressing room: lead male and second male in one, lead female and second female in another, and so on up to fourth male and fourth female. Normally, they did their makeup in the hotel, but under special circumstances, they would use these rooms.

Sharing a room with him was the lead actor, who happened to be Zhou Jing again. He had arrived early and had already gone to shoot his costume photos.

While he was getting his makeup done, the other actors also arrived. The social prodigy, still not fully made up, was firmly kept in the dressing room and couldn't go meet the others.

After finishing his makeup and tidying his hair, some actors, fresh from transplanting rice seedlings, could only put down their rolled-up pant legs and neatly wear their school uniforms.

Considering the scar on his wrist, the crew specially gave him another blue-and-white wrist guard. It matched his character well, so it became a retained accessory.

There were two sets of costume photos to be shot today: one individual and one group photo featuring several main actors.

The director arranged for him to take the individual costume photos first.

The costume photos were taken on the rooftop.

The old classroom building's roof wasn't suitable, so they went to the currently used New Building No. 1.

With the painted-on scars still on his face, an assistant held a small fan to his face throughout the session, preventing his makeup from smudging.

During the actual shooting, everyone else hid in the small shadows, while the photographer stood higher up, aiming the lens at the person standing alone at the edge of the rooftop.

In the frame, the person stood casually, tilting his head and raising his eyes to look at the void beside the lens, his light-colored irises devoid of emotion beneath the long, thin scar running across his cheek.

The strong wind on the rooftop blew strands of hair to one side and caused the school uniform's hem to flutter slightly.

The photographer pressed the shutter.

The higher they went, the hotter it got. Once the photos were taken, a nod from the director prompted everyone to quickly descend the stairs.

The photo was taken swiftly; when they returned, the other actors were still getting their makeup done or taking photos.

Group photos required everyone to be present, so when they got back to the old teaching building and Chen Bai wiped off the fake wounds on his face, he spotted his study partner under the shade of a tree.

The person's gray hair had turned black, and he was wearing a school uniform. For a moment, Chen Bai didn't recognize him until the person turned to look at him, and only then did he recognize who it was.

It seemed as though his study partner hadn't seen him in a long time and also had trouble recognizing him. The pair of eyes looked over for an extra glance before turning away, greeting him.

There was a small stool next to Chen Moubai, unoccupied, which he could sit on directly. Chen Moubai sat down, casually removing his jacket and draping it over his legs, pulling at the collar of his shirt to create a breeze manually.

They had just finished filming together in the previous production, and unexpectedly, they met again in this crew. Meeting was fate, so he turned and commented on how coincidental it was.

Zhou Jing also remarked on the coincidence.

He opened his mouth, intending to say more, but watched as the person beside him started rolling up his pant legs and sleeves. The short-sleeved shirt worn under the school uniform became like a vest, and the long pants were transformed into shorts.

...This ensemble looked oddly familiar, as if all that was missing was a palm leaf fan.

The two of them sat side by side, each holding a mini fan in one hand, waiting together for the others to arrive.

The group photo was taken in a classroom on the second floor of the teaching building, which was still undergoing final preparations. By the time everyone arrived, it would probably be ready.

It wasn't too long, and by the time the others arrived, the two people under the shade had already taken out their scripts to rehearse lines and exchange study insights.

The group photo took longer than expected, and the subsequent script reading session was held at the hotel where the crew was staying.

The hotel was a ten-minute drive away, neither too close nor too far, mainly because it had air conditioning.

As he rode in the car and looked out the window, Chen Moubai felt that the scenery along the road was becoming increasingly familiar.

The hotel was a ten-minute drive away, and the place where he lived was also a ten-minute drive away.

These two places were indeed in the same location.

Entering the hotel and looking across, he could see the residential area where he lived. From the right angle, he could even spot the building where he resided.

After the script reading session, the hotel provided dinner, but Chen Bai didn't eat there. He chose to go home. He lived in his own house and didn't need to stay at the hotel, saving the production team some money in the process.

Going home meant returning to his good neighbor's house.

His good neighbor had already bought the ingredients for dinner in the afternoon, so they could start cooking together upon arriving.

Xu Lang, who had never stepped into a kitchen, tried to help but ended up becoming a professional vegetable washer and master of delivering vegetables to the cutting board.

He could only stop at delivering vegetables to the cutting board; anything beyond that exceeded his current capabilities. His dear Second Brother Bai had also declared a temporary ban on him handling a kitchen knife after he accidentally flung meat around during their last attempt.

During the meal, Xu Lang asked about the release time for the drama photos.

Chen Bai took a sip from his water cup and said, "In five days."

"..."

The high school student's hand trembled slightly as he picked up food with his chopsticks.

In five days, it would be the day the exam results came out.

With students on vacation, the internet would welcome a large influx of temporarily liberated traffic.

Since announcing its adaptation, "Youth Chronicles" had intermittently made headlines, with its popularity steadily climbing within a short period. Speculations about casting were rife, and various self-proclaimed insiders made countless baseless revelations, but the official sources remained tight-lipped.

The first week of July came to an end, and the official Weibo account, which had been dormant for a month, finally updated again after a long silence, releasing conceptual promotional photos and the final costume shots of the main cast.

Many had correctly guessed the female lead, who happened to be a rising starlet with an available schedule. However, the choices for the male lead, second male lead, and other roles exceeded expectations.

"Zhou Jing!! Zhou Jing is in it! How can you be even more handsome than before, hunk!"

"Eight yuan ninety-one cent exclusive high school edition! This guy still looks pretty cool when he doesn't talk (set as wallpaper) (nodding)"

"Alright, you two can study together again (applauding)"

"Zhou Jing, you've really improved! That look in your eyes tells quite a story"

"How can the battle-worn Chen Yibai be so handsome! My brother! Brother, can you please not speak? [Serious.jpg]"

Some were worried that the actors might not carry the weight of their roles, while others rejoiced. The overall tone of the comments was positive, and the show's popularity skyrocketed, securing a spot among the top trending topics.

Rising alongside "Youth Journey" on the trending list were the lamentations of regret from students at a high school in City A.

"Top hundred in the grade! And we could meet Chen One Hundred! Chen One Hundred!"

"No one will ever understand the pain of ranking 101st."

"Zhou Jing! Little Flower! Chen Yibai! If I had known it was any of you, I would have studied my heart out, wailing."

"The student ranked 59th has already started packing their bag to leave, goodbye to those not in the top hundred. [Rose.jpg]"

"I've never wanted to step into the school gates so badly, wailing."

Some students had already begun crying, while others were still mentally preparing themselves over and over again.

In the living room, Chen Moubai had a script spread out on his lap, holding a cup of milk in one hand. Old Xu sat beside him, engrossed in a book, looking down at the person sitting on the carpet, clutching their phone and taking deep breaths.

Taking deep breaths repeatedly and psyching himself up, Xu Lang finally mustered the courage to open his phone and tap on the score-checking app.

The information on the app had been updated, the latest being the results of the spring semester final exam (1). With a tap, he could see his scores, rankings, and his own test papers.

He turned to say, "Brother, Second Brother Bai, should I tap it?"

His brother chose not to respond, but Second Brother Bai nodded in approval, saying yes.

Xu Lang closed and then opened his eyes, tapping decisively.

What he saw first was his total score.

His deskmate had already seen the scores and told him that he seemed to have scored a hundred points higher than them.

Below the total score and individual subject scores was his ranking, which stuttered momentarily as he scrolled down, making his heart skip a beat.

"Rank (Science): 99"

High school student: "…"

The high school student literally jumped up, declaring that from now on, his name would be Xu 99.

The leader of the atmosphere group, Chen Erbai, clapped, only to remember halfway through that he still had a water cup in his hand, with milk inside.

Before he could decide whether to place the cup on the table or somewhere else, a cold gray wristwatch flashed in the light. His good neighbor had already quietly and instinctively reached out to take the cup, handling it with practiced ease and naturalness.