Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Lao Gou and Qi Lin's group also noticed the commotion. Without a word, they stepped in front of Chen Mo, shielding him behind them. "Who are you? Do you know this is a school? Who let you in here?"

"Exactly, what are you filming?"

Especially Lao Gou, his initial impression of Chen Mo was from the front page news headlines. His background had a mysterious air about it, and the story of his return had been featured for days on the news. So Lao Gou’s first reaction was that this person was probably here for that reason.

The cameraman was startled by these hostile young men.

He quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. I just came to say hello."

"No problem." Chen Mo pushed aside the people in front of him, having already guessed the situation. Looking at the cameraman, he said, "The school approved your visit, right?"

"Yes, yes."

The tall man nodded repeatedly, saying, "It's about the consent form you signed earlier for the promotional and educational event. I'm responsible for filming you this time. My name is Zhang Biao."

"Oh, hello." Chen Mo gave a brief greeting. Just as the cameraman's expression relaxed, Chen Mo suddenly added, "I remember the school said this activity wouldn't affect students' daily lives."

"That's true."

Zhang Biao didn’t deny it. "We're just capturing your daily routines, like class activities and extracurricular arrangements. Normally, you won't even notice me. Saying hello is just to let you know we've started. There might be some interviews later, but only if you agree and have free time. The duration is half a month, and we need to gather some material."

Sure enough, after explaining the situation, the cameraman quickly disappeared.

But the students knew that the Education Bureau was shooting a short documentary at the school. The selected students were all top performers, such as the senior students aiming for Qinghua and Peking Universities, enthusiastic freshmen entering their first year, and two main figures from the second year: Chen Mo and Yang Shule.

They were chosen because of their unique backgrounds and how their so-called fate hadn’t made them bow to life, making for an inspiring angle.

Plus, Chen Mo had the additional identity of being a "dark horse."

Apart from the main characters, the promotional documentary would also include panoramic shots of classrooms and the playground.

So from that day on, Chen Mo noticed that everyone around him started acting unnaturally.

For example, Lao Gou washed his hair every day.

Students in the front row kept their backs straight throughout class.

Girls would secretly reapply lip gloss during breaks.

Sometimes Chen Mo found it amusing.

For several days, he didn’t feel much, occasionally experiencing discomfort when the camera focused on him, but Zhang Biao rarely appeared, almost like a ghost. So Chen Mo treated him as if he didn’t exist.

Until about a week later.

Chen Mo felt like someone was watching him wherever he went, even when he left the school on weekends.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination.

"What imagination?" Lao Gou, holding his phone hesitantly, looked at him. "You... might be famous now?"

Chen Mo took the phone and discovered that the Education Bureau’s documentary wasn’t just casual filming. They had partnered with an educational channel’s official account, regularly releasing inspirational videos. The recent issues were all about Suicheng No.1 Middle School, with a new section called—*Suicheng No.1 Middle School, the Cradle of Many Dreamers*.

A very serious title.

The first episode featured a senior student going crazy, pulling his hair out while studying.

The comments were equally hilarious.

"Suicheng No.1 Middle School is indeed impressive, with terrifyingly high admission rates every year."

"This guy must be thinking, 'Just make the world explode already!!'"

"On the formation of baldness."

"Jokes aside, but seriously, senior year has been my nightmare. Anyway, keep going; all the pain is worth it."

...

Like a beautiful afternoon with a freshman girl walking through the tree-lined path with her books.

The comments were varied too.

"Those days we can never go back to."

"If I looked like that, I wouldn’t still be single years after graduation."

"Enjoy your youth before the hardships of senior year begin."

As for why an educational channel’s account had such an unserious tone, Lao Gou explained, "Their channel once produced a very popular documentary about a special training class for seniors. Do you know how many from that class got into Qinghua and Peking Universities? Fifteen, insane, right? But watching that documentary was very painful and depressing. Now they’ve adapted and created a new approach. Look at the views; they’ve surpassed many well-known accounts."

Lao Gou said he was famous for a reason.

Because the latest issue featured him.

The latest issue was a small compilation, featuring everyone.

The video was one and a half minutes long, and Chen Mo appeared for less than ten seconds.

After all, the other main characters were either buried in their studies or bursting with youthful energy.

Chen Mo’s life clearly didn’t fit the theme, so he wasn’t featured separately. In the final video, his segment was particularly short.

First, there was the close-up shot Zhang Biao took of his face, looking cold and fierce.

Then, the style abruptly changed.

When he appeared, he was either lying on the desk with his face hidden or holding a thermos cup, lost in thought while drinking water.

The comments section, however, exploded.

"Did anyone notice a guy in this video who stands out incredibly?"

"Is he really in high school? Or is he just here to retire early?"

"I calculated it; the face that appears at thirty-seven seconds is exactly what I imagined my ideal crush in high school would be like. The cold stare is so captivating."

"You should film more of him in this unit; it's a waste not to."

"This handsome guy has an anti-motivational vibe. Hilarious. How did you even choose him? Was it just for his looks?"

The views for this episode kept climbing steadily.

Later on, some so-called insiders started revealing information.

"Not retiring at all. He's the school bully at No. 1 High School, and one punch from him can land you in the hospital, thank you very much."

"Not inspirational at all. Just jumped from mid-ranking to ninth in the grade, nothing special."

"True, he single-handedly replaced the most prestigious experimental class's math teacher at No. 1 High School. That's all."

...

There was a sense of frenzied celebration.

This wave of popularity even caught the attention of the platform's upper management.

"It's a hot topic," the higher-up affirmed.

However, the person in charge of this unit apologized, "This student isn't suitable."

"What's the problem?" the higher-up asked, puzzled. "We're not a platform for vulgar gossip. Once someone becomes popular and represents high school students, combined with their own abilities, it would only benefit them in the future, whether for college entrance exams or choosing schools."

The person in charge still shook his head, looking helpless.

"No, really. Someone gave us a heads up. We should film him as he is without adding any embellishments."

Upon learning that the person who gave the warning was from the Xi family, the higher-up immediately dropped the matter.

"Just a pity. If he wants to keep a low profile, why agree to participate in this activity?"

"You don't know," the person in charge explained. "This student's background is quite complicated. The connection between us and No. 1 High School was facilitated by someone from the Xi family who is still studying there. They seem to have a good relationship with this student named Chen Mo. They warned us that Chen Mo was brought back amid public scrutiny, and it's better for him to be recognized through this platform in a way that suits his position."

The higher-up, familiar with the Xi family, quickly understood the situation and chuckled, "Quite strategic, using our platform to pave the way for a fellow student. It seems they have a pretty good relationship."

The person in charge smiled, "Let's focus on promoting someone else, like Yang Shule. His episode also received a good response, and he's very cooperative."

The higher-up took a look and immediately decided on the theme "Future Star" for the next promotion, instructing them to thoroughly explore the story of this student named Yang Shule.

Chen Mo, however, was unaware of all this.

He didn't know that Yang Shule's path, which seemed to follow the same trajectory as before, had now completely deviated.

From the various kind and teasing gazes around him, Chen Mo vaguely guessed the intention behind Xi Siyan's suggestion for him to participate in this activity.

Initially, Chen Mo's motivation was simply to understand that since he had used media power to divert the trouble caused by Chen Jianli, not participating would be more passive than participating.

He disliked that feeling.

The filming continued.

Due to his high topic engagement, Chen Mo was eventually given a separate episode on the platform.

The title: Perhaps There Is Another Kind of High School Life.

In this episode, there was only one person.

At first, he wore a blue woolen hat, squatting by the roadside, biting on a lollipop stick as if he had a craving, looking somewhat nonchalant.

But then, he suddenly smiled, his eyelids slightly bending.

That smile showed him joking around with friends, occasionally complaining.

It showed him bundled up like a ball, so cold that he would tuck his hands into his sleeves while doing homework, then jump up to playfully hit someone amidst the laughter of others.

It showed the chrysanthemum tea always on his desk, the exams he completed diligently despite his reputation as a school bully. It showed the new math teacher, among other subject teachers, earnestly urging him to pursue competitions but always finding excuses to leave after their conversations.

Free-spirited yet worldly, flamboyant yet low-key, gentlemanly yet rebellious.

All these seemingly contradictory traits could be found in this one person.

Chen Mo reappeared in the public eye in this manner.

Not as a "role model" from a rural area.

Nor as a long-lost true heir from a wealthy family. People didn't care about his surname; they only knew him as Chen Mo.

While Chen Mo's popularity was soaring, many participants in the physics competition camp were already dropping out due to the immense pressure.

Most felt the pressure was too great.

"Brother Yan," a boy from another school but sharing the same dormitory couldn't help asking the person sitting on a chair reading an English book, "Two more people left today. Don't you feel anything?"

Xi Siyan closed the book. "If you feel something with every step, that must be quite emotional."

This comment wouldn't make him seem cold-blooded.

After all, everyone here was a competitor, especially someone like Xi Siyan, who saw this place merely as a stepping stone and would continue to rise, being one in a million, a so-called genius.

"I'm going crazy. I don't think I'm cut out for competitions at all." The boy lying on the top bunk first expressed his despair, then added, "Have you guys seen that popular high school life compilation recently? There's someone called... what was his name again? Oh, Chen Mo, yes, him. Have you seen it? I wish I could slack off like he does."

With these words, the usually solemn atmosphere of the dormitory became lively.

"Yep, saw it. Seems like he's pretty impressive too; I heard someone say he's top in his grade."

"That guy's mindset is truly remarkable. Someone like him is actually more suited for competitions than any of us, with such composure."

At this point, someone remembered something and turned around.

"Brother Yan. Aren't you from No. 1 High School? Do you know him?"

The person under several gazes propped his head up with one hand and smiled. "I know him."

"Come on, tell us more. Are you close?"

Xi Siyan glanced at his phone, which was on the corner of the table, constantly flashing with notifications from others.

Xi Siyan: "We're just acquaintances; we never contact each other unless necessary."

He flipped the phone over, effectively shutting down any further curiosity.