Lin Zhihua actually served food to Xue Jiao?!
Teacher Zheng glanced over, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Yi Tianyu's eyes widened even more, staring intently at the two of them.
Under so many gazes, Xue Jiao felt a bit embarrassed.
But she was also curious—Lin Zhihua had always been a gentleman, and serving food wasn’t unusual for him. Why were everyone’s reactions so strange?
Despite the attention, Lin Zhihua remained composed. He picked up his chopsticks again and placed a piece of fish into Teacher Zheng’s bowl.
"This is light. Please try it."
His voice was calm and deep, his expression as unreadable as ever.
Was Lin Zhihua just serving food to those beside him? Nothing more to it?
Immediately, Yi Tianyu let out a sigh of relief.
Chu Sheng’s peripheral vision still lingered on them, his eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of gossip.
After that, Lin Zhihua kept serving food to Xue Jiao and Teacher Zheng.
Yi Tianyu, sitting on Xue Jiao’s other side, grew increasingly displeased.
Picking up a clean pair of chopsticks, he grabbed some bitter gourd.
"Here, have some bitter gourd."
He placed it in Xue Jiao’s bowl, smiling brightly.
Xue Jiao looked at him but said nothing.
Yi Tianyu blinked in confusion. "What’s wrong?"
"She doesn’t eat bitter gourd," Lin Zhihua explained softly, his tone as composed as ever.
Yi Tianyu blurted out, "How do you know she doesn’t eat bitter gourd?!"
Teacher Zheng, Grandpa Wu, and Chu Sheng all turned to look at them again.
Lin Zhihua wiped his hands and served Xue Jiao another piece of boneless fish.
"Since she sat down, she hasn’t touched the bitter gourd once."
Yi Tianyu: "..."
He glanced down and realized the bitter gourd had been placed between Xue Jiao and himself, so close… and yet she really hadn’t taken any!
"Zhihua is quite observant," Grandpa Wu chuckled.
Yi Tianyu didn’t say anything else, nor did he dare serve Xue Jiao food again. But his gaze kept drifting back to the two beside him.
Why did their dynamic feel so… unsettling?
Across the table, Chu Sheng also blinked, glancing over occasionally, his eyes full of suspicion.
The meal ended in this strange atmosphere. After eating, Teacher Zheng went over some key points, and the three of them left to study at home.
Lin Zhihua stayed behind—clearly, Teacher Zheng still had something to say.
The three tactfully took their leave.
Almost as soon as they stepped outside, Yi Tianyu sidled up to Xue Jiao and grumbled, "You knew Lin Zhihua before?"
Xue Jiao rolled her eyes and shot him a look. "None of your business!"
With that, she quickened her pace.
Yi Tianyu chased after her, muttering, "So you do know him?! Bookworm, I didn’t realize your social circle was this wide?"
"None of your business."
"Bookworm…"
Lin Zhihua gripped the doorknob, listening to the fading voices, his eyes dimming slightly.
"Zhihua." Teacher Zheng’s soft voice called from behind.
Lin Zhihua snapped out of it, closed the door, and walked back slowly.
He had just knelt beside Teacher Zheng when she took his hand.
This teacher… was one of the few women he could tolerate physical contact with.
To him, she was more like a mother—someone he could rest beside, if only briefly.
"Teacher…"
Her eyes glistened as she whispered, "Jiao Jiao… she’s the girl you like, isn’t she?"
Lin Zhihua froze for a moment.Teacher Zheng smiled, her eyes narrowing as tears welled up at the edges. "I've lived this long, and I haven't lived in vain. Every time I saw you before, you were like a machine—doing and saying things without any real emotion. But now... you seem alive, flesh and blood."
The Lin Zhihua she saw this time was completely different from before.
She was happy, but also... afraid.
Lin Zhihua looked at the kind old woman and nodded gently.
"Yes... I love her. I want to spend my life with her."
Teacher Zheng wiped her eyes, but the tears couldn't be held back and rolled down.
"Teacher..." Lin Zhihua's heart ached as he handed her a tissue.
Teacher Zheng choked back a sob, looking at him with trembling hands as she patted his head.
"Zhihua... Zhihua... Jiao Jiao is a good girl, but... but... she's too young!"
Gu Xue Jiao was seventeen this year, while Lin Zhihua was twenty-six. Nearly a decade lay between them.
"I'll wait for her," Lin Zhihua said, crouching down with a faint smile.
He raised his head slightly to meet Teacher Zheng's gaze, his eyes resolute and warm.
More tears streamed down Teacher Zheng's face. "I thought you'd spend your whole life alone. When I heard you had someone you loved, I was so happy. Your grandmother... your grandmother would be comforted in the afterlife!"
Lin Zhihua continued to wipe her tears.
"I know your nature—once you've decided, you won't change. Others might swear to spend a lifetime together and not mean it, but I know you do. If you say you want to spend your life with her, you truly mean it."
She understood Lin Zhihua's character all too well.
Outwardly calm and reserved, he was actually unshakably firm.
Once someone like him set his heart on a person, it would never change.
Teacher Zheng's tears fell as she tightly grasped Lin Zhihua's hand.
"She's too young. Her life is full of uncertainties. Zhihua, I'm afraid... I'm afraid... that in the end, she won't choose you..."
What was truly terrifying in this world wasn't stagnation, but the illusion of gaining everything, only to lose it all.
Teacher Zheng's heart ached. Xue Jiao was too young—she hadn't even entered university yet, still a fledgling under the eagle's wing.
For now, Lin Zhihua could watch over her, protect her, care for her.
But in the future, when she grew up and soared into the skies, would her gaze still linger on Lin Zhihua?
In her heart, Zhihua was the best man in the world, but nearly ten years separated him and Xue Jiao!
Time—that was something no one could buy.
Lin Zhihua watched the weeping old woman before him, his own eyes gradually reddening.
His voice was soft, as if it might drift away with the wind at any moment—
"But Teacher, I can't help it. Loving someone isn't something you can control. In all these years I've lived, only Xue Jiao has found her way into my heart. She brought me light, a different kind of life. Without her... I'd be nothing but a walking corpse."
Without her... a walking corpse...
Teacher Zheng sobbed uncontrollably, pulling Lin Zhihua into her arms.
Heaven, you've been so unkind to this child in matters of the heart for so long. Have mercy on him—grant him this one wish!
——
Time passed swiftly in the midst of intense studying.
Seven days before Xue Jiao's school term began, Cheng Mingze returned.
Like a traveler returning from a long journey, he carried a heavy load on his back. Then, on an ordinary night like this, he came back, covered in dust.Li Sitong was stunned and immediately stepped forward: "Mingze, you're back! It's so late, why didn't you let us know in advance?"
She looked as if she was about to cry, her face a mix of pleasant surprise and worry.
Gu Xue Jiao used to have feelings for Cheng Mingze, and every time she saw Li Sitong's concern for him, it had pained her deeply.
Back then, she felt her mother didn't love her, didn't belong to her, so she was filled with bitterness and resentment.
Now, Xue Jiao didn't harbor any such emotions. She had once genuinely tried to accept Li Sitong, but her wounded heart held fewer expectations.
Even if Li Sitong cared for Cheng Mingze, Xue Jiao wouldn't feel anything negative about it.
After all, Li Sitong was now also Cheng Mingze's mother, and both Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze cared for her. So Xue Jiao no longer felt any discomfort seeing Li Sitong's concern for Cheng Mingze.
Cheng Mingze hugged Li Sitong briefly, then turned and embraced Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao stiffened slightly.
Cheng Mingze quickly let go and stepped inside, hugging Cheng Shuo.
After releasing him, he smiled brightly. "Surprise! What do you think?"
"You rascal!" Cheng Shuo scolded affectionately, his face beaming with genuine joy.
Cheng Mingze had changed significantly compared to two months ago. His appearance was the same, but his smile was much more frequent now.
His eyes shone with youthful vitality and ambition.
Xue Jiao also smiled.
"I'm back for a few days before leaving again. The project I was working on with someone in Silicon Valley is finished. I learned a lot and gained some new ideas. I plan to report to Tsinghua University early. I've already arranged with Professor Tang to meet him in a few days to discuss things," Cheng Mingze said after taking a sip of water, his face radiant.
"Professor Tang from Tsinghua's Computer Science Department?!" Cheng Shuo exclaimed in surprise. Ever since Cheng Mingze decided to attend Tsinghua, Cheng Shuo had researched the university thoroughly. Professor Tang was a renowned expert in their department.
"Yes, him." Cheng Mingze's eyes sparkled.
Xue Jiao smiled even wider. Unlike in the original storyline where he forced himself into unhappiness, Cheng Mingze now had dreams in his eyes—the purest aspirations of youth, and the courage to pursue them.
Xue Jiao believed that in this lifetime, Cheng Mingze's achievements might not be any less than in the original story.
In the original, he became a leading figure in W City's industry, but only within their city.
In this life, Cheng Mingze might very well leave his mark in history.
"You just got back, and you're already talking about leaving again. At least we still have Jiao Jiao..." Cheng Shuo grumbled.
Cheng Mingze grinned, flashing his white teeth—
"But Jiao Jiao will be joining me next year!"
Cheng Shuo: "..."
This time, even Li Sitong felt a pang in her heart.
"Dad, why don't you move the company to Beijing?" Cheng Mingze suddenly said with a serious expression.
He would likely stay in Beijing long-term, and Xue Jiao probably wouldn't return either.
Cheng Shuo glared. "You make it sound so easy. Do you think our company is like the Lin Corporation?"
Even as he said this, he muttered to himself, "Even if we move, the family's finances would take a big hit. We'd have to start over in many ways."
Cheng Mingze shrugged. "I can earn my own money. You don't need to worry about supporting me financially anymore."
Xue Jiao mimicked his shrug. "Once I'm in university, I won't need financial support either. There are scholarships, and I can earn some on my own."
All three turned to look at Li Sitong.
Li Sitong: "..."
She tentatively offered, "I could cut back on luxury purchases?"
Cheng Shuo suddenly clapped his hands, amused. "Alright then, while I'm still capable, why not give it a try?"He said excitedly, "I've had this idea for a long time, but I was afraid you wouldn't support me. I never expected you'd be even more enthusiastic than me!"
Cheng Mingze: "..."
Xue Jiao: "..."
So you've been planning this all along???
——
During the few days Cheng Mingze was home, Xue Jiao had tutoring sessions, so they didn't see each other much—just exchanging a few words each night when she returned.
It was clear he was very happy now, animatedly talking about the things he loved.
On the night before Cheng Mingze was set to leave, Xue Jiao entered his room for the first time.
Back when she was Gu Xue Jiao, Cheng Mingze hadn't allowed her inside. After becoming Xue Jiao, she hadn't wanted to go in either.
"Brother? Dad said you were looking for me?" Xue Jiao gently pushed the door open.
Cheng Mingze turned his head and smiled. "Come in."
Xue Jiao nodded and obediently stepped inside.
Cheng Mingze's room had a completely different style from hers—more European, with a cold, rigid feel.
Everything was neat and tidy, with no unnecessary items lying around.
He stood up from his computer, and Xue Jiao quickly asked, "Am I disturbing you?"
Cheng Mingze shook his head. "Not at all. Have a seat."
She obediently followed his gesture and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Starting senior year soon—are you nervous?"
Xue Jiao nodded, answering honestly, "A little."
"That's normal," Cheng Mingze said with a nod. "When I was in my senior year, I also found it really tough. At one point, I even wondered why I hadn't gone to an international school instead. Senior year is a very, very hard year."
Xue Jiao tilted her head, blinking at him.
Unable to resist, Cheng Mingze reached out and ruffled her hair.
"I have a gift for you."
He took out a sheet of paper from the drawer. Xue Jiao unfolded it and froze.
It was a star map—dense clusters of stars and fine, intricate lines, with a scale and range noted in the bottom right corner.
Xue Jiao stared at it, unable to look away for a long time.
After a while, she reached out to touch it, her fingers trembling slightly...
"Is this... math?"
Cheng Mingze smiled, his eyes lighting up with pleasant surprise as he pulled a chair over and sat facing her.
Leaning forward, he met her gaze. "I know you love math. This is my reproduction of a mathematician's work. His name is Migalsi—not very famous. He spent his life quietly studying the stars. This star map contains two constellations and eighty-one formulas. Almost every point's position was calculated through layers of complex math. But this is just a tiny fragment of the known universe, which itself is just a minuscule part of the boundless cosmos."
Xue Jiao's gaze drifted away from the stars, as if drawn into his words.
"My biggest takeaway from this trip is how small we are, and how short our time is! But the future is boundless. Jiao Jiao, no matter how tough senior year gets, it's just a door leading us into that vastness. Persevere, and you'll step into the starry sky of your dreams."
Xue Jiao suddenly looked up at him. Cheng Mingze smiled, his voice soft but firm as he said—
"Jiao Jiao, keep going. I'll be waiting for you in the future."
——
Xue Jiao hung the star map Cheng Mingze had given her next to her small blackboard, which read: "295 days until the college entrance exam."
This blackboard and the star map were the first things she saw every morning when she opened her eyes.
Perhaps it was telepathy—just as she was immersed in thoughts of stars and dreams, Teacher Zheng took them out to observe the night sky.It was the last day of tutoring. After dinner, Teacher Zheng smiled and said, "You don't need to come tomorrow. This is the last evening we'll spend together during this holiday."
"Teacher..."
Teacher Zheng continued smiling, "I truly won't take on any more students after this. Counting you, you're my final disciples. I'm getting old, who knows when my time will come..."
"Teacher, don't say such things!" Xue Jiao's face paled.
Yi Tianyu nearly jumped up, "Pah pah pah! Those words were never spoken, never spoken!"
It was rare for him to like a teacher so much, but this little old lady really knew how to say the most unpleasant things!
"This isn't nonsense. At my age, I've grown indifferent to life and death. Before you leave, I want to give you one final lesson." She stood up, and Chu Sheng and Yi Tianyu, being the strongest, immediately went to support her.
"Let's go to the rooftop," the old woman said with a smile.
So the three of them followed Teacher Zheng up to the rooftop.
The rooftop was open-air, half covered by a glass ceiling and half completely exposed.
They sat down on chairs, and Grandpa Wu brought up some tea, prompting the three to quickly stand up.
"Thank you, Grandpa Wu."
"No problem," Grandpa Wu smiled and sat down beside them.
Tonight's starry sky was exceptionally beautiful, filled with countless stars—a rare clear night.
Teacher Zheng looked up at the stars, squinting slightly.
"In the past when my students visited me, they'd get upset, thinking the place I live is too remote—out in the suburbs. They wanted to move me somewhere else."
"But I refused. They don't realize how hard it was for me to find this place. It's precisely because here... I can look up and see the stars." Teacher Zheng's voice was nostalgic.
The three listened quietly, even the usually restless Yi Tianyu stayed silent.
"I miss the starry skies I could see as a child just by looking up. I miss the mountains and rivers, and I miss the people even more..."
The stars above were dazzlingly bright, and in that moment, Xue Jiao was reminded of that star chart.
She wondered if that senior from before was also like Teacher Zheng, often gazing up at the sky.
"When I was young, all my classmates were filled with patriotic fervor. Back then, there wasn't a single student in our class who didn't study hard. They were like sponges, absorbing knowledge voraciously."
Her voice grew softer, almost whisper-like: "None of them understood why I'd walk for two days, ruining my health, just to pick up a few students. They all asked me if it was worth it."
"What does 'worth it' even mean? I just couldn't forget the look in their eyes. Education was their only path to change. The only way they could avoid becoming like their parents. I had to bring them out."
Teacher Zheng lowered her head and looked at them: "Do you know what happened to those children later?"
Xue Jiao and the others shook their heads. They knew of her deeds but not the fates of those children.
"One of them eventually went back. He was too afraid—the outside world was too overwhelming for him, so he returned. I never went to look for him again; I knew he couldn't be brought back. Another was very smart, but after graduating middle school, he rushed into work and was never heard from again. Then there was one child—if he went home, he'd inevitably end up like his parents, barely scraping by on what little the land could produce. So he worked especially hard. He was the only one who made it to university. Back then, a university degree still held value. Later, he achieved some success...""And then?" Yi Tianyu pressed on, with Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng equally curious.
"He didn’t want his past to be known, so he changed his name. Later, he sent me some money, hoping I’d keep quiet about his origins."
Yi Tianyu was furious. "How could someone like that exist!"
Without Teacher Zheng, he would have never escaped that mountain village!
Teacher Zheng shook her head, unfazed.
"There was another girl—the one I had the highest hopes for. She wasn’t naturally clever, but she worked hard. Too poor to afford paper and pens, she practiced writing on the ground every day. When I visited her home, all they had was a mud hut and a single grimy wooden bed shared by the whole family. But the walls—they were covered in her writing."
"What happened to her later?"
"She…" Teacher Zheng’s voice choked slightly. "She fell down a mountainside on her way to school, broke her leg, and crawled for a long time. By the time we found her, she was already gone… All she left beside her was a single line written in the dirt—'I want to see the world beyond.'"
Xue Jiao’s eyes stung as something warm rolled down her cheeks.
Teacher Zheng continued, "No matter what became of them later, I’ll never forget those pairs of longing eyes."
She paused and sighed. "Times have changed. I don’t know when it started, but people’s hearts have grown restless. Fewer and fewer are willing to settle down and truly study, to dedicate themselves to scholarship. Instead, they’re always chasing after some new distraction."
The three of them stared at her, stunned.
"I don’t quite understand. This should be the best of times—so why has it become the hardest of times?"
Teacher Zheng’s voice was puzzled, but no one could give her an answer.
"You three—especially Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng—the college entrance exam is no longer a hurdle for you. You study for the sake of the exam, and I fully support that. But what comes after the exam?" She looked at them, brows slightly furrowed, serious and earnest.
"Everything has a purpose. Everyone else is taking the exam, so you take it too. Everyone else is applying to universities, so you apply too. Everyone says this major is good, so you choose it as well. And then? Then you rely on this popular major to land a good job? Then get married, have children, and impose all these expectations onto your own kids? The cycle repeats endlessly."
"I’ve seen too many like this—students I thought had great potential, only to watch them slowly fade into mediocrity, becoming the most ordinary stars in this vast galaxy above us. Our lives are like stars in the night sky—ordinary, unremarkable. But even as ordinary stars, I hope you’ll strive to shine the brightest. If you can’t be the brightest, at least glow with a light that satisfies yourselves."
She met their gazes. "So never stop learning. After the college entrance exam, your lives are just beginning. Understand what you truly want, why you’re striving, and keep working toward it—without getting lost in restlessness."
"My final lesson for you is simply this—I hope you remain upright and kind, standing firm atop your dreams."
All three fell into deep thought.
After a moment, Xue Jiao looked up at the sky, her gaze steady.
She had known for a long time that life was about accepting ordinariness—but never settling for it.
A life spent striving for dreams would always gleam brilliantly.
Yi Tianyu and Chu Sheng also lifted their heads to the sky. This was the first time in their youth they had earnestly contemplated life and the future.But they were also fortunate to have someone guide them early on, rather than blindly following a path that everyone else was taking.
The three of them had more opportunities to chase their dreams than most others.
——
Before leaving, Xue Jiao took a photo of the starry sky and posted it on her social media—
I want to become the brightest star.
Lin Zhihua saw it and chuckled, leaving a comment—
[You definitely can.]
You are the brightest star—and my only star.
Xue Jiao saw his comment and chuckled softly as she put away her phone.
At that moment, the three of them had just come downstairs. The sky was already quite dark, but the streetlights were still fairly bright.
Yi Tianyu suddenly stopped in his tracks. Chu Sheng and Xue Jiao turned back in confusion.
"Why aren't you walking?"
Yi Tianyu's usually playful face suddenly turned serious. He took a few steps forward and stopped in front of Xue Jiao.
Now, they stood beneath the streetlight. Yi Tianyu faced the light directly, his eyes shining brightly.
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