Jing Mian, citing his scheduled live stream, hurriedly said goodbye to Mr. Ren.
“…” Jing Mian stared at the call log, lost in thought for a moment.
Did Ren Xingwan notice just now?
…
He must have.
Which café has a TV?
Jing Mian lowered his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Every word he said had been transmitted through the microphone. Initially, Jing Mian hadn’t recognized Ren Xingwan as his childhood friend. Now, he had even suspected Mr. Ren of being an old pervert.
Jing Mian pressed his lips together, thinking to himself that the awkwardness would pass. Once today was over, he would forget about it, as long as Mr. Ren didn’t hold a grudge.
After all, this was the only time he had caused trouble.
The day Ren Xingwan arrived at A University,
the atmosphere on campus was noticeably different from usual.
As soon as classes ended, students rushed out of the teaching buildings, some on bicycles, others on the school shuttle buses, hurrying to the stadium.
The library, usually bustling, was now filled with empty seats, with only a few students quietly studying, using books to reserve spots. The normally crowded food stalls in the cafeteria were now empty, and the cafeteria aunties looked bewildered, holding their ladles.
If it were any other celebrity, it wouldn’t have been a big deal; college students still needed to eat.
But this time, it was Ren Congmian.
How many times in one’s life does one get to see a celebrity of his caliber?
The school seemed to have anticipated this situation and had notified the gatekeepers to deny entry to students from other schools and the general public to prevent overcrowding and stampedes. Everyone entering the campus had to show their student ID.
Jing Mian, who was supposed to be lounging in his dorm,
… was also holding a DSLR camera, forced to take up the job.
The reason was that a male classmate from the publicity department had asked Jing Mian to take some photos of Ren Congmian’s speech for the campus posters and public account, as he needed the material.
Thus, Jing Mian, holding the DSLR camera, arrived at the venue.
The male classmate had specifically instructed Jing Mian to be careful with the camera, as it was expensive and a treasure of his father’s. The last time it was accidentally damaged, he almost got beaten up so badly that his mother wouldn’t recognize him.
With exams approaching, the classmate had specially entrusted the most reliable Jing Mian with the task.
So, Jing Mian handled the camera with great care.
The temperature was high during the day, so Jing Mian had Li Dong take his jacket back to the dorm. He then followed the crowd straight to the venue.
Jing Mian hesitated about whether to greet Mr. Ren when he saw him.
“…”
In the end, he decided to pretend they didn’t know each other.
A regular college student suddenly being familiar with a top-tier celebrity would seem strange and out of place.
Besides, with so many people around,
it was questionable whether Ren Xingwan would even notice him.
Jing Mian turned on the camera, adjusted the exposure range, and aimed at the gradually gathering crowd of students on the stage, snapping a photo.
After some time, the photo in the playback still showed a dazzling sunset, while the sky outside had already darkened, with only the lights around the stadium illuminating the area.
It was late autumn, and winter was just around the corner.
In the past few days, the temperature difference between day and night in A City had been significant. Sometimes, a thin blouse was enough during the day, but by night, one might need two down jackets.
The students had been waiting for almost two hours, and many had sat down on the grass, some pacing on the spot, rubbing their sleeves to generate heat.
“Is it time yet?”
“Yeah, it’s six o’clock, just ten more minutes.”
“Damn, it’s so cold… I should have brought more hand warmers.”
…
Jing Mian had also miscalculated.
Apart from his shirt, he only had a hoodie on. After sitting by the stage for a few minutes, his sleeves were frozen through.
Jing Mian’s fingertips and toes were numb, and he held the camera on his lap. If he had known how cold it would get, he wouldn’t have let Li Dong take his jacket back to the dorm.
But there were only five minutes left.
It was too late to go back to the dorm, so Jing Mian glanced at his watch and decided not to go back.
Soon, the lights on the temporary stage, built over three days, lit up.
Ren Congmian had arrived.
The students erupted in excitement, sitting up and picking up their light sticks and glow sticks, crowding toward the stage.
Jing Mian jumped down from the stage, turned on the camera, and wrapped the strap around his wrist twice, securing it.
Everything was ready.
Soon, in Jing Mian’s lens, Ren Congmian appeared on the stage in a dark suit with a white shirt underneath, his broad overcoat accentuating his tall and handsome figure, his legs straight and well-defined.
Under the spotlight, his superior looks became even more striking, with his curled lashes and a distant, restrained demeanor that made hearts race.
Jing Mian’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.
He held the DSLR camera steadily and snapped several photos quickly.
Ren Xingwan’s face was flawless from every angle. Jing Mian tried different angles and found that the results were all equally impressive.
It was as if the word “handsome” was etched into the film.
This Mr. Ren, who was his lover,
legally, with a marriage certificate.
Now, he was at his school for an event, and Jing Mian was even serving as his photographer?
The more he thought about it, the more surreal it seemed.
If someone had told him a few days ago about all these changes, he wouldn’t have believed it.
The host finished speaking, and Ren Congmian took the microphone from the staff and began his speech.
Jing Mian’s position was slightly off to the side of the stage, and he realized he had been overly worried. Even if he stood right in front of the stage, he would be swallowed by the crowd.
Moreover, when speaking, the man’s attention would be highly focused.
It would be hard to notice him unless he was specifically looking.
After the event, the organizers had prepared many gifts, signed photos, merchandise, and tickets to various events and interviews. Even if one wasn’t a fan, the gifts were quite tempting.
Jing Mian was focused on the stage when his phone in his pocket rang. He glanced down and saw a message from Song Yuhang:
[MianMian, are you not wearing a jacket?]
[You’re at the stadium, right?]
[I’ll bring it over to you.]
At that moment, the frozen Jing Mian felt like he had seen a savior.
He freed one hand and quickly typed: [Thanks a lot]
A few seconds later, Song Yuhang’s message appeared on the screen:
[What do you call me?]
Jing Mian: “…”
A moment later, Song Yuhang’s phone vibrated, and he picked it up to see:
Jing Mian: [Dad.]
Song Yuhang: “Pfft—”
The boys in the dorm were drinking water and almost spat it out.
If it were someone else, like Li Dong or Jiang Chen, they would try to avoid this nickname or argue about it.
But Jing Mian was so obedient that after a while, Song Yuhang couldn’t bear to tease him anymore.
He was just too cute.
Song Yuhang got up and saw two jackets on Jing Mian’s hanger.
One was black, the other light blue.
The black one was clearly larger than the light blue one.
Song Yuhang: “?”
Song Yuhang vaguely remembered that Jing Mian had worn the black jacket a few days ago. Although it was big, it at least covered his hands and was thick and warm.
So, Song Yuhang picked up the black jacket.
Jing Mian put his phone away and raised the camera again, taking several more photos.
Soon, his shoulder was lightly tapped.
Jing Mian turned his head and saw a tall boy who looked equally surprised.
But the boy’s lips curved into a smile, and under the stadium lights, he looked tall and sunny, exuding a youthful vibe.
Jing Mian’s mind quickly searched and recognized him.
It was the junior, He Zhiyang.
He Zhiyang lowered his voice and asked, “Senior, why are you here?”
The junior was tall, and in the noisy background, he had to lean down slightly to speak to Jing Mian.
Jing Mian adjusted the camera, maintaining the previous light and angle, and said honestly, “The classmate responsible for photography had something come up, so he asked me to help.”
He Zhiyang understood.
But he noticed that Jing Mian was only wearing a shirt and a hoodie, and his fingers holding the camera were red from the cold. He frowned slightly.
He Zhiyang, standing behind Jing Mian, silently took off his own jacket.
Jing Mian was holding the camera when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders.
The down jacket was thick, warm, and carried a slightly unfamiliar scent, instantly blocking out the cold.
Jing Mian was surprised.
He Zhiyang’s hand, which had draped the jacket over Jing Mian’s shoulders, now rested on his shoulder, and his other hand held the edge of the jacket. Although he wasn’t actually touching Jing Mian, from the wrong angle, it might look like he was half-hugging him.
Jing Mian quickly put away the camera.
He freed one hand and quickly took off the jacket, handing it back to He Zhiyang.
“No need, junior,” Jing Mian politely refused. “Thanks, but someone else is bringing me a jacket.”
He Zhiyang’s hand froze, and he was about to speak when—
Just then, Jing Mian’s roommate’s voice approached.
Song Yuhang appeared at the perfect moment, seemingly having run over.
He was holding Ren Xingwan’s coat, panting slightly, with a mist of breath around his lips: “MianMian! I’ve been looking for you.”
“Here, your jacket.”
As he handed it over, he helped Jing Mian put it on.
…
It was seamless.
Jing Mian raised his hand and saw that the sleeves were so long that only his fingertips were visible. He was a bit dazed, realizing this was Mr. Ren’s jacket.
When he looked at Song Yuhang, the latter gave him a “See, I chose the right one” look.
Jing Mian couldn’t help but laugh, a bit helplessly.
But seeing the jacket made him think of its owner.
Jing Mian refocused his attention and looked back at the stage.
As soon as he lifted his eyes,
he felt Mr. Ren’s gaze, cold and piercing, passing over his shoulder.
It was colder than the winter in the neighboring city.