Volume One: High School Days Chapter Eighteen: Ren Xiadong's Spring

Yagyu and Ren Xiadong first visited the Spicy Hotpot restaurant to pick up some soup base and a variety of ingredients. Then they headed to Xiaoya’s home to start their hotpot feast.

At that moment, Liu Meng also arrived at Xiaoya’s place, having been invited to join them for the premiere of “Legends of Mountains and Seas.” Over these past three months, Xiaoya and Liu Meng had maintained the appearance of rivals in love, but privately still kept in touch. Contrary to what others imagined, they weren’t at each other’s throats. No one knew exactly what had drawn them closer.

During the meal, Yagyu suggested, “It’s rare for us all to be together today—let’s have a drink.” Ren Xiadong, delighted, quickly agreed, “Come on, let’s not waste time. If we’re drinking, let’s drink.” Both Xiaoya and Liu Meng nodded in agreement, but Tao Nan and Li Dong hesitated to chime in.

Liu Meng added, “It’s the holidays, and New Year’s too. A little drinking is fine. Besides, does being a good student mean you can’t drink? Look at me, look at Yagyu.” She cast a glance at Ren Xiadong and continued, “Let’s not even mention him!” Ren Xiadong, who had always struggled in school, could only offer a wry smile.

After Liu Meng spoke, everyone filled their glasses with beer. During the drinking, Yagyu learned that Tao Nan had never liked him. From the very first fight between Yagyu and Li Dong in front of her, Tao Nan had already taken a liking to Li Dong, because he had stepped in to protect her.

Upon learning all this, Yagyu drained his glass and declared, “No matter—I don’t like you anymore either!” Though spoken without much thought, Xiaoya’s heart ached for Yagyu upon hearing it. She picked up a piece of lamb from the pot and placed it in his bowl, saying, “Don’t just drink—eat more meat. Look how thin you are. How can you give anyone a sense of security with that little frame of yours?”

Not to be outdone, Liu Meng scooped more lamb into Yagyu’s bowl. “Xiaoya’s right, you should eat more,” she said.

Seeing this, Ren Xiadong raised his bowl and placed it before the two of them. “I want some too!” he announced.

Liu Meng retorted, “Look how fat you are already! All you do is eat!” In truth, Ren Xiadong wasn’t fat—he was a solid 178 centimeters tall and weighed 160 pounds, fairly normal overall.

After hearing Liu Meng’s comment, Ren Xiadong withdrew his bowl and reached for the meat in Yagyu’s bowl instead, only for Xiaoya and Liu Meng to exclaim in unison, “Put it down!”

Off to the side, Li Dong and Tao Nan couldn’t help but laugh. It was only now that they realized how easygoing Yagyu and Ren Xiadong actually were. At school, the two were notorious for bullying other students, so most people found them hard to approach—even feared them. But today, it was clear that neither was truly bad at heart; they just had short tempers.

After the meal, they glanced at the clock on the wall—it was exactly eleven. They put on their coats and headed out to Senhai International Cinema in the city center.

The cinema lobby was packed with people, all waiting to see “Legends of Mountains and Seas.” Yagyu and his friends stood to one side, waiting to enter.

“Where are our tickets?” Liu Meng asked, echoing everyone’s confusion. After all, they’d been told they’d see the movie, but hadn’t received tickets.

Yagyu quickly replied, “No need, I know someone here. I’ve arranged it—we can just go in directly.”

Ren Xiadong returned from buying popcorn and drinks, followed by a petite, charming girl. “I just saw her at the popcorn stand,” Ren Xiadong explained. “I asked which theater she was going to, and she said she hadn’t gotten a ticket, but wanted to try listening in from the lobby. She seems to really love ‘Legends of Mountains and Seas,’ so I wanted to ask if we could bring her in with us?”

Ren Xiadong emphasized the movie’s title loudly—a veiled threat to Yagyu: if you don’t agree, I’ll tell everyone here that you’re the creator of “Legends of Mountains and Seas,” and ruin your chance at living a normal life.

Seeing Yagyu hesitate, Ren Xiadong quietly pleaded, “Give me some face—let me off the hook!”

Yagyu relented, “Of course, if President Ren has spoken, how could I refuse? Don’t worry.”

Just then, a woman in professional attire, wearing a manager’s badge, hurried over to Yagyu. He made a hush gesture, signaling her not to draw attention. She understood—she didn’t want anyone to recognize him as the movie’s creator—then went over to the ticket checker, pointed out Yagyu’s group, and whispered something. The ticket checker nodded in comprehension.

At 11:50, the ticket checker approached Yagyu and said, “Good evening, sir. Our manager has arranged for you to enter early and your seats have already been reserved. Please follow me.”

The girl Ren Xiadong had brought along exclaimed, “Wow, this is amazing! I love movies, but this is my first time getting early access.”

Yagyu, leading the way, turned back and joked, “Ren Xiadong can make that happen too. Next time, let her bring you—see whatever you want, and it’s all free!”

The girl looked at Ren Xiadong in surprise, “Is that true?”

Ren Xiadong nodded, a bit embarrassed, but everyone could tell he was instantly smitten.

The girl linked her arm through his and said, “As long as you can take me to the movies, I’ll be your cinema girlfriend. Once we leave, we’re strangers again!”

Everyone was wide-eyed—a girlfriend just like that, out of thin air! Ren Xiadong himself didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; after all, he couldn’t live in a cinema forever.

After they sat down, the theater quickly filled to the brim. Even before the movie began, the auditorium was packed and silent, the audience holding their breath in anticipation.

As the opening credits rolled and the introduction from Senhai Films ended, the screen displayed, “An animated film produced by Yagyu.”

Yagyu had never been to a cinema before—this was his first time. He’d imagined his name might appear so prominently, but seeing it still came as a shock.

Everyone who had come with him, except Ren Xiadong and the girl, looked at Yagyu. He hurriedly forced a smile, “Just a coincidence in names.” No one pressed him further; he was just a high school student, after all, and no one believed he could pull off something like this—not when he’d never mentioned it.

Soon, the movie began in earnest. From start to finish, the audience’s gasps of admiration never ceased: the visuals were lifelike, the plot gripping, the voice acting flawless. Everyone was left wanting more, their blood surging with excitement. Even after the credits rolled and the cleaning staff began to tidy up, no one wanted to leave their seats, still lost in the film’s world.

“The best domestic animated movie ever! That’s my verdict, and I won’t hear any objections!”
“Objections? How could anyone object? Who could argue with a work this good?”

As Yagyu walked out, he listened to the audience’s praise for his work, and his heart bloomed with joy—at last, his talents had found their calling.

He turned to his friends. “It’s already two. The New Year has begun. Since we’re staying up, let’s go all the way—how about some late-night snacks?”

Everyone was still riding the high from the film—no one was sleepy—so they eagerly agreed.

The girl Ren Xiadong had brought, knowing she was an outsider, hung back with her head down as the group prepared to leave. Ren Xiadong suddenly realized and asked, “It’s so late—won’t your family worry? Or… do you want to join us for some food?” He liked her, naturally wanting to spend more time together.

She still didn’t lift her head. “My parents are abroad. They said they’d come home this year, but something came up and they couldn’t make it. I live with my uncle’s family, but they don’t treat me well, so I ran away from home. I’m not going back, and they won’t look for me anyway.”

Xiaoya looked at her and said, “Come on, let’s eat together.”

Hearing Xiaoya’s words, the girl skipped after the group, hopping like a rabbit.

Since it was New Year’s morning, no restaurants were open, so they returned to Xiaoya’s home and resumed their hotpot feast.

During the meal, they learned the girl’s surname was also Ren—Ren Jing. Though she looked childlike, she was also a first-year high school student, attending School No. 21 in Xinghai City, not far from Yagyu’s school.

Ren Xiadong picked up a bottle of beer. “Want to try a drink?”

Ren Jing eyed the beer. “I’ve never had alcohol before.” Just as Ren Xiadong was about to put down the bottle, Ren Jing emptied her glass of water and handed it to him. “But I’d like to try—cinema boyfriend.”

Ren Xiadong was stunned at the phrase, then grinned and poured her a glass of beer.

Ren Jing downed it in one go. “It’s awful! But I want more—another, please.” She held her glass out again.

And so, with laughter and chatter, they welcomed the dawn together, joyfully ringing in the New Year and officially beginning the second semester of their first year in high school.

Early in the morning, everyone went home to pay their respects to their elders for the New Year. Ren Jing, for all intents and purposes, was homeless now, and since there was no one at Xiaoya’s house, she stayed there.

When Yagyu returned home, he found that his family hadn’t slept the previous night either—the hotpot restaurant had stayed open late.

He and his younger brother wished their parents a happy New Year and each received a red envelope.

“Tomorrow, we’re all going to visit your grandparents. Don’t go out,” Yagyu’s mother instructed.

His maternal grandparents lived in the countryside. Until he was eight, Yagyu had been raised by them, only returning to his parents when it was time to start school. The reason for this was that his paternal grandparents had passed away before he was born, so he had no memory of them. Instead, his bond with his maternal grandparents was as deep as the ocean—deeper even than with his parents.

After agreeing to his mother’s instructions, Yagyu briefly mentioned “Legends of Mountains and Seas” to his parents, then went to his room. Though his parents knew he had created the story, they had no idea how wildly successful it had become, so they didn’t ask further.

Once in his room, Yagyu received a text message from Xia Yao: “Happy New Year, Yagyu! Congratulations, too—‘Legends of Mountains and Seas’ earned two hundred million on its opening night. When it comes off the screens, get ready to start counting your money.”

Yagyu put down his phone and smiled to himself. “My family will never have to struggle again,” he thought.

Having been up all night, he soon drifted off to sleep, lost in his thoughts.