OSM Chapter 2: Back in high school

Online, there’s a blur of rumors and truths mixed together, making it hard for many to see the full picture. People only listen to what they want to hear.

“Long time no see.” Jiang Cheng clinked glasses with He Zhiqiu but looked at Xu Lanlan as he spoke.

Xu Lanlan was dressed stunningly today—red lips, pearly teeth, and a charm that could captivate anyone. But she had no time for small talk with Jiang Cheng and went straight to the point. “Didn’t you say Li Yuze would be here?”

Jiang Cheng said, “Of course he’ll come. When have I ever lied to you?” His tone was gentle, with a clear hint of flattery, showing he still harbored feelings for his high school goddess.

Tao Yang and Jiang Cheng couldn’t stand each other and willingly became background characters. Tao Yang wanted to drag He Zhiqiu away to keep a distance, but the classmates who hadn’t had a chance to speak to Jiang Cheng earlier followed him over when he arrived.

Before long, everyone was chatting animatedly about their recent lives. Inevitably, the topic shifted to He Zhiqiu.

After all, he hadn’t appeared for years, and back in the critical third year of high school, he suddenly took a leave of absence.

“Was it because your grandfather was sick?” The speaker was Feng Yuan, whose name matched his round face.

He Zhiqiu nodded and told him that his grandfather was now fine.

At this reunion, this was the most frequently asked question. It wasn’t surprising that people were curious; the situation back then had been urgent, and he had left in quite a hurry.

Feng Yuan said, “It’s good that everything’s fine now. We haven’t seen you in so many years, and you’re still the same as ever. By the way, what do you do for work now? I remember you liked acting, right?”

At this point, Tao Yang’s expression changed. Just as he was about to change the subject, Jiang Cheng beat him to it. “He Zhiqiu became an actor too.”

“Huh?” The classmates gathered around were a bit surprised. Feng Yuan said, “Really? Then why haven’t I seen you on TV? What shows have you been in? I’ll go watch!”

Feng Yuan genuinely thought he must have missed something and was about to take out his phone to search He Zhiqiu’s name when Jiang Cheng interrupted, setting his glass down on the table. “It probably hasn’t aired yet. I only found out he joined the industry because I happened to run into him on set.”

“He played…” Jiang Cheng trailed off as if he had suddenly forgotten, tapping his temple and looking at He Zhiqiu with a slightly embarrassed expression. “He played…”

He Zhiqiu smiled calmly and reminded him, “A corpse.”

He said “a corpse” with such composure and ease, as though this no-line extra role was the equivalent of a leading part with golden edges. His tone left no room for awkwardness.

Jiang Cheng suddenly understood and let out a light laugh, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He had always disliked He Zhiqiu, not for any specific reason but for his unyielding dignity in all situations.

It had always been like this. Even though He Zhiqiu’s parents only ran a shabby little diner that served dusty construction workers, he dared to bring classmates there to eat.

Even though he wasn’t the same kind of kid as Tao Yang or Xu Lanlan, who came from wealthy families, he showed no inferiority and even became friends with them.

Even though he came from an ordinary family and didn’t have the money to attend film school, he still clung to his dream, working tirelessly to save up for his living expenses.

Jiang Cheng never wanted to admit that he envied He Zhiqiu. Despite their similar family backgrounds and academic performance, their student lives couldn’t have been more different.

“Cheng-ge.”

While Feng Yuan continued chatting with He Zhiqiu, Jiang Cheng’s assistant came over with a phone, then whispered something in his ear.

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow and glanced at his reflection in a nearby mirror, admiring his tailored high-end suit with a smirk.

He hadn’t expected to see He Zhiqiu on set, let alone that He Zhiqiu had fallen to the level of being an extra. He vividly remembered the regretful expression on the director’s face back when He Zhiqiu couldn’t participate in the school auditions and reluctantly gave him the role.

It was as if he was just a substitute, and an unqualified one at that.

He would never forget this grudge.

So, when he saw He Zhiqiu dressed in rags among the crowd of extras, the surge of joy that overwhelmed him was impossible to hide. He wanted everyone who knew them to see how far he, Jiang Cheng, had come and how far He Zhiqiu, once so admired by everyone, had fallen.

Tao Yang glanced at Jiang Cheng’s smug expression and immediately knew he was up to no good. Grabbing He Zhiqiu, he tried to leave, but Jiang Cheng said, “Why not wait a bit longer? Li Yuze is still on his way—won’t you stay to see him before you go?”

The moment he finished speaking, the hall buzzed even louder.

Everyone was talking about Li Yuze. Even the school’s headmaster had brought a postcard, hoping to get an autograph for his granddaughter.

Li Yuze had always been a mysterious figure during their school days. He was a transfer student—wealthy, strikingly handsome, and a top-tier student. In his first mock exam after transferring, he had taken first place in the grade.

However, he didn’t mingle much with his classmates, often appearing laid-back and indifferent, neither warm nor cold toward others.

Back when Xu Lanlan liked He Zhiqiu, she was bold enough to tease him, relying on her status as a rich girl to joke about making him a live-in son-in-law. Later, when she started liking Li Yuze, she didn’t even have the courage to talk to him face-to-face. At most, she’d steal a glance or ask someone else to deliver a love letter on her behalf.

Li Yuze and He Zhiqiu had left school at almost the same time—one taking a leave of absence, the other transferring. Rumor had it that Li Yuze went abroad during their third year and later returned straight into the entertainment industry, skyrocketing to fame overnight.

Tao Yang hadn’t expected Jiang Cheng to actually convince Li Yuze to show up. He thought Jiang Cheng was just bragging to impress Xu Lanlan.

But something didn’t add up.

Given Jiang Cheng’s current status and Li Yuze’s standing in the industry, the two shouldn’t have any connection. If it was just their old classmate relationship, that was even less likely. Tao Yang vaguely remembered that Li Yuze, who was cold and aloof to everyone, had once had a significant conflict with Jiang Cheng. Even though years had passed, Tao Yang doubted that someone as proud as Li Yuze would reconcile with Jiang Cheng.

“He Zhiqiu.”

“He Zhiqiu?”

“Huh?”

“What are you looking at?” Tao Yang found it worthwhile to see Li Yuze at the reunion, but being in the same room as Jiang Cheng for an extended period was making his scalp tingle. He was about to drag He Zhiqiu to the restroom to smoke but noticed He Zhiqiu holding a wine glass, staring blankly at the elevator at the far end of the hall.

With a soft “ding,” the elevator doors opened, and two service staff members walked out.

He Zhiqiu’s fingers twitched around his glass as he lowered his gaze. “Nothing,” he said.

The restroom was located behind the banquet hall, away from the noisy crowd. It was a rare pocket of quiet. Tao Yang smoked a cigarette, leaving He Zhiqiu waiting outside. When he came out, they didn’t head back but instead sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows on a nearby sofa.

“I remember the project I found for you didn’t involve Jiang Cheng, right?” Tao Yang casually picked up a travel magazine and flipped through it. The inner pages happened to feature an advertisement for a product endorsed by Jiang Cheng. He rolled his eyes and tossed it aside in disdain.

He Zhiqiu chuckled at his reaction. “It didn’t.”

Tao Yang asked, “Then how did you run into him?”

He Zhiqiu replied, “It was probably just a coincidence. I heard he was visiting the set.”

“Visiting? Visiting who?”

“A friend, maybe,” He Zhiqiu said, unsure.

“He has friends?” Tao Yang rolled his eyes again and began to rant, “That selfish, manipulative, fake, parasitic scumbag is capable of having friends?”

He Zhiqiu burst out laughing. Tao Yang glanced at him. “You’re laughing? You shouldn’t have given him the time of day when he invited you.”

Tao Yang’s dislike for Jiang Cheng stemmed from that high school casting incident. What should have been a fair competition turned into a series of underhanded schemes. Jiang Cheng, afraid of being overshadowed by He Zhiqiu, had pulled all sorts of tricks—locking He Zhiqiu in the restroom to make him late for his audition, tampering with his bike so he ended up injured.

“If it weren’t for Li Yuze, no one would’ve known who was behind it.” Tao Yang still ground his teeth at the memory. Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Speaking of which, what exactly did Jiang Cheng do to piss off Li Yuze so badly that he got beaten up like that?”

He Zhiqiu paused, as if wanting to answer but not knowing where to start. In the end, he simply shook his head in silence and gazed out the window.