That autumn, Chen An participated in the provincial league competition and lived up to expectations by winning a provincial first-class award, earning a spot on the provincial team. Although Taixi High School was considered the key high school of Taixi County, looking at the entire province, it was merely a third-rate school. Since its establishment, it had never produced such outstanding results—like a dragon emerging from shallow waters. Under the school’s fanfare and publicity, Chen An became a celebrity figure throughout the entire school.
The mathematics teacher looked at his prized treasure with gratification: “Remarkable!”
Chen An politely replied: “Just so-so, I guess.”
A few days later, Chen An received his certificate from the competition. Thinking that Cheng Lele deserved half the credit for this military medal, on a dark and windy night, he took the certificate and went to knock on Cheng Lele’s window.
When Chen An looked for Cheng Lele at night, he generally didn’t use the front door. Instead, he would climb directly down the pomegranate tree from his own room’s window, like a firefighter sliding down a pole during an emergency dispatch.
Chen An stood in front of the window and pushed the certificate through: “Here, I’m giving this to you.”
Cheng Lele took it and opened it to look. Her heart was incredibly excited, but she calmly said: “Not bad. Keep working hard.”
Chen An acted mature in front of his teacher, but privately he was quite pleased with himself. He’d been holding it in these past few days, just waiting to celebrate together with Cheng Lele. He didn’t expect Cheng Lele’s reaction to be so indifferent. Chen An secretly kicked aside the fireworks he’d transported to the courtyard and asked: “That’s it?”
Cheng Lele perfunctorily gave a thumbs up: “Big Brother is really great!”
Chen An was exasperated: “Anything else?”
Cheng Lele: “Close the window for me when you leave, okay? There are lots of mosquitoes on the first floor.”
Chen An: “…”
Chen An’s eager anticipation came to nothing. Over the next few days, he deliberately rode his bike over bumpy and uneven places, jolting Cheng Lele until she grimaced in agony. Cheng Lele knew what Big Brother was unhappy about, but she was willing to endure hardship and humiliation for the sake of a long-term plan.
The custom T-shirt Cheng Lele had rush-ordered online finally arrived. She unfolded it to look—the shop owner had operated with integrity, and the quality was touching. The photoshopped mathematics competition certificate on the chest was clearly visible, and on the back, eight artistic characters reading “Big Brother Is Awesome! Bro Xi Is Awesome!” were written with flourishing strokes. The next day, she put on the T-shirt with her school uniform over it and was bounced all the way to school by Chen An, whose face had been dark for three days.
She sat quietly as a chicken waiting until the long break between classes, then took off her outer jacket and went magnificently to find her Big Brother.