Chapter 120: Rapid Growth
Gu Qinghuan spent the entire afternoon and the breaks between classes organizing the materials the fan had provided. She noted the key points and then politely ended the conversation with the fan.
Qin Yue looked at the notes she had compiled and sighed in admiration: “You took this seriously—makes me wonder if you’re actually going to chase idols.”
“Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated,” Gu Qinghuan replied with a smile.
Suddenly, Xu Xinghe approached, fidgeting and shyly saying: “Class president~”
The drawn-out, flirty tone made Gu Qinghuan shiver. She asked cautiously: “What is it?”
Xu Xinghe clasped his hands at his chest in a pleading gesture: “Class president, I remember you have a good relationship with Vice President Bai Hanshan, right?”
Gu Qinghuan immediately realized what he was about to ask: “You want Bai Qingyin’s autograph?”
“You really are the class president!” Xu Xinghe flattered her. “Can you help me get the goddess’ autograph? If not, maybe you could introduce me to President Bai—I’ll ask her myself!”
Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment. Bai Qingyin had already invited her to join her team, so getting an autograph shouldn’t be difficult, but she still needed to confirm first.
“Wait a moment. I’ll ask,” she told Xu Xinghe.
Xu Xinghe thought she was going to ask Bai Hanshan, and he jumped up and down excitedly: “Class president! You’re the best class president ever!”
Gu Qinghuan messaged Bai Qingyin: [Hello Sister Bai, excuse me for asking, but would you mind giving a fan an autograph?]
Bai Qingyin replied quickly: [Real fan or fake fan?]
Gu Qinghuan: [During school hours, he basically listens to your songs every day after class.]
Bai Qingyin sent a “thumbs up” emoji: [Of course I can sign!]
Gu Qinghuan asked again: [Can I bring him along so you can sign in person?]
Bai Qingyin: [That’s fine, but you have to tell him: I don’t do TO signings, no photos, and he can’t be too rowdy.]
Since her debut, Bai Qingyin had always treated fans politely, grateful for their support, but she never got too close—her focus was solely on her career.
Fans knew from the start what kind of idol she was and didn’t mind: pursuing a career is good! If she doesn’t focus on music, what kind of singer would she be?
Other fans—airport pickups, fan support, plaza controls, trending hashtags.
Bai Qingyin’s fans—buy albums, listen to songs, discuss music—very professional.
Occasionally, they would even chase her in various games: Stop playing! Are the songs finished? Have the tour dates been set?
So Bai Qingyin’s game accounts only added people she knew and sometimes changed her name to avoid being tracked.
Gu Qinghuan arranged to meet Bai Qingyin tomorrow morning during the big break. Then, she earnestly told Xu Xinghe: “I got it for you. Tomorrow during the big break, come with me to receive it. Bring your own items for signing, and don’t make a scene.”
Just hearing the first sentence, Xu Xinghe was ecstatic, thinking he could just send the items tomorrow and get them signed, completely missing that Gu Qinghuan meant “come together.”
“From today on, whatever the class president says goes! I obey you completely!” Xu Xinghe danced around with joy.
Gu Qinghuan thought: no need to go that far.
After solving Xu Xinghe’s problem, Gu Qinghuan put on her backpack and carried the packed apple slices and candies, messaging Xia He: [Where are you? I’ll come find you.]
Xia He: [I’m waiting outside your office.]
Gu Qinghuan: [On my way.]
Her big lunchbox and cake were still in the student council fridge, so after delivering the Christmas Eve gift to Xia He, she could pick them up.
But when she reached the office door, she saw a boy taller than her by a head.
Gu Qinghuan: [Wow, is there really a rapid-growth medicine in this world? Where do I buy it?]
No reply. Gu Qinghuan had no choice but to walk over and appraise him from head to toe.
Although he had grown taller, she could still recognize it was Xia He’s face.
She clicked her tongue: “So you had something to do, huh? You went to grow taller? Less than two months, and you’ve grown this much—any side effects?”
Xia He wore his usual smile: “Yes. Super painful—so painful I feel like dying would be easier.”
Gu Qinghuan looked up at him and reached out to touch his head, speaking more seriously: “You’ve worked hard. Truly impressive.”
Xia He let her touch it once, then dodged her hand and said seriously: “Only once. I’m hoping to grow a little more—getting your head touched could stunt my growth.”
“Will you still call me ‘Sister’?” Gu Qinghuan asked, knowing the answer.
Since this morning, Xia He had been calling her “you.”
He shook his head, lips still curved: “No more, because I can’t be a kid anymore.”
The phrase “can’t be a kid anymore” was a bit amusing, but seeing Xia He’s expression, Gu Qinghuan didn’t press further.
She handed him the bag: “Merry Christmas Eve. Eat more apples, stay safe.”
Xia He took the bag, saying “So humble” as he quickly tore open the apple slices and stuffed them into his mouth.
Watching him eat, Gu Qinghuan casually asked: “You’re going back to class too, right? Missing almost two months, and you’re tall—can you catch up?”
“I’m in the competition class,” Xia He said lightly.
Gu Qinghuan widened her eyes—she’d have to compete with these academic gods!
Xia He popped a candy into his mouth. The green apple flavor made him pucker, and once he got used to it, he continued: “I heard you’ve done quite a lot during this time?”
“Who told you?” Gu Qinghuan asked immediately.
Xia He nonchalantly bit down on the candy: “I have my own sources.”
“Anyway, it’s over. If you want details, you can ask your own sources,” Gu Qinghuan repeated his words.
They stared at each other for a moment, then shrugged in unison.
Well, each has their secrets—let’s see who figures it out.
Gu Qinghuan thought: With Ruitong’s data, Xia He could never guess.
“Are you planning to join the next variety show?” Xia He asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Gu Qinghuan replied. “But two celebrities have already invited me. If I’m interested, I’ll join for the fun.”
There were only four celebrities in total—two had already invited her. Even if Xia He wasn’t interested in showbiz, he knew others would envy that news.
Xia He shook his head: “I got your gift. I’ll head off now.”
He was ready to return and practice how to kick down Xia Xu.
Gu Qinghuan was about to wave goodbye when Xia He seemed to remember something and added with a smile: “Actually, today’s my birthday too.”
Gu Qinghuan was shocked: “Why didn’t you say earlier? Wait here!”
She dashed off, grabbed the cake and giant lunchbox from the fridge, ran back, and handed him the cake: “Happy Birthday!”
Xia He looked at the box: “If I’m not mistaken, this is a cafeteria takeaway box.”
“Yes. It was sudden—I only had the leftover stump cake from lunch,” Gu Qinghuan said proudly.
“You bought it?” Xia He asked.
“Chu Chu and Xin Bao paid for it,” Gu Qinghuan said without changing her expression.
Xia He was a bit speechless. He had never cared about birthdays before, so he’d never received a cake on his birthday.
Now…it felt surprisingly fresh.
“Tomorrow,” Xia He said, “for my birthday, I’ll invite you to my birthday party so you can see what a real birthday cake should look like.”
Gu Qinghuan agreed enthusiastically: “Sure, make it grand—I’ll come for the food and drinks.”
Xia He took the cake and left, telling the driver: “Let’s go to my grandfather’s place first.”
After receiving a birthday gift, how could he not show it off?
