The photo is really me

chapter 2

For half an hour, Fang Zhi Mo struggled in his mind. Although Meng You had successfully gotten the handsome guy’s WeChat number on the subway, it was clear that, with Fang Zhi Mo’s social anxiety, he wasn’t planning on adding this person. However, Meng You seemed to have anticipated this. Before going out to the club with his boyfriend, he had warned Fang Zhi Mo:

"Don’t even think about not adding him! I asked for his WeChat on your behalf. I told him your name, your school, and that you've admired him for a long time but were too shy to talk to him... Now he knows who you are. If you don’t add him, you’ll be socially dead, Fang Xiaomo!”

Fang Zhi Mo: “…” Meng You was always exaggerating, and this claim probably had less than a third of the truth in it. But Fang Zhi Mo still found himself intimidated. No one could understand the devastating power of the term “social death” to an introvert. Having been roommates for two years, Meng You knew exactly how to push his buttons.

So, just before dinner, Fang Zhi Mo found himself searching for the WeChat ID. The profile picture was a pitch-black night sky, and the username was simply a single letter, X. The simplicity of both the profile and the ID made it feel subtly different from the first impression of the guy on the subway.

Fang Zhi Mo hesitated for a long time, his finger hovering over the "Add to Contacts" button. He bit his lip, his heart racing with anxiety, already imagining a hundred awkward scenarios. But, maybe the guy would think it was an invasion of privacy and not accept the request? And if he did accept, Fang Zhi Mo could just explain the misunderstanding from the subway and assure him he wasn’t trying to bother him, after which they could simply delete each other—no harm done.

He steeled himself for this explanation, but just as he was preparing to word it, the friend request was instantly accepted. Then came a message from the other side, initiated by the guy himself:

X: May I ask who you are?

Fang Zhi Mo froze. The subway guy was so proactive? This was completely different from what he had imagined.

The guy seemed to be waiting for a response. The “Other person is typing…” notification appeared multiple times, then a cute bear emoji popped up:

X: [Bear tilting head to greet.gif]

"..."

Fang Zhi Mo stared at the clumsy, adorable bear, caught off guard by how cute it was. He couldn’t quite match this bear with the stylish, rebellious guy from the subway. The contrast was striking, to say the least.

Cheng Xun, on the other hand, repeatedly opened the WeChat interface, hoping for a response, but other than the initial "Hello," Fang Zhi Mo hadn’t replied. Cheng Xun waited a moment, then clicked on the profile. As expected, it was set to "Only visible for three days," so there was nothing to see. There was just a music sheet and a one-word nickname with no other clues.

Cheng Xun stared at the empty chat box for a while. Then he pursed his lips and was about to send another message when the door to the break room opened, and several students came in to use the locker room. Cheng Xun glanced up and was about to get up to leave when someone called out, “Xun Ge?”

The voice was filled with surprise. Cheng Xun turned and recognized the person. It was a first-year student from the foreign language department, who had sat in the front row at the three-school basketball finals a few days ago. After the game, he came over to give water to the team.

Cheng Xun nodded slightly in acknowledgment. The younger student, enthusiastic as always, came over to chat.

“That three-pointer of yours,” the boy said, mimicking a shooting posture, “it was so damn cool.”

Cheng Xun: “It was okay.”

The boy grinned. “If you make it into the provincial team, I’ll be your number one fan.”

Cheng Xun: “That’s still far away.”

His phone screen was still on, and the boy caught a glimpse of it. He didn’t see the content clearly but noticed the cute bear emoji and laughed. “Xun Ge, are you chatting with your boyfriend?”

Though Cheng Xun usually came off as cold and aloof, he seemed unexpectedly cute when chatting with someone he liked.

"..."

Cheng Xun finally remembered, turning off his phone, “It’s not like that.”

The boy, looking satisfied with his teasing, laughed a couple of times without pressing further. Cheng Xun wasn’t one for small talk, so after a few casual exchanges, he ended the conversation and left the gym.

Once outside, he took out his phone again and checked WeChat. Two new notifications popped up. His heart skipped a beat. His face, which had been neutral during the chat with the younger student, suddenly softened a little.

He opened the messages.

[Xiao Mo]: …Don’t you know my name?

[Xiao Mo]: Don’t you know which school or which department I’m from?

Cheng Xun frowned slightly. What was this person expecting him to know? Something felt off. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that the name and profile picture matched. Maybe this wasn’t the same person at all.

He typed a brief reply, intending to end this trivial conversation.

On Friday evening, the piano room was almost empty, and Fang Zhi Mo was enjoying the peace. After practicing a few pieces, he said goodbye to his teacher and left for the dormitory. The walk from the music academy’s piano room to their dormitory took about twenty minutes, with two hills and a lake to cross. As soon as he stepped out, he habitually put on his earphones. Listening to Chopin, Fang Zhi Mo’s thoughts began to wander.

The Fang family was financially well-off, and according to his parents' original plans, Fang Zhi Mo should have gone abroad to study at a music school during his senior year of high school. Although there were many famous Chinese pianists today, the overall music education environment in China was still slightly lacking compared to abroad. However, in his senior year, the family encountered some difficulties. Although not serious, it was enough to delay his plan to study abroad. By the time the issue was resolved, the paperwork for studying abroad would have to be reprocessed, causing a delay of at least a year. To avoid further delay to his education, the family decided that Fang Zhi Mo should first attend the music academy at Haida University.

Haida's music academy, formerly Haicheng Conservatory of Music, was one of the top music schools in China. Haida University itself had a reputation for excellence in the fields of literature, science, and law. In the 1990s, in order to improve its ranking, Haida incorporated several specialized institutions, including Haicheng Conservatory of Music, Haicheng Sports College, and Haicheng Water Conservancy College, transforming into the prestigious, comprehensive university it was known as today. Backed by Haida, the music academy flourished, producing many talented students each year, many of whom went on to join top international orchestras. Especially the piano department, led by Professor Fu Shaogang, a world-renowned pianist, whose artistic accomplishments and personality were both exceptional. He was Fang Zhi Mo’s idol.

Fang Zhi Mo was an introverted and easy-going person, with a unique persistence in his approach to the piano. After spending nearly two years at Haida’s music academy under the guidance of Professor Fu, and after a year of feeling a bit homesick, he had gradually stopped thinking about studying abroad. His thoughts returned to the present.

Haida University was famous for its beautiful campus, and the scenery along the way was breathtaking. It was early spring, the season when cherry blossoms bloomed, and there were a few tourists under the trees, taking photos. A handsome young man in a white coat and jeans had also become part of the scene. His hair was lightly tousled by the breeze, and his face, partly obscured by a large mask, still revealed a flawless profile. His long lashes fluttered like tiny fans. But more than his face, it was his aura that stood out — clean, pure, and clear, like a spring, perfectly complementing the spring landscape around him.

Fang Zhi Mo walked slowly along the gravel path, unaware that he had become part of someone’s photograph. Suddenly, the music in his earphones cut off abruptly, replaced by a sharp "ding" — a WeChat notification.

He froze, staring at the screen for a few seconds, before suddenly remembering something important. He quickly opened his phone.

How could he have forgotten? He had been waiting for a reply from the guy from the subway! The other person’s attitude had been oddly positive, far more than what someone he'd just met should show. Fang Zhi Mo had even wondered if Meng You had jokingly shared some embarrassing details about him with the stranger.

Fang Zhi Mo had a bad habit: he would replay awkward scenarios in his head, imagining every possible embarrassing outcome, which often led to him freaking himself out with imagined PTSD. To distract himself, he had gone to the piano room that evening to practice. Playing the piano always helped him forget his worries.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Zhi Mo opened the chat.

[X]: I don’t know who you are.

Seeing this message, Fang Zhi Mo let out a sigh of relief. He knew it! Meng You must have been joking; there was no way someone he just met would be that forward. Realizing that the subway guy didn’t actually know who he was, Fang Zhi Mo felt like he could breathe again. It was like he had put on an invisible mask, and his mood lightened.

He quickly typed a reply to explain himself, about to send it, but then paused.

Since the subway guy didn’t know this was a misunderstanding, maybe explaining too much would make things awkward? After all, Meng You, though overly enthusiastic, had asked for the guy’s WeChat for him. If he explained everything now, it might look like he was overreacting and distancing himself unnecessarily. Worse, it might leave a bad impression of Meng You.

Fang Zhi Mo hesitated, then deleted the long explanation he had typed. Instead, he typed a shorter message.

[Xiaomo]: It’s nothing. I was just the guy you were on the subway with earlier. I wanted to say hello. ^-^

He quickly added another message, almost as an afterthought.

[Xiaomo]: My name’s not important >.<

[Xiaomo]: Just think of me as a stranger who admires you!

When Chu Xun received Xiaomo’s message, he had just arrived back at his dorm. He stared at the conversation for a while, then realized it was just another poorly executed attempt at flirting. His finger hovered over the block button for a long time. But for some reason, as he stared at the profile picture, he felt a small relief, and despite his better judgment, he didn’t block the person. Instead, he just deleted the conversation and exited WeChat, his face cold.

Bored.