Chapter 59: No One Believes the Truth (Thanks to RUY16109 for the Alliance Leader)
Li Wanyin was stunned.
The handsome high school boy her dorm group of raucous, thirsty girlfriends were all passionately discussing was none other than Chen Shian—the very person sitting across from her, sharing sweet soup together.
If not for the fact that they’d said they saw him on Douyin, Li Wanyin would have thought they’d stalked Chen Shian and taken those videos themselves.
All those things she’d said in the group chat before—about getting rich, about “keeping” a handsome high schooler—were nothing but jokes, merely a way to steer the conversation away… How could anyone take them seriously!
But her girlfriends paid no attention to her denials. It was as if they knew her special taste; as soon as they found a good-looking high school boy, they would frantically tag her.
Li Wanyin pretended not to see, remaining silent and deciding to finish watching the video before saying anything.
The video was clearly taken on campus—perhaps between classes or during PE. The footage was handheld, occasionally shaky, with many students in Yunxi No.1 High School uniforms passing by.
None of that mattered. What mattered was the focal point at the center of both the camera and the crowd: Chen Shian!
Dressed in his school uniform, he moved through each posture of Baduanjin—a traditional sequence of Daoist exercises. His form was as open and upright as a pine; when he raised his hands, it was as if he was lifting clouds, and when he bent his knees, his stance was as steady as a rock. His arms drew arcs that seemed to stir the air, his poised fingertips sharp as swords. Every movement flowed seamlessly to the next, graceful and natural, each gesture exuding innate vitality. Coupled with his handsome features, there was no trace of arrogance—only a serene clarity in his expression. His whole presence was like a mountain stream, dignified yet tranquil, utterly unique among his peers.
Having grown accustomed to the vast variety of “pretty boys” online—creamy, brooding, athletic, and all sorts of types—seeing Chen Shian’s transcendent, otherworldly style was like tasting a cup of clear tea: utterly refreshing, a sudden brightening of the eyes.
No wonder her dormmates were so fervent in their discussion.
[What a strikingly good-looking guy! How does a high school boy have such a vibe? Isn’t this exactly what a male immortal protagonist would look like at first glance?!]
[Yes, yes, yes! That’s exactly it!]
[I declare, I also like high school boys now! He looks so pure!]
[If I could live with him, wouldn’t that be heaven?]
[Damn! Before I die, I have to delete all our chat logs. Hanging out with you all is so embarrassing!]
Li Wanyin felt this deeply—girls’ chat logs must never, ever see the light of day. Especially the ones from this group; even a random screenshot would be enough to socially annihilate them.
She still didn’t say anything, unsure how to respond.
If she told them she actually knew the high school boy in the video—and was living with him now—the group’s notifications would surely blow up past 99+ in an instant…
There was something strange about having someone you knew appear in a video being so enthusiastically discussed by friends.
Li Wanyin never would have imagined she’d get to see Chen Shian’s campus life in such a way today.
Perhaps she was too absorbed, head bowed over her phone for a long time, spoonful of sweet soup forgotten and unmoving. Chen Shian, curious, asked, “Wanyin-jie, what are you watching?”
Startled back to herself, Li Wanyin hurriedly got up, phone in hand, and sat beside him. She opened the group’s Douyin video in full screen, bringing it over for Chen Shian to see.
“Look, look! Shian, this is you in the video, isn’t it?”
“Let me see.”
Chen Shian set down his spoon and leaned in to watch her phone.
As Li Wanyin unmuted the video, the ancient zither music played along.
The person practicing Baduanjin in the video was, indeed, none other than him.
“Huh?”
“It’s you, right? It’s you!”
“It’s me. It was filmed during PE this afternoon. Our PE teacher probably shot it. How did you get it, Wanyin-jie?”
“A friend sent it to me, said she saw it on Douyin.”
“Douyin?”
“…It’s a short video platform. You didn’t post it yourself?”
“Then it must have been our PE teacher.”
Chen Shian understood. During the Baduanjin demonstration in PE, Teacher Wan had filmed him, and afterwards had asked if he could upload it so more people could watch and learn. Chen Shian hadn’t minded at all.
He hadn’t thought much of it, certainly not that even Li Wanyin would come across the video.
Chen Shian wasn’t familiar with all this and didn’t think it was a big deal, his expression calm and reserved—nothing like Li Wanyin’s excitement.
“What is it you’re practicing?” she asked.
“Baduanjin. Do you know it, Wanyin-jie?”
“I don’t really understand it, but you’re amazing! Even just from this video you can tell you’re really skilled! These moves look really hard… Your body doesn’t even sway at all?!”
“I’ve practiced since I was little.”
“Incredible!”
As they watched, two new @ mentions popped up from the group chat at the top of the screen.
[Wanyin! Say something! The perfect high school boy matching your preferences has appeared! What are you doing! @Little Echo]
[Hurry up and type! Stop lurking! @Little Echo]
Seeing these, Li Wanyin’s face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly tried to clear the notifications, but her old phone lagged behind her frantic taps, freezing on the chat interface for ages…
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing! Just some friends who like to joke around!”
Seeing Chen Shian didn’t seem to mind, Li Wanyin finally relaxed.
“Oh right, do you have Douyin on your phone? Try searching for it.”
“No, but I’ll download it and see.”
There was WiFi at home, so no need to worry about data. With Li Wanyin’s guidance, Chen Shian began downloading Douyin, though his phone was even slower than hers, taking ages just to install.
Li Wanyin opened her own Douyin, typed in the video’s watermark username, and found a user called [Flowing Water, Silent].
Opening the profile, the video of Chen Shian practicing Baduanjin was pinned at the top, already with over twenty thousand likes.
“This is your PE teacher?”
“Yeah.”
The username had a distinctly middle-aged flavor, the profile picture was a photo of Teacher Wan himself.
His bio read: “Wearing a windbreaker to walk wild trails, practicing tai chi as the clouds rise, there’s no need for swords in the world—a happy life is written on the track. The stone steps hide a quiet heart; I often pause by the pine in the morning mist, and I also compete in push-ups with students. —A high school PE teacher who loves the martial world and travel. Welcome to follow.”
“Your PE teacher’s quite poetic,” Li Wanyin chuckled. The bio, picture, and username all matched her stereotypical image of a middle-aged man with a bit of spiritual pursuit.
Chen Shian smiled as well, “If you saw our PE teacher in person, Wanyin-jie, you probably wouldn’t think he’s poetic at all.”
“Is he big?”
“Tall and burly, with a heroic air.”
“Your PE teacher sure likes Douyin. He’s posted so many videos, treating it like his own social feed.”
Looking together, they saw the profile had at least a hundred videos—some teaching routines, fitness daily life, sharing sports skills, campus scenery, and travel logs during school breaks.
Aside from the video of Chen Shian, which had over twenty thousand likes, the rest only had a few dozen or a hundred at best.
It was clear Teacher Wan wasn’t running the account for popularity, just sharing his life as one might in a friend circle.
“He seems like an interesting teacher!”
“He’s a pretty sincere person.”
As Chen Shian and Li Wanyin leaned in, heads almost together, watching the screen, the black cat who’d been watching TV nearby couldn’t sit still any longer and jumped up to join them. It didn’t matter what they were looking at—what mattered was that nothing could be hidden from the little cat.
Li Wanyin wasn’t interested in Teacher Wan’s other videos; after a quick scan of the profile, she returned to the one featuring Chen Shian.
It had been posted after five in the afternoon, captioned: [Sharing a Daoist-style Baduanjin performed by our class’s Chen. I’ve practiced for years myself but always felt something was missing. Today, Chen showed me what true innate energy looks like. Sharing this for those interested in Baduanjin to study. By the way, Chen is a genuine Daoist—a truly unique student in my teaching career.]
Douyin’s sound quality was always a mystery, but the combination of ancient zither music and this video truly made for a refreshing, eye-opening experience.
Watching himself in the video, Chen Shian found it amusing, though the clip didn’t capture the most crucial aspect—his breath control during Baduanjin. Still, the fluid, natural demonstration was enough to amaze those unfamiliar with it.
“Shian, you’re going viral! Twenty-eight thousand likes! And thousands of favorites, comments, and shares!”
Li Wanyin was amazed. She didn’t know much about Douyin’s algorithms, but from all her scrolling, she knew a video like this had the potential to explode—novelty, looks, atmosphere, authenticity… all the key elements were there.
She looked over at Chen Shian, only to find the same calm, composed expression.
“You’re so unruffled!”
“I don’t really get it,” Chen Shian said with a slight smile, withdrawing his gaze. “I’ll go take a shower. Just leave your dishes when you’re done with the sweet soup—I’ll clean up.”
“It’s fine, go ahead~”
Li Wanyin admired his composure. Perhaps it was this untroubled demeanor that gave the video such a striking and refreshing quality.
Picking up her phone, she reopened the group chat and finally sent a message.
Little Echo: [Stop making a fuss, the high school boy in the video is at my house—he just finished the sweet soup I made.]
[We’re doomed! Wanyin’s so obsessed with high school boys she’s delirious!]
Heh…
Sure enough, no one believes the truth!
(Thanks to student RUY16109 for the generous reward! Wishing you great fortune and prosperity! Thank you for your continued support!)