Chapter 32

As March arrived, a new semester began. Zhang Chengyuan, as the student representative for the opening ceremony and a senior in the third year, stood on the podium facing all the teachers and students on the playground. He delivered an impassioned and inspiring speech, which had been prepared by the school, and solemnly pledged on behalf of all the students preparing for the college entrance examination that they would strive hard in the coming year to improve their grades and bring glory and honor to their alma mater...

By this time, Zhang Chengyuan's name was already well-known throughout the school. Even with his unattractive large black-rimmed glasses, he could not hide his innate arrogance and outstanding demeanor. Ever since a teacher inadvertently revealed that Zhang Chengyuan was the younger brother of the rising star in the advertising industry, "Zhang Dongjian," and the actor who played the tiger-fighting youth Zhang Lie in a TV drama, Zhang Chengyuan had fallen into the troubles of fame. He was surrounded and pursued wherever he went in the school. If it weren't for the school leadership's fear that such a situation would affect Zhang Chengyuan's academic performance and prevent him from getting into a prestigious university, which would in turn damage the school's reputation, they would have strictly prohibited all students from disturbing Zhang Chengyuan. Otherwise, Zhang Chengyuan might have had to take a leave of absence to avoid the hysterical harassment from some girls.

Thanks to the school's "multiple considerations" for Zhang Chengyuan, he reciprocated by enduring his impatience and speaking well of the school on important occasions such as the opening ceremony, appearing as if he was willing to dedicate himself to his alma mater. In reality, Zhang Chengyuan did not have such high moral standards and did not consider the school's conveniences as a great favor. To him, it was merely a form of mutual benefit. However, he was always grateful to the academic affairs director and his homeroom teacher, who truly valued him, and often thought about how he could do something for them.

Since it was already his senior year, his academic workload had increased dramatically, and he had never considered giving up his studies or taking a temporary leave. Therefore, his current workload had been reduced by at least half. He no longer took on small jobs like extras or stunt doubles, which, although very challenging, were also very time-consuming. This freed up a lot of time for him to study at school, much to the relief of his teachers in all subjects.

In fact, even if Zhang Chengyuan wanted to take on more work, he couldn't, because his homeroom teacher and the academic affairs director were very strict about his leave this semester. They required that Zhang Chengyuan's total number of absences could not exceed ten times, and the total number of days could not exceed thirty. In the previous semester, Zhang Chengyuan had taken at least thirty absences, totaling over sixty days. This forced Zhang Chengyuan to be cautious about taking leave. However, he did not stop his acting training classes in the evenings and on weekends, which were essential for his success. He would never give them up, and his agent, Park Byung-ryul, would never allow it.

For about a month, Zhang Chengyuan stayed at school like a regular student, only occasionally taking on some work on weekends, such as shooting magazine covers and posters. Therefore, he had a very leisurely time. During this leisurely period, he did not forget the birthdays of his three sisters, Yoo Ju-hyun, Lee Jin, and Seo Yu-ri, all of whom had birthdays in March. He secretly visited them, bringing gifts and blessings to alleviate their mental fatigue.

Additionally, during this month, the school uniform advertisement that Zhang Chengyuan shot with Yoon Eun-hye was broadcast on SBS, and it was well-received by many young people, especially middle and high school students. It was reported that several schools had chosen the CleverS school uniform brand endorsed by the two of them for the new school year and placed orders with the company. This delighted the advertisers, who praised their choice of models.

On a weekend afternoon, after finishing his acting training class, Zhang Chengyuan suddenly received a call from Park Byung-ryul, asking him to come to the company immediately. He hurried over. Just as he reached the door of Park Byung-ryul's office, he heard Park Byung-ryul talking to a young woman. Park Byung-ryul's tone was extremely gentle, even more so than when he spoke to Zhang Chengyuan.

The young woman's voice was light and soft, making him feel very comfortable. Her tone was extremely polite and cautious, suggesting she was a careful person. Her speech was fluent and well-organized, indicating strong language skills and intelligence.

These thoughts flashed through Zhang Chengyuan's mind. He knocked on the door and, upon receiving Park Byung-ryul's response, gently pushed it open. His eyes swept the room and saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing up with a smile. Zhang Chengyuan was immediately stunned!

What a beautiful face! There was actually such a stunning beauty in the world! Since cultivating his spirit, Zhang Chengyuan had never thought he would lose his composure. But at this moment, he was truly stunned, completely captivated by the woman's unparalleled beauty and demeanor, and deeply entranced. At the same time, a strange and unfamiliar emotion welled up from the depths of his heart, gradually growing stronger.

It seemed like a long time, yet it was just a moment. With his relatively strong willpower, Zhang Chengyuan managed to regain his composure. His eyes flickered, and his demeanor immediately returned to normal. He smiled at the beautiful woman and then turned to Park Byung-ryul, asking, "Mr. Park, who is this beautiful sister?" Although he was looking at Park Byung-ryul, his eyes were still observing the woman's every move.

Park Byung-ryul laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased: "This is a top student from Seoul National University, Kim Tae-hee. She is a new model we signed three days ago and is destined to become a superstar."

Seoul National University is the top university in South Korea. In the eyes of ordinary South Koreans, students from Seoul National University are all elite, symbols of intelligence, and the future pillars of the nation. Everyone respects them from the bottom of their hearts.

Zhang Chengyuan was even more moved upon hearing this. He sighed inwardly that this woman was not only stunningly beautiful but also exceptionally intelligent. From the conversation he overheard between her and Park Byung-ryul, it was clear that she was also very good at social interactions. If he didn't still retain some of his past abilities, he might have been inferior to her in every way. He took a few steps forward, placed his left hand on his right arm, and respectfully extended his right hand to shake hands with Kim Tae-hee, bowing slightly and greeting her, "Sister Kim Tae-hee, nice to meet you. Please take care of Chengyuan in the future."

Zhang Chengyuan's actions were somewhat presumptuous, as according to etiquette, a man should not initiate a handshake with a woman, and a junior should not initiate a handshake with a senior. Kim Tae-hee was not only a woman but also a few years older than Zhang Chengyuan.

However, Kim Tae-hee was not angry. She smiled and said, "Oh! You're Chengyuan! Mr. Park has been talking about you every day, saying you are the pillar of the company. I'm very happy to meet you!" She then extended her hand and lightly shook Zhang Chengyuan's hand, feeling the warmth and smoothness of his hand, which was even more delicate than hers, making her almost reluctant to let go.

Kim Tae-hee's words were not just formalities. She was genuinely happy for three reasons: First, no matter what kind of woman, she would never dislike Zhang Chengyuan because of his appearance and demeanor, which were very appealing to women. Second, although Zhang Chengyuan was younger than her, he was already a veteran in the company and deeply trusted by the boss. His respectful attitude toward her suggested that she would have a pleasant time in the company. Third, thanks to Zhang Chengyuan, her contract with the company was almost a carbon copy of his, which made her very satisfied.

With these reasons, how could Kim Tae-hee not smile when she met Zhang Chengyuan?

Before meeting Zhang Chengyuan, Kim Tae-hee had heard about his appearance, character, and achievements from Park Byung-ryul and other company employees. She was very curious: What kind of outstanding appearance and demeanor could earn such unanimous praise? What kind of intelligence could make him progress so rapidly and become a rising star in the modeling industry at such a young age?

After meeting Zhang Chengyuan, just as Zhang Chengyuan was captivated by Kim Tae-hee's beauty, Kim Tae-hee was also entranced by his appearance. She secretly compared him to her boyfriend, whom she had recently started dating at Seoul National University, and suddenly realized that except for age, her boyfriend seemed to be inferior to Zhang Chengyuan in every way. Even in terms of academic performance, which Seoul National University students were most proud of, her boyfriend might not have an advantage, as she remembered Park Byung-ryul mentioning that Zhang Chengyuan's academic performance was also excellent, enough to get into any prestigious university.

A thought suddenly arose in Kim Tae-hee's mind: "If my boyfriend were as excellent as Zhang Chengyuan, that would be great." At the same time, a similar thought suddenly crossed Zhang Chengyuan's mind: "If I could have a wife or girlfriend as talented and beautiful as Kim Tae-hee in this life, it would be worth living."