The Superstar's Autograph
_Chapter One

Xiao Zhan's POV

I took another sip from my cup of caffè americano and looked out to the bustling people outside of the Starbucks shop window. The white flakes of snow falling, the lampposts with yellowish and orange light illuminated the streets and smiling children wearing colorful sweaters made everything magical.

How I wish I could enjoy the snow without thinking about my university work...Damn, now I am in my 3rd year studying at the university but still feeling lazy sometimes.

I brushed the thoughts off and scratched my head as I brought my attention back to my laptop with an unfinished document on Microsoft Word and to the sprawled things on the table in front of me. Notepads, books, ballpoint pens, different colored highlighters, folders with photocopies, printed papers, and notebooks with my takeaways during lectures.

I put on my earphones that connected to my MacBook Air and clicked that specific playlist I've been listening to for ages. The continuous songs played in the background of my mind and I started to type again.

Being one of those medical students in the world, I am pressured to work harder than I've ever worked in my life but it's all great, I'll get a loving and goddess-like girlfriend anyway that made the loads more bearable.

I smiled as I envisioned my girlfriend's face.

A hand removed the earphone from my left ear and said, "Xiao Zhan! Whoa...you're still working on that? It's already past 7 PM, I thought the deadline was next month. It is the 8th today, you've got plenty of time until your presentation."

I paused my music and sighed under my breath, "I have to spend practical classes and attend a great number of advanced lectures for my course this month and I need to study for my exams, I don't think I can finish this if I won't spare any time to it even in my breaks."

My only best friend Gu Jia Cheng also known as Jason sat beside me guzzled his nitro cold brew float and turned to face me.

He took notice of the bags and dark circles under my eyes. "You look like a zombie, you didn't sleep, did you? I told you to get some little rest, man. Wait, don't tell me your girlfriend disturbed your sleep last night again and talked your ears off about some stupid things."

I grunted, "Zoey called me at midnight and didn't stop talking about that current celebrity dude she's been obsessing with until 3 AM. I didn't go back to sleep after that and I spent this day, exhausted and sleepy."

"You're so much in love." Jia Cheng snorted, "And you listened to what she said?"

"Yeah. I guess." The truth was I didn't get anything from what she said earlier, my monotone response was "Hmm." "Yeah?" "Mhm?" and "Nice." I don't care about her obsessions with celebrities, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Armani, Gucci, and Channel as long as she can keep me happy and make every day a holiday during our make-out sessions, I'm cool with it.

"Gees, you loved this girl. You adored this girl." He repeated the sentence.

"Yes. I loved her so much." I don't care about what people think of me now or how romantic, soppy, and cliché it may sound but I want Zoey to stay in my life. For eternity if possible.

"It's just so unbelievable, bro. A guy like you could have any girl in this world but you rather choose to wrap your life around her. For one freaking year and counting! You surprised me, big time as usual."

"She's the girl I want to spend my whole life with. She's different." I said to him.

"Got it.." He shook his head lazily, "Let me enumerate how special you've treated your 'one and only' that I hope you know what you are doing. You bought her fancy gifts, brought her to grand restaurants, gave her your money for an ultra-expensive pair of shoes, bags, or boxes of different colored lipsticks." He kept on chanting on and on.

"No matter how tired you are, you stay awake for her, you even pick up her calls early in the morning or the middle of the night, no matter how busy you are, you always have time to be with her. I've known you since kindergarten man and you don't do this kind of thing. You are whipped up!"

Kindergarten? Really? That's an exaggeration, we only met at the university when I was in my first year but he's right. I don't do things like these before but whipped up? Maybe. Maybe not. It's just that Zoey and I can't live without each other. She knew that. The two of us can't breathe without each other and I just want to be the best boyfriend for her. A person who will be there when she needs someone to win countless battles for her. I'll swim underground for her.

"Being a loner has reached its expiration date on my part, I guess. For that one year, I've learned that I don't want to feel alone and lonely again. Just trust me on this." I remarked.

"You know I respect your decision but don't overdo it. It might get you into some trouble or heartaches." He tapped my back.

"All right." I grinned at my friend. I understand that he was just worried for me because this is the first time I involved myself in a serious relationship but reality sucks and sometimes we all need to listen to our hearts and take risks to know what is in store for us.

One year and counting. This year will be amazing too like last year. I'll make sure of it.

"Zhan, turn off your laptop, and let's go to my house. We'll eat some good food and play some games. Relax your brain, bro, and stop making me worry about your health."

Health huh?

I laughed, "I don't know you have a sweet side."

He rolled his eyes and helped me place my things inside my backpack.

"Can we pass by the university? I want to leave these things in the lecture hall for tomorrow?" I showed him two handy bags with books and folders.

"Sure." We exited the shop and rode his dark blue Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

After I made my way to the hall with my best friend and stuffed my things into the metal box there, we walked back through the main hallway. I saw bickering students around in this hour of the night, chattering, a few were reading and studying in rooms and mostly I noticed yapping females over something.

"I wonder why they are making noise..." I scrutinized the banners they were fussing with.

I pulled my reading glasses down to the bridge of my nose, those steel blue banners caught my eye. Previously this day, I've seen something like these streamers in the parking area and to those lampposts I overpassed in the school premises. Now they are glued from wall to wall and put up on every bulletin board inside the building, they are visible in each nook and crannies of the institution.

"What's this?" This time I did waste my time reading one of the tarps that I gladly disregarded the whole time. It has a pentagon symbol with letters written inside it. No pictures of the actors whatsoever.

What is this? Some nonsensical musical production again directed by Professor Jia Shuyi? Is she going to tell the story of how polygons are made this time?

That drama director of the school and music and art professor, a weaver of boredom. Tormenting us with her deathly musicals and plays during winter and summer in the gigantic amphitheater of the city and if ever she'll do one more, certain as hell I don't want to be there.

I returned my glasses to their place, as I glanced at Jia Cheng, his eyes glued to his phone's screen, "This guy sure is famous." He mumbled as he repeatedly tapped on his Weibo account. The only thing I don't have.

"Who-" My question was halted by the ringing of my phone, "What's up?" I answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Babe," she purred like a ravenous cheetah. "I just want to remind you about tomorrow. You'll go there with me remember?"

"What?" I asked, oblivious.

There? Where?

I could imagine her rolling her eyes.

"I've been telling you this for like, from last week and you still forgot about it? And I reminded you last night! You'll be there at the stadium tomorrow with me, right? Right?" She tried to refresh my memory.

"Oh. Must've slipped my mind." I shrugged and my friend rudely snickered after hearing the answer I said to my gf.

"Xiao Zhan, you've promised!" Here it is, she showed her winning card and I'm doomed. "And you never break your promises no matter what."

I chuckled, "I never thought that Professor Jia Shuyi's winter musical would be held at the stadium. She got a lot of confidence to show those boring plays of her to more than 100,000 people here in the city. Someone should give her a standing ovation."

"What are you talking about, silly? Of course, it's not some Professor Jia Shuyi's musical. I thought you were listening to me when I called earlier this day."

"I am." I lied swiftly.

"Okay, just meet me at the stadium tomorrow, before 8:30 PM. I bought our tickets so you can't say no. You don't want to break my heart, right?"

Shit.

"I'll be there," I answered whilst I rubbed my nape.

"Good, that's your promise, be there okay?"

"Yeah." My short reply went that way.

Why is she so excited about this?

"Thanks, babe. Gotta go. I have to update my Weibo status for tomorrow's event. See ya!" she ended the conversation.

Tch.

"You okay?" Jia Cheng asked as we went near his car to the parking lot.

"Yeah."

He drove the Stelvio to his house direction.

《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《《》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》

"So what will you do? You'll go to the stadium with her?" My best friend asked as he tried to get the ball from my basketball player character. He gripped the controller tightly while pushing the buttons like they were made of stone. Both of us are competitive but I always win. We've been switching 2 video games from the moment we arrived here in their house. We chose those games we both agreed to play and bellowed profanities too in the process.

I nodded and smirked, "Yeah. Even though I forgot the reason why I have to be there." I shot a splash. A three-point shot made by a shooter outside the arc with a basketball, the only difference was that the ball did not touch the rim but only the net that attached to it creating a splashed-like effect.

"It ends. I win. Again." I proclaimed. He grimaced and paused the game before the menu appeared. "Fuck. You are athletic in this kind of game." He put down his controller on the floor and handed me the box of pizza.

"Let's just say I'm not only good academically but in other things too. Add the basketball video game to the list," I grinned at him as I took a bite from my pepperoni pizza.

"You're the man bro. I propose a toast to that." He held up his can of root beer, swung it a little bit, and drank it. I did the same to him. "Cheers"

"JIA CHENG!!!" someone's shriek made our heads snap to the doorway of his room. Lisa, his stepsister barged in with her newly dyed long straight blonde hair but hastily backed away outside of the room after sniffing something.

"Eww! What's that smell?" She scrunched her nose.

"Pizza." I shrugged and continued munching the heavenly food.

"Soooooooooo ewwwwwwww!!!" She exclaimed.

"Now what? Your boyfriend dumped you? That's good news." My best friend stood up in front of her.

A face appeared in my mind, the owner, one of those insects from the software engineering department that Jia Cheng and I used to beat up, ordering him to stop courting her. That didn't turn out well though because he was persistent and now the girl's boyfriend. "Yeah, that Egyptian alfalfa weevil-looking dude, the pest," I added, snickering. He high-fived me.

"You two are jerks," she mumbled, hammering invisible nails in our faces.

"Get out if that's the reason why you're barging in. I'm not your diary and we have a video game to play." My friend spat at his sibling as he walked towards the door.

"No. I won't. Not until you let me borrow your sleeping bag and your tent." She said desperately, clutching Jia Cheng's shirt collar.

"What for?" He asked her, suspiciously. "Are you running away with your boyfriend?"

"No, you dumbass!"

"Oh yeah?" Jia Cheng joked.

"This is a matter of life and death, so come on give me those things." She yelled at his face.

"Where will you use them?" I intervened.

"Yeah Lisa, tell us."

"Oh god, stop with the questions both of you! I'll use it to camp out in front of the ticket booth." She said exasperated in her voice.

"What ticket booth?" We asked in unison. Is this the right time for me to question my existence? I know nothing about this.

I don't care anyway. Lol.

She rolled her eyes to us. Rolling eyes were a trend in this family.

"Seriously you don't know?!! There are tarps and stuff pasted everywhere informing people he has a concert here."

Yeah. She's the girl you can ask about those rumors and gossip flying around.

I looked at her like her head multiplied into five.

"You know, those tarps with letters on it?" Lisa said it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah." So those trash in school are not for Professor Jia Shuyi's musical yet it's still nonsense-

Her loudness faded my thoughts. God, I am getting sleepy.

"It's his first-ever tour here in our city! A live concert for three days! Since all the tickets online are sold out, they decided to put up a ticket booth. So later at midnight, I have to camp and wait in line to acquire a ticket for tomorrow's show. They will only sell 100 tickets on the event day for those who are still crawling to watch. I should be in that fortunate people!"

"Why don't you check those other websites, get the hell out of here, and let us play our game?" Jiacheng moved his hand to close the door but Lisa's quickness stopped him.

"I already checked those websites but there are no available. And those scalpers I know sell the tickets 50 times more expensive than the original price! I don't have that much money. Curse them!" Her palms are still pasted on my friend's wooden door.

"That's all?" I asked with no interest. Who cares? Not me. Girls and their obsessions are level crazy.

"My god!! You guys are so naive. But whatever I need to be in our city stadium tomorrow." I could see various sizes of heart emojis floating inside her eyeballs.

City stadium? That's-

"We're not naive. You are just one of those foolish fans on earth." Jia Cheng commented.

"What did you say, GU JIA CHENG?!" She was practically fuming at my best friend.

"Lisa," I called her attention.

"What?" She turned to me.

"Did you say the stadium of this city? I don't think I heard it right." I clarified.

She nodded, "Yes, we only have one stadium here. The concert will be held at that place."

That's the exact location Zoey wanted me to go. Oh shit! This is bad.

She studied me and slowly gasped, wide-eyed.

"Don't tell me you guys are his fans too. I mean I know he got lots of fans and fanboying is nice but you two?!" She gasped and slowly sat in the doorway, "I'm going to faint." She fanned herself with her hands.

Before we could speak, she continued "Xiao Zhan, you're like the hottest guy on earth and you've got the reputation of being the next Albert Einstein or Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, the prodigy, the genius..." She looked in her brother's direction, "And you, my brother, are not suitable to be a fan. Offense intended. I just can't imagine it. It would be super horrible if you two were someone's fan."

We both glared at her. "We are no one's fan!" Her brother and I yelled at her.

She smiled sweetly.

Lisa. The example of nuisance.

"Thank God. I thought you were. Now please Gu Jia Cheng let me borrow your tent and sleeping bag." She was acting like a hungry kid for gummy bears.

"And if you guys like to watch, the show will start at 8:30 p.m. so you have to be there before that time. Oh! I forgot. You don't have tickets." She added with a smiley face.

"Like you?" Her face reddened at that phrase.

"Whatever, douchebag!" She's pissed off. I smiled at her, showing my bunny teeth. She turned more tomato red.

"Lisa, get out." He shooed her.

"I won't! It's his concert! I have to be there! I'll do everything for him!!! I'm sure you can understand me, I know you two have experience watching those concerts of your demonic rock bands, so don't judge me. You knew too well how it was." She shrilled like a cat who got hit by a Volkswagen.

Jia Cheng laughed, "This guy doesn't know what you are talking about." He pointed at me.

I nodded. "I don't like concerts."

Going to any concerts of famous people or whatnot is not my cup of tea. I don't drink tea either. I hated the fact that I was standing or sitting with millions of people in one spot. I just hated crowded places. But if my guess is correct, whether I like it or not I have to go with my gf to the stadium. Goodness, I have to rewrite my rulebook and state there that; rule number 29, go to a crowded place like a stadium or concert venue for the sake of my girlfriend, the girl who was important to me.

My friend's little stepsister miraculously became quiet for 5 seconds and after that, she said, "Xiao Zhan doesn't like concerts..."

"This he and him fellow? Mind to tell us who he is?" Gu Jia Cheng cleared the air. It was the same interrogative sentence that came to my mind too. Lisa's been ranting about this particular person but I am certain that I didn't hear her say his name even once.

"Wang Yibo..." She said it like she hailed a promising emperor of China.

My best friend and I both stared at her.

"Yibo a perfect being ever created in this pitiful universe." She uttered with the highest admiration in her voice.

That name sounded familiar but my brain didn't have any stock images that could be used to align with that thought.

"Really? That freak dude everyone's been worshipping? So that's why his pictures are posted on all of my social media apps. Especially on Weibo." Jia Cheng said it seemed like he knew the guy.

"How dare you call him that! He's not a freak!" Lisa yelled and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I'm saying the truth. Your idol is a bubbleheaded weirdo." He yelled at his sister and turned to me.

"He is the only superstar that never liked to go on tours, I don't know why he chose to do it here in our city though and he doesn't usually sign autographs or take pictures with his fans. A snob cold-blooded guy. Stupid right, that they called him 'SUPERSTAR'? I don't get why people like this girl right here were making a fuss about that airheaded meatloaf." He flicked her forehead.

"I don't care, man" I shook my head and ate another piece of pizza.

"SHUT UP, GU JIA CHENG!!! HE IS NOT STUPID!!! I HATE YOU!!!" Lisa was on the verge of tearing up.

"What now, crybaby? Giving up already? Your idol, an airheaded meatloaf. Air-headed- meat-loaf. Move on. You are just another face in a crowd. He won't glance at you and even if he does, he'll easily forget about that fat face of yours. Stop wasting your time."

I turned the both of them while they bicker and threw hateful words at each other. Lisa protecting her superstar hero and the other, Jia Cheng on the opposite side of the debate table.

These individuals became noisier than usual, especially with an idol for the main subject of the conversation. Who was the name of the idol again?

"Just lend her those outdoor equipment, bro," I said as I chose another game on the screen, neglecting the gritting sound coming from him and his sister.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

To be continued.

Your thoughts are highly appreciated.

COTE (Comment and Vote)

-Bishounenhow111