Chapter Eleven: First Encounter on the Train-Starlight Shines on the Peninsula(A traveler in a green robe wanders through misty mountains veiled in rain.)

Having found a background that suited his composition, Zhe Chen began to sketch the old alleyways of the water town. The warm sunlight streaming in from the window fell upon his handsome face, lending his focused expression an added touch of unique charm.

"Xiarong, why are you staring at me? Is there something you want to say?" Immersed in his drawing, Zhe Chen seemed to sense something and turned his head toward the gaze he felt. To his surprise, he found Wu Xiarong watching him intently, which made him a little puzzled.

"Ah! It's nothing, nothing at all. Go on, Zhe, keep drawing. I just wanted to see how your work was coming along." Flustered by his question, Wu Xiarong's cheeks flushed even deeper. She waved her hands in a panic, her words tumbling out in a stammer.

"I see." Zhe Chen glanced at Wu Xiarong, full of confusion, but since she insisted it was nothing, he felt awkward pressing her further. He simply scratched his head and turned his attention back to outlining the background.

"How embarrassing... If the others had seen that just now, they'd definitely tease me to no end." Having managed to brush off Zhe Chen’s question, Wu Xiarong kept a calm face, but inside she was already clutching her head and spiraling into silent despair.

"So this is what Wu Xiarong is like in real life?" Zhe Chen sneaked a glance in her direction and noticed her expression was as unruffled as ever, making him secretly wonder.

After that awkward moment, silence fell over the two once more. Not quite used to the atmosphere, Zhe Chen had no choice but to pour all his focus into his sketch, hoping to escape the discomfort.

Ten more minutes passed in silence before Zhe Chen finally finished the entire drawing. In the picture, Wu Xiarong sat on a wooden chair in the alley of the ancient water town. It seemed as though someone was calling her; she turned her head, a gentle breeze blowing her hair into disarray, and she instinctively lifted a hand to brush it aside.

"Xiarong, I'm done. Take a look and see what you think." After one last check to make sure there were no major issues, Zhe Chen handed his sketchbook to Wu Xiarong, gesturing for her to have a look.

Accepting the sketchbook from Zhe Chen, Wu Xiarong didn't respond immediately. Instead, she was drawn into the image, as if the drawing had completely captured her attention.

"Amazing! Zhe, you're really talented—honestly, you made me look much prettier than I am in real life!" Having carefully studied the drawing, Wu Xiarong looked at Zhe Chen with a face full of delight. To him, her tone seemed a little exaggerated.

Even if he thought her reaction was a bit much, Zhe Chen couldn’t help but smile at her praise, rubbing the back of his head as a warm satisfaction welled up within him.

"By the way, Xiarong, would you mind signing your name on this drawing?" Watching Wu Xiarong run her hands along the sketch, Zhe Chen hesitated for a moment, but then mustered his courage and asked.

"A signature?" Wu Xiarong paused, absentmindedly twisting a lock of hair around her finger as she considered his request.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhe Chen wondered if he had been too forward and was about to say something else when Wu Xiarong suddenly stretched her hand out before him, cocking her head with a questioning look.

"Hand me the pencil, will you? How am I supposed to sign without it?" Catching his puzzled expression, Wu Xiarong's lips curled into a sly smile. She winked at him playfully and extended her hand further, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Oh, right." Finally catching on, Zhe Chen hurriedly nodded and placed his pencil in Wu Xiarong’s outstretched palm.

"Hmph!" Wu Xiarong gave a satisfied little hum at Zhe Chen’s dazed reaction, clearly pleased with herself.

"All done! Now, you’d better treasure this signature." After signing her name in the blank space on the sketch, Wu Xiarong shielded the page from Zhe Chen’s view and scribbled something else before closing the sketchbook and handing it back to him.

"What else did you write? So mysterious." Zhe Chen muttered under his breath as he reached for the sketchbook, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Nice signature, huh? Wait, what’s this number?" Driven by curiosity, Zhe Chen flipped directly to the page with the drawing as soon as he had the sketchbook. His eyes quickly found Wu Xiarong’s signature—and, just beneath it, a string of numbers.

"That’s my private number, so don’t go sharing it with anyone else!" Seeing Zhe Chen’s curious gaze, Wu Xiarong winked at him mischievously. She pressed a finger to her lips in a playful shushing gesture.

"Why are you giving me your number all of a sudden?" Startled, Zhe Chen was about to exclaim aloud, but seeing her gesture, he leaned in and lowered his voice to ask.

"Because you’re my friend. How could my friend not have my phone number?" Wu Xiarong leaned in as well so she could hear him better. From a distance, it looked for all the world like a young couple whispering sweet nothings—especially to a certain sister who had just returned from the bathroom.

"Well, well, Zhe’s already managed to charm a Korean girl! That’s my brother, all right. I guess I really underestimated him before." Watching the scene, Yuqi Chen nodded in satisfaction, apparently delighted that her little brother had finally learned to "pick a cabbage," as the saying goes.

"That makes sense, but if you’re giving me your number, do you expect me to call you internationally?" Zhe Chen scratched his head. Though he was excited to have received his idol’s private number—given to him personally, no less—the thought of making international calls left him a little dismayed. He couldn’t help but miss the myriad social apps from his previous life.

"Silly, aren’t you traveling in Korea right now?" Wu Xiarong watched him fret and, after a moment's thought, asked the question in return.

"Yeah, I’ll be traveling around Korea with my nuna for about two weeks. Why?" Uncertain why she was asking, Zhe Chen answered honestly.

"Then you’ll need to get a Korean SIM card, obviously!" Watching him fail to grasp the point, Wu Xiarong felt the urge to facepalm, but she persevered, guiding him patiently.

"Oh, right! That’s true. Once I get a Korean SIM card, calling you will be much easier." With Wu Xiarong’s prompting, Zhe Chen finally broke out of his mental rut.

"Not just that—once you add my number to your contacts, you can add me as a friend on Kakao. Then we can chat on KakaoTalk, which is way more convenient than calling." Seeing him finally catch on, Wu Xiarong let out a sigh of relief, but, worried he might not understand the benefits of Kakao, she explained a little further.

"No problem. As soon as I get my Korean SIM and register for Kakao, I’ll add you." Though he replied readily, Zhe Chen couldn’t help but think to himself, Isn’t this just the Korean version of WeChat? Of course I know how to use it.