The crackling applause rang out again. Zoe Young had just reached the edge of the crowd when she heard the gentle, beautiful female voice from before return to a normal tone, humbly saying, “Actually, this poem was the linking script for last year’s Provincial TV Teacher’s Day Top Ten Teachers Awards Ceremony. I don’t remember it very clearly.”

“You don’t remember it clearly, but you still recited it so well? You were already hosting big events at the provincial TV station when you were so young? Truly a child star, that’s amazing.”

Was the person speaking now really that cold and distant Mr. Hughes? Her voice was so gentle, just like a loving mother.

Don’t people always say that teachers are like our mothers? It turns out they were right. Zoe Young was musing to herself, when she suddenly noticed that the person standing next to her was the shy Zachary Lewis. She had just introduced herself to everyone, but in the end, the only person she really knew was still Zachary Lewis. “Zachary Lewis, who was the one reciting just now?” Zachary Lewis looked a little surprised and asked, “Huh, you don’t know her? That’s Fiona James, also known as Swallow.”

“Swallow?” Zachary Lewis was even more surprised. “Don’t you watch ‘Little Red Riding Hood’? Don’t you know who the host of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ is?” “Host?” Zoe Young tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Is it Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf?” If those two hosted a show together, that would really be the world harmony the TV always talks about… But Zachary Lewis didn’t roll her eyes at her as she expected. Instead, she seriously corrected her, “There’s no Big Bad Wolf.”

Zoe Young only found out later that Fiona James, stage name Swallow, was one of the three hosts of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, the most famous children’s program on the provincial TV station—a show that made Zoe Young grit her teeth in frustration. It aired every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m., taking up the time slot for cartoons. So, instead of seven episodes of cartoons a week, there were only five because of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Swallow was the youngest of the three hosts, a true child star. The other two were a thirty-year-old woman in a wig playing “Grandma” and an eleven-year-old girl playing “Little Red Riding Hood”.

So there really was no Big Bad Wolf. Zoe Young didn’t like the show at all, so she’d never watched it, didn’t even know its name, and naturally had no idea how famous Fiona James was. Mr. Hughes stood up and announced that everyone should line up and return to the classroom for lessons. As the crowd dispersed, Zoe Young finally got a look at Fiona James.

She looked like a doll, a porcelain doll. Her hair was in two little braids, her face was chubby with baby fat, and her eyes were shiny and black. She wore a pale yellow princess dress and little black leather shoes, clean and elegant, like a little foreign doll that everyone would adore.

Zoe Young looked down at the pitiful red medicine stains on her own clothes, pouted, and only then realized she was still holding the “Flower Magic Wand” popsicle stick. She quickly let go and tossed it away, then lowered her head and slipped into the line.

Back in the classroom, it was time for quiet sitting again, but Mr. Hughes took the opportunity to announce the class committee members. Fiona James was the class monitor. Emily Xavier was the vice monitor. There were also several “committee members” for various duties, one health officer in charge of eye exercises, and four group leaders.

Naturally, none of this had anything to do with Zoe Young. Mr. Hughes said that after everyone joined the Young Pioneers, there would also be the position of squad leader. The squad leader was the highest position in the class, and would be chosen based on everyone’s performance. As for these class committee members, they were acting positions; if you performed well, you could be promoted, at least from one stripe to two. If you didn’t do well, you might be removed. Everyone should cooperate with the class committee.

“Does everyone understand?” “Y—es—we—do!”

Still in a daze, Zoe Young didn’t comment on everyone’s drawn-out response this time. Her mind was filled with only one name.

Swallow.

By the second recess, everyone was no longer like a flock of lost geese. They all gathered around Fiona James, listening to her talk about the TV station and stories of many famous people and comedians in the provincial arts circle… Zoe Young couldn’t squeeze in, and she didn’t even know why she felt a bit stifled and didn’t want to squeeze in. So she and Zachary Lewis hovered on the outskirts, but couldn’t help eavesdropping out of curiosity.

She suddenly remembered what Benny had said to her. He hoped she would become someone remarkable.

Zoe Young suddenly felt a little lost. She had introduced herself to everyone, but maybe none of them would remember her. Yet Fiona James hadn’t said anything, and everyone was gathered around her.

Zoe Young looked up at the distant sky and told herself in her heart, they don’t know, Zoe Young is actually amazing too. After Fiona James transforms, she becomes Swallow. After Zoe Young transforms…

She’s still Zoe Young. She wandered over to the flowerbed, sat down, propped up her little head, and looked down at her pale blue sandals. In her mind, she replayed over and over the transformation sequence of Yoyo from “I Am Candy Candy.” Yoyo transformed into Sweetie, standing on stage singing beautiful songs, shining brightly, with countless fans. That was the kind of Sweetie that Frank Lane liked.

While Zoe Young was alone, hypnotizing herself with “I am Sweetie,” she didn’t realize that she seemed to have lost a certain kind of steadfast happiness. And besides, Sweetie wasn’t Athena, wasn’t a queen, wasn’t a heroine. She was just an ordinary person seeking attention, and Zoe Young’s longing to be such an ordinary person far surpassed her desire to be a goddess.

Suddenly, she felt her ponytail being tugged. She opened her eyes and saw Andrew Lane’s face in front of her. “Our class is on break too. I saw you sitting here alone. Ha, is it because no one’s talking to you?”

…He hit the nail on the head. Zoe Young rolled her eyes at him, but inside she felt a little happy. She’d finally met someone she knew, so she didn’t have to feel so lonely. She was just about to say something to him when she heard a few boys in the distance shout, “Andrew Lane, come over here!” He already had new friends to play with. Zoe Young sighed inwardly and suddenly felt very down. So she obediently said, “Your friends are calling you, you should go.” Andrew Lane raised his eyebrows again, widened his eyes, and gave her a “Did you take the wrong medicine?” look. After a moment, he turned and shouted to the boys, “You guys go ahead, I’ll be there in a bit!” Then he came over and sat next to Zoe Young, tilting his head to look at her. “What’s wrong? Does your leg still hurt?” “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Are you upset?” Zoe Young let out a long sigh. “Andrew Lane, I’m in a bad mood.”

Andrew Lane stared at her, mouth agape, utterly amazed. He’d always thought Zoe Young was different from everyone else. Including himself—if he was upset, he might cry, throw a tantrum, roll on the ground, or demand things, but he’d never sigh like an adult and say, I’m in a bad mood.

“Why?” He decided to act a bit more mature in front of her. “I don’t know.”

They sat side by side, elbows on their knees, chins in their hands, staring blankly ahead and swinging their legs in the air. “Hey, have you ever watched ‘Little Red Riding Hood’?” Andrew Lane shook his head. “What’s that?”

Zoe Young suddenly felt a little happy. See, not everyone had watched ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. “Our class monitor is the host of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.” Andrew Lane’s tone didn’t change. “The host of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’… is it the Big Bad Wolf?” He braced himself for her to roll her eyes or scold him, but to his surprise, Zoe Young actually smiled at him, her eyes curved, the corners of her mouth lifted, like the evening moon. He turned his head away, a little flustered, and coughed. “What’s so great about being class monitor? I’m the class monitor in my class too!”

Zoe Young didn’t mock him as he expected, but instead said seriously, “That’s great. Do your best—our teacher said if you don’t do well, you’ll be removed.”

Andrew Lane’s vanity swelled instantly. He patted his chest and said loudly, “Pfft, removed? I’ll be the squad leader one day! When I’m squad leader, everyone except the principal will have to listen to me!”

Zoe Young squinted and smiled. “Mm, I believe you.” Andrew Lane would never forget the first day of school for the rest of his life. It was a dull, overcast day, boring and long, but in his memory, it was dazzlingly bright. There were so many people at the flag-raising ceremony, but her lunchbox just happened to hit him. Isn’t this what they call fate on TV? A gust of wind blew, lifting Zoe Young’s hair and brushing it against his right ear, tickling him. Andrew Lane didn’t know what to say, so he just looked up at the gray clouds, listened to the distant sound of pigeons’ wings and whistles, and softly said to Zoe Young, “I’ll definitely become the squad leader.”

Many years later, Zoe Young would read in a romance novel that the male lead, a legendary hero, looked at the heroine with deep affection and said, “Look, I want to bring the whole world to your feet.”

But such kingdoms and beauties never have a happy ending.