Chapter 165 You Are My Idol

Chapter 165 You Are My Idol

Stephanie's POV

I stopped in my tracks and cocked my head, listening carefully.

The commotion was coming from the hallway along the side of the gym—a jumble of shouts and erratic footsteps that sounded like someone was getting chased or roughed up.

I frowned. Without thinking twice, I headed in that direction.

One of the lights at the far end of the corridor was out, making that corner noticeably dimmer than the rest.

The moment I turned the corner, the scene before me stopped me in my tracks.

A male student was pinned against the wall by two others, while a third stood ready, fist clenched, about to swing at his face.

A few bystanders stood around them, one holding up a phone, filming.

"Stop!" I shouted sharply.

Everyone froze.

The guy with his fist raised turned his head, staring at me in surprise.

I strode forward and planted myself between them. "What do you think you're doing? This is a school, not some back alley for you to beat people up!"

The guy glanced at me, then at his buddy pinned to the wall, as if something suddenly clicked. He immediately let go and stepped back.

"Wait a second…" He waved at the onlookers behind him. "Hold on, everyone!"

Before I could process what was happening, he spun around and yelled down the hallway, "Director! Did we get that take?"

From the shadows at the end of the corridor, a figure in a baseball cap poked his head out, holding a small camera. He gave them a thumbs-up. "Got it! That was perfect!"

The guy turned back to me, his tense expression melting into an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. We're film students shooting a short for class. What you just saw was us rehearsing a conflict scene—we weren't actually fighting."

I stood there, completely stunned.

Several seconds passed before I managed to speak. "Rehearsing?"

"Yeah, a conflict scene from our script." He stepped aside and gestured toward the props and reflectors set up against the wall.

"We've been filming here all afternoon. Did we make too much noise? Really sorry about that. We're wrapping up soon anyway."

Seeing the filming equipment in their hands, my cheeks instantly flushed.

My righteous intervention now boomeranged back on me.

I wanted to cover my face in embarrassment.

"Oh my God, what did I just do?!"

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice tight with mortification. "I didn't realize what was going on. I thought you were bullying someone."

"No worries at all!" The guy waved his hands quickly.

"Actually, your interruption made it even better! We've done this scene like five times and it always felt flat. Your sudden intervention totally amped up the realism."

The bystanders started crowding around too, one of them teasing, "You've got guts! When you yelled just now, I thought you were about to call the cops."

I was about to crawl into a hole from embarrassment when a girl holding a reflector suddenly widened her eyes. "Wait, are you… Stephanie?"

I turned to her. "You know me?"

"Of course I do!" She immediately set down the reflector and hurried over.

"You helped the school crack that whole case—everyone knows about it! Plus, you used to be cheer captain. When I first joined the squad, I watched your competition videos!"

As soon as she said that, the others swarmed over too.

"Is this the senior who traced the HIV transmission chain?"

"Oh wow, it's actually her!"

"I heard one of my professors mention you. Said you've been doing charity work even after graduation."

Before I could respond, the director came jogging over from the end of the hallway.

He ran up to me, pulled out a small notebook, and looked at me with eager eyes. "Stephanie, could you sign this for me?"

"Sign?" I was completely bewildered. "I'm nobody worth signing autographs for."

"Are you kidding? You've done so much for the school and for students." He looked dead serious, eyes full of admiration.

"And the way you just stepped in—that kind of presence would be perfect for the lead in our next short. If you're interested…"

The girl behind him whispered, "Don't just recruit her for a role right off the bat!"

He relented reluctantly but still held out the notebook and pen insistently. "Then at least give me an autograph! To commemorate the legendary moment when our shoot got interrupted by a real-life hero."

I was in a complete daze. I lifted my hand to sign, my mind blank.

I never imagined there'd come a day when people would chase me down for autographs.

I'd barely handed the notebook back when the rest of them crowded around.

"I want one too!"

"I totally admire how you had the courage to stand up back then!"

"Can you write something encouraging for me?"

My face turned completely red.

I signed name after name until I finally managed to escape. Even then, it still felt like I'd just lived through some surreal dream.

---

When I got home, Christopher was in the kitchen chopping onions.

Hearing the door open, he glanced over. His gaze lingered on my flushed face for two seconds before he set down the knife, washed his hands, and quickly stepped out of the kitchen.

"Why's your face so red?"

"Someone recognized me." I kicked off my shoes and collapsed onto the living room couch.

"I just mistook some people for fighting at school and rushed in to stop them. Turns out they were film students shooting a class project."

After I finished recounting what happened, he couldn't help but laugh. "And then?"

"Then they recognized me and surrounded me for autographs. I never thought I'd ever be famous enough for something like that."

Christopher finally let out a soft chuckle.

He walked over and stood in front of me.

"Stephanie, you need to accept this about yourself—you are well-known at that school."

"I really didn't think it would be like this…" I muttered, lowering my head to rest my face in his palm. "I only did what I thought was right. I never expected people to remember me, and I wasn't even sure if any of it mattered."

"But it did matter." Christopher crouched down and gently tilted my face up.

"Just by standing here, being who you are, people remember what you did when you stepped up. Even though you're just a newly hired cheer coach now, there are people who admire you and remember you. You always think you're just moving forward one step at a time, but you don't realize—you've already crossed thresholds that most people can't reach, and you've lit the way for so many others."

"Who you are now is exactly who so many people wish they could be."

I looked into his gentle eyes and couldn't help but smile.

"So what you're saying is, I'm kind of a role model at school now?"

"Absolutely." Christopher nodded with certainty.

He stood up and leaned down to press a soft kiss to my forehead.

"I made cream of mushroom soup. It'll be ready in a minute."

"Okay." I got up and headed into the bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

My fingers had just touched my collar when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and saw a message from an unknown number.

One glance, and I froze completely.