This speech nearly left Zhang Shu dumbfounded. It was the longest monologue he had ever heard from her since they'd met.
Zhang Shu let out a light chuckle, sounding rather helpless. "Alright, you're really cultured. I can't argue with you. Get on."
How was she supposed to get on?
Side-saddle, or straddling…
After waiting a moment and seeing the girl still frozen in hesitation, Zhang Shu turned his head to find her wearing a conflicted expression.
"Side-saddle violates traffic regulations—it's illegal," he reminded her, then laughed as he recalled that legal code. "Aren’t you a law-abiding citizen?"
Sheng Xia didn’t notice anything odd about his words. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally lifted her leg and swung it over the back seat, then inched backward carefully, ensuring not a single part of her touched the person in front.
Zhang Shu twisted the throttle and set off.
The little white scooter had a speed limit of 40 mph, though she usually never went past 30 mph. Inside the neighborhood and campus, she kept it under 20 mph. But Zhang Shu immediately cranked the throttle to the max. The sudden acceleration sent Sheng Xia tilting backward, nearly throwing her off—luckily, she managed to grab onto the rear guardrail in time.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Zhang Shu eased off the throttle, slowing down with an apologetic tone. "Sorry, just getting used to it."
Sheng Xia warned, "Slow down a bit…"
The wind scattered her soft voice behind them, and Zhang Shu didn’t catch it. "What did you say?"
Still shaken, Sheng Xia leaned forward slightly, tilting her head to repeat patiently by his ear, "Slow down a bit…"
Slow down a bit…
Her voice was delicate and soft, carrying a mix of helplessness, admonishment, and pleading—like a feather caught in the wind, carelessly brushing against Zhang Shu’s earlobe.
This kind of line?
Screech—! The scooter braked sharply, tires grinding against the pavement with a piercing sound. Sheng Xia, propelled by inertia, slammed into his back. The boy’s spine stiffened, rigid as a board, and the impact hurt. She quickly pulled away the moment she regained her balance.
Could he even ride properly?!
"Shut up!" Zhang Shu suddenly snapped at her, turning his head with a low growl.
Sheng Xia: "…" She hadn’t even voiced her doubts aloud—why was he telling her to shut up?
He looked furious, his ears and cheeks flushed red.
But wasn’t she the one who should be angry?
Too aggressive. Too terrifying. Too inexplicable.
The rest of the ride went much smoother. He maintained a steady speed and took turns carefully.
Since the first and second years were still on break, the campus was quiet in the early morning, with only a few early arrivals scattered about.
Sheng Xia kept her helmet on and ducked her head low, wishing she could vanish into thin air.
A boy and a girl riding the same scooter…
She wasn’t sure about the rumor mill at Fuzhong, but if this had happened at her old school, gossip about them dating would’ve spread like wildfire within a day. If the people involved had decent reputations, the rumors might stop there—but if not, things could get much uglier.
She really should have refused him.
Thankfully, the bike shed was empty when they arrived. The moment the scooter stopped, Sheng Xia hurriedly got off, removed her helmet, took the scooter from him, parked it properly, hung the helmet on the handlebar, pulled out the key, and locked it.
Then she slung her backpack over her shoulder and strode toward the school building.
The entire sequence was executed in one fluid motion—without so much as a glance in his direction.
Zhang Shu stood stiffly in place, watching the girl’s retreating figure without calling out to her.
The entire morning passed without any interaction between them—no words, no eye contact, not even a gesture.
Sheng Xia even reduced her trips to refill her water bottle. When she absolutely had to leave her seat, she stayed silent, waiting for him to move aside on his own.Even Hou Junqi felt there was something odd about these two, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he kept turning around to look.
"What are you sneaking around for?" Zhang Shu said bluntly.
The thing Hou Junqi was most excited about today was getting to eat at Sister Sujin's place! He chuckled and said, "Thinking about the delicious food at noon makes me so excited I could almost cry."
Zhang Shu: "How pathetic."
Hou Junqi turned to Sheng Xia beside him: "Little Sheng Xia, do you have lunch care at the north gate's second floor?"
Sheng Xia nodded: "Mhm."
"Want to eat lunch together?" Hou Junqi asked gleefully, seeing everyone as family in his excitement.
Sheng Xia's mind filled with exasperation, suddenly learning how to refuse directly: "No."
More resolute than when she declined the Chinese class representative position.
Hou Junqi was taken aback—how did soft little Sheng Xia suddenly grow thorns? He glanced at Zhang Shu, only to see an expression of complete detachment.
Yet in the end, Sheng Xia still ran into Zhang Shu and Hou Junqi at the lunch care center.
Though she knew they were relatives, seeing Zhang Shu standing next to the owner—the two looking like male and female versions of the same mold—Sheng Xia was slightly surprised. He called the owner "sis," likely his actual older sister.
The owner was beautiful but looked nearly thirty, over a decade older than Zhang Shu?
No wonder his name was "Shu" (rainfall)—his parents probably had him late in life.
Was that why they spoiled him into being so grumpy all the time?
Sheng Xia ate quickly and was already packing up to leave when Hou Junqi spotted her.
"Eh? Little Sheng Xia? Why are you leaving already?"
Her response was a polite nod and a resolute retreating figure.
Hou Junqi: "Why's she acting like she's fleeing disaster?"
"Thinks your nickname is disgusting," Zhang Shu said flatly as he set his tray down to sit.
Hou Junqi looked innocent: "Little Sheng Xia? What's disgusting about that? It's affectionate."
"She's not little." As soon as Zhang Shu said this, he saw Hou Junqi's eyes widen—knowing exactly what dirty thoughts were filling this guy's mind—and rolled his eyes before adding, "She's 166 cm tall."
Hou Junqi: "Really? She looks so tiny I thought she was 150 cm?"
Zhang Shu: "Seriously?"
Originally, Zhang Shu also thought she looked frail, but that day when he gripped her arm to write, it didn't feel bony. And this morning when she fell against his back...
Soft and plump—probably just had a small frame.
Her slender figure, fair skin, and gentle demeanor made her seem delicate. To someone tall and burly like Hou Junqi, she did appear small, but not 150 cm small.
"Exaggeration, exaggeration," Hou Junqi said, catching on. "But how do you know that?"
Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow without answering, starting his meal with an air of "I just know."
After a few bites, Hou Junqi sighed about how hard-won this meal was before suddenly changing topics: "I feel like little Sheng Xia is avoiding you?"
Zhang Shu lifted his eyelids, giving him a cool glance—not completely oblivious after all.
Hou Junqi: "Why?"
Zhang Shu paused slightly: "Because she's guilty."
Hou Junqi: "Guilty about what?"
Not planning to discuss the morning incident, Zhang Shu only told him about the birthday gift matter.Hou Junqi nearly spat out his soup, barely managing to swallow it before choking. He coughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face. "Hahahaha! Genius! The Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China! This is too hilarious hahahaha!"
Zhang Shu said, "Stop stuffing your crap into my backpack, damn it!"
Hou Junqi coughed, "Yes, sir! Hahahaha! Must obey the law hahahaha!"
"Shut up, you're spraying food everywhere."
"So you're not going to explain?"
"Explain what? There's nothing to explain."
The debtor always acts tougher than the creditor, and the whistleblower is always more anxious than the person involved.
How amusing is that?
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