Then, the students of Class Six watched as Zhang Shu entered, and Wang Wei called Sheng Xia out again.
The sequence...
How was it exactly the same as last time?
Could there be something between these two?
When Sheng Xia returned to the classroom, her face was slightly stiff. Xin Xiaohe asked, "What's wrong?"
"The teacher asked me to help Zhang Shu revise his speech draft."
"Huh?" Xin Xiaohe processed this, then said, "Oh, it must be for the flag-raising ceremony speech. Zhang Shu is first place, so it makes sense he’d be the one to give it. Maybe Lao Wang is worried his draft might embarrass our class."
Sheng Xia nodded. "That’s what the teacher said."
Xin Xiaohe reassured her, "Just revising, right? That shouldn’t be hard for you."
Revising the draft wasn’t the difficult part, but...
Xin Xiaohe noticed her hesitation and whispered, "Why do I get the feeling you’re scared of Zhang Shu?"
Sheng Xia looked up.
It wasn’t fear, exactly. It was just that the matter of the Criminal Law book still hung over her head like a sword, unresolved.
Xin Xiaohe patted her hand. "Don’t worry. Just wait for him to beg you. If the speech goes badly, it’s his reputation on the line, not yours."
Beg her?
He didn’t exactly have the face of someone who begged.
Sheng Xia didn’t know how to respond, so she simply nodded.
...
Before the official start of the semester, the senior year students were given three days off. Boarding students could go home to relax and reset before fully immersing themselves in studies.
In reality, no one truly relaxed, as the blackboard was already filled with "suggested" homework assignments.
Sheng Xia was packing her bag, checking the list on the blackboard to gather the necessary materials to take home.
Someone tapped the crossbar of her chair, and she turned her head.
Zhang Shu’s long legs sprawled arrogantly into the aisle as he propped his chin on his hand, watching her. "Got any free time during the break?" he asked.
Confused, Sheng Xia replied, "I have practice tests to do."
"Any you don’t understand?" His tone was almost magnanimous. "I can explain them to you."
Nearby classmates cast curious glances their way. Feeling self-conscious, Sheng Xia said, "No need. I’ll ask you after the break."
Not that she actually would—she’d rather ask the teacher during evening self-study. She just wasn’t good at rejecting well-meaning offers.
Zhang Shu gave her a knowing look. "Didn’t Lao Wang tell you to help me revise my speech? I’m just returning the favor by explaining problems to you. Really, no need?"
At his words, the onlookers lost interest, their expressions turning awkward.
Sheng Xia had heard that his explanations were very clear—from a student’s perspective, sometimes even more straightforward than the teachers’.
"Have you already written it?" she asked.
Zhang Shu: "Just the beginning. Should finish it tonight. Free tomorrow?"
Hesitantly, Sheng Xia said, "Can we revise it after the break?"
His voice rose slightly. "What do you think? We have to show it to Fu Jie after the break. The flag-raising ceremony is the day after—when would we have time to revise then?"
True enough.
Sheng Xia sighed silently. "I’m going to Yifang Bookstore with a friend tomorrow to study. If you’re free, you can meet me there."
Having Tao Zhizhi around would be better than being alone with him.
"Sure. Add me on QQ so we can coordinate."
"...Okay."
That night, before bed, Sheng Xia received a message from Zhang Shu.
"What time tomorrow?"
His profile picture was plain—just a blot of ink, like a black hole. It looked like he was never online, so the sudden notification startled her.
She replied, "We usually get there by 10 a.m. and leave around 5 p.m. You can come anytime you’re free."
He sent a sticker in response, then quickly withdrew it, leaving only an "OK."Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Sheng Xia saw it—that meme was an ugly panda head with a delicate finger gesture, and the letters "OjbK" written above its head.
If it's OK, then why add two extra letters in the middle?
After some thought, Sheng Xia decided to message Tao Zhizhi first.
As expected, she received a barrage of exclamation marks in response: "!!!!!!!!!! OMG did I interrupt your date?"
What kind of date was this?
Sheng Xia explained the whole situation about revising the draft, and Tao Zhizhi replied with an "OjbK," adding, "I get it, I totally get it."
She understood everything, but Sheng Xia didn’t.
Sheng Xia: "What does OjbK mean?"
Tao Zhizhi: "Uh... it's not important, it just means OK."
Sheng Xia suddenly remembered something else and asked, "Then what’s 'wujibayu'? That’s roughly how it sounds."
Tao Zhizhi: "LOLOLOL who told you that?"
Sheng Xia: "Zhang Shu."
Tao Zhizhi: "Uh... it's a good phrase, but not for you. Just don’t say it."
Sheng Xia: ...Are they just that trendy?
Sheng Xia returned to the home screen and saw that Zhang Shu’s nickname was just a single English letter: "S."
She clicked on his profile, edited the note, and typed "Zhang Shu.Then she remembered the character "Shu" he had written on her arm and felt a surge of irritation. She quickly deleted it and, after some thought, typed two new characters: "Song Jiang."
Such a heroic name—what a waste on him.
Sheng Xia still wasn’t satisfied, but she couldn’t think of anything better. Not wanting to waste any more brainpower on the matter, she turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The next day, Tao Zhizhi arrived even earlier than Sheng Xia, who usually had to wait over an hour for her.
Although Tao Zhizhi no longer held high expectations for Zhang Shu’s "handsomeness," she still wanted to see the legendary academic genius in person.
But by noon, after they had already eaten lunch at the shop, Zhang Shu still hadn’t shown up. Tao Zhizhi even left a slice of pizza for him out of sheer goodwill.
After lunch, Tao Zhizhi gave up on studying and dozed off at the table while reading manga.
Sheng Xia was working on a math practice test that Wang Lianhua had just bought for her.
Just as she finished the multiple-choice section, a shadow fell over the desk. She looked up to see a boy standing beside the table with his backpack slung over one shoulder. Glancing at the two chairs, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where do I sit?"
Hearing his voice, Tao Zhizhi stirred awake, rubbing her eyes as she looked up...
In the hazy light, she saw a strikingly handsome face, expression cool, with a faintly raised brow.
Even just standing there, he exuded an air of rebellious nonchalance.
Casual and cocky.
Dazed, she rubbed her eyes again, staring up at the boy who still looked undeniably handsome even from this unflattering angle, then glanced at her best friend...
Sheng Xia introduced them: "This is my classmate, Zhang Shu; this is my friend, Tao Zhizhi."
Zhang Shu nodded. "Hello."
Tao Zhizhi: ...
Holy shit, since when has Sheng Xia been blind?
(Don’t block the author’s note.)
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