"Sound character, self-development, patriotic sentiment, and a global perspective."
If one could become such a person, then youth would not be wasted.
Sheng Xia silently repeated these phrases, feeling a sudden surge of emotion that could be described as "awe"—or perhaps more accurately, resonance.
"Damn, did Zhang Shu write this or did you, Xia Xia?" Xin Xiaohe exclaimed in amazement.
Sheng Xia recalled the line "Someone once told me..." and felt slightly embarrassed, but the core message was his own. "He wrote it."
"Seriously? Not plagiarized?"
Well...
The initial draft had been, but the final version was his own, only referencing the logic and phrasing of some speeches.
"It's not plagiarized."
Xin Xiaohe was stunned: "Never judge a person by their past. It's only been three days—just this holiday break—and Zhang Shu has turned into a model youth? Please, let’s have more holidays."
After the flag-raising ceremony, the crowd shuffled from the square toward the classroom buildings. The first and second-year students had to pass by the third-year building on their way back, and Class Six was located at the far end of the first floor. Other third-year classes heading upstairs also had to pass by Class Six.
So Sheng Xia and the others listened from their classroom as passing students talked about Zhang Shu.
Especially the first and second-years, their voices filled with admiration and curiosity.
"Zhang Shu is actually so good-looking."
"When his face appeared on the big screen, I thought the tech crew had switched to some talent show..."
"Only lost three points in science subjects? Terrifying..."
"What kind of person is this? Which window did God close for him?"
"Hey, this is their class. Look."
"It’s a parallel class, though..."
Xin Xiaohe listened quietly and remarked, "Shared glory, huh? Has Zhang Shu gone viral?"
Sheng Xia nodded. "Seems like it."
Classmates gradually returned, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits—perhaps, as Xin Xiaohe said, sharing in the pride.
Zhang Shu was practically swarmed by his friends, arms slung over shoulders as they approached from a distance.
Alongside his Class Six peers were the guys who had been squatting by the window that day.
When they reached the Class Six corridor, none of them left. Instead, they crowded onto the two tables in the hallway, laughing and teasing, their uproarious cheers nearly lifting the ceiling. Passersby couldn’t help but turn to look.
"Damn, Shu-ge! You delivered that speech so naturally—who wrote it? Spill the truth, man. Absolute genius!"
"It really was Shu himself, I vouch for that."
"Really? I don’t buy it. If he wrote this, I’ll walk on my hands!"
Zhang Shu smirked, radiating confidence. "Even if you pissed upside down, this speech was still written by your Shu-ge."
"Hahahahaha! Shu, have some idol image to maintain, will you?"
"Seriously, Shu? Damn, didn’t expect you to be so full of positive energy?"
Zhang Shu: "When have I ever been crooked?"
"I believe you’re straight, but this upright? It’s unsettling. ‘Useful to the nation and the world’—what kind of heroic, red-blooded youth is this? Legendary!"
"Legendary! I’m uncultured, but damn, legendary!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Shu," Liu Huian seized the loophole, "That bit about being ‘useful to the nation and the world’—didn’t someone tell you that? Who was it?"
"Yeah!" Wu Pengcheng caught on too. "And that line about ‘if you’re mediocre, at least be a good person’—that’s totally me. Feeling called out."
Hou Junqi retorted, "It’s ‘at least,’ at least be a good person!"
"Right, right."Zhang Shu chuckled, "Since when did you all listen so attentively? Getting all nitpicky with the wording now."
"Of course, who do you think is speaking up there? Our brother!"
"I dare say this morning's flag-raising speech was the most attentively listened to by everyone, not just us, right?"
Zhang Shu cut them off, "Alright, alright, enough flattery. Break it up, you're blocking the way."
Their group was too conspicuous, and many who would have passed by Class Six's corridor detoured across the lawn instead.
"Just tell us who said it!"
"What's there to hide?"
"Made up! It's made up, okay?" Zhang Shu continued shooing them away, "Get going, don't cause trouble in our class. If you don't leave, should I demonstrate a handstand right here?"
"Tch~"
"Fame brings a temper, hard to please now!"
"Hahaha!"
The boys jostled each other, glancing back every few steps as they left, their laughter echoing down the hallway.
Youth truly had boundless energy to expend.
When Zhang Shu entered the classroom, several boys still teased him. He brushed them off with a few vague words and made his way to his seat, pulling out the chair and plopping down, grabbing his water bottle to gulp down thirstily.
Speaking for so long had left his mouth parched.
Classmates passing by his desk looked at him with smiles, expressions ranging from admiration to jest. Zhang Shu kept drinking, occasionally nodding in response, his gaze slowly shifting to the person beside him.
His deskmate, however, remained utterly calm, showing no reaction?
After all, wasn't it a pleasant collaboration?
Sheng Xia had no mind for such things now.
Earlier, while bending over to search the middle bookcase for her exercise book, her eyes had inadvertently caught sight of the open backpack hanging on his chair—inside was a pair of sports knee pads.
Unless he had coincidentally bought the same pair himself, these were the ones she had given him. Judging by the elasticity, they had been used.
Had he opened them long ago?
Had he seen them?
Why hadn't he reacted at all?
Was he very angry?
Did he even know they were from her?
A series of questions flashed through Sheng Xia's mind like electric currents, each one sparking a flurry of mental fireworks—burning right up to her eyebrows.
Her head lowered, the paleness of her lips faintly visible from the side.
"Are you sick?" Zhang Shu asked.
Sheng Xia looked up at him, "Ah, no."
Her voice sounded unnatural.
Zhang Shu set down his water bottle and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. Cold?
But Sheng Xia suddenly stood up at his touch, her lips turning even paler. "Wh-what are you doing?"
The surroundings had been noisy, and no one had noticed them, but now even Xin Xiaohe, Yang Linyu, and Lu Youze turned to look. "Xia Xia? What's wrong?"
Xin Xiaohe shot Zhang Shu a questioning, accusatory look.
Zhang Shu was also a bit stunned. He had acted impulsively, his hand moving faster than his thoughts. But she had seemed to be trembling even before that?
Her usual rosy lips and fair, delicate skin made any change in her complexion starkly obvious.
Just now, she had looked like she'd just stepped out of an ice cellar...
"What's wrong with you?" Zhang Shu ignored Xin Xiaohe, persistently asking Sheng Xia.
His reaction to her probably meant he didn't know she was the one who sent them, right?
Only then did Sheng Xia realize she had overreacted. Shaking her head, she sat back down. "It's nothing, I... have a stomachache."
She could only use the universal excuse for girls to brush it off.
Everyone understood—for a shy girl like Sheng Xia, such a reaction was normal. They didn't crowd around further to spare her more embarrassment.Xin Xiaohe walked up to her and asked, "Should I get you some hot water?"
Sheng Xia replied, "No need, Xiaohe. I still have water left. Thank you."
Xin Xiaohe still looked at her with concern. She had seemed fine just moments ago?
"If you feel unwell, just call me."
"Okay."
Then Xin Xiaohe turned to Zhang Shu and said, "Stay away from her. Don't touch the fairy."
Zhang Shu was uncharacteristically speechless: ...
For the next two classes, Sheng Xia could clearly sense a kind of "don't touch the fairy" treatment from Zhang Shu.
He barely spoke to her, sitting far away. At the slightest movement from her, he would glance over, his expression as if fearing she might suddenly stand up again.
When she dropped her pen and was about to bend down, he had already reached out to pick it up. Handing it back, he said, "Maybe you shouldn't move."
Sheng Xia: ...
This was really unnecessary.
Now it was her turn to feel guilty.
She wasn't actually in stomach pain—she felt like a deceitful girl who had faked sympathy.
Finally, school ended. As soon as Sheng Xia picked up her tray at the lunch care center, she saw Zhang Shu and Hou Junqi walk in one after the other.
With the start of the new semester for first and second years, the lunch care center had become crowded.
After getting her food, Sheng Xia noticed a table where two girls were already seated. Carrying her tray over, she asked softly, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
The two girls paused, clearly surprised since there were empty tables nearby.
"No."
"May I sit here?"
"Of course."
Sheng Xia took her seat.
Zhang Shu and Hou Junqi walked past Sheng Xia with their trays. Hou Junqi let out an "Eh?" and greeted her, "Little Sheng Xia?"
Sheng Xia sighed inwardly where he couldn't see. Couldn't he just pretend not to notice her?
"Hmm?" She looked up.
"Come sit with us?" Hou Junqi said, turning back as he walked.
Sheng Xia replied, "No need, I'm almost done."
Hou Junqi glanced at her barely touched tray. "You're eating so little?"
Sheng Xia: ...
Zhang Shu had already sat down at the next table, giving Hou Junqi a look of exasperation. "If you're so concerned, why don't you eat for her?"
Finally sensing the awkward atmosphere, Hou Junqi shut up and focused on his meal.
The two girls at Sheng Xia's table exchanged glances before looking at her hesitantly.
Meeting their gaze, one of them mustered the courage to whisper, "Classmate, do you know Zhang Shu?"
Sheng Xia didn’t think this was a great topic, but she nodded honestly. "Yes."
The girl's eyes lit up. "Do you have his QQ?"
Sheng Xia understood—this was the aftermath of someone's peacocking display this morning.
She shook her head. "No."
It wasn’t exactly truthful, but she didn’t want to invite trouble.
The girl looked disappointed. "Oh."
The other girl beside her comforted, "He seems really aloof, but that just means his social circle is clean, right?"
Sheng Xia quietly ate her meal, thinking: If she had his QQ, would that make him "unclean"? Did she look like some delinquent girl? What kind of logic was that?
Just then, the auntie brought over three bowls of sweet fermented rice with eggs. "Our boss is treating the girls."
Not just their table—all the girls in the shop received one. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, and some turned to thank the boss, who smiled radiantly. "Back-to-school treat!"
A boy pretended to whine, "What about us?"
The boss replied, "Boys should be raised tough. Plain water is enough."
"Guess I'll be a girl in my next life."The girl across the way muttered, "Though it's very thoughtful, why give this on such a hot day? Watermelon juice would've been so much better..."
Another chimed in, "Yeah, true."
Sheng Xia simply felt that any free treat was good. She scooped up a spoonful of the fermented rice—warm and sweet.
By afternoon nap time, Sheng Xia had already forgotten about the morning's incident. Her energy levels had noticeably improved by the afternoon. Seeing her quick recovery, Zhang Shu couldn't help but wonder: Was a bowl of fermented rice really that effective for the pain she'd been in this morning?
Teenage girls truly were mysterious creatures.
During break, Xin Xiaohe came over to check on her. "Xia Xia, are you feeling better now?"
Sheng Xia paused, suddenly remembering she'd lied to her friend, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
Her cheeks flushed pink as her eyes welled up with exaggerated gratitude, transforming her guilt into spoken thanks: "Much better now. I'm really so grateful to you."
Xiaohe's round eyes widened in surprise: What was there to thank her for?
Zhang Shu frowned and turned his head: ???? What exactly was she thanking her for?
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