Sheng Xia returned home to find Wang Lianhua asleep on the sofa, who stirred awake at the sound of the door opening. "You're back. I made sea cucumber millet porridge for you. Let me check if it's still warm..."
She brought it over. "It's still warm. What did you eat tonight?"
Sheng Xia avoided the latter question and said, "Mom, you should rest early. You don’t need to make me midnight snacks anymore."
"I have nothing else to do at home anyway."
Sheng Xia set down her backpack. "You drove a long distance today. You should get some sleep."
"Ah, if only Axuan could think like that," Wang Lianhua sighed. "Eat it while it's hot."
Between bites, Sheng Xia asked, "How is Axuan doing?"
"She was sulking the whole way, but it wasn’t too bad. She didn’t throw any tantrums."
Sheng Xia nodded. "That’s good."
Wang Lianhua sat across the dining table. "Did you come back with your classmate Lu today?"
"Yeah."
Wang Lianhua hesitated, as if wanting to say more.
Sheng Xia looked up. "Mom, what’s wrong?"
"I know you’re a good girl," Wang Lianhua said hesitantly before continuing, "But I’ve been through this age too. No matter what, you must prioritize your studies, understand?"
Sheng Xia knew her mother was still worried about her dating too young—any hint of it made her extra cautious. Back at her previous school, similar concerns had arisen. Now, Sheng Xia even suspected that transferring schools might have been partly because of this.
"I understand, Mom."
"Don’t think I’m nagging. Women are different from men. In a woman’s life, there’s no room for mistakes. One wrong step leads to another. You must be clear about what to do at what time, understand?"
Sheng Xia kept her head down, eating quietly before nodding.
"Got it, Mom. I’ll clean up later. You should rest early."
"Alright. Age is catching up to me—just driving a little wears me out."
"Goodnight, Mom."
"You should sleep early too."
"Okay."
The dining room fell silent. After finishing her meal and washing the dishes, Sheng Xia went to her room to shower.
In the end, she still hadn’t brought up the sports meet or the formal dress. Leaning against the headboard, she hesitated for a long time before finally leaving a message for Sheng Mingfeng.
She knew that if she asked Sheng Mingfeng about this, Zou Weiping would likely handle it. If her mother found out, who knew what would happen? But with her mother, she didn’t even have a chance to bring it up.
Sheng Xia sighed unconsciously.
Forget it—she wouldn’t overthink it. Seniors didn’t participate much in the sports meet anyway, so her mother probably wouldn’t find out.
The next day, Sheng Xia deliberately brought her phone to school and, as expected, received a call from Sheng Mingfeng during break. She hurried to the stairwell outside the classroom to answer.
Sheng Mingfeng asked in detail about her requirements for the formal dress.
"Something simple and long," Sheng Xia said. "Oh, and the budget should be under five hundred."
"Don’t worry about that. Any other requests? Color? Style? Nothing specific?"
"Not really."
"Great! It’s good to participate in more activities, interact with teachers and classmates, and make more friends!" Sheng Mingfeng sounded delighted. "Do you want to go try it on yourself?"
"No need," Sheng Xia replied, thinking they could just pick based on her height and weight. "I don’t have time recently."
"Alright, then I’ll have it ordered quickly and sent to you by Brother Li."
When Sheng Xia returned to the classroom, she found an uninvited guest sitting at her desk.
Zhang Shu was perched on Sheng Xia’s chair, chatting with Hou Junqi in front.Sheng Xia walked to her seat, expecting him to voluntarily stand up and return it to her. To her surprise, he leisurely surveyed her desk, looked up, and asked, "No more □□ candy?"
Since they had already cleared things up yesterday, Sheng Xia saw no need to continue bringing them. She really hadn’t brought any today.
How could he... actually come over and ask?
Sheng Xia replied, "No more."
Zhang Shu gave a faint smile. "But what if I’m addicted now?"
Buy it yourself, of course? That was Sheng Xia’s first thought. Naturally, she didn’t say it out loud.
"Didn’t you say, if we had a meal, then..." Sheng Xia trailed off mid-sentence. She wanted to say, didn’t you say treating a meal would settle everything? But then she thought—he was the one who paid for that meal. Not only was nothing settled, but the entanglement had only grown.
Zhang Shu asked, "Then what?"
Sheng Xia stayed silent.
Zhang Shu looked at her tightly furrowed brows, a clear sign of her embarrassment, and let out an almost inaudible sigh. "Forget it. Tug a little, and it’ll even out."
Even out? What did he mean by "tug a little, and it’ll even out"?
He stood up, making a show of giving the seat back to her.
Sheng Xia exhaled in relief.
But just as they brushed past each other, she felt a warm touch on her cheek, followed by a quick pinch...
He—he had pinched her cheek!
Just once, so fast that Sheng Xia didn’t even see which hand he used, when he raised it, or when he withdrew it.
Then he curved his lips into a brief smirk and walked past her.
What—what had he just done?! Was this how things were supposed to "even out"?
Sheng Xia, disbelieving, cupped the side of her face he had pinched, nervously glancing around.
Maybe their passing shoulders had blocked the view, or maybe his movement was too quick to catch—no one seemed to have noticed.
Except—
Hou Junqi, who was right beside them.
Hou Junqi’s jaw dropped, then quickly morphed into a sly grin as he muttered a low "Holy shit," turned away, shaking his head while mumbling things like "Damn," "So bold," "Who can resist this..."
Sheng Xia sat down, gulping water, her hand still pressed to her cheek, afraid her face had flushed bright red for everyone to see.
From across the classroom, she glared at Zhang Shu—or rather, at his back.
He had already returned to his seat, and as he sat down, his gaze flickered toward her intentionally or not. Sheng Xia quickly turned to look out the window before their eyes could meet.
She yanked the window open for air.
The sweltering hallway offered no breeze, leaving the girl to take deep, futile breaths.
...
By Friday afternoon, Li Xu had already delivered the formal dress to Sheng Xia.
As soon as school ended, Sheng Xia headed to the north gate, where Brother Li stood by his car parked under a tree, holding an enormous box. Perhaps he had just come from some meeting—despite the heat, he was dressed in a pinstriped shirt layered with a black dress vest, looking every bit the serious bureaucrat in his early thirties.
Sheng Xia felt slightly embarrassed. When it came to service, Brother Li had never once let Sheng Mingfeng down.
His demeanor was so formal, like he was receiving a superior, that Sheng Xia almost hesitated to approach him.
"Xia Xia!"
It was Li Xu who called out to her first.
"Brother Li, have you been waiting long?"
"Not at all, just got here," Li Xu said, eyeing the large box. "Should I take this to your classroom for you?"
Sheng Xia shook her head hurriedly. "I can carry it."
Li Xu said, "There are a few more things in the trunk."
Sheng Xia assumed it was just more fruit and snacks Sheng Mingfeng had prepared for her. "No need, I still have evening self-study."
"They’re small accessories to go with the dress, packed in separate boxes."Li Xu handed the large box to Sheng Xia first, then opened the trunk and took out a shoebox along with two exquisite velvet boxes, each as big as a file storage box.
This...
"There's no need for such formality."
Li Xu was just following orders and couldn't respond to Sheng Xia's remark, so he simply asked, "Shall I carry these in for you?"
The boxes weren't heavy, but their size made it impossible for Sheng Xia to carry them alone.
She checked the time. Most people would be at lunch now, so the classroom should be nearly empty. She nodded in agreement.
Brother Li carried the large box while Sheng Xia followed behind with the smaller ones. They hadn't gone far when they ran into Zhang Shu and Hou Junqi, who were on their way to lunch.
"Little Sheng Xia?" Hou Junqi greeted first.
Sheng Xia froze—ah, the unpredictability of chance encounters...
Zhang Shu glanced at the man behind her and then at the assortment of boxes. "Need help?" he asked.
Brother Li looked at her for guidance.
After a brief hesitation, Sheng Xia decided Brother Li's formal attire might draw unnecessary attention in school, making him look like an education bureau official on inspection.
"Let my classmates help me carry these in," she told Brother Li.
Understanding, Brother Li nodded and surveyed Zhang Shu and Hou Junqi before finally handing the large box to Hou Junqi.
Zhang Shu naturally took the three smaller boxes from Sheng Xia's arms.
Waving goodbye to Brother Li, the three entered through the north gate.
Hou Junqi glanced back at the car disappearing around the corner, thinking: An A6 with a red flag plate—the car might be ordinary, but the owner isn't.
Never one to hold back his curiosity, he asked bluntly, "Little Sheng Xia, who was that just now?"
Sheng Xia was used to such questions and answered without hesitation, "A colleague of my dad's."
Hou Junqi hadn't expected that response. "Ah, I see," he chuckled awkwardly before dropping the subject.
Sheng Xia hadn't anticipated the boxes taking up so much space. She'd thought it would just be a paper bag that could sit by her desk, but now with these large and small boxes, there was nowhere to put them in the classroom.
Hou Junqi suggested, "How about leaving them at A-Shu's place?"
Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow but nodded in agreement.
His home was nearby, but making frequent trips there wouldn't be appropriate.
After some thought, Sheng Xia said, "Let's just put them anywhere for now. I'll ask Teacher Fu this afternoon if I can store them in her office."
Zhang Shu frowned when he noticed her evasive expression.
Hou Junqi asked, "The sports meet is still a while away. Why bring your formal dress now instead of keeping it at home?"
Of course, because she couldn't keep it at home.
Sheng Xia sighed inwardly. When would Hou Junqi's curiosity ever lessen?
As she pondered how to respond, a cool voice came from behind: "Mind your own business about fairy matters."
Uh...
From the corner of her eye, Sheng Xia caught Zhang Shu's indifferent profile.
She often heard Xin Xiaohe say similar things and found it endearing, but coming from Zhang Shu, it felt oddly off—his tone almost sounded displeased.
With the classroom nearly empty, Sheng Xia naturally joined the two for lunch after storing the boxes. Throughout the meal, Zhang Shu kept his eyes on his food, unusually quiet. While he typically didn't talk much during meals, Sheng Xia was certain he was in a bad mood.
But why the sudden displeasure?
He'd been fine at the school gate earlier and had even offered to help willingly.
How strange.In the afternoon, when Sheng Xia arrived at the classroom, she saw several girls gathered around her desk. One of them called out to her as soon as they spotted her, "Wow, Sheng Xia, is this the dress you'll wear for the banner ceremony? Can we take a look?"
Sheng Xia hadn’t seen it herself yet, but she glanced at the wall clock and said, "Class is about to start."
"Then we’ll check it out after class!"
"Okay," Sheng Xia replied.
"Xia Xia, look at the logo on the box—it’s from an up-and-coming designer brand. My idol wore this brand for a promotional event before, and it went viral! I remember seeing it all over her fan pages and news updates—it left a deep impression!"
Sheng Xia understood every word the girl said, but strung together, they made little sense to her. Still, she gathered that the brand must be quite good.
The girl continued, "It looks amazing! How much did it cost? Did you buy it or rent it?"
Sheng Xia thought for a moment and answered, "Over six hundred."
Saying exactly five hundred would’ve sounded deliberate, and since she had chipped in a hundred herself—not too much, but enough to show effort—she figured it wouldn’t invite criticism.
The girl’s expression turned slightly odd, and she lowered her voice. "Huh? Then it’s probably not the real deal. Renting the authentic version costs thousands."
Sheng Xia was stunned by the price. Sheng Mingfeng would never rent a knockoff, and neither would Zou Weiping.
Another girl chimed in reassuringly, "It’s fine, it’s just a small event. As long as the style looks nice, that’s all that matters."
"Yeah, yeah," the others agreed.
Sheng Xia could clearly sense that some of the girls were both disappointed and relieved.
She, too, felt relieved.
Hou Junqi, sitting in front of her, listened silently and shook his head with a sigh: Some people go to great lengths to stand out, while others do everything to bury themselves. What a show.
The first class in the afternoon was Fu Jie’s—a Friday Chinese lesson, somewhat drowsy.
By the end of it, everyone was groggy, and perhaps no longer interested in a knockoff, as no one brought up the dress again. Sheng Xia waited until Fu Jie left the classroom before catching up to her and asking if she could keep the dress for her. Fu Jie readily agreed, so Sheng Xia called Xin Xiaohe over, and the two of them carried the dress box upstairs behind Fu Jie.
The female teachers in the Chinese department were all remarkably young. Sheng Xia noticed that the school wasn’t afraid to hire fresh graduates—teachers like Fu Jie and Lai Yilin had only been teaching for two years since their master's degrees, starting from the first year of high school. In other schools, new teachers like them wouldn’t be assigned to senior classes.
Truthfully, young teachers not only employed innovative teaching methods with noticeable results but also bonded easily with students.
"Sheng Xia, you don’t know how to do makeup yet, do you?" Fu Jie suddenly asked after settling into her seat.
Sheng Xia placed the dress box down and shook her head.
Fu Jie smiled. "Then how about I do your makeup on the day of the opening ceremony?"
Sheng Xia was taken aback. "I need makeup too?"
Xin Xiaohe exclaimed, "Of course!"
Fu Jie added, "You’re representing Class Six’s image!"
Xin Xiaohe nodded vigorously. "Yeah! All the banner ceremony girls get makeup done!"
Sheng Xia pressed her lips together and nodded.
Fu Jie said, "What’s the style of your dress? Let me see so I can plan the makeup accordingly."
Sheng Xia wasn’t sure herself, so she opened the box.
The dress was folded in layers, and only when she lifted it did the full design reveal itself.
The top was a black velvet bustier with a lace waistband adorned with brass accents. The skirt was layered in a soft gray-blue, embroidered with three-dimensional gold patterns. The muted gray-blue complemented the opulent gold perfectly, stripping away any gaudiness, while the black velvet added an elegant, sophisticated touch.Inside the shoebox lay a pair of black vintage high heels. In the velvet box, one contained a black crown, while the other held a black velvet choker and a pair of elbow-length velvet gloves.
"Is this... Audrey Hepburn style?" Fu Jie's eyes lit up as she held the dress against Sheng Xia. "Hmm, the contrast will be stunning."
Sheng Xia stared at the strapless design. Would this really be appropriate to wear at school? She had only specified the length of the skirt earlier, not considering the top. Had Sheng Mingfeng seen this dress? Did he and Zou Weiping both think it was acceptable?
Other teachers in the office craned their necks to look.
"Teacher Fu, your student is really beautiful, isn't she?"
"Of course! Look who her teacher is."
"Don't get too proud now. Don't play favorites—you have two other classes too."
"Mind your own business."
Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe exchanged glances. So this was how teachers acted in private.
Lost in thought, Sheng Xia suddenly heard Fu Jie whisper teasingly, "Sheng Xia, you're going to have to spend quite a bit of your own money this time, huh?"
Xin Xiaohe jumped in, "She spent a hundred. This dress looks so high-end—it totally rivals their thousand-yuan outfits."
Fu Jie carefully folded the dress and put it back, exclaiming in surprise, "A hundred?" Then, noticing Sheng Xia's gradually lowering head, she smiled knowingly. "Well, that's quite a bargain."
The break wasn't long, so Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe returned to class first.
In the office, teachers who had been standing at their cubicles earlier now gathered around.
"Can you secretly ask your student where she rented this from? My sister-in-law is preparing for her wedding, and 600 yuan is such a steal! It could work as a toast dress!"
Fu Jie raised an eyebrow. "This is the real 'Hepburn.' Six hundred is impossible."
"Authentic?"
"Yes. The shoes are DIOR—also real."
Fu Jie came from a wealthy family. Though she dressed modestly at work, she was a true fashionista off-duty. If she said it was real, it had to be.
"Students these days go all out for an event like this?"
Fu Jie shook her head. "My silly student doesn't know anything about it."
"She really is very pretty!"
"And her personality is great too."
As Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe walked downstairs, all Sheng Xia could hear was Xin Xiaohe's endless praise: "So gorgeous," "Understated yet luxurious," "An elegant black swan," "Will blind those other classes"...
Sheng Xia was already worrying—was this too much? She had never worn a strapless dress before.
"Xiao He, has anyone worn a strapless dress for flag-bearing before?"
"Almost everyone wears strapless or something similar," Xin Xiaohe said. "Some even wore wedding dresses in previous years. Isn't this the day to show off?"
This reassured Sheng Xia a little.
...
On Monday, seating arrangements changed again, and Sheng Xia had to move across the classroom to the first group. This time, it wasn't Xin Xiaohe's special day, so she volunteered to help Sheng Xia move. The two of them struggled to carry the desk, stopping every few steps to rest.
"Wow, Xia Xia, why is your desk so heavy?" Xin Xiaohe panted, struggling to speak.
During a break, Sheng Xia replied, "Maybe I have too much stuff."
The drawers were packed full—neat but crowded.
Xin Xiaohe sighed. "How did Zhang Shu carry it over by himself last time? Compared to him, we're such amateurs."
Sheng Xia remembered how he had moved her desk last time, his arm muscles straining tightly. It couldn't have been easy for him either.
"At the start of the semester, I didn’t have as much stuff," Sheng Xia encouraged. "We're doing pretty well too."No sooner had the words been spoken than a cold voice came from behind, "Oh? Crawling like a turtle, your perseverance is indeed admirable."
Sheng Xia turned her head to see the tardy boy standing at the classroom door, his expression far from friendly.
"Put it down, you're blocking the way," Zhang Shu said impatiently, already stepping forward to stand before Sheng Xia. He took off his backpack and handed it to her. "Hold this."
Sheng Xia stared at him, bewildered. What was this about?
Without waiting for a response, Zhang Shu shoved the backpack into her arms, then effortlessly lifted the desk with both hands. The contents inside the drawer clattered noisily. Xin Xiaohe snapped out of her daze and moved aside to make way as the boy easily carried the desk to its designated spot.
Xin Xiaohe glanced at Sheng Xia and gave an awkward smile. "Well, there's definitely a difference in physical strength, huh?"
Clutching Zhang Shu's backpack, Sheng Xia followed him to their seats and murmured, "My... book box is still over there."
Given the disparity in strength, surely he wouldn't mind helping her out completely, right? Seeing things through to the end?
Zhang Shu looked up and let out a light chuckle. "You're really getting comfortable ordering me around today."
"Ordering around"—the phrase didn't sound very humane, and his tone made it clear he wasn't pleased. Sheng Xia frowned and explained, "That's not what I meant. Sorry about that."
With that, she set his backpack down and turned to retrieve her book box herself.
The girl left him with only her retreating back.
Zhang Shu was dumbfounded, at a loss for words. How could she not handle even this level of teasing? Did that mean if he said anything slightly harsher, she'd burst into tears?
She was the one who'd been wary of him before, yet now she was asking for his help. And he couldn't even tease her a little?
She really couldn't take a single joke.
Zhang Shu sighed silently and started after her. Before he'd taken two steps, he saw Lu Youze walking over with the book box in his arms, followed closely by Sheng Xia, who was looking at him with grateful eyes.
"Thank you," Sheng Xia said.
"No need to be so polite. Just let me know if you need help—we're right next to each other," Lu Youze replied, glancing back at her.
As the two reached their seats, Lu Youze acted as if Zhang Shu wasn't even there and asked, "Xia Xia, where should I put this?"
Xia Xia?
Zhang Shu stood with his hands on his hips, his breath caught in his throat, leaving only a cold smirk. He'd carried that huge, heavy desk for her, and she'd given him the cold shoulder. Yet now she was all smiles and gratitude for someone who'd merely carried a small book box? Could she be any more biased?
Sheng Xia hesitated. When she'd sat here before, Zhang Shu had placed the book box in the middle. But now...
His expression was like a mother hen guarding her chicks—even an eagle wouldn't dare encroach on his territory.
"Put it under my desk," Sheng Xia said.
Zhang Shu's unspoken words—"Put it in the middle"—were stifled before they could leave his mouth.
He stepped aside to make room for Lu Youze, then called Hou Junqi and left the classroom.
The space under the desk was already cramped, and with the book box now taking up room, Sheng Xia's legs were forced into an awkward position with no room to stretch. By the end of the day, her legs felt stiff.
She didn't speak, and neither did he. The stalemate lasted the entire day.
The most uncomfortable one was Hou Junqi. A Shu's words were especially sharp today, and even he could guess with his toes that the two sitting behind him were in a cold war.
Still, it was... interesting.
At 11 p.m., Lu Youze came over to call Sheng Xia home.
Sheng Xia snapped out of her focus on the practice problems—it was already so late again. Her efficiency today had been abysmal, so she packed up her materials, planning to make up for it at home.
Zhang Shu hadn't left yet, and since he was sitting further back, he completely blocked her path.
She'd made so much noise packing up—clearly signaling her intent to leave—yet he showed no sign of moving aside.Sheng Xia sighed inwardly and reluctantly called out, "Zhang Shu..."
Hearing the unusual impatience in her tone, Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow, leaned back in his chair, and fixed his gaze directly on her.
He didn’t really have any ulterior motives. He just hadn’t spoken all day and wanted to see if she would squeeze out another word or two. Even if it was just like at the beginning—a simple “I need to leave”—maybe he could half-heartedly break the stalemate.
But what he didn’t know was that, to Sheng Xia, his demeanor screamed—Beg me, will you?
She was in a bit of a dilemma. Lu Youze was waiting for her.
Seeing this, Lu Youze couldn’t help but speak up, “Zhang Shu, are you seriously this childish?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions around them shifted. Hou Junqi had already stood up, but a single glance from Zhang Shu made him sit back down awkwardly.
Sheng Xia was stunned too.
Zhang Shu turned his head. “What’s it to you?”
Even though Lu Youze was standing and Zhang Shu was sitting, Zhang Shu’s presence didn’t lose out in the slightest. His calm, indifferent tone left Lu Youze momentarily speechless.
“Why don’t you go tattle? Don’t just stop at Lao Wang or the grade director—go straight to the principal. That’d suit your Young Master Lu status better,” Hou Junqi sneered coldly from the side.
The atmosphere was tense as a drawn bow.
Sheng Xia hadn’t expected the conversation to escalate like this. She didn’t know where to look.
She wasn’t sure whether to stand united with Lu Youze, who had spoken up for her, or to stay out of it entirely.
Zhang Shu caught her nervousness from the corner of his eye and unconsciously sighed softly, shifting his chair to make space for her to leave.
Sheng Xia exhaled in relief. Just as she stepped into the aisle, she suddenly heard Zhang Shu’s still-cold voice behind her: “Be careful on your way.”
Her footsteps faltered. She turned stiffly—was he talking to her?
Probably. There was no one else.
“Huh? Oh, got it,” Sheng Xia mumbled in response.
Sheng Xia and Lu Youze left the classroom.
The brief but intense triangular drama came to an end.
The spectators couldn’t quite tell which of the two male leads had won.
If it was Zhang Shu—well, the female lead had left with Lu Youze.
If it was Lu Youze—the female lead’s dazed and confused response at the end made her seem like a girlfriend caught red-handed in an attempted affair.
Hou Junqi grumbled, “That bastard, putting on a gentlemanly act in front of girls. Disgusting.”
Zhang Shu didn’t comment and went back to solving problems.
“A-Shu, did you know Lu Youze also bought an electric scooter?” Hou Junqi’s tone couldn’t have been more disdainful. “Same as Sheng Xia’s, but black. Tiny little thing, looks girly as hell when riding it.”
Zhang Shu glanced up and snorted. What was this, matching rides?
Childish.
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