Summer in Your Name

Sheng Xia had just returned to her dorm when a message popped up on her phone.

Song Jiang: "Come out for a sec."

Sheng Xia replied, "What's up?"

Song Jiang: "I'm outside your door."

At the exact moment she read the message, her roommate came back, winking at her teasingly. "Senior, Senior Zhang Shu is waiting for you outside!"

Another roommate lowered her voice, "He told us to help support you."

Sheng Xia propped herself up on her crutches, and the junior made a move to assist her, but she had already steadied herself. A little embarrassed, she said, "Thanks, I can manage."

"Senior is so thoughtful!"

"..."

It was peak time for students returning to the dorms, and the hallway was bustling with people. Girls couldn't help but glance curiously at Zhang Shu as they passed.

He stood there as carefree as ever, leaning against the railing while scrolling through his phone. The midday sun cast a halo around him.

"What's going on?" Sheng Xia asked as she stepped out, wondering why he couldn't just message her on QQ.

Zhang Shu: "Can you sleep?"

Sheng Xia: "..."

Zhang Shu: "Let’s go for a walk."

A walk? Sheng Xia glanced down at her leg, then back up at him, her eyes asking: Are you serious?

"Is your bike still at school?" Zhang Shu asked.

Her bike—yes, it was. She hadn’t ridden it since getting injured during the sports meet, and it had been sitting in the bike shed ever since.

"Yeah."

"Do you have the key on you?"

"I do."

Zhang Shu: "Alright, go get it."

Sheng Xia was baffled. Why was he being so impulsive? She checked her watch. "It's time for a nap."

Where could they even go in such a short time? And more importantly, why drag along someone with a bum leg?

Zhang Shu chuckled. "First period this afternoon is P.E. I’m skipping class—and taking you with me."

...

By the time Sheng Xia found herself on the back seat of Xiao Bai—her long-unused bike—the wind whistling past her ears, the speed gradually picking up, she slowly snapped out of her daze— This is insane.

Skipping class!

In all her years of studying, she had never skipped a single class. Even if it was just P.E., even if she was excused because of her injury.

But this still counted as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her. She couldn’t ignore the way her heart had raced, her blood surging wildly when he made the suggestion.

The urge to break free from constraints and expectations had made her reckless.

At the time, he had seemed to see right through her. Without waiting for her answer, he ruffled her hair and simply said, "Go get the key."

Now, in front of her, the boy’s back was broad, his arms bare. His school jacket was draped over her shoulders, leaving him in just a thin black T-shirt.

The same one with the single stud.

Above the stud was his neck and the graceful curve of the back of his head. His tousled hair fluttered wildly in the wind but somehow always maintained a perfect shape.

Good-looking people even have obedient hair.

Unable to resist, Sheng Xia reached out and poked the stud.

Zhang Shu stiffened slightly, tilting his head. "What’s the mischief for?"

Caught.

She had thought such a light touch wouldn’t be noticeable.

When she didn’t respond, Zhang Shu asked, "Cold?"

"No," she answered. His jacket was on her—how could she be cold? "What about you? Are you cold?"

Zhang Shu slowed down and glanced back slightly. "Pretty cold. The wind’s cutting through from behind. Wanna hold onto me?"

Sheng Xia froze.

What is he even saying?! Using the wind as an excuse to flirt? Does he think she wouldn’t hear just because his voice was low?

Her traitorous heartbeat gave her away—she heard it loud and clear.

Silence stretched between them.Zhang Shu let out a short laugh and stopped teasing her, saying, "I'm not cold. We're almost there."

Almost there?

"Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"Oh."

The bike turned into Riverside Park, cruising slowly along the riverside promenade.

An unknown floral scent drifted into his nostrils. Zhang Shu was about to ask this walking encyclopedia what flower smelled so fragrant when he heard the girl's soft voice behind him, "Holding the crutches makes it hard for me to block the wind for you..."

At the same time, he felt a slight tug on his clothes. Glancing down, he saw the girl's delicate fingers clutching tightly to the hem of his jacket...

The wind could no longer rush through his clothes.

Zhang Shu smiled silently, feeling as if the whole world was filled with this comforting fragrance.

What nonsense was this about blocking wind? Who actually needed her to do that?

The bike came to a stop at the small riverside square.

Sheng Xia knew of this place but had only glimpsed it in passing from the bridge, never having visited.

This area was originally meant to house a riverside concert hall with an adjacent floating stage on the water. Now the floating stage drifted on the river, but the concert hall was never built. The city had converted it into tiered viewing platforms, leaving some of the unfinished walls standing, giving it a vaguely Colosseum-like atmosphere.

She'd once heard Sheng Mingfeng say that if this place could be revitalized, it would become Nanli's new landmark. But due to complicated historical entanglements, attracting investors proved too difficult, and the project was eventually abandoned.

Zhang Shu helped her off the bike, and they found a clean spot to sit near the steps.

This area only saw activity in the evenings when elderly residents came to dance. During the day, it was largely deserted.

The river breeze carried a refreshing coolness. Sheng Xia handed his jacket back to him. "I'm really not cold."

Zhang Shu didn't take it, replying calmly, "Neither am I. Put it over your legs."

Ignoring his suggestion, Sheng Xia moved to drape it over his shoulders from behind.

Sitting to his left, she had to lean closer to reach his right shoulder. Sensing her movement, Zhang Shu turned to refuse—

His tall nose bridge lightly brushed against her smooth cheek, freezing them both in place.

Silence enveloped them as time seemed to stand still.

Zhang Shu gazed at the flawless face mere inches away, its translucent skin and fine peach fuzz shimmering in the afternoon sunlight.

Sheng Xia had turned to stone.

His nose was impossibly close—a proud, icy ridge.

Every feature of his seemed unusually vivid, carrying that distinctive sense of strength and sharp intensity—the bridge of his nose, his Adam's apple, the line of his jaw, and especially the piercing look in his eyes.

She remained motionless, her eyelids lifting slightly to unexpectedly meet that penetrating gaze.

She found herself staring into a pair of amused eyes right before her.

With a sound like a shattered thermos flask, something exploded inside her chest.

Outwardly intact, inwardly devastated.

She quickly released her grip, letting the jacket slump loosely over his shoulders.

"Ahem." Zhang Shu cleared his throat quietly before turning away. "My dad died here," he said evenly. "At this construction site."

Sheng Xia's head snapped up to look at him.

His father... was gone?

Zhang Shu seemed to anticipate her reaction. "Don't look at me like that. I wasn't born yet when it happened, so I don't really feel anything about it. To be blunt, I didn't even know him."

Sheng Xia simply continued staring at him.

She'd once mistakenly thought he was spoiled by his family, which explained his temper."I've never met my mom either. They say she left right after giving birth to me. My sister raised me. How old do you think she was back then?" Zhang Shu sized up Sheng Xia, gesturing to her height, "Probably about your age now."

He spoke in his usual casual tone, completely even-keeled, yet Sheng Xia's heart felt like it was being tossed around on a rollercoaster.

"Told you not to look at me like that!" The boy glanced over, noticing the girl's deep, somber eyes, and reached out to ruffle her hair helplessly. "Seems I picked a bad topic—now you're even more upset?"

Sheng Xia hadn't expected her involuntary reaction to be noticed by him. After a pause, she said, "Even though they're gone, they must have loved you very much. That's why they named you Shu."

"My parents weren't educated. This name was probably given by my sister."

"..."

"Then your sister loves you too. To her, you're the timely rain, heaven's blessing."

Zhang Shu looked surprised. "You're actually the first person around me who knows the meaning of this character. Did you look it up?" Before she could answer, he nodded in understanding. "Well, you're the scholarly type—not surprising you'd know."

Sheng Xia: ...Should she thank him for the compliment?

Zhang Shu didn't wait for her response and continued, "My sister never married, so I've always hoped she could find a good home. The prerequisite is that I can take care of myself and have my own path. But before, my grades weren't good because I didn't like studying—it was really hard. By the time I wanted to learn, I was already way behind. So at first, I was just like you—too goal-oriented, too far-sighted. Back then, I was actually stuck because my mind was too chaotic, a complete mess."

Sheng Xia listened quietly without speaking.

She recalled Wang Wei mentioning that Zhang Shu's entrance exam scores hadn't been good, which was why he ended up in the parallel class.

"So I understand your current state. You're putting too much pressure on yourself, too desperate to prove you can be strong." He stood up, stepping down to the next stair before turning back to look at her. "That day at the hospital..." He seemed uncomfortable discussing this and paused, skipping over it. "You're living and studying under two conflicting parenting styles, two completely different expectations..."

Sheng Xia clenched her hands slightly, her eyelashes trembling.

He had only met her parents once—no, not even met them, just overheard a few lines of conversation—yet he hit the nail on the head.

Was he really only seventeen? The Zhang Shu before her seemed entirely different from usual.

Her eyes brimmed with complex emotions, and Zhang Shu hesitated, unsure whether to continue.

Then the girl whispered, "So what should I do?"

What to do.

Truthfully, Zhang Shu didn't want to lecture her with grand principles, but she seemed to need it.

"Setting aside those two completely different expectations, what's your own expectation? Which university do you want to attend?" he asked.

Sheng Xia shook her head. "My abilities are limited..."

"Limited abilities, so you don't know what university you can get into, what major you can study?" he interrupted, finishing her sentence.

Sheng Xia looked at him in surprise."I'm not some mind reader. You said the same thing last time at the bookstore," Zhang Shu said with an understanding smile. "See, you have such distant goals, wanting to leave your mark on this world, yet you don't even know which university you want to attend..."

Sheng Xia lowered her head again. "Because... this isn't something I can decide alone. It's not just about me."

"This is entirely your decision," he stated firmly.

"Even if it doesn't seem that way in reality, you must treat it as your own personal matter. Which university to attend, what scores to achieve, which challenging concepts to master—these are all your own affairs, completely separate from others' expectations. Only by taking ownership and steering your own course will the path become clearest."

Sheng Xia replied, "If it were truly just my decision, I would have chosen liberal arts back then. I might genuinely not have a science-oriented mind."

Zhang Shu studied her for half a second. "Perhaps liberal arts would indeed suit you better, but that's regrettably no longer an option. Besides, I don't believe science students are inherently smarter than liberal arts students. Linguistic logic is the most fundamental logic in the world—all logical expressions begin with words, and all sciences ultimately lead to philosophy. The logical structure in your writing is remarkably clear, your thinking exceptionally active—sensitive yet precise. Who dares say you're not intelligent?"

No one had ever called her intelligent before.

A faint tremor passed through Sheng Xia's heart.

"How can you boldly pursue science when you're already convinced it's not for you?" Zhang Shu gazed into her lost, helpless eyes and tried speaking from her "literary" perspective: "It's true that we should look ahead when walking, but that only applies to tall people. If you can only crawl right now, then just focus on what's within arm's reach—grab whatever handhold you can find. Once you're past this muddy stretch, you can stand up again later."

"Within arm's reach..." Sheng Xia murmured.

"Just solve the problem in front of you. Study the book before you. Forget whether it's science or liberal arts, forget how it connects to your grand ambitions. This problem—I must solve it. This concept—I must memorize it. This method—I must master it. Don't worry about anything else... systematic approaches, foundational knowledge, final exam questions, score improvement strategies—these classifications and theories aren't for you to dwell on. Nor should you obsess over gains and losses in any single subject or test."

Yes, she was always worrying about weak foundations, thinking she needed to solidify previous concepts before advancing. Sometimes she became too fixated on systematic learning, trying to map out every subject's logical structure with dense mind maps in her notebooks. Missing one link would panic her, yet when actually solving problems, who remembered these systems...

When she thought about it, it really was just self-indulgence—useless effort.

How did he know all this?

"Is there still time for me?" she asked almost unconsciously.

Zhang Shu replied, "I won't feed you empty encouragement. At times like these, absolute clarity is essential—you must believe you can succeed while accepting you might fail, understand you won't always succeed yet remain convinced you'll do better next time. No matter how today goes, tomorrow brings a new morning."

Sheng Xia looked at him. From this angle, she had to tilt her head slightly upward. The young man's expression was relaxed, but his eyes shone bright.

She finally seemed to understand why he was so exceptional. He deserved to be this extraordinary.Zhang Shu: "Actually, all this is just high-sounding talk. The most important thing is for you to be happier, more carefree. If you don't understand something, just ask and keep learning. In the end, it's just an exam paper—don't take it too seriously. Studying can be very pure too."

"Really?"

"Really," Zhang Shu nodded. "You've already organized your mistakes very well, but you haven't reviewed them thoroughly enough. Improving scores doesn't happen overnight. This math test was the first time covering all three years' content—there are so many scattered, detailed knowledge points, and the average score was already low. It's not that you haven't made progress. You're so smart and hardworking—you won't end up with bad results."

After a two-second pause, he added, "I mean, in the end."

His tone was calm, his words sincere.

She looked a bit dazed. After a long moment, she murmured, "I'm starting to believe what Han Xiao said about how talking to you made her completely devoted..."

Zhang Shu was taken aback, not expecting that reaction. Then he chuckled, "Oh? I often feel like a philosopher myself."

Sheng Xia: "..."

He had just said philosophy was the ultimate science.

The light disappeared—a narcissist had emerged from the black hole.

Seeing her finally relax a little, Zhang Shu smiled. "Where did you hear all this? What else have you heard about me?"

She'd also heard—those unspeakable things about him and the school beauty.

Of course, Sheng Xia didn't say it out loud, just lowered her head to fiddle with her pants.

Zhang Shu laughed, stepping forward with one leg onto the stair where she sat. Suddenly leaning in close, he met her eyes at eye level. "So, are you completely devoted now too?"

Splash, splash, splash—

The river water crashed against the shore, forceful and overwhelming.

Sheng Xia stared into those mischievous eyes so close to hers. Her heart was like that river—its coming and going, its direction and strength, all beyond her control.

Damn it. She could no longer use "just flirting" to stop her heart from racing wildly.