Winter had arrived with its short days and long nights, and the sky had completely darkened by the time Wang Lianhua finished her meeting.
Sheng Xia could hear her chatting with Lai Yilin as they descended the stairs.
Back at No. 2 High School, Wang Lianhua had always been the last parent to leave after parent-teacher conferences. Back then, Sheng Xia had been one of the top students, and many teachers, aware of her father’s connections and swayed by social niceties, had been particularly attentive.
But now…
Ah…
She could easily imagine how exasperated the young teachers must have felt dealing with her mother.
As she emerged from the lower stairs, Lai Yilin praised, "Sheng Xia is such a hardworking child. Look, while everyone else is out playing, she’s still memorizing vocabulary."
Wang Lianhua sighed. "Well, slow birds have to start flying early. If her grades aren’t good enough, she just has to work harder."
"It’s alright. The average math score was low this time, and it was the first exam covering such a broad range. It’s normal for Sheng Xia to have gaps in her knowledge. There’s still time to catch up."
"Oh, oh, that’s good to hear. Thank you for your hard work, teachers."
"It’s our duty. We all like Sheng Xia very much."
"..."
Another round of pleasantries followed, and Sheng Xia could tell these words had been repeated many times in the office.
Still, what Teacher Lai said matched Zhang Shu’s assessment.
His analysis had been quite accurate.
Finally, they bid farewell, and Wang Lianhua took Sheng Xia out for hotpot at Pao Gong Guan. The fish maw chicken stew took quite a while to prepare.
Wang Lianhua asked, "So your deskmate is the younger sister of the after-school care center’s owner?"
Sheng Xia froze.
Wang Lianhua usually kept to herself during parent-teacher meetings, rarely engaging in small talk.
Younger sister…
Huh?
Even though she had fabricated this lie herself, she now felt too embarrassed to face it.
"Mhm."
"So the girl at the hospital last time wasn’t your deskmate?"
"She was too. We rotate seats." Sheng Xia repeated the strange seating arrangement explanation.
"What a coincidence," Wang Lianhua mused. "You mentioned before that the owner of the after-school center has been very kind to you. I should buy some gifts and visit sometime to thank her."
"No, no, no need!" Sheng Xia quickly refused.
Wang Lianhua looked puzzled. "Why not?"
"I can take care of it. The after-school center is pretty busy."
"Alright then," Wang Lianhua asked casually, "Is her sister’s grades good?"
Sheng Xia could hardly bear to hear the term "younger sister" anymore.
An image flashed in her mind—the boy’s prominent Adam’s apple, as big as a pigeon’s egg, like some kind of lethal weapon…
Ugh…
"Better than mine," Sheng Xia said.
Wang Lianhua nodded approvingly. "Then you should learn from her. Teacher Wang also mentioned that the top student in your class maintains the highest grade in the entire grade level, with an overwhelming lead. You said you were studying his mistake notebook—how’s that going?"
"I’ve been following his method. It’s really helpful."
"Observe and learn more. Changing environments really does bring different peers."
"Mhm."
Sheng Xia exhaled in relief. It seemed her mother was relatively satisfied with today’s parent-teacher meeting.
…
Sheng Xia returned to the classroom just before evening self-study. Zhang Shu was already there, as usual surrounded by a group of people. Recently, the NBA playoffs had been intense, and the boys often gathered to discuss the games heatedly. Hou Junqi even stayed up late watching matches, only to sleep through the next day’s classes.
Zhang Shu, on the other hand, squeezed in time during breaks or meals to catch up on his phone.
But today, they weren’t talking about basketball.
Or maybe they had already finished—because now they were teasing Zhang Shu… about his desk.
"Isn’t this way too girly?"“Can you stand this pencil case? And what on earth is stuck on the bookstand?”
“Zhang Shu, was this Sheng Xia’s doing?”
Yang Linyu, who had witnessed everything that afternoon, chimed in, “You’re such a genius.”
“It’s so pretty, are you blind?” Zhang Shu retorted sharply. “Isn’t it nice?”
The crowd reluctantly agreed, their tones dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, yeah, it’s so nice. If you say it’s nice, then it’s nice.”
“What do you know? This is called ‘love me, love my dog’!”
Love me, love my dog…
What kind of outrageous phrasing was that?
Sheng Xia felt something thump in her chest.
Could she just turn around and leave now?
The bell rang, and the group scattered like startled birds. As they turned, they caught sight of a slender figure standing in the shadows by the door.
With teasing glances, they all returned to their seats.
Sheng Xia also lowered her head and slowly made her way back to her seat with the help of her crutches.
“Should I peel those stickers off for you?” Sheng Xia pointed at the decals.
Zhang Shu shrugged. “If you peel them off, can they be reused?”
Sheng Xia shook her head.
“Then why bother? Burning bridges after crossing the river?”
“…”
She couldn’t tell if he genuinely thought they looked good or was just saving face for her behind her back. This guy always seemed to act unpredictably—saying harsh things to her face but praising her behind her back.
Never playing by the rules.
Sheng Xia didn’t dwell on it, but she did take back her notebook and pencil case.
Then she buried herself in her studies, minding her own business without another word.
After a while, she felt the boy beside her lean in and whisper, “How was my teamwork today?”
Sheng Xia turned her head—his face was suddenly so close that she instinctively jerked back. “What teamwork?”
Zhang Shu noted her skittish reaction. “Your mom didn’t suspect anything, right?”
Her heart pounded as she suddenly remembered the whole “little sister” act…
“N-no.”
“Relax, I’ve already coordinated with my sister. She won’t expose you,” he murmured, his breath brushing against her ear. “But… what’s the big deal about having a male deskmate? Did your mom catch you dating someone back at No. 2 High?”
Sheng Xia quickly turned away, shaking her head vigorously. “No!”
“Never dated?”
“No!”
A soft chuckle escaped him as he straightened up, finally putting some distance between them.
The teacher walked in, conducting the usual pre-class inspection.
He didn’t speak again, and Sheng Xia’s racing heart gradually settled.
That weekend, Tao Zhizhi came to Emerald Bay to visit Sheng Xia.
Since Sheng Xia’s leg injury, their bookstore meetups had been put on hold. Both girls had been busy with school, only exchanging occasional messages on Q.Q.
Coincidentally, Wu Qiuxuan was also home this weekend, while Wang Lianhua had taken Ning Ning to see the psychologist.
With the “tiger” away, the “monkeys” ruled the house. Wu Qiuxuan sprawled lazily on the couch, watching a talent show.
Sheng Xia and Tao Zhizhi chatted idly—about school, new friends, and… Zhang Shu.
Sheng Xia had told Tao Zhizhi how she injured her leg. Instead of sympathizing, her best friend had squealed about it being straight out of a drama and demanded updates.
“So he carries you up and down the stairs every day? Fetches water for you, ties your shoelaces, comes and goes at your beck and call?” Tao Zhizhi gasped in disbelief.
Sheng Xia: “Not really. It was just the first few days after the cast. I can manage the stairs on my own now.”
“Damn, something’s off,” Tao Zhizhi completely ignored her explanation. “Responsibility doesn’t work like this. Does he have a girlfriend?”
“Not that I know of…”
“What do you mean ‘not that you know of’?”Sheng Xia was baffled. "How can I say for sure about other people's business?"
"Check his Q.Q Zone, see if there are any clues!" Tao Zhizhi suggested.
Sheng Xia replied, "There's nothing in his space except screenshots of games?"
"You've looked at it?"
"I have."
"All of it?"
"Yeah..." Sort of. It only took a glance to see everything.
"You're done for!" Tao Zhizhi suddenly jumped up, pretending to be serious. "You like him!"
Sheng Xia's heart skipped a beat. "W-what nonsense are you spouting!"
"Otherwise, why would you go through his entire space?"
She hadn't! It was just a slip of the finger!
But... wait a minute!
"Does... does going through someone's entire space mean... you like them?" Sheng Xia found the question somewhat embarrassing to ask.
Tao Zhizhi said matter-of-factly, "Isn't that obvious? Otherwise, why would you bother? It's not the same as casually liking or commenting. Scrolling through everything means you want to understand him, know about his past, the days you weren't there—how he spent them. Or maybe... you just missed him. Isn't that right? Only—"
Sheng Xia's ears buzzed, and Tao Zhizhi's words gradually faded from her hearing.
Was that it?
Did he want to... know about her past?
Or... did he miss her?
Did he scroll through her entire space because... he liked her?
This realization hit her like a sudden flying disc, spinning rapidly before being abruptly caught mid-air. The impact was so strong it left Sheng Xia completely stunned.
Tao Zhizhi rambled on without getting a response and waved her hand in front of Sheng Xia's face. Seeing her still unresponsive, she dramatically exclaimed, "You're doomed! You've fallen in love!"
Wu Qiuxuan curiously glanced over at the commotion.
Tao Zhizhi asked, "Isn't that a show from two years ago? Why are you only watching it now, Qiu Xuan?"
Wu Qiuxuan replied, "I'm watching my ultimate bias. He's not active anymore, so I have to keep digging through old content, scrutinizing every detail."
Tao Zhizhi said, "Go to Bilibili and look for some CUTs! They can make new content out of old stuff!"
Wu Qiuxuan sighed, "I've already looked. I've watched everything available, bought all the merch, followed all the fan artists, but even they're running out of material. I'm starving for content, wuwuwu..."
"Then create some yourself! Don't you draw?"
"I'm not worthy. I can't capture his essence."
"..."
Sheng Xia had snapped out of her daze and was quietly listening to their conversation—another one of those exchanges where she understood every word individually but not when strung together.
Tao Zhizhi patted Sheng Xia. "Honestly, none of those guys are as good-looking as Zhang Shu. What do you think?"
The moment she finished speaking, she received a death glare from Wu Qiuxuan and quickly corrected herself, "Ah, no! Except for your ultimate bias, none of them are as good-looking as Zhang Shu!"
Sheng Xia felt like she couldn't bear hearing that name right now.
Though Wu Qiuxuan would defend her bias's looks to the death, she was still curious. "Sis Zhizhi, who's Zhang Shu?"
"A..." Tao Zhizhi raised her eyebrows and nudged Sheng Xia with her elbow. "Ask your sister!"
Wu Qiuxuan immediately perked up, eyes sparkling as she leaned in. "Sis, who is he? Your boyfriend?"
Sheng Xia's eyes widened in shock. "Don't talk nonsense!"
Wu Qiuxuan grew even more intrigued. "Then who is he?"
Tao Zhizhi observed her best friend's reaction—her entire body stiff, yet her gaze evasive. It was obvious something was up!She said mysteriously, "It's your sister's deskmate, a guy with no flaws—handsome, top of his class, sings beautifully, plays the guitar and drums, great at sports, amazing at video games, really tall, and even paints..."
Sheng Xia looked at Tao Zhizhi in surprise. "How do you know he paints?"
And being good at games, singing, guitar, drums—even she, his deskmate, didn’t know about these things!
Sheng Xia was just puzzled and blurted out the question without thinking. But this instant reaction made Wu Qiuxuan certain—her sister definitely had something going on with this Zhang Shu guy!
Tao Zhizhi replied, "Of course I heard about it. You have no idea how popular he is right now."
Sheng Xia: ...Guess she was out of the loop. He was around her all the time, and she hadn’t noticed any signs of his popularity.
"That exaggerated?" Even spreading to other schools? Sheng Xia was skeptical. At the very least, she had never heard gossip about guys from other schools.
Tao Zhizhi laughed. "Of course, it’s because of you that I paid extra attention. But! There had to be people talking about him for me to notice, right? Hehe!"
Hehe my foot—what did it have to do with her?
Sheng Xia didn’t respond, but Wu Qiuxuan got excited. "Really? Any photos?"
Tao Zhizhi: "There’s a video. The Affiliated High School’s Weibo posted it."
Wu Qiuxuan: "Is he really that handsome?"
Tao Zhizhi pointed at the TV. "Probably... more handsome than 80%, no, 90% of the guys in there!"
Wu Qiuxuan grabbed her iPad and opened Weibo, while Tao Zhizhi, with practiced ease, directed her. "Go to the Affiliated High’s page and search for ‘festival.’ There are a few videos—the one with the Music Club cover, yeah. Skip to around three and a half minutes..."
"Wow, these view counts are insane for an amateur..."
Their heads huddled over the tablet, oblivious to Sheng Xia, who had initially acted indifferent but was now sitting up straight, leaning forward with her arms propped.
The video played.
Under the spotlight was a neatly arranged band. The members adjusted their instruments slightly before the drummer struck a beat, kicking off a lively rhythm as a laid-back male voice sang—
"Waiting for a natural sunny day, I want to take you to the seaside..."
The lead singer wasn’t the guitarist—it was the drummer, Zhang Shu.
Dressed in a simple black T-shirt, his body moved effortlessly with the drumming rhythm. The mic was positioned near the drum set, and he tilted his head slightly to sing without missing a beat. From start to finish, he never glanced at the audience, his demeanor so casual it barely felt like a performance.
He was just having fun.
"Actually, we don’t need profound words, while we still have a little time..."
"Can you focus a little more? Please don’t be absent-minded..."
His voice was completely different from when he gave speeches. The tone was the same, but his enunciation... Sheng Xia couldn’t quite describe it—like a cat lazily pawing at you, the tail end of his words suddenly hooking in, leaving you prickly and restless.
After the chorus, the instrumental break was heavy and fast. His drumming became wild and unrestrained, so quick the sticks blurred. Even his fluffy hair bounced with the rhythm as he lost himself in the music, exuding raw energy.
The crowd erupted in cheers and screams.
Off-screen, the two girls kept squealing, "Ahhhh!"
"How can we say goodbye to the time we spent torturing each other..."As the climax approached, the song reached several high notes that were almost like shouts. Zhang Shu tilted his head back to sing, the spotlight shining directly on his face from above, outlining his tall, straight nose and striking profile.
And perhaps something few noticed—the shadow cast by his prominent Adam's apple.
Sheng Xia instinctively averted her gaze.
"Waiting for a perfectly natural sunny day, I want to take you to the seaside..."
The performance ended, the music cutting off abruptly. But his microphone was still on, capturing his rapid, heavy breaths—and the short, breathless laugh he let out as he grinned at his teammates.
That laugh—Sheng Xia knew it all too well. He often chuckled just like that, a brief sound escaping through his nose, laced with a breathy tone, carrying an air of nonchalance and arrogance.
She was already struggling to handle it, and now he was... panting ...
"Stop panting, dude."
"I'm done."
The video faded out, transitioning to the next performance, but the screams from the audience lingered.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
"Damn, why isn’t he debuting?!"
"Isn’t he hot?"
Isn’t he hot?
Sheng Xia slumped back onto the sofa, her dry throat swallowing uncomfortably.
Done.
"Seriously, what’s he thinking not debuting?" Wu Qiuxuan kept repeating.
Tao Zhizhi scoffed. "Debuting? He’s aiming for the top scholar title!"
"Ugh! Another one of those insufferable overachievers I can’t compete with," Wu Qiuxuan grumbled, then turned to tug at Sheng Xia. "Sis, why don’t you snag him and make him my brother-in-law?"
Her heart racing, Sheng Xia grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her!
"Nonsense! You’re only 14, Wu Qiuxuan!"
Wu Qiuxuan: "Why so defensive? You totally could, my gentle, gorgeous, universally adored sister!"
Tao Zhizhi: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
OpenNovel