Sheng Xia was as busy as a spinning top.
Every night, she barely slept before two in the morning.
She couldn’t even finish half of the “suggested” homework, nor could she take it home to complete, because Zhang Shu had gotten hold of practice exams. She had to set aside dedicated time to finish them strictly within the allotted test duration.
The next day, Zhang Shu would check her work.
The exam papers were printed on A4 sheets—no idea where Zhang Shu had gotten them—and came with extremely detailed answer keys.
So even during breaks and mealtimes, Zhang Shu was explaining concepts to her.
The person fetching water for her had been replaced by Hou Junqi.
Hou Junqi had already decided to go abroad for a language preparatory course after the college entrance exams, so he practically didn’t need to study at all.
When Sheng Xia was exhausted, she couldn’t help but envy how he could just slump onto the desk whenever he wanted.
Though, if she really wanted to, she could too.
Xin Xiaohe teased, “Xia Xia, how does it feel to have an on-call private tutor? Pretty awesome, huh?”
Awesome?
Honestly… not really.
Not that she wasn’t enjoying it—it was him who wasn’t.
Although Zhang Shu explained things meticulously, his temper was still as fiery as ever. Sheng Xia thought he’d been holding onto this grudge for way too long.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
Even when she tried to slip him candies, he coldly pushed them back, saying, “Do you think I’m tutoring you for a few lollipops and chocolates?”
Then what are you doing it for?
Sheng Xia blinked, not daring to ask.
During the long break, when everyone else was out doing morning exercises, only Sheng Xia and the classroom monitor remained in the room. Every day at this time, Sheng Xia would put aside her crutches and walk along the corridor, holding onto the windowsill. The day before yesterday, she had even fetched water by herself.
But on the way back, the pain had made her break out in a sweat, so she didn’t dare try again. Now, she only walked the ten-meter stretch of the sixth-grade corridor.
Just as she was about to get up, someone called her name.
“Sheng Xia.”
It was Zhou Xuanxuan.
“Can you come out for a second?”
The classroom monitor was sweeping the floor, eyeing them curiously.
Sheng Xia still picked up her crutches and followed Zhou Xuanxuan outside. At the staircase under the connecting corridor, she saw someone unexpected—Chen Mengyao.
Sheng Xia wasn’t nervous, just puzzled.
“Maybe you should sit down?” Chen Mengyao said coolly, scrolling through her phone.
Beside them was a waist-high railing, designed with wide steps where many students liked to sit and bask in the sun.
Sheng Xia replied calmly, “Thanks, but no need.”
This definitely wasn’t a friendly girls’ chat. She just wanted to wrap things up quickly and get back.
Zhou Xuanxuan spoke up, “Sheng Xia, about the sports day incident… I want to apologize. I really didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve been having a hard time lately too, so I hope you can forgive me.”
An apology…
It had been over a month since the incident. Her leg was almost healed. Apologizing now felt a little odd.
Sheng Xia said, “It’s fine.”
A silence fell. Sheng Xia asked, “Was there anything else?”
Surely they hadn’t called her out just for this one apology.
Zhou Xuanxuan glanced at Chen Mengyao, who remained silent, showing no intention of speaking. Zhou Xuanxuan froze—she hadn’t prepared anything else to say!
Hadn’t Yao Yao been the one who told her to apologize? Didn’t Yao Yao have something to say?
So, under Sheng Xia’s gaze, Zhou Xuanxuan blurted out, “Then… can we be friends?”
Both Sheng Xia and Chen Mengyao were stunned. Even Zhou Xuanxuan felt her tongue twist into knots…
The atmosphere turned awkward. The rhythmic beats of the broadcast exercises drifted in— three-two-three-four, four-two-three-four —lending a cadence to the discomfort.
A long pause followed."Of course, it's possible," Sheng Xia replied with a hint of suspicion but a serious expression. "But making friends isn't something you can schedule—it happens naturally. Besides, there are many types of friends. There are friendships like Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya, or the bond between high mountains and flowing water, and then there are casual acquaintances or drinking buddies. We're classmates, so to some extent, we're already friends..."
Zhou Xuanxuan: "..."
Chen Mengyao: "..."
Well, their thought processes and cultural levels were different. Maybe they should just drop it?
A strange thought popped into Chen Mengyao's mind—she was actually kind of cute.
And also quite pretty.
Some words lingered on the tip of her tongue but were swallowed back. Instead, Chen Mengyao called out, "Sheng Xia."
Sheng Xia: "Hmm?"
"Do you like Zhang Shu?"
Sheng Xia's crutch wobbled for a second before she steadied herself.
Was she dizzy from standing too long? What had Chen Mengyao just asked her?
"Maybe you should sit down?" Zhou Xuanxuan murmured, also startled. Wasn't Yao Yao being a bit too direct?
So easily frightened?
Chen Mengyao resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Let me cut to the chase. Recently, I heard you two got together? If that's true, then fine. I’m pretty busy anyway, so I’ll probably forget soon. If not, do you like him?"
Still dazed, Sheng Xia decided to answer the first question first. "We’re not together?"
"Good," Chen Mengyao said, straightening up from where she had been leaning casually against a pillar. She chuckled. "I like Zhang Shu. I was wrong before, and I plan to win him back. I’m confident I can, but I won’t be the other woman. If you two do get together, don’t hide it from me—tell me immediately. That’s all I came to confirm."
Sheng Xia: "…?"
So arrogant.
Sheng Xia really wanted to reply, "I just want to focus on my studies."
But Chen Mengyao had no intention of prolonging the "battle"—or perhaps she was a bit embarrassed and wanted to escape the "field" quickly. With a few long strides, she vanished from Sheng Xia’s sight.
Zhou Xuanxuan stood frozen, unsure whether to follow Chen Mengyao or accompany Sheng Xia back to their classroom.
Sheng Xia didn’t notice Zhou Xuanxuan’s dilemma. She returned to the classroom, put away her crutch, and slowly walked along the windowsill for exercise.
The conversation had delayed her, and now the morning exercise crowd was returning, filling the hallway with students. To maintain order, the school had higher-floor classes return first since their exercise area was closer. Class Six was farther away, so no one from their class had returned yet.
Sheng Xia grew nervous, afraid someone might bump into her. The cold weather had her wearing oversized pants and fluffy slippers, making her look no different from anyone else. No one could tell she had a cast on, so no one would deliberately avoid her.
As more people streamed in, some even roughhousing as they walked, Sheng Xia decided to stop by the windowsill and wait for the crowd to thin.
"Sheng Xia!"
She heard a familiar voice and turned toward the staircase.
Lu Youze was coming down from the second floor, weaving against the flow of students as he hurried toward her. When he reached her, he extended his arm to create a small protective space around her, his gaze anxious. "Are you okay?"
Passersby turned to look curiously.
Sheng Xia shook her head. "I’m fine. Didn’t you go to morning exercise?"
"Andrew wanted to talk to me about something," Lu Youze said.
Andrew was their English teacher.
Lu Youze added, "I’ll shield you. Let’s go—be careful."
"Okay, thanks."Sheng Xia walked in small, measured steps.
Lu Youze asked, "Have you started arranging your language classes yet?"
"Not yet."
"Well, do you want to go to the East or the West?"
"I’m not sure yet..."
"Alright, take your time choosing. There’s no rush."
"Yeah."
Classmates were trickling back in one after another. Sheng Xia finished her loop and entered the classroom through the back door. Just as she rounded the last row of desks, she stopped in her tracks.
At the front door, on the other side of the aisle, Zhang Shu stood by his desk, hands in his pockets, one leg casually crossed over the other, the tip of his foot lightly tapping the ground.
It was a stance that was both relaxed and imposing.
Like he was waiting for a prisoner about to be sentenced.
The scene felt familiar—it had played out not too long ago.
Sheng Xia had already built up immunity. She lowered her head and carefully maneuvered around the book-filled boxes scattered on the floor to return to her seat.
She couldn’t be bothered to meet his gaze.
She wasn’t his prisoner, after all.
Lu Youze also took his seat, equally indifferent.
Zhang Shu’s jaw tightened. A surge of inexplicable anger flared up, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to vent. It rose abruptly, only to be forcefully suppressed.
It was as if a sudden puff of smoke had rushed up his throat—choking and stifling.
He knew he’d been losing control of himself more and more often lately.
"Did you finish reviewing yesterday’s physics mistakes?" Zhang Shu sat down and asked abruptly.
Sheng Xia replied, "Not yet."
Zhang Shu pressed impatiently, "Then why aren’t you working on it?"
Did she even have the leisure to stroll around and chat?
Sheng Xia even wondered if Zhang Shu had already met Lu Youze’s uncle, which would explain his recent mood swings.
But this—it made her uncomfortable.
Not just a little.
Very much so. She’d been feeling awful for days.
Actually, if she thought about it carefully, his attitude now wasn’t much different from when they’d first started school and weren’t familiar with each other. But it was hard to go from luxury back to frugality—now, she couldn’t tolerate even the slightest coldness from him.
Gritting her teeth, she slowly raised her head. "Zhang Shu, if you don’t have time to tutor me, it’s fine. I’m already really grateful for your help. You don’t… don’t have to be so harsh with me..."
After saying this, she didn’t dare look at his reaction and immediately turned back around.
Zhang Shu froze. Had he been harsh?
The girl’s aggrieved eyes still lingered in his mind. His chest ached with a dull throb, leaving him at a loss.
He seemed to understand now—raising his voice counted as harsh, by her standards.
Just as he was about to say something, the bell rang. Class had started.
This period was math, and Lai Yilin had arrived early.
Sheng Xia took out the textbook for the lesson, along with Zhang Shu’s notebook. Nowadays, she could occasionally multitask—listening to the lecture while cross-referencing the notes to reflect on what she’d learned before, filling in the gaps.
Lai Yilin’s voice was so loud that even the neighboring classes could hear her. It was hard to zone out during her lessons.
Sheng Xia refocused on the class, keeping up with the teacher’s pace, no longer paying attention to Zhang Shu.
But after a while, a resigned voice suddenly came from her right. "I didn’t mean to be harsh with you..."
Sheng Xia was stunned.
Not because of what he said, but because—his volume seemed a bit… loud?
She looked up and saw Lai Yilin’s abrupt pause mid-motion, as well as Hou Junqi and his deskmate turning around with shocked expressions. She confirmed: it wasn’t her imagination. His voice really had been a bit too loud.
The entire classroom fell silent.
Zhang Shu, for once, was also visibly taken aback.
How was he supposed to know that Lai Yilin had just turned to write on the board and wasn’t speaking when he opened his mouth?
How was he supposed to know his casual remark would come out so loud?
His mind was a mess—how could he have paid attention to that?
Ridiculous.A bunch of silly geese, never seen the world before? What's there to be so shocked about?
The "leader" of the silly geese, Lai Yilin, snapped out of it and smiled, flicking a piece of chalk that whizzed toward Zhang Shu. "Stop bullying your deskmate!"
Zhang Shu tilted his head to dodge: ...
The whole class snickered.
The lesson quickly resumed its normal pace, and the little episode had no follow-up.
Only, Sheng Xia felt that the atmosphere between her and Zhang Shu had become even more awkward than before.
...
The end of the year was packed with holidays—Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's—but for high school seniors, they were all just ordinary days.
Still, Christmas Eve stirred up some excitement.
Exchanging apples between dorm rooms was quite the trend.
Xin Xiaohe gave Sheng Xia one too, elaborately and intricately wrapped. Having no preparation herself, Sheng Xia gave Xiao He a pack of chocolates in return.
Zhang Shu had moved to the window seat this week, conveniently making it easier for people to drop off gifts. By now, the windowsill was piled high with Christmas apples.
Summer had passed, winter had come, but some people's popularity never waned.
When Zhang Shu arrived, he was holding a small plush reindeer.
He glanced at the apples on the windowsill, ignored them, then turned and saw one on Sheng Xia's desk. Frowning, he asked, "Who gave you that?"
Sheng Xia wasn't fond of his tone lately and hadn't decided how to respond when Xin Xiaohe tugged her arm and whispered mysteriously, "A junior sent it!"
"Overpackaged. Someone needs to work on their environmental awareness," Zhang Shu remarked flatly as he leisurely took his seat.
Xin Xiaohe: ...
Lu Youze slipped into the classroom just in time, pulling a Christmas apple from his backpack—even more exquisitely packaged, this one in a little flower basket. "Xia Xia, peace and joy!"
Sheng Xia accepted it blankly. "But I didn't prepare anything?"
At their school, not many exchanged these, since apples that usually cost a few yuan could sell for dozens on this day.
So she pulled out her last pack of chocolates and gave it to Lu Youze, wishing him, "Thank you, peace to you too!"
The little reindeer in Zhang Shu's hand nearly had its neck twisted off.
Why was she giving candy to everyone?
Where did she get so many chocolates?
Did she think everyone fell for her tricks?
This fool was just—!
Zhang Shu tossed the reindeer onto the windowsill and irritably pulled out a test paper to work on.
Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared by the window. "A-Shu!"
Though she was calling for Zhang Shu, the whole class turned to look.
Chen Mengyao, accustomed to being the center of attention, showed no shyness. She handed over a Christmas apple and asked, "Where's my test paper?"
Zhang Shu took a folder from his backpack and passed it to her.
Sheng Xia was about to look away when her gaze froze on the folder.
It was the set of test papers and answer keys from the affiliated high school, the ones she'd been using.
She had thought he'd prepared them just for her, that she was the only one who had them.
Turns out, that wasn't the case.
Sheng Xia swallowed lightly and turned back to her homework.
But she could still clearly hear their conversation.
"Aren't you going to give me something in return?" Chen Mengyao asked coyly.
Zhang Shu glanced at the windowsill. "Pick one if you want."
"No, none of them are as pretty as the one I gave you!" Chen Mengyao reached for the reindeer. "I want this!"
Zhang Shu snatched it back. "No!"
Then Sheng Xia watched as the little flower basket apple Lu Youze had given her was lifted off her desk.
She stared in shock, following its path.
Zhang Shu had taken it, and in exchange, he threw the little reindeer onto her desk.
"Trade," he said to Sheng Xia.Then he turned and shoved the little flower basket into Chen Mengyao's hands, "This one's prettier than yours, take it!"
Chen Mengyao: "..."
Sheng Xia: "..."
Lu Youze: "..."
Chen Mengyao left, flipping Zhang Shu the middle finger on her way out.
Class Six students: "..."
What kind of plot twist was this?
The room fell into stunned silence, not a single sound to be heard.
Hou Junqi was practically choking back laughter. The way this guy had pulled off the entire sequence so smoothly, without a trace of "deliberateness"—what kind of bizarre yet natural move was that?
Hou Junqi: "Shu, that's inhumane!"
Zhang Shu showed no awareness of having done something morally questionable, acting oblivious as he retorted, "Psycho."
If he had to be humane, that little flower basket would've been reduced to ashes under the heat of his glare by tonight.
Sheng Xia glanced at Lu Youze—after all, it was something he had given her, only to be snatched away and handed to someone else. She felt a pang of guilt.
Lu Youze was clearly holding back his anger, but he still reassured her, "It's fine."
Sheng Xia nodded, then held up the reindeer plush and asked Zhang Shu, "This…"
Zhang Shu found the way these two were exchanging glances downright grating. He waved a dismissive hand. "Freebie from the stationery store."
Sheng Xia kept it.
She couldn’t tell whether it was out of resignation or something more selfish.
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