At 1 a.m., Sheng Xia was as wide awake as a night-blooming cereus.
She had turned off the lights at midnight, yet sleep remained elusive. If this continued, she’d be too drowsy to focus during tomorrow’s exam.
Falling in love really could affect one’s studies, huh?
The thought startled her—falling in love?
With whom?
She wasn’t dating anyone!
She had to do something to calm herself, so she got up to read poetry.
Of all things, the book by her pillow was Yu Xiuhua’s collection. Flipping it open at random, she landed on a love poem—
[Wrapped tight by the sky,
Tighter still,
Yet I carve out the left side of my heart to love you—
What an inconceivable thing…]
What an inconceivable coincidence. Annoying.
Furious, Sheng Xia snapped the book shut. Then, as if possessed, she picked up her phone, opened Q.Q, and tapped into Song Jiang’s chat window.
Suddenly, Tao Zhizhi’s words echoed in her ears: Of course you want to understand him, learn about his past… or maybe, you just miss him…
Staring at the ceiling, Sheng Xia surrendered to the truth—she probably was missing him.
This couldn’t go on! Just as she was about to put her phone down, Zhang Shu’s avatar popped up under "Friend Updates."
What had he posted?
Her fingers moved faster than her brain, and she tapped in.
At this hour, few people posted updates, so Zhang Shu’s recent activity was immediately visible—several posts in a row.
The top two were just posted a minute ago:
[Sweet dreams.]
[I’m beyond cure.]
Sheng Xia: …?
Had his account been hacked?
Scrolling down:
[Not even the heavens can save me from tonight’s insomnia.]
[I’m a lost cause tonight.]
[Forget it.]
[Shared link: #Meditation Space 01#.]
Sheng Xia was baffled.
[If you can’t sleep, try meditation. It improves sleep quality and, over time, enhances focus.]
[Little Sheng Xia, still awake?]
Seeing her name, her hand jerked.
What was he doing ?!
Suddenly, it clicked. Reading the posts in reverse order, she realized they were connected—each one addressed to her.
Why not just message her directly?! Posting publicly like this—what was he thinking?!
And how did he even know she couldn’t sleep?
Just because he confessed, she had to lose sleep over it? Narcissist!
Meditation training.
Sounded a bit mystical. Curiosity got the better of her, and she clicked the link—an audio file.
Soft music played as a gentle, soothing female voice spoke: "Welcome to Meditation Space. Let me guide you to relax, become aware, heal, and transform…"
"Now, find your most comfortable position—sitting or lying down—and let’s take a deep breath together…"
"Breathe in deeply… exhale slowly… in… out…"
"Imagine yourself lying on a cloud, sinking into soft cotton, your entire body relaxing…"
The voice was hypnotic. Listening, she found herself following its guidance.
Her mind gradually settled.
Sheng Xia paused the audio, turned off the lights, placed her phone by her pillow, and hit replay as she lay back down.
The narrator’s slow, serene tone transported her to a tranquil space. Step by step, Sheng Xia relaxed each part of her body, occasionally drifting before being gently pulled back by the guiding words. Gradually, she slipped into sleep.
When she awoke, a new morning had dawned.
…At six-thirty in the morning, Sheng Xia arrived at the classroom right on time. Surprisingly, Zhang Shu was already there.
Two classmates were gathered around him, discussing a math problem.
Sheng Xia walked past them and took her seat.
On her desk sat a food container—the familiar one. Hadn't he said he'd only deliver it until she recovered? But she'd been well for a while now?
Sheng Xia glanced to her right. At that exact moment, Zhang Shu looked up, meeting her gaze with smiling eyes while never missing a beat in his problem explanation.
So the students discussing the problem didn't notice Zhang Shu's little gesture at all.
Only Sheng Xia received it.
In that exchanged glance, something felt... different from before.
She quickly turned her head back, her heartbeat accelerating without permission.
She had already eaten breakfast—the small cake he'd sent. But when she opened the container, the aroma of custard buns filled her nose. Unable to resist, she picked one up and took a small bite.
Soft, milky, sweet.
Almost against her will, she slowly turned her face again, not knowing what she was thinking—just wanting to look at him once more.
It wasn't like she'd never looked at him before. But this time felt strange, as if two little voices in her heart were arguing: Look. Don't look. Look. Don't! Look! Fine.
In the end, she stole another glance.
Unexpectedly, he looked up again and even winked at her...
Sheng Xia immediately turned back, determined not to look at him again no matter what.
Did he have X-ray vision? With people blocking the way, how did he know she was looking at him?
Shaking her head, she put on her earphones to listen to English exercises while eating. She didn't notice when the questioning students left. When she finished one set and removed her earphones, she saw someone on her right propping his chin, staring straight at her.
With few people in the classroom this early, she returned the food container and whispered, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"I look when I want to," he answered matter-of-factly. "Learn from me—look openly."
Sheng Xia: ...
She turned back to her book, refusing to engage.
Hadn't he been unable to sleep last night? How was he so energetic now?
Zhang Shu watched her fair cheeks tinged with pink and felt absolutely exhilarated. If he'd known confessing would feel this good, he should have made it official sooner.
But why was she so shy? Didn't she know the saying "The more concealed, the more conspicuous"?
Zhang Shu hadn't expected to stay awake all night yet feel no fatigue now. Taking advantage of the early hour, he decided to work on a practice test.
Halfway through the reading section, a student by the door called, "Zhang Shu, someone's looking for you."
Zhang Shu looked up and frowned.
It was Chen Mengyao.
As he stood, his peripheral vision caught Sheng Xia sitting perfectly still, as if everything around her didn't exist.
But Zhang Shu noticed—her pen had paused on the scratch paper for several seconds before continuing its calculations.
He leisurely walked out of the classroom.
Chen Mengyao came to negotiate terms. "Two hundred per hour, does that work for you?"
Zhang Shu said, "That's the going rate for private tutoring outside? Shouldn't those places be bankrupt by now?"
Chen Mengyao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Outside tutors provided emotional support too—could his grumpy face manage that?
Still, she explained, "I checked. At institutions, the tutors and centers split the fees. What tutors actually get is about this rate. Plus they have to prepare lessons—I just need help with problems."To be honest, for anyone else, at that price and for that job, Zhang Shu wouldn't hesitate to take it. But—
"I really don't have the time. I already have one student," Zhang Shu said.
Chen Mengyao didn't believe it. How could someone have beaten her to it?
"Who is it?"
Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow. "I need to ask her first if she's willing to be my student."
Chen Mengyao: "…?"
She was stunned. Why did it feel like Zhang Shu's words were becoming more and more cryptic and disjointed? Was this how top students talked?
"Then isn't this perfect? You can tutor both of us together. You won’t have to complain about my offer being too low," Chen Mengyao said, still trying to persuade him without overthinking it.
"That won’t work," Zhang Shu replied, his tone still indifferent. "My student might prefer one-on-one tutoring."
Chen Mengyao finally understood—Zhang Shu was just making up nonsense to avoid tutoring her.
"If you don’t want to, just say so. Was it necessary to give me such a runaround?"
With those words, Chen Mengyao turned and left in a huff.
It was clear she was both angry and frustrated.
Zhang Shu glanced at the group of people in the classroom craning their necks, eagerly gossiping. His gaze finally settled on a serene profile.
She was doing just fine—unaffected, aloof, lost in her studies, completely absorbed.
The Bodhisattva sure knew how to stay calm?
Good sign.
Zhang Shu's "not sleepy" state backfired during the Chinese exam.
He was so drowsy he felt like his soul had left his body, especially after finishing the reading comprehension section—he could barely make out what he had written.
Zhang Shu glanced at Sheng Xia on his left and wondered: How could she enjoy dealing with words so much? It looked downright hypnotic.
Then he thought, oh right, it’s the finals. No big deal. He could just sleep.
Halfway through her essay, Sheng Xia noticed Zhang Shu had slumped over and fallen asleep.
Had he finished already?
That fast?
After the exam, lunch was served early at the after-school center.
As usual, Hou Junqi was scrolling through his phone while eating when he suddenly exclaimed, "Holy shit, A-Shu, how did you silently climb to King rank?"
Zhang Shu shot him a sidelong glance. "Is it that hard?"
"Well, no… My friend's match history popped up, and I thought I was seeing things. Didn’t you quit ages ago and drop ranks?" Hou Junqi mumbled through a mouthful of rice. "A straight climb—let me see—13 stars? Damn, how long did you grind for…"
"Wait, you pulled an all-nighter? What the hell? You pulled an all-nighter before exams? And you didn’t even invite me…"
Zhang Shu didn’t respond, just kept eating.
Hou Junqi gasped again. "Holy shit, you even posted a status? What the hell happened last night? Damn, I’ve never seen you post stuff like this before…"
"'I’m beyond cure…' A-Shu, are you sick? 'Not even the heavens can save me from insomnia tonight…' A-Shu, you couldn’t sleep? 'I’m completely wrecked tonight…' What?" Hou Junqi read aloud while commenting, his fingers still scrolling.
"Shut up already. Stop with the 'holy shits.' Eat properly—every grain is hard-earned!" Zhang Shu couldn’t take it anymore and stuffed a chicken leg into Hou Junqi’s mouth.
Sheng Xia paused mid-sip of her soup.
Right!
His status!
Last night, she had been guided into meditation and completely forgotten the most crucial part!
How could he have mentioned her full name in his status? So many classmates could see it—he might even have teachers added. What should she do now?
Sheng Xia lost her appetite. Without caring that she was still eating, she grabbed her phone, opened QQ, and sent a message to "Song Jiang": "Delete it now!!"After sending the message, she put down her phone, just as Zhang Shu's phone on the table buzzed with a vibration...
Sheng Xia rarely checked her phone during meals, so the movement was especially noticeable.
The timing—one sending a message and the other receiving one—was too "coincidental." Hou Junqi's eyes darted between the two of them: What's going on? There are three of us at this table, is this really appropriate?
Zhang Shu's lips curled slightly as he picked up his phone. Sheng Xia watched him tap away before setting it back down.
Her phone was on silent, and she deliberately waited a moment before picking it up again.
Song Jiang: "Why?"
Why? Seriously?
She replied: "It's not a good look."
Across from her, Zhang Shu picked up his phone again, still smiling. This time, he typed with both hands.
Sheng Xia kept her phone in hand, and seconds later, she received—
Song Jiang: "How is it not a good look?"
Song Jiang: "Do you mortals have a rule that you can only sleep at night and not cultivate immortality?"
He even sent a screenshot of his social media space.
So, only the three posts Hou Junqi had read aloud were public. The rest were marked with a lock icon.
Meaning... they were visible only to her?
Sheng Xia felt a little flustered, her emotions complicated. She asked, "Why didn't you just DM me?"
Song Jiang: "You? Like the Princess and the Pea—what if you were already asleep and the vibration startled you awake?"
Her heart gave a little squeeze, warm and tingling.
She fell silent, deciding not to reply further. She put her phone away as naturally as she could and went back to sipping her soup.
Him... him...
Sheng Xia was at a loss for words.
How could someone be so... indescribable!
Yet this indescribable person wasn’t ready to drop the topic. Sheng Xia heard him lean in and ask, voice dripping with mischief, "So... did you sleep well last night?"
Hou Junqi, mid-bite into a chicken leg, nearly choked.
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