On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the senior year officially began its winter break.
Wu Qiuxuan also had the day off, so Wang Lianhua went to Dongzhou to pick her up. This gave Sheng Xia the perfect opportunity to resolve a lingering issue: her car and the formal dress.
She had already charged the car in advance and planned to take the dress home to hide it.
When the afternoon dismissal bell rang, cheers erupted throughout the school.
Temporary liberation had arrived.
Sheng Xia followed Xin Xiaohe back to the dormitory to retrieve the dress.
The dormitory conditions at the affiliated high school were excellent—riverside views, with a total of eight buildings, resembling a small residential complex. The basement housed the cafeteria, while the first floor had a supermarket—referred to by Zhang Shu and others as the "little shop"—with claw machines and whack-a-mole machines lining the hallway. Rumor had it the boys' side even had a basketball shooting machine.
Each dorm room accommodated six students, with bunk beds above and desks below. The balcony was spacious, overlooking the school's artificial lake, where the shimmering water and swaying willow trees created a picturesque scene. Peacocks raised by the lake occasionally fanned their tails. Further in the distance was Riverside Park, where the evening sun cast golden hues over the river—a truly pleasant view.
If Sheng Xia had attended this school since her first year, she would have definitely chosen to live on campus.
The other girls in the dorm were also packing up, preparing to go home.
Just as Sheng Xia picked up the dress box and was about to leave, she heard a familiar voice at the door—well, somewhat familiar.
"Xuanxuan, are you ready?"
"Almost, almost!" Zhou Xuanxuan replied, awkwardly maneuvering around Sheng Xia before dragging her suitcase out.
But Chen Mengyao, who had been waiting at the door, suddenly turned back and pushed the door open again, glancing inside. "Sheng Xia?"
Sheng Xia nodded at her in acknowledgment.
Xin Xiaohe watched the exchange curiously.
What was going on here?
Chen Mengyao seemed merely surprised. After a brief greeting, she raised an eyebrow and left without another word.
"You two... know each other?" Xin Xiaohe asked.
Sheng Xia: "Sort of."
"Let's go."
"Mm."
Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe ended up walking behind Chen Mengyao and Zhou Xuanxuan, just a short flight of stairs apart.
When they reached the first floor, they suddenly heard: "A-Shu?"
Both Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe instinctively turned toward the voice.
It was Chen Mengyao, calling out to Zhang Shu at the entrance.
Why was Zhang Shu standing outside the girls' dormitory?
He stood there casually, one hand in his pocket and the other scrolling through his phone, occasionally glancing up at the dormitory entrance.
Clearly, he was waiting for someone.
At this hour, the area was bustling with students dragging suitcases, and nearly all of them turned to look curiously.
Then they saw the rumored school belle jogging toward Zhang Shu.
Chen Mengyao smiled brightly and asked, "What are you doing here?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a sense of déjà vu—this scene was identical to the one at the sports festival's dispatch room.
A sudden, ominous premonition struck her.
The next second, her premonition came true. Zhang Shu tilted his chin slightly, gesturing behind her. "Waiting for someone."
She followed his gaze and turned around, spotting Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe approaching.
As the two drew closer, they heard Chen Mengyao ask, "Are you going back to Lianli for the New Year?"
"Yeah," Zhang Shu replied.
"When?"
"Not sure yet."
Lianli—Sheng Xia knew of this place. It was an ancient town in the southern suburbs, known for its scenic beauty, now incorporated into the development zone.
Only now did it click for her: Zhang Shu and Chen Mengyao were from the same hometown.
A place with a name so poetic it sounded romantic.
Sheng Xia slowed her pace, taking small, deliberate steps.
Xin Xiaohe seemed to understand and matched her pace, unwilling to create an awkward situation.
Chen Mengyao didn’t miss Zhang Shu’s gaze. With a carefree wave, she said, "I’ll head off first. See you during the holidays!"
Zhou Xuanxuan trailed behind her, watching as Chen Mengyao’s expression shifted from composed to quietly forlorn.Zhou Xuanxuan had seen and heard plenty in class.
She now realized how absurd her previous assumptions had been.
When Zhang Shu liked someone, he didn’t play hard to get or blow hot and cold. Right now, aside from studying, his eyes were only on Sheng Xia—unapologetically so.
As for the earlier claim that Zhang Shu hadn’t confessed to Mengyao because of financial differences making dating impossible—that was even more ridiculous.
Because compared to someone like Sheng Xia, Mengyao really… wasn’t much.
Chen Mengyao suddenly stopped walking and asked Zhou Xuanxuan, “Are they together?”
“I’m not sure…” Zhou Xuanxuan hesitated, then added after some thought, “But they do seem pretty close.”
Chen Mengyao: “Why did Sheng Xia go to your dorm?”
Zhou Xuanxuan: “To pick up the dress she left with Xin Xiaohe…”
“What dress?”
“The one she wore for the school sports meet.”
“Huh? Why was it in your dorm?”
“No idea…”
Chen Mengyao’s mind raced. “Wait, that dress she wore for the sports meet—it was her own?”
Zhou Xuanxuan nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, her family bought it.”
Chen Mengyao frowned. “What does her family do?”
Zhou Xuanxuan answered honestly, “I don’t know. I’ve heard they’re pretty influential—some say they’re government officials, others say they’re in business. Nothing confirmed.”
Chen Mengyao froze, lost in thought.
Zhou Xuanxuan couldn’t gauge Mengyao’s mood, so she stayed quiet to avoid making things worse.
……
Sheng Xia stared blankly at Zhang Shu, who had just taken the gift box from her.
Zhang Shu held the large box first, crouching slightly as he said to Xin Xiaohe, “Stack them on top.”
Xin Xiaohe grinned broadly and piled the smaller boxes onto his arms. “Perfect, perfect. Free labor—saves me the trouble.”
Zhang Shu turned around and called to the dazed Sheng Xia beside him, “Coming?”
“Oh.”
Sheng Xia hurried after him, waving back at Xin Xiaohe. “I’ll head off first then. Happy New Year!”
Xin Xiaohe waved back. “Happy New Year! See you next year!”
Sheng Xia: “Yeah!”
Zhang Shu let out a cold snort, tilting his head slightly. “You’ve got plenty of ceremony for others, huh?”
Huh?
What did that mean…?
Sheng Xia didn’t quite understand but quickened her pace to catch up, glancing up at him.
Xin Xiaohe watched them from behind, recalling how Yang Linyu had once said during a seat change at the start of the semester that they looked well-matched.
Now, it was a similar scene.
The boy carried an armful of things, tilting his head slightly to talk to the girl jogging beside him. Their profiles were flawless.
Something in Xin Xiaohe had changed, but then again, maybe it had always been meant to be this way.
How nice.
Xin Xiaohe smiled and turned back to the dorm to pack her things.
Zhang Shu’s lips twitched as he walked straight ahead, refusing to look at Sheng Xia. He muttered, “If I hadn’t come, would you have just gone home like this?”
Sheng Xia slowed her steps, falling half a pace behind.
Huh?
So he had come to say goodbye?
She’d thought he was just escorting her to the bike shed, but instead, he rode his bike slowly alongside her.
Her wheels were small—even at full speed, she couldn’t outpace a mountain bike. And with her backpack loaded, she didn’t dare go too fast.
He, too, was moving so slowly that he wobbled unsteadily, struggling to keep balance.
He seemed in a bad mood, so Sheng Xia broke the silence. “Do you have any special New Year customs where you’re from?”
“No.”
“Oh, right—we’re still in Nanli.”
“Mhm.”
Sheng Xia: “……”
When they reached the intersection near Emerald Bay, Sheng Xia braked to a stop."Let's stop here?"
Zhang Shu also braked, "Isn't there still some way to go?"
Sheng Xia carefully weighed her words before speaking, "The security in the neighborhood and my mom are quite familiar..."
Zhang Shu understood, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes—so brief that no one else could catch it.
"Is there any problem you don’t understand and want to figure out right now?" he asked abruptly, the question seemingly out of nowhere.
Sheng Xia was puzzled, "Huh?"
"None? Well, I have one."
Sheng Xia: "…?"
"Imagery in classical literature..." He paused to think, his long legs steadying the bike as he sat up straight, clearly not planning to leave anytime soon. "Water."
Sheng Xia answered instinctively, "Water usually symbolizes sorrow."
"What about the moon?"
"Nostalgia, longing for someone..."
Zhang Shu glanced at the sky, "And clouds?"
Sheng Xia: "..."
"Generally, they represent wandering."
He seemed to run out of ideas for a moment before looking around, "What about tree leaves?"
By now, she had an inkling of what he was doing. A warmth spread in her chest, tinged with a faint ache.
She smiled slightly and played along, "It depends on the type of leaves. Willow leaves signify reluctance to part; grass and trees, the rise and fall of life; fragrant grass, the sorrow of separation; banana leaves, loneliness..."
Zhang Shu gave a thumbs-up, then suddenly changed his tone, slow and deliberate, "Then, what about the camphor trees of Nanli?"
Sheng Xia looked up but didn’t answer. Silence stretched between them.
"The camphor trees of Nanli..." She met his gaze and finally spoke, "They represent Ah Shu being unreasonable."
He froze for a second before bursting into unrestrained laughter.
Sheng Xia’s cheeks burned faintly in the winter air. She started her bike and called out, "Happy New Year!" before fleeing.
His laughter echoed down the entire camphor-lined avenue.
By the time Zhang Shu snapped out of it, the white rear of her bike was already dozens of meters away.
Only then did it dawn on him—this was the first time she had called him "Ah Shu." Fragments of dreams flashed through his mind, his palms growing warm as he shouted, "What did you call me? Say it again!"
Of course, he got no reply.
Sheng Xia slowed down slightly, the boy’s words ringing clearly in her ears, each syllable striking her heart.
She looked up. The camphor trees of Nanli remained lush even in winter, as if blanketing the entire city in warmth.
The camphor trees of Nanli symbolized: I just wanted to stay with you a little longer. Did you know that?
Sheng Xia’s Spring Festival plans were nothing out of the ordinary.
New Year’s Eve dinner at home, lunch on the first day of the new year with her two younger sisters and Sheng Mingfeng.
Accepting some legitimate red envelopes and gifts, while politely declining those sent due to Sheng Mingfeng’s influence—nothing more.
For a high school senior, the holiday was anything but relaxing. Conversations at the table revolved solely around academics, and tutoring sessions started as early as the second day of the new year. The teachers were working overtime during the holidays—truly dedicated.
Most classes were online, but Sheng Xia still had to visit the tutoring center to meet with her instructors.
There, she ran into Lu Youze.
Neither was surprised.
They were assigned to different teachers, but after locking eyes in the elevator, they exchanged a commiserating "This sucks"—having to attend online classes during the holiday.
Sheng Xia’s academic advisor recommended several universities, with the University of Pennsylvania being the top choice due to its suitability in various aspects. However, the requirements—a TOEFL score of 100 and an SAT score above 1300—were no easy feat.
Since Sheng Xia wasn’t fully committed, she had no strong opinions. She asked the teacher to schedule SAT-related courses later and prioritize language classes instead.Studying for the TOEFL at least helps with English grades, so I might as well start now. As for other classes, I can only find excuses to drop them once there's progress with the independent recruitment.
When she finished and stepped out, Sheng Xia was slightly surprised to see Lu Youze waiting for her in the lobby.
Naturally, they walked back together.
"I heard you're also preparing for the University of Pennsylvania—that's so great!" Lu Youze said. "I don’t mean anything by it, but it’s just really nice to have someone familiar going through the same process."
Sheng Xia understood the sentiment. She didn’t want to dampen his spirits by saying she wasn’t interested. Besides, Lu Youze’s father had a good relationship with Sheng Mingfeng, so she could only be extra cautious around him and avoid saying too much.
"You too?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Lu Youze replied, "Yeah, I’m going for business."
Sheng Xia nodded.
Makes sense—Penn’s business school was famous.
"Let’s work hard together!" he said.
"Mhm..." Sheng Xia responded weakly.
Back home, Sheng Xia didn’t rest for a second. She revised the drafts she’d written over the past few days and planned to tackle a set of math problems from the "Five-Three" workbook after dinner.
Her phone suddenly buzzed incessantly—neither an alarm nor a call. She picked it up to check.
[Song Jiang is inviting you to a video call...]
Sheng Xia was startled. No one had ever video-called her before—not even Tao Zhizhi.
And right now, she was in her pajamas.
She declined.
[Song Jiang is inviting you to an audio call...]
An audio call... that seemed acceptable.
Hesitating for a while, she only answered when he called a second time.
"Hello?"
A chuckle came from the other end. "So nervous—are you doing something bad?"
Sheng Xia: "No way."
Zhang Shu: "Then why’d it take so long to pick up?"
"I was doing practice problems."
"Oh?" The sound of flipping pages came through. "What kind?"
"Five-Three."
"Which subject?"
"Math."
"Which volume?"
"Seventeen."
The flipping continued. "Ah, I’ve already done that one. Want to switch to another set?"
Sheng Xia was puzzled. "Huh?"
Zhang Shu: "Let’s do it together."
Sheng Xia: "You’re doing practice problems too?"
Zhang Shu: "Wasn’t planning to, but now I am."
Sheng Xia: "..."
After some back-and-forth, Sheng Xia realized he’d already done most of them.
Sheng Xia: "When did you even do all these? You’ve finished so many, and I still have tons left."
"Sometimes I do a set when I still have energy after getting back at night," he answered casually.
He usually left the classroom close to midnight. "Then what time do you sleep?"
"Two or three."
...What?
She’d assumed he went straight to bed.
"I don’t wake up early, so I’m a night owl," Zhang Shu said, still flipping through the workbook. "Did you think I was just a genius or something?"
"Uh..." She had kind of thought that.
"Let’s do science instead. We’ll work on one subject at a time and check answers afterward," he suggested.
"Together?" Sheng Xia was confused. How would that work?
Zhang Shu: "Keep the call on. Don’t hang up."
Sheng Xia: "..."
Zhang Shu: "Switch to video?"
Sheng Xia glanced down at her fluffy pajamas. "But I’m not—"
"But I want to see you..."
Their voices overlapped, and both paused awkwardly before Sheng Xia abruptly ended the call.
Zhang Shu stared at the "Call Ended" notification, baffled—why was she still so shy?
Shy enough to get mad?
Ah, so cute.
Adorable.
Just as he was pondering how to smooth things over, his phone buzzed again. The screen displayed: [Moli Hua is inviting you to a video call...]Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow, staring at his phone in disbelief before hurriedly answering the call, nearly fumbling the tap.
The screen wobbled, revealing a fair, makeup-free face framed by loose, flowing hair.
Under the pretense of adjusting the camera angle, her gaze remained evasive, never quite meeting the lens directly.
Eventually, the phone was placed beneath a desk lamp, its soft glow casting her image like a figure in a painting.
Zhang Shu: "Why'd you hang up earlier?"
"Changing clothes..."
"Didn’t need to be so formal, did you?" Zhang Shu sat down as well, propping his phone on a stand. "Should I change too? How about a suit?"
The girl seemed to glare at him, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Earlier... I was in my pajamas..."
And without a bra...
Zhang Shu cleared his throat awkwardly, nodding. "Oh. Then let’s begin. I’ll time it."
"Mm."
Sheng Xia lowered her head but struggled to focus. Unconsciously, her eyelids lifted slightly—only to meet the intense, unwavering gaze from the other side of the screen.
Had he been watching her this whole time?
She quickly looked down again, muttering, "Hurry up and start working!"
"I’m faster than you. You go first—I’ll watch for a bit..."
Watch what? How am I supposed to concentrate like this?
"Then I’m hanging up!" she snapped.
"Alright, alright, I’ll work. Don’t hang up."
The timer started again. Sheng Xia steadied herself, gradually slipping into focus. Occasionally, she glanced up after finishing a major question, reassured to see him equally absorbed in thought before lowering her head once more.
Just as she was nearing the end of the biology section, two soft knocks sounded at her door, followed by the twist of the handle. "Sis, I’m coming in!"
Before the words fully left her mouth, the door swung open.
Sheng Xia reacted instantly, slamming her phone face-down on the desk with a sharp thud and springing to her feet.
Wu Qiuxuan eyed her suspiciously. "Sis, what are you doing?"
"Working on practice tests," Sheng Xia replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What’s up?"
"Ugh, stop working! I can’t take it anymore—I’m going insane!" Qiuxuan flopped onto Sheng Xia’s bed, glaring at the phone. "Sis, I’m so annoyed."
"Why?"
"My roommate just said in the group chat that people who stan celebrities are shallow. She’s obviously shading me! That idiot—does she want another beating...?"
Sheng Xia: "..." Why are young people so aggressive?
"Words over fists," Sheng Xia said calmly. "You could reply: ‘It’s not surprising you’d think that way.’"
Qiuxuan pondered this. "Ooh, that’s shady!"
"But I want something more satisfying—something to really piss her off!"
More satisfying?
Sheng Xia thought for a moment. "How old is your sister? Has she read any books? What medication is she on?"
Qiuxuan blinked. "Huh?"
"Lines from Dream of the Red Chamber ."
Qiuxuan processed this, then burst out laughing. "Hahahaha—so she’s sick? Perfect! That’ll drive her nuts!"
Sheng Xia: "..." Young people find joy in the simplest things.
Instantly cheered up, Qiuxuan rolled across the bed, now eyeing her sister with curiosity. "Hey, sis, what about that Zhang Shu guy you mentioned last time? Did you make your move yet—mmph?!"
Sheng Xia hadn’t expected her dear sister’s next words to be so bold—nor had she anticipated the voice from the other end of the call chiming in with a puzzled, "What?"
Qiuxuan’s eyes widened as Sheng Xia clamped a hand over her mouth.
Sheng Xia promptly shoved her out of the room.
But Qiuxuan, stunned, stole a glance at the phone on the desk, whispering in disbelief, "I just heard a guy’s voice! Am I hallucinating? Sis! Hey—?"With a loud "bang," Wu Qiuxuan was shut out by her usually gentle sister—oh my god!
Sheng Xia fanned her face, unable to calm down. She walked to the desk, hesitated for a long moment, and finally picked up the phone she had placed facedown.
"Sheng—"
Zhang Shu was about to speak when Sheng Xia hung up.
Ahhh!
What more was there to say!
Why did he have to say anything at all, ahhh!
Not even a few seconds after hanging up, he called again. Sheng Xia kept hanging up, only for him to call back repeatedly.
Video call? Absolutely not! Never in this lifetime!
Sheng Xia threw herself onto the bed, grabbed the blanket, and wrapped herself up, ignoring the incessant ringing of her phone outside.
Wuwuwu!
What kind of nonsense had Wu Qiuxuan said, wuwuwu!
He must have heard it all!
She had no face left, wuwuwu!
As everything finally quieted down, she knew she had to face it eventually.
What if... the signal had been bad and he hadn’t heard anything?
Sheng Xia picked up her phone and resignedly opened the chat window.
He hadn’t bombarded her with messages like last time.
But just two sentences and a sticker were enough to hit hard.
Song Jiang: "So sarcastic."
Song Jiang: [scared.jpg]
Song Jiang: "I also want to have more fun. I’m coming back the day after tomorrow. Wanna go on a date with me?"
OpenNovel