Lianli was filled with barbecue joints, and eating barbecue was as common as having three meals a day for the locals.
On weekends, many people from nearby towns would make a special trip to Lianli just for the barbecue.
Zhang Sujin had once run a barbecue stall herself. The stunning boss lady often had to deal with drunk customers causing trouble late into the night.
This was how Zhang Shu earned his reputation as the "Little Tyrant of Lianli." A scrawny teenager of thirteen or fourteen, he looked so frail you’d think he’d fall apart if you lifted him. But it was precisely because people underestimated him that many street thugs ended up wailing in pain after getting beaten up by him. When he got serious, he wouldn’t hesitate to smash a beer bottle over someone’s back—without even flinching when it shattered.
Han Xiao had seen Zhang Shu fight before. The ferocity in his eyes had terrified the well-behaved Han Xiao so much that he didn’t dare approach Zhang Shu for all three years of middle school.
Even though the tourists were gone during the New Year, the streets were bustling with people who had returned from working elsewhere. At 11 p.m., Lianli’s nightlife was just getting started.
"Ah, nothing beats the air in Lianli—it’s all barbecue!" Han Xiao exclaimed as he dragged over a small stool and plopped down.
"Old Du, another pot of lamb spine!" Zhou Yingxiang called out before asking, "Anything else you guys want?"
Amid the smoky haze of the barbecue stall, the owner’s booming voice replied, "Coming right up! Han Xiao, you’re back too? Didn’t your mom buy a big house in Nanli?"
Han Xiao shouted back, "Nowhere compares to Lianli! Nanli doesn’t have Old Du’s barbecue!"
Old Du chuckled. "Hah, you’ve got a silver tongue, kid!"
The barbecue stall was lively and packed, with everyone chatting amid the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks.
Migrant workers complained about their bosses and employers, office workers bragged about their impressive annual performance, and business owners discussed their ambitious plans for the next year.
No matter their status, once they sat down on those little stools at the barbecue stall, it was all about meat and beer.
"Shu, my dad told me your old house area is going to be turned into an ancient town?" Han Xiao’s father worked in the Lianli government as some kind of director, and his mother was the principal of Lianli Central Primary School. With that kind of background, Han Xiao had practically walked around like royalty as a kid.
Zhang Shu nodded. "Yeah, that’s the plan."
"So your old house must be worth a fortune now, right? Selling?"
"Don’t know."
He hadn’t lived in the old house since birth and had no attachment to it. It was entirely up to his sister.
Han Xiao sighed. "Man, speaking of this ancient town project, it was actually proposed by—you know, her dad. If it really takes off, Lianli’s gonna boom!"
A few of the local buddies who went to school in Lianli didn’t catch on. "Who?"
"Whose dad?"
Zhou Yingxiang, acting like an insider, smirked. "Your Shu-ge’s goddess’s dad!"
"Who? Not Chen Mengyao?"
Zhou Yingxiang finally understood how Hou Junqi must have felt back then and scoffed. "Idiots."
"...So who is it? Didn’t Shu post something about being in a relationship?"
"What does she look like? Show us!"
"Is she pretty?"
Zhou Yingxiang took on the role of spokesperson, cutting in, "Words can’t describe her. ‘Pretty’ is too shallow, right, Shu?"
Zhang Shu took a sip of his strong yellow drink and stayed silent.
"Seriously? Prettier than Chen Mengyao?"
Zhou Yingxiang: "No comparison!"
"Damn, that legendary? Show us!"Han Xiao couldn't be bothered to respond and continued, "My dad said Sheng Mingfeng has a very solid political track record. No background, just ruthless hard work. He's got ideas, capability, and social skills. He's served in all the tougher counties and districts, accomplished quite a bit, and after going around in circles, he returned to Nanli and became the top leader. At his age, he could still climb higher—maybe after a term or two, he might get transferred to Dongzhou."
"Dongzhou is a sub-provincial city. If he does well there, the next step up would be someone ordinary folks only get to see on the evening news."
"That strong..." Zhou Yingxiang muttered. "Shu-ge, maybe we should stick with Chen Mengyao?"
Before he could finish, Han Xiao smacked the back of his head.
Zhang Shu also looked up, his gaze impatient.
"N-no, I was just rambling, just rambling..." Zhou Yingxiang shut his mouth.
Just as the group was curious about who this goddess could be, Zhang Shu's phone rang—not a call, but the sound of a voice chat.
Zhang Shu seemed surprised too, raising a hand to signal, "Quiet."
Then he answered.
The others mouthed: Who is it?
Han Xiao: The goddess!
They pricked up their ears to listen.
Zhang Shu didn't put it on speaker, so they couldn't hear the other side—only his words.
"What's up?"
Three simple words, the tone light and rising, unbearably gentle, ordinary yet sticky-sweet.
Zhou Yingxiang rubbed his arms. Good lord, since when did Shu-ge sound like this?
"Not yet, I'm out, yeah, meeting some friends. No, it's fine. Don't—don't hang up. Send me a pic, let me see. Yeah, okay, sure, whatever you say. I'll pick you up tomorrow, yeah? Okay, then One Side Bookstore it is. Sure, no rush. Don't—say a bit more... Fine..."
Now the group exchanged glances, all rubbing their arms in unison.
How could someone be like this? Saying nothing remotely romantic yet making everyone nauseous?
When Zhang Shu finally hung up, the group was about to start gossiping, but he cut them off, calling to the shop owner, "Old Du, got any paper and pen?"
"Yep!"
Soon, the order-taking notepad and pen arrived.
Zhang Shu wasn't picky. Glancing at his phone, he began scribbling on the paper.
The others took a look and were speechless.
He was solving a math proof—and it didn't look easy. It took him about five minutes.
The group waited idly, whispering occasionally, until he finally finished, took a photo, and sent it.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he looked at them and said, "What? Eat, drink?"
"I'm full."
"Education changes fate, knowledge builds romance. I get it now."
"Regrets—I should've studied harder, gotten into the attached high school, explained problems to the goddess."
Han Xiao scoffed. "Hah, you think just getting into the attached high school means the goddess would ask you for help?"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
From the earlier whispers, they'd pieced together the situation. Someone asked, "A-Shu, is your girlfriend really, you know, that secretary's daughter?"
Zhang Shu replied flatly, "Not my girlfriend yet."
"Huh?"
With how things are, who'd believe that?
"Kids with that kind of status—do they really suffer through the gaokao like us? I thought they all took backdoor routes to study abroad?"
"Same. If not now, then later, right?"
"A-Shu, you're going to Heyan for uni, right? That's hard for others to get into too, no?"
"So this is fate's way of saying long-distance, huh?"Han Xiao said, "Heyan has plenty of good universities, not just Heqing and Haiyan. Although the admission scores are all quite high, Sheng Xia's grades are pretty decent, right?"
"The issue isn't about grades, it's whether she wants to go or not, right?"
"..."
...
The gathering lasted until early morning. When Zhang Shu returned home at 2 a.m., he was surprised to find Zhang Sujin still awake.
"Sis? What are you doing up?"
"Waiting for you."
Zhang Shu tossed his keys aside. "Why wait for me? You could've just called."
"You rarely get to meet your friends, and you're heading back to Nanli tomorrow. It's good to spend more time with them—I didn't want to ruin your fun by rushing you back."
"Got something to say?" Zhang Shu sat down on the sofa.
Zhang Sujin hesitated. "About tomorrow's dinner..."
"Yeah, what about it? Any changes?"
Tomorrow, Zhang Sujin's boyfriend had arranged for both families to meet—a plan set since New Year's Eve.
Zhang Sujin said, "No changes, but I wanted to give you a heads-up about his family so you won't feel uncomfortable."
Zhang Shu: "What, does his family have an evil mother-in-law?"
Zhang Sujin: "No, his parents have already passed away. His family is quite well-off, actually. That was one of the reasons I hesitated before committing to this. He has a nephew... you know him."
"It's the one who used to stay at our daycare during lunch breaks—your classmate, Lu Youze."
The Lu family?
That wasn't just "quite well-off."
Zhang Shu's expression remained unchanged, though his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"You didn't get along with him before, so tomorrow, you..."
Before Zhang Sujin could finish, Zhang Shu chuckled. "Sis, what are you worried about? It's a happy occasion—I won't do anything to him. Actually, having an extra nephew sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"
Zhang Sujin: "..."
She had a bad feeling about this.
...
Sheng Xia went to bed early—though it was already midnight, it was still earlier than her usual 2 or 3 a.m.
Tomorrow, she needed to wake up early to move her afternoon study tasks to the morning.
Because at 3 p.m., she had plans to meet Zhang Shu at Yifang Bookstore.
As she set her alarm, Sheng Xia hesitated for a moment.
Should I wake up at 6?
Hmm...
What if he asks me to stay out for dinner?
Then I should finish part of my evening tasks too.
In the end, she set the alarm for 5 a.m. and fell asleep with an unconscious smile on her lips.
The next afternoon, she skipped her nap and stood in front of her closet, stumped.
Nanli's spring was unusually warm—temperatures during the New Year soared to 28°C, leaving winter no room to exist.
What should she wear?
She actually had plenty of clothes, mostly sportswear. Year-round, she wore matching sets that required no coordination.
But... today, she didn’t want to wear sportswear.
"Sis? Mom said you're going out with Zhizhi—can I come too?" Wu Qiuxuan suddenly appeared at Sheng Xia's door, excited.
Sheng Xia avoided her gaze. "Uh, we're just going to a bookstore. It'll be boring."
"Still better than staying home!"
"You," Sheng Xia randomly picked out a cotton dress, "don’t you have school tomorrow? And haven’t you got a lot of homework left?"
Wu Qiuxuan pouted. "Then I can bring it to the bookstore—a change of scenery! My brain’s fried right now!"
Sheng Xia wasn’t good at lying and didn’t know how to respond. Feigning annoyance, she said, "No, go find your own friends to hang out with. What’s the point of always tagging along with your sister?"
Wu Qiuxuan was confused. Glancing at the dress laid out on the bed, she asked, "Sis? You’re wearing a dress?""Hmm... I still don't know what to wear..." Sheng Xia hesitated, clearly still unsatisfied as she reopened her wardrobe, staring at the clothes in contemplation.
Wu Qiuxuan walked in with a playful look in her eyes. "Going out with Sister Zhizhi, and you're worrying about dresses? It's just a bookstore—why overthink your outfit?"
Sheng Xia's heart skipped a beat. What's up with A-Xuan? Did she notice something?
"You're not... going to see Brother Zhang Shu, are you?"
At those words, Sheng Xia immediately shut the wardrobe. "What nonsense are you spouting, Wu Qiuxuan?"
"Teehee, so it's true! Then I won't tag along—your little sister knows when to step aside!" Qiuxuan giggled as she backed out of the room, murmuring before closing the door, "Sis, skip the ponytail. Wear a pretty hairpin instead!"
Standing before the mirror in her dress, Sheng Xia hesitated as she looked at the crystal hairpin adorning her dark hair.
Would it... seem too deliberate?
She took it off and tucked it into her bag before heading out.
Between biking and taking a taxi, Sheng Xia ultimately chose biking—just in case he wanted to go somewhere else, they'd have transportation. Taxis were expensive, and he was so frugal.
For that reason, she even went back home to grab an extra helmet.
Wu Qiuxuan watched her sister leave twice, sighing to herself: One so beautiful, the other so handsome—for a moment, she couldn't decide whether to envy her sister or Brother Zhang Shu more.
Sheng Xia kept Tao Zhizhi's advice in mind—"Never arrive early on a first date"—and timed her departure accordingly. But perhaps she rode too fast, because she arrived at the bookstore by 2:45.
So she turned around, backtracking to a spot one intersection away from Yifang Bookstore, pulling over to scroll through her phone while waiting for time to pass.
Unconsciously, she tapped into his chat window, where their conversation had ended with the voice call she made to him last night.
He had told her to call anytime if she struggled with her homework.
So last night, she did.
Unexpectedly, it had been noisy on his end—he was at a gathering with friends. The thought of all those people waiting on him made her feel embarrassed.
But he still helped her solve the problem.
Right in front of everyone—could that be considered open favoritism?
The corners of Sheng Xia's lips curled up involuntarily. Counting the days, it had been a week since they last met. The weather was warmer now—what would he wear today?
He mentioned a family lunch earlier—surely he'd dress up a little too?
She hoped she wouldn't seem too try-hard.
As the time neared, Sheng Xia rode to the bookstore, pushing open the door of Yifang Bookstore right on the dot.
He wasn't there yet.
Was he delayed by the lunch?
She chose a sunlit seat by the window, ordering just a glass of water while waiting to decide on the rest with him.
By 3:15, there was still no sign of him. With nothing else to do, Sheng Xia idly scrolled through her phone again. Should she... ask?
Fifteen minutes wasn't much. If he really was busy, she might come off as too eager.
So she held back.
Her phone screen darkened, reflecting a face that wasn't happy.
Sheng Xia forced a small smile at herself, then took the hairpin from her bag and put it on.
3:30, and he still hadn't arrived.
Sheng Xia opened his chat window countless times before finally gritting her teeth and typing: "Where are you?"
Almost instantly, the status above the chat showed: Typing...
But two minutes passed without any message.
Huh?
Was he busy and couldn't reply?Just as she was thinking, her phone vibrated—[Song Jiang is inviting you to a voice call...]
Sheng Xia quickly answered.
"Hello, do you have—"
"Sheng Xia, you should head back first."
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