How did she feel about it?
What a question...
Remembering his sly question on her birthday, this time Sheng Xia tried hard to regain her composure, not wanting to be led around by him again.
[I'll only listen to your confessions from now on...]
But was this considered a confession from her? She couldn't ask that either—what if he immediately demanded one?
[I'll only give you flowers and necklaces...]
Flowers were fine.
"No need for necklaces," Sheng Xia murmured. "They're too expensive."
Zhang Shu didn't expect this response. His heart softened, then suddenly he realized something was off. "Give her a necklace? Who?"
Seeing his reaction, Sheng Xia wondered if she'd misunderstood again.
"I've only ever given my sister a necklace. Are you jealous of that too?" Zhang Shu sounded incredulous. After a brief pause, he added, "Fine, when she has a boyfriend to give her jewelry, I'll give her something else. No more necklaces, okay?"
So that's how it was...
Sheng Xia felt embarrassed. Was this what they called irrational jealousy?
Eager to change the subject, she continued, "And the one-meter rule isn't necessary... people will still need to ask you questions..."
They couldn't solve problems by shouting across a meter's distance, could they?
Zhang Shu: "No other girls will come asking me questions from now on, except Xin Xiaohe. Trust me."
Sheng Xia was puzzled: "Why?"
Zhang Shu raised his eyebrows, speaking as if it were obvious: "Who would be so blind as to not see this flower is taken?"
Taken. Flower.
The words seemed electrifying. Sheng Xia's fingers trembled slightly, and her hand instinctively withdrew from his grasp.
Zhang Shu watched her flustered expression, both amused and exasperated.
Was that line too much?
She couldn't even handle this level?
Sheng Xia also felt her reaction was overblown. Suddenly pulling away might seem like rejection—had she unintentionally hurt him again? She awkwardly looked up, grasping for conversation: "Then why would Xin Xiaohe still ask?"
Zhang Shu glanced at the ceiling and smiled.
How should he put this?
She's your bridesmaid, she has privileges, silly.
But he couldn't say that—she'd probably bolt if he did.
Lowering his gaze to meet her clear spring-like eyes, Zhang Shu asked, "Sheng Xia, with all those romantic poems and verses you know, didn't any of them teach you how to date?"
Sheng Xia: "..."
A knock at the door saved her as a nurse entered with a medicine cart.
Sheng Xia stood to make space, muttering without thinking, "Time for your medicine."
Only when she saw Zhang Shu's face freeze did she realize how closely this followed his question—it sounded like she was calling him crazy.
Zhang Shu gave a short laugh, giving her a look that clearly said—just you wait.
"You're in good spirits today, Zhang Shu," the nurse teased.
Zhang Shu: "Not bad."
"But you still need your medicine and injections."
The nurse poured pills into a bottle cap and placed them in Zhang Shu's palm. Noticing the caretaker wasn't present, Sheng Xia stepped forward to help, filling a paper cup with a mix of hot and room-temperature water until the temperature felt right before handing it to him.
The nurse smiled knowingly. "Your classmate is very attentive, isn't she, Zhang Shu?"
Her tone was full of implication.
Sheng Xia lowered her head slightly. Zhang Shu chuckled as he accepted the water. "Just classmates? Sister Ting, take a closer look?"
He then tossed the handful of pills into his mouth, gulping them down with water, his Adam's apple bobbing.
The nurse's eyes darted between their faces, pretending to study them seriously before declaring: "Hmm... sister? You do look somewhat alike!"
Cough!Zhang Shu suddenly had a violent coughing fit. The medicine he had just swallowed in one gulp seemed to choke him, turning his face red and his neck thick with the strain.
Sheng Xia hurried over to pat his back, helping him catch his breath.
After a moment of recovery, Zhang Shu glanced up at the nurse and snapped, "Shut up."
The nurse chuckled to herself, tidied up the medicine bottles, and wheeled her cart out, muttering, "Oh, don’t get so worked up! I was just saying you two look like a married couple!"
Sheng Xia: "..."
Just then, Zhang Sujin returned, indeed carrying a box of cut fruit and yogurt, which she opened and offered to Sheng Xia.
Sheng Xia: "No need, I’ll be leaving soon."
Zhang Sujin: "Have some. It’s already bought."
Sheng Xia quietly ate the fruit, holding the box in her hands.
A phone vibrated—it was Sheng Xia’s.
Wang Lianhua was calling to say she was downstairs to pick her up for class.
Sheng Xia stood up. "My mom’s here. I have to go to class..."
She felt a little awkward bringing it up.
But this time, Zhang Shu didn’t seem displeased. He simply said, "Sis, can you take her down?"
"Sure."
"No need, I can go by myself."
Zhang Shu: "You’ll probably get lost."
Sheng Xia: "..."
Was it really that bad? She’d been here twice already and remembered the way. Though it was indeed a maze of twists and turns.
As she reached the door, she heard Zhang Shu ask from behind, "When are you coming next?"
Sheng Xia turned back. She didn’t know when Wang Lianhua would let her visit again. "As soon as I can. Rest well."
"You said it."
On the way, she received a message from "Song Jiang."
A long one—she’d never seen him write so much on QQ before.
"Didn’t get to tell you earlier, but you’ve worked hard. All that enduring and effort, you’ve really worked hard. Also, I’m sorry—I didn’t see your efforts, didn’t cheer you on when you were pushing yourself, even said some discouraging things. I’m sorry. I told you before, with all your hard work, you wouldn’t end up with bad results. But even if the worst happens, even if you really end up going abroad, it’s fine by me. I’ll work during college, visit you on breaks, try for an exchange program, or if that doesn’t work, I’ll apply for grad school in the U.S. If you need me, I’ll do any of it. I take back what I said about ending things here, but I still hope you have a bright future. I don’t want to just watch from the sidelines—I want to be the one holding flowers to celebrate you. If you need me."
"Do you need me, Sheng Xia?"
Sheng Xia stared at the screen, reading it over and over.
His words were still the same—not particularly eloquent, even a bit redundant.
Yet they twisted her heart into knots.
This bright, proud boy had placed himself in the position of a beggar, repeating, "If you need me."
Sheng Xia couldn’t help but imagine what he looked like right now.
Probably half-lying on the hospital bed, typing intently on his phone, anxiously waiting for a reply? Was he, like her, watching their chat window, the screen lighting up and dimming, unable to look away?
Was he frowning because no reply came?
Did he bite his lip while choosing his words?
Damn it.
She’d only just left, and she already missed him terribly.
By the time they arrived at their destination, Wang Lianhua had to call her name to snap her out of it.
"Oh," she replied, getting out of the car and entering the building for class.
The teacher began the lecture, but Sheng Xia’s mind was elsewhere.
How should she reply?
For the first time, Sheng Xia—who was always full of words—felt at a loss.
What could she possibly say to match the depth of his sincerity?When she got home after class, it seemed the person on the other end couldn't wait any longer and sent a question mark.
This simple punctuation actually made Sheng Xia feel much more at ease.
Zhang Shu was still the same Zhang Shu—the domineering Zhang Shu.
Since it was a confession, he would undoubtedly demand a response.
Sheng Xia recalled how he had teased her, asking if poetry and literature hadn’t taught her how to navigate romance.
She searched her mind and picked a fitting line to reply:
"Fortunate that your heart mirrors mine, I vow not to betray this longing."
……
Busyness remained the norm for senior year, especially for those who hadn’t performed well in the first mock exams. Wang Wei practically became a weekly counselor, holding heart-to-heart sessions.
How he managed to talk to over a dozen students in one evening, repeating the same advice each time, was beyond her.
But Sheng Xia genuinely felt the tension in those conversations.
Many subjects had added weekly quizzes, making it feel like every day was spent taking tests.
They said you’d grow numb to it eventually.
At night, Sheng Xia would review her mistakes, and Zhang Shu would call over voice chat, offering help whenever she had questions.
Worried this might affect his rest, she eventually declined his calls.
"Then I won’t be able to sleep unless you come see me," he repeated, asking almost daily when she would visit.
She wanted to, but with Wang Lianhua driving her to and from school every day, she had no opportunity unless she skipped class—which he wouldn’t allow.
No way around it.
Zhang Shu had resumed studying in the hospital, though he couldn’t sit for long, so his efficiency was naturally low. Hou Junqi frequently brought him the latest test papers and materials.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xia had overheard discussions more than once—in the water room, the hallway, during lunch breaks—about how Zhang Shu had drawn the short straw, suffering such a setback at this critical time. Forget being the top scorer; even getting into Heqing or Haiyan University seemed unlikely now.
One student from the experimental class had remarked coldly, "Zhang Shu’s wasted his potential. Why keep worrying about him? It’s not like he’s the only one who can bring glory to our school."
This was just hearsay—Sheng Xia didn’t know who had said it or where.
All she knew was that Hou Junqi and Wu Pengcheng had stormed into the person’s class and thrown punches.
Both received disciplinary demerits.
She was worried too.
The college entrance exam was a prolonged battle. Even with knowledge stored in your mind, taking too long a break made it hard to regain momentum.
At night, she often blamed herself—if she hadn’t frequented Yifang Bookstore, he wouldn’t have gone either, and none of this would have happened.
Even now, as the incident’s buzz had faded, people still left daily blessings on Zhang Shu’s social media, wishing him success in the exams. Many were from other schools.
Tao Zhizhi also mentioned that students from both No. 1 and No. 2 High Schools were talking about this ill-fated would-be top scorer.
Former would-be top scorer.
Now, few held high hopes for him.
They just didn’t dare say it outright, given his act of bravery.
But Zhang Shu himself didn’t seem too anxious.
Sheng Xia cautiously asked, "How are the practice tests going lately?"
"I can solve them all, but without timing myself, I don’t know my efficiency," he replied.
Sheng Xia: "Your health comes first."
Catching her concern, he joked, "What if I flunk the exams?"
"Don’t say that—knock on wood!" Sheng Xia exaggeratedly mimicked the sound. "It won’t happen."
Only then did Zhang Shu turn serious. "Alright. If you don’t want it to happen, then it won’t."After a long pause, he added, "I can't guarantee I'll be the top scorer, but I can promise my score will be enough. Is that okay?"
He must have seen the online comments doubting his ability to top the exams.
"Enough" meant it would qualify him for either Heqing University or Haiyan University.
Enough to get him to Haiyan smoothly.
Also, he seemed particularly fond of asking her, "Is that okay?"
She had never said no. "If you say it's okay, then it's okay."
Their conversations often felt like nesting dolls. One thing that particularly surprised Sheng Xia was how easily Zhang Shu laughed. Mid-conversation, he'd often be cracking up.
He hadn't been like this before.
His laughter would sometimes make his stomach hurt, prompting Sheng Xia to scold, "Stop laughing or I'll hang up."
He'd immediately sober up. "Alright, no more laughing."
Another ten days passed. Sheng Xia brought up visiting the hospital again to Wang Lianhua.
Wang Lianhua said, "He's in stable recovery now. There's nothing much to see, so don't trouble yourself."
So Sheng Xia had to drop it.
Whenever she video-called Zhang Shu afterward, she felt a bit guilty.
They'd agreed on "as soon as possible" when she left last time, but nearly half a month had passed with no progress.
If this continued... An idea suddenly popped into Sheng Xia's head: What if she told her mother she was going to Tao Zhizhi's place on the weekend and actually visited the hospital instead?
She could just coordinate with Tao Zhizhi beforehand.
Zhang Shu's listless face appeared on the screen.
Not a single word.
Clearly, he was unhappy.
Sheng Xia explained, "You know my mom drives me everywhere now."
Of course Zhang Shu knew. There was nothing he could do about it, but that didn't stop him from feeling upset—he couldn't help it.
She was right there on the screen, in high resolution, looking just like she did in photos, yet it wasn't the same.
"Then I'll start on my homework..." Since she couldn't cheer him up right away, Sheng Xia simply placed the phone aside and picked up her test papers to work on them.
Only then did Zhang Shu react, sitting up straighter as he noticed her low spirits today.
"What's wrong? Are you upset?" he asked.
Sheng Xia looked up from her papers. "Yeah, my scores in the last two weekly exams were borderline."
Though weekly exams weren't the best indicators, she knew her own performance had noticeably declined.
"With everything going on... what if I end up with nothing?" she murmured, almost to herself.
Their worries mirrored each other—both were in precarious situations now.
Zhang Shu didn't offer empty comfort like "That won't happen." It would've been pointless.
"Lately, there's just been too much going on. It's hard to focus and get back into the groove," Zhang Shu analyzed. "You study first. I'll hang up, and you can call back if you have questions."
Sheng Xia cut him off. "It's not because of you."
She wasn't just trying to reassure him—it really wasn't his fault.
In fact, sometimes when he kept an eye on her during their evening calls, she actually worked harder, afraid he'd catch her slacking off.
Zhang Shu said, "You're under too much pressure. Try to relax."
"How can I relax at a time like this?"
Zhang Shu replied, "Do your homework first. I'll send you a video later."
"Okay."
She expected something like a "cheer-up" clip, but to her surprise, it was a video he'd recorded himself.
She clicked play.
The setting wasn't his hospital room but what looked like an on-call dormitory, with a bed in the background.
He was half-reclining, still in his hospital gown, holding a guitar. He could be heard directing off-camera, "Alright, we're recording."“It’s already recording.” The person filming was likely a caregiver.
Why wasn’t he in the hospital room? Could he already walk around?
Probably didn’t want to disturb others in the ward.
Zhang Shu couldn’t bend over easily, and his injured arm couldn’t move too much. With the guitar in his arms, his whole posture seemed stiff.
Occasionally, he would frown slightly—probably from the pain.
A nurse’s voice chimed in from the side: “If you keep this up, the head doctor is going to kill me tomorrow…”
Zhang Shu straightened his back, signaling that he was fine. His fingers slid across the strings, testing the sound, followed by a few chords.
“When two hearts…” His lips parted as he warmed up his voice. “When two hearts begin to tremble, when your pupils learn to dodge…”
The melody flowed from his lips—soft, magnetic, completely different from the rock song Sheng Xia had heard before.
The previous one had been wild and unrestrained, as if the whole world belonged to him in his shouts.
But this one was gentle, as if soothing the world itself.
He didn’t have any special singing techniques, but his tone and enunciation were more than enough.
Sheng Xia had heard this song before.
She even knew the lyrics to the chorus.
When he finally reached it, she found herself humming along—
“Those wild dreams you dare to dream, I’ll go crazy with you, paper airplanes will fall when they meet the rain…”
During the high notes, he tilted his head back slightly, his profile different from the one in the previous video.
He had lost weight—his jawline sharper, no softness left in his cheeks.
“When every second of my life spins for you…”
At this line, he suddenly glanced at the camera.
Thump, thump-thump…
Sheng Xia’s heart disobediently raced.
She received it.
Across the screen, she caught the searching look in his eyes.
She caught the “spins for you.”
“Those wild dreams you dare to dream…”
“You really don’t understand, my love has already landed.”
Those wild dreams.
Let’s go crazy together.
A-Shu, this isn’t relaxation at all.
He clearly wanted her to stay up all night—thinking of him.
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