Sheng Xia finished her essay with a few minutes to spare. She carefully observed Zhang Shu. Due to his shoulder injury, he couldn’t lift his left arm to weigh down the exam paper, which kept shifting, so he wrote very slowly.
When the exam ended, the teacher came to collect the papers and gave Zhang Shu a particularly regretful glance.
Because of how the papers were gathered, Sheng Xia caught a glimpse of his essay—only a few lines written, likely just the beginning.
After the exam, Zhang Sujin came to pick up Zhang Shu. He needed to go back for medication and an IV drip before returning in the afternoon.
The back-and-forth was exhausting, but there was no other choice.
After lunch, Sheng Xia browsed a stationery shop, hoping to buy an inkstone but couldn’t find one, so she took a taxi to Yifang Bookstore.
Entering Yifang Bookstore again, Sheng Xia felt an inexplicable heaviness in her heart.
After resuming normal operations, the bookstore’s popularity hadn’t waned—it had even grown. Even on weekdays, there were plenty of people inside.
The owner, whose arm had been slashed—not too seriously, but still in a sling—greeted Sheng Xia more warmly than before. He asked about Zhang Shu’s condition and vividly recounted the events of that day, leaving Sheng Xia drenched in cold sweat.
By the time their conversation ended, Sheng Xia no longer had time for a nap before returning to school and went straight to the classroom.
Zhang Shu arrived just before the exam. When he saw the inkstone on his desk, he froze for a long moment before noticing the price tag still stuck to the base, clearly stamped with the "Yifang" logo.
He didn’t even need to look to know who had left it there.
The situation felt eerily familiar, reminding him of that criminal law book.
Zhang Shu turned his head and whispered, "Come here for a sec."
Though he didn’t specify who, the nearby classmates knew exactly whom he meant.
The exam was about to start, and the proctor had already arrived, displaying the sealed test papers at the front. Sheng Xia crouched low and scurried over to him. "What’s up?"
Since she was squatting, she was shorter than him even while he sat. Zhang Shu had to pull her head closer to whisper, "I’ll finish writing properly. Focus on your own exam—don’t keep looking at me, it makes me nervous."
The moment he finished speaking, a cough sounded. Sheng Xia quickly pulled away and looked up to see the proctor holding the exam papers, staring at them with an utterly exasperated expression.
Flustered, Sheng Xia crouched back to her seat, taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the amused gazes around her.
When the exam papers were handed out, Sheng Xia filled in her name and student ID before instinctively wanting to glance at him again. Remembering his words, she forced herself to resist.
Weird. Did he have eyes on the back of his head? How did he know she was looking at him?
With the inkstone weighing down his paper, Zhang Shu finally regained some of his usual speed.
But Sheng Xia didn’t observe whether he finished this time—because apart from Chinese, she wasn’t nearly as confident in the other subjects.
News of Zhang Shu returning for the exams spread throughout the grade on the first day. In the days waiting for the results, everyone speculated whether he could maintain his top rank.
The night before the scores were released, even Tao Zhizhi texted to ask about Zhang Shu’s condition.
It wasn’t just Affiliated High School paying attention—other schools were watching too.
After the incident, Zhang Shu’s influence had only grown. Sometimes, Sheng Xia wondered: if she hadn’t transferred to Affiliated High, she would’ve heard his name by now anyway.
Sheng Xia replied to Tao Zhizhi, "He’ll do his absolute best and achieve the highest score within his current ability."
She had personally seen his essay—only a few lines written. First place was impossible.
That was indeed the case, but people still couldn’t believe it when Zhang Shu ranked only in the 300s at Affiliated High.Chinese was failing, math was in the higher score range but not exceptionally so, English scored 148, and science subjects were just average.
In the cafeteria, the water room, the hallways, and even online, voices doubting Zhang Shu were everywhere.
Sheng Xia overheard plenty of them.
Some people would stop talking the moment they saw her, only to resume their discussions once she walked away.
"Zhang Shu is such a waste. All because he had to save that transfer student! Ugh, so annoying. Our school could’ve had a top scorer this year with a record-breaking gap."
"Exactly! It’s such a shame, isn’t it?"
"And with Zhang Shu’s looks, the moment his scores came out, he’d have gone viral for sure!"
"It’s been years since our school had someone like him."
"Do you think Zhang Shu can still make it once he recovers?"
"Definitely not. At this point, even the lowest-tier 985 universities are probably out of reach. He’s already ranked in the 300s in our school, and in the city rankings, he’s practically vanished. Forget about the provincial rankings—Zhang Shu’s done for. The school’s probably given up on him too."
"Ugh, the more we talk about it, the angrier I get. It’s so unfair."
Sheng Xia stood frozen outside the water room.
Even when two girls walked out and bumped right into her, she didn’t move.
The two girls looked startled at first, then quickly shrugged it off. As they passed Sheng Xia, one of them even shoved her.
Sheng Xia turned her head and called after them, "Apologize, please."
The girls turned back, surprised. Then the leader of the two walked up to Sheng Xia, smirking. "Apologize for what? Was I wrong? If it weren’t for you, would Zhang Shu have gotten hurt? Would he have gone from being the city’s top scorer to a nobody? Don’t you realize how much of a curse you are? You jinx! Why should I apologize to you?"
Sheng Xia wasn’t as tall as the girl, so she tilted her chin up slightly, staring straight at her. "I didn’t say apologize to me. I said apologize to Zhang Shu."
The two girls exchanged glances before looking back at Sheng Xia with disdain, as if she were joking.
Sheng Xia continued, "Do you even know him? Do you understand him? No one has the right to say he’s too late. No one has the right to say he’s done for. Apologize!"
The leader was genuinely taken aback.
They were on the same floor, so she was familiar with Sheng Xia—always running into her at the water dispenser or the restroom. Occasionally, she’d overhear Sheng Xia chatting with classmates, her voice always soft and gentle, making her seem like an easy target.
But this calm gaze and icy tone were completely unexpected.
"Apologize to Zhang Shu!"
Sheng Xia’s voice trembled slightly, but it remained firm.
Hah, just a paper tiger.
The girl scoffed and shoved Sheng Xia. "Who do you think you are? What’s it to you if I talk about him?"
Sheng Xia took a small step back but stood her ground. The girl, using her height advantage, stepped forward and pushed her again. "You’re the one causing trouble here. Stop acting all high and mighty!"
With each push, Sheng Xia retreated slightly. Finally, she reached the edge of the steps. Enough was enough. When the girl reached out to shove her again, Sheng Xia swiftly sidestepped. The girl, missing her target, lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs with a loud shriek—landing face-first on the ground.The steps weren't high, just two or three levels, with green grass below.
It wouldn't cause serious injury, but it definitely hurt.
The girl's companion hurried down to help her. "Are you okay? Are you okay?"
The girl rolled over and sat up, hissing in pain. She raised her hands—both palms were scraped red, and there was a smear of mud on her chin. She glared angrily at Sheng Xia. "You—!"
"Apologize!" Sheng Xia hugged her water bottle tightly, repeating the demand. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes, so abrupt and overwhelming that they seemed frozen in place.
Sheng Xia swallowed hard, trying to force down the lump in her throat, but it was futile.
Because she didn't even know what it was.
Hearing the phrase "no such person exists," she felt as if someone had stabbed a hole in her heart, and an unnamed surge of emotion clogged her throat.
It was unbearable.
How could such a dazzling boy be described like that?
As the standoff continued, passing classmates gathered to watch. Someone ran to Class Six to spread the news, and Hou Junqi came rushing over.
Who knew what he felt when he heard "Sheng Xia is being bullied"? If anything happened to her, how would he explain it?
But when he arrived, he saw this scene: the usually fragile girl stood by the corridor, looking down at the two disheveled girls on the steps below. The way she clutched her water bottle almost resembled crossing her arms, her entire demeanor fierce.
Who was bullying whom here?
Hou Junqi's first instinct was to pull out his phone and take a picture.
The surrounding classmates: "..."
The girl, unwilling to back down, snapped, "I'm the one who fell! Why are you crying? I can't stand girls like you—always crying! Does crying make you right?"
Only then did Hou Junqi notice Sheng Xia's tears.
So did the onlookers.
Partly because she stood at the forefront, and partly because her imposing stance had made everyone overlook the fact that she was crying.
Sheng Xia was too focused to notice Hou Junqi's arrival. Then a large shadow fell over her as Hou Junqi stepped in front, shielding her with his arm.
He said lightly, "Because she saw something dirty and needed to wash her eyes."
A ripple of stifled laughter spread through the crowd.
The girl was left speechless. Facing the tall and imposing Hou Junqi, she didn't even dare to glare.
The commotion grew too loud, and the discipline officer arrived. The group was taken to the office, while the crowd dispersed.
After clarifying the situation, the discipline officer let them go. Still, leaning toward the "injured party," he made the two girls apologize and instructed Wang Wei to take Sheng Xia and Hou Junqi back for a reprimand. They were then ordered to stand in the corridor for one class period, facing the wall to reflect.
Hou Junqi muttered, "Reflecting by facing the wall? What era is this? Are you going for a retro vibe?"
The discipline officer was furious, but Wang Wei quickly pulled Hou Junqi away.
Sheng Xia had never been punished like this in her life.
But she stood willingly.
She deserved this reflection—debating with fools was beneath her.
If everyone could understand Zhang Shu, how ordinary would he be?
"How could the dirt comprehend the purity of ice?" She had forgotten.
...
That evening, Sheng Xia brought Zhang Shu's test papers to the hospital.
Aside from Wang Wei, none of the other teachers knew she had stopped attending her study-abroad classes. So when she skipped evening self-study, no one really noticed. Even so, Sheng Xia felt uneasy about skipping class.
But she couldn't care less—she wanted to see him immediately.Although the test papers hadn't been handed out yet, the score reports were already available on the school's supervision system. Zhang Shu must have known his grades by now.
Since the division into arts and sciences, he had never scored this low, had he?
The higher you climb, the harder you fall—what a devastating blow this must be.
Sheng Xia had tried to put herself in his shoes, but she knew no one could truly understand another's pain.
She knew he would be upset, but when she peeked through the small window and caught a glimpse of his disheveled, dejected appearance, her heart clenched.
He was sitting at the desk Zhang Sujin had prepared for him, staring blankly at his phone. His hair was messy, as if he had been running his hands through it repeatedly in frustration, and stubble had begun to shadow his lips.
This was the first time Sheng Xia had ever seen Zhang Shu with facial hair.
It felt a little unfamiliar.
Her eyes instantly grew hot, her heart aching unbearably, but she forced the tears back and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
Zhang Shu assumed it was Zhang Sujin and didn’t pay much attention—until the person drew near, and a faint, sweet fragrance reached him. He abruptly looked up—
Why hadn’t she told him she was coming?
Zhang Shu was stunned.
The darkened screen of his phone reflected his appearance—utterly unkempt.
His grip loosened, and the phone clattered onto the desk.
Perhaps the power button had been pressed, because the screen lit up again, displaying the supervision system’s page. The score report was enlarged, paused on his Chinese grade—a glaring "78" stood out starkly.
“Why are you here?” he asked absently.
He was so annoyed.
Actually, he had been pretty lax about his appearance during his hospitalization, often going days without shaving. Only when she was coming would he bother to tidy up a little.
Because he couldn’t bend over, and the male nurse made him uncomfortable—even just wiping his face felt awkward, let alone shaving. He hated the idea of another man handling his chin, so he minimized the number of shaves.
At first, his sister had helped, but one time Lu Zheng saw it and outright forbade it.
Though Zhang Shu found it ridiculous, he could empathize—if Sheng Xia were shaving her younger brother’s face, he wouldn’t be able to stand it either.
Even though she didn’t have a brother.
This…
Why had she come so suddenly?
She was so particular about cleanliness—she must be disgusted by him now.
“I came to bring you the test papers,” Sheng Xia answered.
He studied her reaction carefully. Sure enough, she wasn’t even looking at him.
Was she really that repulsed?
Zhang Shu set the papers aside and stood up. Sheng Xia quickly reached out to steady him, and his body stiffened.
Because of the sudden proximity, she misjudged the distance and ended up pressed entirely against his arm.
Zhang Shu only felt something soft press against his arm—a sensation he had never experienced before. Like cotton candy? No, not quite. Not close enough.
He froze.
Only one thought crossed his mind—
Xia Xia Ruan Mianmian.
The accuracy of that nickname—Xin Xiaohe was truly a literary genius of our time.
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