After school in the afternoon, Sheng Xia had some time after dinner and wandered around the stationery shops nearby.
She loved buying all kinds of stationery—pens had to be 0.38mm, and aside from the standard red, blue, and black, she collected the entire Morandi color palette for refills. The pen bodies had to be aesthetically pleasing, and she needed a separate notebook for each subject—no mixing allowed. Sticky notes also had to be color-coded by subject. If there was a collaboration she liked, she’d scrimp and save just to buy it.
Perhaps because she exuded the aura of a stationery connoisseur, the shop owner shrewdly handed her a basket, which she quickly filled to the brim.
With the new semester starting, she also needed fresh wrapping paper to cover her textbooks—preferably from the same series but each with distinct designs.
Squatting by the rolls of wrapping paper, Sheng Xia carefully browsed her options.
“Hey, Zhang Shu, got more good stuff for me?”
The owner’s voice came from the entrance, calling out a name she recognized.
Instinctively, Sheng Xia turned her head. Through the gaps in the stationery shelves, her narrow line of sight framed the boy’s silhouette, elongating his already slender figure.
Zhang Shu walked in with one hand in his pocket, backlit by the evening sun. The scorching breeze tousled his bangs, strands of hair catching the glow of the sunset.
His plain backpack hung off one shoulder, and he pulled out a few notebooks, handing them to the owner.
From her blind spot, she couldn’t see what kind of notebooks they were, but she heard him chuckle lightly. “Chemistry and physics. See if they’re up to standard.”
“Pfft, as if your notebooks could ever be subpar. The math ones sold like hotcakes. Same price as before, yeah? If the first batch of copies sells out, I’ll pay you extra.”
“Deal.”
A few hundred-yuan bills appeared in view. Sheng Xia couldn’t make out the exact amount, but it was definitely several hundred.
The boy took the cash, flicking the crisp new bills with his thumbnail. He lowered his head, lips quirking in what seemed like a self-deprecating smile—uncharacteristically different from his usual carefree expression.
Perhaps because of his lowered gaze, he suddenly seemed to sense something and glanced in Sheng Xia’s direction.
Whether it was heightened sensitivity to danger or sheer experience, Sheng Xia turned her head away before their eyes could meet.
With the stationery shelves blocking the view, he probably… hadn’t seen her.
What kind of cursed fate was this? Why did she keep stumbling upon his business?
Though Sheng Xia had little experience interacting with boys, she was familiar with some of their “lingo.”
Back at her old school, No. 2 High, where discipline was laxer, some boys had a rougher, more streetwise demeanor. They often spoke crudely in class, even discussing explicit topics without bothering to avoid the girls.
The folders on their computers labeled “Chemistry Homework,” “Physics Exercises,” “Math Tests,” or “Study Guides” were never actual study materials.
She couldn’t think of any legitimate study materials that would sell for several hundred yuan.
Unless… what they were trading were the same things she’d seen in his backpack that day.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, a chill ran down her spine—were they copying and selling… those kinds of things?
That wasn’t just illegal—it was criminal.
Panic surged through her, cold sweat beading on her forehead and behind her ears.
And she still hadn’t heard his footsteps leaving.
The owner’s voice wormed its way into her ears again. “What, you wanna buy pens? Go ahead, pick some—I’ll give ’em to you.”
Pens…
The water-based ink pens were right behind her.
She realized her hands were trembling.
A few seconds passed before the boy’s amused voice reached her. “Wouldn’t wanna take advantage. Later.”
The owner laughed. “Since when are you so polite with me?”
“See ya.” His tone was light, almost cheerful.Sheng Xia only realized her feet had gone numb when she heard Zhang Shu's footsteps fade away. She lost all interest in browsing and randomly picked a few decent-looking rolls before heading to the checkout.
The shop owner was just hiding that item under the counter...
Then he cheerfully rang her up, acting as if nothing had happened.
When she returned to the classroom, she found Zhang Shu already there. A male student was asking him a question, and he was solving it on scratch paper with a pen before explaining it to the boy.
The boy noticed Sheng Xia standing at the back door and politely moved aside, thinking he was blocking the way. It was then that Zhang Shu glanced up at her.
It was that kind of automatic look one gives when interrupted by a passerby, before he continued explaining the problem.
His voice was as lazy as ever, his posture as relaxed as ever.
Acting as if nothing had happened.
Only she was the one affected.
Sheng Xia's mind was filled with thoughts like "He saw me," "Maybe he didn't see me," "Will he hold a grudge against me for this," "Will he find some secluded spot to teach me a lesson"—as if she were the one who'd done something wrong.
When the questioning student left, the aisle cleared. Suddenly, Sheng Xia felt prickly all over, convinced he was glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally.
But she wasn't sure, and she certainly didn't dare turn her head to confirm. Instead, she distracted herself by doing some crafts.
She measured and cut the wrapping paper according to her textbooks' sizes, giving each book a new cover. She meticulously folded and pinched the edges, drew borders along them, created embossed spine labels on the sides, wrote down the subjects, then neatly stacked them by color. She also arranged her newly purchased mini desktop calendar and crystal pen holder nearby.
Once everything was done, she cleaned up the leftover scraps of paper. Her tidy desk now displayed a coordinated set of books and stationery, which lifted her spirits.
"Wow, Xia Xia, your books look amazing!" Xin Xiaohe exclaimed as soon as she entered the classroom.
Sheng Xia felt a sense of accomplishment. "Really?"
Xiao He didn't hold back her praise. "They're so pretty! I'm seriously envious. Is this what a fairy's desk looks like?"
Delighted, Sheng Xia asked, "Do you want yours wrapped too? I can help you."
Xiao He was pleasantly surprised. "Really?"
"Mm-hmm," Sheng Xia nodded.
Xiao He's round eyes sparkled. "This is pure happiness."
Just then, Yang Linyu and Hou Junqi walked into the classroom one after another. Yang Linyu, as usual, stirred up trouble. "Such delicate stuff doesn't suit you, Xin Xiaohe."
Hou Junqi also laughed, picking up a Chinese textbook wrapped in floral-patterned paper with gilded edges—now resembling a vintage oil painting. "Yeah, way too girly for you, Lao Xin."
"Since when do you two care so much? I like it, and I'm keeping it," Xiao He retorted without hesitation, her gaze shifting to the exquisite collection of gel pens in the holder. "Xia Xia, you rich girl! Elsa, Pocahontas, Alice, Barbara! This setup is way too luxurious!"
Yang Linyu frowned. "What the heck is that long list?"
No one paid him any attention.
Sheng Xia felt a little embarrassed.
She had originally planned to pick out items first and decide at checkout, but after being scared out of her wits, she hadn't even thought about selecting—just paid directly. The basket of stationery had cost over three hundred yuan.
She was feeling the pinch too.
"Slow progress is better than no progress," Sheng Xia changed the subject. "There must be a lot of homework, so I need some motivation."
Xiao He said, "With pens this nice, you definitely won't be last next time!"
Sheng Xia: "..." That part really didn't need to be mentioned.
Yang Linyu: "Pfft!"Hou Junqi: "Hahahahaha, you're a fucking social genius."
Xin Xiaohe then realized her words might have been inappropriate and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Xia Xia here is someone with a methodology. 'A workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well,' right?"
A soft snort of laughter came from the right, barely audible, but Sheng Xia heard it clearly.
Then, that person who always seemed indifferent stretched lazily in his chair and suddenly chimed in: "So what you're saying is, the worse the student, the fancier the stationery?"
Xin Xiaohe: "..."
Yang Linyu: "..."
Hou Junqi: "Hahahahahahaha, Zhang Shu, you're fucking socially invincible!"
Sheng Xia: "..."
This seemed to be the first time Zhang Shu had spoken to her.
Well, not directly to her, but he had joined the conversation. Yet Sheng Xia's internal alarm bells were ringing: he must have seen her.
He was already starting to retaliate.
The evening self-study bell rang just as Sheng Xia was in a state of panic. Soon, she no longer had the mental space to worry about Zhang Shu because something even more panic-inducing appeared—
At some point, the blackboard had been filled with dense lines of homework assignments.
Sheng Xia finally understood why class representatives were in such high demand. It could be said that half of the homework assigned each night depended on them.
Teachers would inform the class representatives about the homework requirements for the evening, and the representatives could adjust the workload for their subject based on the assignments from other classes. It was a prestigious responsibility.
Xin Xiaohe said, "It's just the start of the semester, so it's not too bad yet. Once all the subjects get into full swing, class reps will have to fight for space on the blackboard, or there won't be enough room to write everything."
Sheng Xia was stunned—this wasn't considered much?
Math: August 5th
"Complete Textbook Interpretation," pages 1-3;
"In-Class Exercises," all of today's!!
Corrections for last semester's final exam, with a collection of mistakes [required];
"Speed Training Method," pages 1-2;
"Top Teacher No. 1," pages 1-5;
Preview: textbook pages 10-22, example problems.
Just the math alone would probably take her the entire evening.
Then there was Chinese, physics...
Even English and chemistry, which hadn't had classes during the day, had joined in.
Sheng Xia: "H-how is anyone supposed to finish all this?"
Who would have thought the excuse she'd used to avoid shopping would come true so quickly.
Zhang Shu, head still bowed over his work, muttered without looking up, "Use Barbie's magic crystal pen to finish it."
Sheng Xia: ?
Why was he chiming in so much today?
He must have seen her.
Xin Xiaohe nudged Sheng Xia aside and retorted indignantly, "What the hell kind of magic? It's Disney princesses, okay?"
Zhang Shu lifted his head, adjusted his glasses, and said with an indifferent shrug, "Sure, if you think there's a difference."
Faced with this clash of titans, Sheng Xia chose the wisdom of silence.
Xin Xiaohe patted her shoulder reassuringly: "Don't worry, almost no one finishes all the homework. Just keep calm and don't stress."
Sheng Xia clung to a sliver of hope: "Almost no one?"
"Yeah," Xin Xiaohe tilted her chin, her expression a mix of defiance and reluctant admiration, gesturing to the right. "That guy over there finishes it."
He had already been working on the practice problems during class, listening attentively when the teacher covered key points and doing his own exercises during slower moments. This kind of multitasking wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
Even if you tried to copy him, you couldn't.
Sheng Xia asked, "Don't the teachers check?"Xin Xiaohe shrugged. "Who has the energy to check everything? Homework isn't done for the teachers. You should focus more on subjects you feel weak in that day. They assign work just to provide structured practice—it's up to you to identify what needs reinforcement."
"Evening self-study sessions are meant for absorption, not instruction," she added.
This was completely at odds with Sheng Xia's expectations. She'd assumed the teachers at the affiliated high school would be strict taskmasters, constantly pushing students forward. Instead, it turned out to be this semi-self-directed model.
If this learning approach started from freshman year, it would become a process of self-discovery and improvement for students—teaching them how to fish rather than handing them fish.
Once cultivated, this independent learning ability would undoubtedly become a lifelong asset, creating a significant gap between them and their peers, especially in university.
And currently, Sheng Xia was precisely that "peer."
After over a decade of "one step per prod" education, suddenly transitioning to self-directed learning left her utterly adrift.
She stared blankly at the homework covering the blackboard, unsure where to begin or how to prioritize. To maintain motivation, she started with her stronger subjects—Chinese and English. But between reviewing classical texts, copying essay materials, and memorizing vocabulary, one class period vanished. The next session only sufficed for half her math problems.
Eventually, she carried the remaining assignments home for a late-night grind.
Wang Lianhua brought her warm milk without comment, only reminding her to sleep when the desk lamp still burned at 11:30 PM.
Before bed, she checked her phone. WeChat remained silent—Secretary Sheng hadn't replied, though there was a missed call. As she reached to turn off the light, she suddenly reopened her browser to search: Is photocopying and selling copyrighted books illegal...
...
The following week, Sheng Xia continued adapting to her new school, constantly revising her understanding of the affiliated high.
The administration was remarkably "loose." No curfew outside class hours, boarding students could come and go freely, phones and laptops were permitted, student clubs received funding and development support, and an annual "May Fourth Spectacular" showcased various societies. The drama, anime, and literature clubs all had reputations, though seniors had to withdraw—Xin Xiaohe had just left the anime club, while rumors said Zhang Shu had been in music club.
Most astonishingly, monthly and midterm exams weren't strictly closed-book or proctored. They simply moved two columns of seats to the hallway, spaced the rest apart, and left books in place. Cheating was technically possible, but everyone understood exams revealed learning gaps. Cheaters earned contempt, so few bothered deceiving themselves.
Poor performers would be exposed during finals anyway.
Take Hou Junqi, who'd copied from Zhang Shu and used his phone to place 15th for his father's 1000-yuan reward. Nobody recognized that ranking—students below him automatically bumped themselves up when stating their positions.
Even Hou Junqi admitted feeling like a walking dead man during that period. Pointless.
Everyone knew everyone else's true caliber.
Each night, Sheng Xia carried unfinished homework home, still unable to complete it despite burning midnight oil.And in Wang Lianhua's eyes, this meant she had finally seen the light. The affiliated high school was indeed an impressive institution, so quickly filling her with motivation.
How should she put it?
She didn't want to be that underachiever with all the stationery but no results.
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