Summer in Your Name - 13

Birthday

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Chen Mengyao had been playing on her phone for an hour at the board game café, and was getting annoyed.

She'd spent her whole summer vacation at art training classes in Dongzhou. If her mom found out she'd skipped two days of classes, she'd never hear the end of it: wasting money, not working hard enough. And for what? To sit here cooling her heels?

Zhou Yingxiang had gone to all this trouble, covering her travel expenses, practically begging her to come. Half an hour ago, he'd texted saying "five more minutes." Had his perception of time expanded, or had his ego? Leaving her hanging like this?

Chen Mengyao grabbed her bag and was about to leave when the private room door swung open. A bunch of guys tumbled in, loud and rowdy.

"Yo, Beauty! Long time no see! Harder to meet you than a celebrity!" Wu Pengcheng was the first to greet her.

A girl's intuition was always sharp, especially about who liked her and who didn't. She could tell Wu Pengcheng wasn't exactly on her side. She gave a tight, humorless smile. "Isn't it, though.”

Zhou Yingxiang played peacemaker. "Everyone, sit down. Hey, boss, can we get some food and drinks in here?"

"You got it!"

They all settled in, naturally giving the birthday boy the main seat. Chen Mengyao ended up right next to Zhang Shu. They locked eyes, and she offered a casual greeting. "A-Shu, it's your birthday today. Happy birthday."

It should have been a sweet, sticky moment, the kind that invites teasing. But after what Zhang Shu had said on the way over, no one felt like starting anything. The room fell into a sudden, awkward silence.

Zhang Shu lounged back in his chair, expression flat. "Happy or not depends on how much money I win tonight."

None of your business.

Chen Mengyao's pride stung a little.

With everyone watching, Zhang Shu was being oddly cold today.

Her feelings about Zhang Shu were complicated. She knew she liked him. But she'd never, ever be with him.

He couldn't support her. And he'd never drain his wallet trying.

With Zhang Shu, she just wanted to keep him on the line. Couldn't swallow, couldn't bear to throw away. If he started dating someone else, she'd be furious.

In this, she felt like she and Zhang Shu had an unspoken understanding.

Zhang Shu liked her too,but had no intention to be with her. Because he knew what she needed, and he couldn't provide it. He was too proud for that. And tangled up in his contradictions, he'd blow hot one day, cold the next.

Today, something must have set him off again.

She wasn't about to coddle him. Men were like that. The more you cared, the more they played hard to get. Ignore them for a bit, and they'd come around on their own.

Zhou Yingxiang was the perfect counterexample. Years of sucking up, and did Zhang Shu ever really pay him the time of day?

Chen Mengyao understood guys like Zhou Yingxiang. New money needed validation. And hanging out with Zhang Shu made him feel cool.

It had been like this since middle school.

Some people were just born magnetic. Put them in a crowd, and everyone naturally deferred to them. That kind of innate leadership defies explanation, Zhang Shu was probably always the leader of the kids growing up.

In middle school Zhang Shu was even more flamboyant than he was now. Wherever he went, crowds followed. He was good-looking, tall, dressed plainly but carried himself with an air that didn't seem to belong to their small town.

Chen Mengyao often heard the same about herself : "You don't seem like you're from this town." In a way, they were alike. They were the same kind of people: the kind destined to stand out.

So even though they weren't in the same class, Chen Mengyao had known about Zhang Shu from early on. They just never crossed paths.

When she heard Zhang Shu was admitted to the Affiliated High School, she was pretty surprised. He always looked like he was just coasting through life, not someone who cared about studying.

One night during freshman orientation military training, she'd played guitar and sung a folk song at the campfire. Countless eyes were fixed on her. Zhang Shu's were among them. After it ended, she ran into him under a tree on the sports field.

She still remembered his first words to her.

"Chen Mengyao? Can you sing for me again?"

What is she? A street performer?

If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have spared them so much as a glance.

But the way he'd said her name so naturally, he must have known about her for a long time, right?

As if possessed by some strange force, she asked, "Sing what?"

"The song just now. Sing it again."

That old song was so obscure, hardly anyone knew it. But she loved it. So it felt like some kind of spiritual connection.

His approach had been masterful.

So much smarter than those guys who just asked for her QQ number.

Zhang Shu's most obvious charm was his intelligence.

Right now, he has the emperor card. His hand was terrible, getting crushed at the start. But he wasn't worried. Just waiting for the right moment to strike.

You had to admit, in scenes like this, Zhang Shu's eyes, lazy on the surface but sharp and cunning underneath, were captivating.

He didn't smoke. Just chewed on a lollipop. But he exuded more presence, more command, than the guys blowing clouds around him.

Sometimes, Chen Mengyao really wanted to throw caution to the wind and just date him.

---

"A-Shu, looks like you got a lot of gifts this year. What'd you get? Spill, let the rest of us be jealous!" Between rounds, Hou Junqi started teasing. 

Zhang Shu threw down a set of cards, answering casually, "Haven't looked."

Zhou Yingxiang asked, "Really? How many?"

Hou Junqi said, "A few in the morning, a few in the afternoon, a few at night. Been getting them for two days now. Gotta be over a dozen, right? Way more than other years, A-Shu?"

Zhang Shu shrugged. He thought it was weird too. Other years, there'd be a couple, maybe. Nothing like this.

Thanks to the lady sitting next to him, his public image was that of a lovesick fool chasing the school beauty.

Wu Pengcheng: "It's 'cause he got first on the joint exam. Now, it's not just our school. Which senior girl in any school doesn't know him? He's even got fans at the vocational high school."

"No way," Liu Hui'an grinned. "Being good at exams is that attractive?"

"You'd have to ask the ladies about that," Zhou Yingxiang said, making sure to include his guest. "Mengyao, what do you think?"

Chen Mengyao shuffled her cards slowly. "Being good at exams adds, like, 110 to your appeal. Being a good-looking guy who's good at exams adds 10010. Being a good-looking guy who's good at more than just exams? That's 10086."

"Hahahahahaha!"

"That's awesome!"

"You girls really calculate this stuff."

The room dissolved into laughter. The atmosphere relaxed.

Even Zhang Shu, who'd been expressionless all night, cracked a smile around his lollipop.

Chen Mengyao never lost her footing in social situations. She knew exactly how to turn the tables and command everyone's attention.

A few rounds later, cards reshuffled, topics moved on, but Wu Pengcheng piped up again. "So what about you, Beauty? What'd you give him? Show up empty-handed?"

Chen Mengyao wanted to kick his chair. But she kept her composure, resting her chin on her hand and said, slow and deliberate. "Me being here isn't enough? If I gave something else, wouldn't that be like... demanding a commitment?”

She hadn't planned to give anything anyway. How could she be the same as those girls who had a crush on him? She wasn't that desperate.

As she spoke, she watched Zhang Shu out of the corner of her eye.

He was focused on his cards. His teeth crunched down on the lollipop. "All in." he mumbled, throwing down his whole cards. With his now-free hand, he pulled the lollipop stick from his mouth, leaned back in his chair, and with a lazy flick of his long arm, tossed it perfectly into the trash can across the room.

Smooth, seamless. Never once glanced at her.

He'd won again.

The losers groaned in unison, instantly drowning out Chen Mengyao's words.

"I'm done." Zhang Shu stood up, pulling chips from the table drawer to count. "That's it for tonight."

Zhou Yingxiang tried to stop him. "No way, A-Shu, it's only been two hours. Still early!"

Zhang Shu held up a palm to shush him, kept counting. When he finished, he tossed the chips on the table. "Forty-three. Do the math yourselves. Transfer whatever you owe to my Alipay."

"Easy, easy. Let's play a few more rounds." Han Xiao wasn't ready to stop either.

"Yeah, we barely get together."

Zhang Shu: "Nah. My sister texted. She's waiting for me at home."

Hou Junqi perked up at that. It looked like A-Shu and his sister had patched things up. He quickly agreed. "Then go, man. Family's important."

Zhou Yingxiang stopped pushing. He called the owner over and brought out the cake he'd prepared.

Zhang Shu could be sharp-tongued, but he rarely outright rejected people's gestures. Since he was already here, what was a few more minutes?

Zhou Yingxiang knew how to work a room. Once the candles were lit and the lights dimmed, he pushed Chen Mengyao forward. "Lead us off, superstar."

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

Chen Mengyao was striking, with a voice that leaned mature and sultry. When she sang, there was a hint of huskiness, a certain world-weariness that suited folk songs.

Coming from her, the birthday song lost its lighthearted bounce. It became romantic, intimate, steeped in unspoken stories.

No one joined in, not wanting to ruin the mood. They just clapped softly, watching her sing.

In the flickering candlelight, Zhang Shu's gaze grew focused and intense. Just like that night during military training.

For a moment, Chen Mengyao didn't want the song to end.

"Happy birthday to you..."

As the last note faded, she wished him well again. "Happy birthday, A-Shu."

"Make a wish! Make a wish!" Hou Junqi prompted.

Zhang Shu didn't clasp his hands. Didn't close his eyes. Didn't hide his wish. He just said casually, "Hope this year ends fast so I can finally be an adult." Then he leaned down and blew out the candles.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone cheered and clapped.

The lights came back on. Everyone dug into the sweet, rich cake.

Zhang Shu took a couple of symbolic bites, then slung his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks for tonight. I'm heading back."

Zhou Yingxiang hurried to say, "Let's do it again sometime!"

"Maybe," Zhang Shu said noncommittally, then turned to Chen Mengyao. "How'd you get here?"

Chen Mengyao shrugged. "Zhou Yingxiang picked me up."

Zhang Shu nodded toward Zhou Yingxiang. "You invited her, you take her back."

"Of course. Guarantee she gets home safe." Zhou Yingxiang replied.

Zhang Shu: "Let's go. I'm out."

"Happy birthday, A-Shu!"

"Happy birthday!" a few voices called after his retreating back.

Zhang Shu didn't turn. Just raised a hand in a wave.

The lights stretched the seventeen-year-old's shadow long behind him.

---

Once he was outside, Zhang Shu remembered his bike was still parked in the school's bike shed. He couldn't be bothered to go back for it and just walk home.

The apartment in Wenboyuan was rented by Zhang Sujin. This school district housing was terrifyingly expensive. You could sell food for a lifetime and never afford it.

Even the rent was steep.

His sister had really gone all out for his education.

Lights were on in the apartment. Zhang Shu called out as he entered, "Sis!"

Zhang Sujin emerged from the kitchen holding a small cake. After their argument, they hadn't really faced each other in a while. Now they both felt a little awkward.

"It's your birthday. Couldn't you at least smile?" Zhang Sujin set the cake on the coffee table and swatted Zhang Shu's butt.

Zhang Shu rubbed his rear. "I'm too old for spanking! See, this is why no one will marry you. It's not that you don't want to get married. It's that you can't!"

His tone was joking, it was Zhang Shu's way of backing down.

Zhang Sujin understood. She sighed. "Right! You're absolutely right. I can't get married. When did I ever say I didn't want to?"

"Since no one wants you, I'll tough it out and take care of you one more year," Zhang Shu said, meaning the opposite. "I turned seventeen today. Eighteen by traditional count. This time next year, I'll be an adult. If you're still not married by then, I won't care about you anymore."

Next year, he'd be an adult. No longer anyone's burden.

She could finally get married without worrying about him.

Zhang Sujin looked at him and smiled. On her still-young face, her eyes held a tenderness that didn't match her age. "Fine. When you turn eighteen, I'll get married."

Zhang Shu: "You can start dating now."

Zhang Sujin: "Okay."

Zhang Shu: "If you go back on your word, you're a little puppy!"

Zhang Sujin nodded. "A little puppy!"

"Sis... sing 'Happy Birthday' for me?"

Zhang Sujin's smile faded. She refused. "No."

"But you texted me to come home. Just one verse?" Zhang Shu clasped his hands, begging like a puppy. "One verse!"

Zhang Sujin held firm. "No!"

Zhang Shu gave up.

All these years, he'd only ever heard Zhang Sujin sing in videos. Guitar strapped over her chest, slender fingers wrapped around a microphone, voice full of longing. When she looked up, she was the picture of charm and grace.

That was the real Zhang Sujin. That was the life the beautiful Zhang Sujin should have had.

He finished every last bite of the little cake. "What's for lunch tomorrow? Any cola chicken wings?"

Zhang Sujin cleaned up the cake box, wiped the coffee table, and smiled where he couldn't see. When she spoke, her tone was back to cool and firm. "No choices. You get what you get."

Zhang Shu: "Ha."

Like she doesn't make his favorite cola chicken wings every day, waiting for him to come. If he didn't show up soon, someone is going to get sick of them. The lunch center might go bankrupt.

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