Summer in Your Name - 38

Sheng Xia had just arrived in the room when a message popped up on her phone. 

Song Jiang: "Come out for a moment."

Sheng Xia: "Why?" 

Song Jiang: “I’m outside.”

At the exact moment she read the message, her roommate walked in, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Senior, Zhang Shu is waiting for you outside!”

The other added in a hushed tone. "He asked us to help you out."

Sheng Xia propped herself up on her crutches, a junior made a move to assist her, but she’d already steadied herself. She murmured with a flush, "Thanks, but I’ve got it.”

"Senior Zhang Shu really cares about you!"

Sheng Xia:....

It was peak time for students returning to the lounge. Girls passing by couldn’t help but sneak curious glances at Zhang Shu.

He was his usual laid-back self, leaning against the railing, scrolling through his phone. The midday sun cast a halo around him.

"What's wrong?" Sheng Xia asked as she stepped outside, wondering why they couldn't just talk on QQ.

Zhang Shu: "Can't sleep?"

Sheng Xia: .... 

Zhang Shu: "Let's go for a walk."

A walk? Sheng Xia glanced down at her legs, then back at him, her eyes clearly asking: Are you serious?

"Your scooter is still at school, right?" Zhang Shu asked.

It was. After her injury during the sports festival, she hadn’t ridden it once, it had been sitting in the bike shed ever since.

 

"Yes."

"Do you have the keys with you?"

"Mm."

Zhang Shu: "Great, go get it.”

Sheng Xia was a bit thrown, why was he so impulsive? She glanced at her watch, "It’s almost naptime."

What could they do in such a short time, especially with her hobbling around like this?

Zhang Shu chuckled, "First period this afternoon is P.E. This brother will take you to skip class.”

When Sheng Xia settled on the back seat of her long-neglected Xiaobai, wind whistled past her ears. As the scooter picked up the speed, she slowly snapped out of her daze, this was insane.

Skipping class!

In all her years of school, she had never once skipped a class. Sure, it was just P.E., and she was excused anyway because of her leg. 

But still, this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for her. She couldn't ignore the wild thumping of her heart and the rush of blood in her veins when he’d suggested it.

That desperate urge to break free from constraints had made her throw caution to the wind.  

Earlier, Zhang Shu seemed to see right through her, not even waiting for her to agree before ruffling her hair and saying, “Go get the keys.”

In front of her, the boy’s back was broad and steady, his arms bare. His school jacket was draped over her shoulders, leaving him in just a thin black T-shirt.  

The one with the single rivet.

Above the rivet was his neck and the neat curve of the back of his head. His fluffy hair fluttered in the wind yet somehow still holding its shape.  

 

Good-looking people, even their hair behave differently.

Unable to resist, Sheng Xia reached out and poked the rivet.

Zhang Shu's back stiffened. He tilted his head. "What are you touching?"

Busted.

She’d thought such a light touch wouldn’t be noticeable.

When she didn’t respond, Zhang Shu asked, “Cold?”

"Not cold," How could she be, when he’d draped all his clothes over her? "What about you? Are you cold?"

Zhang Shu slowed down and glanced back. "Pretty cold. The wind's blowing through my back. Why don't you wrap your arms around me to block the wind?"

Sheng Xia froze.

What was he saying? Using the wind as cover to flirt? Did he think she wouldn’t hear him just because he’d muttered it?  

Her racing heartbeat betrayed her. She’d heard every word loud and clear.

 

Silence stretched behind him.

Zhang Shu let out a short laugh, deciding not to tease her further. “Not cold. We’re almost there.”

Almost there?

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"Oh."

The scooter turned into Binjiang Park, cruising slowly along the riverbank path.

An unnamed floral fragrance drifted into his nostrils. Zhang Shu was about to ask the walking encyclopedia what flower smells so sweet when a soft voice came from behind. 

“I’m holding my crutches, so I can’t block the wind for you…”

At the same time, he felt a tug on his shirt. Glancing down, he saw her delicate hand clutching the hem of his clothes tightly. 

Now, no wind could slip through his clothes.

Zhang Shu smiled silently, feeling like the world around him suffused with a soothing, fragrant warmth.  

What does 'I can't block the wind for you' mean? Who wants her to block the wind?

The scooter stopped in a small plaza by the river.

Sheng Xia knew this place but only from fleeting glimpses while crossing the bridge overhead. She’d never actually been here.   

This spot had once been slated for a riverside concert hall, complete with a floating stage on the water. The stage was built, bobbing on the river’s surface, while the concert hall had never materialized. The city had repurposed the site into a terraced viewing platform, leaving behind fragments of half-built walls, giving it an almost Colosseum-like vibe.

She’d once heard Sheng Mingfeng say that if this place could ever be revitalized, it would become Nanli’s new landmark. But tangled historical disputes made attracting investors nearly impossible, and eventually, the project was quietly abandoned.  

Zhang Shu helped her off the scooter, and they found a clean spot to sit by the terraces.

This area was usually deserted during the day, only coming alive in the evenings when elderly folks gathered to dance.

A river breeze drifted by, carrying waves of cool air. Sheng Xia handed his jacket back to him. "I'm not cold."  

Zhang Shu didn’t take it, his tone nonchalant. "Neither am I. Drape it over your legs.”

Sheng Xia ignored him, reaching behind to drape it over his shoulders instead.

She sat to his left, and as she leaned to his right shoulder, her body naturally drew closer. Sensing her movement, Zhang Shu turned to refuse—  

The tip of his tall, straight nose lightly grazed her soft cheek.

Both froze.  

The world fell silent. Time stood still.

Zhang Shu stared at the delicate face now mere inches from his—translucent, fair, the fine down on her cheeks catching the afternoon sunlight like dancing gold dust.

Sheng Xia was completely frozen.

His nose was impossibly close. The ridge of it stood sharp as an iceberg.

Everything about him seemed strikingly vivid, sharp and powerful, the bridge of his nose, his Adam’s apple, the line of his jaw, and the piercing intensity of his eyes.  

She didn’t move a muscle, only lifting her gaze slightly and unexpectedly meeting that piercing gaze head-on.  

She found herself staring into a pair of amused eyes, so dangerously close. 

Bang!

Something inside her shattered like the glass liner of a thermos.  

On the outside, she looked fine, but inside, she was in complete chaos.

She quickly let go, the jacket slipped loosely over his shoulders.

"Ahem." Zhang Shu cleared his throat softly, turning his face away before saying calmly, "My father died here. On this construction site."

Sheng Xia’s head snapped up to look at him.  

His father… isn't around anymore?

Zhang Shu seemed to have anticipated her reaction. "Don't give me that look. I wasn’t even born yet when it happened, so I don't really feel anything. To put it bluntly, I didn’t even know him.”  

 

Sheng Xia just stared at him, silent.

Once, she’d assumed he was spoiled by his family, that was why he had such a temper.  

"I've never met my mom either. They say she died right after having me. My sister raised me. How old do you think she was back then?" He looked closely at Sheng Xia, then held his hand up near her head. "Probably about your age now."

He spoke in his usual relaxed tone, without any fluctuations, yet Sheng Xia’s heart lurched as if tossed on a rollercoaster.

"Stop looking at me like that." The boy shot her a glance, taking in her dark, somber eyes. With a helpless sigh, he ruffled her hair, “Guess I picked a bad topic. Now you’re even more upset?"  

She hadn’t realized her reaction was so transparent. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she murmured, "Even though they're not here anymore, I'm sure they loved you a lot. That's why they named you 'Shu’."

"My parents weren't well-educated; this name was probably given by my sister.”

"..."

"Then your sister must love you deeply. To her, you are a timely rain, a gift from heaven."

Zhang Shu was surprised. "You’re the first person I’ve met who actually knows what that character means. Did you look it up?” Then, catching himself, he huffed a laugh. "Then again, you’re practically a walking dictionary, of course you’d know.”

Sheng Xia: ...Should she thank him for the compliment?

Zhang Shu didn’t wait for her response, continuing on his own, "My sister never married, I always hoped she'd find a good partner. But that could only happen if I took care of myself first and made my own way in life. Before, my grades were terrible. I just didn’t care to study. It was hard work. By the time I actually wanted to learn, I looked back and realized I'd already fallen way behind. So at first, I was just like you now, too fixated on the end goals, something too far off. Instead of moving forward, I got stuck in place, my mind was too tangled up."

Sheng Xia listened in silence.

She recalled Wang Wei mentioning once that Zhang Shu's entrance exam scores were just average, which was why he ended up in the regular class.

“So I get where you’re at now. You’re putting too much pressure on yourself, desperate to prove you’re strong enough.” He stood, descending a step before turning back to her,"That day at the hospital..." He paused, as if unsure how to broach the subject, then simply skipped ahead, "You've grown up with two conflicting education methods, two completely different sets of expectations, in life, in study…” 

Sheng Xia's hands tightened, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

He’d only met her parents once, no, not even met them, just overheard a few lines of conversation, and yet he’d hit the nail on the head.  

Is he really only seventeen? The Zhang Shu standing there seemed entirely different from the usual boy she knew.

Her eyes brimmed with a tumult of emotions, Zhang Shu faltered, suddenly unsure if he should continue the conversation

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, the girl asked, "What should I do?"

What should I do. 

Zhang Shu didn't want to talk about lofty ideals with her, but it seemed like she could use it.

"Setting aside those two completely different expectations, what about your expectations? Which university do you want to attend?" Zhang Shu asked.

Sheng Xia shook her head. "My abilities are limited..."

He interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. ".....abilities are limited. You don't know which university you can get into or what major you can study?”

Sheng Xia looked at him in surprise.

"I’m not some mind-reading tapeworm. You said the exact same thing last time at the bookstore,” Zhang Shu said with a knowing smile. "See, you’ve got these big dreams, wanting to leave your mark on the world, but you don’t even know which university you want to go to…”

Sheng Xia lowered her head again. “Because… this isn’t something I can decide. It’s not just my business.”  

“It is just your business,” he said firmly.

"Even if it doesn’t seem that way, you have to treat it as if it is. Which college you chose, what scores to aim for, which difficult subjects you want to prioritize—those are your battles. They have nothing to do with anyone else’s expectations. Only by owning your choices, gripping the wheel yourself, can you see the path clearly."  

Sheng Xia: “If it were really just my business… back then, I probably would’ve chosen liberal arts. Maybe I simply don’t have the mind for science.”

Zhang Shu studied her for half a second. "Liberal arts might’ve suited you better, yes. But there’s no use dwelling on it now, what’s done is done. Besides, I don’t think science students are inherently smarter than liberal arts students. Linguistic logic is the foundation of all logic, every discipline’s reasoning begins with words, and all science ultimately leads to philosophy. The structure of your writing is razor-sharp, your thinking agile, precise and perceptive. Who could call you anything but smart?"

No one had ever called her smart before.

A quiet tremor ran through Sheng Xia’s heart.  

"How can you boldly pursue science when you’ve already convinced yourself you’re not cut out for it?" Zhang Shu’s gaze locked onto her lost, helpless eyes and tried to explain using her ‘cultured’ perspective. "It's true that when walking, one should look ahead, but that only applies for the tall. If all you can do right now is crawl, then focus on the stretch within your arms’ reach. Grab whatever handhold you find. Once you’re past this mire, you can stand again.”

“Within arm’s reach…” Sheng Xia repeated softly.

“Just solve the problem in front of you. Master the page you’re reading. Forget whether it’s science or liberal arts, forget how it ties to your big dreams. Master this equation. Memorize this concept. Learn this method. Tune out the noise, ‘systematic approach’, ‘building foundations’, ‘how to do final questions’, or ‘score-to-efforts ratio’, those frameworks aren’t for you to think about right now. Don't fixate on one subject’s setbacks or one exam’s stumbles.”  

Yes, she’d always agonized over her shaky foundations, believing she had to solidify previous concepts before advancing. She’d clung to systematic perfection, mapping every subject into intricate webs of logic in her notebooks. If even one link is missing, she panics. Yet when test papers landed before her, how much of those painstaking diagrams could she actually recall?  

Looking back, all that had been self-congratulatory busywork. Futile.  

How does he see straight through her?  

"Is there still time?" she asked, almost unconsciously.

Zhang Shu responded, "I won’t feed you empty platitudes. You need to stay absolutely focused now. Believe in yourself, but be ready for failure. Understand that you won’t always succeed, but trust that next time, you will. No matter how today goes, when you wake up tomorrow, it will be a new day."

Sheng Xia looked at him. From this angle, she had to raise her head slightly. The boy’s expression was relaxed, but his eyes held a quiet fire.

So this is why he’s so excellent, she realized. Of course he would be.  

Zhang Shu added, "Honestly, all of this is just talk. What matters most is that you lighten up, loosen up. If you don't know something, ask. Keep learning. It's just one exam, don't stress over it too much. Studying can be simple."

"Really?"

"Really." Zhang Shu nodded. "You've done a good job at organizing your mistakes, you just haven't reviewed them properly. Improving grades doesn't happen in an instant. This math test is the first time they’ve covered all three years’ material, it’s scattered, dense, and ridiculously detailed. The average score is low for a reason. So it's not that you haven’t improved. Someone as smart and hardworking as you won’t end up with bad results."  

After two seconds, he added, "In the long run, I mean."  

His tone was casual, yet every word carried weight.

She seemed dazed for a long moment before murmuring, “I think… I’m starting to understand why Han Xiao became completely devoted after talking to you."

Zhang Shu froze, caught off guard by her reaction, then let out a low laugh. "Oh? I’ve always felt I'm quite the philosopher.”

Sheng Xia: …

He’d clearly just said philosophy was the ultimate form of science. 

The halo around him vanished, leaving only a narcissist. 

Noticing her tension ease at last, Zhang Shu grinned. “Where’d you even hear this stuff? What else have you heard about me?”

What else?  

Those unspeakable rumors about you and the school beauty, for starters.  

Of course, Sheng Xia didn't say that out loud, just lowered her head and fiddled with her pants.

Zhang Shu laughed softly. He planted one foot on the step where she sat, leaning in until their eyes were level, "So, have you also become completely devoted to me?"

Splash splash splash

The river lashed against the bank, relentless.

Sheng Xia stared into those cunning eyes, now inches from her own. Her heart was that river—its rhythm, its currents, its force, all beyond its control.

This is bad, she could no longer use ‘it's just flirting’ to stop her heart from beating wildly.

---

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