Summer in Your Name - 5

Love Rival

---

Among the names on the candidate list, Sheng Xia spotted one she recognized: Lu Youze.

It wasn't a common name. She was almost certain it was her old middle school classmate.

But when he got up to speak, she barely recognized him. In her memory, Lu Youze had been a little chubby, not particularly tall. Now he looked like a willow sapling that had shot up overnight, standing a full head taller than Fu Jie, lean and long-limbed.

Lu Youze had a scholarly face, his self-nomination speech was confident and polished. The poems he quoted on the fly fit the moment perfectly, nothing forced or showy about them.

He'd been vice-chair of the student council in middle school, hosting the flag-raising ceremony every week. A little podium speech would be nothing for him.

Sheng Xia envied people like him. She found herself staring, figuring he wouldn't notice her in the crowd. Perhaps, her gaze was a little too direct, as Lu Youze concluded his speech with "I hope you'll vote for me," he smiled toward the back.

To everyone else, it was just a warm, closing smile. But Sheng Xia met his eyes. She knew it was a polite acknowledgment of her stare. A polite greeting, as if to say: Hello, old classmate.

Realizing she'd been impolite, she lowered her head.

In middle school, she and Lu Youze hadn't been close. She was quiet, kept to herself, and rarely joined group activities. He'd been the teacher's right hand, that model student who excelled at everything. Their only real intersection had been after exams, when their essays would be posted side by side on the bulletin board. A kind of classmate who barely exchanged a dozen words.

In the end, Sheng Xia voted for Lu Youze. Not just because she knew him. His speech was genuinely good.

Xin Xiaohe glanced at her ballot. "I voted for Lu Youze too. His essays are amazing."

"He was my classmate in middle school," Sheng Xia said. "Even back then, he was excellent in Chinese."

Xin Xiaohe's eyes widened. "You went to No. 8?"

"Mm."

"Me too! How have I never seen you? Which class were you in?"

"Class 20."

"Ah, that's far. You guys were on the sixth floor. I was in Class 3, first floor." Xin Xiaohe clicked her tongue. "We probably never even crossed paths. No way I'd forget a pretty face like yours."

Her voice was lilted, teasing. Like a flirtatious young master sweet-talking a girl. Sheng Xia flushed at the compliment and simply smiled without replying.

"There are a lot of No. 8 kids here," Xin Xiaohe continued. "A bunch in our class alone."

Sheng Xia nodded. She knew.

No. 8 was one of Nanli's key middle schools. Every year, around two or three hundred of its graduates got into Affiliated High.

Also, No. 8 wasn't just a key school. Its location, in the most expensive part of Nanli, had made it practically synonymous with the word "elite." No. 8 kids carried an extra air of superiority wherever they went. And once they graduated, they stuck together, forming instant alliances at their new schools. Even if they'd never met before, a simple "I'm from No. 8" was enough to spark instant camaraderie.

Xin Xiaohe suddenly seemed much friendlier. She leaned across the desk, lowering her voice. "Remember those top dogs who used to dominate the rankings at No. 8? They're all here too, in the experimental classes. But every single one of them is getting shown up by that guy from the rural middle school in our class."

She tilted her head meaningfully to the right.

Sheng Xia knew who she meant. Zhang Shu.

No. 35 Middle was in the suburbs. Before Nanli expanded, that area was basically farmland. Calling it a rural school wasn't far off.

Sheng Xia's desk rattled. She was getting used to it now; Hou Junqi had spun around again. But he wasn't looking at her, he was grinning at Zhang Shu, behind him to the right. "A-Shu, who'd you vote for?"

Zhang Shu waved his ballot. "Does it matter? It's not like we're electing a president."

Hou Junqi swung his leg over, snatched the ballot, and read aloud: "Lu Youze. You voted for him? How very noble of you!"

Zhang Shu snatched it back and shot him a look.

Hou Junqi clicked his tongue, turning back around.

Xin Xiaohe leaned in again, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Zhang Shu and Lu Youze are love rivals."

The depth of this topic... Xin Xiaohe must've already considered her part of the No. 8 Middle alliance now.

"A messy love triangle! The heroine is the school beauty. Big drama!"

Her voice was barely a whisper. Sheng Xia was pretty sure only the two of them could hear.

But out of the corner of her eye, she distinctly saw Zhang Shu turn his head and glance in their direction.

"Glance" was a guess. From her angle, she couldn't see his expression. But he definitely looked their way.

The embarrassment of getting caught gossiping washed over her. The side of her face facing him flushed warm.

Lu Youze won in a landslide, he got to work immediately, leading the morning reading.

The sound of voices reciting text extinguished the flickering flames of gossip.

Morning reading was followed by two periods of Chinese, Sheng Xia's strongest subject. She cruised through it. But the next two physics periods were a struggle, while she could follow the lectures, she lagged behind when it came to solving practice problems, barely keeping pace.

The teacher usually started explaining once everyone had stopped writing. Sheng Xia always finished right at that moment, never ahead.

She quietly observed Xin Xiaohe.

For all her goofing off, Xin Xiaohe was laser-focused in class. She didn't even notice Sheng Xia staring.

And then there was Zhang Shu.

He liked to spin his pen. It would twirl from one side of his fingers to the other, and when he pressed his thumb down to stop it, that meant he was about to write. He wrote fast, a few quick scratches, then he'd toss the pen aside. Problem solved.

The pen must be magic. A few spins and the answer appeared.

He had a practice book tucked under his textbook. As the teacher explained the examples, he was already working through the corresponding problems.

Every now and then, he'd look up and listen for a bit.

He wore glasses during class. So he should be nearsighted, though probably not that severe.

His posture was as lax as ever. His long legs never seemed to fit under the desk, either propped on the footrest or stretched out into the aisle.

And there his canvas shoes would sway, back and forth, right by Sheng Xia’s desk. 

---

The moment the lunch bell rang, students poured out of the classroom like dumplings boiling over.

"Slow to eat, slow to think! Let's move!" Xin Xiaohe grabbed her bag and bolted.

Yang Linyu chased after her, running his mouth: "Slow to eat? Maybe you should be more slow?"

Xin Xiaohe smacked him. "Did I eat your food?"

Their bickering faded into the distance.

Boarders usually ate in the cafeteria. Late meant the good stuff was gone. Only day students could afford to take their time.

Sheng Xia had a habit of tidying her desk, putting everything back in its place before leaving.

Hou Junqi and Zhang Shu hadn't moved either. No sign of leaving.

Zhang Shu was still working on his practice book. From the corner of her eye, Sheng Xia saw him flip a page. He was almost done with the day's assignments.

He worked unhurriedly. No grim determination of someone slogging through homework. But also no look of someone lost in the joy of learning. He looked like he was working on an assembly line. Skilled. Effortless. Emotionless.

Hou Junqi had taken the seat in front of Zhang Shu, leaning against the wall, legs propped on his own chair, playing a game on his phone.

Clearly waiting for Zhang Shu.

So that's it, Sheng Xia thought. Top students put in the work when no one's watching. But why not come an hour early? Why cut into mealtime?

Slow to eat, slow to think.

She caught herself. Since when did she worry about other people? She shook her head, packed her bag, and got ready to leave.

"Sheng Xia."

A voice called her name. She looked up.

It was Lu Youze.

He walked toward her, backpack on, but Hou Junqi's outstretched legs blocked his path. Hou Junqi acted like he didn't see him, not did he not move, he even crossed his legs, lazily swinging one foot.

Even Sheng Xia could tell this was deliberate provocation.

But Lu Youze didn't rise to it. Like he couldn't be bothered. He simply detoured around the other aisle and reached Sheng Xia.

"I wasn't sure it was you until yesterday," he said. "Your hair's longer."

Sheng Xia smiled faintly. "You've changed a lot too."

Lu Youze grinned. "Not a little chubby pale kid anymore?"

He had fair skin. That's what people used to call him in middle school.

"You're still pretty pale," Sheng Xia offered. She didn't like using nicknames and didn't know what else to say.

"Can I be paler than you?" Lu Youze countered with a familiar teasing tone, then pulled the awkward conversation back on track. "Going home for lunch?"

"I'm signed up for the lunch center by the North Gate."

Wang Lianhua had arranged it.

Her mother's work was far from home, and her lunch break was only an hour and a half, not enough time to cook. Back when Sheng Xia boarded, it was one less thing to worry about. Wang Lianhua had simply enrolled the two younger daughters in a lunch center near their school. Lunch and a nap included.

This time, she'd found one for Sheng Xia before the semester even started. Though it was called a lunch center, they also provided dinner. Affiliated High only gave them an hour and a half between afternoon classes and evening study. Going home would've been too much trouble.

Wang Lianhua had assured her the owner was an Affiliated High parent herself. Her own kid ate there too, so the ingredients were definitely trustworthy.

For some reason, as soon as Sheng Xia said this, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Hou Junqi's eyes flicked up from his fast-paced game, a knowing smirk on his face. He glanced at Sheng Xia, then to Zhang Shu.

Even Lu Youze's smile seemed to stiffen slightly.

Sheng Xia politely returned the question. "What about you?"

"I eat at home. I should get going."

"Okay. See you."

---

The North Gate opened onto Wenboyuan. A strip of street-front shops formed a small commercial hub: a bookstore, stationery shop, restaurants, supermarket, fruit stand, bubble tea place—everything you needed. The second floors were almost all test prep centers and tutoring academies, with one lunch center wedged in between.

Meals at the lunch center were pre-ordered, so it didn't matter when you arrived. By the time Sheng Xia got there, the crowd had thinned. It was her first time, so the owner was waiting for her to register and get her meal card.

The moment Sheng Xia saw the owner, she couldn't take her eyes off.

The woman looked about thirty. She had an oval face and long, defined brows over a pair of stunning phoenix eyes. Her nose, her lips; every feature was perfectly proportioned. She was, without question, the most beautiful woman Sheng Xia had ever seen in real life.

She was dressed very simply, her hair pulled back in a low bun, her face free of makeup.

Wang Lianhua had mentioned that the owner cooked all the meals herself.

Sheng Xia usually was not much of a curious person, but even she found herself thinking: Such a beautiful woman is actually a cook?

Besides, she didn't look old enough to have a high school kid.

"Here. Scan this card every time you come. Our number's on it too. If there's something specific you want, you can call ahead. No promises, though."

Sheng Xia realized she'd been staring. She snapped out of it and took the card. "Okay."

"Your mom said you won't be napping here?"

Sheng Xia replied, "Yes."

"The card doubles as a key. There are beds upstairs. It's yours even if you don't use it. Handy for days when you're in a rush."

"Mm. Thank you."

"Such a sweet girl. Go eat."

The meal consisted of two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and soup. Braised ribs, stewed pork trotters, dry-fried green beans, small cauliflower florets, and a bowl of mushroom and shrimp soup.

It was truly a feast.

Because it was her first day, the auntie serving the food didn’t know how much she could eat and had piled her a generous plate. Sheng Xia was full before finishing half, but couldn’t bear to waste food, so she kept nibbling slowly.

Eventually, she was the only one left in the dining room. Two aunties had started cleaning up.

One of them, stacking dishes, called out to the owner, "Xiao Jin, A-Shu not coming today?"

The owner didn't look up from her notebook. "He won't be coming anymore. Says he's 'being self-reliant' now, living on chaff and gruel.”

---

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