Summer in Your Name - 50

Sheng Xia practically fled in a panic. Entering the office, she saw Fu Jie sitting at her desk, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she called out, “Sheng Xia, come here.”

That expression… it didn’t seem like anything was wrong.

Fu Jie wanted to talk to her about the independent enrollment process. Sheng Xia’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Still, they were waiting for word on publishing approval standards, so she couldn't let down her guard and had to prepare for the worst.

“Use the New Year’s holiday to catch up on your progress. If you need anything, feel free to contact me. You can send me your drafts to review too,” Fu Jie instructed.

Sheng Xia nodded. "Thank you, Teacher Fu."

Fu Jie added, “Your grades have improved a lot this time. Keep it up.”

"I will do my best."

“It must have been tough, juggling writing and studying for finals, right?”

Sheng Xia nodded but then shook her head. "It's manageable."

Fu Jie lowered her voice. “Looks like Zhang Shu is pretty responsible, huh? I heard from Teacher Wang that when your leg was injured, Zhang Shu personally promised to help you improve your grades—it looks like he kept his word."

Sheng Xia's relaxed nerves suddenly tensed again.

This was true, Sheng Xia simply nodded. "He did help me a lot."

"Zhang Shu is indeed a great classmate," Fu Jie praised, closely observing Sheng Xia's reaction. She smiled and continued, "At that time, Teacher Wang stressed that with your leg injury and the back and forth to the hospital, it was bound to affect your mindset. Do you know what Zhang Shu said to him?"

Sheng Xia looked up, why did she feel that Teacher Fu’s tone sounded… a little weird?

"He said..." Fu Jie lowered her voice even further, mimicking, “I'll make sure she can.”

---

When Sheng Xia returned to the classroom, Wang Wei was standing outside, his expression grave.

She asked Xin Xiaohe, "Is it time for Brother Heart-to-heart?"

“Seems like it,” Xin Xiaohe whispered. “What did Fu Jie call you for? Was it about Zhang Shu?”

Sheng Xia shook her head. "No, just some stuff about me.”

Her gaze shifted slightly, glancing at Zhang Shu, who sat across the aisle.

He was working on practice problems, his emotions unreadable.

The evening study bell rang, and once again, Sheng Xia was the first to be called.

For some reason, she felt a twinge of guilt.

Thankfully, Wang Wei also talked about independent enrollment. "I heard from Teacher Fu you've decided to try for Heqing University's independent enrollment?"

"Yes," Sheng Xia nodded. "Teacher, can you keep it a secret for now?”

Wang Wei’s eyebrows arched high. “You mean from Zhang Shu?”

"Huh?" Sheng Xia’s head snapped up, startled and confused.

Seeing her reaction, Wang Wei realized he'd misunderstood and smacked his lips awkwardly. “Oh, you meant Secretary Sheng?”

Sheng Xia’s heart was pounding.

What did Teacher Wang mean? Why did he bring up Zhang Shu too…

“Mm, my mom doesn’t know yet either,” she replied.

Wang Wei asked, "Why not?"

Sheng Xia: "It's too uncertain. My grades aren’t stable enough. If I bring it up now, there’ll be too many distractions.”

She stopped there, but Wang Wei understood.

Honestly, at such a critical time, spending so much energy on writing drafts and publishing a book—when success wasn’t even guaranteed, was too risky. Let alone the parents, even he and Fu Jie thought it was too much of a gamble.

Besides, her parents’ arrangements seemed far more reliable. If she brought up the independent enrollment, they’d likely oppose it outright.

Wang Wei suggested, "But maybe your dad could help?"

Sheng Xia shook her head. "No, that wouldn't be right."

Wang Wei explained, "I'm not saying to break the rules. But in a society built on connections, sometimes a single word within the framework can smooth things out.”

Like with publishing, for example.

Sheng Xia lowered her head, silent for a long time.

Wang Wei grew a little nervous. Had he touched on a sensitive spot?

Finally, she said softly, “This is for my own education. His influence has nothing to do with my studies."

Wang Wei froze, suddenly recalling the phrase ‘the pride of a scholar’. 

“Well, if you need any help, tell me or Teacher Fu right away. No matter whose daughter you are, you’re our student.”

Sheng Xia pressed her lips together and nodded.

Looking at this overly obedient student, Wang Wei suddenly felt a bit emotional. To think that he, Old Wang, could say something so profound! Even he was impressed with himself.

"You've made great progress in this exam. Reflect on what helped you improve and keep pushing forward!" Wang Wei encouraged. 

Again, Sheng Xia just nodded.

Wang Wei continued, “Zhang Shu he—”

At the mention of Zhang Shu, the girl looked up, her eyes sparkling.

Wang Wei almost lost his words. These two…can't they be a bit less obvious? If this keeps up, he'd really start to worry!

"Zhang Shu didn't do so well this time. As deskmates, you should encourage each other and improve together."

Sheng Xia wondered, why does Teacher Wang sound a bit awkward too?

Besides nodding, she didn’t know how else to respond.

“Alright, go back. Keep it up!”

Back in the classroom, Sheng Xia noticed that Wang Wei didn't call Zhang Shu after her as usual but called someone else instead.

The classroom buzzed with disappointment from those hoping for gossip.

Maybe because the exam results had just come out, everyone was a bit restless. Hardly anyone in the class was in study mode, and soft chatter filled the room.

Xin Xiaohe grabbed Sheng Xia and asked, "What did Old Wang say to you?"

Sheng Xia picked her words carefully, "He asked me to reflect on my improvement and keep working hard…”

“I bet it’s almost my turn…” Xin Xiaohe sighed. “Last time, Old Wang set a goal for me, but I didn’t meet it. I feel like I’ve hit a plateau.”

Xin Xiaohe’s grades had been stagnant for several exams—no decline, but no breakthroughs either.

Sheng Xia comforted her, "You're pushing towards the peak, climbing a steep slope. No matter how hard you push, the speed feels the same because you’re building momentum. Only when you reach the top will you see it. You should be almost there, probably during the mock exam!"

Xin Xiaohe made a fake crying face and threw herself into Sheng Xia’s arms. “Wah, you’re the best…”

Suddenly, Xin Xiaohe froze. She lifted her head, staring at Sheng Xia in shock. “Sister, you’re so soft…”

Her gaze lingered on Sheng Xia’s chest for two seconds before looking up again—wildly hinting at what she meant by ‘soft’.

Sheng Xia’s face burned…. 

Just then, Xin Xiaohe noticed that across the aisle, Zhang Shu, who had been focused on his practice problems, suddenly looked up. His expression was… complicated.

From confusion to realization, then a flash of avoidance, followed by displeasure, and finally settling into a kind of warning.

No matter how bold Xin Xiaohe usually was, she was still a girl at heart. Feeling embarrassed, she covered her mouth dramatically, her eyes widening like Mr. Bean's.

Sheng Xia, facing Xin Xiaohe, didn’t notice what was happening behind her. She was just flustered by Xin Xiaohe’s over-the-top reaction, her ears burning red.

The Brother Heart-to-Heart session dragged on until halfway through the second evening study period.

Wang Wei stepped up to the podium. “You’ve all seen your final exam results. Some of you worked hard and achieved great scores, while others slacked off, and it shows clearly in your grades. At this stage, you should understand the importance of every exam..."

After about fifteen minutes of the usual talk, Wang Wei suddenly asked someone to turn off all the classroom lights and played a video.

“This is the first motivational video from the alumni association this year. Watch it carefully, think about your goals, where you’re falling short, and how far you still have to go. I won’t say more. I hope tonight you will all gain something from this and make a change.”

In gentle music, the alumni association’s logo faded in and out.

Then the screen showed the gates of Heqing University. The camera panned, revealing a few seniors standing beneath, saying to the camera, “This is Heqing University. I'm from Nanli University Affiliated High School."

The scene cuts to the gates of Haiyan University. Another pan, and youthful, radiant faces appeared, saying, “This is Haiyan University. I'm from Nanli University Affiliated High School."

Then—

"This is Dongzhou University... I'm from Nanli University Affiliated High School..."

"This is Nanli University..."

The same camera work, the same lines.

It included almost every major prestigious university in the country.

The screen flashed with the emblems of various universities, the rhythm accelerating. The emblems formed a grid, and all the spoken lines overlapped into one:

“I'm from Nanli University Affiliated High School. I'm waiting for you here.”

Next came scenic shots and campus activities from each university. Seniors introduced their schools in a lively, tour-like style, some praising, some poking fun, their laughter vibrant with youthful energy. 

This was university life. These were university students!

The classroom was silent, the video reflected in pairs of eyes and on glasses.

Something stirred deep in Sheng Xia’s heart, though she couldn’t quite name it.

When she heard, “This is Heqing University,” an inexplicable sense of belonging washed over her.

Among all the seniors, she only remembered the faces of those from Heqing University.

They still looked simple and pure, yet somehow different from the students sitting in this classroom.

What brought about that transformation in just one year?

Sheng Xia felt a warmth approaching from her right, but she was too engrossed in the video to pay much attention.

Suddenly, a breath brushed her ear, and a low voice said, “Have you decided which university you’re aiming for?”

A tingling sensation spread through Sheng Xia's ears.

The voice paused, and Sheng Xia felt her hand, resting on her knee, being lifted. Then fingers intertwined with hers, locking tightly.

She instinctively looked down. In the darkness, long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles were entwined around her own.

The voice whispered again, "Want to... go to Heyan together?"

Sheng Xia's heart skipped a beat. Coming back to her senses, she turned her head.

Zhang Shu’s face was inches away, the screen’s light flickering across his features. His eyes were strikingly bright in the dark.

They...

They...

They locked eyes in the darkened classroom, whispering amidst the silent crowd. 

To Sheng Xia, everything around them seemed to blur. In the dark classroom, only her and him remained.

Did he say Heyan? 

Could she do it? 

Will she be good enough?

The video kept playing, but Sheng Xia couldn’t hear it anymore. All she heard was her own heartbeat and that one line—

‘I'll make sure she can.’

She hadn’t heard him say it himself, but in that moment, in her mind, it became his voice—slightly arrogant yet resolute. 

I'll make sure she can.

The nearly ten-minute-long video ended, lights came back on. The classroom fell silent. The classroom stayed quiet, everyone exchanging glances—some smiling, some wistful, all lost in a shared sense of longing.

Sheng Xia looked at the boy who had retreated to his seat, feeling a bit dazed. Just now, when the whole class was focused on the video, had he actually spoken to her?

The lingering warmth on her fingertips, not her own, gave her the answer.

---

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