Summer in Your Name - 52

On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month,b senior students officially began their winter break.

That same day, Wu Qiuxuan was also on break, so Wang Lianhua was heading to Dongzhou to pick her up. Sheng Xia seized the chance to tackle some lingering issues: her scooter and the dress.

She’d fully charged her bike in advance, planning to bring the dress home and hide it.  

The moment the school bell rang in the afternoon, a wave of cheers erupted.

Freedom, at least for now.

Sheng Xia followed Xin Xiaohe back to the dorm to get the dress.

The student dorms at Affiliated High School were impressive—river-view buildings, eight in total, practically a small community. The basement housed the cafeteria, the first floor had a supermarket, or what Zhang Shu and his friends usually called 'snack shop’. The hallways were lined with claw machines and whack-a-mole games. Rumor had it the boys’ dorm even had a basketball hoop machine.

Each dorm room accommodated six students, with bunk beds above desks. The balcony was spacious, facing the school’s artificial lake, where the water shimmered, willows swayed, and peacocks by the lakeside occasionally fanned their tails. Beyond that lay Binjiang Square, where the setting sun cast a pleasant glow over the river.

If Sheng Xia had come to the Affiliated High School in her first year, she would have definitely chosen to live at school.

The other girls in the dorm were also packing up to head home.

Sheng Xia grabbed the box and was about to leave when she heard a familiar voice in the hallway—or at least, somewhat familiar.

"Xuanxuan, are you done?"

"All set!" Zhou Xuanxuan responded, awkwardly sidestepping Sheng Xia as she dragged her suitcase out.

Chen Mengyao, however, doubled back, poking her head through the door. “Sheng Xia?”

Sheng Xia nodded at her in greeting.

Xin Xiaohe watched the two curiously.  

What is going on here?  

Chen Mengyao seemed merely surprised, offering a quick greeting before raising an eyebrow and leaving without saying another word. 

"You two... know each other?" Xin Xiaohe asked.

Sheng Xia: “Sort of.”

"Let's go."

"En."

Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe walked behind Chen Mengyao and Zhou Xuanxuan, trailing just one staircase away.

As they reached the first floor, a voice called out, "A-Shu?"

Both Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe instinctively looked over.

It was Chen Mengyao, calling out to Zhang Shu at the entrance.

 

Why is Zhang Shu here, outside the girls' dormitory?

He stood there casually, one hand in his pocket, the other scrolling through his phone, occasionally glancing up at the girl's dormitory entrance.  

Clearly waiting for someone. 

At this time, the area was bustling with students dragging their suitcases, all turning curiously to look at him. 

Then they saw school beauty in the rumor rushed towards Zhang Shu.

Chen Mengyao smiled brightly. "What are you doing here?"

As she spoke, she felt a sense of déjà vu—this scene was eerily similar to the one at the sports meet's waiting room.

A bad feeling crept up on her.

Sure enough, the next second, her premonition came true. Zhang Shu gestured his chin towards someone behind her. "Waiting for someone."

Following his gaze, she saw Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe approaching.

As Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe drew closer, Chen Mengyao said, “You going back to Lianli for the New Year?”

"Yeah," Zhang Shu replied.

"When are you leaving?"

"Not sure."

Lianli, Sheng Xia knew, was a picturesque old town in the suburbs of Nanli, now part of the development zone. 

She just now realized one thing: Zhang Shu and Chen Mengyao were from the same place.

A place with a name so utterly romantic.

Sheng Xia slowed her pace, almost tiptoeing.

Xin Xiaohe, picking up on the tension, also slowed down, avoiding any potential drama.

Chen Mengyao didn't miss Zhang Shu's gaze. She waved breezily. “Alright, I'll head back first. See you over the New Year!"

Zhou Xuanxuan followed behind, watching Chen Mengyao’s expression shift from composed to dejection.

Zhou Xuanxuan had heard and seen plenty in class.

She knew how wrong her earlier assumptions had been.

When Zhang Shu liked someone, he didn't play hard to get or act hot and cold. Right now, aside from studying, his eyes only held Sheng Xia—and he made no attempt to hide it.

Before, people said Zhang Shu didn't confess to Mengyao because of their financial difference, he couldn't afford a relationship with her. But that just sounded utter nonsense now. 

Compared to Sheng Xia's background, Mengyao’s really didn’t measure up.

Chen Mengyao suddenly stopped and asked Zhou Xuanxuan, "Are they together now?"

"I'm not sure..." Zhou Xuanxuan hesitated, then added, "But they seem pretty close."

Chen Mengyao: "What was Sheng Xia doing in your dorm?"

Zhou Xuanxuan: "Picking up the dress she left with Xin Xiaohe..."

"What dress?"

"The one she wore at the sports festival."

"Huh? Why was it in your dorm?”

"No idea..."

Chen Mengyao’s mind raced. “Wait, her sports festival dress—she owns it?”

Zhou Xuanxuan nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, her family bought it for her.”  

Chen Mengyao frowned. "What does her family do?"

Zhou Xuanxuan answered honestly, "I don't know. I’ve heard they’re kind of a big deal—some say her parents are government officials, others say they're in business, no one knows for sure."

Chen Mengyao fell silent, lost in thought.  

Zhou Xuanxuan couldn't gauge Mengyao's mood, so she just kept quiet to avoid stirring trouble.

---

Sheng Xia watched dazedly as Zhang Shu took the box from her.

Zhang Shu held the large box, crouched slightly, and said to Xin Xiaohe, "Stack it on.”

Xin Xiaohe grinned widely, piling smaller boxes on top. "Sweet, sweet! Free labor makes my life easier.”

Zhang Shu turned to the still-dazed Sheng Xia. “Let’s go?”

"Oh." 

Sheng Xia hurried after him, turning back to wave at Xin Xiaohe. "I'll go first. Happy New Year!"

Xin Xiaohe waved back. "Happy New Year! See you next year!"

Sheng Xia: "Yeah!"

Zhang Shu gave a cold humph, glancing sideways. “Pretty ceremonial with others, aren't we?"

Huh?

What did he mean…

Sheng Xia didn't quite understand, quickening her pace to catch up, tilting her head to look at him.

Xin Xiaohe watched them from behind, recalling the start of the semester when Yang Linyu, during a seat change, said they looked good together.

The scene now looked similar.

The young man carried a stack of boxes, slightly turning his head to talk to the girl jogging alongside him. Both their profiles were picture-perfect.

Something seemed to have changed, but maybe it was how things were always meant to be.  

How great.

Xin Xiaohe smiled, turned around, and went back to her dorm to finish packing.  

The corner of Zhang Shu's mouth twitched. He walked straight ahead, no longer looking at Sheng Xia, muttering, "If I hadn't come, would you have just head home like this?"

Sheng Xia slowed, falling a step behind.

Huh?

So he came to say goodbye?

She thought he was just escorting her to the bike shed, but he actually rode slowly beside her.

Her scooter had small wheels, even at full speed, it couldn’t outpace his mountain bike. Plus, with stuff strapped to the back, she didn't dare go too fast.

He, on the other hand, was going so slowly he struggled to balance, wobbling along as he went. 

He seemed a little upset. Sheng Xia broke the silence first. “Do you have any special New Year customs where you’re from?”  

"No."

"Oh, right. It's still part of Nanli."

"Hm."

Sheng Xia: “…”  

At the intersection near Feicui Court, Sheng Xia stopped her scooter.  

“You can just drop me off here.”

Zhang Shu also braked. "Isn't there still some way to go?"

Sheng Xia thought her words over carefully before saying, "The security guard in my neighborhood is very familiar with my mom…”

Zhang Shu understood, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes, too quick to catch.

“Got any problem you don’t understand and want to figure out right now?” he asked out of nowhere.

Sheng Xia was confused. “Huh?”  

"No? Well, I do."

Sheng Xia: “…?”  

“Imagery in classical Chinese reading…” He paused to thought, steadying himself on one leg as he straightened up, clearly not planning to leave just yet. "...for water."

Sheng Xia responded without thinking, "Water usually symbolizes sadness."

"The moon?"

"Homesickness, longing for someone…”

Zhang Shu's flicked upward. "Clouds?"

Sheng Xia: ….

"Usually symbolize drifting or wandering,"

He seemed to run out of ideas, glancing around. "Leaves?"

She had a hunch about what he was doing, a warmth rising in her chest, tinged with a hint of bittersweetness.

She smiled slightly, playing along. "It depends on the leaf. Willow leaves symbolize reluctance to part; grass or trees, rise and fall; aromatic grass, sorrow from separation; banana leaves, loneliness..."

Zhang Shu gave a thumbs-up, his tone slowing, deepening. "Then, what about Nanli’s camphor trees?”  

Sheng Xia looked up at him but didn't answer, letting silence stretch between them.

"Nanli’s camphor trees..." She met his gaze, voice soft. “That’s A-Shu being unreasonable.”

Zhang Shu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, unrestrained and bright.

Sheng Xia’s cheeks warmed in the winter air. She started her scooter, tossing out, “Happy New Year!”

And fled.

His laughter echoed down the entire Camphor Tree Avenue.

By the time Zhang Shu reacted, the white scooter was already dozens of meters away.  

It was only then that it dawned on him—this was the first time she had called him ‘A-Shu’. Fragments of dreams flashed through his mind, his palms burning. He shouted after her: "What did you call me? Say it again!"

Of course, he received no response.

Sheng Xia slowed down, the boy's words sinking into her ears, each one striking her heart.

She looked up. Nanli’s camphor trees, lush even in winter, blanketed the city in warmth.  

Nanli’s camphor trees means, I want to stay with you for a while longer, don't you know that?

---

Sheng Xia’s Spring Festival plans were pretty standard.

She had New Year's Eve dinner at home, and on New Year she would have lunch with her two younger sisters and Sheng Mingfeng.  

She received some red envelopes and gifts, stayed wary of people sending presents due to Sheng Mingfeng’s status, and that was it.

For a high school senior, the New Year was anything but relaxing. The conversation at every gathering revolved solely around studies. Her tutoring class at the agency started on the second day of the new year. The teachers were working overtime even during the holidays, talk about dedication.

Most classes were online, but Sheng Xia still had to visit the agency once to meet with the teacher in person. 

There, she ran into Lu Youze.

Neither of them was surprised by the encounter.

They weren’t under the same teacher. After stepping out of the elevator, they exchanged a glance and muttered ‘so miserable’, having to attend classes during the holiday, and left it at that.

Sheng Xia's academic counselor recommended several universities, favoring UPenn as the best fit. It required a TOEFL score of 100 and an SAT score above 1300—no easy feat.

Sheng Xia wasn’t actually planning to go, so she had no strong opinions. She asked the teacher to push back SAT courses and prioritize language classes.

Studying for TOEFL would at least help her English grades, so she’d start there. Other courses could wait until her independent enrollment plans were more clear, which would be her excuse to skip them.

When she finished her session and came outside, she saw Lu Youze waiting for her in the lobby, which caught her off guard.

Naturally, they headed back together.

“I heard you’re also prepping for UPenn. That’s awesome!” Lu Youze added. "I don’t mean anything. I just think it’s nice to have someone I know applying to the same school.”

Sheng Xia understood the sentiment; she didn’t want to dampen his excitement by saying she wasn’t planning to go. Besides, Lu Youze's father was close to Sheng Mingfeng, she could only be more cautious and not say much around him.

"Are you applying there too?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Lu Youze replied, "Yes, I'm aiming to study business."

Sheng Xia nodded.

Made sense—UPenn’s business school was renowned.

"Let's both give it our all!" he said.

"En..." Sheng Xia responded weakly.

Back home, Sheng Xia didn’t get a moment’s rest. She revised some drafts she’d written over the past few days and prepared to tackle a set of math problems from Five-Three after dinner.

Her phone suddenly rang incessantly, it wasn't an alarm or a call. She picked it up. 

[Song Jiang is inviting you to a video call…]  

Sheng Xia jolted. No one had ever video-called her before, not even Tao Zhizhi.  

Moreover, she was in her pajamas right now.

She clicked decline.

[Song Jiang is inviting you to a voice call…]

Voice call, I guess, this is acceptable.

After hesitating for a while, she finally answered when he called a second time.

"Hello?"

He chuckled on the other end. "So nervous? Up to no good?”

Sheng Xia: "No.”

Zhang Shu: “Then why did you take so long to answer?"

"I was doing a practice test."

"Oh?" The sound of flipping pages came through. “What’re you working on?”

"Five-Three."

"Which subject?"

"Math."

"Which set?”

"Seventeenth.”

The flipping continued. He sighed regretfully, "I've already done that one. How about doing another set?”

Sheng Xia was puzzled. “Huh?”  

Zhang Shu: “Let’s do it together.”  

Sheng Xia: “You want to do practice tests too?”  

Zhang Shu: “Not originally, but now I am.”  

Sheng Xia: …  

After some back-and-forth, she realized he’d done nearly all the sets.

Sheng Xia: “When did you even do all these? You’ve finished so many, and I still have so much left!”  

"Sometimes I do a set when I get back at night if I'm not too tired," he replied casually.

He usually left the classroom around midnight. 

"So what time do you go to sleep then?"

"Two or three."

Ah...?

She had assumed he went straight to bed after returning home.

“I’m not a morning person, so I can only be a night owl,” Zhang Shu continued, still flipping through the papers. "What, do you think I'm some kind of genius?"

"Uh..." Honestly, she had considered that possibility.

“Let’s do science comprehensive. Work together, check answers after each set,” he suggested  

"Together?" Sheng Xia was confused. How would that work?

Zhang Shu: "Keep the phone on. Don't hang up."

Sheng Xia: …

Zhang Shu: “Want to switch to video?”  

Sheng Xia glanced down at her fluffy pajamas. “I’m not—”  

"I want to see you..."

Their voices overlapped, and both paused, stunned. Then Sheng Xia hung up.

Zhang Shu stared at the call-ended screen, baffled. Was she that shy?

Is she so shy that it made her angry?

Ah, how cute.

So, so cute.

As he pondered how to coax her, his phone vibrated. The screen showed: [Jasmine is inviting you to a video call...]

Zhang Shu raised an eyebrow, looking at his phone in disbelief and fumbled to accept, nearly hitting the wrong button.

The screen flickered, revealing a pale, bare face, her long hair loose and flowing.

She fiddled with the camera angle, eyes darting, avoiding the lens.

Finally, she propped the phone under a lamp, the soft light making her look like a painting.  

Zhang Shu: “Why’d you hang up?”

"Changing clothes..."

“No need to get so formal,” Zhang Shu said, setting his phone on a stand. “Should I change too? Suit and tie?”

The girl seemed to shoot him a glare, her voice tinged with grievance. "Just now... I was only in my pajamas..."

And no bra…

Zhang Shu coughed awkwardly, nodding. “Alright, let’s start. I’ll time it.”

"Okay."

Sheng Xia looked down, struggling to focus. Unconsciously, her eyes lifted, meeting his intense, unwavering gaze through the screen.

Had he been watching her this whole time?

She quickly looked down again, muttering, "Hurry up and do your questions!"

“I’m faster than you. You start, I’ll watch for a bit…”

Watch what? How was she supposed to focus with him staring?

"Then I'm turning it off!" she said angrily.

"Fine, fine, I'll write. Don't turn it off."

They started the timer again. Sheng Xia settled in, gradually finding her rhythm. When she finished a big question, she’d glance up, seeing him deep in thought, and feel reassured enough to continue. 

As she neared the end of biology, her door was knocked twice, then the handle turned. “Sis, I’m coming in!”

Before the words fully registered, the door swung open.

Sheng Xia quickly slammed her phone face down on the desk and sprang to her feet.

Wu Qiuxuan looked at her suspiciously. "Sis, what are you doing?"

Sheng Xia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Doing a practice test. What’s the matter?”  

"Ugh, don't remind me of it. I don't want to do mine. It's driving me crazy!" 

Wu Qiuxuan flopped onto Sheng Xia's bed, glaring at her phone. "Sis, I'm so annoyed."

"What's wrong now?"

"My roommate said in the group chat that people who chase celebrities are shallow. She's obviously targeting me! That idiot, she's asking for another beating..."

Sheng Xia: …Kids these days are so intense.

“Gentlemen use words, not fists,” Sheng Xia said calmly. “You could reply, ‘It’s not surprising you’d think that.’”

Wu Qiuxuan blinked, catching on. “So shady!”

"But I want it to be more satisfying, I want to really piss her off!" she exclaimed.

More satisfying?

Sheng Xia pondered for a moment. "Then ask her. How old are you? Have you read any books? What medicine are you taking now?”

Wu Qiuxuan frowned. “What’s that?”

Sheng Xia: "It's a line from ‘Dream of the Red Chamber¹’."

(¹: A Classical Novel. The lines Sheng Xia quotes are a subtle way of mocking someone by implying they are ignorant or uneducated.) 

Wu Qiuxuan burst out laughing. “Hahaha, calling her sick? Perfect, that’ll drive her nuts!”

Sheng Xia: …young people are so easily amused.  

Wu Qiuxuan cheered up instantly, rolling on the bed. She eyed her sister curiously. “Hey, Sis, that Zhang Shu guy you mentioned last time—did you win him over… mmph!”  

Sheng Xia hadn’t expected her sister to drop a bomb like that, nor did she expect a voice from the phone to chime in: “What?”  

With her mouth covered, Wu Qiuxuan's eyes widened in shock.

Sheng Xia quickly ushered her out of the room.

Wu Qiuxuan, shocked, glanced at the phone on the desk, muttering, “I heard a guy’s voice! I’m not imagining it, right? Sis! Hey?”

Bang! Wu Qiuxuan was gently but firmly shut out by her usually gentle sister—oh my gosh!

Sheng Xia fanned her face, unable to calm down. She returned to her desk, after much hesitation, she picked up the face-down phone.

"Sheng..."

Before Zhang Shu could say more, Sheng Xia hung up.

Aaah!

What was there to say?!

Why did he have to speak!  

Seconds after hanging up, the phone kept ringing. She hung up again and again. 

No more video calls—never again!

Sheng Xia threw herself onto the bed, pulled the quilt over her head, ignoring the phone's continuous ringing.

Wahh!

What was Wu Qiuxuan thinking, saying something like that!  

He heard everything!

How was she supposed to face him now! Wahh!

When things finally calmed down, she had to face reality.

Maybe, just maybe, the signal was bad, and he didn’t hear?

Sheng Xia picked up her phone and opened the chat window, resigned to her fate.  

This time, there wasn't a barrage of messages like last time. 

But two lines and an emoji were lethal enough.

Song Jiang: [So shady.] 

Song Jiang: [Scared.jpg]

Song Jiang: [I also want it to be more satisfying. I'm coming back in two days. Wanna go on a date?] 

---

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