Summer in Your Name - 57

On their way back. 

Sheng Xia walked behind Zhang Shu, maintaining a distance of two or three meters. Every so often, he would turn around to make sure she was still there. 

Sheng Xia was a little grateful for the breeze tonight; it dried her tears quickly. She just wasn’t sure if her eyes were still red.

When they reached the covered walkway, she stopped. Zhang Shu heard her pause and turned around, seeing she wasn’t moving.  

"You go ahead," she said softly. "I'll go in a bit."

Zhang Shu ignored her, instead sitting down on the edge of the walkway. “You go back first. I’ll head back later.”

Sheng Xia sat down as well, keeping a distance of four or five meters between them. She insisted, "You should go. My eyes are a little..." red.

Before she could finish, the voice-activated light in the walkway snapped off with a click.  

  

Sheng Xia instinctively panicked.

Their voices, soft and slow, were apparently too quiet for the voice-activated light to register.  

Zhang Shu let out a loud cough and stomped the ground hard. The light flickered back on.  

"I'll wait for you," he said.

Sheng Xia lowered her eyes, a sour feeling rising to her nose again.

Did he know she was afraid of the dark?

If this was a goodbye, why couldn’t he be a little crueler? Why give her hope like this—what was the point?  

  

But she didn't say anything. 

The two of them sat there quietly, neither speaking nor even touching their phones.  

They just sat in silence under the night sky for ten minutes.  

She could tell it was exactly ten minutes because the voice-activated light went out every three minutes, and Zhang Shu had coughed three times.

Just as Sheng Xia debated whether to leave first, the bell signaling the end of class rang.    

The teaching building erupted into noise, rendering the question of who should leave first irrelevant. 

"Let’s go," Zhang Shu said, breaking the silence.

Sheng Xia stood and walked past him, taking the lead this time.

Maybe because the excitement from the earlier power outage hadn’t worn off, the classroom was a chaotic mix of whistling, singing, and shouting.  

Aside from their nearby classmates, few noticed Zhang Shu and Sheng Xia’s disappearance and return.  

Zhou Xuanxuan's gaze darted between Zhang Shu and Sheng Xia.

One came in through the back door, the other through the front, both looking somewhat off.

Sheng Xia was typically quiet, so that wasn’t unusual. But Zhang Shu, slumping into his chair with a spaced-out expression—that was strange.  

Something wasn't right.

Did these two have a fight?

During the entire second evening study period, Sheng Xia had no idea what she was doing. No matter which subject she tried to study, her mind wandered. Giving up the struggle, she pulled out a collection of essays to read. 

Essays, they say, are scattered in form but not in spirit, yet Sheng Xia was utterly ‘scattered’, with no ‘spirit’ to speak of.  

By the time class ended, she just wanted to leave. There was no point staying if she couldn’t get anything done.  

As she packed her bag, Xin Xiaohe ran over. “Xiaxia, wanna grab a late-night snack at the north gate?”

Xin Xiaohe had been talking about taking her to experience the ‘culture’ at the north gate since the start of last semester but they never got around to it.

"Sure," Sheng Xia agreed.

Xin Xiaohe lit up."Wow, let’s hurry then! It’s packed at the start of the semester, and the milk tea shop might run out of seats.”  

  

Sheng Xia rarely visited the North Gate at night. Seeing the lights everywhere and the sea of people, she almost thought she’d stumbled into a food street.  

The usually quiet alley was lined with mobile food stalls selling everything—spicy chicken feet, grilled cold noodles, stinky tofu, roasted pig trotters, fried chicken tenders…It was noisy, brimming with the lively hustle and bustle of life. 

“Eat whatever you want, order anything!” Xin Xiaohe declared grandly, then whispered in Sheng Xia’s ear, “It’s my turn to treat, ugh.”  

Sheng Xia blinked. “Turns?”  

Xin Xiaohe answered matter-of-factly, “Yeah, we’re all out together, paying separately makes us look like we’re not tight!”  

Sheng Xia nodded, making a mental note, Culture Rule #1.

Sheng Xia suggested, "Since I'm new, shouldn't I treat everyone?"

"No, no, next time. Next time."

"Okay."

They sent someone to grab a seat at the milk tea shop while the rest wandered from stall to stall, buying whatever caught their fancy. 

The milk tea shops, board game cafes, and escape room venues along the street were already crowded with people.  

There were several milk tea shops, some part of chains, others independent.

Xin Xiaohe whispered again, “This one’s the hardest to get seats in.”

The shop had a black storefront, giving off a cool vibe.  

Sheng Xia asked, “Is their milk tea that good?”

"No," Xin Xiaohe said mysteriously. "Because the three owners are handsome!"

Sheng Xia: "...”

The milk tea shop’s entrance was a narrow walkway lined with high-backed booths, offering privacy.

It felt a bit like a coffee shop.

Some people were studying with books open and lamps lit, others playing cards, some chatting casually, and a few were... locked in embraces, kissing.

Sheng Xia looked away. Don’t look at what’s improper, Culture Rule #2.  

At the counter, she finally saw the legendary three handsome owners.

All young, probably in their early twenties, stylishly dressed, and undeniably good-looking.

Their service attitude was super laid-back, almost cold.

They had this air of aloofness.  

 

But she found their aloofness felt different from Zhang Shu's. Theirs felt a bit forced, while Zhang Shu’s was more natural.

And Zhang Shu was definitely a bit better-looking, no, maybe more than just a bit.

Ugh, why was she thinking of him again? Stop it… 

Xin Xiaohe ordered a mango slushie. Sheng Xia frowned and reminded her. “Xiaohe, your period’s coming in a couple of days. You shouldn't drink something cold.”

Xin Xiaohe tilted her head, thinking. “Oh, right, I forgot!”  

"Mm," Sheng Xia suggested. "How about getting something warm instead?"

Xin Xiaohe: …I never drink hot stuff, okay? 

“Will listening to the fairy’s advice make me live longer?”

Sheng Xia answered seriously, "I guess so."

“Fine then.”  

“Good.”  

People playing cards in a nearby booth burst out laughing, craning their necks to check out the girls openly discussing periods.

Even the three stoic faces behind the counter twitched slightly, glancing up to see what kind of person so naturally admitting to be a fairy.

After ordering and sitting down, Sheng Xia noticed Xin Xiaohe’s friends staring at her, their expressions tinged with…shyness?  

It made Sheng Xia’s ears turn red.

"Sheng Xia..." one of them murmured, "I like staring at you. Don't mind me."

Sheng Xia: “…”  

"Me too," said another.

Xin Xiaohe laughed, "Ha ha ha! They've been gushing over you in our dorms for ages."

Sheng Xia felt a bit awkward.  

But with Xin Xiaohe there, the awkwardness quickly melted. They shared street food, sipped milk tea, and gossiped about everything from celebrities to classmates to teachers. 

Occasionally, they mentioned people from other schools.  

Sheng Xia felt like she was listening to a foreign language, stepping into a new world. Wow, if you’re famous enough, even people from other schools know about you?

People too close to you, too familiar, often didn’t make for good gossip.  

 

How many milk tea shops like this had Zhang Shu been the topic of?

Sheng Xia nearly choked on her milk tea. What was wrong with her? Why did everything remind her of him? How was she supposed to live like this?

The conversation finally shifted to people Sheng Xia knew. Someone asked, "Xiaohe, Yang Linyu hasn't come back yet?"

"Maybe next week."

Sheng Xia asked. "Where did he go?"

She hadn't seen him at all during the supplementary classes. 

“He went to Heyan Tech University’s independent enrollment winter camp.” 

Sheng Xia: “He’s been gone so long, won’t this affect his studies?”

Xin Xiaohe’s roommate chimed in, “At this stage, there’s nothing new to learn. Grinding for points isn’t as worthwhile as independent enrollment. Heyan Tech, come on—even skipping a month of classes would be worth it!”  

Yang Linyu was ranked around twentieth in their class. If Sheng Xia worked a bit harder,she might catch up to him.

Another girl looked at Xin Xiaohe. "But if he goes to Heyan, won't you two..."

“What’s it to me?” Xin Xiaohe waved it off. “I’m aiming for Dongzhou University!”

As the girls chatted, a girl suddenly appeared by their booth. She wore a long hoodie, a baseball cap, and ultra-short shorts, a style similar to Chen Mengyao. She placed a basket of assorted snacks on the table and said to Sheng Xia, “Classmate, my friend wants to add you on WeChat. Is that okay? This is his treat for you guys.”

She glanced toward a booth diagonally to the right, where a tall, skinny guy sat. Despite the warm weather, he wore a pointed knit beanie, with a few strands of dyed yellow hair peeking out.

He dressed in the same style as the tree shop owners. 

A pickup attempt!

The girls at the table gave Sheng Xia teasing looks.

Sheng Xia politely declined, "Sorry, I don't have WeChat."

To her surprise, the girl laughed. “Then QQ works too.”

…she walked right into that one.  

Sheng Xia hesitated, feeling awkward. Xin Xiaohe muttered lightly, “He doesn’t even have the guts to come over himself. Why should she give him her contact? Is he the emperor or something?”  

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it wasn’t exactly quiet either. The guy with the yellow hair turned, got up, and walked over.

Sheng Xia:...My dear friend, now’s not the time to use provocation.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable talking to a girl," the boy said as he reached their table. "So, classmate, QQ then?"

One of Xin Xiaohe’s roommates asked, “You’re not from our school, right?”

"Yingjie Department," he replied, already pulling up the Q.Q scan mode on his phone.  

Xin Xiaohe’s roommate blurted out, “A repeat senior?”

“Nope, third year,” Yellow Hair answered.

Xin Xiaohe raised an eyebrow and whispered in Sheng Xia's ear, "A third-year student from Yingjie Department? If they’re not second-generation rich, they’re third-generation rich. If not third, then n-th generation…”

Sheng Xia: …Does she think she was being quiet?

Yellow Hair clearly heard and laughed. “Nah, just here to get through school.”

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Yellow Hair said, “We’ve actually met before.”

Sheng Xia looked up at him.

"At the sports meet."

Oh, so it wasn’t some grand encounter.

At this point, if she didn’t add him, he’d probably stand there and join their girls’ night. 

She pulled up a QR code and added him.

One more person in her contacts graveyard.

"Enjoy then," the guy said, tactfully returning with his female friend to their own booth.  

Outside the shop, Zhou Yingxiang, who’d stopped to watch his classmate's pickup attempt, let out a curse “Holy crap!” when he finally saw the girl being hit on.

With several cups of bubble tea in hand, he sprinted back to the game room like lightning.

Inside the private room, the usual crew was there.

Hou Junqi was playing a battle royale game, sounds of gunfire echoing. Wu Pengcheng was scrolling through short videos, chuckling at dancing girls. Han Xiao was propped up on his chin, muttering to himself about which card to play, as if strategizing a war. Liu Huian was watching a soccer match, shouting with every play.    

What a noisy room.

Only Zhang Shu was quiet, leaning back on the sofa, eyes closed like he was asleep.  

They were all waiting for Zhou Yingxiang’s milk tea.

“I’m here, I’m here!”  

“I’m about to win this match, hold on…”  

"Gimme the lemon tea.”

  

“Let me finish this half.”  

“Wanna play Unlock?”

Zhang Shu sat up straight, tore open a straw wrapper, grabbed a random cup without checking what it was, and took a sip.  

Zhou Yingxiang paled—that was his sweet, cloying ice cream black tea.

As expected, Zhang Shu frowned. "What is this junk?"

"I just saw Sheng Xia." 

The moment he spoke, everyone, whether gaming, watching videos, or shouting at the soccer match, turned to look.

Zhang Shu’s eyelids slowly lifted, staring at Zhou Yingxiang.  

“I swear, she’s next door with a few girls,” Zhou Yingxiang tested.

Hou Junqi lost interest. “Probably with Xin Xiaohe and her squad. Poor little Sheng Xia, stuck with them, probably can’t understand a word they’re saying. Hope she doesn’t get led astray.”

“I also saw her get hit on by a guy from my class.”

"...”

"She agreed to add him on QQ."

Hou Junqi turned off the game and stood up. "Get straight to the point next time!"

"Who's trying to steal our people?"

"Those guys from the Yingjie Department have too much time on their hands."

As the group chattering away, a figure suddenly darted out of the room. When they looked at the couch, Zhang Shu was nowhere to be seen.

The door to the private room slammed with a loud bang, leaving it half-open—a testament to how urgent and rough the person who opened it moments ago had been.

Everyone shook their heads.

But the next second, Zhang Shu pushed the door open and returned, sitting back on the sofa. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, head down, lost in thought.

The group exchanged glances.

Han Xiao spoke first. "Brother Shu, not gonna check?"

Zhang Shu took another sip of the overly sweet ice cream red tea.  

It was cloyingly sweet, but oddly, he didn’t mind it now.

Zhang Shu asked, “Just a pickup attempt?”

Zhou Yingxiang blinked. “Uh, yeah, he asked for her QQ and left.”

"Hm," Zhang Shu replied quietly. He stopped talking and made no further move.

Hou Junqi whispered, “What’s going on here?” 

He’d felt something off about Zhang Shu and Sheng Xia lately, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.  

Wu Pengcheng wondered aloud, "Did you two fight?"

Zhang Shu said flatly, “We broke up.”

"What?!" Everyone was stunned.

Zhang Shu: “Well, not really.”

Relief washed over them slightly.

Zhang Shu: “We were never together, so how could we break up?” 

“WHAT?” Louder and more unified than before.

He had no right to interfere.

---

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