Summer in Your Name - 59

The following afternoon, after Chinese class, Sheng Xia sought out Fu Jie to explain her situation.  

Fu Jie was taken aback. “Are you saying you want to take two weeks leave?"  

Sheng Xia nodded firmly.  

She had thought it over carefully all night and was willing to commit the time.  

Fu Jie frowned. “But by the time you come back, the mock exams will be right around the corner! You won’t have any time to review! The first mock is crucial!”  

Sheng Xia knew the saying that the first mock exam decides everything.  

“And by then, it’ll be March. Will you even make it in time?”  

Sheng Xia lowered her head. “I want to try everything.”

 

“You mean writing during the day and attending study-abroad prep classes at night?”  

“Yes.”  

Fu Jie felt the matter was too significant for her to decide alone. She suggested, “You should talk to Teacher Wang. He’s led two or three graduating classes and has more experience. In your situation, I don’t dare encourage you to take such a risk.”

  

Sheng Xia understood and was deeply grateful. “I’ve calculated the time, and it’s enough. I spoke to an editor at a C-tier publisher this morning about my idea, and she thinks it’s feasible.”  

“Then I’ll check with the editor I’m in contact with,” Fu Jie sighed. “For the leave, go see Teacher Wang.”  

“Okay.”  

Wang Wei pondered for a long time before also sighing. "Can you handle this? It’s not that I doubt your ability, but you need to be mentally prepared.”  

Prepared to end up with nothing on both fronts.

  

Sheng Xia explained, “I’ll write drafts during the day, attend classes at night, and still have a few hours to review when I get home. I’ll do my best.”  

She had weighed the risks. If she truly failed at both, she could follow Hou Junqi’s path—take a foundation year after the college entrance exam. But her outward compliance, inward defiance would be exposed, and she’d face criticism, perhaps more than just criticism. 

But she could handle it.  

Wang Wei frowned. “Where are you getting ‘a few hours’ after returning at night?"

Sheng Xia: “There’s time—11 p.m. to 2 a.m., three full hours.”  

Wang Wei looked at her matter-of-fact expression and asked, “You’re sleeping after 2 a.m. every night?”  

Sheng Xia nodded.  

The moment Wang Wei signed the leave approval, he felt like he was signing some life-or-death contract.  

He watched Sheng Xia’s slender, retreating figure and shook his head.

After years of teaching, you really encountered all kinds of students. The more privileged they are, the harder they work, leaving everyone else in their dust.

---  

At dinner that evening, Sheng Xia ate quickly and left early, as usual.  

Hou Junqi glanced at Zhang Shu’s expressionless face and hesitated before saying, "Shu..."

Zhang Shu looked up.  

“Qi Xiulei said… he went to find Old Wang today… and overheard… overheard…”  

“Get to the point.”  

Hou Junqi continued, “He overheard Lu Youze requesting a leave, probably for TOEFL classes. And he heard Old Wang say… Sheng Xia’s taking leave too.”

  

Zhang Shu continued eating, showing no reaction.  

“I heard it’s a long leave, over a month... They're leaving right after the Hundred Days Oath Ceremony¹."

(¹: A traditional Chinese high school event held approximately 100 days before the college entrance exam, where students Oath to work hard and often also celebrate their coming-of-age.) 

Zhang Shu’s chopsticks paused briefly, his eyelashes flickering slightly.  

He kept his head down, so Hou Junqi couldn't read his expression, but that brief pause was enough to tell him: he was listening.

As for what he was thinking, even a best friend couldn't read minds.  

---  

The Hundred Days Oath and coming-of-age ceremony at Affiliated High School were especially grand, with a spectacle surpassing the school sports festival.

The school was awash in red. A giant countdown board with a ‘VICTORY’ sign stood at the school gate. Wishing ribbons covered the branches of trees in Taoli Squares². Banners with signed well wishes hung across the first- and second-year buildings.  

(²: Taoli squares is a common name for school courtyards in China.) 

Even the peacocks and white geese by the artificial lake had red cloth tied around their necks.  

A “Top Scholar Gate” was erected on the sports field, surrounded by flower baskets from companies and organizations, lining the red carpet. Parents’ cars filled the field, colorful and chaotic like a used car market.  

The late February weather was swelteringly unbearable, Nanli’s summer had stormed in with full force.  

Everyone wore short-sleeved class uniforms. Male teachers donned suits and ties, looking suave, while female teachers traded their usual simplicity for trendy makeup and hairstyles.

Wang Lianhua, who had gone to Dongzhou to visit Wu Qiuxuan, couldn’t attend. But Sheng Mingfeng surprisingly showed up for Sheng Xia's coming-of-age ceremony.  

He kept a low profile, sitting quietly among the parents with a bouquet in hand.  

Wang Wei, sharp-eyed, spotted him and went over to shake hands, inviting him to sit on the podium. Sheng Mingfeng declined with a wave and whispered something to Wang Wei. After some back-and-forth, Sheng Mingfeng’s insistence prevailed.  

But before long, the principal and the school’s leaders also approached him. The murmurs among the surrounding parents grew, Sheng Mingfeng found himself caught in a bind. Eventually, he was escorted to sit at the center of the podium.

Students only knew it was the Class 6 parents’ section but not whose parent it was. Whispers also spread among them.  

Xin Xiaohe, who had met Sheng Mingfeng before, whispered to Sheng Xia, “Xiaxia, what exactly does your dad do?”  

She knew he was important but hadn’t expected this level of importance.  

With anyone else, Sheng Xia might have brushed it off, but not Xin Xiaohe. She leaned in and quietly confessed the truth.  

Xin Xiaohe was stunned for a moment before tightly grabbing Sheng Xia’s arm, declaring loyally, "I'm holding the future in my hands!"

Sheng Xia laughed out loud.  

Such reactions put her at ease.

 

Hou Junqi and Zhang Shu, being the tallest, naturally stood at the back of the group, taking in every detail.

Hou Junqi sighed unconsciously.  

Zhang Shu shot him a sidelong glance.  

Speeches are inevitable in such ceremony—the principal, teacher representative, outstanding alumni, all took turns speaking.  

Then came the student representative to lead the oath.  

Everyone craned their necks, wondering who it would be. Many eyes turned toward Class 6.  

But the person who stepped up was someone unfamiliar.  

He introduced himself as last semester’s top scorer from Class 12.  

The student representative wasn’t Zhang Shu?  

That was the crowd’s general reaction.  

Sheng Xia, following the crowd, glanced back at Zhang Shu.  

He stood calmly, gazing at the podium, one hand in his pocket, posture relaxed, as if he might pull out his phone to scroll any moment.  

  

Then suddenly, he lowered his gaze, meeting Sheng Xia's eyes before she could look away.  

In the bustling crowd, their eyes locked briefly, like swords clashing.

Sheng Xia quickly averted her eyes.  

Was he… a little disappointed?  

Leading the oath was an immense honor. If not for that one setback, he would undoubtedly have been the one standing on that dazzling podium. Sheng Xia suddenly felt a pang of regret, she hadn’t seen him speak last semester, and now she wouldn’t hear him lead the oath this semester either…  

Not that he lacked glory.  

But this dazzling boy, doesn't he deserve it?  

If it had been him, standing before her, saying, “Classmates, let us solemnly swear together—"

She would, with all her heart, solemnly and without pretense, make that vow.   

“Ten years of hard study, for this one battle! A hundred days of perseverance, for a lifetime of pride! Strive with vigor, act with resolve; unsheathe the blade, bring glory to Affiliated High School!”  

The slogan rang out, followed with thunderous applause.  

After the oath, students raised their banners, shouting with unrelenting passion.  

Sheng Xia had always thought such ceremonies were mere formalities—that they wouldn’t have any real impact. But in this moment, immersed in the scene, even as a transfer student, she felt a genuine passion to fight for Affiliated High School’s glory.

  

Some teachers and parents on the podium were already teary-eyed.  

Perhaps a ceremony’s impact doesn’t lie in its form, but in standing alongside people who share your goals.

The final event was marching through the Top Scholar Gate, then taking photos in front of a giant ‘train ticket’ labeled ‘Youth—Adulthood’, and receiving blessings from parents and teachers.

Running along the long red carpet, young faces glowed with smiles, laughing and cheering as they passed through the Top Scholar Gate.

Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe held hands, jogging with the crowd. Suddenly, a gust of wind whizzed past—a girl with chestnut curls dashed by, her hair brushed against Sheng Xia’s shoulder.  

Chen Mengyao, from Class 4, wove through to their class, stopping in front of Zhang Shu. Walking backward, she grinned. “There! Now that I’ve crossed the Top Scholar Gate with you, the future top scorer, maybe I'll finally absorb some of that top scholar essence!"  

Zhang Shu stopped just in time to avoid colliding with her.  

Hou Junqi laughed, “Are you crazy? You think A-Shu’s some Tang Monk³? Absorbing his essence? What bullshit!”  

(³: The monk from Journey to the West whose flesh grants immortality.) 

Chen Mengyao tilted her chin. “Well, if you put it that way, then you must be Sun Wukong⁴! Except this monkey’s a little chubby!”  

(⁴: The Monkey King, Sanzang's loyal but unruly sidekick.) 

Hou Junqi: “……”  

The crowd was noisy, but Zhang Shu’s distinct voice cut through, sharp as ever. “Then what are you, White Bone Demon⁴?” 

(⁴: A villain who repeatedly disguised herself to trick Tang Monk.) 

Hou Junqi roared, “Haha, spot-on! Takes three hits to kill!”

  

“Shut up!” Chen Mengyao fumed. “No inauspicious words today! Take that back!”  

“No!”  

“Childish!”  

“Says you!”  

They bickered back and forth, and Class 6 quieted down, just watching the show.  

Xin Xiaohe glanced at Sheng Xia, whose gaze was calm, her long lashes trembling slightly.

  

Snippets of conversation from other classes drifted over now and then.  

  

“Think our school will produce a top scorer this year?”  

“Probably? At least one in either liberal arts or sciences, right?"  

“Who’s it gonna be? Zhang Shu or that guy from Class 12?”  

“Hard to say. Some start strong but lose steam later. Let's see how they do on the first mock exam."  

“True.”  

Sheng Xia thought: To be remembered by name, instead of just as ‘that kid from some class’. A-Shu, you’ve already won.  

The first mock, you'll definitely ace it.  

After taking pictures in front of the train ticket, students queued to receive their ‘Coming-of-Age Certificates’ before joining their parents.  

By the time Sheng Xia and Xin Xiaohe got theirs, Zhang Shu, Hou Junqi, and others ahead were already hugging their families.  

As it wasn't Class 4's turn yet, their parents were still waiting further back. But Chen Mengyao’s mother spotted her daughter and squeezed through to the front. She was now chatting warmly with Zhang Sujin, clearly like old acquaintances catching up.

It wasn’t surprising—they were both from Lianli, so knowing each other made sense.

 

Sheng Mingfeng stood at the forefront of the parent group, surrounded by Lu Youze’s father, the grade director, and Wang Wei.

  

Class 6 students watched the scene with curiosity. 

Sheng Xia hesitated but slowly walked over. Sheng Mingfeng was visibly delighted today, his eyes even glistening. Unable to wait, he stepped forward, hugged Sheng Xia, and patted her shoulder. “Good girl, you’ve grown up. Dad’s proud of you.”

She accepted his bouquet.  

Beside them, Lu Youze also embraced his father.  

Then someone called out, “Secretary Sheng, President Lu, let’s take a photo to commemorate!”

“Great! Great! It’s an honor!”  

President Lu beamed, pulling Lu Youze over. Sheng Mingfeng, equally enthusiastic, wrapped an arm around Sheng Xia’s shoulder, facing the camera.

The two adults stood in the middle, each with their child by their side.

With a click, the scene froze in the camera—and in the dark pupils of a boy standing not far away.  

A red carpet stretched like an insurmountable dividing line, separating the two worlds.  

It seemed to embody the timeless truth of matching status and background  

---

The ceremony ended.

Life for third-year students rolled on. Evening self-study awaited, parents and students went their separate ways.

Most headed back to the classroom. Sheng Xia packed her things, deciding to say goodbye to a few classmates first.  

After all, she’d be gone for quite a while.

Xin Xiaohe, ever the drama queen, clung to her, wailing, “Why such a long leave?! I’ll miss you! You have to miss me too!”  

Sheng Xia looked at the head frantically nuzzling her chest: …Was she sure this wasn’t just an excuse to cop a feel?

“I will, I’ll miss you,” Sheng Xia said, going along with it.  

Her gaze drifted across half the classroom, landing on a handsome head by the corridor.

 

Zhang Shu was outside, chatting with Han Xiao and a few others.  

Should she… say goodbye to him?  

But with their relationship as it was, a farewell didn’t seem necessary.

  

…forget it.  

Sheng Xia slung her heavy backpack over her shoulder. Lu Youze helped lift it, asking, “This is so heavy. Are you bringing college entrance exam books home too?"

The sudden lightness surged a flicker of hope within her, only to crash quickly when she heard the voice.  

It wasn't him.

During the winter break supplementary classes, when she was rushing drafts, she carried her laptop every day to write at the Afternoon Care lounge. Her backpack was always heavy.

Zhang Shu would lift it by the strap and teased, “Are you bringing gold to school? It's so heavy.”

On the crowded path from the teaching building to the north gate, she’d blush and try to twist the bag from his grip. He’d hold on tighter, following her movements, still carrying it for her.

She’d turn; he’d turn with her. She’d walk; he’d match her pace.  

Just like that, he trailed after her, carrying her bag the whole way…  

Once, Sheng Xia couldn’t stand the stares anymore and, in a huff, ran ahead. Zhang Shu, caught off guard, lost his grip on the strap as she darted up to the second floor.  

His laughter echoed behind her: “Why are you running? Careful, little rabbit!”  

Snapping back to the present, Sheng Xia twisted her bag from Lu Youze’s hand. “Yeah, I need to bring them.”

Lu Youze offered, “Want me to carry it for you?”  

  

“No need. It’s not heavy.”  

“Then let’s go.”  

“Mm.”  

Sheng Mingfeng, busy as ever, had already left. Lu Youze’s father offered to drive Sheng Xia home.

She politely declined, saying she needed to ride her scooter back.  

So they dropped it there.

Then, Lu Youze remembered his own electric scooter and said he’d ride home too. His father instructed him to send Sheng Xia home safely first before coming back.  

And here they were, heading home together.

They exited through the classroom’s back door. A few people by the corridor tables, sitting or standing, watched their retreating figures. 

All except Zhang Shu, who stared at the distant walkway, lost in thought.  

“A-Shu…”Only Wu Pengcheng was talkative at times like this. “Wanna play cards?”  

Zhang Shu’s gaze shifted over. "Let's watch the sunset instead?"

“Huh?” Four faces stared, baffled.  

“It’s a beautiful spring day. Let’s go.” Zhang Shu was already walking ahead.

  

The group exchanged glances: Has A-Shu lost it from the blow?

They climbed over the second-floor railing to the top of the covered walkway.  

The walkway roof was lush with green grass. Zhang Shu sat on the edge, legs dangling naturally.  

  

Hou Junqi, Han Xiao, and the others followed suit. The boys sat in a row, legs swinging, their colorful class uniforms vibrant and eye-catching.

 

The move looked both cool and risky.  

This spot was usually off-limits. Now, students in the corridors below craned their necks, watching with a mix of envy and admiration: So bold.

“We’re actually watching the sunset from here?”  

“No way, it’s only five. How long do we gotta wait? We’ll fry out here.”

  

“Since when does Shu have this whimsy side?”  

Then they fell silent.  

Two figures appeared in their sight: Sheng Xia and Lu Youze.  

From this vantage point, the straight camphor tree avenue stretched ahead. Two electric bikes—one black, one white, identical—emerged from the bike shed.

The girl and boy exchanged a few words, got on their bikes, and rode off. The white scooter took off first, followed closely by the black one. On the open road, they rode side by side.

Bathed in dazzling sunlight, they drifted farther and farther away, until finally turned into two small dots.  

This…  

This was the plan?  

Climb up here just to see that?  

Was A-Shu torturing himself?  

No one spoke.  

Suddenly, Zhang Shu asked Han Xiao, “Got a cigarette?”

  

The group was shocked.

They all smoked—Hou Junqi sparingly, but the other three were rarely without a cigarette.  

Zhang Shu never smoked. Even in a smoke-filled room during card games, he showed no interest, always sucking on a lollipop or some milk candy.  

The guy was practically immune to temptation, with insane self-control.

Han Xiao pulled out a cigarette and handed it over. “Brother Shu, are you serious?”  

Zhang Shu: “Lighter?”  

Han Xiao fished one out.

With a flick, a flame lit up.

Wu Pengcheng chirped nearby, giving pointers.  

A faint spark glowed, smoke curling from Zhang Shu’s mouth. He glanced at the cigarette between his fingers. This thing wasn't anything special after all.

If he had to pinpoint when he first wanted to try, it was that day he stood her up, sitting on a stool at the newsstand, chewing lollipop after lollipop but couldn't taste any sweetness, craving something deeper for comfort.

But this thing didn’t seem to do it for him either.  

He still felt miserable and empty inside.  

Just as everyone marveled at how quickly this top student taught himself to smoke and how cool he looked with a cigarette in his mouth, Zhang Shu coughed, gasping for air. He stubbed the cigarette into the dirt.  

“The hell is this?! Cough—death sticks!” His face turned red as he cursed. “People pay a fortune for this?!”  

The four people stared blankly: …… 

His coolness lasted for all three seconds.  

Before anyone could see the sunset, the school security guard showed up, shouting through a megaphone: “What do you think you're doing? Don't you know it's against school rules? Get down here and register your names!”  

The boys froze, exchanged glances, quickly pulled their legs up, and scattered away like startled birds.  

The walkway connected all the teaching buildings. They group had a blast, popping up here, ducking there, playing hide-and-seek with the guard.

  

That day, the entire teaching building echoed with the security's megaphone calls: "Stop right there! Students, stop immediately!”

Crowds lined the corridors of every floor, spectators laughing until their jaws hurt.

Golden sunlight slanted across the teaching building, bathing everything in light.  

    

The sunset was glorious. And so was their youth.

---

Sheng Xia began her grueling journey.  

In the morning, she left home at the usual time. Wang Lianhua didn't suspect anything.  

It was too early for most places to open, so she’d head to McDonald’s, find a seat, plug in her charger, and start organizing her drafts.  

The other night, while listening to meditation tracks, an idea struck her.  

She recalled Fu Jie's words: “The rest are too niche and hard to categorize.”  

But isn’t niche a category in itself?

  

And whether something was niche wasn’t set in stone—it was somewhat subjective.  

That gave her a lot of room to work with.  

Even lyrics by famous poets had lesser-known pieces. 

So over half her drafts were salvageable.  

Her new theme was: Niche yet beautiful.  

But with ‘niche’ as the defining trait, all drafts needed a consistent tone, requiring some revisions.

She skimmed through and found that over twenty drafts could be used with minor edits, a few needed major revisions, and roughly twenty more had to be written from scratch.

Gathering new materials and doing research was a massive task. 

Two weeks was tight.  

She had to write nonstop.  

At 10 a.m., Yifang Bookstore opened. Sheng Xia rode her scooter over, enjoying the breeze along the way to relax herself.  

She had considered going to the city library to write, but using her laptop might disturb others. At Yifang Bookstore, though, she’d be the one disturbed.  

Between disturbing others or being disturbed by others, Sheng Xia chose the latter.  

She wasn't the kind of person who could write while listening to music, unlike someone who would wear headphones while doing assignments during evening self-study. Sometimes when she leaned closer, she could hear the wild drumming and clanging from his earphones.  

What kind of rock music was that?  

 

It sounded intense and wild.

Memories of him ambushed her at every turn, day after day, even until now.  

Just like the saying goes: “things remain, but the heart has changed; looking up or down, nothing is the same.  

In those moments, she’d listen to 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation to boost focus. Sometimes, she’d hit a flow state, feeling like it was just her and the keyboard racing in a world of their own…

When it did, her productivity soared magically.

But such states were rare, hard to come by.

On weekends, Tao Zhizhi and Xin Xiaohe came to keep her company. Or rather, they claimed to keep her company, but the two hit it off, chatting nonstop and constantly interrupting Sheng Xia’s train of thought.

She would use this chance to relax for a day.

Life was busy and repetitive.

In the evenings, she drove to Henghui Henghui Building for her study-abroad classes.  

They were mostly one-on-one, though language classes sometimes had more students. She often ran into Lu Youze, and they’d ride home together afterward.  

At home, she tackled practice questions, working through full exam sets, then spent half her time reviewing mistakes and digesting material.

When she stumbled on a question she couldn’t understand even with the answer, her first instinct was to open Q.Q and call Zhang Shu.

Yet just as her hand hovered on the screen, she'd stop herself and switch to sending a message to Xin Xiaohe instead.  

---  

The classroom was still packed at 11 a.m.  

The Hundred Days Oath-Taking had pumped everyone up, everyone brimming with energy, as if leaving the classroom first meant losing.

  

Xin Xiaohe took a break to sip water and glanced at her phone. She sat down, racking her brain.  

Then she looked up resignedly: she don't know either.

She put her phone on the desk next to her. Zhang Shu was doing English problems there. He looked up. "What is it?"

"Take a look at this question."

Zhang Shu picked up the phone. As he tried to zoom in with two fingers, the picture shrank back instead, revealing the full chat window.  

Contact: Soft-Fluffy Xiaxia

Followed by a cute text-graphic emoji.  

  

Soft-Fluffy?  

His eyebrow arched.  

The screen showed their conversation. He hadn’t meant to snoop, but it was all there for him to see.  

At the top were messages from a few days ago.

Soft-Fluffy Xiaxia: “I’m always at Yifang Bookstore. Come and play with me on the weekend!”  

Xin Xiaohe: “Sure, I'll be there this week!”  

Soft-Fluffy Xiaxia: “I’ll introduce you to my friend.”  

Xin Xiaohe: “Okay!” 

Zhang Shu's eyebrows arched again.

Couldn’t she come up with something new?  

 

Friend? Tao Zhizhi?  

Below that were today's messages.  

Sheng Xia sent the question’s image, followed by a cat-paw-scratching-door emoji.

“You there? You there?”

"Save me..."

Zhang Shu: “……”  

Save me? Really now?  

He picked up the phone and asked, “Can I reply?”  

Xin Xiaohe, thinking he’d already solved the question, nodded eagerly. “Yeah, yeah, reply!”  

Zhang Shu was about to type but was put off by the garish keyboard input. He wasn't used to the nine-square layout and couldn't find the switch key—how was he supposed to start typing? 

He simply tapped the voice input button on the keyboard, holding the phone to his lips and said: “Beg me.”  

Xin Xiaohe: “……???” 

---

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