Summer in Your Name - 61

At 11 PM, Sheng Xia finally received a message from Sheng Mingfeng: The surgery is wrapping up. There shouldn’t be any life-threatening danger.  

The incident happened around seven in the evening, four hours ago. His surgery had lasted four hours…

  

Sheng Xia couldn’t even imagine what to make of it.  

Since returning home, she had been in a daze, barely responding to Wang Lianhua’s attempts at conversation.  

Under the glow of a desk lamp, she sat quietly, only her eyes and hands moving, endlessly refreshing updates online.

  

She had watched countless videos of the incident from different angles. She thought she had numbed herself to it, yet her spine still stiffened, and her heart ached sharply—as if punishing herself, she kept scrolling through them all.  

Past midnight, she finally came across the Nanli police’s official statement. Even its dry, formal tone sent shivers through her entire body. 

 […At 18:53, the suspect, Lu, entered Yifang Bookstore, wielding a kitchen knife in his right hand, injuring the left arm of Jiang, the person in charge of Yifang Culture Co., Ltd. He then proceeded to the seating area, attacking with the knife, causing minor injuries to six individuals. During student Zhang’s attempt to stop Lu, the kitchen knife fell, accidentally injuring Zhang’s right shoulder. After breaking free, Lu used a fruit knife to inflict a severe abdominal wound on Zhang before fleeing. Currently, the police have apprehended Lu and taken coercive measures in accordance with the law. The investigation is ongoing.]

An accidental injury to the right shoulder and a severe abdominal wound…

Sheng Xia couldn’t breathe.

She didn’t dare to read the comments.  

On Q.Q, messages of comfort poured in from classmates.

  

Even her teachers—Fu Jie, Wang Wei, and Lai Yilin—had sent her long, concerned texts.  

It turned out their relationship wasn’t something that could be ended with a simple "Let’s end this here."  

Everyone around them knew; everyone acknowledged it. So why had they both deceiving themselves like this?  

---  

At two in the morning, Sheng Xia received a call from Sheng Mingfeng.  

He didn’t ask anything, simply relaying the update: “He’s been moved to the ward. Rest easy and sleep…”  

Sheng Xia asked anxiously, "Can I go see him?"  

"Wait until he wakes up… I’ll arrange it then. Rest now."  

Rest easy? How could she possibly?

  

Sheng Xia didn’t sleep a wink. The next day, she went to school early, her eyes weary and lifeless.

  

Wang Lianhua watched her daughter worriedly, unsure if she should ask.  

Sheng Xia had never been like this before.

This daughter had an astonishing ability to manage her emotions. As far as Wang Lianhua could recall, even when her eyes were filled with tears, Sheng Xia would still consider others’ feelings first. 

But now, she seemed too overwhelmed to care.

  

Wang Lianhua could only secretly follow her by car, watching until she entered the school gates before driving away.  

---

When Sheng Xia walked into the classroom, her classmates looked at her with worried, hesitant expressions. 

She kept her phone’s sound on, afraid of missing any call.

But a whole day passed with no news.

  

At lunch, Sheng Xia sat across from Hou Junqi. Neither spoke, the empty seat beside them like a lump in their throats.

  

Their eyes met, and suddenly, both teared up.

Hou Junqi, a big guy, buried his face in his arms, sobbing silently, unnoticed by those around.

Zhang Sujin wasn’t at the shop. The meal was made by a hired chef, his tall hat embroidered with Zhenpinyuan.  

Sheng Xia knew that restaurant; Sheng Mingfeng often dined there. Their chefs weren’t easy to hire.

On Monday, the results of the city’s first joint mock exam were released.  

This time, everyone cared more about Zhang Shu’s scores than their own.

And Zhang Shu didn’t disappoint, reclaiming his top spot.

Though the gap with second place wasn’t as staggering as before, he secured first place firmly.  

Standing at the podium, Wang Wei’s voice broke as he read Zhang Shu’s results. He swayed slightly, propped himself up with his arm, and muttered, “You little brat, I told you to take first, and you actually did. Why are you so obedient… you brat!”

By the end, his voice grew choked. The students watched as he removed his glasses, turned away, and rubbed his eyes.

Collecting himself, Wang Wei said solemnly, "Zhang Shu is my pride. The pride of Class 6, the pride of Affiliated High School, the pride of Nanli. We’ll wait for his return."  

Zhang Shu’s desk was piled high with gifts and letters.

  

The confession wall app was flooded with messages for him—confessions and prayers for his recovery.

Sheng Xia recalled a comment under that Weibo post: He’s the one I secretly love.  

There are so many people who loved him.  

There wasn’t a trace of jealousy in Sheng Xia’s heart, only a warm, rising glow—

Meeting someone like him was the highlight of youth.

 

Loving someone like him was her honor.

---

Social news never held the public’s attention for long, but with the first mock exam results, the #Nanli Stabbing# incident surged back onto the trending list. Most of the discussions on the platform centered on Nanli Affiliated High School and Zhang Shu.

  

#HeroicStudentIsTopScorer# shot to the top ranks.

A top scholar, academic prodigy, and handsome looks were already enough to make him a media darling. Add a ‘hero’ label, and it became even bigger news.

The hashtag #Zhang Shu# also climbed into the top fifty trending topics.  

Media outlets rushed to churn out endless news around the main topic.

One interviewed the newsstand owner:  

"I don’t get many customers, so I remember him clearly," the middle-aged man said, his tone earnest. "This young man came by a while ago, sat on my bench all day, bought a bunch of lollipops, and just ate them while staring at the bookstore across the street. Then he disappeared for a while. But these past few days, he’s been here every day. Comes around five or six, leaves after seven. Very polite, handsome kid. Felt bad for occupying the stool for so long, so he bought water, candy, magazines… Ah, such a good kid!”

  

The reporter off-screen asked: "What was he doing sitting there?"  

"Wouldn't be my place to guess…"  

Sheng Xia froze, replaying the video to confirm.

The owner said he came every day these past few days.

  

Five or six—right after school let out at Affiliated High School.

Leaving after seven—when she headed to Hengxin Building for class.

  

He went there every day…

To see her?  

It’d take half an hour to bike there and back.

  

He’d stay for half an hour or an hour, then leave?

Sheng Xia had no doubts.

  

Because he’d told her himself: on the day of their ‘date’, he was there, at the newsstand across the street, staying with her from start to finish.

Regret swallowed Sheng Xia.  

Why hadn’t she glanced that way even once all those days?

She pictured the newsstand by that huge old camphor tree, its lush branches casting shadows like a dark night.

Was he hiding there, watching her every day?

Sneaking around, almost—furtively?

  

That didn’t seem like something the proud Zhang Shu would do.

 

Yet she could imagine him sitting on a low stool, lollipop in his mouth, gazing at her, lost in thought.

She could almost see the look in his eyes.

A-Shu…

How am I supposed to live with myself now?

She desperately wanted to see him.

Sheng Xia called Sheng Mingfeng, only to be told, “He hasn’t woken up yet. Wait a bit. There are reporters everywhere now, and the case isn’t fully investigated. Let’s not add trouble for the police.”

Sheng Xia felt defeated.  

The days dragged on painfully, as if she were a walking corpse.

She didn’t even worry about her own exam result until two days later.  

She was teetering right on the edge of the first-tier university cutoff line. It was precarious.

  

Wang Wei and Fu Jie each pulled her aside for talks.  

The reason was simple: she’d made rapid progress in the last semester’s final exam, but it wasn’t stable. This semester, she’d been too distracted and hadn’t solidified her study methods.

  

From now on, she needs absolute focus.  

The only good news was that her manuscript had passed the first round of review.

  

In such a short time, Sheng Xia knew Fu Jie had pulled strings behind the scenes.

The editor had even privately messaged her: "Your teacher treats you like her own child. This concerns an outstanding student’s future, so I can’t delay it, right?”

Sheng Xia was overwhelmed with gratitude.

  

"But the second and final review will be very strict. Getting past our chief editor won't be easy. I’ll try to push things along, but I can’t promise when you’ll hear back."  

the editor cautioned.

"Okay."  

“I suggest submitting to other publishers too, even out-of-province ones.”

  

“I’ve sent it to three.”

  

"Smart."  

Things were already going much smoother than expected.

Another night. Another flood of links from Tao Zhizhi and Xin Xiaohe.  

Lately, they’d been even more obsessed with online updates than she was.

  

She skimmed through them; the links from both were mostly the same.

She clicked on the first one.

A big verified Weibo account had reposted Nanli Affiliated High School’s music club post:  

[#HeroicStudentIsTopScorer# Any updates on how he’s doing? Check out 3:09—see what real all-around talent looks like. // @NanliAffiliatedHighSchool: Annual May 4th Gala – Radiance Music Club.]  

Comments flooded in:  

[Nanli should be ashamed. Can’t they update us on the victim’s condition? Will it kill them?]  

  

—This response is way too slow. Enough with the censorship already!

—Heard from hospital staff he’s okay.  

[So handsome, it takes my breath away! Little brother, get better soon and debut! Your big sister’s got your back!]  

—Nah, better to aim for that top scorer, sob sob, so handsome!

—This is the kind of star worth stanning!  

[Scrolling to the bottom comments of the original post—I think I found Zhang Shu’s Weibo? @SHU_abcdef]  

—It’s really him! So cute, commenting on his own post calling himself handsome hahaha

—Not the point right now, but go check it out, it’s adorable!!

The abrupt tone shift left Sheng Xia confused.  

The username did seem like his style—probably tired of duplicate names, he gave up and settled on some random letters.  

She clicked into his Weibo.  

He’d only posted about forty times, the earliest from years ago, mostly repost of NBA news or gaming streams. His profile picture was an NBA star.

When he reposted the music club’s post, he commented: [Damn, who’s this guy? So freaking handsome!]

  

The overly fangirly tone, paired with an NBA star profile picture that didn’t scream ‘girl’, caught netizens’ attention.

what confirmed it was him was a photo he’d posted last year, one that included him in it.  

The photo wasn’t just of him.

It included her.

Sheng Xia’s eyes welled up.

  

It was a group shot Yang Linyu took at the school sports festival. Zhang Shu had cropped it, leaving only himself and her.  

It wasn’t a great composition. The middle was empty, with them at opposite edges, far enough apart for another person to fit.

Her skirt was even cut off.

But it was a good photo.

One glance told a story.

She was looking at the camera, smiling faintly.  

His gaze tilted downward to the left—not quite turning to her, yet more than if he had.

  

His eyes held a complex emotion, almost… timid.  

It didn’t match the Zhang Shu in Sheng Xia’s mind.

  

Could he really have such an expression?

It was like... a secret crush.

Caption: [Getting closer.]

  

The date was a few days after the sports festival.

He hadn’t posted it right away.

He probably had no followers, and only used Weibo to check news, so he left it public, treating it like a bold yet secret tree hollow.

After that, he’d made a few posts, each spaced out by ten days or more, not frequent.

The captions were simple, no photos.

[So cute.]

[God, how is she this cute?]

[Like her.]

On New Year’s Eve:

[Still want to have her.]

One night, he posted three times in a row. Sheng Xia checked the date—it was her birthday.

  

[I’m so freaking happy, who gets it? Nah, you mortals wouldn't!]  

[What’d she wish for? Three wishes, surely I've got to be one of them?]  

[Whatever, doesn’t matter. Wish them all for yourself. I want you to have all your wishes come true, for everything to go your way, niubility forever.] 

  

He must've never imagined this secret tree hole would be found.  

Or that so many people would see it.  

When Sheng Xia looked, the comments were already piling up.

Some called him cute, some praised his looks, others said they were a perfect match, urging him to wake up and chase his girl…  

Sheng Xia’s vision blurred, tears streaming down.

  

She’d cried so much these past few days. But this time, through the tears, she laughed—  

What would he do when he woke up and found his cringey teenage musings exposed to the world?  

His carefully crafted cool guy image has been shattered.  

But after laughing, her eyes kept streaming.

  

She wanted so, so, so badly to see him.  

Sheng Mingfeng’s call came right then.

 

It was 11:30 p.m.

  

Sheng Xia answered instantly.  

"Dad!"  

Sheng Mingfeng paused, then chuckled, “Since when are you so eager to answer my calls? I’m flattered.”

  

Hearing her father’s light tone, hope surged in Sheng Xia’s heart. “Any news?”

“Mm.”

“How is he?”

“He woke up this evening, low energy, and fell back asleep. He just woke up again now. Nurses say his condition is stable. It’s late, so no reporters are around. I’ll have Li Xu send someone to pick you up. Go see him.”

"Thank you, Dad!"  

Sheng Xia rushed to change and headed to the living room, then froze. How would she explain this to her mom?

  

She’d never gone out this late before.  

Before she could figure it out, Wang Lianhua emerged from her room, probably hearing the noise.

Seeing her daughter’s red eyes, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Mom, my… classmate… he woke up. Dad said I can go see him now…”

  

After saying this, Sheng Xia didn't dare to meet Wang Lianhua’s gaze.  

A classmate?  

What kind of classmate warranted a hospital visit this late at night?

But she had to go!

To her surprise, Wang Lianhua asked, “He’s Song Jiang, right?”

Sheng Xia’s head snapped up. “Mom…”

  

Wang Lianhua pressed her lips together, her usual stern expression giving nothing away. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “Wait for me to change. I’ll drive you. No need for your dad to send someone—it’s too late for all that back-and-forth.”

 

Sheng Xia was stunned.  

Wang Lianhua went to change, and Sheng Xia called Sheng Mingfeng outside.  

He was surprised but laughed twice. “Even better. Get home early, don’t stay too late. The patient needs rest. You should focus on your studies now."  

"Okay…"  

On the way, Sheng Xia stared out at the still-lively street, lost in thought.  

She expected Wang Lianhua to ask questions, but it never came.  

At the hospital, Li Xu and an auxiliary police officer were waiting in the parking lot, guiding them to the inpatient building.  

The hospital was quiet at night, their footsteps echoing loudly. At the end of the corridor, Zhang Sujin stood under dim lights, waiting.  

Sheng Xia’s heart raced. The calm she’d maintained on the way over turned restless.

  

Zhang Sujin nodded to Wang Lianhua first, then looked at Sheng Xia, patting her back. “He’s fine, don’t worry.”  

The lights inside the ward were on. Through the small window, Sheng Xia could see three beds, but only the middle was occupied.  

From this angle, she could only see a figure in a hospital gown. His face wasn't visible, so it was unclear if he was awake or asleep.  

"Can I go in?" she asked.  

Zhang Sujin nodded. "Of course you can. But…" 

She leaned close to Sheng Xia’s ear. “He’s embarrassed and pretending to sleep.”  

Sheng Xia said, “Maybe he’s really tired or too weak. I can come back another day…”

 

"No!"  

A weak but stubborn voice stopped her words.  

It came from inside the ward…

The corridor fell completely silent.  

Sheng Xia saw her mother’s stunned expression and felt her ears burn.

  

Nervously, she said, “I’ll go check on him…”

 

Before the adults could react, she pushed open the door and went in.

With a click, she closed it behind her.

On the bed, Zhang Shu lay flat, the oversized hospital gown hiding his injuries. He looked gaunt, the pant legs hanging limply around his legs.

His lips were purplish, dry, unlike their usual smoothness. His hair had grown, bangs covering his brows, soft and dark but less voluminous. His normally sharp eyes dulled, making him look quiet—docile, even.

How did he muster the strength to yell “No” in that state?  

Sheng Xia had come in a hurry, her hair was loose around her shoulders. Her hands fidgeted nervously in front of her, unsure what to say.

Seeing him lying there, safe, was enough.

"Sit. Can’t… talk loud," he said, eyes sizing her.  

His voice was frail—unlike anything she’d ever heard from him—and he spoke as if trying to use as few words as possible.

She followed his gaze and sat on the bed next to him.

"How are you? Does it hurt?" she could only come up with these not very original questions.

With an abdominal injury, speaking would strain his core. It will hurt, right?  

“Don’t talk yet!” she interrupted before he could even open his mouth.

He blinked, obediently swallowed the words already at his lips.

Sheng Xia glanced through the window, seeing the adults had moved away, then turned back, scooting closer to his bed. She pulled a stool over, propped her chin on her hand, and leaned in. “Let’s whisper. You don’t have to strain…”  

Her sudden closeness brought a faint sweet scent. Zhang Shu closed his eyes briefly.  

“I’ll ask, you answer yes or no,” she said softly, fully committing to the whisper act.  

As if she was also injured.  

Zhang Shu smiled, careful not to pull his muscles, it came out more like a strained grin.  

Sheng Xia was a little embarrassed.

"Mm…" He tilted his head toward her, agreeing.

So close. With this small turn, their breaths mingled.

Sheng Xia felt warmth on her neck, but didn’t pull back. "Does it hurt?"  

Zhang Shu furrowed his brows. "That… can’t be answered with just yes or no."  

Sheng Xia: "…"  

Couldn’t he just say “hurts” or “doesn’t”? Why so many words?

  

Sheng Xia: "Are you in pain?"

Before his eyes, the girl’s pupils reflected him, only him.  

Who could feel pain now?

  

The corners of Zhang Shu's mouth curved, changing his response. "No pain."  

"When will you be able to sit? Two weeks?"  

Zhang Shu cooperated: “No.”

Sheng Xia: “One month?”

Zhang Shu: “Not sure.”

Sheng Xia suddenly ran out of questions. All the words she’d held inside didn’t know where to start.

"Can I see your wounds?"  

Zhang Shu shook his head. "No."  

"Just a peek…"  

"…Fine."  

He pointed to the buttons on his shirt. "Unbutton…"  

Sheng Xia hesitated, glancing between him and his clothes.  

His sickly face and clear eyes held no other meaning in it.  

She chided herself for overthinking—he was injured. The report said he also hurt his left arm. Of course he couldn't unbutton it himself….  

Standing up, she leaned over, thinking that since it was an abdominal injury, she should start unbuttoning from the bottom.

The gown was oversized and long, reaching his hips.

  

As her fingers brushed the lowest button, she froze.  

Because beneath her touch, she felt his body—twitched!

It was slight, but in the quiet room, even the slightest movement sparked a chemical reaction in the atmosphere.

Sheng Xia looked up, startled, only to see him wide-eyed, staring at his… crotch.  

Summoning courage she didn't know she had, Sheng Xia continued to undid the button. Then quickly undid several more buttons above.  

Gradually, her face went from flushed to teary.

His right abdomen bulged slightly, likely from medication or medical gear,Layer upon layer of gauze wrapped tightly around his torso.  

The gauze was pristine without any stains. 

Of course there wasn't any blood either.

But Sheng Xia’s mind was flooded with images of a knife plunging into his abdomen…

It must hurt so much.

The floodgates burst. The questions that had haunted her nights spilled out:

"You were the one who said ‘let’s end it here.’ So why did you still do this? Why move my desk? Why go to Yifang bookstore every day to wait for me? Why did you just…” when you see a girl in white dress. 

She realized her voice rose and stopped herself in time. Tears fell in heavy drops.

Zhang Shu couldn’t sit up. He could only raise his uninjured hand to tug on her hem. "Don't cry..."

Seeing brows were tightly knit, she choked back her sobs, grabbed tissues from the bedside table and wiped away her tears before sitting down again.  

She shouldn’t burden him now.  

Her movements were fluid; from crying to wiping them away took mere moments.

  

Zhang Shu watched her silently.

She must’ve cried a lot these days, so practiced at calming herself.    

He thought back to her ‘accusations’.  

Alas. She’d found out everything in the end.  

“Because…” Zhang Shu sighed helplessly, “even knowing it might lead nowhere, I still like you.”

---

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