Summer in Your Name - 7
The Poor Student
After school, Sheng Xia had some time before dinner and wandered into a stationery shop near the North Gate.
She loved stationery. Pens had to be 0.38. Beyond the standard red, blue, black, she needed the full Morandi color collection. The case had to be pretty, each subject had to have its own dedicated notebook, and sticky notes had to be color-coded accordingly. If there was a limited-edition collab she liked, she'd scrimp and save just to get it.
Maybe she just radiated "serious stationery customer" energy. The shop owner, a savvy businessman, handed her a basket without a word, and sure enough, it was soon filled to the brim.
New semester meant new book-cover paper. They had to be from the same collection but each with their own unique designs.
Sheng Xia crouched by the bin of wrapping paper rolls, carefully sorting through them.
"Oh, Zhang Shu! Got more good stuff for me?"
The owner’s voice drifted in from the entrance, calling out a familiar name.
Sheng Xia's head turned on instinct. Through the gap between shelves, she had a clear view of the entrance. The narrow frame made the boy's silhouette look even taller and leaner.
Zhang Shu walked in, one hand in his pocket, backlit by the setting sun. The scorching evening wind tousled his bangs across his forehead, strands catching the fading orange light.
His unremarkable backpack hung from one shoulder. He pulled out some notebooks and handed them to the owner.
From her blind spot, she couldn't see what they were. Just heard his low laugh. "Chemistry. Physics. See if these work."
"Come on. Your notebooks always work. The math ones flew off the shelves. Same price as before? If the first batch sells out, I'll bump it up."
"Deal."
Several hundred-yuan bills appeared in her line of sight. She couldn't tell exactly how much, but it had to be at least few hundred.
The boy took the cash. Flicked it with his thumbnail, the new bills made a crisp sound. He lowered his head, the corner of his mouth lifting in what seemed like a self-mocking smile. His expression wasn't its usual lazy indifference.
And because he was looking down, he seemed to notice something and suddenly glanced in Sheng Xia's direction.
Whether it was instinct or experience, Sheng Xia looked away before their eyes could meet.
The shelves were between them. he couldn’t have… seen her. Right?
What kind of terrible karma was this? Why did she keep stumbling into his business?
Sheng Xia hadn't interacted much with boys, but she still knew their... coded language.
Back at No. 2 High, the discipline was more lax. Some guys had that crude, streetwise attitude. They'd talk openly in class, and didn't bother hiding their dirty jokes from the girls.
Those "chemistry homework" and "physics practice" folders on their computers were never actual study materials.
Besides, she couldn't think of any study materials that cost several hundred.
Unless... what they were trading was the same stuff that had spilled out of his bag that day.
The thought made her blood run cold. They're photocopying that stuff, and selling it?
That was illegal. Not just illegal. It was a crime.
Panic surged through her, cold sweat beading on her forehead and the nape of her neck.
And she still hadn't heard him leave.
The owner’s voice wormed its way into her ears again. "What, you need pens? Pick some out. On me."
Pens.
The shelf of gel pens was directly behind her.
Her hands were shaking.
A few seconds passed. Then the boy's voice, laced with amusement, floated over: "Not gonna let you lose money on me. Later.”
The owner: "Don't be ridiculous!"
"Later." His tone was lighter this time, almost cheerful.
She heard his footsteps fade, and only then realized her feet had gone numb. She'd lost all interest in browsing. Grabbed a few rolls of decent-looking paper and went to the counter.
The owner was tucking that... thing... under the register.
Then, all smiles, he rang her up as if nothing had happened.
---
When she got back to class, Zhang Shu was already there. A guy was asking him a question, he was writing something on scrap paper, explaining as he went.
Seeing Sheng Xia at the back door, the guy realized he was blocking the way, and politely stepped aside. At that moment, Zhang Shu glanced up at her.
It was the kind of absentminded look one gives when briefly interrupted by a passerby. Then he went back to explaining.
His voice was as lazy as ever, his posture just as relaxed.
Like nothing happened.
The only one not fine was her.
Her mind was a whirlwind of: He saw me. He didn't see me. Is he going to hold a grudge? Will he wait until no one's around and... teach me a lesson?
As if she was the one who'd done something wrong.
When the guy asking the question left, the aisle cleared. And suddenly Sheng Xia felt like she was being watched, like Zhang Shu's eyes kept drifting toward her, intentional or not.
She couldn't be sure, and she definitely wasn't going to turn and check. So she buried herself in handicrafts.
She cut wrapping paper to size, covered her book, folded the edges carefully, drew borders, made little subject labels on the spines, and stacked them by color. Then, she placed her new mini desk calendar and crystal pen holder beside it.
Once everything was done, she cleared away the scraps. Her desk was clean now, the books and stationery all coordinated. It made her calm and happy.
"Wow, Xia Xia, your desk is beautiful!" Xin Xiaohe exclaimed as soon as she entered the classroom.
Sheng Xia beamed. "Really?"
Xin Xiaohe didn’t hold back her praise, "Stunning. I'm so jealous. Is this what a fairy's desk looks like?"
Sheng Xia smiled. "Do you want yours wrapped too? I can help.”
Xin Xiaohe's eyes went wide. "For real?"
"Mm."
"This is too much happiness."
Yang Linyu and Hou Junqi walked in, one after the other. Yang Linyu, as always, had to run his mouth. "That's way too delicate for you, Xin Xiaohe."
Hou Junqi laughed, picking up a Chinese textbook now turned into a vintage painting, wrapped in floral print with gold trim. "Yeah, too girly. Not your style, Old Xin."
"You're too nosy. Mind your own business. I like it. I'm doing it." Xin Xiaohe was unbothered. Her gaze landed on the pen holder. "Oh wow, Xia Xia, you're rich! Elsa, Pocahontas, Alice, Barbie! This lineup is too luxurious!"
Yang Linyu: "What the hell is she saying?"
No one answered him.
Sheng Xia was getting embarrassed.
She'd meant to pick first, then make choices at the register. But after the scare, her mind had gone blank, and she'd just paid, all three hundred yuan on stationery.
Her wallet was crying too.
"A slow bird has to fly early," Sheng Xia deflected. "There’s gonna be so much assignment. I need all the motivation I can get."
Xin Xiaohe: "With pens this pretty, you definitely won't be at the bottom next time!"
Sheng Xia: "...” You really didn't have to mention that.
Yang Linyu: "Pfft."
Hou Junqi: "HAHAHAHA you're a social genius."
Realizing her words might've sounded wrong, Xin Xiaohe quickly tried to save it, "Xia Xia is a methodical person! 'Sharp tools make good work,' you know?!"
A soft snort came from the right. Quiet. But Sheng Xia heard it.
Then the guy who never involved himself in conversations, stretched in his chair, legs propped up, and interjected with a dry remark, "Isn't it just ‘poor students have nice stationery’?"
Yang Linyu: "..."
Hou Junqi: "HAHAHAHAHA Zhang Shu, you're SOCIALLY BRILLIANT!"
Sheng Xia: "..."
That might have been the first time Zhang Shu had ever spoken to her.
Well, not to her. Just... participated in a conversation she was part of. But alarm bells were ringing in her head: He saw her.
This was the start of his retaliation.
The evening study bell rang as Sheng Xia's mind was still spiraling. Soon, she no longer had the mental bandwidth to panic about Zhang Shu, she had bigger things to panic about.
At some point, the blackboard was crammed with line after line of homework assignments.
Now she understood why class reps were so sought-after. Half of the amount of homework each night depended on them.
Subject teachers would relay their assignments to the reps, who then could adjust the workload based on what other subjects had assigned. It was a position of power.
Xin Xiaohe: "It's just the start of term. This is still light. Give it a few weeks. Once everything's rolling, the reps will be fighting for space on that board. Won't be enough room for everything."
Sheng Xia stared. This... Is light?
Math (8/5):
1. Textbook Complete Explanation p.1-3
2. In-Class Exercises – ALL of today's!!
3. Last semester's final exam corrections + mistake notebook [REQUIRED]
4. Speed Training Method p.1-2
5. Master No. 1 p.1-5
6. Preview: Textbook p.10-22, examples.
Just the math would take her all night.
And there was Chinese, Physics…
Even English and chemistry, subjects they didn't have today, had piled on the workload.
Sheng Xia: "H-how am I supposed to finish this?”
The excuse she'd used to justify her stationery spending spree had manifested into reality.
Zhang Shu, head still bowed over his workbook, muttered without looking up, "Finish it with Barbie the Little Magician Crystal pens."
Sheng Xia: ?
He kept inserting himself today. He definitely saw me.
Xin Xiaohe moved Sheng Xia aside, and shot back. "The hell do you mean, Little Magician? It's a Disney princess, alright?”
Zhang Shu looked up, adjusted his glasses, and shrugged. "Sure. If you think that matters."
When titans clashed, Sheng Xia chose the wisdom of silence.
Xin Xiaohe patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. Almost no one finishes all the homework. Just take it easy, don't stress it."
Sheng Xia clutched at straws: "Almost?"
"Yeah." Xin Xiaohe tilted her chin toward the right, her expression caught between reluctance and grudging admiration. "That guy finishes."
Zhang Shu had been working on practice problems during class. Listening when the teacher hit key points, doing his own problems during the slower sections. Such multitasking wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
You couldn't learn it. You just... had it.
Sheng Xia asked, "Don't the teachers check?"
Xin Xiaohe shrugged. "They don't have time for that. Homework's not for them anyway. You decide what you need more work on, do more of that. They assign stuff to give you a framework, it’s up to you to decide what you need to improve on. That’s the whole point of self-study periods, no lectures, so you can actually absorb what you’ve learned.”
This was completely different from Sheng Xia’s expectations. She'd assumed Affiliated High teachers would be strict, breathing down your neck. Instead, it was basically self-directed.
If this was how they'd learned since freshman year... it would've been a process of self-discovery, self-improvement.
They were learning how to fish, not just be handed a fish.
That kind of learning independence, once cultivated, it lasted a lifetime. Especially in university, it would create a massive gap between you and your peers.
And right now, Sheng Xia was one of those "peers."
After a decade of ‘slap to advance’ education, being suddenly expected to direct her own learning left her completely lost.
She stared at the blackboard, overwhelmed. Had no idea where to start. Couldn't tell which assignments were important and which were optional. To protect what little confidence she had, she started with her strengths: Chinese and English. Reviewing classical Chinese, copying essay material, memorizing vocabulary, and one period was gone. During the second period, she barely got half the math done.
So she took the rest home and burned the midnight oil.
Wang Lianhua brought her a cup of hot milk without saying anything. At 11:30, seeing the light still on, she reminded Sheng Xia to sleep.
Before bed, Sheng Xia checked her phone. WeChat was quiet, Secretary Sheng hadn't replied. He had called, though she'd missed it.
She was about to put the phone down and turn off the light when something occurred to her. Opening her browser, she typed:
[Is photocopying and selling pornographic contents a crime?]
---
Over the following week, Sheng Xia adjusted to her new school, constantly expanding her understanding of Affiliated High.
The school’s overall management was surprisingly lax. No curfew outside class hours. Boarders could come and go freely. Phones and laptops were allowed. Student clubs received funding and support. There was also a "May 4th Gala" performance where clubs could show themselves. Drama, animation, and literature clubs are some of the popular ones. Though, there was a rule that seniors had to leave their clubs. Xin Xiaohe had just quit the animation club. And apparently, Zhang Shu had been in the music club.
The strangest thing was, monthly exam and midterms weren't strictly closed-book or proctored. They'd just move one row of desks into the hallway, spread the rest out, leave books where they were, and take the test. You could cheat if you wanted. But everyone knew exams were for finding your weaknesses. Cheating earned nothing but contempt. No one bothered fooling themselves.
It'd all come out in the final anyway.
Like Hou Junqi. Once, chasing his dad's 1000-yuan reward, he copied from Zhang Shu and used his phone, landing 15th in class. But no one acknowledged that score. Whenever anyone ranked below him talked about their results, they’d automatically bump themselves up a spot.
Hou Junqi himself said that month felt like being a walking corpse. No fun.
Everyone knows each other’s true weight.
---
Every night, Sheng Xia brought unfinished homework home. Struggled until she was half-asleep, yet the pile never seemed to shrink.
To Wang Lianhua, this was a sign that Sheng Xia was finally catching on. Affiliated High was surely amazing, it had made her motivated in no time.
Well, what could Sheng Xia say?
She didn't want to be the poor student with nice stationery.
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