Summer in Your Name - 73

The night the college entrance exams ended, the entire city belonged to its examinees.  

All the usual hangouts spots for high schoolers were no longer the ideal spots for gatherings.

They were here to crash the adult world.  

Nightclubs, bars, KTVs—everywhere you looked, you’d see youthful, exuberant faces.

And of course, the bustling roadside barbecue stalls.  

That yellow, dizzying drink could finally be called beer without restraint.  

And they ordered it by the pitcher—three, five, however many they could handle.  

Hou Junqi and the others had booked a table at Milk, planning to party all night.  

Zhang Shu had just finished showering at home when the group chat started blowing up.  

Wu Pengcheng: “Who showers before eating barbecue?”  

Han Xiao: “Brother Shu, are you dressing up to blind everyone at Milk?”  

Hou Junqi: “With that big ego of his? Nah, he’s obviously off to see his wife first.”   

Han Xiao: “My bad, my bad.”  

Wu Pengcheng: “No way, you're bringing your wife to a bar?”  

Zhang Shu: “Dream on. Not bringing her.”

What kind of place was that? Did they really think he’d taint his Jasmine with such a scene?  

Zhang Shu switched out of WeChat and called Sheng Xia.  

It rang twice before she hung up.

Hung up?  

Half a minute later, a message popped up on QQ.  

Jasmine: “Eating dinner.”  

Song Jiang: “At home?”  

Jasmine: “Outside.”  

So her mom was with her.  

Song Jiang: “When will you be back?"

Jasmine: “Maybe around ten?”  

What an awkward time.  

Zhang Shu glanced at his fresh outfit, his clean-shaven jaw free of even a hint of stubble.

Well. All that effort for nothing.

Jasmine: “What is it?"  

Song Jiang: “Miss you.”  

Jasmine: “…”  

Jasmine: “We’ll see each other tomorrow?”  

Tomorrow, they’d return to class to estimate scores, then attend the teacher appreciation banquet and class farewell dinner in the evening.  

Song Jiang: “Oh.”  

Heartless. With such a big milestone like finishing the College Entrance Exam, doesn't she want to see him?  

Guess not. Nevermind.  

After stuffing themselves at the barbecue stall, by 10 p.m., the bar was starting to fill up. The group moved to Milk.

The music was deafening, the lights a dizzying blur of red and green. Zhang Shu had been to places like this a few times, mostly for someone’s birthday, staying just long enough to make an appearance.

He never understood why anyone would choose such noisy places to celebrate birthdays. You had to shout to talk. 

But that night, it finally clicked.  

Guys talking to guys? Sure, they shouted. But if you didn’t feel like yelling—like when you spotted a girl you liked—you had an excuse to lean in and whisper in her ear.

Every time Wu Pengcheng and the others came back from the dance floor, they brought a few girls with them. The couch got more crowded, everyone practically leaning to each other, lips brushing ears.  

This was a den of unleashed hormones.  

Zhang Shu, still recovering from his injury, couldn’t drink. He wasn’t into dancing either, so he stayed at the table playing dice with Han Xiao.  

Han Xiao was terrible at it—every tell was written on his face. Zhang Shu could guess his rolls after just two rounds. They played for half an hour, and Zhang Shu didn’t lose once. Boring.  

Zhang Shu scanned the bar, spotting plenty of familiar faces—all from the Affiliated High School.  

Who would’ve thought? The studious students could party this hard once freedom was in their hands. 

As he looked away, someone appeared in front of him.  

Chen Mengyao.  

“Big star!” Wu Pengcheng piped up first. “You’re about to debut, and you’re still hitting the bar? Aren’t you afraid someone’ll snap a pic and use it as dirt later?”  

Chen Mengyao snapped, “Wu Pengcheng, screw off!”  

She perched on the edge of the low table across from the couch and got straight to the point with Zhang Shu. “Are you and Sheng Xia together?”

The music was loud, the distance between them was not close, but Zhang Shu still heard her.  

Or rather, he guessed it.

He stood. “As long as she'll have me, anytime.”    

His lip movements were hard to read. Chen Mengyao leaned in. “What!?”  

Everyone at the table was watching them.  

Especially the girls Wu Pengcheng had brought over. They’d come hoping to get to know Zhang Shu, but he wasn’t drinking and was only playing dice with his buddy. What was the point of him even being at a bar? 

So when Chen Mengyao approached, they were eager to see if the beauty could crack him.  

Zhang Shu leaned toward Wu Pengcheng and shouted, “I’m heading back.”

Wu Pengcheng checked his phone and yelled back, “It’s only 11! Don’t go! The show hasn’t even started!”  

Zhang Shu: “You guys have fun. I’m beat.”  

Wu Pengcheng, mindful of Zhang Shu’s health, nodded. “Fine, we’ll catch up when you’re better!”  

Zhang Shu: “Tell Old Hou and the others for me."    

“Got it.”  

Zhang Shu left.

The girls whispered among themselves.

“Up close, he’s even hotter. How’s his nose so perfect?”  

“His voice is nice too.”  

“Ugh, did you see that girl just followed him out!”  

“Huh? So much for playing hard to get.”    

One asked Wu Pengcheng, “Hey, is that his girlfriend?”  

Wu Pengcheng, annoyed, snapped, “No!”

“Does he have one then?”  

“Yeah. He’s literally leaving to see his wife.”  

Shocked silence.  

---  

Zhang Shu hadn’t expected Chen Mengyao to follow him out.  

“Something else?”  

Chen Mengyao: “I just asked you—”  

Zhang Shu: “As long as she'll have me, anytime.”  

“Huh?”  

“My answer earlier.”  

Chen Mengyao replayed his words in her head and finally understood.  

She had always thought Sheng Xia had lied to her—that they were already together but pretending otherwise.  

Their vibe was too couple-like to be anything else.

 

But hearing the truth straight from Zhang Shu threw her off. She couldn’t quite describe how she felt.  

So, Zhang Shu could pursue someone. He could fall in love.  

It just wasn’t with her.  

She didn’t think there was any chance left for her and Zhang Shu. Asking this wasn’t about holding onto hope.

She just wanted an answer.  

A period to mark the end of her youth, even if it wasn’t a perfect one.

“If—just if—” Chen Mengyao hesitated but still asked, “If I had pursued you back in our first year, would we end up together?”    

Zhang Shu tilted his head, giving her a puzzled look. “Doesn’t sound like something you’d ask.”    

Yeah, so humble, asking a what if.  

“How am I supposed to imagine something that never happened?” Zhang Shu’s tone was neutral, not cold, just his usual self, like they were discussing a math problem, not feelings. “Ask me about the future, and I can reason it out. The past? Pointless.”

“Then… what did you think of me back then?” Chen Mengyao pressed, unwilling to let it go.

Zhang Shu let out an “Hmm…” as if thinking hard, or perhaps carefully weighing his words.    

“You reminded me of my sister, especially when you sing. It was… familiar. But I knew familiarity wasn’t the same as liking someone. While familiarity isn’t bad, dating you then would’ve been irresponsible. I wouldn’t do that. Besides, back then, I never got the sense you had any feelings for me, so it never crossed my mind.”  

Maybe because tonight was the last time many of them would see each other.  

Words of farewell always carried a certain honesty.

Tonight, Zhang Shu didn’t seem like himself.  

Or perhaps—she had never truly known the real him.  

Normally, he’d always dodge questions like this, sidestepping with some clever words.  

Today, he gave her a clear answer.  

He didn’t say she wasn’t good enough. He said he hadn’t noticed her feelings.  

Had they dated back then, she would’ve been the one hurt, because what he felt was familiarity, not love.

Even if familiarity could be enough reason to start a relationship, he’d never considered taking advantage of it, never let that farce happen.    

A sourness welled up in Chen Mengyao’s chest, but stronger than that, she felt an indescribable relief.

Zhang Shu hailed a taxi and left.  

Chen Mengyao stood outside the bar, watching the car fade into the distance, a faint smile breaking across her face.

Goodbye, Zhang Shu.  

If every girl had to fall for someone in her youth, she was lucky it was Zhang Shu.

---  

Sheng Xia spent the evening having dinner with Wang Lianhua, then grabbing a late-night snack with Sheng Mingfeng. By the time she got home and tidied up, it was past eleven.  

She’d planned to sleep early, but her body clock refused to cooperate.  

She wasn’t the least bit sleepy.    

Scrolling through social media, she saw everyone was still out partying. It made her wonder—was her own lifestyle too boring, too rigid?

Just then, she came across a video Hou Junqi had posted.

He’d uploaded one an hour earlier, the moment she clicked play, blaring music nearly deafened her ears.  

The scene was unmistakably a bar. A few guys were either sitting or standing around. Han Xiao was tallying drinks with a server.

Zhang Shu was slouched on the couch, elbows propped on his knees, totally relaxed.

She knew they’d gone to a bar.  

She just hadn’t expected this kind of bar.  

Hou Junqi’s latest video was an eye-opener for Sheng Xia.  

The screen showed a long runway, a line of long-legged dancers in perfect sync, strutting effortlessly. Their heels were as tall as rulers, their shorts slit so high they might as well have been bikinis.

Amid the pounding beat of the music, the DJ’s shouts pierced through. Confetti cannons exploding, paper scraps fluttering through the air, and under the chaotic lights, a sea of heads bobbed, arms waving…

It was like a whole other world.    

What about Zhang Shu? What was he doing?  

Also staring at those long legs?     

Sheng Xia set her phone aside and grabbed up the book by her pillow.  

She took a deep breath. There’s beauty in books, she told herself.

But she’d barely read a few lines when a ding sounded—a message notification.  

She glanced over.  

It was from Song Jiang.  

Without even opening it, she could see the short message: “Asleep?”

Of course not, I’m busy watching you admire beauties!

Grumbling to herself, Sheng Xia ignored it and went back to her book.  

Then came ‘ding-ding-dings’, a flurry of notifications forced her to check.

Song Jiang: “Probably not, right?”

Song Jiang: “Wanna come downstairs?”  

Song Jiang: “I’m outside your building.”  

Sheng Xia sat up straight. He's here?  

“Weren’t you at the bar?” Was he messing with her?  

Song Jiang: “Just left.”  

“Why’d you come over this late?”

Song Jiang: “Miss you.”  

Song Jiang: “Miss you so much.”  

Song Jiang: “Want to see you.”  

Was he drunk? He sounded so… intense.

Her ears felt hot.

“Are you drunk?”  

Song Jiang: “…”  

Song Jiang: “If I were, I’d already be at your door—probably knocking by now."    

Not just loitering downstairs like this.  

Sheng Xia’s lips curved up unconsciously. She tossed her phone aside, hopped out of bed, and opened her closet. After scanning her options, she grabbed a sun-protective shirt and threw it over her nightdress.  

Tiptoeing past Wang Lianhua’s room, she reached the front door, then doubled back to the kitchen, grabbing the trash bag.

Sure enough, as soon as she opened the door, Wang Lianhua’s voice called from her room. “Where are you going this late?”

de: "What are you doing going out so late?"    

Sheng Xia: “Taking out the trash.”  

Wang Lianhua: “Do it tomorrow.”  

Sheng Xia: "I broke some eggs earlier. They’ll stink."  

"Why were you breaking eggs at this hour?"    

Afraid she’d slip up if this went on, Sheng Xia quickly shut the door and hurried off.

The second she exited the building, a figure emerged from the dark, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Her heart pounded wildly. They’d never hugged so suddenly before!    

Then she wrinkled her nose—  

Ugh, the stench of alcohol and cigarettes!  

Sheng Xia coughed lightly, squirming in his hold, but the arms around her only tightened. She felt like her shoulders might shatter under his grip.

“Zhang Shu!”  

“Call me A-Shu.” His voice was low, almost commanding.  

One hand still holding the trash, she pushed at him with the other, but he didn’t budge. "You liar, you’ve been drinking!”

“I haven't.”  

"You reek of alcohol. Don’t even deny it!”  

Zhang Shu loosened his grip slightly, and as he did so, the soft warmth pressed against his chest was gone, and he realized—this hug felt different from the one on the school field that night.

So soft. How is she getting even softer?  

He lifted his sleeve and sniffed himself.

Damn, he really did smell like smoke and alcohol. That’s what happens in a closed space—you sit there, and the stench sticks.

Annoying. He’d obviously left home fresh and clean.  

"I really didn’t drink. Someone spilled it on me.” He explained, his brows furrowed helplessly.  

Sheng Xia could tell he wasn’t lying, but she still muttered: “Did one of those dancing girls spill it?”

Zhang Shu froze, momentarily thrown.  

Taking his silence as confirmation, Sheng Xia ignored him and strode past to toss the trash.  

Zhang Shu trailed behind her, finally noticed her outfit— a sun shirt over what looked like a nightdress, paired with slippers.

So homey, especially with that pouty, puffed-up face…

Zhang Shu suddenly grinned. "You know what you look like right now?”  

Sheng Xia threw out the trash, turned back, and said nothing.  

Zhang Shu answered for her: "Like… a wife scolding husband who’s been out messing around.”

Sheng Xia froze in her feet.  

What nonsense!  

“Zhang Shu!”  

“Hm?”  

“Have you no shame?”  

“Nope.”  

“…”  

Fuming, she spun around. “I’m going back!”  

Zhang Shu caught her wrist. “Wait, I was wrong. I do have shame. Don’t go yet.”

There weren’t many people in the complex, but Sheng Xia was still nervous. She shook off his hand, whispering, “We’re outside my place…”    

Why was she so shy? When can she be less shy? 

Zhang Shu nodded, conceding, “Alright, I’ll just stand here and look at you.”

“We’ll see each other tomorrow anyway.”  

After saying this, she lifted her gaze—and instantly fell into the depths of his dark eyes. A piece of her heart crumbled right then.  

Okay, fine. She was wrong. It’s not the same.  

They hadn’t seen each other in two days. This moment was different.

“It’s not the same,” Zhang Shu said. “Tomorrow, we’ll estimate our scores. While everything’s still unknown, I need to tell you…”  

“Sheng Xia, you said before that if you got into Heqing University, we'd be together. I don’t agree.”  

Don’t agree.    

Her heart felt like it’d been tapped with something heavy, a dull ache spreading.

Before she could react, he continued, steady and slow:  

“Something like that should come from me. What I want to say is, I want to be with you. No matter our backgrounds, no matter our prospects, no matter our scores.”  

"No matter what estimated scores we get tomorrow, no matter how the exams turn out, no matter if we end up in the same city or the same university, I want you to be with me. If there’s distance, I’ll come to you. No matter how far or how long it takes."  

“Okay?”  

---

← Previous | Table of Contents | Next →

0