The National Day holiday required three make-up classes at the gold medal program. After Chai Ping drove her once, Lu Shinian was left to go alone.
During the classes, she tried her best to stay under the radar, avoiding Wang Jing’s attention, just hoping time would pass faster. But the first make-up session included a surprise quiz, and her score stood out glaringly among the others.
After class, Wang Jing called her over for a “heart-to-heart talk.” The gist was that with such poor results, he couldn’t justify it to Chai Ping and hoped she would work harder in the future. His tone was warm and encouraging, the picture of a patient, understanding teacher.
Standing beside him, Lu Shinian found him increasingly terrifying, the epitome of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Had she not known his true nature, she might have been genuinely moved by his concern.
If he could act, so could she.
“Teacher, I know I messed up,” Lu Shinian said, blinking her eyes, looking both remorseful and pitiful. “I didn’t realize how hard everyone else was working. I feel terrible about my score, and I promise to study harder next time. I won’t embarrass you again.”
Wang Jing kept his gaze fixed on her, his voice gentle. “I believe in you.”
As he raised his hand, Lu Shinian’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively flinched back.
But he only reached for a pen on the desk. “I hope to see improvement next time. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Lu Shinian exhaled in relief. With so many students still in the classroom, Wang Jing wouldn’t dare openly touch a student.
But what were those kids laughing about?
She returned to her seat, grabbed her bag, and prepared to leave. The little brat from before couldn’t resist another jab.
Jiang Gu whistled at her, eyes mocking. “Yo, dead last?”
Lu Shinian flashed him a saccharine smile. “Says the second-to-last?”
“You!”
A string of muffled curses followed her, but she tuned them out, stepping out of the classroom. The chill from the air-conditioned room instantly evaporated under the scorching sun, as if she’d been thrown into a furnace.
Wearing a long-sleeved hoodie, her back was already drenched in sweat, sticking uncomfortably to her skin. The heat only worsened her mood, and she took it out on every manhole cover she rode over.
Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a convenience store.
Peering through the glass door, she spotted two people at the register, one of them was Yu He.
Well, since she was here, might as well support a friend’s sales.
Lu Shinian walked in, though Yu He, busy fetching cigarettes for a middle-aged man, didn’t notice her at first. She grabbed a bottle of orange juice and a box of braised beef rice, then joined the checkout line.
“Comrade Yu, working hard, I see,” Lu Shinian teased.
Yu He’s initial surprise quickly faded into calm as she took the meal to heat it up. “Did your family kick you out again?”
“Nope. Just no food at home.”
Yu He glanced up, studying her silently.
Not wanting to distract her further, Lu Shinian took her lunch to a window seat and called her housekeeper. “I’ll be back late today. Just leave the food on the table, I’ll heat it up myself.”
“If my mom asks, just tell her I already came back and ate.”
Halfway through her meal, Lu Shinian’s phone on the table vibrated. She opened it to find Yu Jingjing had created a group chat with people going to the amusement park together.
The group was small just four people she knew. One was Qiu Yu from the next class, who often came to chat with Yu Jingjing between classes since they were classmates in freshman year. The other was Fang Xing.
[Fang Xing: Why didn’t you tell me I’d be the only guy here? @Yu Jingjing]
[Yu Jingjing: If I told you, you wouldn’t have come. Now that you’re in the group, you can’t back out. If you really can’t handle it, bring another guy along.]
[Fang Xing: Where am I supposed to find someone? They’re all busy with their girlfriends.]
[Yu Jingjing: Xiao Lu, do you have any friends who’d want to come? @One Deer]
Lu Shinian glanced at the front desk and typed, “Yeah, one. I’ll ask.”
[Fang Xing: You’re not about to ask Yu He, are you?]
[One Deer: Bingo.]
[Fang Xing: Dream on. Yu He doesn’t need to hang out with a partner, but she’s way too busy. If you actually get her to come, I’ll call you ‘Dad.’]
?
That escalated quickly.
Which meant there was a 90% chance Yu He wouldn’t go to the amusement park.
But she really wanted to go with Yu He especially to ride roller coasters together.
[One Deer: I’ll try.]
Lu Shinian lowered her head and took another bite. The rice had gone cold.
“What’s so funny?”
Yu He was suddenly standing beside the table, looking down at her.
Lu Shinian chewed and swallowed before tilting her head slightly, her voice muffled. “Just chatting. You’re not busy anymore?”
“Break time.”
Playing along, Yu He asked, “Just got back from tutoring?”
“Yeah.” Lu Shinian nodded.
Yu He studied her for a few silent seconds before asking flatly, “You’re upset?”
“You just asked why I was laughing, I’m not upset, ” Lu Shinian’s words cut off abruptly. After a pause, she said, “How’d you know?”
“Obvious.” Yu He replied. “Because you said ‘yeah.’”
Did she say “yeah” when she was upset?
Unbelievable.
Lu Shinian poked at the rice in her bowl, eyes lingering on the girl beside her. “Yu He, do you have some kind of superpower you haven’t told me about?”
Yu He said, “No.”
Lu Shinian blinked. “So does that mean you actually pay a lot of attention to me?”
Yu He’s expression stiffened. “No.”
Lu Shinian: “Don’t believe you.”
“…”
Yu He didn’t respond, lips pressed together as she turned to leave.
Lu Shinian quickly grabbed her. “I was joking, don’t be mad.”
Yu He looked down at the slender, pale hand wrapped around her wrist and tried to pull away.
It didn’t budge.
She exhaled, voice low. “Not mad.”
“Stay and chat with me for a bit.” Lu Shinian tugged Yu He into the seat beside her. “I’ll tell you why I’m upset today.”
She pulled a test paper from her bag and slapped it onto the table. “This.”
Yu He glanced at the score. “How did you even manage this?”
“With a pen.” Lu Shinian coughed lightly. “The test isn’t the point. The point is this tutoring class, I hate it.”
Yu He: “How so?”
And so began Lu Shinian’s lengthy rant from the test paper to Wang Jing, all the way to Jiang Gu.
The afternoon streets were much quieter than usual. The sky was a clear blue, and a beam of golden sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting dappled patterns on the white floor of the shop.
Yu He leaned back in her chair, her gaze lingering on the girl beside her as she animatedly recounted her story. Her hand rested on the sunlit part of the table, fingertips gradually warming.
Lu Shinian had been talking for a while and paused when she felt thirsty. Yu He nudged the orange juice toward her.
Lu Shinian unscrewed the cap and took a sip.
Cool and refreshing, it felt nice.
She was usually someone who could keep things to herself. Even when coworkers vented about their sleazy boss in front of her, she could resist joining in. But now, the moment she saw Yu He, she couldn’t help but spill everything like a sack of beans.
Maybe this was the charm of a top student.
Lu Shinian asked, “You don’t find me annoying, do you?”
Yu He: “No.”
Lu Shinian felt relieved.
Yu He posed the first question since her rant began, “Why didn’t you just refuse?”
“No choice,” Lu Shinian sighed. “When adults make decisions, what say do kids have?”
Yu He looked at her and said softly, “It’ll get better when you grow up.”
Lu Shinian smiled. She couldn’t believe Yu He actually bought into that line used to fool children, it was even less convincing than “Just get into college, and everything will be fine.” As someone who had lived through both phases in her rebirth, she would never fall for that again.
Once you grow up, you lose all choice.
But Lu Shinian wasn’t about to shatter a high schooler’s small hopes. She wouldn’t tell Yu He this harsh truth, especially since Yu He was just trying to comfort her. Crushing that illusion outright would be too cruel.
“Growing up is still far away. Right now is fine too,” Lu Shinian said. “So, wanna go to the amusement park together?”
Yu He lifted her eyelids slightly. “What’s the connection?”
Lu Shinian grinned. “None. I made it up.”
Yu He deadpanned, “No.”
“I’ve never been.”
Then go by yourself.
Yu He parted her lips, about to speak, when Lu Shinian added,
“I want to go with you.”
“…”
Yu He’s eyes flickered for a moment before she replied coolly, “Oh.”
Lu Shinian watched her for a few seconds, then tugged at her sleeve. “So, let’s go?”
“Let go.”
“No.”
After a brief standoff, Yu He finally swallowed and muttered, “…If you let go, we’ll go.”
“Deal.” Lu Shinian’s brows lifted as she released the fabric.
Lu Shinian tapped her phone, about to add Yu He to a group chat, when she suddenly realized she didn’t have her on WeChat. “Do you have WeChat?”
“No,” Yu He paused. “Haven’t downloaded it.”
Lu Shinian said, “Could you download it? QQ’s too messy with random messages. WeChat’s more convenient for chatting.”
Yu He pulled out her phone from her bag. “Don’t know how.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Mm.”
Lu Shinian felt a small thrill when she took Yu He’s phone. People said that being allowed to handle someone’s phone meant they trusted you deeply.
By that logic, didn’t this mean Yu He already had some level of trust in her?
The phone was an older model, not commonly seen on the market. She expected some kind of passcode, but Yu He hadn’t set one, it unlocked with a simple swipe. Then, an oversized font filled the screen.
I originally thought only elderly people would use this font size.
Lu Shinian asked curiously, “Why is the font so big? Are you nearsighted?”
Yu He replied indifferently, “It was like this when I got the phone. Couldn’t be bothered to change it.”
Lu Shinian nodded. After installing the app, she asked, “What do you want your WeChat name to be?”
Yu He answered seriously, “Yu He.”
Lu Shinian couldn’t help but laugh, having guessed that Yu He would choose the same name as her QQ handle, simple and straightforward. She said, “Pick something else.”
Yu He: “Why?”
Lu Shinian explained leisurely, “On social media, it’s best to avoid using your real name.”
Yu He gave a quiet hum, seemingly pondering over a new name.
Lu Shinian couldn’t stand watching her struggle. “Let me think of one for you.”
Yu He nodded. “Mm.”
Lu Shinian tapped her fingers and, smiling, typed in a name: “A Sprout.” He, a sprout.”
I’m really good at naming things.
After finishing, she added her own WeChat account to Yu He’s phone, proudly becoming the first friend of “A Sprout.”
Yu He took her phone back and looked at the name. She didn’t say it was good, nor did she say it was bad.
Then, her phone chimed.
[“A Deer” invited “A Sprout” to join the group chat.]
[Fang Xing: ?????????]