Summer vacation arrived as scheduled.
High-school students, suppressed for an entire semester, burst forth like wild horses off the reins. In the first week of break, every refresh of social spaces was filled with all kinds of posts about eating, drinking, and having fun.
On the recommendation of her grade-group teachers, Song Shiyue enrolled in a fifteen-day English summer camp. On the day of registration, she spotted a familiar face in the classroom: Zhou Zongbai.
The room was full of strangers — students from various schools — yet he sat in the middle, his familiar face breaking into a smile as he waved to her. “Song Shiyue, over here.”
She hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat in the empty seat beside him.
The summer camp was semi-closed. To make late-evening classes convenient, everyone stayed in the dormitories, though going out was allowed with permission.
That evening, Song Shiyue ate in the cafeteria together with Zhou Zongbai and his two classmates.
The boys looked friendly and were very talkative.
“So you’re the only one from your school here?” One of them — the chubby-faced boy — stuffed rice into his mouth and casually asked her.
“There’s one more, but something came up at home and she’ll arrive two days late,” Song Shiyue replied.
“Oh, oh.” He gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’ve heard your name for a long time — Song Shiyue from Fanhua No. 2 High School. Today I finally get to meet you in person.”
“Ah.” She felt a little awkward.
“It’s all because of our Old Bai. Every time he comes back from a competition, he can’t stop talking about how amazing you are. This is the first time we’ve heard him praise a girl like that.”
“Eat your food.” Zhou Zongbai could not stand it anymore. He tapped their hands with his chopsticks.
“I never noticed you two talked this much before.”
“We’re just happy to see Song classmate — can’t we say a few extra words?!” the boy shouted. Zhou Zongbai pressed his forehead with his palm, helplessly turning his eyes toward her.
“Sorry about them. They’re not usually like this.”
“It’s fine.” Song Shiyue’s lips curved up slightly in a small smile to ease the mood. “It’s rare to see you get angry.”
“Did I always give you the impression that I have a good temper?” He raised an eyebrow in return.
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Then maybe it’s just toward you.”
Song Shiyue’s hand paused mid-motion while picking up food. Then, as naturally as before, she curved her lips again and did not respond further.
The four of them became cafeteria buddies for two days. When the other classmate from their school finally arrived, she was immediately invited to join, turning the group of four into five.
Song Shiyue had originally been heading in a different direction with her tray, but Li Xun — the chubby-faced boy — spotted her early and enthusiastically waved her over. Left with no choice, she changed direction and walked toward them.
After dinner, Song Shiyue excused herself to return to the classroom and parted ways with them.
Li Xun and the others were going to the small supermarket to buy drinks. Before leaving, Zhou Zongbai specially asked her: “Do you want anything to drink? I’ll bring it for you.”
She politely declined his kindness.
As soon as the two groups separated, the girl beside her could not hold back her excitement. She lowered her voice and asked urgently: “Shiyue, when did you get to know Zhou Zongbai from City No. 1 High School?”
“I thought I was seeing things just now — I didn’t expect you two to already be so familiar.”
“We kept running into each other at English competitions, so we got to know each other,” she answered, trying to keep her expression calm. Then she asked, “Is he very famous?”
“Of course! He’s the school heartthrob of City No. 1 High School! His photos were all over the school forum a while back — grade-topper, handsome and outstanding. Tons of girls at his school like him; his popularity is sky-high.”
Song Shiyue listened without speaking. The girl’s excitement had not faded; she continued musing to herself: “But of course, he can’t compare to our school’s big star. If you bring out Zhu Xingyan, he can casually crush any peer around him.”
“They’re simply not in the same dimension.”
On the final day of the summer camp, it happened to be the Fanshi City stop of the “Daytime Starflame” concert tour. Dali, who had tried desperately for a long time to grab tickets, still came up empty. With her last shred of hope, she asked Song Shiyue: “Is there really no way to beg your classmate Zhu Xingyan?”
“…..”
Song Shiyue fell silent for a moment.
“Last time… when he asked in the classroom, I said I was going to summer camp and turned him down.”
“What?!” Dali exploded in anger, wishing she could grab her shoulders and shake her while shouting, “Wake up! Those were Zhu Xingyan concert tickets!”
“What are you being so proud about?! Song Moon!”
“It’s not like that…” Song Shiyue said helplessly, trying to explain, “He was asking the whole class. No one dared to accept first, so I had to find a reason — and it wasn’t completely an excuse. I really am attending summer camp, and I wasn’t sure if the timing would clash.”
“Fine, fine, fine. You stayed pure and noble, and your friend can only sigh with regret for the rest of her life!”
“…It’s not that serious, is it?”
“A little bit.”
“Then how about I treat you to milk tea?”
“Deal. I’ll reluctantly forgive you then.”
Dali was easily coaxed back to good humor.
On the day the summer camp ended, she even made a special trip to wait at the camp gate to pick her up.
The sun at four or five in the afternoon was still blazing hot. A crowd poured out from inside. When they spotted Dali, Zhou Zongbai was speaking to Song Shiyue right beside her.
“That foreign reference book you wanted to borrow last time — my uncle might have a copy. I’ll look for it next time I go over and bring it to you when I find it.”
“No need to go to too much trouble. If you can’t find it, it’s okay,” Song Shiyue said. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“It’s no trouble.” He smiled gently.
As they talked, Dali had already reached them. She first gave Song Shiyue a big, warm hug, then hooked her arm through hers and squinted playfully while sizing up Zhou Zongbai.
“Who’s this handsome guy? Moon, aren’t you going to introduce him?”
Dali knew perfectly well who he was but still teased on purpose. Song Shiyue felt a little helpless and could only make the introductions.
“This is Zhou Zongbai from City No. 1 High School. I’ve mentioned him to you before — the ‘rival’ I always run into at competitions.” She turned her head and gestured toward Dali with her palm. “And this is my best friend Jiang Yuanli, nickname Dali.”
“Hello, Dali.” Zhou Zongbai nodded politely toward her with a smile on his face. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hello, hello.” Dali greeted him enthusiastically, then immediately turned to Song Shiyue. “So shall we go get milk tea now?”
Zhou Zongbai paused for a second, then gracefully said goodbye: “Then you two go ahead. I’ll wait for my classmate.”
He stood in place, smiling and waving at the two of them as they walked away from the crowd.
“I thought you were going to invite him along,” Song Shiyue muttered, a little surprised. Dali was someone who loved handsome guys more than anything. Every time she entered a new school, she could compile an entire “Handsome Guys Chronicle,” knowing each one by heart.
“He obviously has ulterior motives! I’m not letting a wolf into the house!” Dali cried out, shaking her head in disappointment as she lectured Song Shiyue. “Zhou Zongbai is famous at City No. 1 as the aloof male god! On the surface he’s gentle and polite, but he’s actually really hard to get close to! I’ve never heard of him getting close to any girl at his school — and yet just now! He smiled at me who-knows-how-many times. ‘Love the house and its crow’ might be a bit exaggerated, but he definitely got the benefit from being close to you.”
She shook her head repeatedly in refusal: “Our Moon is going to become a translator in the future. She can’t let a man mess with her mind at a time like this. This guy — no way, no way.”
“……” Song Shiyue was speechless for a moment, then touched. After a long silence, she said sincerely, “Dali, you really are… one of the rarest and most unique souls in the world.”
“Am I your best sister?” she asked, fishing for praise.
Song Shiyue nodded without the slightest hesitation. “Yes!”
“Then I want to add a slice of little cake later too.”
“…No problem.”
They stepped out of the milk tea shop as twilight had already fallen. The little cake had only been an appetizer; tonight’s real dinner was hot pot.
On the way home, Dali was still carrying the cake box — the shop’s classic taro mud tiger skin roll, packed to go.
The two of them took a taxi back.
Dali leaned against the window and rolled it down. The car sped along, night wind rushing in. Neon lights gradually flickered to life on both sides of the road.
The sky had deepened into a rich, dark blue, with a lingering streak of reddish afterglow in the distance.
The special palette of a summer night.
As the temperature dropped, strands of hair danced in the breeze. Without realizing it, the taxi had driven toward the city center. Along with the evening wind came the sudden thump of rhythmic drumbeats.
The city sports stadium slowly came into view. The usually empty plaza in front was packed with people tonight, holding glow sticks and banners in their hands.
The car slowed down; the road ahead was slightly congested.
The driver spoke up from the front to explain: “There’s a concert here tonight, so it’s a bit jammed.”
“No problem!” Dali’s voice rose with a touch of excitement. She pressed her face against the window and craned her neck outward. “Master, drive slowly please — the person performing inside is our classmate! Let me look a little longer!”
“…………” The driver was silent for two seconds before he could not help but comment, “Your classmate won’t let you in to watch, so you’re just peeking from outside?”
“You don’t understand! A big star naturally has to keep some distance from the people around him!” Dali said indignantly.
“Alright then.” The driver said so, but he eased his foot on the accelerator, creeping past the stadium inch by inch.
Dali stretched her neck to peer out.
Song Shiyue instinctively turned her head to follow Dali’s gaze. The brightly lit venue was surrounded so tightly from the outside that not even water could seep through. Countless fans wearing support T-shirts held up light signs and banners. They waved glow sticks in the night sky in time with the faint music spilling out.
“Zhu Xingyan’s fans really love him. Even if they couldn’t get tickets and are standing outside, they still want to listen to his entire concert seriously.”
Dali leaned against the window, lost in quiet admiration.
“Yeah.” Song Shiyue also gazed at that spot. When the car drew closest to the venue, she faintly heard the boy’s voice coming through the speakers — distant and ethereal, almost unreal.
Yet still so pleasant to hear.
Before she could catch the lyrics clearly, the road ahead suddenly cleared. Honks from the cars behind urged them on. The driver stepped on the gas and sped away.
The stadium receded quickly in front of them. In the rearview mirror it grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared from sight.
The sound around her ears fell completely silent.
The noise and clamor felt like fireworks that bloomed brilliantly only to vanish in an instant.
A song echoed in her mind for a moment, then disappeared the next.
What a pity.
She suddenly felt regret in her heart. She had not managed to hear the entire song.
Throughout the whole summer vacation, she did not travel far. Most of the time she spent at home attending online classes and reviewing lessons.
Besides the online courses, she also relied on Zhao Siqian and Song Qing’s connections to sit in on classes in the foreign languages department at the university and make use of the library there.
The holiday passed extremely quickly.
Zhou Zongbai helped her find the reference materials she wanted. Later he invited her out twice. Most of the time they met at the library or a bookstore. Occasionally when it was mealtime, they would look for something to eat together on the street.
“All our interactions are based purely on ordinary friendship,” she said with a smile, solemnly promising.
“Really.”
“Moon! You have no idea how likable you are! I won’t allow any stinky boys near you!” Dali declared firmly, her words carrying a stubborn, willful edge.
“I’m not money — how could everyone who sees me like me?” Song Shiyue said helplessly.
“You are. Look at all the boys in your class — not a single one doesn’t like you.”
“That’s impossible.” She felt a headache coming on and reached up to rub her forehead.
“How is it impossible!”
“Zhu Xingyan wouldn’t like me.”
The other end of the line suddenly went quiet. After the words slipped out of her mouth, Dali was speechless for a moment.
“He… he doesn’t count! He’s a big star, not an ordinary male classmate.”
“Right? So maybe Zhou Zongbai doesn’t have any other intentions either. We just happen to share similar interests and can talk a few more sentences.” Song Shiyue spoke rationally.
“Fine… fine. I’ll keep supervising him at all times!”
After hanging up, Song Shiyue was lost in thought for a brief moment.
Soon she was drowned again in endless schoolwork.
She did not dwell on the words that had slipped out earlier. The answer was exactly as Dali said: he and they were fundamentally different.
She knew it, and everyone else knew it too.
The new semester brought them straight into senior year (Grade 12).
This should have been an intensely busy and pressured stage, yet the atmosphere around them did not feel much different — except for Instructor Zhang’s even more stern and urging speeches from the podium.
Zhu Xingyan still had not returned to class. His concert tour was entering its final stretch; only a few more cities remained before it would conclude perfectly.
From the first day of school, the hottest topic in the class remained this matter. Some classmates could not keep their mouths shut and could not resist bragging that they had attended the concert. As people talked, it came out that quite a few had privately approached Zhu Xingyan to ask for tickets.
Back when he offered in class, everyone had acted righteous and refused outright. But now, upon checking, it turned out many had quietly gone to ask for tickets anyway.
Xiao Simin was furious. She was a true fan with principles — she strictly maintained distance between fan and idol and never caused him the slightest trouble. Hearing this, she immediately chased those people around the classroom, hitting them while yelling: “I’ll beat you shameless jerks to death!!”
Song Shiyue laughed inwardly, yet she could not help feeling a touch of regret.
If only she had known… perhaps she could have…
The thought surfaced for only a second before she swiftly pressed it down.
Song Qing often taught her that a gentleman judges by actions, not by thoughts. Yet even the brief wavering in her heart made Song Shiyue feel ashamed and guilty.
In October, Fanshi City entered autumn.
The temperature turned cool. The intense summer heat was gone, replaced by continuous fine rain.
Time seemed to slip back to that damp season from last year.
Song Shiyue always made a habit of carrying an umbrella in her schoolbag when she went out, in case of sudden drizzles.
After school, it happened to be her duty day.
They had not finished cleaning yet when dark clouds gathered outside. A light, pattering rain began to fall. The female classmate on duty with her had forgotten her umbrella and was anxiously pacing in circles.
“You can borrow mine. My house is close by — the rain might stop soon anyway.”
Song Shiyue took the umbrella out of her bag. The other girl, eager to get home, hesitated only a moment before accepting it and thanking her repeatedly.
After she left, the classroom suddenly became very quiet. The sky had grown dim.
Song Shiyue sat at her desk and worked on homework for a while. When she noticed the rain easing, she slowly packed her things.
As she stepped out of the teaching building, a cool breeze brushed her face. The ground was slick and wet. She shouldered her bag and carefully stepped over puddles until she reached the tree-lined path.
Water had collected on the leaves and occasionally dripped down, splashing onto her shoulder and dampening a small patch of fabric.
The school’s tree-lined path was planted with camphor trees — lush and verdant. In the dim light, they created a canopy that blocked out the sky.
She walked at a steady pace, gradually passing through the avenue. In the quiet, empty evening, she suddenly heard several faint, weak meows.
Song Shiyue froze. She looked uncertainly toward the source of the sound. Through the tree shadows it was hard to see clearly, but she could roughly judge the direction — it was near the perimeter wall.
She hesitated, torn over whether to go closer. After several moments of inner conflict, emotion won over reason.
The moist soil mixed with fallen leaves felt slightly soft underfoot. Fortunately, after only a few steps, Song Shiyue spotted the source behind a thick tree trunk.
A thin, frail black-and-gray kitten. Its fur was soaked through, patchy with bald spots here and there. It huddled miserably under the tree, dirty and curled into a tight ball.
When it sensed someone approaching, it meowed weakly at her several times, its body trembling and pressed tightly against the roots.
Song Shiyue’s heart softened. She could no longer pretend not to see it and walk away. She looked around but found no suitable tool, so she took off her school uniform jacket, squatted down, and moved closer to the kitten.
“Meow meow, don’t be afraid. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
She had just gathered the little cat into her arms when the leaves overhead rustled loudly. Heavy rain poured down in an instant. Before it could fall on her, a large umbrella appeared above, perfectly covering both her and the kitten.
Song Shiyue looked up in surprise and saw Zhu Xingyan.
At this moment, it had been nearly half a year since they last met. His sudden appearance felt almost unreal, like an illusion.