Everyone knew that Xu Yu liked Su Anxi—except Su Anxi herself.
But no one knew that Su Anxi liked Xu Yu—except Su Anxi herself.
What seemed like a one-sided crush turned out to be mutual—who would have thought that the person you liked just happened to like you back?
After summer vacation, Xu Yu entered his final year of high school. The once carefree kids who used to roam in groups around the Compound were now facing the rite of passage into adulthood.
They used to think the college entrance exam was far off—only because they hadn’t yet felt its approach.
Now, when they spoke of it, they suddenly realized it was just around the corner.
Su Anxi was in her second year of high school. Without much hesitation, she chose the science track. Her grades remained consistently excellent, while Xu Yu, in his exam year, still struggled persistently with his studies.
Xu Yu’s father, Xu Chengyun, was often away due to his busy work schedule. Although Li Sao helped take care of things at home, Xu Yu would occasionally bring Xu Lai over to Su Anxi’s house for meals.
One weekend, when there were no extra classes, Xu Chengyun was called away on urgent business. He instructed Xu Yu to take good care of his sister, glanced at his still-distant daughter, sighed inwardly, and left.
At noon, Xu Yu dragged Xu Lai to Su Anxi’s house for lunch again. During the meal, Su Anxi’s parents asked Xu Yu about his plans for the college entrance exam. Xu Yu glanced at Su Anxi, who was calmly eating, and replied with a smile, “With my grades, there aren’t many options. If nothing works out, I’ll just enlist.”
Hearing this, Su Anxi’s hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly before she continued eating without a word. Her father, Su Zhiliang, chimed in, “Joining the military is a good choice. If Su Anxi were a boy, I’d have her enlist too.”
Lin Qingqing shot Su Zhiliang a discreet glare and smiled at Xu Yu. “Don’t listen to your Uncle Su’s nonsense. What’s so good about being a soldier? Always away from home. Listen to Auntie Lin—your foundation isn’t bad, you’re just too playful. Put in some effort this year, grit your teeth, and things will get better.”
“Serving in the military protects the country and its people. It’s a noble calling for passionate young men. Why do you always make it sound worthless?”
Su Zhiliang truly loved the national flag, holding unshakable faith and loyalty in his heart. Hearing Lin Qingqing’s words, he couldn’t help but disagree, though he tempered his tone with humor to avoid upsetting his wife.
Lin Qingqing placed a dish in Su Zhiliang’s bowl and said, “The kids are here. I don’t want to argue about this again.”
Seeing her parents like this, Su Anxi looked up and accidentally met Xu Yu’s gaze. She smiled helplessly and went back to eating.
She was long used to it—her mother wanted her father to leave the military, but her father, despite promising to do so, always backed out at the last moment.
This back-and-forth had been going on for over a decade. At its worst, her mother had taken her away for three years. But in the end, unable to resist her father’s persistence, they reconciled and moved back.
“By the way, Su Anxi, where do you plan to apply for college?” Xu Yu asked, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.
Su Anxi looked up at Xu Yu, caught off guard by the sudden question. She had thought about it, but now, faced with him, she didn’t know how to answer.
“I haven’t…”
“Our Anxi has always aimed for Tsinghua University.”
Su Anxi had been about to say she hadn’t decided yet, but her mother cut her off.
She looked at her mother’s proud smile, then turned to Xu Yu. He was still wearing his bright, sunny smile, nodding with an admiring expression. “Su Anxi’s grades are so good. She’ll have no problem getting into Tsinghua.”
After finishing his words, Xu Yu put down his bowl and noticed that Xu Lai beside him had also set hers aside. He then smiled and said to Su Anxi's parents, "Uncle Su, Aunt Lin, we're done eating. Lai Lai needs to go to the library later, so we'll be heading off first."
"When did I say…" Xu Lai stared at Xu Yu, her words cut short as he secretly covered her mouth and pulled her aside.
"Alright, come over for dinner tonight," Lin Qingqing said to the siblings, who clearly shared a close bond.
Xu Yu ruffled his sister's hair and replied to Lin Qingqing, "I promised this girl we'd go to McDonald's tonight, so we won't be coming over."
Xu Lai had mostly figured things out by now and shot a covert glare at Xu Yu, which he completely ignored.
"Then be careful on your way."
"Okay, goodbye Uncle Su, Aunt Lin, and Su Anxi," Xu Yu and Xu Lai bid their farewells one by one.
…
From that day onward, everyone witnessed a remarkable sight: Xu Yu, who used to arrive at school at the last minute, now went early every day. He played basketball less frequently and walked around with headphones on, memorizing vocabulary.
He used to drag Huo Yanzong around for idle chatter or outings, but now he pulled him aside, placed the test papers from his backpack in front of him, pointed with his slender fingers, raised his eyebrows with utmost seriousness, and said, "Explain this problem to me, this one, and this one too."
Under the sunset, Su Anxi's shadow stretched long as she stood there, watching the two young men sitting on a stone bench not far away.
She watched as Huo Yanzong earnestly explained the problem-solving steps, and as the handsome young man listened intently, occasionally frowning or scratching his hair with the other end of his pen.
Suddenly, a girl's pleasant voice came from behind: "Xu Yu says he wants to get into Tsinghua University."
Su Anxi turned around to find Xu Lai standing behind her, smiling as she glanced at Xu Yu before continuing, "Ridiculous, right?"
"It is pretty ridiculous," Su Anxi nodded with a smile.
"But he's doing it. I've never seen my brother take anything so seriously before," Xu Lai paused before adding, "That day, when he heard your goal was Tsinghua, he sat in the library in the same position all afternoon. In the evening, he suddenly brought a first-year textbook to my room and asked me to tutor him."
"…" Su Anxi remained silent, but her heart raced like a startled deer.
Seeing Su Anxi's reaction, Xu Lai smiled inwardly and continued, "Su Anxi, my brother wants to attend the same university as you."
At that moment, Xu Lai's words echoed in Su Anxi's ears for a long time.
Su Anxi pressed her hand against her chest, feeling as though something inside was about to leap out uncontrollably. An indescribable warmth spread from her cheekbones across her entire face.
Yet she smiled, a smile as sweet as honey.
After that, she too joined the effort to transform Xu Yu. It had to be said that Xu Yu was intelligent—he managed to absorb three years' worth of coursework in just one short year.
However, getting into Tsinghua was difficult, as challenging as climbing to the heavens.
The day before the college entrance exam, Xu Yu locked himself in his room again to practice problems.
Su Anxi knew Xu Yu was under immense pressure. With the exam the next day, pushing himself too hard could backfire.
So, after lunch, she went to find Xu Yu, insisting that he accompany her out to have fun—though her real intention was to help him relieve stress.
They spent most of the day out, only heading back as dusk painted the sky and stars and the moon lingered over the world.
On the way, Su Anxi carefully gathered her thoughts before speaking: "Xu Yu, do your best on the exam tomorrow. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Mm." Xu Yu naturally tugged Su Anxi, pulling her to walk on the inner side of the sidewalk, and said with feigned ease, "Who am I? Could I possibly be nervous?"
Su Anxi chuckled, turning her gaze upward to look at the young man's profile silhouetted against the light, silently wishing: I don't ask for everything to surpass expectations, just for everything to go smoothly.
She smiled and shifted her eyes back, continuing to walk alongside him on the road as they headed home together.
…
Back then, you had to fill out your college applications before the scores were released. Xu Yu had applied only to universities in Beijing, but in the end, his grades were barely enough for a second-tier college, nowhere near enough to get him into Beijing.
Xu Yu's father, Xu Chengyun, had always hoped Xu Yu would follow in his footsteps. Since his grades had turned out this way, barely scraping into a second-tier college, it would be better to join the military instead.
Su Anxi didn’t learn that Xu Yu was going to join the military until the end of August. That day, her heart sank abruptly.
On a scorching summer day, Xu Yu had been out all day, and she waited for him by the roadside outside the Compound all day long. It was almost dark when he finally returned, and without a word, she rushed over to him.
"Where have you been?" Su Anxi asked as soon as she reached him.
Xu Yu looked at Su Anxi’s anxious face, curled his lips into a smile, and instead asked, "Were you waiting for me?"
Su Anxi nodded. "I heard you’re going to join the military?"
"My dad wants me to join the military," Xu Yu admitted.
"What about you?" Su Anxi stared at Xu Yu urgently, hoping he would give a negative answer.
Xu Yu shoved his hands into his pockets and walked lazily toward the Compound without answering.
Su Anxi jogged to keep up, a little annoyed. "I’m asking you a question!"
The two reached a corner, where the lush canopy of the camphor tree overhead shrouded their figures. Xu Yu stopped and looked at Su Anxi, his gaze serious.
"What about you?" he asked, throwing her own question back at her.
Su Anxi hadn’t expected Xu Yu to ask this and was momentarily stunned. She decided to tell him her thoughts: "Don’t worry about anything else for now. I’ve thought about it—if you repeat your senior year, with your ability, you’ll definitely get into a top-tier university next year. Why don’t you repeat the year?"
Xu Yu looked down at Su Anxi, and after hearing her out, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Even if I repeat the year, I still won’t get into Tsinghua University, Su Anxi. I have to face reality, don’t I?"
"What’s wrong with you?" Su Anxi felt that Xu Yu seemed to have changed suddenly, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint how.
"Nothing’s wrong. I just suddenly figured things out."
For some reason, Su Anxi’s eyes burned so much she couldn’t blink, as if scalding lava were about to spill out. Her throat tightened, as if she had lost her voice.
Seeing that Su Anxi had fallen silent, Xu Yu reached out and ruffled her hair, then dropped his hand and turned to leave.
"Xu Yu," Su Anxi called after him, running to block his path and asking with a pitiful look, "What do you really want?"
Xu Yu looked down at Su Anxi steadily, as if thinking or struggling with something.
Su Anxi would always remember that day, under the sky that was neither fully dark nor fully light, the young man in a white T-shirt stood beneath the camphor tree and looked at her for a long, long time.
So long it felt like eternity, so long it felt like the seas would run dry and the rocks would crumble.
Until he said, "I want you to like me."