Chapter 1 001. Being demoted is a favor that is not appreciated.
"Summer Crossing"
By Milk Tea Hamster
2025.09.02
Exclusive
001. Decentralization
When Chen Zhoudu left Shanghai, he didn't take much with him. A few clothes, a few books, a laptop, and a 16-inch suitcase were enough.
In mid-August, the afternoon temperature in Shanghai is scorching hot, and cicadas chirp incessantly in the trees.
When Chen Zhoudu came downstairs, Guo Fa was already waiting in front of the Shen family villa. The car was still running, making a muffled hum. Guo Fa lingered by the car door, occasionally glancing into the distance as if waiting for someone.
Upon seeing the sunken boat, he immediately snapped out of his reverie and gave him a kind smile, saying, "The boat... is everything ready?"
"Yes, Uncle Guo."
Guo Fa helped him put his suitcase in the trunk, still hesitating, "Should we... wait for your dad a little longer?"
"No need, let's go."
Guo Fa could only sigh and get into the driver's seat.
Chen Zhoudu is seventeen years old this year, a sophomore in high school. He's not quite an adult yet, but he has already developed a composure that lies between adulthood and adolescence. His back is straight, his shoulders are broad, and his bone structure is clear but not thin. He exudes a calm strength.
It is said that he also has excellent grades, having just achieved all A+ grades and participated in the IMO competition at the end of last semester.
Guo Fa glanced at him in the rearview mirror for what felt like the umpteenth time and sighed inwardly.
Guo Fa and Shen Zhoudu's father, Shen Jinghai, were longtime friends and classmates. Back then, the two of them came from a small, third-tier city to Shanghai, determined to make a name for themselves in this bustling metropolis.
Shen Jinghai was lucky; he took off at the forefront of the times and built his own business in this rootless metropolis. Now they are all over forty, but he lives in a mansion and drives a luxury car, making him the most successful among their old friends.
But he also has an extremely outstanding son who is sensible and well-behaved from a young age, handsome, and academically excellent. He is always the envy of classmates when they talk about him.
However, one night three days ago, Shen Jinghai suddenly called Guo Fa, asking him to take some time to escort Shenzhoudu to Tongcheng. The reason was vague, only vaguely stating that Shenzhoudu had made a mistake.
What could be wrong that would make a father send his underage son thousands of kilometers away? Besides, Chen Zhoudu is about to enter his senior year of high school, and leaving Shanghai at this time would probably affect his studies.
No matter how Guo Fa tried to persuade him, Shen Jinghai was determined to send Shen Zhoudu away, and Shen Zhoudu stubbornly refused to budge. Guo Fa had no choice but to agree to the request and send the man away.
Tongcheng is indeed a thousand kilometers away from Shanghai, spanning almost half of China.
The plane took off in the afternoon, but by the time it arrived it was already close to evening.
However, Tongcheng was not the final destination. The place that Shen Jinghai arranged for Shen Zhoudu was called Tongcheng, Qingshui Town, which was also the hometown of Guo Fa and Shen Jinghai.
However, the Shen family has dwindled in number in Qingshui over the years, and Chenzhoudu's arrival here is no different from being exiled, as he is all alone.
There is no direct express bus from Tongcheng city to Qingshui town; you can only take a hard seat on a train or a bus.
It's ridiculous, but the flight from Shanghai to Tongcheng takes three hours, while the hard seat from Tongcheng to Qingshui takes two and a half hours.
On the train, people chatted, ate sunflower seeds, and snored... Some long-distance passengers had taken off one shoe and propped their feet up on their seats to play cards with their companions; loud bragging and baby crying could be heard from all directions from time to time; the train attendant pushed a small cart back and forth, calling out: "Peanuts, sunflower seeds, drinks, mineral water, please move your legs a little!" It was a difficult journey.
The entire carriage reeked of a mixture of smoke and the sour smell of fermented athlete's foot, making Guo Fa feel nauseous so much that he covered his mouth with a handkerchief. Chen Zhoudu, on the other hand, remained calm, sitting quietly with his eyes closed, resting.
After finally squeezing out of the station, a large group of people holding "Accommodation" signs suddenly swarmed around them, blocking their way.
"Accommodation? Hot water and WiFi are available!"
"Need accommodation? The environment is nice and we have single rooms!"
"You're from out of town, right? Looking for a place to stay? Cheap, spacious, and fully equipped!"
...
"..."
Guo Fazi has hardly returned to Qingshui Town in Tongcheng since graduating from university. In his memory, this small town is dilapidated and backward, a remote place that cannot be found on a map of China even with a magnifying glass, and a corner forgotten by the times and the world.
In his memory, the people here were vulgar and ignorant, and the streets were always narrow and cramped. Poverty was like moss after the rain, visible everywhere and on everyone. More than twenty years have passed, and everything here seems to have made no progress, just like that station that still doesn't have express train service. It's familiar yet disorienting, and also repulsive.
"I can't stay, I can't stay..."
Guo Fa covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, waved his hand to refuse, and pulled Chen Zhoudu out, afraid that he would be frightened. He almost raised his hand to cover Chen Zhoudu's eyes.
"Accommodation?"
"Accommodation..."
Those people, however, persisted, repeatedly pressing for answers.
The crowd at the exit was as dense as a sardine can, with people jostling and pushing each other.
In the midst of the shoving, the crowd surged forward like dominoes, eventually colliding with their group.
The closest people didn't have time to dodge. An older woman wearing cheap perfume and a young man with blond hair bumped right into Shen Zhoudu and Guo Fa. The suitcase was kicked, and one of the already loose wheels suddenly broke off—the wheel rolled away with a gurgling sound.
"...Oh dear, I told you no! You insisted on squeezing me, and now you've made a mess of things!"
Guo Fa was also annoyed, so he dusted off his clothes and shouted.
The older woman and the blond-haired youth helped each other to their feet, and the group of people finally quieted down and looked at them timidly.
Chen Zhoudu barely managed to stand firm, first making sure he had his phone and ID card, then silently looking down to check the bottom wheels of his suitcase.
Fortunately, it was the front wheel that fell off, so it didn't affect pulling.
He tried pushing it in a small, localized area while still in place.
Seeing his movements and noticing the broken wheel, the woman couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. "Oh... I'm so sorry, how about this? Do you have somewhere to stay? Why don't you stay at my place? I'll have my husband fix it for you! My husband is a very skilled mechanic, he'll definitely fix it! If he can't fix it, we'll pay for it..."
"You still want to stay at a hotel at a time like this?" Guo Fa was almost laughing in anger, and said in a rather rude tone, "Can you afford to compensate us?"
They grabbed the sunken boat and were about to leave.
As he passed by Huang Mao, he subconsciously covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, glanced at him, muttered "little bastard," and brushed past him.
The blond-haired man didn't understand Shanghai dialect, but he understood swear words. He stood there, pressed his tongue against his cheek, and finally pursed his lips and called out, "Wait!"
Chenzhoudu and Guo Fa stopped and looked back.
He glanced at Chen Zhoudu and finally walked up to Guo Fa, pointing at the suitcase with one hand, and said, "How much? We'll pay for it."
"We're not asking you to pay for this, just don't block our way..."
Guo Fa felt completely bewildered and tried to leave, blocking the blond-haired man with one hand.
Yellow Hair stubbornly stood in front of him, saying only, "We'll pay, you name your price."
His chest heaved as if surging with some kind of emotion, but he could not suppress it any longer and said in a very low voice, "Don't push your luck."
"Hey, you little rascal, how dare you talk like that! It was clearly you..." This finally angered Guo Fa, who shoved him.
The blond-haired man instantly pushed back. Several young men of similar age from the group who had been holding up signs to solicit customers also threw down their signs and rushed forward, and the scene instantly erupted into a heated exchange of blows.
"I'll fuck you..."
"Hey, what are you going to do! What are you going to do..."
The shouting match, a mix of Shenyu and Mandarin, attracted a crowd of onlookers. Chen Zhoudu, his head aching from the noise and worried that they might actually fight, could only try to stop them by forcefully pulling on Guo Fa's arm.
The older woman had been trying to dissuade the young men, but the fight was only getting more intense.
Just as Shen Zhoudu was considering whether to call the police, a voice, devoid of emotion, suddenly came from outside the crowd: "What are you all doing?"
Then, strangely enough, the group of young people gradually quieted down.
Then, as if petals were slowly opening, the crowd automatically parted to make way for him. As Chen Zhoudu looked up, he met the gaze of a figure at the back of the crowd.
It was dusk, and the crowd at the exit had mostly dispersed.
In Tongcheng, it gets dark late, and the setting sun hangs behind her in a bright yellow light, casting a vibrant color over her entire background.
She was tall and thin, but not frail. Her face, without makeup, was clean and pale, while her deep black eyes were like a cold, sharp blade.
She was wearing a plain white T-shirt and black cargo pants, her thin, short hair falling over her collarbone. She exuded a cool and unapproachable vibe, yet her features were strikingly beautiful.
For a moment, Chen Zhoudu thought of a shattered piece of glass, sharp and cold, yet able to reflect the most vibrant colors of the summer sun.
"Sister Chan!"
"Xia Chan!"
"Sister Xia Chan..."
The young people immediately started shouting.
She stepped forward, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd, and asked, "What's all the noise about?"
Yellow Hair, panting heavily, recounted what had happened.
Xia Chan's eyebrows twitched slightly. Upon hearing this, her gaze lingered on Shen Zhoudu for a second before she lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long pause, he looked up and asked Chen Zhoudu, "Are you from Shanghai?"
As if by some strange twist of fate, Chen Zhoudu nodded as he watched her.
Then I saw her eyebrows and eyes lower slightly again, revealing that thoughtful expression once more.
When he looked up again, he was facing the blond-haired guy and his group. "These two are under my protection. You can settle any scores later. I need to take them away first."
"Sister Chan?!"
Yellow Hair and several other youths immediately protested. Xia Chan glanced at them, and Yellow Hair immediately swallowed his anger and fell silent.
"You two, come with me."
She glanced at Guo Fa and Shen Zhoudu again before turning around. Guo Fa was still confused about what was going on and wanted to ask, but he was more eager to leave this place of trouble. He glared at the blond-haired man, quickly picked up Shen Zhoudu's suitcase, and followed.
Xia Chan took a few steps and then turned back, taking the suitcase from Guo Fa without saying a word. Chen Zhoudu was taken aback and before he could stop her, she had already strode away with the suitcase.
The evening breeze ruffled the ends of the girl's hair, causing it to sway gently with her steps. Chen Zhoudu stared in astonishment at her retreating figure.
-
There is a residential area around Qingshui Town Railway Station, with many alleys that are laid out in a maze, somewhat like the lanes of Shanghai. The difference is that most of the houses in this area are self-built bungalows, with the tallest being no more than two stories.
As darkness fell, many windows in the alley were lit up, and the sounds of cooking oil sizzling and the aroma of food wafted through the air. A crisscrossing network of power lines cut the sky into irregular patches, and the faint barking of dogs could be heard in the distance.
Xia Chan, pulling her suitcase, led the two of them a short distance. Before Guo Fafa could ask, she spoke up herself:
"All the precautions are the same as those mentioned online. Hot water and Wi-Fi are available 24 hours a day. Meals are not included in the room rate, but you can share meals. The only thing to note is that you need to be quiet in the alley after 10 pm. As you can see, the houses here are all close together, so please try not to make noise. Feel free to ask me anything else..."
"Wait!" Guo Fa finally understood what was going on after listening for a while. He stopped and looked at her with a hint of wariness and hostility. "Are you also from the train station hotel?"
Xia Chan had no choice but to stop, stand up her suitcase, and glance back at him as if he were an idiot.
Guo Fa: "We're not staying at the hotel!"
Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but her eyebrows arched slightly in surprise. Her tone remained calm, though. "Aren't you from Shanghai?"
"We came from Shanghai, and we didn't say we needed accommodation! Are you trying to force us to buy? Were you just putting on an act with those people? Let me tell you, I used to be from Qingshui too, don't try to fool me! I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xia Chan's phone rang in her pocket.
She glanced at the number on the screen and genuinely showed some surprise. She then looked at them and answered the call in person.
"Hello."
"Hey, where are you? I've been waiting for you for ages..."
The alley was so quiet that faint sounds of Shenyu could be heard coming from her microphone.
Shen Zhoudu immediately realized that she had picked up the wrong person.
After hanging up the phone, Xia Chan suddenly fell silent, lowered her eyes and remained still for a long time. Finally, she glanced at Chen Zhoudu, said "sorry," and was about to leave.
Guo Fa was on the verge of a breakdown all day. First, he had to travel a long distance, then he was inexplicably ambushed by a bunch of bastards. He thought he had met a normal person who would help him, but it turned out to be another misunderstanding. He couldn't stop complaining.
"What the hell! You brought us here without even asking! This place is like a maze! Hey, don't go anywhere! You brought us here..."
Chen Zhoudu frowned slightly, wanting to stop Guo Fa, when he saw Xia Chan suddenly stop in her tracks.
He was about to apologize when he saw her suddenly turn around and stride up to Guo Fa.
Guo Fa's heart skipped a beat, thinking she was about to attack. He was about to yell at her when she suddenly raised her foot and kicked the rear wheel of the suitcase hard!
The suitcase tilted slightly, and the rear wheel made a loud snapping sound.
Guo Fa let out a startled cry.
Now one of the rear wheels is broken too, and there's nowhere to tow it anymore. Chen Zhoudu stood there, stunned, staring at her.
Her gaze swept coolly over the sunken ferry, but finally landed on Guo Fa. Her voice was sharp, like a blade of ice just honed in a summer ice cave, emanating a chill.
"They don't know how to be polite."
A note from the author:
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Hi everyone, I'm here! [Let me see!]~ Long time no see! I'm here to share my new story, "Crossing Summer," with you all! [Thumbs up!]
Campus + City / Long-awaited Reunion / Healing and Redemption / Mutual Devotion, [Loyal and Devoted Male Lead × Clear-headed and Carefree Female Lead], although summer has passed, I hope this story can bring you back to that warm summer~
[Heart] All names and places in this story are fictional. Shencheng is based on Shanghai, and Tongcheng, etc., are based on the author's hometown, a small, third-tier city in northern China. Please believe that the author has absolutely no intention of praising or belittling any region! They are merely used as the story's backdrop. No irresponsible comments or comments will be tolerated. Please consider all places in the story as fictional! Fictional!!
[Orange Heart] There are very few dialect parts in the text, and they are all concentrated in the first chapter. There will be no more dialects later on, so please believe me that it will not affect the subsequent reading.
[Huang Xin] The story is set in 2016, so the campus scenes may be a bit "old-fashioned". All year-related content will be marked as much as possible, but there is no guarantee that there will be no bugs or omissions. Please do not scrutinize it too closely.
[Green Heart] Daily updates, currently at 9 PM every night. Any changes will be announced in advance. I promise I won't abandon this project! Feel free to jump in!
[Qingxin] I don't check the comments section often, so if you need anything, you can find me on my Weibo: @奶茶味小仓鼠
[Blue Heart] My next book will probably be an urban romance called "If Time Doesn't Remember," so please add it to your favorites if you like it! Also, please check out my author page!
[Purple Heart] On the first day of writing, I'm giving out red envelopes to everyone. I wish you all happiness and joy every day, and I'm grateful for this encounter!
——————
Next up: "If Time Doesn't Remember" (synopsis)
Everyone in Beijiang City's social circles knows that Shi Sheng, the young lady of the Shi family, is infatuated with Lu Huaiyu, so much so that she is willing to be a substitute for him.
Lu Huaiyu, the second young master of the Lu family in Beijiang, is a promising young man with a cool and aloof demeanor. As the most promising young talent in the industry, his only regret is that there is always a white moonlight in his heart.
It is said that Miss Yao, his beloved, was his benefactor in his youth, and had nearly risked her life to save him many years ago. Lu Huaiyu had been devoted to her for many years, and was content even when she eventually became engaged to someone else.
During the years Shi Sheng stayed by Lu Huaiyu's side, she never competed or fought for anything, remaining content and obedient. She gave him all her passion and love, but in the end, she couldn't warm Lu Huaiyu's heart.
On the day she decided to leave, Lu Huaiyu asked her, "Where do you plan to go from here?"
Shi Sheng said, "I'm going to forget about you."
The man remained silent for a long time, then left with a blank expression, as indifferent as ever. "That's for the best, as you wish."
...
After Shi Sheng left, Lu Huaiyu learned that Shi Sheng suffered from neurogenic retrograde amnesia.
She would gradually forget this illness unless she deliberately tried to recall it. Every now and then, she would forget her previous memories.
She had forgotten the color of the parrot her family had when she was seven years old;
She had forgotten the name of the puppy that had been with her when she was ten years old;
She had also forgotten that when she was twelve, she had almost risked her life to save a boy named Lu Huaiyu.
...
On the day Lu Huaiyu learned the truth, he came to the Shi family's door alone.
That day, the sun shone brightly and the wind was warm. The girl stood in the breeze and smiled at him, just like when they first met.
Who are you?
-
The female lead was the one who saved the male lead, but she forgot because of her illness, so she also thought that the person who saved the male lead was the female supporting character.
The male lead loves the female lead. Don't worry about whether he loves the female lead or the person who saved him; the synopsis can only provide so much information. You'll find out when you read the story!
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