In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. It was already completely dark when Wang Lianhua finished her talk.

Shengxia heard her and Lai Yilin chatting as they walked down the stairs.

It was the same in No. 2 Middle School. Whenever there was a parent-teacher meeting, Wang Lianhua was always the last one to leave. But at that time, she was considered a top student in No. 2 Middle School, and many teachers knew her father's connections, so they were more attentive to her.

now……

Why……

She could imagine how helpless those young teachers were towards her mother.

When she came out from the bottom of the stairs, Lai Yilin praised her, "Shengxia is a very hard-working child. Look, everyone else is out playing, but she is still memorizing words."

Wang Lianhua sighed, "Ah, we are also early birds. If the results are not good enough, we will work harder."

"It's okay. The average score for math is low this time, and it's the first time we've taken such a comprehensive test. It's normal that some of the knowledge structure won't be connected before midsummer. There's still time."

"Oh, oh, that's good. Thank you for your hard work, teachers."

"As it should be, we all love midsummer."

“…”

After another round of greetings, Shengxia could conclude that these words had been repeated many times in the office.

However, what Teacher Lai said is the same as what Zhang Shu said.

His analysis is quite accurate.

After finally saying goodbye, Wang Lianhua took Shengxia out to eat at Paogongguan. The fish maw chicken took quite a while to stew.

Wang Lianhua asked, "You sit at the same table with the boss's sister?"

Shengxia was stunned.

When Wang Lianhua attends parent-teacher conferences, she always looks straight ahead and rarely talks to others.

younger sister……

Um, this?

It was clearly an illusion I created, but now I feel ashamed to face it.

"Um."

"Then wasn't that girl your deskmate in the hospital last time?"

"Yeah, we take turns." Shengxia repeated the strange seating arrangement.

"That's quite a coincidence," Wang Lianhua said with emotion, "You said before that the boss lady at the after-school care center took good care of you. If I have time, I'll buy some gifts and go visit her."

"No, no, no, no." Shengxia refused again and again.

Wang Lianhua felt strange, "Why?"

"I'll just take it over. The after-school care center is quite busy."

"Okay," Wang Lianhua asked casually, "How's her sister's grades?"

Shengxia can hardly face the title of "sister".

The boy's Adam's apple, which was as big as a pigeon egg, flashed before my eyes...

Well……

"Better than me." Shengxia said.

Wang Lianhua nodded in satisfaction: "Then you should learn more from them. Teacher Wang also mentioned that the top student in your class has always been the top student in terms of age. You mentioned before that you would learn from other people's notes on wrong questions. How are you doing?"

Shengxia: "I'm following his method, it's really good."

"Watch more and learn more. It is true that the classmates around you are different when you change the platform."

"Um."

Shengxia breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that her mother was quite satisfied with today's parents' meeting.

Shengxia returned to the classroom before evening self-study. Zhang Shu had already arrived. As usual, he was surrounded by a group of people. The recent NBA games were fierce, and the boys often came over and chatted enthusiastically. Hou Junqi also often stayed up late to watch the games and slept all day before class the next day.

Zhang Shu took advantage of every opportunity and read on his phone during breaks and meals.

But what they were talking about today was not ball.

Or maybe they have finished chatting and are now teasing Zhang Shu...'s table.

"Is this too girly?"

"This pencil case is tolerable, but what is that thing on the bookend?"

"Ah Shu, this happened in Shengxia, right?"

Yang Linyu, who witnessed everything in the afternoon, said: "You are really smart."

"How beautiful! Are you blind?" Zhang Shu asked unkindly, "Isn't it beautiful?"

People flattered her against their will, using an antonymous tone: "It's beautiful, it's really beautiful, if you say it's beautiful then it's beautiful."

"What do you know? This is called loving the person and loving his dog!"

Love the house and the dog...

What kind of foul term is this?

Shengxia felt like something hit her chest.

Can she turn around and leave now?

The bell rang and a crowd of people scattered. When I turned around, I saw a slender figure in the darkness at the door.

They returned to their seats with joking looks.

Shengxia also lowered his head and slowly returned to his seat with crutches.

"Shall I tear it off for you?" Shengxia pointed at the stickers.

Zhang Shu didn't care: "Can it be recycled after being torn off?"

Midsummer shakes its head.

"Then why tear it up? Are you going to destroy the bridge after crossing it?"

“…”

I don't know if he really thinks she's pretty, or if he's just trying to save her face behind her back. He always seems to be like this, saying bad things to her face but saying nice things behind her back.

Don't play by the rules.

Shengxia didn't bother much, but put away his notebook and pencil case.

After finishing the work, I started studying and did my own thing. There was nothing else to say.

After a while, I felt the boy approach me and whispered, "How was my cooperation today?"

Shengxia turned her head and saw his face was very close to her. She leaned back a little and asked, "What cooperation?"

Zhang Shu saw her frightened state and asked, "Your mother didn't notice anything, did she?"

Shengxia's heart was pounding, and she suddenly remembered her sister...

“No, no.”

"Don't worry, I've talked to my sister, so I can't expose you," he said in a low voice, his breath blowing against her ears, "But...what's wrong with your deskmate being a boy? Have you ever been caught in a premature relationship by your mother in No. 2 Middle School?"

Shengxia quickly turned her head away, her head shaking like a rattle, "No!"

"Never?"

"no!"

He just chuckled and sat back up, finally moving away from her.

The teacher came in and did his usual rounds before class.

He didn't say anything else, and Shengxia Dagu's heart calmed down.

On the weekend, Tao Zhizhi came to Feicui Lanting to visit Shengxia.

Ever since she injured her leg in midsummer, their appointment to meet at Yifang Bookstore ended. The two sisters were busy with their studies and only chatted with each other occasionally on QQ.

Wu Qiuxuan happened to come back this weekend, and Wang Lianhua took Xiaoxiao to see a psychiatrist.

When there is no tiger in the house, the monkey becomes king. Wu Qiuxuan slumped on the sofa watching the talent show.

Shengxia and Tao Zhizhi chatted casually.

Chat about study, chat about new friends - Zhang Shu.

Shengxia told Tao Zhizhi how she injured her leg. Her best friend didn't sympathize with her, but she called it a scene from an idol drama, so she came to watch the anime.

"So he carries you up and down the stairs to eat every day? He fetches water for you, ties your shoelaces, and comes and goes at your beck and call?" Tao Zhizhi was shocked.

Shengxia: "No, it was just a few days after the cast was put on. Now I can go up and down the stairs by myself."

"Fuck, something's wrong," Tao Zhizhi completely ignored Shengxia's explanation, "This isn't the way to be responsible. Does he have a girlfriend?"

"No, I guess..."

"What do you mean?"

Sheng Xia was confused: "How can I say for sure about other people's affairs?"

"Check QQ space to see if there are any clues!" Tao Zhizhi said.

Shengxia said: "There's nothing on his space except game screenshots?"

"Have you seen it?"

“I’ve seen it.”

"Have you finished reading all of them?"

"Hmm..." I guess so. I finished it in one glance.

"You're done!" Tao Zhizhi suddenly jumped up, pretending to be serious, "You like him!"

Shengxia's heart skipped a beat, "You, what are you talking about!"

"Why else would you look through his space?"

She didn’t! Did she slip?

But...wait!

"Look at a person's space thoroughly and just ask, do you like her?" Shengxia found this question a bit difficult to answer.

Tao Zhizhi said as a matter of course: "Isn't it? Or are you just free? This is different from just casually clicking on the likes and comments. You must want to know about him from beginning to end, to know about his past, to know how he spent the days when you were absent. Or maybe you just miss him. Aren't you the same? Only..."

There was a buzzing in Shengxia's ears, and she gradually could not hear clearly what Tao Zhizhi said next.

Is that so?

Does he want to know about her past?

Or, does he miss her?

He turned her space upside down. Was it because he liked her?

This awareness was like a flying disc that suddenly attacked, circling at high speed, and then suddenly stopped. The impact was so great that it stunned Shengxia.

Tao Zhizhi talked a lot but got no response. She waved her hands and saw that Shengxia still ignored her. She shouted exaggeratedly: "You are finished, you have fallen in love!"

Wu Qiuxuan looked over curiously when she heard that.

Tao Zhizhi asked, "Isn't this the show from two years ago? Why are you watching it now, Xuan?"

Wu Qiuxuan said: "It depends on my fate. If he doesn't do business, I can only keep doing archaeology, using a magnifying glass to do archaeology."

Tao Zhizhi: "Go to Bilibili and find some CUTs. They can make new things out of old stuff!"

Wu Qiuxuan: "I've looked for it, I've seen everything I could see, I've bought all the peripherals I should buy, I've followed all the people I should follow, my wife is already at a loss as to what to do, I'm crying out for help..."

"You make it yourself. Can't you draw?"

"I am not worthy. I cannot paint his soul."

“…”

Shengxia had come back to her senses and was listening to their conversation quietly. This was another conversation where she could understand every word but couldn't understand them when they were put together.

Tao Zhizhi patted Shengxia and said, "I think none of them are as good-looking as Zhang Shu. What do you think?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she received Wu Qiuxuan's killing look, and Tao Zhizhi quickly changed her words, "Ah no, except for you, no one else is as good-looking as Zhang Shu!"

Shengxia felt that she couldn't stand hearing this name now.

Although Wu Qiuxuan insisted that she was the most handsome, she was still curious and asked, "Sister Zhizhi, who is Zhang Shu?"

"One..." Tao Zhizhi raised his eyebrows and nudged Shengxia with his elbow, "Ask your sister!"

Wu Qiuxuan sat up suddenly and walked to Shengxia with interest, "Sister, who is it? Your boyfriend?"

Sheng Xia's eyes widened slightly, and she scolded, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Wu Qiuxuan became more interested, "Who is that?"

Tao Zhizhi looked at her best friend's reaction - her whole body was stiff, but her eyes were evasive. It was obvious that something was wrong!

She said mysteriously, "He's your sister's deskmate, a perfect boy, handsome, good at studying, good at singing, can play guitar and drums, can play ball, is good at playing games, is tall, and can draw..."

Shengxia looked at Tao Zhizhi in surprise: "How do you know he can paint?"

She’s also good at playing games, singing, guitar and drums, but even her deskmate doesn’t know that?

Shengxia was just confused, so she asked subconsciously. But this instant reaction made Wu Qiuxuan certain that her sister must have something going on with this brother Zhang Shu!

Tao Zhizhi said: "Of course I heard it. You don't know how popular he is now."

Shengxia: ...She is ignorant. He hangs around her every day, but she can't figure out what makes her angry.

"Is it so exaggerated?" Has it spread to other schools? Shengxia didn't quite believe it. At least she had never heard gossip about boys from other schools.

Tao Zhizhi laughed: "Of course I pay special attention to you because of you, but! After all, I only get attention because someone is discussing me, hehe!"

Hey, what the hell does it have to do with her?

Shengxia didn't say anything, but Wu Qiuxuan was excited: "Is it true? Are there any photos?"

Tao Zhizhi: "There is a video. It was posted on the Affiliated High School's Weibo."

Wu Qiuxuan: "Really handsome?"

Tao Zhizhi pointed at the TV and said, "Probably, 80% or 90% of them are more handsome!"

Wu Qiuxuan picked up her iPad to check Weibo, while Tao Zhizhi instructed her experiencedly, "Go to the Affiliated High School homepage and search for the ceremony. There are several videos. The one with the music club on the cover, yes, go to around three and a half minutes..."

"Wow, these playback data are really impressive for an amateur..."

Two heads were pressed against the tablet, and they didn't notice that Shengxia, who had been indifferent just now, also sat up straight and leaned forward with his arms propped up.

Video playback.

Under the spotlight is a neatly organized band. A few people make some adjustments to their instruments. The drummer strikes the drums, a lively rhythm begins, and a lazy male voice comes out.

"I want to take you to the beach on a naturally sunny day..."

The lead singer was not the guitarist, but the drummer, Zhang Shu.

He was wearing a simple black T-shirt, his body swaying to the rhythm of the drums, his whole body coordinated and natural, the microphone was placed across the drum set, he sang with his head slightly tilted, it did not affect the movements of his hands at all, he did not look at the audience from beginning to end, his posture was so lazy and casual that it did not seem like a performance.

He was just playing.

"Actually, there is no need for profound language. We still have some time..."

"Can you please pay more attention? Please stop being absent-minded..."

This voice is completely different from when he speaks. The timbre is still the same, but the pronunciation... Shengxia can't put it into words. It's like a cat's paw, lazily scratching you, and the tail end suddenly reveals a hook, which makes people feel prickly and itchy.

At the end of the chorus, the accompaniment in the middle was heavy and fast, and the amplitude of his swinging movements was wide and wide, so fast that he could see double images, and even his fluffy hair swayed along with it. He was completely immersed in the rhythm, relaxing to his heart's content, and letting his hormones run wild.

There were cheers and screams from the audience.

The two girls outside the screen didn't stop screaming "Ahhhhhh".

"How can we say goodbye to the time we spent torturing each other..."

The climax near the end is a few high notes that are close to shouting. Zhang Shu sings with his head tilted back, and the spotlight shines directly on his face from the top of his head, outlining his high nose bridge and sexy profile.

And, perhaps not many people notice, the shadow cast by the protruding Adam's apple.

Shengxia narrowed her eyes unnaturally.

"On a naturally sunny day, I want to take you to the beach..."

The performance ended, the music stopped abruptly, but his microphone was still on, and his rapid breathing was fully recorded, as well as his short laugh at his teammates while panting...

Shengxia was very familiar with that laugh. He often gave a short laugh, the sound coming out of his nose, with a breathy tone, and filled with his casualness and disdain.

She couldn't bear it, and he was still panting...

"Stop breathing, bro."

"It's numb."

The video faded out and entered the next program, and the screaming outside the screen continued.

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

"Why don't you make a debut?"

"Is he handsome?"

Handsome or not?

Lying back on the sofa in midsummer, I swallowed unnaturally through my dry throat.

It's numb.

"Well, what are you thinking if you don't make your debut?" Wu Qiuxuan kept repeating.

Tao Zhizhi sneered: "What's the point? I want to be the top scorer in the imperial examination!"

"Damn! It's another good student who I look down on but can't get rid of," Wu Qiuxuan said while taking advantage of him, but turned around and pulled Shengxia, "Sister, can you take him down and make him my brother-in-law?"

Shengxia's heart was beating unsteadily, and she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him!

"Nonsense, you are only 14 years old! Wu Qiuxuan!"

Wu Qiuxuan: "Why are you still so angry and upset? You can be my gentle, generous, beautiful and lovable sister!"

Tao Zhizhi: “Hahahahahahahahaha!”