Meng Qiaoyu was baffled.
He and Lin Sitian sat side-by-side at her desk doing homework. On a phone holder in front of them, a video call was open, displaying the pale face of another boy silently working on problems.
He leaned close to Lin Sitian's ear and whispered, "Do we have to set up an altar just to do homework? Ow—!"
Lin Sitian stomped hard on his foot.
The boy on the screen, Zhou Sheng, looked up. He cleared his throat before speaking, suppressing a cough that threatened to erupt. [So, there's no need to make it that complicated.]
Between intermittent coughs, he proceeded to outline the approach Meng Qiaoyu had just taught Lin Sitian. Then he presented his own solution. His method was clearly more suitable for Lin Sitian – simpler, more direct. His explanation, unaffected by his illness, was logical and crystal clear. Lin Sitian understood quickly.
Meng Qiaoyu felt a twinge of resentment.
He knew this guy was Lin Sitian's deskmate. He'd also heard rumors they were dating, but later, her friend Yang Xuelin had told him it was just gossip. Watching them now… was this just a "study buddy" thing?
"Then… what about this conic section problem?" Lin Sitian glanced at her paper.
"Which one?" [Which one?] Two voices asked simultaneously.
Lin Sitian rubbed her nose, looking between the phone screen and Meng Qiaoyu beside her, both wearing identical questioning expressions. "…Question eight? I'm not sure if my current answer is right."
"Let me see." Meng Qiaoyu was quick. He snatched the paper.
On the video call, Zhou Sheng could only watch as Meng Qiaoyu leaned close to Lin Sitian, took the paper, and held it up in a way that completely blocked his view of them both.
"Oh, right. Since point P is on parabola C, set the slope of PA as k. What you're solving here is…" Meng Qiaoyu's voice came from behind the paper.
Zhou Sheng stared at his phone screen, a suffocating feeling tightening his chest. Lin Sitian had sent him photos of the problems earlier, but without her written answers, he couldn't analyze them and was effectively shut out. Interrupting Meng Qiaoyu mid-explanation now would be rude.
He pictured Meng Qiaoyu sitting beside her, leaning in close, blocked by that paper.
Zhou Sheng's hand holding the pen moved unconsciously, scribbling.
Line after line, on the paper, in his mind, chaotic circles.
Whether intentional or not, the paper remained a barrier. Meng Qiaoyu's voice continued, "So when you substitute and rearrange the equation here, it should be x² plus 2kx minus…" Meng Qiaoyu picked up a pen.
2XA=−4(k+1)2XA=−4(k+1)
His fingertip brushed the paper. Clean skin picked up a smudge of graphite, no longer pristine.
[Similarly, the answer derived is 2. Based on your earlier analysis, Lin Sitian's solution should be correct.]
"My answer is 2!" Lin Sitian clapped her hands. "Zhou Sheng, I got it right! Praise me! Praise me!"
Meng Qiaoyu raised an eyebrow, looking from the phone to the ecstatic Lin Sitian. Didn't she say she wasn't interested in math?
[Mhm.] Zhou Sheng couldn't help a small smile. Even lacking energy, he played along. [Very impressive.]
What is this… an elementary school tutoring session? Meng Qiaoyu found it unbelievable.
Lin Sitian bit her lip, grinning triumphantly.
Off-screen, Zhou Sheng rubbed his fingers together, spreading the graphite smudge further.
Perhaps spurred by masculine competitiveness, Meng Qiaoyu tried to claim every subsequent problem first. This time, he was smarter, not repeating the steps Lin Sitian had written in her answers. Zhou Sheng, stuck remotely and unable to see her work, found his brainpower useless. He could only occasionally interject before Meng Qiaoyu started, [Show me.]
But speaking too quickly triggered more coughing fits. Lin Sitian worriedly urged him, "Forget it, Zhou Sheng. Stop thinking about the problems. I know you can solve them all. It's not necessary. Go rest."
It was necessary. Absolutely necessary. Right now, he just wanted Lin Sitian to finish the problems quickly so that guy would leave.
"Meng Qiaoyu, give it back! That one doesn't need you looking!"
"57 points? Lin Sitian, what era is this test from?"
"Give it back! I just left it on the desk! Don't touch it!"
In his sickroom, Zhou Sheng's mind was still foggy. The sound of an argument drifted through the phone. Rubbing his temples, he looked up to see chaos unfolding on screen. Meng Qiaoyu was acting like the childhood bully who holds things out of reach, effortlessly blocking Lin Sitian with one hand while examining an old test paper with the other. Lin Sitian, furious, lunged to grab it, but he dodged nimbly.
In the struggle, Lin Sitian's hand hit the phone holder. With a "thunk" and a "beep," the call disconnected.
Zhou Sheng stared at his phone screen, now back on the chat interface. A long moment passed. No call came back.
Later, Zhou Sheng finally couldn't stand it and sent a video call invitation. Lin Sitian didn't answer.
He could only wait for her to call him.
[I finished all my homework.] A message from Lin Sitian appeared much later.
Zhou Sheng stared at the words, a sour feeling churning inside him.
Did that guy explain it for you? — He sent the message after a long pause.
[I did it myself! Meng Qiaoyu left ages ago.]
[Go to bed early today. Don't worry about my papers. If I have questions, I'll ask the teacher tomorrow.]
[Good night.]
Zhou Sheng slumped back in his chair, covering his eyes with his hand, another bout of ragged coughing shaking him.
So annoying.
Close to 11 PM, Lin Sitian was almost asleep when a vibration jolted her awake.
Fumbling on her nightstand, she grabbed her phone, rubbing her eyes as she brought it close.
Her heart instantly began to race.
It was Zhou Sheng.
Zhou Sheng calling her in the dead of night? At this hour, it was impossible not to overthink. Was it because he hadn't seen her all day? Had the memory of their madness in the classroom yesterday afternoon resurfaced in the quiet of night? Or… had Meng Qiaoyu's visit to her house tonight finally sparked some sense of urgency? Before she even answered, Lin Sitian had cycled through every possibility in her mind. Any one would do. Just receiving this call from Zhou Sheng now had her heart fluttering wildly.
He'd been so sick earlier. After kicking Meng Qiaoyu out, she'd deliberately refrained from calling back, wanting him to rest. She'd finished her homework alone, even ignoring his video call invite. If she'd known he'd still be awake this late…
Lin Sitian cleared her throat, adopting a voice that was half-lazy, half-tender. "Hello?"
[…Uh, it's me.]
Obviously it's you. It's a QQ call.
[Lin Sitian, about Meng Qiaoyu today…]
Option 3! The correct answer is 3! He feels threatened! Lin Sitian let out a soft breath. "What about Meng Qiaoyu?"
[I was thinking… the proof for question thirteen on Paper B that Meng Qiaoyu taught you today… his method isn't great. I have a better solution than his—]
Lin Sitian cursed under her breath and hung up the phone.
On the day of the midterm exam, Lin Sitian finally saw Zhou Sheng again after their "long" three-day separation.
They'd been in a silent standoff these past few days. She hadn't sent him a single message. Zhou Sheng had asked how her exam prep was going, but she'd ignored him. She simply couldn't fathom how a seventeen-year-old guy could be so single-mindedly obsessed – while others preened with dazzling feathers, Zhou Sheng preened with the Hengshui Golden Test Papers: 108 Sets. He deserved to be buried under them.
Oh, if he were actually buried in test papers, he'd probably hang a sign on the pile: Do Not Disturb.
Thinking this made Lin Sitian even more frustrated. She shot an unwarranted glare at the oblivious Zhou Sheng.
Zhou Sheng had just sat down. Sensing her gaze, he turned, his eyes questioning.
Lin Sitian hastily looked away.
"Morning." He initiated the greeting, seemingly oblivious to her recent cold shoulder.
"…Morning."
"These past few days—"
"Studied. Didn't slack off." Lin Sitian guessed he'd ask about her exam prep and decided to preempt him. "Don't worry, I'll definitely pass this time."
Zhou Sheng nodded. "Actually, I was going to ask how you've been these past few days."
Oh. Rare.
"I have something for you." Zhou Sheng seemed to remember, lowering his head to rummage in his bag.
Lin Sitian blinked. He's actually giving me a gift?
No. Caution. She braced herself. Is it the Five Years? Past papers? Or Hengshui tests?
Watching Zhou Sheng pull out what looked like an empty hand from his bag, Lin Sitian inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Not a study guide or test paper.
Zhou Sheng opened his palm. Resting on it was a small, black-and-yellow plastic component that resembled a circuit board. In Lin Sitian's estimation – hideously ugly.
"What is this?"
"A flashlight," Zhou Sheng replied, his seemingly calm eyes gleaming, a hint of pride in his tone. "But you can use it as a keychain. It also works as a bottle opener. You could even prop your phone up with it."
He then thoughtfully demonstrated. "See, just flip this part out, and it stands up."
"..."
"But its most important function is the flashlight. It's a high-intensity flashlight. Has 30 high-performance COB LEDs, can illuminate up to 30 square meters, with 500 lumens of brightness…" He demonstrated that too, nearly blinding Lin Sitian in broad daylight.
6.
The Arabic numeral flashed in Lin Sitian's mind. At this moment, she recalled the terror of internet jokes like "Gift this on her birthday, and your girlfriend will cry tears of joy."
But Zhou Sheng wasn't joking. He handed the keychain to her seriously. "I thought about that dark stretch near your house. Walking at night would be safer with this."
Lin Sitian had been momentarily speechless, stunned by the sheer, unique ugliness of the gift. But Zhou Sheng's final words salvaged it somewhat. Staring at the flashlight keychain in her palm, she suddenly didn't find it quite so ugly anymore.
After all, Zhou Sheng had thought about her safety and specially prepared this gift.
"Thanks." Lin Sitian slipped it into her pocket. She looked up at Zhou Sheng. After a few days apart, his color had improved. Though still pale from his recent illness, it lent him a fragile, scholarly air that matched his book-filled brain perfectly.
If only his brain could make room for her… All those moments of intimacy, pushing him to that point, yet he always seemed reluctantly pushed along. He'd get carried away verbally, but his mind was always on problems. When would this ever change?
"Zhou Sheng, this thing doesn't count as my reward."
She suddenly wanted to try one more time.
Zhou Sheng was pulling out his exam pens. He paused. "Huh? I didn't say it was a reward."
"What I mean is…" Lin Sitian leaned onto the desk, her voice dropping to a whisper only he could hear. "…Little Tutor, if I pass this exam, can I get a reward?"
Zhou Sheng looked at her. For some reason, the word "reward" made his heartbeat falter.
"All subjects?" Zhou Sheng rubbed his sore neck, avoiding Lin Sitian's gaze.
"Do they have to be all?" Lin Sitian's voice grew more plaintive. "That's so hard, wuwu."
"Then…"
"Then it's a deal." She declared abruptly.
"?"