It was only in the evening that Hua Yan received his reply.
Lu Chengsha: Change to what?
When she received the message, her desk was cluttered with reference books, practice papers, and notes. She was frantically organizing them as Lu Chengsha had instructed. Last night, she didn’t think much of it while recording, but today, with his voice in her ears through the headphones, it felt different.
The night was quiet, and Lu Chengsha’s voice, slightly lowered due to the recording, had a somewhat hazy and ambiguous quality, almost like a whisper.
Listening to it for a while, her face turned slightly red, feeling that it was quite different from listening to a teacher.
Hua Yan had to remind herself, “Wake up, this is just a Teaching App!”
Only then did she calm down and continue organizing.
Initially, Hua Yan thought his explanations were good but somewhat vague, unsure how it would help with problem-solving. After organizing and analyzing the questions with his thought process to find the key points, she realized that connecting fragmented knowledge into a system was indeed helpful for memory.
Lu Chengsha also told her that once you understand clearly, you can glance at a question and intuitively know what it’s testing, then quickly find the solution method—high school math isn’t difficult.
Hua Yan almost wanted to block him again.
However, at that moment, looking at the very serious avatar and message name of Lu Chengsha, she suddenly felt inexplicably soft-hearted.
Xiao Hua: Any random picture will do! Even a photo you took yourself! [Sending you flowers.jpg]
Lu Chengsha: Hmm.
After a while, Lu Chengsha sent a screenshot asking her how to use the previous “pat” feature.
Xiao Hua: Oh, you just double-tap my avatar.
“Lu Chengsha patted my head.”
Hua Yan: “…”
It was clearly her who set up the pat feature, but now it suddenly felt a bit hard to look at.
“Lu Chengsha patted my head.”
“Lu Chengsha patted my head.”
Why did he seem to get addicted to it!
Xiao Hua: Are you childish or what! [Covering face.jpg]
Lu Chengsha: Oh.
Lu Chengsha: Have you done the problems?
…Alright, fine.
Hua Yan quickly changed his note back to “Teaching App.” Transitioning from SMS to WeChat made it seem more appropriate.
She thought about it and pinned his chat to the top to remind herself to study.
—
Since learning about Lu Chengsha’s school schedule and where he lived, Hua Yan found it hard not to glance down every morning.
Her bed faced a floor-to-ceiling window, and while she slept with heavy curtains drawn, she could use a remote to open them in the morning. This allowed her to see the path below the opposite building, holding onto the hope that Lu Chengsha might pass by, which filled her with a strange sense of anticipation.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t wake up at six o’clock.
But in the evenings, when she looked up through the window, she could see the lights in Lu Chengsha’s house. She knew he lived two floors above her, although she wasn’t sure which light was his room. Seeing the lights gave her a subtle motivation.
Lu Chengsha was still working hard, so why couldn’t she?
Once, she mentioned this to him inadvertently.
Teaching App: I’m on the east side.
Xiao Hua: Huh? [Confused.jpg]
When she looked up, she saw a window on Lu Chengsha’s floor open. Illuminated by the light, a silhouette stood at the windowsill. Hua Yan instinctively walked over and opened her window too.
The distance between the two buildings was neither too close nor too far.
Late at night, it wasn’t suitable for shouting, so Hua Yan turned on her phone’s flashlight and waved it at him, then sent a message.
Xiao Hua: Can you see me? [Excited.jpg]
The silhouette on the other side looked down.
Teaching App: Hmm.
Then he fiddled with something, and a beam of light shone from his hand, falling in front of her.
It felt as though they were sending signals from trenches to each other.
After a while, Hua Yan sat back at her desk. Stretching her arms, she realized how silly her actions were.
But she couldn’t help but smile.
It felt like they shared a secret known only to the two of them.
Even her motivation for doing problems seemed to increase.
- ••
“Ah, you know Study God Lu lives nearby, right? He was the top scorer in the high school entrance exam. He almost got into our Zhengyi School.”
Hua Yan quickly asked, “Then why didn’t he get in?”
“Obviously, because Tingjian is closer to home, so he chose Tingjian as his first choice.”
“Okay…” Hua Yan felt a bit of unexplainable regret.
Her desk mate leaned in, full of gossip, and whispered, “Why are you suddenly so interested in him? By the way, did anything happen after you asked for his number last time?”
Hua Yan, holding her phone under the desk, felt a secret, bubbling happiness.
She lowered her head slightly, saying, “Nothing much.”
Her desk mate looked unsurprised but disappointed. “I knew it, he’s such a straight-laced guy. You know, because he lives close by, he goes running on the school track before morning classes. Girls from the neighboring school come early just to bump into him, but he doesn’t react. Once, a girl even pretended to sprain her ankle—he just went and called the school nurse.”
Hua Yan couldn’t help but lower her head further.
“Hua Hua, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing.”
She rubbed her face, trying to suppress her strange smile.
—
Time flew by, and with only a week left until the monthly exams, Hua Yan had never studied so seriously in her life. Initially, she was just trying it out, thinking she’d give up if it didn’t work. But seeing Lu Chengsha’s WeChat pinned at the top every day made her anxious, and she surprisingly stuck with it.
The teaching app was incredibly effective.
But during the last weekend, she started to get restless.
Hua Yan was in her study room, working on problems, but soon started playing with her phone. Recently, the mobile game she played had a new event. She didn’t have time to play, so she could only spend some money to draw cards. Her desk mate sent her some funny videos, and her middle school friends were asking if she wanted to go out for a meal over the weekend, mentioning a newly opened trendy dessert shop with an especially good hazelnut chocolate mille-feuille cake…
It wasn’t that she wasn’t trying, it was just that the world was full of temptations!
Hua Yan politely declined her middle school friends’ invitation but still couldn’t focus on her problems. She thought for a moment and sent a message.
Xiao Hua: Do you have any tips for focusing on revision before exams? [Help.jpg]
Since it was the weekend, Lu Chengsha’s reply came quickly.
Teaching App: ?
Xiao Hua: Don’t you ever have this problem? [Confused.jpg]
…Ah, he probably doesn’t.
Just as Hua Yan was about to retract her message, Lu Chengsha replied again.
Teaching App: Study together?
Hua Yan stared at those two words for a while, thinking how this person always managed to say something that made her overthink, yet he seemed to have no such intentions.
Xiao Hua: …How?
Teaching App: I’ll share my location [Location shared]
Hua Yan was startled. She opened it to see the address of a nearby coffee shop, not too far away, but still…
Xiao Hua: Is it convenient? [Nervous.jpg]
Teaching App: Yes.
Xiao Hua: …Until when?
Teaching App: 9 PM.
Hua Yan hesitated and felt conflicted for a while but then decisively packed her things. She changed out of her loungewear and into a dress, but she wasn’t satisfied, so she tried on three dresses before deciding. She then brushed her long hair in front of the mirror and applied some lip balm before heading out.
The coffee shop was small, located on the second floor of a commercial street corner outside the residential area. The entrance was filled with greenery, and small potted plants lined the staircase, their leaves swaying gently in the drowsy afternoon light, looking endearing.
When she pushed the door open, a crisp bell rang, and the cozy, pleasant decor greeted her.
Although it was the weekend, the place wasn’t crowded. Hua Yan immediately spotted Lu Chengsha sitting by the window. The light cast a shadow on his handsome profile, highlighting his nose. He was holding a pen, head bent as he wrote something. His black hair fell slightly to the side, and his jawline was smooth and attractive. His posture was still textbook perfect, and there was another boy sitting opposite him.
As Hua Yan approached, she heard the boy complaining, “Brother Sha, isn’t there a way to win a competition without studying or doing problems?”
Without lifting his head, Lu Chengsha replied coolly, “No.”
Hua Yan paused, clutching her bag strap, unsure if she should go forward.
However, in the next moment, as if sensing something, Lu Chengsha slightly lifted his head, his dark eyes meeting hers.
Hua Yan, feeling nervous, tightened her grip on her bag strap.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
It was the boy sitting opposite Lu Chengsha who turned his head to follow Lu Chengsha’s gaze. Seeing Hua Yan, he exclaimed in shock, “Isn’t this from the neighboring school… Hua, what are you doing here? Do you need any help?”
Finally, Lu Chengsha spoke: “…Sit down.”
Hua Yan, also nervous, replied, “…Okay.”
It was a four-person table, with the two boys each occupying one side. Hua Yan had two choices. After a moment’s hesitation, she sat next to Lu Chengsha.
She had expected to see only him, not another person as well.
What was initially not nerve-wracking had suddenly become extremely so.
Hua Yan stiffly opened her bag, taking out the half-finished workbook and notebook. She also took out a pencil case, extracting a black gel pen, and lowered her head to start working on the problems.
Lu Chengsha continued writing as well.
The boy opposite them stared intensely at the two, clearly wanting to say something. “Um… aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Hua Yan couldn’t focus on the questions, her face warming. She whispered, “He’s… helping me with my studies.”
Lu Chengsha’s pen paused for a moment before he acknowledged with a “Hmm.”
“Is that so…” The boy dragged out his words, still somewhat skeptical but also visibly excited. “Hua, you’re preparing for the monthly exams, right? If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can also ask me! I’m in the same class as him, and my grades are quite good too…”
Lu Chengsha looked up at him.
The boy’s voice faltered. “Of course, not as good as his! But I’m definitely more patient and detailed.”
Hua Yan was no stranger to such attentiveness, but it felt oddly awkward now.
“Thank you, but…” Hua Yan said softly, “He’s quite patient too.”
“Really, he…”
The boy’s words were cut off by Lu Chengsha.
In a cold, firm tone, he said, “Don’t disturb others while they’re studying.” He rapped his knuckles on the boy’s table, “Have you finished your problems?”
The boy immediately deflated, retreating but still watching with curiosity and interest.
A café employee walked over and asked Hua Yan if she wanted to order anything. She ordered a cappuccino and a slice of Black Forest cake, then glanced at Lu Chengsha’s nearly empty cup and said, “Refill his cup too.”
The boy opposite couldn’t help but say, “What about me…”
Lu Chengsha slightly raised his head.
The boy immediately said, “…It’s fine! I’ll order for myself.”
The three of them then focused on their work again.
Hua Yan had come to concentrate, but with Lu Chengsha in her peripheral vision and her elbow just a nudge away from touching him, she felt even more distracted.
She noticed for the first time that he wasn’t wearing the Tingjian school uniform but casual clothes. He looked refreshingly clean, dressed in a simple black T-shirt and dark jeans, his long legs slightly bent, seeming a bit awkwardly placed.
Hua Yan bit on her pen cap, involuntarily gnawing it.
Perhaps noticing she had lingered too long on one question, Lu Chengsha’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear: “Do you need help with this question?”
“…Not really.”
But her words didn’t seem convincing.
The next moment, she felt Lu Chengsha lean closer, his presence suddenly enveloping her.
It was a clean and refreshing scent.
Hua Yan immediately looked down, hearing Lu Chengsha’s voice close by, slightly surprised: “This question is simple.” Then his pen moved over her paper, marking a few lines, the pen tip making a soft scratching sound.
Lu Chengsha’s voice continued, “Look…”
This distance was too close!
Hua Yan barely managed to steady herself, listened to his explanation, and quickly started writing.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t do the problem; she had just been distracted!
No more distractions!
She came here to study!
Hua Yan, blushing, made up her mind and wrote furiously. Just then, she heard the boy opposite cough and cautiously ask, “…Are you two dating?”
Her pen snapped, and she abruptly looked up, quickly saying, “…No.”
Lu Chengsha also looked up.
The boy didn’t believe it at all. With a knowing and indifferent expression, he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!” After saying that, he glanced meaningfully and enviously at Lu Chengsha, “Brother Sha, silently and stealthily… impressive.”
Lu Chengsha: “…?” What nonsense is he spouting?