CM - 5

Xu Su left, and Zhou Shuirong was about to face an unfamiliar environment alone. She wasn’t afraid, but Zhou Siyuan was a little worried. Elders always worry needlessly, afraid their children won’t fare well in a new place.

This was the first time Zhou Shuirong received a call from Zhou Siyuan since she arrived in Beijing. Just as she called out “Uncle,” her uncle gave her many tasks.

“Did you remember?” Zhou Siyuan asked.

Zhou Shuirong answered: “Yes, I remembered. Uncle, you’ve said these precautions many times.”

Zhou Siyuan was worried; his sister Zhou Yan’s daughter was his daughter, someone he loved dearly, fearing she might be wronged. “Maintain independent thinking, don’t let messy boys influence you.”

“No one less capable than my dad is enough to impress me. Do you think there’s anyone stronger than my dad in this world?”

Zhou Siyuan was relieved: “Yes, no one is stronger than Si Wen.”

Zhou Shuirong smiled faintly: “Of course, no one is Si Wen, and I will never be Zhou Yan.”

________________________________________

Zhao Guqing saw photos of Shen Tingwen and Zhou Shuirong in someone else’s social media feed, clenched her fists, her expression as pained as possible.

Zhu Jiayi was worried about her and skipped half of her tutoring class to find her.

Zhao Guqing opened the door for her, then walked to the living room with downcast eyes and sat cross-legged.

Zhu Jiayi glanced upstairs and asked, “Isn’t Auntie home?”

“They haven’t returned yet.”

Zhu Jiayi walked over to Zhao Guqing, sat down, and held her hand: “It’s probably nothing more than friendship, don’t be sad.”

Zhao Guqing wasn’t stupid: “I always thought he wasn’t going abroad because of what I said, completely overlooking that the day he decided not to go abroad was the same day Zhou Shuirong transferred to our school.”

Zhu Jiayi squeezed her hand: “I know you’re upset, but my mom says there are more options in college, much better than these high school ones.”

Zhao Guqing smiled: “College students are just high schoolers who went on to college. How much better can they really be? The good ones are good since high school. When Shen Tingwen goes to college and enters the workplace, his popularity will only be higher than it is now.”

Zhu Jiayi fell silent; she thought Zhao Guqing made a lot of sense.

Zhao Guqing said: “Monogamy protects men’s interests, because once polygamy is sanctioned, capable men will have many women, while incapable men won’t even dream of monogamy. An excellent person like Shen Tingwen, once he goes to college and enters the workforce, will only be fought over. Those claims about more options in college are just fabricated to prevent you from dating early.”

Zhu Jiayi vaguely understood her parents’ intentions in saying this, but Zhao Guqing’s bluntness left her unsure how to respond: “Where did you hear all this?”

“I read the books Shen Tingwen often reads. The more I read, the more I understood.”

The books Shen Tingwen read were not for people their age. She wanted to understand his inner world, so she forced herself to read them. As she read, her horizons broadened.

As the two chatted, Liang Jifan called. Zhao Guqing answered and put him on speaker: “Hello?”

Liang Jifan said: “Who’s that girl?”

Zhao Guqing was calm: “Zhou Shuirong.”

“The new transfer student? She’s that pretty?” Liang Jifan looked at the photos being circulated in the group chat: “Back then, I heard them say the transfer student was good-looking, and I thought it was nonsense, but turns out it’s really true.”

Zhu Jiayi rolled her eyes: “Are you interested again?”

Liang Jifan had been a big shot since kindergarten and still was. Don’t let his constant rebellious attitude, always getting into fights wherever he went, and his bragging and showing off fool you. He had a brash, naive aura, but he was quite popular with girls.

Perhaps this was the “bad boys get the girls” phenomenon of youth?

Anyway, boys in several school districts called him Fan Ge, and girls all wanted to be with him.

Liang Jifan looked at Zhou Shuirong’s smiling face in the photo. It was truly pleasing to the eye, so youthful: “No, why didn’t you tell me earlier that this transfer student was so good-looking? Are we still brothers?”

Zhu Jiayi rolled her eyes again: “Do you have something important to say? If not, I’m hanging up. I’m already annoyed, why are you messing around?”

“Annoyed about what? Shen Tingwen? I asked him this afternoon, he didn’t say he dislikes Qingqing.” Liang Jifan then called out Zhao Guqing’s name and added: “You focus on studying right now. After the college entrance exam, Zhu and I will help you. We’ll just sleep with him.”

Zhu Jiayi heard him rambling again and hung up the phone. She turned and put her arm around Zhao Guqing’s shoulder: “If Fanzi manages to get Zhou Shuirong, Shen Tingwen will stop thinking about her, and you’re not worse than Zhou Shuirong, so he’ll still choose you then.”

Zhao Guqing was comforted by her two friends, but still didn’t want to talk. She wanted preferential treatment, not to be a second choice.

“Next week is the school anniversary. It’s our senior year’s last group activity at the affiliated high school. The director said we can put on some performances. I’ll play the piano, you’ll be at the center, and you and Fanzi and the others will do a group dance. Shen Tingwen will definitely fall in love with you.”

Yes, the school anniversary was next week. Zhao Guqing looked up: “Can we sign up for performances?”

Zhu Jiayi nodded: “Yes, the director said seniors should participate too.”

Zhao Guqing imagined herself dancing, with Shen Tingwen watching from the audience. Her expression finally softened a little.

Zhu Jiayi sighed with relief, seeing her relax.

Zhao Guqing was her only best friend, and she didn’t want her to be too sad.

________________________________________

Zhou Shuirong finished showering, wiping her hair while checking her phone. She didn’t have QQ, only WeChat. The “New Friends” section of her WeChat was full of friend requests, but she scrolled through them, glanced briefly, and didn’t accept any.

She returned to the message list and saw Shen Tingwen’s profile picture. Tapping into his Moments, it was as clean as her own.

She put down her phone, dried her hair, sat down, and took out her test prep materials.

Tomorrow was the monthly exam, Zhou Shuirong’s first test since arriving at Guoda High School Affiliated to Peking University. The homeroom teacher, fearing she might feel pressured, stopped her after school and offered her some encouragement and comfort.

This knowledge wasn’t difficult, but it required a process of understanding, which took time. Zhou Shuirong had only been there for two days, and it wouldn’t be easy to catch up with everyone’s progress in such a short time.

She had just done two problems when her phone rang. She didn’t look at it. After finishing one test paper, she picked up her phone and saw Shen Tingwen’s message.

He said ‘thank you’ and ‘goodnight.’

She didn’t reply, just smiled: He’s so well-behaved. No wonder he gets bullied.

________________________________________

The taxi arrived. Shen Tingwen got out, went upstairs, entered the password, and stepped inside. The entrance hall featured a stone art piece, brought back by Shen Cheng from an auction in Hong Kong. Its transaction price was higher than the market value, but Shen Cheng still acquired it, because often in transactions, the items exchanged are not as simple as they appear on the surface. Shen Cheng spent a large sum on a stone and successfully leveraged the economic internal circulation.

This house was a gift from Shen Cheng to Shen Tingwen. After notarization, they had never visited again. For all these years, only Shen Tingwen had come and gone, and it had become his base for solitude.

The house was a three-story duplex, with a giant floor-to-ceiling television from the second to the first floor being the most striking design, showcasing the family’s economic power.

Shen Tingwen took the indoor elevator to the third floor and walked into a room.

As the lights turned on, the walls were covered with the experiences of Shen Tingwen’s first half of life. Where he had been, what he had seen, all marked by him. Just as knowing oneself and one’s enemy was Zhou Shuirong’s habit, using what he saw and heard to achieve his goals was Shen Tingwen’s habit.

He inherited Shen Cheng’s foresight and Wen Huo’s ability to hide her strength. He knew better than them how to make everyone and everything work to his advantage. Yet, he never expected that one day, this egoism would unravel due to the appearance of one person.

He sat down, his gaze falling on a photo on the wall. The photo was a group shot from a summer camp many years ago. In the far right of the photo, there was an indifferent gaze, full of killing intent, looking out of place among a crowd of innocent smiling faces.

The owner of this gaze was Zhou Shuirong, a girl who had filled him with a desire for exploration since childhood.

He was incredibly curious as to why she was so fast. Also, in the section for listing desired gifts, other girls wrote dresses, dolls, or electronic devices, but only she wrote Japanese jitte and kusarigama. Why would she want weapons?

Later, Shen Tingwen often thought of her, wanting to meet her again. He participated in various activities but never saw her again.

As he grew older, he used his own connections and his parents’ help to build a rich network. He learned to leverage it, wanting to learn about this girl. But every time he was about to discover her identity, all clues were suddenly scattered by a powerful resistance.

After it happened multiple times, he knew she was being protected.

He was born in a peaceful country, and his homeland protected him well. He hadn’t experienced the kind of fighting and slaughter depicted in movies, nor had he seen such meticulously refined protective measures. This made him even more curious.

This curiosity motivated him to strengthen himself, studying day and night, expanding his knowledge, and becoming capable of independent action early on.

The more curious he became, the greater Zhou Shuirong’s influence on him grew, to the point where he began to dream of her.

When he was fifteen, looking at a photo of sixteen-year-old Zhou Shuirong, he became aroused. He knew then that he couldn’t turn back. His feelings for Zhou Shuirong were no longer mere curiosity; they were possessiveness.

He wanted her.