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Lin Zhan woke up when school ended.
She was jolted awake by the sound of the dismissal bell and everyone’s cheers.
Dazed, Lin Zhan straightened herself and asked Zheng Yi Mian: “Is the first class over?”
Zheng Yi Mian: “The third class is over—it’s time to go home.”
Lin Zhan: “...”
“I slept through the entire afternoon?” Lin Zhan exclaimed. “No one woke me? Didn’t the teacher scold me?”
Zheng Yi Mian: “They saw you. Maybe because you’re usually serious in class, the teacher didn’t call on you since they noticed you weren’t feeling well.”
Zheng Yi Mian: “How did you fall asleep? When I came back, you were already sound asleep…”
Lin Zhan: “I was talking to Shen Xi, and then I got sleepy... I knew he came to laugh at my dark circles!”
Zheng Yi Mian: “I think…”
Lin Zhan glanced around and spotted an essay material magazine nearby.
Lin Zhan: “Who put this here? It looks so dumb…”
Zheng Yi Mian looked at her: “Shen Xi put it there.”
Lin Zhan lowered her head. Her hand, which had been poised to throw the magazine away, changed direction and stuffed it directly into her bag instead.
“It’s been a while since I’ve read such a wise publication. I’ll read it every night before bed.”
With that, she pretended to dust off the cover theatrically.
Zheng Yi Mian: “...”
As the two walked out of the classroom, Lin Zhan suddenly remembered the key point: “But he hasn’t returned my whistle yet, right?”
“Mm,” Zheng Yi Mian asked her, “But what use is that whistle to you? Why are you so obsessed with it?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Lin Zhan said softly. “I’m looking for opportunities to get closer to him.”
After walking a few steps, Zheng Yi Mian finally asked a question that had been troubling her for a long time: “Zhan Zhan.”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you like Shen Xi so much? Is it really love at first sight?”
To say that Lin Zhan had suitors—Chonggao could find plenty of them. Some were good-looking and in advanced classes, while others were from art classes, more stylish than ordinary boys.
Though Shen Xi was indeed handsome, Zheng Yi Mian believed his face alone wasn’t enough to make Lin Zhan so infatuated.
Without hesitation, Lin Zhan replied: “It really was love at first sight, but it’s not just about his looks… Though Shen Xi’s face is very attractive, exactly the type I like—cold and restrained—and incredibly striking from every angle…”
Zheng Yi Mian: “Get to the point.”
Lin Zhan finally became serious: “Don’t you think Shen Xi has a certain quality that sets him apart from most people?”
Zheng Yi Mian paused: “I don’t see it…”
Lin Zhan carefully analyzed it with her: “I think I was drawn to him because he has something I lack…”
By the time she finished speaking, the two had already left the school grounds. Lin Zhan noticed someone following behind her.
Lin Zhan immediately fell silent.
She wasn’t so dull as to discuss her reasons for liking him in front of the person she liked—it would be too embarrassing.
She nudged Zheng Yi Mian: “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Had Shen Xi heard any of what she just said? How much had he heard?
Given his intelligence, would he have guessed what she was about to say?
After saying that, to cover her panic at potentially being caught, she blurted out directly to Shen Xi: “You haven’t returned my whistle yet, right?”
Lin Zhan felt her face heat up again.
Sigh, how weak was her mental fortitude…
Shen Xi observed that though her complexion was still pale, she looked much better than before. The tension in him finally eased.
He reached behind him to retrieve the whistle.
After handing it to Lin Zhan, he noticed she seemed a bit more cheerful.
Lin Zhan: “Looks like I might sleep well tonight.”
Shen Xi pressed further: “Why couldn’t you sleep last night?”
He saw how easily she fell asleep.
Lin Zhan slowed her pace, walking beside him, and half-joked: “Because you didn’t add me on QQ.”
When she joked, she instinctively tilted her head slightly, raised her chin, and let out a faint smile.
For some reason, he felt that perhaps she could be even happier if she allowed herself to truly enjoy life.
///
Sun Hong was playing basketball. During halftime, Zhang Ze remembered Shen Xi’s request and decided to ask.
“Shen Xi asked me to help find out if Lin Zhan has been under a lot of pressure lately.”
Sun Hong thought about it. Lin Zhan probably wouldn’t mind him discussing this, so he laid it all out.
“Yeah, Lin Zhan’s stress comes in waves. She gets particularly nervous during big competitions. It seems her dad wants to send her to another competition, but her mental resilience isn’t great, and she suffers insomnia before events.”
“Because… how should I put it? Generally, there’s only one spot per big competition for the whole school. Everyone competes for it, but it always ends up being Lin Zhan. You know, when that happens, all eyes are on her. If she makes even a small mistake, people will talk.”
Zhang Ze: “She could just not go.”
Sun Hong laughed: “It’s not that simple. Her dad doesn’t usually ask her opinion—he just registers her. If she wins an award, he doesn’t praise her; he expects her to perform equally well next time. If she doesn’t win, he feels humiliated and lectures her for a long time.”
Zhang Ze paused before saying: “Being the principal’s daughter must be tough…”
Sun Hong shook his head: “Actually, it’s complicated. You know our school’s art program, right? Someone like Zheng Yi Mian is considered top-tier, but her style is hard to win awards with—it’s mostly exam-oriented. If students like her compete, they might win second or third place at best, but their results are stable.”
“Lin Zhan, on the other hand, is inconsistent. But whenever she wins, it’s always first prize.”
“I understand,” Zhang Ze said. “So it’s not just her dad abusing his authority—it’s that the school wants better results and can only take a gamble. If they win, it’s a success. If they lose, they get nothing. That’s why Lin Zhan feels so much pressure—it’s understandable.”
Sun Hong: “She’s usually quite relaxed and recovers quickly, but… everyone has their low points. Her lows come and go fast—you should understand, right?”
“We understand,” Zhang Ze said. “Outgoing people aren’t always optimistic.”
Sun Hong: “Good that you understand.”
Many people don’t. Sometimes, when Lin Zhan seems down, they’re surprised and ask: “How can Lin Zhan be so depressed?”
Actually, it’s normal. Everyone is full of contradictions. Everyone has moments of pain where they feel like they don’t want to live anymore.
It’s just that Lin Zhan expresses her pain lightly, almost jokingly.
But fortunately, she can recover on her own.
///
When Lin Zhan got home, Lin Zhengping hadn’t returned yet.
She exhaled in relief, ate dinner, and went back to her room to draw.
After finishing three quick sketches, she checked her phone—it was already nine o’clock.
There was a new notification on QQ.
A quick glance sent her adrenaline skyrocketing. She felt dizzy and nearly dropped her phone.
To ensure she wasn’t seeing things, Lin Zhan gripped her phone tightly and read the message notification carefully.
A friend request.
The note read: [Shen Xi]
Lin Zhan rubbed her temples.
Why was she feeling so dizzy? Did she have low blood sugar… or high blood pressure…?
At this moment, these two unrealistic thoughts felt more real than what she was seeing.
Lin Zhan pressed [Accept].
She threw her phone onto the bed and collapsed onto the mattress, rolling around restlessly.
Hiding her face in the pillow, she wanted to scream loudly.
AAAAAAHHHHH—
She screamed for about ten minutes.
Lin Zhan sat up, cradling her phone as if holding her absurdly expensive set of paintbrushes.
She opened the chat window.
[We are now friends! Let’s chat!]
Why wasn’t he chatting with her yet??
Fine, if he doesn’t move, I will.
Lin Zhan: [Mwah~]
///
Shen Xi: “...”
Soon, he saw her instantly retract that message.
Lin Zhan: [Hello, may I ask why you added me?]
Lin Zhan: [I accidentally typed that earlier.]
Such a strange vibe.
Shen Xi didn’t reply.
///
Fifteen minutes later, Lin Zhan panicked and went to Zheng Yi Mian for help.
Zheng Yi Mian: [If you’ve added him, you didn’t say anything weird, did you?]
Lin Zhan: [...]
Zheng Yi Mian: [What? What did you say?]
Lin Zhan: [Mwah~]
Zheng Yi Mian: [???]
Lin Zhan: [But I retracted it quickly—he probably didn’t see it.]
Zheng Yi Mian: [If his phone was locked, the preview would show the message. Retracting it won’t help.]
Lin Zhan: [He must think I’m a bold girl. Let me pack my things—I’m jumping off the building.]
Zheng Yi Mian: [...]
Lin Zhan: [Oh.]
...
Just as Lin Zhan was about to reply to Zheng Yi Mian with “I only act like this with him,” she started typing a single character, then received a new message.
Panicking, she hastily exited and took a deep breath before looking at her phone screen.
It was from Shen Xi.
Before she could feel surprised, she opened the chat window and was startled by his formal tone.
Why was it so long? What was he sending?
Shen Xi: [BBC’s Ten Sleep Rules: 1. Take a hot bath before bed. A hot bath helps improve blood circulation…]
What the heck??
With a head full of questions, Lin Zhan spent ten minutes reading the “Ten Sleep Rules” he sent. Just as she was about to ask, “Is the student council conducting research?” she suddenly had an epiphany and opened Baidu.
She searched for [how to fall asleep quickly], and several related search results popped up…
Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow…
Lin Zhan opened Zheng Yi Mian’s chat window: [OMG!! Shen Xi didn’t reply earlier because he was helping me find resources!! He sent me tips on how to fall asleep quickly!! I’m exploding!!]
Zheng Yi Mian: [Calm down...]
Lin Zhan: [Shen Xi has a crush on me!!!]
Zheng Yi Mian: [...]
Although she joked with Zheng Yi Mian like this, Lin Zhan knew deep down that Shen Xi might just be casually caring for a classmate, giving her a way out after her slip-up earlier, or repaying her for lending him the whistle…
In middle school, her seatmate had a crush on a boy who treated her like a friend—chatting, joking, and eating together.
The girl misinterpreted his actions and eventually became deeply entangled, unable to extricate herself.
Lin Zhan thought to herself: she’d treat Shen Xi’s gestures as friendly care for now. Before she could confirm his feelings, she’d try to control herself and not greedily hope for more.
If she got greedy, she might end up with nothing.
Lin Zhan opened Shen Xi’s chat window and resumed her usual teasing tone, half-serious and half-joking.
[Aww, even this was copied. Couldn’t you put in a little more effort?]
[But thank you anyway—I’ll definitely have sweet dreams tonight.]
///
Shen Xi put down his phone and went to take a shower.
Afterward, he closed the numerous search tabs on his phone and noticed a new message.
He could already picture the expression she wore while sending it—pitiful, with slightly raised eyebrows, like a child asking for candy or someone eagerly expecting praise after completing a task.
That probing, roundabout gaze, tinged with a hint of vulnerability and hope.
Lin Zhan: [Won’t you say goodnight to me?]
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