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Psst! We're moving!
As the saying goes:
As students, how can we forget our roots?
Summer vacation homework—how could we possibly skip it?
Regarding personal principles and policies, Chi Zhiyu took them very seriously. She was determined to implement and fulfill every task, strictly demanding self-improvement and supervision—
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Wu Xuan couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted her directly.
The dance studio had emptied out by now. Wu Xuan casually bid farewell to classmates as she walked downstairs toward the gate with Chi Zhiyu.
The grand declaration came to an abrupt end. Chi Zhiyu clicked her tongue. “Can you at least let me finish?”
Wu Xuan rolled her eyes. “What’s the point of what you’re saying?”
Chi Zhiyu tilted her head. “To express my love for studying?”
“What love for studying?” Wu Xuan laughed. “You’ve just crushed a boy’s hopes.”
The evening sun was still bright. Chi Zhiyu opened her umbrella and chuckled. “Well, I’ve crushed plenty of them.”
Just after class ended, when Wu Xuan was about to leave, she overheard Jiang Jinxu’s invitation.
His intention was quite clear—he just wanted to create more opportunities to spend time alone with Chi Zhiyu.
Wu Xuan had always thought Jiang Jinxu and Chi Zhiyu made a good match. They were both talented and often participated in school dance competitions together, their professional skills perfectly aligned.
But alas, Chi Zhiyu had no interest in him. She immediately blurted out that she had no time at all tomorrow because she needed to do her physics homework.
What nonsense?
Wu Xuan was utterly baffled on the spot.
What kind of “study hard every day” talk was this?
“You must have seen through Jiang Jinxu’s intentions long ago, right?” Wu Xuan squeezed under her umbrella, sharing it with her.
“What intentions?” Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t he just inviting me to dance together?”
Wu Xuan played along, not pointing out the obvious. “Fine, dancing, dancing. But isn’t your excuse for refusing a bit too forced?”
Who spends an entire day doing homework?
“Why didn’t you say you were going to hang yourself from the ceiling and burn the midnight oil?”
Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Wouldn’t that sound fake?”
“?”
Wu Xuan: “And spending an entire day on physics homework doesn’t sound fake?”
“Where’s the fakeness?” Chi Zhiyu yawned. “It takes me half a day just to deal with His Majesty Xie Ye.”
“...”
Hard work indeed.
No wonder Wu Xuan didn’t question it at all.
Because Xie Ye’s temperament was truly unpredictable.
If you said he was arrogant, no—he occasionally helped classmates pass things or lent erasers, getting along well with both boys and girls.
But if you said he was kind, that wasn’t accurate either. Every time he spoke, he wore that “I’m-too-lazy-to-care” expression.
As a result, when they first entered high school, everyone in the class thought he was a delinquent due to his cool demeanor. But strangely enough, he never did anything rebellious. Instead, he quietly became one of the top students.
“Can Xie Ye even help you with your physics homework?” Wu Xuan was skeptical. “Didn’t he tell you yesterday to ask Newton to drop an app—”
Seeing a car parked by the roadside, Wu Xuan abruptly stopped mid-sentence and quickly changed her tone. “Good evening, Aunt Bai.”
Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu held up her umbrella and glanced toward the road.
The traffic was dispersing after work hours. A white Audi sedan passed by on the sidewalk, its rear window partially rolled down, revealing the upright figure of a woman sitting inside.
Her features were gentle and elegant, with a slight resemblance to Chi Zhiyu, but she exuded the soft gracefulness typical of southern women.
Chi Zhiyu froze upon recognizing her, not expecting Bai Li to return so soon.
Bai Li smiled faintly at Wu Xuan outside. “Hello. Come in and sit with us. I’ll drive you home.”
“No need.”
Chi Zhiyu spoke up first, her expression calm. “Her house is just ahead. No need to bother.”
Wu Xuan quickly nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Aunt Bai, you go ahead with Zhuyu. I’ll walk a bit more and be home soon.”
Seeing this, Bai Li didn’t insist. She smiled softly and gave a reminder. “Alright, be careful on the way home and get there early.”
Wu Xuan: “Okay, thank you, Aunt Bai.”
After the words fell, Chi Zhiyu handed the umbrella to Wu Xuan and turned to walk toward the car.
Once Bai Li saw her get into the car, she rolled up the window and signaled the driver to proceed.
The car started moving again, and a soft feminine voice broke the silence.
“Ayu, buckle your seatbelt.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Zhiyu naturally reached for the seatbelt with one hand. When she realized her automatic reaction, she paused for a moment before inserting it into the buckle.
Bai Li sat beside her, scrutinizing her posture with a critical gaze, her brows slightly furrowed. “Ayu, straighten your back. Don’t lean against the seat.”
Chi Zhiyu didn’t resist. She did as instructed, straightening her thin back and sitting upright with precision.
Seeing this, Bai Li seemed somewhat satisfied and gently asked, “How has your summer dance class been going?”
Chi Zhiyu replied indifferently, “Fine.”
“What do you mean by ‘fine’?” Bai Li frowned.
Chi Zhiyu explained, “Not difficult, not easy.”
“Ayu, with your abilities, you shouldn’t find it merely ‘fine.’ It shouldn’t be easy either.” Bai Li looked at her, her tone coaxing. “You know that Mother always expects the best. I want you to become the best dancer. Do you understand?”
The words echoed.
Expectations.
Chi Zhiyu’s lips twitched silently. “I understand.”
“Good, our Ayu is such a good girl.”
Bai Li’s lips curved upward, and she raised her hand to pat Chi Zhiyu’s head.
Chi Zhiyu noticed and instinctively leaned to the left, dodging her hand.
The air froze instantly.
Bai Li’s hand hovered in midair, momentarily uncomprehending.
Chi Zhiyu lowered her eyes and quickly spoke up. “The sun outside is a bit glaring. It’s hurting my eyes.”
Bai Li glanced at the sunlight streaming through the car window and naturally withdrew her hand, chuckling. “Right, avoid UV rays carefully. You absolutely mustn’t get tanned.”
On this topic, Bai Li remembered something else and asked, “Has your weight changed recently?”
Chi Zhiyu paused. “Probably… no.”
Bai Li wasn’t reassured. “Then when we get home, I’ll measure your body dimensions and make a record.”
At this, Chi Zhiyu furrowed her brows.
Thinking about the few bites of rice she ate last night, she wondered if they had already been digested.
If she gained weight…
It would definitely be Xie Ye’s fault.
She found someone to blame.
However, during the ride home, Chi Zhiyu was still thinking of countermeasures. But when it came time to weigh herself, none of it mattered.
She hadn’t gained weight.
In fact, she had lost some.
When Chi Zhiyu held her breath and saw the digital numbers on the scale, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Your diet needs to catch up lately. It’s best to stay around 90 pounds,” Bai Li frowned slightly. “Being too thin makes dancing less graceful.”
Chi Zhiyu nodded in agreement. Afterward, Bai Li told her to wash up and rest, then went downstairs to instruct Aunt Wang to adjust the meal plan.
Chi Zhiyu watched her leave, then stood up to close the door.
“Click.” The lock latched shut.
Her stiffened posture relaxed instantly, and Chi Zhiyu flopped backward onto the bed.
Once her tense nerves relaxed, exhaustion followed.
She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. After lying there for a few minutes, her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.
She pulled it out with one hand, eyes still closed, and answered without looking at the screen, placing it lazily by her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, may I ask…” The voice on the other end seemed hesitant. “Is this Chi Zhiyu?”
Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu drawled lazily, “No, you’ve dialed the wrong number.”
“...”
Chi Zhiyu waited a few seconds. “Who are you? Is there something you need?”
The person on the other end paused. “What?”
“Do you have something to discuss with Chi Zhiyu?”
The other party hesitated for a moment, likely recognizing her voice, and explained, “This is Jiang Jinxu.”
“Hmm?” Chi Zhiyu opened her eyes, slightly puzzled. “Is there something you need, Classmate Jiang?”
“I heard you say earlier that you haven’t finished your homework,” Jiang Jinxu pursed his lips. “So I wanted to ask if you’d like to go to the library tomorrow?”
Chi Zhiyu paused. “To the library?”
“The library is quiet, and there are study rooms where you can do homework.” Afraid she might misunderstand, Jiang Jinxu added, “I don’t mean anything else. I’m also going to return some books. I’m just asking if you’d like to come along.”
At this, Chi Zhiyu raised her eyebrows slightly.
Not hearing her reply, Jiang Jinxu unconsciously grew a little nervous and casually added, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, I can teach you.”
“Teach me?” Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “Physics?”
“Mm.”
At this, Chi Zhiyu blinked. “But aren’t you in the liberal arts class?”
“...”
Caught off guard, Jiang Jinxu paused. “Chinese, Math, and English.”
“Oh.” Chi Zhiyu’s tone rose slightly. “But I’ve already finished Chinese, Math, and English. I don’t think I need tutoring.”
“...”
Silence fell between them.
The awkwardness that had been painstakingly salvaged was once again shattered.
Chi Zhiyu listened, finding it somewhat amusing. To save face for him, she casually replied, “Classmate Jiang should go to the library by yourself tomorrow. I can handle my physics homework on my own.”
The awkwardness dissipated. Jiang Jinxu cleared his throat lightly and asked, “Do you really know how to do it?”
“No,” Chi Zhiyu replied nonchalantly as she glanced at the time and stood up.
“Then…”
Chi Zhiyu calmly interjected with an “Oh.” “It’s fine. If I need help, I’ll just ask Newton.”
“...”
Jiang Jinxu: ?
After delivering the joke, Chi Zhiyu didn’t bother continuing their banter. She quickly ended the call after a simple goodbye.
She glanced at the number on the screen from the recently ended call and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to add a name to the contact.
Putting her phone away, she walked over to the window. Suddenly recalling something, she lifted one side of the curtain and stealthily peeked toward a window in the house across the way.
But just as her head poked out of the window, her eyes met someone else’s gaze unexpectedly.
Chi Zhiyu: “….”
Xie Ye stood by the opposite window, bathed in the light from inside his room. The backlighting made his features appear sharper and more aloof.
His dark eyes were hidden in the shadows, silently observing the sneaky actions of the girl across the way.
He had only been enjoying the breeze and had intended to leave.
But coincidentally—
He caught her peeking.
Caught red-handed in her spying.
Chi Zhiyu locked eyes with him for a few seconds, then raised her hand and waved at him with a calm smile. “Hi.”
Three seconds later, Xie Ye pulled the curtains shut without any expression.
“….”
The window across the way was now tightly closed. The dim yellow light filtered through the curtains, its brightness greatly diminished, leaving only a faint glow.
Chi Zhiyu stared at it for a few seconds, licked her lips, and took out her phone to text Xie Ye: [Friendly reminder: your right window is still open.]
After sending the message, she waited for a while.
Xie Ye: [Closed.]
Chi Zhiyu: [...]
Chi Zhiyu typed, exasperated: [Do you have some kind of sixth sense?]
Chi Zhiyu: [You didn’t even check!]
Xie Ye lazily typed back: [How do you know I didn’t check?]
If she hadn’t been standing by the window, she wouldn’t have known he hadn’t checked.
Chi Zhiyu choked on her words, too lazy to type anymore, and directly dialed his number.
After a few rings, Xie Ye picked up, indifferently humming an “Mm.”
Chi Zhiyu coughed and got straight to the point. “So… school starts in three days, right?”
“Mm.”
“But do you know that the physics assignment has…”
“Did you ask Newton?” Xie Ye interrupted her.
“…” Chi Zhiyu calmly responded, “I did.”
Xie Ye raised an eyebrow slightly as he heard her continue, “He said he doesn’t know either.”
Xie Ye: [...]
“Really,” Chi Zhiyu shamelessly pressed on. “I’ve already hung myself from the ceiling and burned the midnight oil. I’ve done everything I could, but I still don’t know how to do it.”
Hearing her exaggerated claims, Xie Ye lazily instructed, “Come down.”
“I’ve worked so hard for physics…” Chi Zhiyu was about to continue when she suddenly heard his voice. “What?”
Xie Ye patiently explained, “Come down to get something.”
Chi Zhiyu thought for a moment, her tone hopeful. “What is it?”
Xie Ye held his phone and slowly replied, “Summer homework.”
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