Spend Summer Chapter 11
byI Don’t Want to Change
Shen Wan frowned slightly, her expression filled with concern as she leaned toward the doorway.
Lin Jiayue appeared in her line of sight. Shen Wan let out a small sigh of relief, her eyes darting to the space behind her.
As Lin Jiayue drew closer and the person behind her came into view, the greeting Shen Wan had prepared caught in her throat.
It… it wasn’t Ji Zhao?
Then where was Ji Zhao? Didn’t she and Jiayue always come together?
Shen Wan looked at Lin Jiayue, who was sitting at the desk in front of her, and lightly tapped her back with the cap of her pen. “Jiayue, where’s Ji Zhao?”
Lin Jiayue turned around. Her expression was complicated, the bags under her eyes looking heavy. She replied listlessly, “She’s not feeling well today and went to the hospital. She won’t be coming for the monthly exams.”
Shen Wan’s heart tightened. Her brows knit together and her lips pressed into a thin, pale line. Her voice sounded strained. “Not feeling well? What happened to Zhaozhao?”
This was the first time Shen Wan had called her that—Zhaozhao—an intimate name that felt difficult to say aloud.
Lin Jiayue waved her hand, her tone light. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. Just a bit of a cold. She should be able to come back in a couple of days.”
Shen Wan’s expression relaxed slightly, but she remained worried. She tried to reassure herself that it was just a minor cold, that it was fine, it was fine…
Yes, it was just a minor cold, but when it involved Ji Zhao, Shen Wan couldn’t see it as a small matter.
Throughout the morning study session, Shen Wan read mechanically. The words went in one ear and out the other; her eyes were fixed on the book, yet her mind was elsewhere.
When she went to the cafeteria with Lin Jiayue and saw the bustling, lively scene, Shen Wan felt like she didn’t belong.
With Ji Zhao absent, Shen Wan had no appetite. She simply bought a steamed bun and nibbled on it.
Lin Jiayue sighed and brought over two cups of rice porridge. “Sister Zhao was right,” she said, sounding exasperated. “She knew you wouldn’t eat properly.”
As she spoke, she pushed a cup of porridge toward Shen Wan. “Drink it. Otherwise, Sister Zhao is going to give me trouble when she gets back.”
Shen Wan had intended to refuse, but hearing Lin Jiayue say that, she was willing to accept it. She looked up and said softly, “Thank you.”
Lin Jiayue took a sip of her porridge and said dismissively, “Don’t thank me. Sister Zhao specifically told me to do this. If you want to thank someone, go to her.”
Shen Wan’s eyes softened. She looked down at the porridge in her hands and took a sip.
After finishing breakfast, the two quickly returned to the classroom and sat in their assigned seats.
At eight o’clock, the bell rang. Li Yuanfang walked in and began distributing the test papers and answer sheets. As she handed them out, she said, “No cheating, no whispering, and no sleeping in the exam hall. Remember to check your answers once you’re finished…”
The moment Shen Wan received her paper, she wrote her name. She flipped through the pages to get a general overview of the questions.
After reading the essay prompt and committing it to memory, she picked up her pen and began to write.
Even though Ji Zhao wasn’t there, Shen Wan didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest.
Part of it was the fear of someone else taking her spot as the Grade Topper, but on the other hand—selfishly—Shen Wan wanted Ji Zhao to see her progress.
Her pen danced across the paper, making a scratching sound. Outside the window, a cool breeze danced as it moved through the leaves.
As one subject followed another, even Shen Wan felt her head begin to ache. This exam was quite difficult, especially the physics section; not only was the calculation volume massive, but the questions were also incredibly convoluted.
Fortunately, Shen Wan’s practice hadn’t been in vain. She managed to answer most of them.
While writing, she couldn’t help but think of Ji Zhao. She had seen this type of problem before, so it wouldn’t stump her; that problem was of average difficulty, so it wouldn’t stump her either…
By the time the final subject was over, there was a hint of a smile in Shen Wan’s eyes. She thought to herself: Zhaozhao has seen most of these problems before, so it should be fine.
The moment that thought surfaced, Shen Wan froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
Why am I paying so much attention to her?
Shen Wan began to ponder. The thought flashed by like a shooting star, leaving behind a faint trail.
It seemed faint, yet it felt enduring.
However, the current Shen Wan didn’t know what that trail represented.
Lin Jiayue returned after packing up her exam supplies and plopped down into her seat. She turned around and asked Shen Wan curiously, “Shen Wan, how do you think you did?”
Shen Wan’s eyes snapped wide as her unfocused pupils regained their clarity. Her thoughts returned to the present. “Oh,” she replied. “The papers were quite difficult this time. There were many parts I didn’t quite understand. I just hope I did well.”
Lin Jiayue’s impression of Shen Wan was that of a cold, honest goddess. Hearing Shen Wan’s answer, she believed her completely.
She began to complain incessantly, “Exactly! I don’t know what the question-setters were thinking, making them so hard. Do they want to kill me with exhaustion? And another thing…”
Shen Wan listened to Lin Jiayue’s complaints on the surface, but her thoughts had already drifted away, swirling with the night breeze.
After school, Shen Wan went to the supermarket at the school gate.
Upon entering, she went straight to the toy section and then took a small dog plushie to the checkout.
The plushie wasn’t cheap. Shen Wan paid for it using the wages she had just received from the restaurant the night before, combined with the money she had saved from being frugal lately.
Shen Wan had noticed this dog plushie the last time she came here with Ji Zhao. It was golden all over, fluffy, soft, and cute, with big black eyes.
The first time she saw it, Shen Wan felt it looked a lot like Ji Zhao. She had wanted to buy it for a long time, but the price had been daunting.
She had originally planned to save up and buy it for Ji Zhao’s birthday, but hearing that Ji Zhao was suddenly sick and hospitalized had completely disrupted her plans. She no longer cared about the money.
Although Shen Wan knew that Ji Zhao would be happy with any gift, she still wanted to give her the best—at least, what she considered to be the best.
As day turned to night and back to day again, Shen Wan arrived at the classroom early to wait for Ji Zhao. Her fingers constantly rubbed the plushie inside her bag.
She hoped Ji Zhao would see her first, and then she could smoothly give her the gift.
Thinking of the smile Ji Zhao would have upon receiving the gift, Shen Wan’s nervous heart relaxed slightly.
Throughout the entire morning, Shen Wan kept glancing toward the back door of the classroom, hoping the person she was waiting for would appear.
However, she waited for a long, long time…
Ji Zhao still didn’t show up. Lin Jiayue arrived alone once again.
Shen Wan slowly lowered her head, her fingers stiffening against the plushie. A single thought kept flashing through her mind—Is she still not better? What exactly is wrong?
Lin Jiayue sat in her seat and put away her bag. Remembering Ji Zhao’s instructions, she turned around and said, “Hello, Shen Wan. Good morning. Sister Zhao is still feeling a bit unwell, but don’t worry, she’ll be better soon.”
Shen Wan bit her lower lip slightly and nodded. “Good morning. I understand.”
Over the next day, the test papers were returned and the rankings were finalized, but Shen Wan’s plushie still hadn’t been given away.
Lin Jiayue reported to Shen Wan every morning. Shen Wan understood that this was Ji Zhao’s doing, so she continued to act calm.
After the monthly exam results came out, it was time for the long-awaited seating rearrangement.
During the final period in the afternoon, Li Yuanfang gave clear instructions—students were to organize their textbooks before the evening self-study session and then find their new seats.
Shen Wan had also been assigned a new seat in the third-to-last row, next to a new classmate.
Upon hearing Li Yuanfang’s arrangement, Shen Wan frowned deeply. The moment the bell rang to end the class, she immediately stood up from her seat.
Ignoring Lin Jiayue’s call to go eat dinner together, Shen Wan ran out of the classroom.
The students waiting to head out for food watched her blankly, exchanging looks.
Was that the usually cold and taciturn beauty, Shen Wan? It turned out she had the talent to be a champion sprinter! As expected of the Grade Topper.
Quickly catching up to Li Yuanfang, Shen Wan caught her breath and said, “Teacher, I don’t want to change seats. Is that okay?”
Li Yuanfang glanced at the seating chart in her hand and then at Shen Wan. The girl’s gaze was firm, sweat was beading on her forehead, and her usually pale cheeks were flushed.
Li Yuanfang’s gaze softened, and she asked gently, “Then, Shen Wan, can you tell me why you don’t want to change seats?”
Shen Wan’s long, fair fingers tightened, pinching the hem of her shirt. For a moment, her eyes turned vacant. Why didn’t she want to change seats?
She hadn’t thought about that question. The moment she heard about the seating change, she had only felt distress and anxiety…
Various emotions had come flooding in, like a firework exploding in her mind, leaving her unable to distinguish the world before her. Her heart was in a state of chaos and fear.
But thinking about it, was she really just uncomfortable with changing seats?
Shen Wan looked up, her pupils appearing brownish-black under the lights. She said, “Teacher, I get along very well with Ji Zhao. I don’t want to change.”
Beyond that, Shen Wan herself wasn’t sure.
Li Yuanfang didn’t make things difficult for her. She nodded with a smile. “I agree to your request. So, can you go eat dinner now?”
Shen Wan’s eyes lit up instantly, and a smile touched the corners of her mouth. It was as if ancient, unmelting ice had finally met a long-delayed spring, causing cracks to appear.
She nodded repeatedly, her words slightly jumbled. “Thank you, Teacher. Thank you…”
Li Yuanfang turned and left, considering how to rearrange the seating again.
Shen Wan didn’t leave until she saw the teacher enter the office, then she went downstairs to eat.
Thus, when it came time to change seats, Lin Jiayue was pleasantly surprised to find that Shen Wan hadn’t moved, and neither had she.
She gave a thumbs-up, her tone excited. “As expected of you, Shen Wan! Our Three Musketeers are back in business!”
Shen Wan’s eyes were soft as she murmured quietly, “Three Musketeers? That sounds nice.”
Her good mood lasted until she returned home, passing through the alley that was so dark it seemed ready to swallow people whole, and entering that beast-like house.
The only thing worth celebrating was that Shen Jianye had apparently gotten into some kind of trouble and was still not in his room.
The night light that had been broken before had been fixed yesterday. Shen Wan took out her exercise books and began writing under the dim light.
The side-light cast a soft glow on her face, highlighting her elegant and exquisite features.
She continued previewing her lessons until midnight. Looking at her progress, Shen Wan sighed, feeling a bit worried.
In the moment before she fell asleep, she was still thinking about needing to speed up her learning progress to catch up quickly.
For three days, during the morning study sessions, Shen Wan’s eyes habitually drifted toward the back door of the classroom.