Chapter 6

The place they agreed to meet was the main Xinhua Bookstore in the city center. It was three stories tall.

Next to the bookstore, there was a small food street.

On a clear winter afternoon, the sunlight felt warm on their skin.

On the way there, Chen Jing said, “There’s a milk tea shop on the food street. Let’s bring a cup of milk tea for Zhou, the top student.”

Cheng Yanran had no objection.

At 17, Cheng Yanran never thought he would come to like milk tea. But now, his favorite was Ceylon roasted milk tea.

For those two years, he even mistakenly thought he liked sweet things.

It wasn’t until after high school graduation, when they had all gone their separate ways, that he realized the truth. In a strange new city, he tried milk tea from every popular shop. But each time, after just one sip, he couldn’t swallow it—it was just too sweet. None of them tasted like the one he remembered.

The milk tea shop on the food street had a unique style, very modern and quiet, but it didn’t have Ceylon roasted milk tea.

So the two of them got stuck again. In the end, following the shop owner’s suggestion, they bought the classic “Black Combo” milk tea.

Chen Jing didn’t like the name. He kept complaining that it sounded like “black leather wrap” and looked like “black grapes”—probably not going to taste good.

Cheng Yanran ignored him. He carefully wrapped the milk tea and put it into his backpack.

He was afraid if Zhou Zhou arrived late, the milk tea would get cold.

Luckily, the weather was good, and when they got there, Zhou Zhou was already waiting at the entrance of the bookstore.

Since it was winter break, the students were no longer wearing their school uniforms. They were in their regular clothes.

It was the first time Cheng Yanran saw Zhou Zhou not wearing her school uniform.

She wore a light pink puffy jacket, gray sweatpants, and the same white sneakers. Simple, clean, and full of youthful energy.

Unlike many other girls, she hadn’t straightened her hair flat against her scalp. Her short, shoulder-length hair was fluffy and soft, looking natural and cute.

He quickly walked up and took the milk tea from his bag. “Chen Jing and I bought this. It’s called Black Combo. Try it.”

“That shop didn’t have Ceylon roasted milk tea,” Chen Jing added from behind.

Zhou Zhou was clearly surprised, but still smiled as she accepted the milk tea and thanked them sincerely.

If it had just been Cheng Yanran, she might have felt awkward.

But since he said Chen Jing was with him, it was fine.

They came to the bookstore to buy study guides for the next semester, so they could review and get ahead during the break.

In Zhou Zhou’s world, there was only one thing: study, study, study.

She already knew how competitive it was to be a top student. In the top 50 of the grade, a single point could move you up or down several ranks. If she didn’t work hard during the break, the first test next semester might bring all kinds of unpleasant surprises.

It wasn’t hard to choose the right study guides. Every winter and summer break, bookstores were filled with the newest ones for the next semester.

Cheng Yanran and Chen Jing bought guides for all three main subjects. Zhou Zhou only bought English and Math. Her Chinese had always been stable since middle school, and she didn’t think practicing more would raise her score to 140. That was too hard and nearly impossible. It was better to save time for her minor subjects.

For minor subjects, the three of them bought based on their own needs.

Because in the second half of the 11th grade, students had to choose between science and liberal arts. If you chose science, there was no need to spend too much time on liberal arts subjects. If you chose liberal arts, it didn’t make sense to focus on physics, biology, and chemistry.

Zhou Zhou wasn’t good at chemistry or biology. On the other hand, she was strong in politics, history, and geography. So of course, she planned to choose liberal arts.

Cheng Yanran and Chen Jing naturally planned to choose science.

This meant the three of them would only be in the same class for one more semester. After that, they would be separated.

Chen Jing couldn’t understand it. Usually, people who were good at math and physics would also do okay in biology and chemistry since they’re all logical. But Zhou Zhou wasn’t like that. Her math and physics were great, but her chemistry and biology were weak. Meanwhile, her geography was amazing—she often scored full marks.

If Zhou Zhou chose science too, the three of them might still end up in the same class.

But neither Cheng Yanran nor Chen Jing said this out loud.

Choosing a major was a big decision that could affect their whole lives. No one could casually give advice. In the end, they were just classmates who had become a little close.

Zhou Zhou liked reading. After buying the study books, she suggested going to the second floor to check out the literature section.

Chen Jing liked reading too—but he was into martial arts novels. When they got to the second floor, he ran off to that section and got lost in the fantasy world of Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, Wen Rui’an, and Huang Yi.

Cheng Yanran followed Zhou Zhou to look for literary classics.

“Whose book are you looking for?” he asked.

“I just want to see if anything catches my eye.”

He nodded and didn’t say much. He didn’t have much experience talking to girls. He just followed along and didn’t disagree with her.

Zhou Zhou picked up a book—Tsinghua Garden Diary by Ji Xianlin. Cheng Yanran frowned and asked, “Do you want to go to Tsinghua University?”

Zhou Zhou simply replied, “I want to go to Beijing. My sister is studying there too.”

Cheng Yanran instantly felt a little down. He couldn’t help but start calculating in his head—based on his final exam results, would he even make the cutoff?

During school breaks, bookstores were always crowded with students reading extracurricular books. Zhou Zhou searched all over the store for a place to sit but couldn’t find one.

So she stood.

Seeing that, Cheng Yanran went off to find her a seat.

But every corner was taken. By the time he finally found an empty spot, the sky had already darkened—it was time for them to leave.

The study guides weren’t cheap altogether, and he knew Zhou Zhou wouldn’t let him pay for them, so he didn’t say anything—and stopped Chen Jing from offering too.

At the checkout counter, he noticed that Zhou Zhou’s extracurricular book wasn’t Tsinghua Garden Diary.

Instead, it was Educated: A Memoir.

“Why didn’t you get Tsinghua Garden Diary? Didn’t have enough money?” he asked.

“I had enough. I took the bus, so it’s hard to carry too many books.”

She raised the book in her arms and showed it to them. That’s when Cheng Yanran realized—she had bought Educated, but it was the full English version.

Chen Jing had spent the whole afternoon lost in the thrilling world of martial arts novels. But now, seeing what the top student was reading, he suddenly realized the huge gap between them. It felt like a deep, unbridgeable canyon. Without thinking, he shouted, “Wow! Top student, did you unlock some secret power or something? You’re such a natural talent—reading a full English version?”

Zhou Zhou almost burst out laughing, but seeing that it was already completely dark, she got worried her parents might be anxious if she got home too late. She quickly said, “I have to go now, it’s getting really late,” and ran off.

A huge wave of emotion surged up in Cheng Yanran’s heart. But he didn’t know if his hard work alone would ever be enough to calm that storm inside.