The silence of the night enveloped the entire Xu Mansion.
Xu Si had urged Pei Zhen to rest early before returning to his room, where he stared at an economics book beside him, his gaze unfocused, half his thoughts still imrsed in what Pei Zhen had just recounted.
Not able to perceive the pain of a relative’s passing.
She didn’t know if that was a good thing, but it was certainly an indelible shadow in a person’s life.
Pei Zhen was currently unwilling to undergo psychological therapy, and she wouldn’t force him. She knew that although Pei Zhen was young, had never been exposed to society, and was attending school for the first ti, he possessed a very independent personality, mature thoughts, and had never even displayed childish behavior.
Physiological age doesn’t determine psychological maturity.
Xu Si believed that Pei Zhen’s current state ant he was already fully capable of making his own decisions.
During their usual discussions of concepts, she would seize opportunities to subtly teach him what was right and what was wrong in the world. For instance, if he were bullied. While the law might forbid retaliation, she told him he must rember to fight back—though not too aggressively. Her intention was simply to help him grasp societal rules so he could interact more comfortably with people at school.
Pei Zhen absorbed these lessons very well. He mulled over almost everything she said just once, making further examples unnecessary.
「Winter passed and spring arrived.」
December went by, and it was now the spring of 1986.
The magnolia flowers had completely withered, and tender green buds sprouted from the brownish-white trunks. Precious flowers, plants, and trees were ticulously tended by dedicated gardeners, showing no signs of decay and always maintained in their pri condition.
Pei Zhen was now sixteen. After just one winter, his school uniform was already a little snug. Thanks to regular exercise, he had shot up in height, becoming the tallest boy in his class. Butler Ge had purchased a new school uniform for him, which was washed and placed in his room.
Beyond that, there were no changes at the Xu Mansion.
In March, as sunlight generously bathed the earth, Pei Zhen brought ho three first-place report cards and a 30,000 yuan scholarship, presenting them all at once to Xu Si, who was handling business in the study.
"Auntie, the teacher said these need to be signed."
Xu Si held the report cards and scanned them. Her expression shifted from stunned to surprised, then to utterly flabbergasted, leaving her at a loss for words for a long while. Students at Imperial Noble Private Academy might have their mischievous monts, but they were all heirs who excelled in various fields, many with private tutors. Even the troublemaker Chen Shihua’s grades were among the best in the city’s student rankings. Top students couldn’t afford to slack off, as first place was always fiercely contested. It was rare for it to be held consistently by the sa person.
Pei Zhen had clearly surpassed them, securing a definitive first place.
Finally, Xu Si couldn’t help but laugh, the end of her words lilting upwards. "Azhen, how did you manage it? I recall your school’s curriculum isn’t easy; achieving these grades is quite difficult."
Pei Zhen held the report cards, frowning slightly as if admitting to sothing disreputable, his voice soft. "I don’t know if it counts as cheating, but I learned the material taught in these courses long ago from professors abroad, so I had more ti to study other, minor subjects. It was quite easy for ."
"Of course, it doesn’t count as cheating. This is the result of your daily efforts. What reward would you like? Tell ." She propped up her beautiful face, tilting her chin slightly, an indulgent expression gracing her features. "Don’t be afraid to make demands; anything is possible."
Butler Ge had said Pei Zhen was the most sensible student he had ever seen. He woke punctually at six every morning, read for an hour—be it books or newspapers—and after returning from classes, he would exercise, train, and study other subjects.
Not a day of laziness.
He ticulously managed every second of his life.
Xu Si had noticed this too. He was too hard on himself, and she genuinely wanted to grant so of his wishes to reward his self-discipline.
The temperature had risen considerably, so Pei Zhen would take off his uniform after school. At this mont, his dark jacket was draped over his arm, his upright posture revealing the defined lines of his back. Hearing her words, he hesitated slightly, a subtle, probing look in his eyes, as he repeated, "Anything is possible?"
"Yes, anything is possible."
Xu Si nodded, afraid he might be too shy to ask, and made a suggestion. "I’ve noticed those young masters all enjoy playing with cars. If you’re interested too, I can buy you a new sports car. You can’t drive it yet, of course, but you can have the family chauffeur take you for rides."
He blinked very slowly, his voice even. "No need, I’m not interested. The car we have at ho is already very good."
Pei Zhen had once lived a life of affluence, but he was never arrogant or indulgent.
He seed to recall sothing troubling, then smiled and said, "If it’s possible... could you pick up from school, Auntie?"
His eyes, as if washed by rain, held a gentle light in their exquisite pupils, which suddenly filled with anticipation as he made his request.
Xu Si uncapped her pen and signed her na in the parent’s signature field on the report cards. She paused, glancing at him, a mix of amusent and exasperation on her face. "Such a simple wish? You’re not going to change it?"
"Mhm, not changing it."
Xu Si checked her schedule, tilting her chin thoughtfully. "Alright."
When spring arrived, Imperial Noble Private Academy, in keeping with the season, organized many extracurricular activities.
Pei Zhen, being the most popular student in his class, was always called over by classmates during breaks. He would change into a white jersey and run around on the sports field. Many schoolgirls, experiencing their first crushes, would sit nearby, blushing as they cheered him on, their whispers tinged with youthful shyness.
"Pei Zhen is truly outstanding—so smart, great at sports, and handso too!"
"Do you like him?"
Their secret thoughts exposed, the girls would stamr, "I... I’m fine, I just... admire him a lot."
"Oh, I don’t believe it."
Such conversations replayed many tis on the sa sports field, among different groups of people. But these girls, who claid rely to admire him, never let the young man out of their sight. Watching his energetic figure bathed in sunlight, their delight was impossible to conceal.
「As ti passed,」
so grew bold enough to offer him sodas—orange, grape, and peach flavored. While he wiped away his sweat, they would blush and confess shyly, their voices a hopeful mumble. "Pei, I like you. C-Can we try dating?"
At first, Pei Zhen would be startled by these confessions, but later, he invariably just shook his head. "Sorry."
After this happened nurous tis, even Chen Shihua, who always seed to be annoyingly present around him, grew a bit envious. Chen Shihua considered himself the coolest guy in school, but when Pei Zhen arrived, his world changed—it beca very dark.
Like a dream.
He had to admit Pei Zhen was a *tiny* bit better-looking, but while Pei Zhen received enough confession letters to bind into a book, he himself still had none.
At the height of a warm spring noon, Chen Shihua approached Pei Zhen and asked unabashedly, "Bro, so many people have confessed to you, why haven’t you dated anyone?"
The other students had all gone to the cafeteria for lunch. The classroom was quiet. A warm breeze drifted past the end of his desk, swirled, and then dissipated. Pei Zhen looked up slightly, his voice, as light as spring water, carried little emotion yet was very pleasant to hear.
"Chen Shihua, don’t call bro."
Reviews
All reviews (0)