With her contact information, she couldn’t possibly stay calm. Zhou Tingzhao went to bed half an hour later than usual, finally waiting for Sang Ru to message him again.

【Zai Zai の: Zhou, are you there? Zhou, are you there?】

【Z: Yes.】

【Zai Zai の: I have a problem I can’t solve. Teach me tomorrow!】

【Z: Okay.】

【Zai Zai の:? Can’t you say a few more words】

【Z: …Go to bed early.】

Sang Ru lay in bed, looking at his reply, and let out a long sigh.

【Zai Zai の: I can’t sleep.】

Zhou Tingzhao saw her message and thought something might be wrong. He frowned and was about to ask when another message popped up on the screen.

【Zai Zai の: Every time I close my eyes, I think of you.】

【Zai Zai の: You looked so sexy when you came into my mouth.】

After sending the message, Sang Ru hugged her phone and laughed out loud. She could even imagine Zhou Tingzhao’s reaction. His current silence was exactly what she expected.

Zhou Tingzhao hadn’t anticipated her trying to provoke him through the screen like this. After calming himself for quite a while, he finally replied with something completely off-topic.

【Z: Goodnight.】

Sang Ru seemed to have been waiting and replied quickly. Seeing him avoid the topic, she didn’t try to pull the conversation back but followed his lead.

【Zai Zai の: Goodnight, Zhou. See you tomorrow.】

【Z: See you tomorrow.】

【Zai Zai の: You need to say “See you tomorrow, Zai Zai.”】

Zhou Tingzhao’s heartbeat secretly quickened. After a moment’s hesitation, his fingers still pressed the keys.

【Z: See you tomorrow, Zai Zai.】

After turning off his phone, the one with insomnia wasn’t her but himself.

Zhou Tingzhao stared blankly at the ceiling, his thoughts wandering but always circling back to the same person.

He had called her by her nickname. Did that mean they were getting a little closer?

–

The entire class fell into panic today, starting when someone mentioned, “This time next week will be the first mock exam.”

Sang Ru also felt nervous for a moment, but seeing Zhou Tingzhao completely unaffected, she suddenly remembered asking the Zhou Tingzhao from her dream if he would give up first place to her. What was his answer again?

“No.”

What would the current Zhou Tingzhao’s answer be?

“Zhou Tingzhao,” Sang Ru tugged at his sleeve with minimal movement and asked, “Have you always been first in your class since you were little?”

He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded, “Mm.”

“Me too,” said Sang Ru, “but not after meeting you.”

Seeing Zhou Tingzhao purse his lips thoughtfully, she deliberately asked, “So this time, will you let me have first place?”

Dreams are manifestations of the subconscious. Rather than becoming first, what Sang Ru wanted to know was the difference between the current Zhou Tingzhao, the future one, and the person she thought he was. So asking this question wasn’t so much about getting him to go easy on her, but more about her curiosity about him as a person.

He answered faster than she expected, seeming somewhat embarrassed as he spoke.

“No…”

Sang Ru immediately broke into laughter.

It’s you, Zhou Tingzhao. It’s you.

Then she heard him continue, “I don’t need to let you. You can beat me on your own.”

Sang Ru’s smile froze for a moment before her eyes curved into crescents again. She raised her hand to rub his earlobe and said, “Mm, of course.”

“By the way,” Sang Ru put down her hand, remembering the message she received last night, “Lan Ting invited me to study at the library this weekend. Should I go?”

Zhou Tingzhao asked, “Who?”

“Lan Ting, remember? That boy from No. 3 High School yesterday, who sat next to me.”

Zhou Tingzhao softly grunted in acknowledgment, silently taking issue with her use of the phrase “sat next to me.”

“The second character of his name sounds the same as yours. His grades seem quite good too, and he’s pretty good-looking…”

Zhou Tingzhao listened to her chatter without saying a word until she leaned closer to him.

“Should I go?” Sang Ru rested her chin on her palm, throwing the question to him.

Zhou Tingzhao looked at her, then lowered his head to his book, feigning a neutral tone: “It’s up to you.”

“Alright,” Sang Ru turned back without leaning to the side anymore, “I’ve already agreed.”

Zhou Tingzhao: …

His gaze was fixed on a certain character in the book without moving further down. When he spoke, there was a trace of unhappiness he didn’t notice: “Then why ask me?”

He heard her laugh, heard her fingers tapping on the desk one by one, and then heard her say, “Are you angry?”

As if some dark, hidden emotion had been exposed, Zhou Tingzhao curled his fingers: “No.”

“Yes, you are,” said Sang Ru, “so why don’t you come with me?”

The invitation was somewhat sudden, but undeniably, someone’s mood might shift from gloomy to bright because of this unexpected invitation.

But he still had to say: “He didn’t invite me.”

Sang Ru used her old trick and tickled his leg: “I’m inviting you.”

–