Chapter 29: Borrow Whatever We Can
Zhang took Chen Shian’s test paper away, but he had no idea what for.
All he knew was that when the paper was returned to him, it bore several new indents and creases—like marks made by jabbing fingers during an argument.
“Uh… Shian, well, it’s okay if you can’t keep up in math class. For now, just read the textbook on your own. Write down any questions you have, and ask me later.”
“Alright, thank you, Mr. Zhang.”
Zhang’s expression was as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant. He looked at the refined and gentle boy before him and sighed heavily.
He should be such a promising student… How could he have never attended school? Fate toys with us, fate truly toys with us.
The bell rang.
Zhang returned to the podium to continue explaining the last two major questions on the test.
Chen Shian glanced at his paper again. The questions still made no sense to him, so he stuffed the paper back into his desk and returned to studying his seventh-grade math.
Lin Mengqiu glanced his way.
He was in that state again…
In psychology, there’s a term for this: flow.
It refers to a state of complete absorption and focus people experience when doing certain tasks. In this state, thought and reaction speeds reach their peak; time seems to vanish, and afterward, one feels energized and deeply satisfied.
Having studied diligently for years, Lin Mengqiu had encountered this state herself. When in flow, one doesn’t actually feel much—just a profound inner calm, an ability to resist distraction, and whether reading, writing, or solving problems, everything feels extraordinarily smooth and efficient. Only after emerging from it does one realize how remarkable the experience was.
Of course, everyone desires this state, but even Lin Mengqiu found it elusive, a rare and mysterious occurrence. Usually, if she didn’t respond to others calling her, it wasn’t because she was in flow—she simply didn’t want to bother.
Yet Chen Shian could drop into it at will!
Such swift adjustment and control over one’s mental state—could anyone truly achieve that?
Thinking of Chen Shian’s background as a Taoist, Lin Mengqiu felt it made sense—perhaps only in remote, secluded places could one cultivate such focus. In contrast, people in modern society, immersed in short videos and endless information, were impressive if they could concentrate for twenty minutes straight...
Time ticked by.
After two periods of self-study, Chen Shian had already finished “Chapter One: Rational Numbers” and “Chapter Two: Addition and Subtraction of Polynomials.” He’d read over seventy pages, about half of the seventh-grade math textbook.
For someone experienced, these chapters were simple and foundational, but for Chen Shian, it was his first encounter—and all self-taught. To cover in two periods what a seventh grader would learn in half a semester was nothing short of astonishing.
As he put down his pen, the bell signaling the end of class rang.
The classroom bustled with noise. Chen Shian, a bit tired, intertwined his fingers and stretched, relaxing briefly.
He turned and saw Lin Mengqiu looking at the math book still open on his desk.
Sensing his gaze, the girl shifted her eyes and met his look.
“How’s it going?”
For once, she initiated conversation.
Yet her tone wasn’t concerned—more curious.
“It’s alright. I just finished addition and subtraction of polynomials. The next chapter should be linear equations in one variable.”
“Anything you don’t understand?”
She asked again, her tone not much warmer, but with a hint of eagerness.
“Not yet.”
“…”
Losing interest in the conversation, the girl picked up her water bottle and took a drink.
“The exercises in the textbook are too easy. They don’t seem very effective. Class rep, could you come up with a couple of questions for me?”
“…”
Lin Mengqiu didn’t reply, but switched her water bottle to her left hand, picked up a pen with her right, and scribbled on a piece of scratch paper.
Before Chen Shian could lean over, she slid the finished page to the middle of their shared desk.
Since she’d written them offhand, the questions weren’t much harder than those in the textbook.
Chen Shian glanced at them and solved them in a few strokes without needing any scrap paper.
“These are the correct answers, right?”
“Yes.”
Lin Mengqiu nodded, then added, “But you’d lose points.”
“Why?”
“Points are awarded for each step of your solution. You skipped several. Even if the answers are right, you won’t get full marks.”
“I see…”
Chen Shian accepted the advice humbly. He wasn’t too concerned about skipping steps, but if the exams required them, he’d follow the rules.
“Thanks, class rep. None of this is in the book—if you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known.”
“~~~”
“Could you give me a harder problem?”
“You can find additional exercises yourself.”
“Where?”
“Buy a workbook at a bookstore.”
“Alright. About how much does one cost?”
“Dozens of yuan, probably.”
After answering, Lin Mengqiu noticed Chen Shian looked troubled.
A single workbook costs dozens of yuan, and who knows how much material it contains. Even if each textbook comes with a workbook, he’s missed years of schooling and so many subjects—how much would that all add up to?
Following his consistent honesty, Chen Shian asked sincerely, “Do you still have your middle school workbooks? Could I borrow them?”
“…Why not buy new ones?”
“No money.”
“…”
All the boys around her either liked to flaunt their wealth, show off, or boast about how much they’d read or what impressive skills they’d acquired. Only Chen Shian openly admitted to her that he’d never been to school and had no money… and now he was borrowing from her!
Lin Mengqiu was stunned for a long moment, then finally replied with a sigh, “They’re all at home. I’m not sure if I still have them, and they’re all used—might affect your practice. But if you really want them, I’ll bring them for you another day.”
“I’d be very grateful.”
“…”
Deciding that this young Taoist didn’t seem the type to do anything strange with her used books, Lin Mengqiu reluctantly agreed.
She’d never borrowed anything from others, and no one ever borrowed from someone as “difficult to approach” as she was.
To be honest, lending out her used things felt a bit embarrassing…
Especially workbooks, which recorded her learning journey—whether her handwriting was neat back then, if she made lots of mistakes on easy problems, or if she’d ever jotted down something silly.
Of course, voicing such thoughts would be laughable, and it wasn’t her style.
But she was a living, breathing person, not a block of wood, and naturally had her own thoughts and feelings—they just stayed in her heart, not on her lips.
Still, lending a workbook was far less embarrassing than teaching him math with their heads together…
Lin Mengqiu held her water bottle upside down for a while before realizing it was empty.
She got up, pulling her long legs free from under the desk, and turned to face Chen Shian.
Having a seatmate really was inconvenient for coming and going.
Noticing the movement, Chen Shian looked at her. As Lin Mengqiu was about to speak, he stood up first, stepped into the aisle, and pushed his chair under the desk.
His thoughtfulness and quick reaction caught her off guard. Seeing he’d already made way, she picked up her bottle and walked out.
Only then did Chen Shian notice that when Lin Mengqiu stood, her height was just about level with his mouth.
As she passed him, the ends of her hair swept through his vision before her figure, and a gentle breeze carried her scent—like morning dew on lilies of the valley, so faint it was almost elusive, yet it lingered in his senses, subtle and persistent.
Just as the delicate fragrance hadn’t faded, a soft “thank you” came, warm and gentle.
Chen Shian turned; she was already gone.
Her steps were light and unhurried as she walked to the front of the classroom, mounted the podium, bent to fill her cup at the water dispenser.
Glug-glug—
Bubbles rose in the blue water jug of the dispenser.
Chen Shian snapped out of it, realizing he’d watched her for quite some time without noticing…
.
.