146. The Gift

Fang Changan exhaled slowly, suppressing his surging emotions. He packed up his summer homework and certificates, then turned to look at Wang Ke. The young girl had just finished wiping away her tears and was sniffling. When she saw him looking her way, she met his gaze for a brief moment before quickly lowering her head.

Wang Hao had already left. Zheng Lili was beside Wang Ke, offering comfort. Fang Changan asked, "Are you leaving?"

Wang Ke glanced at him again, then looked down and said, "You go first."

"I'll wait for you," Fang Changan replied.

Zheng Lili shot him a look, then patted Wang Ke. "I'm heading home then; the kids from my village are waiting for me."

Fang Changan waved at her. "Bye-bye."

Zheng Lili left with her summer homework and report card. There were few people left in the classroom, mostly students from town who weren't in a rush to head home.

Wang Ke looked up at Fang Changan again. He smiled at her, but the girl ignored him, lowered her head to pack her things, and walked out of the classroom.

Fang Changan followed her out and asked, "Where are the two boys from your village?"

Wang Ke didn't really want to talk to him, but felt it would be rude not to reply. She murmured, "Probably waiting at the school gate."

Fang Changan quickened his pace to walk alongside her down the stairs, smiling. "That’s perfect, the two girls from my village should be waiting for me downstairs too."

Wang Ke fell silent again. Fang Changan continued, "Shen Mo has transferred. Let’s sit together next semester."

Wang Ke turned to look at him, then turned away. "I won't sit with you."

"Am I that annoying?"

"No."

"Then let's sit together."

"Just because I don't find you annoying doesn't mean we have to sit together."

"But I like sitting with you."

The young girl had never encountered anyone so thick-skinned. She blushed slightly. After a long moment, she glared at him and whispered, "I don't have grades as good as Shen Mo’s, and I’m not as pretty as her either."

"Grades can be improved slowly. Besides, whether your grades are good or not, aren't they both still worse than mine? You’re both below me, so there's no difference."

Fang Changan didn't feel the slightest bit of shame. He continued, "And besides, beauty is subjective. You think you aren't as pretty as her, but have you asked anyone else’s opinion? For instance, Shen Mo herself—she says you’re pretty, too."

Wang Ke pouted and muttered, "I don't need to ask others."

"Then ask me. I think you're pretty."

Heaven is my witness, Fang Changan was simply stating a fact; he didn't mean "I think you’re prettier than Shen Mo." However, he couldn't control how Wang Ke chose to interpret it.

As Wang Ke turned the corner on the stairs, she glared at him again, let out a soft "humph" through her nose, and whispered, "But she’s fairer than me."

"You’re very fair, too. It’s just that people have different constitutions, so their skin varies," Fang Changan said, walking by her side with a tone as casual and ordinary as if he were discussing the weather. "Some people have skin that’s milky white and soft; that’s you. Shen Mo’s skin has a translucent quality, like jade—it’s a cooler shade of white. It’s not a question of who is fairer. Who knows, maybe milky white skin feels better to the touch... uh, what I mean is, everyone has their own strengths, and there’s no hierarchy."

It was the first time Wang Ke had heard that skin could be categorized like that. Though she didn't know if it was true, she listened intently. When he suddenly mentioned "feels better to the touch," her face turned bright red. Seeing him try to explain, she puffed up her cheeks and ignored him, thinking him a total hooligan... and he had even touched Shen Mo’s face earlier... What a scoundrel! Shameless! She wouldn't talk to him!

"You’re still young, so you’re naturally beautiful. As you grow up, just be careful not to get tanned in the summer, and you’ll definitely keep getting prettier."

Fang Changan didn't care whether she acknowledged him or not; since he was on a roll, he just kept talking. "When a girl reaches a certain level of beauty, it’s hard to rank them. It’s mostly just different types, depending on the aesthetic of the person observing. But we’re talking about looks here—appearance, figure, and the like. There is one area where the gap is quite obvious, though."

Wang Ke had just decided to ignore him, but she couldn't help but listen. Seeing him pause, she opened her big eyes and glanced at him, wanting to ask but forcing herself to hold back. She turned away, feigning indifference with an "I don't care if you tell me or not" attitude.

Fang Changan smiled. "Temperament. This sounds a bit hollow, but it can be seen in many ways and can also be cultivated. For example, your posture—how you walk, stand, and sit, even how you eat or do your homework—every little movement is part of it."

"Of course, there’s an even more important aspect: reading. And this doesn't just mean grades; it’s about the knowledge you accumulate. Su Shi once said, 'Coarse clothes and simple cloth wrap a life, but poetry and books bring an inner glow.' That’s the point I’m making."

"Some people might not look striking—think of masters in certain fields—but the moment you look at them, you can feel that they possess a profound temperament."

The two arrived at the bottom of the teaching building and headed toward the east wall where the bicycles were parked. Wang Ke bit her lip gently, casting a sideways glance at him. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Shen Mo has transferred to the City No. 1 Middle School. That’s one of the best schools in our entire province, and it even ranks well nationwide. Two years from now, she will definitely become even more outstanding."

Fang Changan paused and looked at her with a smile. "I hope you also keep getting better and don't lose to her."

The young girl bit her lip and turned away. "What does that have to do with you?"

"You’re both becoming better, and as your classmate, I’m happy for you both."

"She’s your desk mate. You should be hoping she gets better."

"I’m your desk mate too. We sat together at the start of the semester, remember?"

Fang Changan shamelessly brought up the past. Afraid Wang Ke might call him out, he quickly added, "Besides, Shen Mo has already transferred, and for the next two years, we’ll be desk mates. She was only there for one year, so no matter how you calculate it, I’m closer to you, right?"

Wang Ke’s retort died on her lips as her attention was diverted. She whispered, "I never agreed to sit with you."

Fang Changan said with a grin, "Then when school starts, I’ll beg Teacher Cheng. I’ll tell her that if you don't sit with me, I won't be able to get the top grade in the school."

"You..."

Wang Ke hadn't expected him to be such a rogue. Whether from anger or shyness, her face, which was beginning to show the bright, youthful contours of a young girl, flushed with vexation. She probably wanted to scold him, but seeing Fang Dianqiu and Fang Ying waiting for him by the east wall, she was afraid they might overhear. She simply snapped, "Shameless!"

"It doesn't matter if I have no face, as long as I have you."

Fang Changan finished the sentence quickly. Afraid she might explode in fury, he strode toward Fang Dianqiu and Fang Ying, waving at her without looking back. "I’m off! Be careful on the road, see you when school starts!"

"Why are you so slow?"

"Exactly, we’ve been waiting forever."

Most of the bicycles that had been packed along the wall were gone. Fang Dianqiu and Fang Ying had clearly been waiting for quite a while and complained impatiently.

Fang Changan unlocked his bike and smiled, explaining, "I had too many certificates, so it took a while. Sorry, sorry."

"Pfft!" Fang Ying looked at him with utter disdain.

"Ugh!"

Fang Dianqiu spat at him and then asked Wang Ke, "Have you ever seen anyone so shameless?"

The lingering heat hadn't left Wang Ke's face. She shook her head, then nodded vigorously. "I have!" She pointed at Fang Changan. "It’s him!"

Fang Dianqiu laughed. "Exactly, he’s the most shameless! Where’s your bike?"

"Over there."

Wang Ke had arrived a bit earlier, so her bike was parked under the shed. The two boys from her village had already retrieved their bikes and were waiting by the school gate.

She went to the shed, unlocked her bike, and wheeled it out. Seeing that Fang Changan had already left, she couldn't help but pout. Then, she saw him arrive at the school gate, pull something from his bag, and hand it to the boy from her village before leaving. She couldn't help but feel curious.

The young girl suppressed her curiosity and rode her bike to the gate. Only then did she see that what Fang Changan had given was a book. The boy held it out to her from a distance. "Brother Changan gave this to you. He said it’s from your head teacher and told you to read it carefully."

Wang Ke took it. It was a brand-new copy of "Collected Poems of Su Shi," beautifully packaged with the plastic shrink-wrap still intact. She turned it over in her hands, puzzled. "This is a new book?"

The boy replied, "I wouldn't know, that’s just what Brother Changan said."

The other boy added, "Maybe your head teacher bought it and hasn't read it yet... Let’s go."

Wang Ke packed the book with her summer homework and rode home. She showed her report card to her parents first, then took out the "Collected Poems of Su Shi." She flipped through it, thought for a moment, and tore open the plastic. It smelled of fresh ink; it was indeed a brand-new book.

As she leafed through the volume, a card fell out. Wang Ke picked it up. It was a white bookmark with a light green landscape of a lake and mountains printed on the front, with what looked like a pagoda on the mountain. She instinctively thought of the West Lake, then flipped it over.

The back of the bookmark was blank, save for a simple sketch drawn in ink. It looked vaguely like Fang Changan, with a stern expression, pointing a finger at her. Next to it were a few lines of flowing, elegant calligraphy:

*Little Wang Ke, be good and read your books. When school starts, Brother Changan will have a surprise for you!*

At the same time, Cheng Mengfei arrived at Shen Bao's house with a shrink-wrapped poetry collection. Shen Chengli and his wife, Shu Mei, were there. Seeing her bring a book, they asked with a smile, "What’s this?"

Cheng Mengfei handed the poetry collection to Shen Mo and laughed. "Fang Changan left it with me before the final exams and told me to give it to her before she left."

Shen Mo received the book with delight. Through the plastic film, she saw the cover read "Collected Poems of Wang Wei." She couldn't help but pout, muttering, "Wang Wei?"

Shu Mei leaned in to look and laughed. "What’s wrong with Wang Wei? Do you only think Li Bai and Du Fu are good?"

She took the collection to look at it, handling it carefully to avoid tearing the wrapper, lest her daughter hold her accountable. She noticed a tear in the plastic at the bottom and pointed it out to Shen Mo first: "Look closely, this wasn't me, don't go accusing me later."

Shen Mo pouted. "I haven't even said anything."

Shu Mei smiled and handed the book back to her. Shen Chengli took it, flipped through it just like his wife, and then returned it to his daughter. The grandmother, Peng Shuyu, reached over and said, "Let me see."

Except for the tear at the bottom, the book was brand new. The grandmother didn't dare handle it too much and returned it to her granddaughter with a smile. "It’s rare for a child of that age to like Wang Wei’s poetry."

Shu Mei also smiled and said, "Wang Wei’s poems aren't any worse than Li Bai’s. He was multi-talented—he mastered poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music. He was handsome, too. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had a sister called Princess Yuzhen. It’s said that Li Bai admired her, but the Princess liked Wang Wei. Wang Wei, however, didn't reciprocate and married someone else."

"Li Bai and Wang Wei were contemporaries, but they had no interaction. Some say it was because of this incident; Li Bai blacklisted Wang Wei. That’s why Li Bai wrote a poem for Meng Haoran, saying, 'I love Master Meng, his style is known throughout the world,' while Meng Haoran wrote a poem for Wang Wei, saying, 'Who among the officials would value me? A true friend is hard to find in this world.'"

Shu Mei knew the rumors about Li Bai, Wang Wei, and Princess Yuzhen weren't exactly factual, but she didn't mind telling a simplified version to spark her daughter's interest.

Shen Mo was indeed intrigued. She happily tore off the plastic wrap, thinking to herself, *Handsome and talented—Fang Changan must be comparing himself to Wang Wei. Hmph, how shameless... If I think about it secretly, should I call him 'Brother Changan' too?*

She threw the plastic into the trash and sat on the sofa flipping through the book. Suddenly, she caught sight of a bookmark. It had a familiar-looking little figure on it. Her heart skipped a beat, and she tried hard not to let her surprise turn into a smile. Pretending to be engrossed in the book, she secretly peeked at the bookmark between the pages.

The front featured the green lake and mountains with the pagoda, which she recognized instantly as the West Lake. She quickly flipped to the back and saw the familiar, bossy little sketch pointing at her, accompanied by flowing, elegant lines of calligraphy:

*Little Shen Mo, be good and study hard. When you get to high school, Brother Changan will have a surprise for you!*