In-Use Performance
1469 Words
Shen Zhi stared at the yellow sticky note in front of her for a full minute. Her eyes were dazed, but the blush on her face didn’t fade.
This person... is he really dense, or just pretending to be?
She absentmindedly rummaged through the other bags and found, just as An Shu had said, everything she needed—even sanitary pads.
Shen Zhi: “……”
Her feelings were complicated. Why was An Shu being so unbothered about all this? It was almost easy to forget that they were exes—long since broken up.
Shen Zhi casually picked out a set of clothes from the bag to use as pajamas and went to freshen up.
Unfortunately, the accommodation shut off the water supply at 10:30 p.m., so she didn’t have time for a shower.
Shen Zhi, who hadn’t bathed in two days: “……”
Despite the frustration, there was nothing she could do. She decided to go to sleep.
But once she closed her eyes, her mind drifted to the scene of pulling out the lace lingerie from the bag. That image refused to leave her head.
In her half-asleep state, memories began to replay in her mind—
Imperial Capital No.1 High School, Grade 12, Class 1.
Senior year was all about preparing for exams, so the school suspended all non-exam-related classes. But in a rare gesture of mercy, they allowed students one PE class on Wednesday afternoons to rest.
However, with the first mock exams looming, even the students who usually begged for time off had started studying in earnest. Many were still reading or memorizing formulas even during PE.
Except for An Shu. He wasn’t swayed by the collective pressure.
While everyone else tensed up, he chose to relax.
Wearing the standard-issue white school shirt, An Shu leaned quietly against the banyan tree on the track field.
It was the same uniform everyone wore, yet it looked different on him. An Shu was the kind of person who drew attention effortlessly. Even a plain white shirt made him look like the male lead in a drama.
Some younger girls, also in PE class, noticed the dreamy sight and huddled nearby, whispering among themselves.
“Wow, who is that? He’s ridiculously good-looking.”
“I know, right? Is he even real?”
Despite the hushed voices, the praise kept coming—and it wasn’t lost on An Shu.
He calmly put on his headphones to block them out.
He wasn’t listening to music, but to a National Geographic documentary. The soothing narration helped him relax.
Class was about to end when he stood up to leave. As he reached for his phone, he got a message from his deskmate asking if he could grab a drink from the school shop.
Without comment, he replied, “Okay,” and slid the phone back into his pocket before heading off.
But someone suddenly blocked his path.
An Shu stopped and lifted his eyes lazily. About a meter ahead stood a blushing, nervous girl.
He stood expressionless.
She hesitated, looked up at him, then quickly looked away before stammering, “Hi... I’m Song Yuqing. Could I, um, add you on WeChat?”
She looked at him expectantly.
But An Shu didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and said in a cold voice, “Sorry, I don’t plan on dating in high school.”
Then he walked right past her without a pause. The rejection was blunt, even cruel.
Song Yuqing stood frozen, stunned. She didn’t seem to process it until her friend came up and tapped her shoulder.
Her friend, indignant, muttered, “What’s his problem? So rude!”
As An Shu rounded a corner on his way to the shop, he saw Shen Zhi leaning against the wall.
Their eyes met. Shen Zhi looked a bit stunned, then forced a half-smile and said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to bother you.”
This time, An Shu’s expression softened slightly. He frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You look pale.” He pointed to his own face with his long, elegant fingers.
Shen Zhi looked embarrassed. “I just... got a sudden stomachache.”
“What kind of stomachache?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.
Then realization dawned. “Oh.”
He looked down at her shirt and skirt, stained green from leaning on the mossy wall. But Shen Zhi didn’t seem to notice, her face scrunched in pain, her body trembling slightly, hand pressed firmly against her abdomen.
She looked like she was suffering.
An Shu, after a brief pause, asked, “Need help?”
Shen Zhi’s eyes widened. “N-no, I’m fine.”
“Then why are you standing here?”
He asked so directly that Shen Zhi didn’t know how to respond. Should she say she just needed a moment to deal with the pain?
But An Shu didn’t wait for her answer. He turned and headed to the shop.
Shen Zhi stared at his tall, slender back and muttered under her breath, “Such a cold guy.”
A minute later, after catching her breath, she stood up straight and brushed the moss off her clothes. She was just about to walk to the shop—
When An Shu, the very same “cold guy,” returned carrying a plastic bag.
Shen Zhi froze. Then her eyes widened in disbelief as he approached.
She was about to say something when he casually handed her the bag. His sharp, fox-like eyes stared directly at her, unreadable but intense.
He looked no different from earlier—his face still flawless—but that gaze made Shen Zhi’s heart skip a beat.
She quickly looked down, avoiding eye contact, not wanting him to see the flustered look in her eyes or guess what she was feeling.
To hide her awkwardness, she hurriedly took the bag and glanced inside.
One look, and her jaw dropped. “You bought so much?!”
“Just grabbed whatever,” An Shu said blandly. Then he reached for her hand and said casually, “Let’s go.”
He showed no sign of embarrassment, which somehow made her feel even more awkward.
“Aren’t you the least bit embarrassed?”
“Hm?”
“About... buying that for me.” She hesitated, then blurted it out. She couldn’t keep things in.
An Shu paused, let go of her hand, and stood facing her, only a fist’s distance between them.
He looked at her for a moment, then said calmly, “Why should I be embarrassed?”
His straightforwardness left Shen Zhi speechless. All she could say was, “No reason.”
“I just happened to pass by and saw a classmate in need.”
That line hit Shen Zhi like a slap. Her face dropped. “Oh? Just a classmate?”
“Yeah,” He answered without hesitation.
That strange flutter in her chest vanished instantly. After a pause, she forced out a small, stifled “Okay, got it.”
“Come on, class is starting.” An Shu didn’t notice her disappointment and grabbed her hand again.
Shen Zhi, distracted by her thoughts, didn’t even notice how close they were.
In her mind, she kept wondering—was she really just a classmate to him, even after all this?
And what she didn’t know was, once they walked off, two girls appeared behind them—Song Yuqing and her friend.
“Didn’t he say he wasn’t interested in dating?” the friend whispered.
That single sentence made Song Yuqing crumble, tears welling in her eyes.
Before falling asleep, Shen Zhi remembered the time years ago when An Shu bought her pads. But when she woke up, the memory faded again into the corners of her mind.
Still, a vague sadness lingered in her heart, one she couldn’t quite explain.
Knock— A sound at the door pulled her back.
It was the female assistant again.
“Just a minute!” Shen Zhi called out.
She went to wash up and took a quick lukewarm shower.
By the time she was ready, fifteen minutes had passed. But aside from that one knock, no one had come to rush her again.
Just as she reached the door, she suddenly realized—she could’ve just let the assistant in earlier.
She quickly opened the door—only to see An Shu standing there in a black windbreaker.
She froze. “An Shu? What are you doing here?”
“Waking you up,” he said flatly, without a trace of impatience.
Shen Zhi felt even more awkward.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
As An Shu’s eyes swept over her, he asked in a soft voice, “How are those things working for you?”
Shen Zhi: “……”
- Writer
