他把一池金鱼，送给了她

Last time: Zhou Wan works desperately to pay for her grandma's treatment, while Lu Xixiao is rich but ignored; one summer, an English tutoring deal ties them together.

Today, let's pick up where we left off.

During this time, they had lessons together almost every night.

But at school, the department head and the security guard kept watch, forbidding students from meeting privately.

So the two of them played hide-and-seek with the teachers, dodging this way and that.

All that dodging gradually made them relax, and for the first time they really opened up to each other.

One night after class, Lu Xixiao simply hopped on his motorbike and gave Zhou Wan — who usually crams onto the bus — a ride all the way home.

The summer night breeze blew, and though neither said much, the mood between them had already changed.

What you really remember is their last tutoring session.

Lu Xixiao remembered Zhou Wan once saying she loved goldfish.

That day, in one go, he bought every last goldfish from the street stall.

Then he poured them all into the school's disused swimming pool.

In an instant, the whole pool became a colorful, fairytale world.

The two of them just jumped in and swam among the goldfish.

In that moment, the tutoring, the deal — none of it seemed to matter.

Afraid Zhou Wan would catch a chill, Lu Xixiao found two club T-shirts and had her change into one.

While changing, Zhou Wan asked him: why are you so set on going abroad alone?

Lu Xixiao said it plainly: there's no one here worth staying for.

He turned it back on her: and you — what kind of life do you want?

Zhou Wan paused, then said: I don't have the luxury of choice that you do.

Both only eighteen, yet already facing a world with few choices.

But the good times didn't last.

The goldfish stunt was soon discovered by the school.

The teachers called them in and gave them a harsh scolding.

At the crucial moment, Lu Xixiao stepped up and took all the blame, never once mentioning Zhou Wan.

Watching him shield her like that, Zhou Wan was moved beyond words.

To thank him, she took Lu Xixiao to a little roadside noodle shop for a bowl of noodles.

It should have been a warm, tender day.

But Zhou Wan didn't expect that this scene was seen by someone else.

It was another boy who has always liked Zhou Wan.

Seeing her grow so close to Lu Xixiao left him bitter.

He promptly ran off and tattled to Zhou Wan's grandma.

As a result, the moment Zhou Wan got home, grandma scolded her harshly.

You see, on the surface, this summer is just tutoring and a transaction.

But deep down, Zhou Wan still carries her hatred for her mother and her anxiety over money.

And Lu Xixiao's earnestness and protection, again and again, are quietly turning this cold transaction into something else.

Even she can't tell whether this is part of her revenge plan, or whether she's truly falling for him.

The summer is still long, and their story is only just beginning to get complicated.