Popularity and Rhythm 3

Interacting with Zhang Shun involved a lot of banter and jokes, but the foundation remained the deep brotherhood forged since childhood.

Chen Mo's explosive progress initially put Zhang Shun through a complex emotional process. Surprise was a given, envy was real, followed by a brief sense of loss and a barely perceptible jealousy – why did his brother, with whom he skipped class, slacked off, and stared blankly at math papers, suddenly surge ahead? He felt left behind.

During that period, Zhang Shun became much quieter. He watched Chen Mo get up early to memorize texts and stay up late to cultivate, and a competitive spirit ignited within him. He started trying to "level up."

He followed Chen Mo to wake up early twice. The result? Dragging himself out of bed at five in the morning, his eyes were too heavy to open. During class, his head bobbed, and he slept like a log, absorbing not a single word the teacher said.

He gritted his teeth and bought an expensive math cram book, determined to conquer his math difficulties. However, after only three pages, a complex problem made him question his life choices, feeling his intelligence severely insulted. He decisively shoved the book to the bottom of his backpack, never to be seen again.

He even secretly practiced the Black Tiger Stance. The result? After less than five minutes, his legs trembled like a sieve, and his posture was crooked. Instructor Xu caught him red-handed and criticized him in front of the entire class, saying his posture was distorted and could easily injure his meridians.

Several attempts ended in failure. Zhang Shun's spirits plummeted to rock bottom.

That day after school, the setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them. Zhang Shun pushed his bicycle, his head hanging low, and spoke listlessly, his voice tinged with frustration: "Brother Mo, am I really hopeless? I see you learning so easily, and your boxing looks decent. Why am I... why can't I do anything right?"

Chen Mo stopped and turned to look at him. The halo of the streetlights fell on Zhang Shun's face, clearly revealing the disappointment in his brow. Even the acne on his face seemed to exude a sense of dejection.

This was his brother, who he had grown up with, the one he shared drinks with when sad and laughter with when happy. How could Chen Mo watch him sink into despair?

He reached out and placed a heavy hand on Zhang Shun's shoulder, his tone unusually serious: "Shunzi, listen to me. Everyone's pace is different. I've had my Enlightenment, but before that, I was a mess, no better than you."

He paused, looking at Zhang Shun's raised eyes, filled with a hint of confusion, and continued: "How about this? Don't compare yourself to me. Let's not compare ourselves to anyone else, just to ourselves. Let's set a small goal, okay? You struggle most with math and English, right? We won't aim for high scores, just focus on getting the basic points and formulaic points. In math, the first eight multiple-choice questions, the first two fill-in-the-blanks, and the first part of the first three long-answer problems – these are guaranteed points. As long as you memorize the formulas and understand the examples, you can get them. For English, you don't like memorizing words, so don't. Let's memorize essay templates and common sentence structures. For listening, focus on keywords... We're not aiming for excellence, just not to be a drag, alright?"

Zhang Shun looked up, a flicker of light gradually appearing in his eyes: "Will... will this really work?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Chen Mo smiled, his tone firm. "Raising your total score in academics by thirty to forty points would be a huge improvement for you. Add that to martial arts. Your foundation isn't bad, you're just a bit lazy, and your center of gravity is unstable when standing. We'll train specifically. I'm not asking you to become a master, just to pass the line steadily, maybe even edge towards 'good.' Then, you can pick any vocational college. If you're lucky, you might even scrape into a regular undergraduate program!"

"Really?" Zhang Shun's eyes widened, his tone filled with disbelief and a hint of suppressed anticipation.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and patted Zhang Shun's chest. "But the prerequisite is that you have to follow my Foolproof Plan. No slacking off. If you don't understand, ask. No matter how 'stupid' the question, you have to ask shamelessly. Dare you?"

"Damn it! You're the stupid one!" Zhang Shun cursed with a laugh and punched Chen Mo's shoulder. The force wasn't great, but it was full of vitality. The gloom on his face instantly dissipated by more than half. "Okay! I'll listen to you! Let's go for it! But we've agreed, if this plan doesn't work, you have to treat me to Jianbing Guozi for a month, with four eggs!"

"Deal!" Chen Mo also smiled, his expression relaxed. "If it works, you treat me!"

"No problem!"

In the following days, although Zhang Shun would still occasionally complain, "This question is impossible," or "These words are too random," he genuinely started following Chen Mo's Foolproof Plan.

He no longer slept in in the mornings. While he still couldn't wake up early, he would at least spend half an hour memorizing English essay templates. For math tests, he stopped fixating on difficult problems and instead repeatedly practiced the basic ones until he could write the answers with his eyes closed. In martial arts class, he no longer slacked off and practiced stances with Chen Mo. Even if his legs trembled violently, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

His progress, though not as dazzling as Chen Mo's, was solid. Like an old ox pulling a cart, it was slow, but he was truly moving forward, one step at a time.

A turning point came during a small math quiz.

When the teacher announced Zhang Shun's score, the entire class fell silent for a moment.

"Zhang Shun, 61 points."

61 points, just barely passing the line.

This score, to the eyes of the top students, was not worth mentioning. But to Zhang Shun, it was extraordinarily significant—this was the first time in high school that his math score had passed!

"Brother Mo! Did you see? 61 points! I passed math!" As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Zhang Shun, clutching the crumpled test paper, excitedly shouted in the bike shed as if holding an Olympic gold medal, his voice loud enough to reach the next classroom.

"I saw, I saw, the whole school heard," Chen Mo leaned against his bicycle, suppressing a smile as he teased him.

"So what if they heard!" Zhang Shun didn't care at all. He carefully folded the test paper and tucked it into the innermost layer of his backpack, afraid of damaging it. Then, he threw an arm around Chen Mo's neck and said grandly, "Let's go! We're celebrating! Jianbing Guozi! My treat! You can have three extra eggs today!"

"Only three eggs? Not enough, not enough, at least four!"

"Four it is! I'm happy today!"

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the two of them. Clear laughter, accompanied by the evening breeze, drifted through the bike shed, carrying far and wide.

Chen Mo looked at his brother, who had regained his vitality, and felt a warmth in his heart.

Making friends, gaining the recognition of teachers, and reaping the friendship of classmates were indeed pleasant. But this kind of brotherhood, forged through trials and mutual support, was the most solid and precious gain in his fantastical journey through this world.

He looked up into the distance. The sun gradually set, the night curtain slowly descended, and the lights of countless homes lit up one by one, warm and bright. One of those lights belonged to his home in this world.

On Saturday, he had to go to Zhao Peng's house to test his qi and blood, to see how far his cultivation had progressed. On Sunday, he had to continue updating Black Tower, and he couldn't let down the readers waiting for new chapters. On Monday, there were new knowledge points to conquer and new proficiency levels to grind.

Life was busy and fulfilling, the road ahead clear and full of challenges.

Chen Mo tightened his grip on the handlebars, lifted his right leg, and swung it over the bicycle. The evening breeze blew against his face, carrying the heat of summer, but it couldn't blow away the light in his eyes.

He forcefully pushed the pedal, and the bicycle slowly started moving, heading in the direction of home.

A calm smile appeared on his face, the smile of a striver, and also of a guardian.

Living this youth again... it seemed... not bad at all.