"Ha-ha, maybe we should forget it"

Unlike people who ran for exercise, Chen Shi'an didn't follow a straight, spacious, safe route.

Apart from staying out of the road so he wouldn't obstruct traffic, he ran along sidewalks and through alleys alike, vaulting over dead ends and obstacles...

Starting from his apartment complex, he spiraled outward, expanding his range one circuit at a time. Everything he saw and heard along the way built a clear map of his new surroundings in his mind.

Occasionally, an early-rising passerby noticed the boy cutting through the streets and alleys. Seeing him nimbly vault a three-meter-high wall at a dead end left them utterly dumbstruck-

Was this parkour?!

There really were hidden masters everywhere! Even that famous guy probably couldn't get over this wall so easily, right? There was broken glass embedded on top, too! How on earth had this kid just gotten across?

The city's buildings were packed as densely as trees in a forest. An ordinary person's stamina could never have kept up with Chen Shi'an's bout of "parkour," yet he maintained that steady, blistering speed for a full half hour.

Only when it was nearly time did Chen Shi'an stop exploring farther afield and head back toward his apartment complex.

Rather than taking the main roads, he threaded through the alleys he had just explored, as familiar with them as a longtime resident. After a series of twists and turns, he was back at the complex in no time.

"Back from your run, young Chen?" the security guard asked.

"Yes. I'll do some more another day. It's about time to get ready for class."

"Heh, half an hour of running and you haven't even broken a sweat. Did you get any exercise at all?" the guard said with a laugh.

"A fair bit. Autumn's almost here, so the mornings aren't that hot."

Chen Shi'an spoke as he walked. Black Cat, who had accompanied him on his outing, scaled the perimeter wall and hopped back inside too.

Chen Shi'an took the stairs again, while Black Cat charged straight up the vertical stairwell wall as though it were level ground. Upon reaching the top floor, the ninth, Black Cat lightly leaped onto the balcony.

Soon afterward, Chen Shi'an unlocked the door and entered the apartment.

It was five forty-five.

He quickly washed up, then cooked a simple bowl of egg noodles, just as he had yesterday.

He served Fat Ink some noodles and half the egg.

After eating, he changed into another clean school uniform, put on his shoes, and picked up his backpack, ready to leave.

"If you get hungry, eat your cat food. Don't go around scrounging meals off people."

"Meow..."

What did he mean, scrounging meals? Couldn't this cat just catch them a mouse afterward...?

If the city's rats weren't so utterly unappetizing, Shi Mo wouldn't even have minded doing a little community service.

At six ten, Chen Shi'an left home.

Yesterday, he and Wen Zhixia had agreed to meet at the intersection at six fifteen and walk together. Chen Shi'an was always punctual.

He left the complex and headed toward school, spotting Wen Zhixia from a distance.

Just like yesterday, the girl wore her backpack over both shoulders, sipping a cup of soy milk with one hand and carrying a bulging bag of breakfast in the other.

The sun was gradually rising, its light falling over her. She looked terribly sleepy, her dainty frame leaning slightly against a lamppost. Her lips were still wrapped around the straw, but her head kept drooping. On closer inspection, she was actually dozing with her eyes shut...

Whether she was too groggy or his footsteps were too quiet, Wen Zhixia didn't open her eyes until his voice rang out, jolting her awake as though an alarm had gone off.

"Morning, Little Cicada."

"Taoist! When did you get here?"

Already half asleep, she was so startled that she squeezed the cup in her hand. Soy milk spurted back up through the straw, spilling all over her hand.

"Aaaaah... It's all over my hand!"

Chen Shi'an couldn't help laughing at her flustered state. "What are you doing, falling asleep standing up?"

"Quick, hold these for me!"

"..."

Chen Shi'an had no choice but to take her soy milk and the large bag of breakfast. Only then did Wen Zhixia hastily pull tissues from her pocket and wipe her hand.

"I'm dying of sleepiness! Aren't you sleepy? I've already died and come back to life."

"...Died and come back to life?"

"Getting up kills me. Getting back into bed brings me to life."

Chen Shi'an laughed. So that expression could be used that way too!

"Didn't you get home even earlier than me? Did you go to bed late?"

"It was already ten when I got home. By the time I'd showered, it was ten thirty. Then my aunt had made soup, and it was eleven by the time I finished... Oh! It's all your fault!"

"How is this suddenly my fault?"

"Didn't you want to learn English? Last night, I put together all the grammar points you'd need for middle school English. It was midnight before I got into bed!"

Chen Shi'an blinked. He hadn't expected to be partly responsible for Little Cicada's late night.

As she spoke, Wen Zhixia swung her backpack around to her front, unzipped it, and pulled out a set of notes printed on A4 paper.

They covered the grammar commonly used in middle school English, all compiled and printed based on her own learning experience.

"Here-these are for you~"

"Thank you."

Chen Shi'an accepted the notes from her with great care.

Ultimately, learning English came down to three things: intonation, vocabulary, and grammar.

Intonation was the soul of a language, directly affecting listening and speaking ability. Often, people couldn't understand someone not because their vocabulary was inadequate, but because the other person's pronunciation differed from their own. That difference created a barrier to understanding. British English, American English, Chinese English, Japanese English-they were all English, yet the English spoken by some Japanese people could still be incomprehensible.

Vocabulary needed little explanation. Like the cement and bricks used to build a house, it was the foundation.

Grammar was directly tied to reading and writing. It gave sentences logical structure and eliminated ambiguity. People rarely noticed grammar when communicating in their native language, but when learning a foreign language, especially for written exams, it was crucial.

Chen Shi'an had an exceptional ability to memorize vocabulary, along with the reading pen Teacher Ye had given him to help with listening, speaking, and reading. What he lacked most was grammar instruction.

Wen Zhixia's grammar notes truly couldn't have come at a better time.

"Little Cicada, you're really kind."

Chen Shi'an's straightforward gratitude made the girl blush a little.

"It's, it's nothing! I was already

going to make a set for my younger cousin. I'd started ages ago-you couldn't finish it all in one night. I just made an extra copy for you."

"That still deserves a big thank-you."

"No big deal~ No big deal~"

It was true that she had been working on these notes already, but it was also because Chen Shi'an needed them that Wen Zhixia had stayed up late last night to get them finished.

She was naturally helpful, but that didn't mean her kindness was unconditional. She didn't need much in return. A sincere thank-you like Chen Shi'an's was enough to leave her perfectly satisfied.

"If you're this sleepy now, what are you going to do in class?"

"Make myself a cup of coffee when I get to the classroom."

As she spoke, Wen Zhixia looked him over again. "What time did you get up?"

"Five."

"Five?!"

"Yes. I usually get up at five."

The girl was stunned. She remembered him saying when they first met that he'd gotten up at five, walked two hours down the mountain, and spent another hour on a bus. She'd assumed that was an exception. Who knew getting up at five was his normal routine?

"You really are made of iron! How are you not sleepy at all?"

"You can meditate for a bit, or press a few acupoints to perk yourself up."

"Wouldn't you just fall asleep while sitting there...?"

"You can try it."

"How?"

Wen Zhixia was very interested, so Chen Shi'an taught her how to press the relevant acupoints to feel more alert, including Hegu, Zanzhu, and Neiguan.

"Ha-ha-ha... It doesn't seem to be doing anything."

"Your technique is wrong, and you're not calm enough."

Watching her fumbling attempts, Chen Shi'an couldn't resist saying, "How about I do it for you, so you can feel the difference?"

At his suggestion, Wen Zhixia readily agreed. "Sure, go ahead. You make it sound so effective..."

"Then stand still first."

"Yep, standing at attention!"

Wen Zhixia thought nothing of it and stood still. Noticing that he was still holding her breakfast and soy milk in both hands, she took everything back.

At last, Chen Shi'an had both hands free.

They stood there beside the sidewalk on their way to school.

Chen Shi'an positioned himself in front of her.

For some inexplicable reason, Wen Zhixia began to feel nervous.

Before she could say, "Ha-ha, maybe we should forget it," Chen Shi'an spoke. "Close your eyes."

"Oh..."

The girl obediently closed her eyes.

She'd been fine with her eyes open, but once she shut them, her heart seemed to pound even harder.

"...Don't squeeze your eyes shut so tightly. Relax a little."

"Oh..."

But how was she supposed to relax?!

Just as she finally couldn't hold back the words, "Ha-ha, maybe we should forget it," two gently warm fingers brushed the stray hair away from her forehead.

His fingertips first settled on the Zanzhu points in the hollows at the inner ends of her eyebrows. There was no sharp pain from heavy pressure, only a perfectly measured ache that spread along her brow bones, like a cool stream flowing slowly over her taut nerves.

Wen Zhixia's lips trembled. In the end, she never managed to say, "Ha-ha, maybe we should forget it."

In all her life, she had never experienced anything quite so wondrous.

His fingers seemed almost magical, steady and light as they massaged in clockwise circles. Their pressure and warmth seeped through her thin skin, precisely reaching the source of that aching heaviness.

The comfort within that ache held the girl rooted in place. Her wildly pounding heart seemed to be gently steadied by a warm hand, and even her breathing slowed a little.

"Relax. Lift your head a little."

"Mm..."

Chen Shi'an's voice reached her along with the sensation of his fingertips. A moment later, his thumbs moved to her temples, the other four fingers of each hand resting naturally on top of her head.

This time, the pressure was slightly firmer and rhythmic, as though loosening a tightly wound spring.

At first, Wen Zhixia felt a faint, dull pain, but within seconds it turned into a warm current, spreading from her temples toward the top of her head, then flowing down the back of her neck. Even her stiff shoulders quietly relaxed.

The mental fog and tension caused by lack of sleep vanished, and her knitted brows unwittingly smoothed out. The faint, clean scent of laundry powder drifted from his school uniform, mingling with the comfort his fingertips brought to create a wonderful sense of peace.

"Feeling better?"

Chen Shi'an slowed his movements, finishing with a few gentle presses at her temples before finally withdrawing his hands.

"..."

Wen Zhixia stood there for quite a while, still savoring the feeling, before slowly opening her eyes.

Her vision was no longer blurry, and the aching heaviness around her eyes had completely disappeared. It was as though the fog in her brain had been swept away, leaving her clearheaded and refreshed.

"How is it?" Chen Shi'an asked again.

"I'm really not sleepy anymore!!!"

Wen Zhixia stared at Chen Shi'an's clean fingers, her voice full of disbelief. "H-how did you do that?! Why does it feel completely different when you do it instead of me? I'm seriously not sleepy at all!"

"I have magical power, and you don't. Of course it's different."

"I don't believe you~! Tell me, tell me! Were you holding something back when you taught me just now?"

"All right, all right, let's get moving. Don't be late for class."

"...Let's go!!"