Could we get in sync for once!

Wen Zhixia had not felt this mentally refreshed and energized in a long time.

It was like waking naturally after a dreamless night, pulling back the curtains to find brilliant sunshine and a crystal-clear view, as though all the world's tenderness had wrapped her in an embrace and left her feeling completely rejuvenated.

Was it really the difference in technique, or was it the strange sensation brought on by the only intimacy she had ever shared with a boy in her young life?

The reserved girl did not want to admit it, but there was no denying that ever since Chen Shi'an had gently pressed his fingers to the corners of her eyes, her heart had maintained a fluttery rhythm. It was not even hot out, yet the heat pumped out by that little heart seemed to have warmed her entire body...

They chatted as they walked. Wen Zhixia used what little time they had on the way to school to help him practice speaking English.

"Afternoon. The weather is very nice this afternoon~"

"Aff-uh-too-nun?"

"Not aff-uh-too-nun. It's afternoon~ You can split it into three syllables: af-ter-noon~ The /a/ and /ə/ should be unstressed, and then /u:/..."

Wen Zhixia taught him earnestly and patiently.

Luckily, her younger cousin was not there, or she would definitely have sent her a "?"

"Afternoon?"

"Yes! That's it! Your pronunciation was spot-on that time!"

Honestly, English did seem easy to anyone who had already learned it. After all, it had been included in primary school textbooks for almost twenty years. Apart from primary schools in remote places like isolated islands or the back of beyond, even the most basic schools introduced English in third grade. Not to mention that nowadays, hearing, speaking, seeing, and reading a few English words was an unavoidable part of daily life.

But English was like swimming: the younger you were, the easier it was to pick up. As you grew older, many of the muscular habits involved in pronunciation became ingrained, making an accent very difficult to correct. Even Wen Zhixia, who routinely scored over 140 in English, would not dare claim she spoke it like a native.

Chen Shi'an's pronunciation had been quite stiff at first, but he improved astonishingly fast, thanks to his extraordinary control over his mind and body. After just a short practice session, he was already sounding convincing.

"You just said that was British English. Is American English pronounced differently?" Chen Shi'an asked curiously.

"Yep, it is. We mainly learn British English, but there are some American elements mixed in too. Anyway, just follow the textbook. I'll recommend a few English movies for you later. Once you've listened and spoken enough, your speaking and grammar will be fine."

"I see."

Before they knew it, they had walked side by side onto the school grounds and into the classroom building.

"I'm so jealous of your class. Your floor is so low, you barely have to climb any stairs. The school really ought to swap the science and humanities floors around."

"First you're jealous of a Taoist, then a cat, and now you're jealous of a floor?"

Chen Shi'an chuckled. "Our classroom's on the second floor, so we still have to climb stairs. Yours is on the fourth, just two floors higher. The classes above the seventh floor are probably jealous of you."

"Oh, right. Here, this is for you."

Before they parted at the second-floor stairwell, Wen Zhixia reached her little hand into the big bag of breakfast, rummaged around, and pulled out a warm cup of soy milk, which she pressed into his hand.

"Treating me to soy milk again?"

"It's from my family's shop. Doesn't cost anything. Take it, take it. I'm off. Bye! If you want to have lunch together, wait for me on the first floor~!"

With that, she waved her little hand and trotted upstairs, carrying the big bag of breakfast with her backpack on her shoulders.

Chen Shi'an timed his arrival precisely. Just like yesterday, he reached the classroom three minutes before the required time.

Almost everyone in the class was already there. It was like a replay of yesterday: those reading at their desks were reading, those eating breakfast were eating breakfast, those talking were talking, and those wandering around for no apparent reason continued to wander around for no apparent reason.

There seemed to be a few more people walking around today, though-the group leaders were handing out worksheets to their groups. They were blank math worksheets, not for a test, but for homework practice.

There was one on Chen Shi'an's desk too. It had just been handed out and left rather haphazardly. When a classmate passed along the aisle, the hem of their clothes brushed it, sending it drifting to the floor like an autumn leaf, spinning lightly as it fell.

The worksheet did not stay on the floor for long.

The girl beside his seat turned and bent down. Her silky hair slipped from her shoulder and brushed her cheek, then her pale little hand reached out to pick up the fallen worksheet.

Before she could straighten, a familiar pair of black canvas shoes appeared in the aisle within her field of vision.

Her gaze paused. As she straightened with the worksheet in hand, her eyes traveled up from those shoes until they rested briefly on Chen Shi'an's face.

"Thanks, class monitor."

"Mm."

Since he had happened to see her, Lin Meng Qiu did not say anything more. It was hardly any trouble. Even if her deskmate had been someone else, she would have picked up the worksheet just the same.

Lin Meng Qiu put the worksheet back on his desk, withdrew the leg she had extended, and settled her petite figure neatly back into her seat.

She picked up her own blank math worksheet to look it over, while secretly watching Chen Shi'an out of the corner of her eye.

He set down his soy milk, took the backpack off his shoulder and hung it beside the desk, then pulled out his chair and sat down.

When he was absent, the view on that side was wide open. Once he sat down, it was as though he had boxed her in, making the space feel a little cramped. Yet it no longer felt as stifling as it had at first... She seemed to be gradually getting used to having a deskmate.

"A math worksheet, huh..."

Chen Shi'an picked it up and looked it over.

Lin Meng Qiu did not answer. He was probably talking to himself.

Yesterday, Chen Shi'an had already worked through half of Seventh-Grade Mathematics, Volume One, but this worksheet still looked completely incomprehensible to him. Just as he was wondering whether he needed to complete it and hand it in like everyone else, the class monitor beside him spoke-

"You got here too late today."

"Huh?"

Chen Shi'an blinked and turned to her in confusion. The abrupt change of subject left him a little bewildered. He looked at the clock hanging at the back of the classroom

-weren't there still two minutes before they were required to arrive?

"The two of us are on cleaning duty today. You need to come to the classroom earlier to empty the trash."

"Oh-"

Oh again! Still saying oh! One point off for you!

Only after Lin Meng Qiu said that did Chen Shi'an understand.

"We have to empty the trash in the morning too?"

"Yes."

"Sorry. I thought we only needed to do it after cleaning in the afternoon. I'll go now, then."

School rules still had to be followed, especially since cleaning duty was everyone's responsibility. Chen Shi'an put down his worksheet, got up, and headed toward the trash can at the back of the classroom.

The classroom trash can was huge, an enormous white plastic bin with a carrying handle on each side.

Yesterday's students on cleaning duty had emptied it once in the evening, but after a night of evening study, it was almost half full again.

It certainly was not heavy, just large and awkward for one person to carry.

Chen Shi'an dragged the bin out of the corner. Just as he was about to carry it out himself, he looked back and saw Lin Meng Qiu approaching from her seat.

"What is it, class monitor?"

The girl was a little stunned to see Chen Shi'an holding the huge bin in both hands. It was not his strength that surprised her, but the fact that he had actually intended to empty it all by himself.

He really had no experience of school life at all! Didn't the two students on cleaning duty always take out the trash together?

"Wh-what are you doing?" Instead of answering his question, Lin Meng Qiu asked one of her own. She suspected she owed all the extra lines she had been speaking every day lately to Chen Shi'an.

"Didn't you just tell me to empty the trash, class monitor?"

"...How are you supposed to do that alone? I didn't tell you to go by yourself."

"'The two of us are on cleaning duty today. You need to come to the classroom earlier to empty the trash.'" His excellent memory proved its worth as Chen Shi'an repeated her exact words, drawing out and emphasizing the key part.

"..."

That wasn't what I meant at all! Even if I phrased it wrong... haven't two people always taken out the trash together? Idiot!

"I'll go with you."

"'The two of us are on cleaning duty today. You need to come to the classroom earlier. We have to empty the trash.'"

That wretched Taoist did not even answer her. He simply went ahead and said that.

He chuckled and was about to ask Lin Meng Qiu, "Wouldn't that be a more accurate way to phrase it?" But all he met was her icy stare, so he forcibly swallowed the words before they could leave his throat.

"...All right, let's go together, then. This bin really is big. It's awkward to carry."

As he spoke, Chen Shi'an set down the bin he had been holding in both hands and obligingly moved to one of its handles.

Lin Meng Qiu extended her pale, delicate little hand. Rather than grabbing the handle, she offered him a tissue.

"Hm?"

"..."

Lin Meng Qiu said nothing. After giving Chen Shi'an the tissue, she wrapped another around the bin's handle before taking hold of it.

Huh. Quite particular, aren't you?

Now that Chen Shi'an understood what the tissue was for, he copied her, wrapping it around the handle before gripping it.

"Shall we go, then?"

"Mm."

There was limited space at the back of the classroom, so they could not walk side by side. Instead, they carried the bin one behind the other.

But they did not seem particularly in sync...

Chen Shi'an walked slowly in front, while Lin Meng Qiu moved quickly behind him. Mostly, it was because some classmates were watching them with nosy interest, making her inexplicably uncomfortable. She just wanted to get out as soon as possible.

With one moving slowly and the other quickly, the bin between them kept bumping against Chen Shi'an's heels.

At last, they made it out of the classroom.

Completely out of sync, one intended to turn left while the other intended to turn right. With a clack, the bin between them was pulled taut and lifted into the air. If it had possessed a spirit, the poor trash can would have wished it could fall apart on the spot!

"Aren't we taking the stairs on the right?"

"The trash collection area is by the back gate. It's closer if we take the stairs on the left."

"Oh-"

Aaargh! She was about to lose her mind...