Cheng Che was woken up by his biological clock.
6:03.
As dawn broke, a few birds chirped outside the window; otherwise, the whole house was quiet.
He turned over, preparing to get out of bed, when he suddenly heard a very faint sound coming from the direction of the living room.
It's the sound of breathing.
It is even and long, with a touch of the gritty heaviness that comes with age.
His parents are still asleep.
Cheng Che sat on the bed, listened for a while, and then the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.
At this time of year, my parents would already be selling breakfast at the breakfast shop. They would get up at 3:30 a. m. every day, arrive at the shop at 4 a. m., and work until 10 a. m.
This has been going on every day for over a decade.
Cheng Che came out of the room and tiptoed through the living room.
On the coffee table was Cheng Jianguo's half-finished enamel teacup from last night, and on the sofa was a scarf that Jiang Xue had half-knitted.
The leaves of the potted green ivy on the balcony were glistening in the morning light.
He pushed open the door and went out.
This is the meaning of striving.
Spring City People's Park.
That abandoned low wall in the southeast corner.
Cheng Che stood in front of the wall and pulled the new racket out of his bag.
This [ Fusible Flexible Feel Racket ] is almost 20 grams lighter than his old racket, and the feel in his hand is completely different.
The frame is thinner, the sweet spot is larger, and the strings are more flexible. But the most amazing thing is the small display interface on the handle.
[Feel: 73]
[Is the feel fixed?]
He silently said "Yes" to himself.
The screen jumped slightly.
[Feel has been fixed: 73]
Cheng Che swung the racket twice to get a feel for it.
Compared to my old racket, this new racket produces a crisper, more direct feel and a clearer sound when hitting the ball.
Although the feel rating is still 73, the improved performance of the racket itself allows you to hit the ball faster with the same amount of force.
He put down the racket and stretched his wrists and shoulders.
[ Training Recovery Card activated.]
A warm, cozy feeling spread from my limbs.
[ The Baseline Weapon Pack has been unlocked: Current progress 0/100000.]
Cheng Che took a deep breath, tossed the ball, and swung his racket.
"Smack!"
The ball hit the wall and bounced back.
It's been a long time since I've been to this park.
The last time I practiced here was before I went to Hang City.
At that time, he was preparing for the qualifiers, getting up early every day to play for an hour, rain or shine.
Now that I'm back, the wall is still the same wall, but the chalk circles are completely gone, washed clean by the rain.
But others are different.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
The sound of the ball hitting the ground was crisp and frequent, like a sudden rainstorm hitting banana leaves.
The elderly people who were doing their morning exercise arrived one after another. Several middle-aged women practicing Tai Chi watched from a distance, whispering among themselves.
"That young man is here again."
"Haven't seen you in a while, have you?"
"That's right. He used to come every day, but then he stopped. I thought he moved."
"Why are you back again today?"
"Maybe he's figured it out. He used to work sporadically, but at least he knows to take remedial measures after the fact."
An old man carrying a birdcage walked by, glanced at Cheng Che, then at the brand-new racket in his hand, and clicked his tongue.
"Young man, that's a good racket."
Cheng Che stopped, wiped his sweat, and said, "It's alright."
"Newly bought?"
"Um."
"What about your previous one?"
"It's at home."
The old man nodded, speaking earnestly:
"Out with the old, in with the new. But playing ball is like life; don't keep changing your mind. If you keep switching games, you'll lose your touch."
Cheng Che smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir, I'll use this one from now on."
After finishing his lecture, the old man nodded in satisfaction, picked up the birdcage, and left.
Cheng Che continued practicing.
He stopped playing at 7:30 and ran five kilometers along the park track.
When I got back from the run, it was already broad daylight.
He got home, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, sat on the sofa, and took out his phone.
He first sent a message to Old Xu.
Cheng Che: Teacher Xu, I'm back in Spring City. When is a convenient time to discuss the promotional video?
Old Xu replied very quickly.
[ Old Xu: Come to school tomorrow morning, at nine o'clock. The principal will be there too.]
That's all.
That's all.
They didn't ask about Yan Ruanning, nor how he was doing lately; there were no pleasantries, no extra concern.
It was just a formal, official notice.
Cheng Che stared at the screen for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
Am I overthinking things?
He and Yan Ruanning are indeed innocent.
Nothing happened, nothing was confirmed, at most we just had a meal together and wore the same shoes.
Okay, that's it.
After finishing breakfast, he played until after nine o'clock, then stood up and decided to go find Guo Xin to play with.
When they arrived at Guo Xin's building, they knocked on the door for a long time, and it was Guo Xin's mother who opened it.
"Oh, Cheng Che's back!" Mama Guo smiled, her eyes crinkling into slits. "Come in and sit down, have you had breakfast yet?"
"Auntie, we've eaten. Where's Guo Xin?"
"He went swimming."
Cheng Che thought he had misheard, "Swimming?"
"Yes." Mama Guo sighed. "I don't know what got into her lately, but she said she wanted to go swimming to lose weight. She goes every morning, and she's been doing it for almost a week now."
Cheng Che opened his mouth slightly.
Guo Xin. Swimming. Weight loss. Every morning.
Putting these words together made him feel like it wasn't real.
Which swimming pool is he at?
"It's a ten-minute walk from the public swimming center up ahead."
Cheng Che thanked Mama Guo and walked quickly towards the swimming pool.
Upon arriving at the destination, he bought a multi-entry pass, changed into his swimming trunks, and sat in the changing room for a while.
Then he put on a T-shirt and shorts and went inside.
This was the first time he had ever dressed so scantily in front of others. After thinking about it, he decided to put it on to avoid being taken advantage of.
There weren't many people in the swimming pool during the day.
There were only two or three people swimming slowly in the pool.
Cheng Che stood by the pool, scanned the area, and quickly found his target.
Guo Xin is in the shallow water.
He was frantically wading through the water.
It's not freestyle, not breaststroke, not any named swimming style.
He was slapping the water with both hands alternately, while his legs were flailing behind him, making him look like an upside-down toad.
Cheng Che stood by the pool and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Hearing the voice, Guo Xin looked up, wiped the water off his face, and saw that it was Cheng Che.
"Holy crap--!!"
He sprang out of the water like a firecracker whose tail had been stepped on, and the splash almost sprayed water onto the old man swimming slowly next to him.
"You bastard, you're finally back!!"
Guo Xin rushed ashore in three quick steps, his whole body soaking wet, and lunged at Cheng Che.
Cheng Che didn't dodge, and was pulled into a hug.
The cold water splashed onto Guo Xin, soaking a patch of his freshly changed, dry clothes.
"Let go, you're soaking wet."
"I won't let go! You've been in Hang City for so long and haven't even called once! Do you even care about me as your brother anymore?!"
I called, but you didn't answer.
"I didn't hear that!"
The two playfully wrestled for a while, and finally sat side by side on the lounge chairs by the pool.
Guo Xin, panting, draped the towel over his shoulder and then glanced at Cheng Che.
His expression slowly changed.
Why didn't you change into your swim trunks?
"It's changed."
"Then why did you put your clothes on?"
"I'm done swimming."
Guo Xin looked down at Cheng Che's thin T-shirt.
After getting wet, the clothes clung to her body, highlighting the lines of her shoulders, the contours of her chest, and the definition of her waist and abdomen.
He looked down at himself again.
My stomach feels a little soft.
My waist is a bit thick. My arms are all fleshy.
"I've been swimming for almost a week," Guo Xin said fiercely, "But my figure hasn't changed at all."
"Swimming alone isn't enough," Cheng Che said casually, leaning back in his chair. "You need to go to the gym and do strength training to build up your muscle mass and increase your basal metabolic rate. The calories you burn from swimming can be easily replenished with a bowl of rice."
Guo Xin's face was full of resentment, but he didn't refute it.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, took out his phone from the waterproof bag, swiped it a couple of times, and shoved it in front of Cheng Che.
"Oh, right, I've found a way to make money."
Cheng Che looked down.
The screen displays an official announcement titled: " Caiyun Province Tourism Promotional Video Competition".
The entry requirements are simple: shoot a short video promoting the culture and tourism of Caiyun Province, three to ten minutes in length, with no restrictions on content or style.
After being published on the designated platform, it will be scored based on a combination of views, likes, and shares.
The first prize is 500,000.
"See that?" Guo Xin pointed to the number "500,000," his eyes shining. "Five hundred thousand! Let's bid for one too! I checked, this competition is happening all over the country, every province has one, but Caiyun Province just started, there aren't many participants yet, it's a blue ocean!"
Cheng Che stared at the screen for several seconds.
He was just worrying about how to complete the Charisma Trial mission.
Does filming a school promotional video count?
If we're going to calculate it, how do we calculate 10,000 points of influence?
Now Guo Xin has directly confronted him with the answer.
Cultural tourism promotional video.
Public video.
Submit your work to the official platform and get a rating based on views and engagement.
Isn't this what "influence" is all about?
"What are you filming?" Cheng Che asked.
Guo Xin was taken aback.
He originally just wanted to get Cheng Che involved in making money, but he didn't expect Cheng Che to agree so readily.
He scratched his head. "I haven't decided yet. Landscapes? Food? People? There are so many things to photograph in Caiyun Province, I'll just pick one."
Cheng Che didn't speak.
He stared at the number "500,000" on his phone screen, his mind racing.
What you film isn't important. What's important is that the video goes viral.
What he has in abundance right now is the ability to make people see him.
"Okay." He handed the phone back to Guo Xin. "Take a picture."
Guo Xin's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Real."
"Then what should we film?"
Cheng Che stood up and picked up a towel to wipe his neck.
"Let's go back first. I need to think about it."
He walked towards the locker room, took two steps, and then glanced back at Guo Xin was still sitting in the chair.
"Tomorrow I'll go to the school to film a promotional video. The day after tomorrow, we'll officially begin."
Guo Xin stared at his retreating figure, momentarily stunned.
Then he realized what he meant and shouted at Cheng Che's retreating figure, "What do you mean 'officially starting'? It's like you're shooting a blockbuster!"
Cheng Che didn't turn around.
But Guo Xin saw him raise his hand and give an OK sign.