This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 44 'Haha, maybe we should just forget about it'

Unlike other runners who run for exercise, Chen Shi'an's running route is not straight, wide, or safe.

Aside from not running into the middle of the road to obstruct traffic, they run across sidewalks, through alleys, and even climb over dead ends or obstacles...

Starting from the community as the center, Chen Shi'an expanded his activity range in a spiral outwards, and what he saw and heard along the way constructed a clear map of the place where he now lives in his mind.

Occasionally, early risers would notice this boy weaving through the streets and alleys, and be utterly astonished to see him nimbly vault over a three-meter-high dead end.

Is this parkour?!

Wow, there are real experts out there! Even someone like me couldn't have scaled that wall so easily, right? There's even broken glass embedded in it! How did this guy even get over there?
The city's buildings are so densely packed, like trees in a forest. Chen Shi'an's parkour routine was something that most people couldn't keep up with, yet he maintained such a stable super-speed for a full half hour.

When it was almost time, Chen Shi'an stopped exploring outside and ran back into the residential area.

Instead of taking the main road, he wandered through the alleys he had just explored, as if he were a long-time resident, turning and twisting his way back to the neighborhood in no time.

"Little Chen is back from his run?" the security guard asked.

"Yeah, I'll go for another run another day. I need to pack up and go to class soon."

"Hey, you've been running for half an hour and you haven't even broken a sweat. Have you gotten any exercise?" the security guard said with a smile.

"It's alright. It's almost autumn, so it's not that hot in the mornings."

As Chen Shi'an walked and talked, the black cat that had been wandering around with him outside also jumped back over the wall and came back in.

Chen Shi'an continued up the stairs, while the black cat sprinted along the vertical building walls as if walking on flat ground, until it reached the ninth floor, where it lightly leaped onto the balcony.

A short while later, Chen Shi'an opened the door and returned to the room.

The time is 5:45.

He quickly finished washing up and, just like yesterday, simply cooked an egg noodle dish.

Pour some flour for Fei Mo, and give him half an egg too.

After finishing his meal, he changed into another clean school uniform, put on his shoes, grabbed his backpack, and prepared to leave.

"Eat cat food when you're hungry, don't go around begging for food and water."

"Meow……"

What do you mean by "free food and drink"? I'll just catch a mouse for them after I finish eating...

If it weren't for the fact that the rats in the city are too disgusting to eat, Shimo wouldn't mind doing charity work for everyone.

At 6:10, Chen Shi'an went out.

Yesterday, Chen Shi'an had arranged to meet Wen Zhixia at the intersection at 6:15. He is always punctual.

He left the residential area and walked towards the school, where he saw Wen Zhixia's figure in the distance.

Just like yesterday, the girl carried a bag on both shoulders, sipped a cup of soy milk in one hand, and carried a large bag full of breakfast in the other.

The sun was gradually rising, and its light fell on her. She looked very sleepy, her petite body leaning slightly against the lamppost, a straw still slurping from her lips, her head drooping. Upon closer inspection, it turned out she was dozing off with her eyes closed...

Whether she was too confused or Chen Shi'an was walking too quietly, Wen Zhixia didn't open her eyes until his voice rang out, as if startled awake by an alarm clock.

Good morning, little cicada.

"Taoist priest! When did you arrive?"

Already feeling groggy, she was startled by his sudden movement, and the soy milk in her hand squeezed, causing it to spill out of the straw and splatter all over her small hand.

"Aaaaaah...my hands are covered in it!"

Seeing her disheveled appearance, Chen Shi'an couldn't help but chuckle: "What are you doing? Why are you dozing off while standing?"

"Hurry up and help me carry this!"

"..."

Chen Shi'an had no choice but to take the soy milk and the large bag of breakfast from her hands. Wen Zhixia then hurriedly took out a tissue from her pocket to wipe her hands.

"I'm so sleepy, aren't you sleepy too? I feel like I've been brought back to life."

"...bringing the dead back to life?"

"Getting out of bed is like dying, going back to bed is like living."

Chen Shi'an was amused by her; this idiom could be used like this!

"Didn't you get home earlier than me? Why are you going to bed so late?"

"I got home at 10 o'clock, and after taking a shower it was at least 10:30. Then my aunt made soup, and by the time we finished eating it was 11 o'clock... Oh! It's all your fault!"

"Why are you blaming me?"

"Didn't you want to learn English? I even compiled a list of grammar points for junior high school English for you last night. I didn't get to bed until midnight!"

Chen Shi'an blinked, never expecting that he was also partly responsible for Xiao Zhi's late night.

As Wen Zhixia spoke, she turned the backpack on her shoulder to the front, unzipped it with her small hands, and took out a document printed on A4 paper.

The above are common grammar points in junior high school English, which she compiled and printed out herself based on her own learning experience.

Here you go!

"Thank you."

Chen Shi'an solemnly accepted the document from her hand.

English learning ultimately boils down to three elements: intonation, vocabulary, and grammar.

Intonation is the soul of language, directly affecting listening and speaking skills. Many people cannot understand others not because of insufficient vocabulary, but because the other person's pronunciation is different from their own. This difference leads to comprehension barriers. For example, British English, American English, Chinese English, and Japanese English are all English, but you just can't understand the English spoken by some people from island nations.

I won't go into detail about the words; they're like the cement bricks used to build a house—the foundation.

Grammar is directly related to reading and writing, organizing the logic of sentences and eliminating ambiguity in expression. People rarely pay attention to grammar when communicating in their native language, but it is crucial in foreign language learning, especially for written exams.

Chen Shi'an has an exceptional ability to memorize words, and he also has a reading pen provided by Teacher Ye to assist with listening, speaking, and reading. What he lacks most is learning grammar.

It can be said that Wen Zhixia's grammar materials really solved his urgent problem.

"Little Zhi, you're such a kind person."

Chen Shi'an's direct expression of gratitude made the girl blush slightly.

"No, it's nothing! I was making a copy for my cousin anyway. I was working on it earlier, but it wouldn't be finished in one night, so I just made a copy for you." "Thank you so much anyway."

"No problem at all~ No problem at all~"

It's true that this information has been working on for a while, but it was only because Chen Shi'an needed it that Wen Zhixia stayed up all night to quickly prepare it for him.

The girl was naturally warm-hearted, but that didn't mean she was unconditionally warm-hearted. She didn't need much in return; she was content as long as someone like Chen Shi'an sincerely thanked her.

"If you're so sleepy now, what will you do in class later?"

"Go to the classroom and make yourself a cup of coffee."

Wen Zhixia stared at him again as she spoke, "What time did you get up?"

"Five o'clock."

"Five o'clock!!"

"Yes, I usually get up at five o'clock."

The girl was dumbfounded. She remembered when they first met, he said he got up at five o'clock, walked for two hours on mountain roads, and took a one-hour car ride. She thought that was just an exception, but she didn't expect that getting up at five o'clock was his normal routine.
"You must be made of iron! How come you're not sleepy at all?"

"You can meditate or press some acupoints to refresh yourself."

"You really won't fall asleep while sitting down...?"

"You can try."

"how to do?"

Wen Zhixia was very interested, so Chen Shi'an taught her how to press relevant acupoints to refresh herself, such as Hegu, Zanzhu, Neiguan, etc.

"Haha...it doesn't seem to be working."

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

Seeing the girl's clumsy movements, Chen Shi'an couldn't help but say, "How about I massage you and you can feel it?"

Seeing that he said that, Wen Zhixia readily agreed: "Okay, then go ahead and massage it. It sounds so effective, you say..."

"Then you should stand still."

"Okay, stand still!"

Wen Zhixia didn't take it to heart and stood still. When she saw that he was still carrying her breakfast and soy milk with both hands, she took the things from his hands.

Chen Shi'an finally had his hands free.

The two of them stood there on the sidewalk on their way to school.

Chen Shi'an stood in front of her.

Wen Zhixia inexplicably began to feel nervous.

Before she could say, "Haha, maybe we should forget about it," Chen Shi'an said, "Close your eyes."

"Oh……"

The girl obediently closed her eyes.

It's fine if I don't close my eyes; once I do, my heart seems to pound even harder.

"...Don't close your eyes so tightly, relax a little."

"Oh……"

But how can you relax like this!

Just as she was about to say, "Haha, maybe we should forget about it," two fingers, with a gentle warmth, softly brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead.

My fingertip first landed on the Zanzhu acupoint in the hollow of her eyebrow. There was no stinging pain from pressing hard, only a just-right soreness spreading along her brow bone, like a cool stream slowly flowing over her tense nerves.

Wen Zhixia's lips trembled, but she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say, "Haha, maybe we should forget about it."

This was the first time in her life she had ever had such a wonderful experience.

His fingers seemed to possess some kind of magic, his fingertips steady yet light, massaging in a clockwise circle. The force and warmth of his fingers seeped through the thin skin, precisely targeting the source of the soreness.

The girl was frozen in place by the comfortable ache she felt. Her heart, which had been pounding wildly, felt as if a warm hand was gently pressing it down, and even her breathing slowed down.

"Relax, lift your head up a little."

"Um……"

Chen Shi'an's voice came through the touch of his fingertips. The next second, his thumb moved to her temple, and his other four fingers rested naturally on the top of her head.

This time, the pressure was slightly stronger, with a rhythmic pressing motion, as if loosening a taut spring.

Wen Zhixia initially felt a slight, dull pain, but within seconds, that dull pain transformed into a warm current that spread from her temples to the top of her head, then flowed down the back of her neck, and even her stiff shoulders gradually relaxed.

The mental fog and tension caused by lack of sleep vanished, and the girl's furrowed brows relaxed without her realizing it. The faint scent of laundry detergent from his school uniform wafted in the air, intertwining with the comfort brought by his fingertips, creating a wonderful sense of peace.

"feel better now?"

Chen Shi'an slowed down his movements, lightly tapping and pressing his temples with his fingertips to finish, and finally withdrew his hand.

"..."

Wen Zhixia stood there for a while, still wanting more, before slowly opening her eyes.

My vision was no longer blurry, the soreness and heaviness in my eyes had completely disappeared, and my brain felt as if the fog of chaos had been cleared away, becoming clear and light.

"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 filled with disbelief: "How...how did you do that?! Why does it feel completely different when you massage it compared to when I massage it myself? I'm not sleepy at all anymore!"

“I have magic powers, you don’t, so we’re definitely different.”

"I don't believe you! Tell me, tell me! Did you hide something when you were teaching me?"

"Alright, alright, let's go now, don't be late for class."

“…Hurry up!!”

(End of this chapter)