English is also a language, and writing in English is also writing.

I walked into the office empty-handed and came back with a stack of study materials.

If Teacher Yan Yuzhu said it was important, then it was important—just memorize it like your life depended on it.

"What did you do to get called out by the teacher?" Chen Dong turned around, his face full of confusion.

"Teacher Yan asked to meet me tonight. Said there’d be a reward if I perform well."

"?"

Wait, is this even appropriate?

Did I somehow teleport to Tokyo?

"You absolute bastard!!"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. She’s just testing me on dictation. Every single day, apparently."

Chen Dong patted Shen Nian’s shoulder and sighed in relief. Could’ve just said that from the start instead of making it sound sketchy.

Shen Nian, you better live a long and healthy life.

Shen Nian didn’t elaborate. He stood by the window, letting the warm autumn breeze wash over him. Early autumn was like a gentle yet passionate woman—her warmth gradually cooling into something crisper as the season progressed. A perfect contrast.

In plain terms: hot at the start, chilly by the end.

Don’t ask. Just know that autumn had graced him with her touch.

During class, he set aside all other subjects. Since exams only cared about total scores, his top priority was patching up his English weakness. Even during Chinese class, he secretly drilled Yan Yuzhu’s English materials.

Xia Yanchun noticed Shen Nian’s sudden diligence, and her mood instantly brightened. Ah, what a relief. A guy who actually put in effort? That was rare and refreshing.

Surely, such a focused Shen Nian was studying Chinese and not some other subject, right?

With a faint smile, Xia Yanchun slowed her steps, pretending to patrol the classroom with her hands behind her back. She casually drifted behind Shen Nian and peeked at his notes.

Wait, are those… pinyin?

Oh. No. Just English letters.

Xia Yanchun’s heart shattered. Lies. All lies!

How could this be…

Shen Nian’s brows furrowed. An overwhelming murderous intent?

Did the Demon King sneak out to target a noob adventurer like me?

But I’m still in the starter zone—where’s the newbie protection?

Oh. It’s just the homeroom teacher. Phew. For a second, I thought it was the Demon King.

"Copy The Faults of Qin ten times. Bring it to me tonight," Su Kexi said sweetly, her words dripping with icy venom.

"Teacher, let me explain—English is still a language! Even if my body is here, my heart belongs to Chinese!"

"Twenty times."

The class erupted in laughter.

Fine, copying it was. Shen Nian could handle that. But emotionally? He felt slightly deceased.

Just a little.

Three classes passed in a blur. By the time the bell rang, Shen Nian finally stretched his stiff neck.

Holding one posture for so long would’ve wrecked his neck and back before, but today? Surprisingly fine.

Was this his body recovering?

With this passive buff, copying The Faults of Qin didn’t seem so bad.

Shen Nian rubbed his chin. Did this mean he was destined to become an emotionless study machine?

If only this ability had kicked in ten years earlier.

Back then, after getting scolded by his parents, he’d vowed to become a stoic learning robot—only to cave and devour two bowls of rice at dinner. Hunger beat principles when the alternative was a spanking.

If this passive had existed back then? No clownery. Just dominance.

Shen Nian facepalmed. That wasn’t a backstory—it was pure cringe.

"Cafeteria sprint?" Chen Dong whispered, turning around.

"Absolutely. Time to show those freshmen what real speed looks like."

Last week, the first-years had military training privileges—early cafeteria access, unbeatable queues. But now? Even Usain Bolt would be stuck with leftovers at South Porcelain High.

The bell rang. No teacher dared to hold them back. Shen Nian and Chen Dong bolted, leaping five stairs at a time.

On the lower floors, they hit the "Maginot Line" of best friends holding hands—impossible to breach. Tragic.

The cafeteria wasn’t far from the senior-year classrooms, but securing a spot required a full sprint. By the time they arrived, Chen Dong was gasping, hands on knees.

That’s anaerobic exercise for you. No one escapes the wheezing.

Then he noticed Shen Nian.

…How was this guy not even winded?

Dude, your recovery’s insane. I bet you could dodge bullets.

Best not to compliment him, though. The more you praised him, the worse you looked—unless you were bragging about your weak kidneys to single friends. No guy admits weakness to the bros.

"Damn, I’m terrifyingly strong," Shen Nian mused, flipping his bangs up with zero warning. Devastatingly handsome.

A 200-meter sprint without breaking a sweat? How could anyone resist?

Chen Dong: "…"

He’s already complimenting himself. Just let him have it.

The cafeteria’s ¥4 chicken legs were limited. No sprint, no feast. Today? Victory tasted delicious.

When Shen Nian returned to the classroom, Xia Yanchun was just heading to the cafeteria with her friends.

She bought a peanut ice cream bar, settled at her desk, and spent half an hour delicately nibbling at the cream in silence.

Her gaze kept drifting toward Shen Nian. Today, his unusual quietness came from… memorizing English vocabulary?

Good. She low-key hoped he’d keep grinding. If his scores caught up to hers, maybe they’d end up at the same university. Company would be nice.

Once the time felt right, Xia Yanchun pulled out her tiny pillow and dozed off sweetly.

(Page flip)

(Pencil scratching paper)

(Page flip)

Xia Yanchun: "…"

The noise was deafening.

"Could you not study and just rest? You’ll be dead tired this afternoon."

"Not sleepy," Shen Nian replied, cold as ice.

Logically, midday naps were mandatory. But thanks to his passive, he was wide awake.

Was mental energy part of physical recovery? Did this mean he could skip sleep entirely?

Was he ascending to immortality?

Xia Yanchun pouted and turned away.

A rustle. Shen Nian slid into Li Shiyan’s seat.

"What?"

"How about we take a nap together? For old times’ sake." His tone was casual, but the vocabulary book stayed in his hands.

"?" Xia Yanchun’s confusion was palpable. "What the hell are you saying…"

"Relax. No one’s watching. The classroom cameras are always off."

“That’s not the point! What’s your motive? Why should I nap with you?” She caught the unintended ambiguity and backtracked. “Ugh, forget it. Just go back.”

"We’ve napped together before."

"And I’ve hit you before. Wanna take a punch now too?"

Shen Nian’s expression darkened. Xia Yanchun’s comebacks were airtight. No sweet-talking here. Might as well be honest.

"My spot’s too hot. Just borrowing your fan."

During naptime, only two students were allowed in the classroom. No AC, just two ceiling fans humming away.

The midday sun turned the walls into radiators. An hour under that heat, and you’d be half-baked.

"Can’t you sit under another fan?"

"Okay, fine. I also kinda wanted to nap together." Shen Nian grinned.

"And I kinda wanna hit you." Xia Yanchun grinned back.

Shen Nian dropped the act. "I’ll just sit here quietly and read. Won’t bother you."

"Whatever. Just don’t mess with Li Shiyan’s stuff."

"I'm gonna secretly stalk you, heh heh heh."

"Oh." Xia Yanchun turned her face away again.

"......"

Xia Yanchun didn’t get angry, and Shen Nian suddenly felt it was all rather dull.

Occasionally, the sound of car wheels rolling over asphalt could be heard, as if the entire school had quieted down.

The ceiling fan hummed softly. Shen Nian couldn’t hear Xia Yanchun’s breathing, but he could catch a faint, familiar scent coming from her.

The peaceful atmosphere made his mind wander, drifting back to a weekend from his childhood.

The elementary school in their town allowed students to visit on weekends. He and Xia Yanchun had played hide-and-seek there—he was "it" and spent half an hour searching for her before finally breaking down in tears.

Later, he saw Xia Yanchun emerge from the girls’ bathroom, laughing at him the whole time.

That tiny, newborn version of Xia Yanchun!

While most people’s childhood memories grew warmer with nostalgia, Shen Nian’s did too—except the warmth felt a little too intense.

"Asleep?"

"Hmm?" Xia Yanchun shifted slightly, letting out only a soft breath.

It really was a bit hot, making it hard to sleep comfortably. She was starting to understand why Shen Nian had wanted to sit next to her.

"Get up and sleep again."

"Do I really have to beat you up like when we were kids to make you behave?"

"Are you challenging me to a true warrior’s duel?"

Ever since hitting puberty, Shen Nian had taken a liking to studying Japanese and Korean culture in secret—his references were a bit ahead of the curve.

Turns out, understanding him was pointless. Shen Nian wasn’t someone a normal person could comprehend.

Xia Yanchun turned her head and blinked at him. "Did you secretly devolve into a troglodyte when I wasn’t looking? How else could you be this dumb?"

A double insult in one sentence. Shen Nian clasped his hands in mock surrender. "Such high attack power! I, Shen Nian, concede defeat. I hereby declare you worthy of using Xiaohongshu."

Xia Yanchun fell silent, revealing only half her face as she locked eyes with Shen Nian, her delicate willow-leaf brows furrowing slightly beneath her bangs.

She studied his face carefully. The man’s features were annoyingly well-sculpted. Thankfully, Shen Nian was just a troll—if he’d grown up to be a player, who knew how things would’ve turned out.

If Shen Nian were a little more serious, a little more considerate and forgiving toward girls, he probably would’ve started receiving love letters ages ago.

You’re good-looking, but your personality completely cancels it out.

Still, since he was just a troll, Xia Yanchun could tolerate it. After all, they’d made it this far.

"Yanbao, stop staring. Do you need me to tuck you in for a nap?"

"Go read under another fan."

"Nah, I like sitting next to you."

"Then talk less."

"Got it, Yanbao."

"Don’t call me that!"

"Sure thing, Xiao Xia."

Xia Yanchun felt her face grow warm. What was with all this "Yanbao" nonsense? Just because they’d grown up together, spent over a decade side by side—did that mean they were that close?

Of course, if Shen Nian called her "big sis," then sure, they were childhood sweethearts, thick as thieves, closer than an extra-crispy piece of KFC.

Looking at Shen Nian’s grinning face, Xia Yanchun understood. Getting angry shortened your lifespan by five seconds; staying happy lengthened it by five. Shen Nian was clearly trying to piss her off so he could breakdance on her grave later.

Yanxi Reminds You: Due to Tomato Novel’s request for 3 million+ daily visits overloading the servers, we now recommend switching to other sources provided by fellow readers.