Evolving infinitely from ground zero

“Han Han, your singing is so good, do you want to go sing K with us after school?”

“We’re not going to a KTV, my family has a karaoke room, it’s inside my house.”

“Yeah, Yan Ling’s family is really rich. She lives in a big villa with a karaoke room, a swimming pool, and even a badminton court.”

The day after the campus top ten singers competition ended.

During the lunch break.

A female student, along with her best friend, walked up to Shen Qinghan and stopped, inviting her to sing K at her house with a friendly face.

Shen Qinghan was somewhat flattered and wanted to go, but didn’t know if she should.

She never expected to be so warmly invited by her classmates; after all, everyone disliked her for being a relation hire.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally decided to go to the girl’s house to sing K, following Lin Zichen’s suggestion and with his company.

Accompanying them were also Li Chuxin and He Yu.

The girl who invited Shen Qinghan was very excited and thrilled to see Lin Zichen there.

“That’s Shen Qinghan from Class 1 of the first grade, her singing is super nice, you really missed out by not going to the playground after school that day.”

“She’s so pretty, even with not a bit of makeup on her face, she looks so delicate.”

“I heard not only is her singing great but her painting skills are amazing too. The reason Class 1’s blackboard newspapers always win first place in the competitions is because of her.”

“I used to think she was just a vase beside Lin Zichen, but it turns out she’s actually talented and skilled. I feel like overall, she could even be the campus belle.”

In the days following the campus top ten singers competition.

Whether it was on the way to school or on the way home after school, Shen Qinghan could always hear students discussing her in hushed tones.

The content of the discussions was universally flattering.

This continued for several days in a row.

Gradually, Shen Qinghan was no longer as introverted as before when she walked on the school paths.

She gained a bit of self-confidence.

Hearing people discuss her, she no longer bowed her head in embarrassment but responded with a shy smile.

“Han Han, come on!”

“Team member, believe in yourself, you can win!”

“With two consecutive wins in sparring, Han Han, you’re amazing!”

“Shen Qinghan has made great progress.”

“Everyone should learn from Qinghan, even if we’re not as physically strong as others, we can still win by using excellent martial arts skills to turn the tables on the Martial Stage.”

In the end-of-term exams half a month later.

Shen Qinghan successfully turned the tables and defeated Wen Yuntong and Chu Yuxi, who were ranked ahead of her, with her excellent martial arts skills.

Her grades in class improved from last to third from last in one fell swoop, wowing everyone and earning the praise of the homeroom teacher Han Yuanfeng.

Seeing that her grades were no longer the last in class, Shen Qinghan was thrilled and a relieved smile spread across her face.

She thought that from now on, no one in the class would attack her over being a relation hire.

Seeing the smile on her face, Lin Zichen also smiled, thinking that she was finally getting better and not as insecure as before.

“Xiao Chen, how about I give you a ride on my bicycle for a fun ride out, just like when you used to give me rides to and from school in junior high.”

“That bicycle hasn’t been ridden in a long time, the tires are probably flat.”

“It’s no problem, we can just pump up the tires, right?”

“If you really want to ride that badly, then let’s ride.”

One day during the winter break of the first semester of senior high.

Just after having lunch at home, Shen Qinghan ran to Lin Zichen’s house, saying she wanted to ride a bicycle and take him out for a spin.

Ever since junior high, she’d wanted to ride a bicycle with Lin Zichen, but back then she didn’t have the strength and couldn’t peddle with an extra person, so Lin Zichen didn’t allow it.

Now that she could manage it, she absolutely had to experience the feeling of being the driver once.

Shortly, the two headed back inside and pushed out the long-unused bicycle.

In the yard, they cleaned it and pumped the tires full of air.

Looking at the bike in front of her, as shiny as if it had just been bought, Shen Qinghan couldn’t wait to swing her leg over and hop on, then turned her head to hurry Lin Zichen, who was behind her:

“Xiao Chen, come on, get on.”

“Okay, I’m coming.”

“Don’t hold onto the seat, it’s unsafe. You need to put your hands around my waist, like how I hugged you when I sat on the rear seat of your bike in junior high. That’s the safe way.”

Shen Qinghan reminded him with a gentle warning.

After listening, Lin Zichen didn’t say anything and just did as she suggested, stretching out his hands to hug her waist.

Feeling the touch on her lower abdomen, Shen Qinghan’s heartbeat sped up a bit, her fair cheeks tinged with red.

Then, with a forceful push of her lower legs, she pedaled off towards the suburban roads with Lin Zichen in tow.

There were fewer cars there, and fewer traffic lights, making the ride feel freer.

“Xiao Chen, that forest over there looks so beautiful. Let’s climb up a tree for a better view and take some nice photos,” Shen Qinghan suggested as they stopped in front of a large tree on the roadside midway through their ride.

Lin Zichen had no objections; he was all ears to her.

After stopping the bike,

Shen Qinghan stuffed her phone in her pocket and immediately began climbing the tree without a word.

Since it wasn’t cold during the winter break in the south, she was wearing a blue lace skirt and a pair of warm white stockings that day. As she climbed up in front of Lin Zichen, she inadvertently flashed him.

Though she was wearing safety shorts, and flashing wasn’t really a big deal, Lin Zichen still consciously moved to the other side of the tree, avoiding the scene laid out before him.

In just a moment, both of them were standing a few meters high on a tree branch.

Shen Qinghan boldly let go of the tree trunk, took out her phone, and started taking pictures of the distant forest.

Being a student of the Martial Arts Class, she’d practiced tree climbing often during the school’s wilderness survival courses, so she was quite stable on the tree and wasn’t afraid of falling.

Just then, a breeze blew by, whipping Shen Qinghan’s smooth hair into a dance.

Lin Zichen found the girl before him so captivating at that moment that he too took out his phone and began taking pictures of her.

I don’t know how long passed.

Both put away their phones.

No more photographs were taken.

Shen Qinghan, gazing at the distant scenery, suddenly spoke up, “Xiao Chen, in both junior high and senior high, I got into the same school and the same class as you because of our connection.”

“I can’t keep doing this; I can’t always rely on you.”

As she said this, she turned her head to look at Lin Zichen next to her, her eyes firm with resolve, “In two and a half years, I will definitely get into the same university as you by my own merit.”

“Mhm, I believe in you.”

Lin Zichen responded trustingly, without a second thought.

He noticed that Shen Qinghan seemed much more confident after winning first place in the school’s Top Ten Singers competition as well as scoring a double win in the end-of-term Martial Arts sparring – a contrast to the insecure, timid, and shy Shen Qinghan he knew before the winter break.

He liked this new Shen Qinghan better, the one with a bit more self-confidence, a more resolute heart, and an increasingly cheerful personality.

PS: Bowls out, seek monthly tickets, recommend tickets!