Chapter 104: Late Night Habits and Early Morning Starts

It was one in the morning.

The impromptu trio’s climb up the ranks had been surprisingly smooth, with Zhong Jing, having maxed out her kill points, soaring directly into Platinum.

A feeling of satisfaction bloomed within her—though it remained an internal sensation, never quite reaching her expression.

“I’m logging off.”

“Okay, okay, I was just about to say the same! Sweet dreams!”

“Mhm, sweet dreams.”

Zhong Jing exited the game and voice chat, removed her headphones, and gently shook her hair.

Rising from her chair, she decided to grab a can of cola before bed.

Stepping out of her room, familiar with the layout of her home, she didn’t bother turning on the lights—primarily out of laziness to walk to the living room—and instead made her way to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door.

In the faint glow emanating from the fridge, Zhong Jing’s peripheral vision caught sight of a figure silently standing beside her.

She startled.

Her hand, reaching for the cola, froze mid-air.

Despite the sudden fright, Zhong Jing maintained her composure, not only refraining from crying out like Zhong Tian would have, but also keeping her expression utterly unchanged.

She retrieved her cola, then pulled out her phone, switched on its flashlight, and illuminated the young woman who was filling a thermos with warm water.

“……”

“……”

Neither of them spoke, and for a moment, only the distinct sound of water pouring echoed through the kitchen.

The pouring ceased swiftly as Su Linxi, accustomed to half a cup of warm water before bed, lifted her mug and took a small sip to test the temperature.

“…Good night.”

Once satisfied with the water’s temperature, Su Linxi carried her mug back to her room.

“……”

Zhong Jing watched Su Linxi retreat to her room, then proceeded to switch on the main light in the living room.

Beneath the bright, dazzling light, Zhong Jing sank into the soft sofa, a wave of exhaustion abruptly washing over her, instantly making her feel drowsy.

Yet, having already opened the cola, she resolved to finish it before heading to bed.

While others might feel a slight jolt of energy from iced cola, Zhong Jing was different; such a cold drink only brought her a deeper sense of ease, enhancing her sleep quality.

Slowly sipping her cola, she began scrolling through her phone.

After about half an hour of scrolling, Zhong Jing finally emptied the 300ml can of cola. She tossed the empty can into the trash, then briefly brushed her teeth, and, filled with an overwhelming drowsiness, returned to her bed, falling asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

****

Thursday morning.

Zhong Tian awoke to find the living room light still on.

He knew, without a doubt, that his sister had come out for a cola last night, then simply returned to her room to sleep, completely forgetting about the light.

Zhong Tian was well aware that once his sister was tired, everything unrelated to sleep became irrelevant to her; she would simply detach from the world, as if ascending to immortality.

Zhong Tian had reminded her countless times about these bad habits; not just during their high school years, but even when he was in elementary school, he had lectured Zhong Jing, who was already a high schooler then. Yet, she remained unrepentant, carrying these habits from her daily life into her working years.

After a brief moment of lamenting the electricity bill, Zhong Tian switched off the light.

With the light off, Zhong Tian, already changed into his school uniform, entered the kitchen, tied on an apron, and began preparing breakfast.

As he prepared the meal, Su Linxi also awoke. Having finished her morning routine and changed into her uniform, she sat at the dining table, tying up her hair.

“Today, it’s egg noodle soup,” Zhong Tian announced, placing two bowls of noodles on the table. “Linxi, would you like any toppings? Pickled mustard greens, peanuts, anything like that?”

“No, thank you.”

Receiving her reply, Zhong Tian returned to the kitchen and ladled the remaining noodles into a large ceramic bowl, noticeably bigger than both his and Su Linxi’s, serving the broth separately in another bowl.

This was to prevent the noodles from soaking up all the broth if Zhong Jing woke up too late.

Just as Zhong Tian finished portioning the noodles and soup, the sound of a door opening echoed from the inner room, followed by the distinctive flip-flop of slippers.

“You’re up so early today,” Zhong Tian remarked, glancing at his phone. “It’s only half past six.”

“……”

Upon hearing the time, Zhong Jing immediately halted, turned, and headed back to her room.

“Hey! Don’t go back to sleep now that you’re up! You’ll be late for work!”

Still wearing his apron, Zhong Tian rushed to pull her back, then gently nudged her into the bathroom.

“Brush your teeth, wash your face, and eat breakfast!”

“……”

Zhong Jing remained silent, her expression unchanged, yet Zhong Tian could still discern her profound reluctance.

Watching her listlessly fill a cup with water, slowly squeeze out toothpaste, and then slowly begin to brush her teeth, Zhong Tian couldn’t help but ask, “Did you stay up late again last night?”

“…Mhm.”

“Until when?”

“One o’clock.”

“…Try to stay up less often. Don’t drink cola before bed. And you forgot to turn off the living room light again.”

“Mhm……”

“Your ‘mhm’ feels utterly devoid of sincerity,” Zhong Tian sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You must have ‘mhmed’ tens of thousands of times since you were little, yet you still haven’t managed to change these bad habits.”

“Mhm.”

“…I won’t nag anymore; it’s like I’m the older sister here…” Zhong Tian shook his head helplessly, untying his apron. “Once you’re done washing up, don’t just stumble back to bed for more sleep. Come eat breakfast right away.”

Zhong Jing nodded, resuming her leisurely teeth-brushing.

****

Jiang Nanjin, too, had her breakfast at a diner near the school today.

Since her family members always woke later than her, and no one prepared breakfast for her, who was too lazy to get up early and cook, she would spend a few yuan daily on a plate of chee cheong fun or a bowl of noodle soup.

She went to the counter and paid seven and a half yuan via WeChat Pay—the cost of a plate of chee cheong fun and a bottle of Vitasoy.

Stepping out of the diner, it was exactly 6:50 AM, leaving her ten minutes to get back to class.

Walking back now would be just right.

Emerging from the diner, she found many Taisugi High School students on the path back to school, all walking at a unhurried pace, much like herself.

Along the bicycle path, a few students on bikes occasionally whizzed past her, some fast, some slow.

Today, she spotted Zhong Tian and Su Linxi again.

Zhong Tian, with Su Linxi riding pillion, cycled past Jiang Nanjin. Given the number of students on the road, Zhong Tian didn’t seem to notice her.

Jiang Nanjin deliberately waited for them at the school gate for a moment.

“Good morning!”

She greeted Zhong Tian from a distance.

“Mhm, good morning.”

Su Linxi also nodded in acknowledgment.

“Zhong Tian, what are we reading for morning study today?”

“Morning study… I believe it’s English.”

The three entered the campus together, and Jiang Nanjin naturally struck up a conversation with Zhong Tian.

“English, huh… Do we have a dictation today?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Ah, that’s a bummer…”

“Well, the monthly exam is coming up soon.”

“Speaking of the monthly exam,” Jiang Nanjin suddenly perked up, “I heard it’s been moved to early October.”

“Moved to early October? Why?”

“Because the school sports meet is at the end of the month.”

Discussing the sports meet, Jiang Nanjin’s spirits lifted considerably. “The sports meet this year is three days long, and after it’s over, we’ll have the National Day holiday!”

“So that’s the schedule…” Zhong Tian nodded. “That means the sports meet is on September 28th, 29th, and 30th… Isn’t that much earlier than last year?”

“Not much earlier, I don’t think… I recall last year’s sports meet was held in early October,” Jiang Nanjin mused. “Perhaps the school has other plans for early October this year. Anyway, that’s what my friends from the student council told me.”

“Mhm……”