Chapter 42: Acceleration

Morning.

I sat on the chair by the window, holding a cup of black tea in my hand.

This wasn’t my habit.

It was the leftover tea leaves from that annoying white-haired brat.

Might as well not let them go to waste.

I’d brewed it right after the water boiled, and now it was at the perfect temperature—the cup wasn’t hot to the touch.

Birds chirped outside the window, intermittent, a couple of calls every few seconds.

People walked by on the street, footsteps approaching from far away, then fading into the distance.

Sunlight slanted in through the window, spreading a warm rectangle of color across the floor.

It landed right at my feet.

I took a sip of tea.

Then set it down.

Sitting on the white cushion, I closed my eyes.

I didn’t want to move.

***

Training Room.

Su Nian was already standing in front of the mirror.

Her ponytail was tied as tightly as usual, the hair elastic pink, wrapped around three times.

There were still traces of water on her forehead that hadn’t been wiped dry—she’d washed her face before coming, and water droplets slid down her temples, reaching her cheeks, which she wiped away with a raised hand.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Hold.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Hold.

Same as yesterday.

But also different.

Her breathing was steadier than yesterday—the rise and fall of her chest was smaller, the rhythm more even.

Her movements were smoother than yesterday—no unnecessary motions when raising her hand, and the sound of her shoes scuffing the floor when turning was softer.

She stopped to catch her breath less often than yesterday—yesterday she rested after five repetitions; today she did seven before stopping.

Xiao Xi crouched in the corner, watching her.

Watching, watching, her legs went numb.

She pulled her left foot out from under her bottom, stretched it, wiggled her toes.

Then tucked it back.

Switched to her right foot.

She shifted her posture—from crouching to sitting.

Sat directly on the floor, legs stretched out in front.

After two seconds.

Crouched back.

Two seconds later.

Sat up again.

Su Nian stopped and turned her head.

“Xiao Xi, what are you doing?”

Xiao Xi froze.

“I… I’m…”

She didn’t know how to say it.

Her hand lifted, gestured a couple of times, then dropped.

Su Nian walked over and crouched in front of her.

“If you want to sit, just sit.”

Xiao Xi blinked.

Her gaze shifted from Su Nian’s face to the floor, then back.

“But… but…”

“But what?”

“…I’m used to it.”

Su Nian looked at her.

Three seconds.

Those dark red eyes didn’t blink once.

“Then starting today, don’t be.”

Xiao Xi was stunned.

Su Nian stood up and reached out her hand.

It hung in front of Xiao Xi, palm up.

“Get up.”

Xiao Xi looked at that hand.

The fingers were slender, well-shaped, the nails cut very short, clean and neat.

She looked for two seconds.

Then reached out and took it.

Su Nian pulled her up.

Xiao Xi stumbled forward a step before steadying herself.

Xiao Xi stood there, her hands not knowing where to put them.

Hanging at her sides, then clenching into fists, then releasing.

Her left hand went to grab the hem of her clothes, then stopped halfway.

Su Nian stepped back two paces and looked at her.

“Right—exactly like that!”

“…What?”

“Standing!”

Xiao Xi lowered her head and looked at her own feet.

The laces of her sneakers were tied neatly, both loops of the bow the same length.

She looked back at Su Nian.

“…St…stand?”

“Mm! From now on, you stand!”

Xiao Xi opened her mouth.

No words came out.

‘Actually, she wanted to sit.’

But she didn’t crouch back.

She just stood there.

Shoulders hunched, chin tucked in, eyes drifting to the floor.

But she was standing.

The sensation of the floor came through the soles of her feet—hard, cold.

She wiggled her toes inside her shoes.

***

When Shen Wei pushed open the door and came in, this was the scene she saw—

Su Nian stood in front of the mirror, raising her hand, turning, holding.

Xiao Xi stood in the corner, motionless, like a little sapling that had just been planted.

Only her eyes moved, following Su Nian’s movements from left to right, from right to left.

“Xiao Xi—! You’re standing—!”

She rushed over and hugged Xiao Xi tightly.

Xiao Xi stumbled back a step from the impact.

Her heel hit the floor with a soft thump.

“Shen… Sister Shen Wei…”

“Awesome—! You finally stopped crouching—!”

Xiao Xi’s face turned red.

From her cheeks to her ears, to her neck.

But she was still standing.

She didn’t crouch back.

Chuxue walked in carrying a cup of black tea.

She stood at the door, looking at the four people in the training room—

Su Nian practicing dancing.

Raise hand, turn, hold.

Sweat slipped down her forehead, flicked onto the floor.

Shen Wei spinning Xiao Xi around in circles.

Xiao Xi’s face was red, her hands fluttering helplessly, lifting then dropping.

I sat by the window, eyes closed, holding that now-cold cup of black tea.

She noticed.

I noticed too.

“What, want some?”

The steam from the cup rose upward, dispersing in front of her face.

She blinked.

Then walked over to the wall, leaned against it, and started drinking her tea.

I also noticed that she wasn’t sitting on a cushion again, and that Lin Xiao Xi wasn’t using one either.

‘Hmph. If you won’t sit, I will.’

***

Noon.

Dining Room.

The dishes on the table were one fewer than yesterday—two vegetable dishes were missing, replaced by a plate of braised pork.

The proportion of meat was more obvious now: three plates of meat sat in the center, steaming.

Su Nian sat there, head down, eating.

Her chopsticks moved quickly.

Pick up vegetables, scoop rice, chew, swallow.

Repeat.

No unnecessary movements.

She ate fast.

And unlike before, she wasn’t grinning while she ate.

Shen Wei sat next to her, watching her bowl.

The amount of rice in the bowl was decreasing faster than usual—already half empty.

“Su Nian, why aren’t you smiling today?”

Su Nian looked up.

A grain of rice was still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

“Smiling at what?”

“I mean… you used to smile when you ate.”

Su Nian thought about it.

Her chopsticks paused midair for two seconds.

“…Did I?”

“Yeah!”

Su Nian lowered her head and kept eating.

Her chopsticks reached for the braised pork, picked up a piece, and put it in her mouth.

Then beef.

But she still didn’t smile.

Shen Wei looked at her, blinking.

Then turned to me.

“President Lin—!”

I lifted my eyelids.

“Mm?”

“Did you train Su Nian until she went dumb—!”

“…You’re the dumb one.”

‘Though she was already dumb,’ I thought.

“She doesn’t even smile anymore!”

“Why does she need to smile while eating?”

Shen Wei’s mouth opened, then paused, not closing right away.

Then she turned and looked at Su Nian.

Su Nian was still eating.

Her expression was calm.

Focused.

Her chopsticks scraped the last few grains of rice in her bowl.

“…Weird.”

She muttered softly.

***

Afternoon.

Training Room.

Su Nian stood in front of the mirror, holding the piece of paper—the lyrics to “The Brave.”

The edges of the paper were a little curled, with white crease marks where she’d folded it.

She looked at the paper, muttering under her breath.

Her lips moved very lightly, the sound leaking through her teeth.

“Light… falls on whom… the road… leads to which direction…”

Her voice was very soft.

But her pitch wasn’t as off as before—before she’d miss three notes, now she missed two.

Shen Wei was crouching in the corner—no, now she was sitting on the ground—watching her.

Hands propped behind her, legs stretched out in front.

“…She’s so serious today.”

Xiao Xi stood beside her and nodded.

“Mm.”

“Doesn’t even seem like her.”

“…Mm.”

“Feels like a different person.”

“…Mm.”

Shen Wei turned her head to look at Xiao Xi.

“Why do you only say ‘mm’?”

Xiao Xi froze.

“…Mm?”

Shen Wei fell silent.

She turned back and continued watching Su Nian.

***

Evening.

The setting sun shone in through the window.

The light changed from white to orange, the angle on the mirror shifting from Su Nian’s waist to her legs.

The whole training room was dyed orange.

The floor was orange, the mirror was orange, even the whiteboard hanging on the wall was orange.

Su Nian was still standing in front of the mirror.

Seventeenth repetition.

When she raised her hand, sweat hung on her arm, glinting in the sunset.

Eighteenth repetition.

When she turned, the sound of her shoes scuffing the floor was lighter than before.

Nineteenth repetition.

When she held the pose, she wobbled a little, then quickly steadied.

Twentieth repetition.

She stopped.

Panting.

Sweat dripped from her forehead onto the floor, forming a small dark patch that merged with the previous ones into a larger area.

Then—

“Light—falls on whom—!”

She suddenly sang out loud.

Her voice was loud.

It bounced off the walls of the training room and echoed back.

Shen Wei was startled.

Her shoulders jerked, and she leaned back half an inch.

Xiao Xi covered her ears, but her eyes were shining.

Full of joy and excitement.

The corners of her mouth turned up, showing a little bit of teeth.

The black tea in Chuxue’s hand swayed.

The liquid rippled, hit the cup wall, and rippled back.

I leaned against the wall, watching her.

“The road—leads to which direction—!”

She sang to her own reflection in the mirror.

“I stand here—can’t see the distant horizon—!”

“But I hear—my heartbeat echoing—!”

After she finished, she panted, her chest rising and falling.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

In those dark red eyes, something was sparkling—not tears.

Light.

Xiao Xi murmured softly.

“…Sister Su Nian really has changed.”

***

Evening.

Dining Room.

The dishes on the table had been cleared away.

Only a few empty plates remained, with a few drops of oil at the bottom.

Su Nian sat there, still holding that piece of paper.

Staring at it.

The edges of the paper were even more crumpled from her grip.

Shen Wei sat across from her, chin resting on her palm, elbow on the table, watching her.

“Su Nian, you’re so weird today.”

Su Nian looked up.

The paper was still clutched in her hand.

“Weird?”

“Yeah. You barely smiled all day.”

Su Nian was taken aback.

She blinked.

She thought for a moment.

Then—

“Hehe—”

She smiled.

Her mouth curved up deliberately, trying to mimic her old smile.

Shen Wei looked at her.

“…So weird.”

***

Outside the window, it had gotten dark.

The light in the training room was still on.

White light shone down from above, illuminating the entire room.

Su Nian was still standing in front of the mirror.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Hold.

Muttering under her breath.

Shen Wei sat on the floor, watching her.

Hands propped behind her, legs stretched out in front.

Xiao Xi stood—yes, stood—beside her, also watching.

Her hands didn’t know where to put them, so she clutched the hem of her clothes.

Chuxue leaned against the wall, holding her cup of black tea.

I sat on the white cushion by the window.

A car drove by outside.

Its headlights swept from left to right, then disappeared.

Time passed very slowly.

But also very quickly.

“Light—falls on whom—!”

Su Nian sang out again.

This time, she danced while singing.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Hold.

“The road—leads to which direction—!”

Raise hand.

Turn.

Hold.

“I stand here—can’t see the distant horizon—!”

Turn.

Raise hand.

Hold.

“But I hear—my heartbeat echoing—!”

She finished the dance and stopped.

Panting.

Sweat dripped from her chin.

Then—

“Hehe—”

She smiled.

“…Still the same idiot.”

***

Seven days left.