Evolving infinitely from ground zero

Time flew by.

Before I knew it, more than a month had passed since Lin Zichen had dominated the Martial Arts Team.

Since that day, Lin Zichen's status in the team had changed.

He went from being a newcomer to directly transforming into the team's ace.

However, the only changes were in the attitudes of the coach and teammates toward him; he himself hadn't really changed at all.

After school, he still came to the gym to practice martial arts, still found a spot to practice alone, and still only practiced until 6:30 PM before showering and going home.

As for Shen Qinghan, she still waited in the gym every day for Lin Zichen to finish training so they could go home together.

During the wait, Shen Qinghan was either reading or doing practice problems, occasionally taking out her phone to snap some good-looking photos of Lin Zichen, passing the time quite pleasantly.

Sometimes, seeing Lin Zichen sweat profusely, she would even take the initiative to wipe it off for him.

To the scenes of their interactions, everyone in the gym looked on with faces full of envy.

The girls envied Shen Qinghan, envied her for being Lin Zichen's childhood friend, and for being able to stay by Lin Zichen's side every day.

The boys envied Lin Zichen, envied him for having Shen Qinghan, a childhood friend who knew how to take care of others.

As for Lin Zichen's internal reaction to everyone else's envy, there wasn't a ripple.

Shen Qinghan, on the other hand, fitting the heart of a teenage girl, felt a sweet satisfaction when faced with the envious gazes from her peers.

"Han Han, let's go."

In the gym, after Lin Zichen had finished practicing martial arts and come out from the shower room refreshed, he looked at Shen Qinghan, who was quietly waiting at the door, and said.

Upon hearing his voice, Shen Qinghan obediently followed, with her high ponytail swaying with her steps, full of the youthful and lively spirit of a young girl.

The seven teammates who were still in the gym continuing their training saw Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan always coming and going together, every single one of their faces brimming with envy.

"Alright, stop being envious and focus on training!"

"Summer break is almost here, and the new year's inter-school martial arts competition involving eight schools is coming up. As always, there'll only be five spots for competitors, and the best will take the field."

"Now that Zi Chen has already secured one spot, the seven of you will only have four spots left to contend for. Whoever performs well will get to compete."

Seeing that the team members were all staring at the departing back of the childhood friends, Guo Xiangyuan immediately spurred them on with a few words.

Upon hearing this, the seven instantly wore urgent expressions and threw themselves back into training, fearing they would fall behind.

Five of them were in their third year of junior high.

This year's inter-school competition would be the last one they could participate in, and none of them wanted to leave with regrets.

...

In the blink of an eye,

The second semester of the first year was about to come to an end, with only a week left before the final exams.

In that week, in order to help Shen Qinghan achieve good results, Lin Zichen visited her room every night to help her identify and fill in her knowledge gaps.

This evening,

Having just finished dinner and taken a bath, Lin Zichen headed next door to Shen Qinghan's place.

Xu Meng knew he would arrive on time and was waiting for him at the entrance to the house with the door open.

Upon seeing him, she said with a smile,

"Xiao Chen, you've really been a big help lately, coming over every night to tutor Han Han. After you finish your exams and start summer break, Auntie Meng will buy you a present—anything you want."

"No need to be formal, Auntie Meng. I grew up with Han Han, so helping her out is the right thing to do," Lin Zichen said with a smile.

Afterwards, he went straight into the house and headed to the second floor.

Shen Qinghan's room was on the second floor, separated from his own by only two walls.

You could say their rooms were right next to each other.

He stopped at Shen Qinghan's half-open door.

Lin Zichen didn't think too much about it and simply pushed the door open and entered, saying, "Qinghan, I..."

He meant to say "I'm here," but before he could finish, he almost bit his tongue, and his whole person froze on the spot.

Because at that moment, the girl in the room was sitting on her bed, about to pull up her pajama pants, and right above the pajamas was a distinctly visible diaper.

Lin Zichen: "..."

Shen Qinghan: "..."

At that moment, both of them were silent, the air nearly solidifying, the atmosphere becoming extremely awkward.

After a moment of regaining his composure, Lin Zichen took the initiative to break the silence, "Uh... I'll come back in a bit."

He said before hastily turning around and leaving, also closing the door behind him.

No sooner had Lin Zichen left than Shen Qinghan's face turned beet red, and she covered her head with the blanket, curling up into a ball on the bed, completely motionless…

She felt socially dead and wanted to live on a different planet.

...

Ten minutes later.

Lin Zichen felt that enough time had passed, so he stretched out his hand and knocked on the door in front of him, the awkwardness in his voice was hard to disguise, "Han Han, may I come in now?"

"Um..." A nearly inaudible voice came from the room, indicating Shen Qinghan hadn't recovered from the awkward moment just now either.

Lin Zichen acted as if nothing had happened, entering the room with a composed face.

"I... only need to wear diapers when I sleep at night, I don't need them during the day."

Shen Qinghan pursed her lips, bringing up the topic with embarrassment, her delicate face blushing brightly.

Lin Zichen didn't know how to respond, so he simply nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Then, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere once again lapsed into awkwardness.

However, Shen Qinghan quickly decided to break the ice. She played with her hair delicately with her pale fingers and started a conversation as naturally as possible:

"During dinner tonight, I asked a question to mom and dad. I asked whether they think I look better with my hair tied up or let down."

"Then, dad said I look better with it down, while mom said I look better with it up."

"Xiao Chen, do you think I look better with my hair up or down?"

While asking this, Shen Qinghan mustered the courage to look into Lin Zichen's eyes, hoping to move past the diaper incident and ease the awkwardness between them.

Lin Zichen responded without hesitation, "I think you look good either way."

"That's so evasive, just pick one."

"After thinking about it, I guess you look slightly better with your hair tied up."

"Then, do you think I look better with a single ponytail, double ponytails, or a bun?"

"I like the bun and single ponytail more."

"Then I'll wear a bun tomorrow and a single ponytail the day after... Oh right, between a low ponytail and a high ponytail, which do you think looks better?"

"I think a high ponytail looks better..."

Gradually, both of them opened up, and the conversation flowed more freely than when Lin Zichen first entered the room, easing the initial awkwardness.

It seemed as though the matter of the diapers had been completely forgotten, never to be brought up again.

Before long, they started on the main agenda for the night: one studied as a student, the other tutored as a teacher, and they spent a productive evening at the desk together.

...

Time flies.

A few days later.

Shanhai High School was holding the end-of-term exams.

As a top student, Lin Zichen once again effortlessly secured the first place in the entire school.

Shen Qinghan also did very well.

Within just a year, she had moved up from third from last at the beginning of the school year to the top twenty of her class, proudly receiving an award certificate for Most Improved.

In this process, not only were her own efforts evident but Lin Zichen's tutoring and help played a significant part.

"Xiao Chen, thanks to your help in spotting and fixing my weaknesses, I did really well in the exams!"

In the classroom, Shen Qinghan held the "Most Improved" award certificate, her face full of joy as she spoke to Lin Zichen.

Lin Zichen smiled and said, "It's mainly because you were diligent in your studies."

"Xiao Chen, at this rate of progress, in two years, I am definitely going to get into the same class as you, and then we can continue to be desk mates!" Shen Qinghan said with anticipation.

Continue being desk mates in the same class?

Having heard Shen Qinghan's words, Lin Zichen suddenly remembered that he had decided to take Martial Arts Class in high school and that he hadn't mentioned it to her yet, so he said, "Han Han, I've decided to join the Martial Arts Class in high school."

"Then I'll join the Martial Arts Class too!" Shen Qinghan declared without hesitation.

Lin Zichen wondered if she was really suited to take the martial arts path, but seeing her so resolute in her decision to join him, suitably or not, it seemed she was determined to join.

"If you've also decided to take the martial arts path, then from today on, you'll need to change your focus in studies. You'll need to learn more about Exotic Beasts, Genetic Fusion, and mechanical enhancement," he advised her.

"Yeah, I'll do my best!" said Shen Qinghan, full of determination.

She was confident in this area of knowledge; after all, she had read a lot of books with Lin Zichen when they were younger.

The only area where her confidence lacked was perhaps physical fitness.

Lin Zichen thought of this as well, and soon suggested, "Then, after school in the afternoons, come to the gym with me and I'll teach you some exercises for strengthening the body."

"Okay, I'll do whatever Xiao Chen says!" Shen Qinghan nodded obediently.

Her experiences from childhood had taught her that, whatever the matter, following Lin Zichen's advice was always right.

...

PS: Bowl out, asking for monthly and recommendation tickets!