Hyperfocus

"I will keep the secret, I promise!" Zi Rumeng chased Ye Qing after he left the parking lot. She jogged to his side, books in hand, and smiled. "Teacher Xue can be a bit clumsy at times, but she's very caring about students with bright futures and great accomplishments in their studies. She was trying to look out for me, find me a good opportunity in the future…"

"You guys should be apologizing to Madam Ye for betraying her trust, not me." Ye Qing was unconcerned. In his opinion, the more news of him being the adopted sibling of Madam Ye circulated, the more attention and danger it would draw to the school grounds from her competitors, possibly dragging innocent people into the mess.

Madam Ye might be unconcerned with such an eventuality, but things were different for Ye Qing who didn't like to deliberately stand out among a crowd. For Ye Qing, he got used to being in the shadows not due to insecurities, but because no one had the time of day or space of mind to bother with him.

He passively tuned in to the role of a side character his entire life, even back home when dealing with his father. If anything, it was his little sister that worried him most at the moment, as his mother might be in horrible shape, unable to supervise the growth of a child while handling the trauma of losing her first.

Zi Rumeng blinked her big eyes and said, "Sure thing. If you can arrange for us to meet with Madam Ye, I'll even bow my head to the ground and apologize."

Ye Qing looked over. "How can you be so shameless?"

Zi Rumeng grumbled. "Didn't you just say we should apologize to Madam Ye? I'm taking you up on that offer, how am I shameless all of a sudden?"

"Maybe you can do it without my involvement in this?" Ye Qing raised an eyebrow, even though his dense hair concealed his expression. "Aren't you supposed to show me around the school grounds by now? I'm not that close with Madam Ye, I don't even dare to address her as my big sister, let alone get myself involved with her personal connections and affairs."

Thinking about Madam Ye's personality as depicted in newspapers and magazines, Zi Rumeng realized that it truly was uncharacteristic of Madam Ye to grow fond of some little brother so suddenly, there must be a hidden, deeper meaning behind her actions.

With that thought in mind, she was no longer as optimistic about getting closer to Ye Qing, but she also knew how important it is to leave a path of retreat open just as it was important to leave an early plan of investment.

Zi Rumeng rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll try getting Madam Ye's attention in the future, but I don't have the time to waste going around the school grounds with on since I have a lot of work to do as the Student Council President… However, I have prepared all the material for you right here!"

Zi Rumeng propped up the books in her embrace, while Ye Qing glanced them over with a nod of his head. Seeing how Ye Qing was simply staring at a load of books and papers, Zi Rumeng was stumped.

"Ugh! Can't you read between the lines?! My arms are already growing stiff!"

She then proceeded to shove the books into Ye Qing's chest, but his body proved sturdier and much steadier than Zi Rumeng had anticipated, the recoil launching back to the ground.

She shrieked loud in fright, sharp pebbles jutting out from the sidewalk in preparation to riddle her back with pain and injury. Instinctively, Ye Qing moved his body, swiftly making two steps forward and coiling his left arm around Zi Rumeng's lower back, his right hand crossing over to grab the girl by the left shoulder for better positioning.

Almost without delay, Ye Qing brought Zi Rumeng back to her feet and snatched the books and papers from the latter's hands effortlessly. This all happened within like what? Two or three seconds?

Ye Qing was surprised since he didn't really plan to help Zi Rumeng— Ye Qing subconsciously told himself that he wouldn't make it in time since the bounce-back force was quite something. As for Zi Rumeng, she stood there in a daze, the warmth and tight sensation on her thin waist and little shoulder had yet to dissipate.

Ye Qing felt awkward for touching a girl's body without asking for permission, but it wasn't his fault she bumped into him first. After struggling for a bit, Ye Qing decided to apologize and leave on his own; Madam Ye already provided him with a map depicting a rough layout of the school grounds, Ye Qing didn't really require a guide to hit the library.

Only when Ye Qing's figure disappeared by the corner did Zi Rumeng snap out of her senses.

Although it was a brief moment of contact, they were so close she had a first-hand impression of how ridiculously fit Ye Qing's body was underneath the oversized shirt and flowing clothes. She had a pretty good body build herself, Zi Rumeng was sure Ye Qing felt it when their chests inappropriately collided just then; the bouncy firmness and supple shape.

"Haha," Zi Rumeng suddenly laughed, hugging her stomach as she imagined how shy and uncomfortable of a reaction Ye Qing had just displayed. Though, she was most certainly wrong. Back then, Ye Qing had been absorbed in experiencing the inhuman speed and reflexes his body displayed, when did he have the time to bother with whatever good figure Zi Rumeng had? Nonetheless, Zi Rumeng had this bold guess in her mind that Ye Qing wasn't bad looking at all, but he might be shy and awkward around other people, especially with his sensitive identity as an adopted child.

"He must be feeling very insecure, huh?" Zi Rumeng speculated as it would be the case with anyone who stumbled into a new environment full of outstanding people. She mulled over the brief interaction while twirling her long black hair, humming a tune to herself as she skipped lightly on her feet, secretly following after Ye Qing.

She was now truly curious about whether this guy had any intentions of studying with the materials she provided. Could he be faking it?

…

Ye Qing very smoothly navigated through this ghost school that lacked the presence and livelihood of anything remotely close to a genuine school, at least from Ye Qing's perspective. Ye Qing then realized that perhaps… not many students are taking supplementary classes? Maybe it's because today is a Sunday?

Even with these thoughts in his mind, Ye Qing's steps didn't falter much as he had another thing on his mind to put to the test. In Clash of Titans Online, he was pretty absorbed when reading books, not to mention he felt like understanding and memorizing the content was very easy.

He wondered if this was an in-game effect or if it was something related to the miraculous transformation of his body in the real world. Thus, Ye Qing quickly made his way to the open area attached to the library, since the main building was closed on weekends due to the lack of staff.

However, the outdoor open area designated for reading wasn't half bad. The gentle sound of trickling water in a stream while the gentle yet cold breeze of January brought a refreshing feeling. Ye Qing found a random table and sat down, arranging the reading materials and notes from first to last based on the dates of their covers.

Zi Rumeng showed up from the distance, peeking over from behind the trunk of a towering tree as she hid in its shade. Her eyes squinted, and she quickly found herself absorbed in the serenity of the scene playing out in front of her.

Ye Qing had no idea he was being watched as the moment he put his mind to reading, it was as though he filtered out the world all around him, absorbed into the contents of the notes and books. The handwriting was very delicate yet lively, the characters weaved a clear image of someone investing their cheerful mood into each and every word.

There were no signs of distress, fatigue, or reluctance in these notes. From merely observing, one can see how enthusiastic and devoted the original owner of these notes is when it comes to studies. Time ticked by, and very quickly, minutes turned into hours.

One was focused on reading while the other was absorbed by the scenic beauty of it all.

Zi Rumeng hadn't noticed when, but she was seated below the tree with hands on her chin when Madam Ye approached the former. Madam Ye gave the girl a look, she then looked over at Ye Qing who was absorbed in reading.

"He can easily lose himself to his own focus," Madam Ye spoke lightly, startling Zi Rumeng into jumping to her feet with a yelp of surprise, the same yelp rattling Ye Qing awake from his focused stupor.

Before he realized it, he was almost done reviewing the entire collection of notes.