Chapter Ten: How to Fall in Love with Learning

In the video, a middle-aged professor appeared on the screen. The man looked serious and gentle, but as soon as he spoke, an astonishing contrast emerged.

“Hello everyone, I am an African. I’m Sister Sell Button. In this lecture, I will talk about how to—um—how to study. How to make your child fall in love with learning in just three days.”

“Hahahahaha.” As the video played, whatever doubts Tianyi had earlier vanished completely. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter right at the beginning. The legendary White Mouse’s videos always had a unique appeal, and even someone like her—who had watched countless times and participated in their creation—couldn’t hold back her laughter.

The video continued, and the earnest-faced professor kept blurting out coarse and absurd lines, the contrast so intense it nearly made the viewers laugh themselves into tears.

“I still remember when I was in first grade, in the courtroom, reciting aloud. I pounded my chest and said: ‘There is a path on the mountain, work is the way; the sea of knowledge is endless, work is the boat.’ Work, work, work is the boat.”

“This is too funny!” Tianyi playfully shot her brother a look, but was immediately drawn back by the next joke.

“This is an extremely crucial question. To love learning, first you need all the pretty girls to chase you. Only then will you have the interest to study, the motivation to learn. If you’re so ugly, how can you fall in love with learning?”

Though the video was only two and a half minutes long, it was packed with energy. Tianyi, watching for the first time, needed quite a while to recover from her fits of laughter.

Tianyi sat beside Chen, holding her stomach and beaming with joy. The worries hidden deep in her eyes had vanished, and in just a few minutes, she became her old, innocent, romantic self again. Bringing joy to others—this was the charm and purpose of these absurd videos. After all, the world was full of troubles and anxieties; that’s why so many people chose to spend their spare time watching such videos, allowing themselves to forget their worries, if only for a moment. The happiness was fleeting, but even a brief escape to a cheerful world could help someone regain their confidence. This was why, in his previous life, Chen had dreamed of becoming a creator and persisted until he crossed over.

Chen pushed aside his inner musings and looked at the still-happy Tianyi, knowing he’d made the right choice. Not only had he dispelled her worries, but he’d brought her genuine joy. After the video finished playing again, Chen waited for his sister to calm down and offer her opinion—ideally some praise to satisfy his little vanity in front of his beautiful, adorable sister.

He didn’t expect that, just as Tianyi finally settled down, she looked at him with a face full of disdain and an odd expression.

“Brother, I never thought you were this kind of person.”

Chen’s smile immediately collapsed. He suddenly realized that such a lewd video probably wasn’t appropriate for his sister. He’d even watched it with her and proudly declared it was his own creation. He wasn’t someone so vulgar! If his sister misunderstood him as some wicked, degenerate brother with improper intentions—he’d be finished.

Chen shivered at the thought. If she suspected him of being—well, he’d rather die once and see if he could return to his old world.

“Tianyi, let me explain. I’m actually a pure, kind, and good brother with no special thoughts about my sister,” Chen hurriedly said, only to see Tianyi looking at him skeptically.

“What do you mean, special thoughts?” Tianyi scrutinized him.

“N-nothing. Just a slip of the tongue, really. Don’t misunderstand.”

“Hahaha.” Seeing Chen flustered, Tianyi couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Chen glimpsed her smiling face and immediately realized he’d been played.

“Oh, so you dare tease your big brother?” Chen pressed his index and middle fingers together and tapped the giggling Tianyi, who clutched her head and pushed his mischievous hand away.

“But, brother, you’ve changed a lot today,” Tianyi suddenly leaned in, her face full of smiles as she hooked Chen’s left arm.

“Changed? I don’t think so.” He felt uneasy—was he exposed already? He hadn’t done anything unreasonable, had he?

“It’s just that you seem much happier than before,” Tianyi murmured, leaning on Chen’s shoulder.

“That’s just because I thought of a solution,” Chen breathed a gentle sigh of relief. He’d thought his ruse had been discovered.

After some playful banter, Chen sent Tianyi off to bed. After all, they had taken time off to handle household affairs, and now that everything was settled, she had to return to school tomorrow.

Though Chen insisted it didn’t matter whether he went or not, Tianyi couldn’t afford to fall behind.

...

That night, the girl sat lightly at her desk, humming an unknown melody—her mood evidently upbeat. On the computer screen was the very video Chen had just released: “How to Make Your Child Love Studying?”

Something crossed her mind, and her bright expression suddenly dimmed. It was as if the absurd video, which had just made her laugh so freely, lost its magic.

“Ugh, I want to help too.”

Tianyi stared gloomily at the screen. Ever since their parents’ accident, Chen had shouldered every hardship alone, shielding her from all troubles and never letting her get involved. But weren’t they siblings? They had comforted and supported each other through the darkest times—why couldn’t they face the challenges together?

She recalled how her brother had long had a plan but waited until everything was ready to reveal it. Was he worried she’d get in the way?

Tianyi knew she was often troubled by their debts, and though she tried to hide it, she couldn’t fool herself, let alone her caring, foolish brother. So her happiness today was clearly an act for his benefit—it wasn’t really because the video was so funny, not at all! Tianyi would never admit it.

Though her brother had no intention of asking for her help, Tianyi wasn’t about to give up so easily. Wasn’t this something for them both to tackle? If her silly brother could create such excellent videos, why couldn’t she? After watching many absurd videos, Tianyi realized just how talented her brother was—none of the popular ones were half as funny as Chen’s.

“I’ve decided—I’ll become a creator too.”

She made a secret vow, determined not to lose to her brother. She then clicked open one popular video after another, watching them all closely. After all, know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles.

Not to relax, of course.

Absolutely not!