13

The monsoon gave Zhong Yan the courage to try.

Although she was standing on the shoulders of giants, Zhong Yan still had the habit of doing her homework in advance, so she went back and watched MIND videos overnight.

Although MIND's output wasn't much, it had accumulated to 21 videos over the years, and the videos were all quite long, so Zhong Yan unknowingly watched until 2 a.m.

The phone screen next to her lit up faintly. Zhong Yan thought it was spam and ignored it, but after a short while, the screen lit up again.

The frequent spam messages made Zhong Yan curious, so she picked up her phone. However, it wasn't a text message, but a green bubble message.

—From WIND.

Zhong Yan noticed that the time on the screen was 02:45, which was almost three o'clock.

Ji Feng had never texted her this late before.

WIND: [Last-minute cramming?]

WIND: [Go to sleep, this isn't an exam.]

How did Jifeng know she was watching his videos to learn more?

Zhong Yan turned her head to observe, and the top left corner of the video she was watching clearly showed "1 person is watching".

Does the monsoon confirm its identity through this?

She quickly searched online to see if the blogger could see the audience's information in the backend, and learned that the platform does not display detailed audience information in order to protect user privacy.

Zhong Yan held her phone, her brows furrowed.

Is he trying to fool himself?

If she doesn't reply and pretends to be asleep, Ji Feng has no way of confirming that the person watching his video in the early hours of the morning is her.

But she was also very curious as to how Ji Feng could be so sure it was her.

After weighing the options, she sent a question mark.

WIND: [You've already watched over 100 minutes of that 51-minute introductory flight video]

His confident words made Zhong Yan look around, her mind filled with news stories about surveillance cameras being installed in rental apartments.

She cautiously replied to Ji Feng: "Why are you sure it was me watching?"

[What was uncertain before is now confirmed]

So it turns out he was just bluffing her.

Zhong Yan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Why haven't you rested yet?"

WIND: [Can't sleep]

Cage: [Why can't I sleep?]

WIND: [Thinking about how to answer your "why"]

Cage: [Did I disturb your sleep?]

WIND: [Yes]

Looking at those brief words, Zhong Yan pictured Ji Feng's ambiguous smile.

He was lying, but Zhong Yan didn't have the habit of pressing for answers.

Cage: [I'm going to sleep now.]

WIND: Goodnight

Cage: [Goodnight.]

/

The two, who both stayed up late, behaved very differently during the day.

Zhong Yan yawned repeatedly, while Ji Feng remained energetic.

Zhong Yan explained, "When I was in school, I would never study later than 12:30."

Good sleep provides ample energy for learning the next day, which is what my mother meant by "sharpening the axe before chopping wood."

Ji Feng handed her a cup of coffee. "Good habit."

Zhong Yan took a bite, and it was so bitter it was piercing; she couldn't help but close her eyes tightly.

Jifeng asked, "Then why did you stay up so late last night?"

Zhong Yan said shyly, "You explained it so well, but it's too difficult. I can only barely understand it after listening to it repeatedly."

She even took notes, but she was too embarrassed to tell Ji Feng about it.

Ji Feng said, "If I really explained it well, you wouldn't have misunderstood it, but that video of mine wasn't originally intended for you."

Aircraft enthusiasts generally know some basics.

Zhong Yan looked at the two chairs side by side in front of the table, "So now it's considered one-on-one tutoring by a renowned teacher?"

Ji Feng smiled and said, "I charge very high prices."

Zhong Yan blinked a few times. "I'll work to pay you back."

"How long will it take?" Ji Feng asked, looking as if he was about to be scammed.

Zhong Yan calculated carefully: "If I don't take the postgraduate entrance exam after graduating from university, it will take four or five years. If I do take the postgraduate entrance exam, it will take six or seven years?"

Ji Feng's smile faded.

Zhong Yan didn't know what she had said wrong, but before she could feel uneasy and doubtful, Ji Feng had already sat down and started his private lesson.

During her studies, Zhong Yan often received one-on-one tutoring.

She wasn't an exceptionally bright child, but her obedience and hard work kept her at the top of her class.

She has worked with many teachers and has been exposed to different teaching methods.

The monsoon is definitely the simplest and most straightforward one among them.

He first used several mind maps to explain the three main components of a remote-controlled aircraft: airframe structure, power system, and control system.

Next, we will explain the sub-branches of the three main sections one by one.

Clear and logically sound.

Zhong Yan's mind quickly filled with knowledge about aircraft.

Just like millet that has absorbed a lot of water, it quickly fills up and forms a full ear of grain.

"Actually, you don't need to know these things to assemble the model, but it won't hurt to know them."

Zhong Yan nodded.

Her strength lies in being obedient.

Regardless of whether it's useful or not, just listen to it.

After explaining the basic theories, Ji Feng began to teach her how to use the basic tools.

Zhong Yan began to disassemble the machine parts according to the simple assembly diagram that Ji Feng had drawn for her, and then assembled them one by one.

This isn't a commercially available model; Ji Feng designed it herself for fun. So, whenever she encounters a part she doesn't understand, she can only ask Ji Feng directly. He always recognizes it at a glance and tells her its name and purpose.

Although Zhong Yan rarely has the opportunity to play with toys, she does have hands that are very suitable for crafts, and she can precisely control a pen knife to cut parts.

Ji Feng wasn't looking at her the whole time; he had his own things to do and could concentrate for an hour or two without even looking up.

It wasn't until he finished a phase, rubbing his neck and turning his chair, that he noticed Zhong Yan working diligently on the other side of the table.

The girl lowered her head slightly, her bangs were clipped to one side, and a few beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead. Her eyes hadn't blinked for a long time because she was so focused, and her long eyelashes were curled up like outstretched bird wings, as if she was about to take flight.

She habitually bit her lower lip, as if she were holding her breath, as if she were cutting not two pieces of plastic, but a bomb that would explode if she cut it wrong.

"Bang!"

A sound effect almost caused Zhong Yan to ruin the last piece in her hand. She frowned and looked up to see Ji Feng resting his chin on his hand, smiling at her.

Jifeng asked, "Are you nervous doing this?"

Zhong Yan said, "I'm afraid that if I break it, I won't be able to put it back together."

“It allows for a little error.” Monsoon examined the parts on the table. “You’ve done a very good job.”

"Really?" Zhong Yan asked expectantly.

The monsoon praised her: "Very good."

If Zhong Yan were a primary school student now, she would stick her head under the teacher's hand and ask for a pat on the head.

But she was already an adult, so she could only smile demurely.

The rack part is not difficult; even if it takes a little longer to assemble, you can still do a good job by following the diagram.

The difficulty lies in the electrical circuits that control the aircraft.

It contains electronic speed controllers, flight controllers, image transmitters, receivers, motors, batteries, etc. In order for the remote-controlled aircraft to work properly, these electronic components need to be connected together with wires.

If the wiring is connected incorrectly, it may start burning and smoking the moment it is powered on, even before the flight test can be conducted.

Zhong Yan had never used a soldering iron before, so Ji Feng specially found her a glove.

He then demonstrated to her again how to pre-solder the solder pad, wrap the solder ball, and ensure that the wire end is completely covered by the solder ball after soldering to complete a qualified soldering.

Zhong Yan's hands were very steady, and she completed each solder joint very well.

Then Ji Feng taught her how to connect the image transmission to the flight controller.

The flight controller board is a finished product, covered with English abbreviations besides solder joints and connectors: LED4, RX, GPS, DJI...

The sight made one's brow furrow repeatedly.

Ji Feng took a thin wire and explained to her one by one the location of the video transmission port, the battery port, the receiver port, etc.

The small circuit board is filled with functional areas, giving it a sense of being small but complete.

Zhong Yan only dared to actually start after taking detailed notes.

After all, each finished board costs money.

After nervously completing the connection between the image transmission and flight control, Zhong Yan breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "I think I'm quite suited to do this."

"Whether it suits you or not, what matters is whether you like it or not." Ji Feng put down a bottle of water next to her. "Suitability is just a second choice, liking it is what will make you persevere even when you encounter many difficulties."

Zhong Yan seemed thoughtful, then asked, "What does it feel like to like someone?"

Asking this question was presumptuous and even a bit foolish, and Zhong Yan immediately regretted it as soon as she asked it.

However, people are not like WeChat; they don't have an undo button for up to two minutes.

Otherwise, she would immediately shout, "Withdraw!"

Ji Feng didn't laugh at her, nor did he show any unusual expression. He sat down and began to ponder.

Zhong Yan sat upright and solemnly.

Monsoon said slowly, "Liking is when your vision is bathed in soft light, liking is when fireworks light up your heart, liking is when you are overjoyed just by getting close to someone, and liking is when your heart aches if you can't have them."

Zhong Yan held up the half-finished product in her hands, still unable to understand why she liked it.

"You really seem like a poet."

"Why?"

"Although I don't understand it, it feels beautiful." Zhong Yan paused, then added, "I meant that what you said was beautiful, not that you..."

Zhong Yan's voice stopped again.

"What were you saying about me?" Ji Feng tilted his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat brim, held a playful, amused look.

Zhong Yan couldn't help but feel her face burning.

Can a boy use the word "beautiful"?

She couldn't say that Ji Feng wasn't beautiful.

But it's impossible to say he's beautiful.

It seems odd to suddenly compliment someone's appearance.

"It's not that important. Anyway, what you said sounds very poetic. Is it because you can write lyrics and compose music yourself?" Zhong Yan suddenly thought.

Jifeng may not be a poet, but rather a lyricist and composer.

He also sang a song called "The Petrel" last time.

A song she couldn't find anywhere online.

It was his original work, and it had never been published or even heard of by anyone before.

It combines the rationality and rigor of an engineering student with the romance and sensibility of an art student.

How blessed he must have been to be endowed with so many skills.

Zhong Yan said, "I really envy you."

The monsoon asked, "What do you envy about me?"

"I don't know, I just feel envious," Zhong Yan said vaguely.

She actually knew it deep down.

She envied Ji Feng, who had many friends and shone brightly.

“No need to be envious.” Ji Feng sat on a round stool like a long-legged frog, holding the curved seat with both hands. He used his legs, which were supporting him on the ground, to control the stool to rotate slightly from side to side. His voice was slow and deliberate. “Actually, you have things that I don’t.”

Zhong Yan asked, puzzled, "What is it?"

“You…” Ji Feng lifted his eyelids, his gaze becoming distant and moist.

I?

Zhong Yan was immersed in his words and his gaze, as if she had returned to the time when she first learned to swim, her body being swept up by the heavy seawater, as if an unknown sea monster wanted to drag her into an abyss.

The air in my chest is about to run out.

Her eyes began to move slightly within their sockets, trying to find a way to break free from her restraints.

Ji Feng smiled, his voice light and mischievous, "...Guess."

He took eighteen beats to finish his sentence.

--you guess.

Zhong Yan emerged from the sea with a "bang," feeling somewhat bewildered yet relieved.

There was also a strange sense of disappointment.

/

Monday, August 18, 2025

His poems are beautiful, and he himself is beautiful.

May I say that?