【Chen Zixi×you】What is progress bar 1
You are really distressed.
Ever since you found a cave a few days ago to steal Qingshan's writing skills and ended up stealing them from Uncle Chen, you've been seeing a strange red progress bar above his head. And you've verified it multiple times, and it's only you who can see it, and you can only see it above his head.
So, what is this?
You sit on a rock by the river and ponder.
The first time I saw the progress bar was when Uncle Chen caught me red-handed. Back then, the progress bar was only 30% full, but now, it's almost halfway there.
What does this mean? You start desperately trying to remember what you did during this time.
Oh, yes. Later, he asked you with a smile, "Why did you come here to steal my skills? Didn't I teach you a few moves when you were little? I remember you were pretty good at using Wind Wall back then."
You recalled the time Uncle Chen demonstrated to you. His internal energy was so strong and his technique so skillful that he could lift you into the air with just a flick of his fan.
And you, after trying for a long time, could only lift a few leaves, not to mention that even now you haven't grasped the essence.
But you are too embarrassed to admit that you didn’t learn it well when you were little and that you almost forgot it when you grew up. You blink your eyes and say seriously, “Well, learning it openly is not as exciting as stealing it…”
Then you see the progress bar above Uncle Chen's head move forward a little.
He looked at you with a smile and waved the fan in his hand: "You have a point, so how was your stealing? Was it exciting enough?"
You lowered your head and shook it in shame: "Uncle Chen, you are so perceptive. You caught me before I even finished stealing, so..."
"Interesting, interesting." Chen Zixi didn't look angry at all. He even asked you with a smile: "Do you want to follow me and continue stealing?"
You were stunned: "Uncle Chen, are you going to teach me yourself?"
"Not really," Chen Zixi shook his head. "I won't teach you. After all, you prefer stealing. So why not just follow me and find your own opportunities to steal? When and how much you steal is up to you."
Frankly speaking, the temptation of martial arts to you is secondary. After all, you may not be able to use it even if you steal it. But Uncle Chen is someone you have always liked, and you are more than happy to follow him.
Of course, this "like" wasn't that kind of like. When you were little, the people who stayed with you were mainly Uncle Jiang and Aunt Han, but Uncle Jiang was quiet and Aunt Han was very strict with you. You didn't have any opinions about them, but you did find life a bit boring.
Later, you met Chen Zixi, who came to see Uncle Jiang. He was talkative and cheerful, had a good temperament, and loved to take you out to play and do things that Aunt Han and Uncle Jiang would not allow you to do, so it was hard for you not to like him.
So, you readily agreed and started walking with him from that day on.
Ever since you entered the martial arts world, you've always acted according to your own personality. Even when you were with Chen Zixi, you were never restrained. You'd shoot beehives when you wanted to, chase flies when you wanted to, kick rocks when you wanted to. When you were in the mood, you'd even forget about Chen Zixi beside you, just running all over the mountains chasing butterflies.
You didn't notice what happened during that time, but Uncle Chen's progress bar went up again.
After recalling it so carefully, you begin to think, could it be that the progress bar refers to Uncle Chen’s patience or anger towards you?
There were two increases. Either you were trying to steal his skills or you were ignoring his existence and having fun on your own. Did that make him unhappy?
After summarizing your situation, you're pretty confident in your guess. You resolve to constantly monitor Uncle Chen's anger level, not to provoke him, and to always follow his lead. After all, it's rare to find someone so wealthy and free who can pamper you.
From childhood to adulthood, Uncle Chen was every bit the chivalrous hero you'd imagine. Handsome, elegant, and possessed of a certain air of elegance. He was a master of everything from discussing books and paintings to playing chess and the zither. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, and it was hard for anyone to dislike him.
In order to gain more favor from him and reduce his anger, you actively follow him around. When he is thirsty, you pour him tea, when he is tired, you rub his shoulders, when he plays the piano, you sit by and listen attentively, and when he is done, you praise him in various ways.
To show your sincerity, you even offered to learn piano from him. Although after listening to you play a piece, he smiled and said that you played the piano with a unique charm and didn't need his guidance at all - that was natural. You had consulted many musicians during your travels and had already reached an entry-level level.
But why is it that as you work harder, the progress of the progress bar increases instead of decreases?
You really can't figure it out.
You start to worry, so much so that you lose your appetite for delicious food, afraid that Uncle Chen will get really tired of you and kick you out one day.
"What's wrong with you these past two days?" Chen Zixi smiled and tapped the table in front of you, gesturing to the overflowing bowl of rice in front of you. "Why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking?"
You looked at him with a bitter face, and after hesitating for a long time, you asked him in a muffled voice: "Uncle Chen, do you not like me anymore?"
You clearly saw his pupils shrink, and after a pause, he asked you, "Why do you ask?" He looked both angry and amused. "Even though you don't like me, you still pick food for me and make sure I'm full and warm? Even though you don't like me, you still keep walking with me?"
You think what he's saying makes sense...but why did the progress bar go up again? What's the problem? Are you being too unreasonable in your questioning?
You felt that the food in your mouth no longer tasted good, but in order not to make Uncle Chen even more unhappy, you still finished your meal very seriously.
When you put down your chopsticks, you find Uncle Chen across from you looking at you thoughtfully. Noticing your look, he gives you a smile: "Not bad, you're really good."
...Well, looking at his expression, it really doesn't look like he doesn't like you, does it? You're really confused.
I have been following Uncle Chen for more than half a month. Although the life is indeed wonderful, there are only a few opportunities to steal his skills - some small bandits or wild wolves can be solved by you with a few shots, and Uncle Chen has never taken action at all!
You couldn't help but look at him resentfully: "Uncle Chen, I want to see you take action..." How can I learn from you if you don't take action?
Chen Zixi snorted and folded his arms, looking at you. "Are you really following me just to learn from Qingshan's writing skills? Have you ever thought of anything else?"
Other things? What other things? You thought about it, remembering that life with Uncle Chen was indeed comfortable. The food was good, the accommodation was comfortable, and he was generous with his money. If you liked a little gadget, a hairpin, or something, he would buy it for you with a wave of his hand. So you answered very sincerely, "No, even if I didn't steal your skills, I would still be happy to be with Uncle Chen. Being with Uncle Chen always makes me happy."
Then, the progress bar above Chen Zixi's head rose a little bit again.
You're terrified watching him, completely lost as to where his trigger point is. You want to just drop to your knees and beg him to stop.
——If I can’t have fun with Uncle Chen, what’s the fun in wandering the world!!!
You became even more cautious afterwards, fearing that you might upset Uncle Chen if you weren't careful. When you talked to him, you carefully considered his preferences and said something cute and funny.
However, no matter how hard you try, the progress bar keeps growing at a slow but steady pace.
Just like the water flowing under your feet right now.
It is early autumn and the weather is still hot during the day. You can't stand it anymore and run to the spring water in the mountain stream to wash your feet to cool down.
Chen Zixi didn't follow you to avoid suspicion, but he didn't go far. He sat under the shade of a tree not far away, saying he was keeping watch for you. You knew he was probably worried something might happen to you, so he was there to protect you.
The sun was still blazing, and Chen Zixi said, "Little girl, take good care of yourself," and threw his white gauze veil on your head to protect you from the sun. Wearing the veil and soaking in the cool water, you felt so comfortable that you almost fell asleep. You simply lay down on the grass slope, pulling down the gauze curtain of the veil to keep the sun out of your eyes.
Just as you were in a daze, you suddenly heard Chen Zixi shout "Be careful".
The instinctive reaction you developed from wandering around in the martial arts world made you roll to the side to relieve the momentum, but you were unable to do so completely and were hit on the shoulder by a huge force, sending you flying backwards.
A warm embrace held you firmly, and Chen Zixi's concerned voice came from above your head: "How is it? Does it hurt?"
Of course it hurts, but you endured it and didn't say anything. You just shook your head and didn't dare to reach out and rub it, for fear that Uncle Chen would see it and worry.
Chen Zixi nodded: "Wait here, I'll take care of the bear."
...So it's a bear. Wait, it's a bear?!
You were horrified and quickly grabbed his hand: "Uncle Chen, how about I——"
"What are you afraid of? Don't you trust your Uncle Chen's skills?" Chen Zixi chuckled, gently taking your hand away, shaking out the fan in his hand, and casually posing. "That's perfect. If you don't want to steal my skills, go ahead and steal them."
You stood there nervously, watching him swiftly raise his arm and send the bear reeling with a gust of wind. As expected of Uncle Chen, it was a bear! You admired him more and more.
But as you watch, you start to feel something's wrong with his movements. It's as if he's only using the right side of his body to generate power, even when he's just standing still while dealing with the bear. This characteristic isn't obvious, but it's still noticeable if you observe carefully.
You were worried about his safety and didn't care about anything else. You rushed over to stand in front of him. When the bear roared and ran towards you again, you used Tai Chi to throw it onto the pile of rocks beside the stream. You only felt relieved when you saw it die.
"So worried?" Chen Zixi laughed behind you. He was still so calm, fanning himself slowly, and there was no sign of anything wrong. "I'm not an ordinary doctor. I can save Jiang Wulang with my sword alone. If you don't believe me, you can ask him."
You don't believe him. You rushed over, grabbed his left hand and took a look. Not finding anything wrong, your eyes gradually moved up to his arm.
Chen Zixi's smile faded a little, and he comforted you: "I'm fine, it's just an old injury, it's nothing serious."
"Is it because you caught me just now?" You couldn't help but blame yourself. "It's all my fault. You told me when we were little that you couldn't carry heavy objects. I forgot about it just now... If something like this happens again, Uncle Chen, please leave me alone. I'm thick-skinned and can't take much damage."
"How can a pretty girl say she's tough? You're with me, and I'll protect you at all times." Chen Zixi patted your hand with the edge of his fan. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just stretched myself a little from the sudden exertion. I'll be fine after a rest."
You think he's just being stubborn and that his shoulder must be hurting, so you ask worriedly, "Does it hurt a lot? Can I take a look?"
If you weren't embarrassed to disrespect your elders, you would have torn open his clothes and looked directly at him.
Chen Zixi held your hand helplessly: "It doesn't hurt, you can't."
"But I think..." You are more and more convinced that he is just being stubborn, and feel that you have to see it with your own eyes. Although you are not well-trained, you can still do the ordinary teaching.
"Don't you think so?" Chen Zixi ruthlessly rejected you and put the veil of your hat back down. "I'm really impressed by you. Okay, let's go back to the inn and rest for a while."
You then agreed glumly, feeling increasingly guilty, wishing it was you who injured your shoulder... Well, your shoulder did hurt, probably from the bruise from the bear's blow just now.
"Why are you still unhappy?" Chen Zixi asked you with a smile as we walked all the way to the inn entrance. "Even with the veil covering my eyes, your gloomy aura is almost suffocating me."
You pouted and looked at him with an especially sad look in your eyes: "Uncle Chen, I'm worried about you. I want to follow you to your room."
For the first time, Chen Zixi was silent in front of you.
What shocked you even more was the sudden surge of the progress bar above his head, almost reaching its limit... No, you just wanted to see his injuries. Was he that angry? Was he really the polite, aristocratic young man from the picture books?
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