Chapter 126: The Beard

For a while after confirming the book signing event, Zhang Tan felt quite anxious, fearing that no one would show up to support him. He worried that the weather might be too cold for readers to bother going out, that everyone would be away on holiday, or that the preparations had been too rushed and the notices not properly distributed.

This directly impacted the pace of his writing.

He had already finished the final two hundred thousand words of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, and since it was being published at a rate of one volume per month, he didn’t need to worry too much. Meanwhile, the short stories he had published under the pen name Jin Su in *Martial Arts Stories* had received a very positive response. The editorial department of the magazine had already requested more submissions, and Zhang Tan intended to revise a few pieces to send over.

However, his restless state of mind meant that after several days of sorting through his drafts, he hadn't produced a single satisfactory short story.

Writing requires the right state of mind.

Lacking that state, Zhang Tan simply stopped fighting with his notebook and took a stroll around campus to clear his head.

From time to time, students he recognized would come over to greet him. He was quite popular at Shuangdun Middle School.

Without realizing it, he had wandered up to the school’s artificial hill. The hill was covered in camphor and seven-mile fragrant trees, all evergreens, though they were covered in dust as it hadn’t rained for a while. It was dusk, and with half an hour left before evening self-study, there were few people around.

Come nightfall, this was where shy couples would sneak off to hold hands—teachers often patrolled this area with flashlights to catch students who weren't focusing on their studies.

Just as Zhang Tan was relaxing and looking for a place to sit, he spotted a girl in a corner with an English textbook on her lap.

"Lu Jing?"

Seeing that it looked like her, he called out.

The girl turned, and indeed it was Lu Jing. She was wearing a blue down jacket, which made her skin look exceptionally fair. Perhaps she had been too absorbed in her book to notice Zhang Tan's arrival, as she looked visibly startled before saying with a touch of embarrassment, "Inspector, what brings you here?"

"I’m just bored, wandering around. Are you studying?"

"Yes, I'm looking at my English book."

Zhang Tan walked over and gave her a thumbs up: "A diligent and hardworking student, I see."

Lu Jing lowered her head and whispered, "My English is just so poor..."

Zhang Tan knew well that Lu Jing’s grades weren't great; she worked hard, but simply lacked the talent for it. Her brother, Lu Yong, was the type who was clever but unwilling to study—the two siblings really should have swapped personalities.

Zhang Tan smiled slightly: "That’s not how you learn English. When I walked over, I didn't hear you reading aloud. Do you know why that’s not good? The most important thing in learning a language is 'speaking.' You have to read the words and sentences out loud. You know Li Yang’s Crazy English? It’s about being like a madman and shouting it out. You should try it."

Having consumed a lot of American TV shows, Zhang Tan’s own English was quite good, and he had his own insights into learning it: listen more, speak more, and make English an instinct—something you can blurt out without thinking, just like Chinese.

Lu Jing kept her head down, clearly too shy to speak English.

Zhang Tan took the lead: "Really, you can't be shy; you have to speak it out. For example, if I say, 'How are you?', how would you answer?"

Lu Jing glanced at him but still felt too awkward to speak.

Zhang Tan continued for her: "At that point, you should reply, 'I’m fine, thank you, and you?' Then I would say, 'Fine, okay.' It’s very simple. Start with the easiest dialogues. You can practice with your roommates or talk to yourself. Turn these dialogues into a habit, practice every day, and your English will definitely improve."

"I... I just can't bring myself to say it," Lu Jing said, distressed.

"That’s normal. I couldn't open my mouth to speak English before either; I’d get nervous before I even started. But you can't be timid. You must overcome this barrier and let yourself go—there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t think that speaking English is shameful. While not speaking it might be patriotic, you need to learn it well for the College Entrance Exam, after all, it accounts for 150 points."

It was easier said than done.

The English teacher urged students to read aloud all day, but other than group readings, few students spoke English out loud in private.

Lu Jing was like that, and so was Zhang Tan in his past life, terrified that if he opened his mouth, his pronunciation would be wrong and he would be laughed at.

This was a bad mindset.

As someone with experience, Zhang Tan thought for a moment and said, "I'll teach you to sing an English song. Once you’ve opened your mouth, everything else will come naturally. I remember you like to sing, right?"

"I don't sing that well," Lu Jing said, her face flushing slightly.

"I don't sing well either, but I just love to do it. Come on, I'll teach you. This song is called 'Hey Jude,' a classic by The Beatles. I’ll sing a line, and you sing it after me. It’s very simple!" Zhang Tan used his "encouragement skill," sensing her morale rising.

He cleared his throat and hummed.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad."

"Take a sad song and make it better."

"Remember to let her into your heart."

"Then you can start to make it better."

Zhang Tan’s voice was clean, and he sang with confidence. The song was infectious, which quickly eroded Lu Jing’s fear of speaking English.

Teaching through song proved effective. At first, Lu Jing hummed along softly, but gradually she began to sing out loud. Although her vocal quality wasn't exceptional, it had a unique, soft, youthful quality that was pleasant to hear.

Once she let go, Lu Jing easily overcame the difficulty of speaking English.

Zhang Tan picked up her textbook and asked her a few random questions; Lu Jing answered them all, albeit with some stumbling.

The unexpected lesson didn't end until the bell rang for class.

They stood up and left the hill, heading toward their classrooms.

Lu Jing smoothed the wrinkles on her down jacket, a happy smile blooming on her face: "Zhang Tan, thank you."

Zhang Tan handed the book back to her, one hand in his pocket and the other waving, looking quite dashing: "No problem."

At the corner of the stairs, they each went to their own classrooms.

This was just a small interlude in campus life. After all, helping others was one of Zhang Tan’s fine qualities.

Of course, he added a mental caveat: "Limited to pretty girls."

...

Back in the classroom for self-study, Zhang Tan suddenly felt his anxiety about the book signing vanish into thin air.

Perhaps it was because he had encouraged Lu Jing to speak out.

Stones from other hills can serve to polish the jade of this one. Thinking about it, what was there to worry about? It was just a book signing. Even if no one showed up, it wouldn't change whether the book sold well or not. Regardless, he had already become the most outstanding author in the mainland martial arts novel scene.

He was making plenty of money, and his reputation was soaring.

"Just relax."

With his mood improved, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the three-day New Year holiday arrived.

Early in the morning, Zhang Tan put on a brand-new brown cashmere short trench coat over a jacket, paired with blue jeans and leather boots. He stood in front of the mirror, looking left and right.

"My hair has grown out, you can't see my scalp anymore. It lacks that sharp, shaved look, but this is fine too. I’ve grown taller now, so I don't need a buzz cut to look cool. It’s just this beard—it feels like it’s bringing down my looks. Should I shave it or not?"

After hesitating for a long while, Zhang Tan decided to go buy a razor.

Shave it was!