Chapter 25: Mother and Daughter Practice Yoga at Home

The Ruan residence. Late at night.

Ruan Liuzheng, having finished a set of practice papers, crept out to use the restroom. Suddenly, her eyes widened. The living room was bathed in a soft, dim light, and within that glow, an incredibly graceful silhouette was continuously stretching.

The sheer beauty of those physical contours was enough to make her blush and her heart race. Even more, the figure was performing a series of highly difficult and suggestive poses. She covered her mouth, barely suppressing a gasp, and upon closer inspection, realized it was none other than her mother.

Ruan Lu, clad in a tight-fitting yoga outfit that left nothing to the imagination, was practicing with deep concentration, entirely unaware that her display had made her daughter blush. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared. She was far too accustomed to such gazes; she had encountered far more complex and intense ones before. It was precisely because she wanted to avoid the envious and jealous stares of her yoga classmates, as well as the coach’s sycophantic attempts to make her a brand ambassador to attract more business, that she had decided not to renew her membership.

The commotion He Chen had caused just two days into the start of her senior year of high school had only accelerated her decision. She had simply quit going, opting to practice at home instead. Since Qiao Yingzi’s mother, Song Qian, and Fang Yifan’s mother, Tong Wenjie, were also members of that gym, she had crossed paths with them before. After the recent conflict, running into them again would inevitably lead to unnecessary friction. It wasn't that she feared losing out; she was simply concerned that Tong Wenjie and the others might be too oblivious to read the room, lose control of their emotions, and cause trouble for her. Even if she didn't mind, if word reached He Chen, it would certainly be them and their children who would end up suffering. She wasn't worried about them, but rather, she didn't want He Chen to waste his time and energy on them. It was completely unnecessary.

Ruan Lu continued to stretch. She had been practicing for over a year, having long since integrated yoga into her life, and she felt the profound benefits of the exercise. When she finally finished, she noticed the gaze that had been spying on her. Seeing her daughter, she frowned and beckoned her over. Women are exceptionally sensitive to being watched; she hadn't noticed at first, but after a while, she had sensed someone observing. She just hadn't expected her daughter to stand there in the shadows for so long during an aerobic session.

Seeing that her mother had finished and was signaling for her to approach, Ruan Liuzheng emerged from the darkness and hurried to her mother’s side. Looking at her mother, who was glistening with sweat and exuding an athletic beauty, she said with admiration, "Mom, you are truly beautiful."

"Why aren't you in your room? What are you doing out here?" Ruan Lu asked casually while wiping away sweat.

"Mom, why did you suddenly start practicing yoga? How come I didn't know? When did you start?" Ruan Liuzheng asked, her curiosity piqued.

"It's been a year," Ruan Lu replied offhandedly.

"A year..." Ruan Liuzheng was sensitive to that timeframe and suddenly fell silent. A year ago was exactly when He Chen had joined their household. How was he involved in everything? It was so annoying!

Wait! A thought occurred to her, and she looked at her mother’s form-fitting yoga gear again. Blushing, she warned, "Mom, why do you practice at home? If he were to walk in on you, that would be so awkward..."

"How could he possibly walk in?" Ruan Lu said calmly. "His schedule is more punctual than an alarm clock. He goes to sleep at nine sharp. By now, he’s already fast asleep and never gets up in the middle of the night."

"That may be so..." Ruan Liuzheng felt that something was off, but she couldn't bring herself to be too blunt. She changed the subject and, acting spoiled, clung to Ruan Lu’s arm. "Mom, I want to learn yoga, too! Will you teach me?"

"You're so young, why learn yoga?" Ruan Lu shook her head. "Besides, you're in your senior year now; you should focus your time and energy on your studies. We can talk about it later."

"I need a healthy body to support my hard work in my final year!" Ruan Liuzheng pouted. "You both practice, so why can't I? Am I the outsider here?"

Previously, she had only found He Chen’s practice embarrassing. But seeing that her mother had been secretly practicing for over a year, she suddenly felt unsettled. If the embarrassing He Chen was in sync with her mother, wouldn't that make her the outsider? That was absolutely unacceptable!

Seeing that her daughter was escalating this to a question of love and acceptance, Ruan Lu thought for a moment and did not refuse. She agreed to teach her, provided it wouldn't interfere with her studies. Ruan Liuzheng nodded repeatedly, promising to comply.

They got straight to work. Ruan Lu taught her some basics and then sent her off to rest. It wasn't the main priority, so they couldn't spend too much time on it every day; they would take it slowly. Ruan Liuzheng, however, was filled with anticipation. She wanted to be as beautiful as her mother!

The next day, when she saw He Chen practicing under the pine tree again, she cast aside her preconceived disdain and embarrassment, and watched him earnestly. She discovered that although He Chen’s movements might remind one of the neurotic, humorous Emperor Jiajing from *Ming Dynasty 1566*, if one set aside prejudice, one could see that he truly possessed the elegance and nobility of a crane, a kind of transcendent spirit!

In a trance, she felt as if she were truly seeing a crane fluttering its wings, ready to take flight at any moment. This was a completely different sensation from watching her mother practice yoga the night before. One was a direct sensory stimulation, while the other leaned toward a spiritual level.

"Perhaps I should learn the Crane Arts from He Chen..." A thought flashed through her mind, only to be promptly extinguished. She knew the origin of her name: Ruan Lu had adopted her after dreaming of a stray kite, hence the name "Liuzheng." If she were to master the Crane Arts and turn into a crane that could soar to the nine heavens, it wouldn't matter how ominous a sign a broken string was—she could turn disaster into fortune. But that was just a fantasy; she didn't believe for a second that practicing this could actually turn her into a crane. So, she decided to be realistic and stick to practicing yoga with her mother to build their bond. Besides, she had always looked down on He Chen’s practice, and she couldn't bring herself to do such a complete about-face.

"Up so early?" When He Chen finished his practice and smilingly invited her to have breakfast, she was still lost in thought.

There was nothing to do that day, and no school—tomorrow, September 1st, was the official start of the term. After breakfast, she stayed home until mid-morning, when Lin Miaomiao came over and shared the gossip she had heard the previous night.

"Ji Yangyang’s father is actually a childhood friend of Fang Yifan’s father. Yesterday, Fang Yifan’s mother went to see Ji Yangyang’s father to pull some strings, but it seems she was rejected. Fang Yifan’s father was sentenced to one month of detention without probation..."

He Chen wasn't surprised by this news. Not to mention how watered down the value of a childhood friendship that had long gone silent was—the man most likely had no intention of helping—with an upright, no-nonsense boy like He Chen keeping an eye on things, the Ji parents were unlikely to want to get involved. Liu Jing, Ji Yangyang’s mother, had heard firsthand the harsh, blunt truths He Chen had spoken; how could she possibly want to wade into these muddy waters? If she were caught up in it, it could potentially affect her career.

The truth was hard to hear, but in this day and age, the one who speaks loudest is the one in the right! He Chen dared to speak his mind, dared to utter the uncomfortable truths others didn't want to hear, and he was willing to back it up with real action, escalating matters with genuine intent. That gave him more weight than the "ordinary family" of the Fangs, even with their connection to the Jis. It was just that simple.