Pu Li Ming sat on the edge of his seat, just kind of staring at the bag of chips in his hand. His eyebrows furrow and the slight shake of his hand betrays his unease.
He didn’t exactly turn it this way and that, but he looked it over. He looked at the top then at the bottom seams, next the back.
Slowly, Pu Li Ming pulled open the flap, the gentle crackle of the plastic echoing in the quiet room. The aroma of salt and seasoning wafted towards him, making him almost recoil.
Pu Li Ming’s breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of the opened bag of chips.
Zhou Fi Hai silently took note of his hesitation before he plucked one chip from the bag.
Swallowing, he brought the chip closer to his lips. The almost-taste of bile and the salt of the chip meeting in his tongue.
As he took a hesitant bite, the initial burst of flavor exploded on his tongue, only to be followed quickly by the surge of anxiety preventing him from chewing further. After a moment to himself, breathing heavily, he continues to chew. And once he’s finally done, he pushes past a thick invisible barrier and swallows.
Seeing him finally eat, Zhou Fi Hai also comes over and grabs a chip.
Immediately relief went through Pu Li Ming.
“Glad I’m here to help you finish this?” Zhou Fi Hai says when he sees Pu Li Ming brighten slightly.
Pu Li Ming only gives him a shaky smile before continuing to eat another chip as slowly as possible.
Sooner or later, Pu Li Ming completely stops.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Fi Hai asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Can’t anymore.” Is the only answer given. “I’ll go take out my notes and the instructions first.” Ppu Li Ming finishes.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Zhou Fi Hai wasn’t satisfied that he ate enough (Pu Li Ming was thin) but didn’t push, “Drink more water. To wash out the salt and hydrate you.” He nudges the bottle of water to Pu Li Ming.
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“Before you start,” he says leaning closer to Pu Li Ming who blinks and stills, “I’ll give you a set of instructions that I believe could help you when doing tasks like this. Feel free to ask questions or contest any of it.”
When Pu Li Ming slightly turns to look at him better, he then continues. “First, I want you to understand the instructions given by your instructor first, and what exactly the task wants from you.” He places a finger on Pu Li Ming’s notebook.
Zhou Fi Hai’s eyes then shift back to Pu Li Ming, “Then tell me about what you should be doing, using your notes to assist you on that.”
“Then make a list as a sort of game plan.” He continues, leaning back now. “It’s better in the long haul to know what your next move should be. Plus I found that it’s easier to continue on with a task with a reminder of your progress. It may not work for you, but it’s worth a try. And if ever it doesn’t, then we’ll figure out what does together afterward.” He assures Pu Li Ming.
“After a few minutes of work, you may take a break if you find your mind going places, not being able to concentrate anymore, or getting tired. Do something small that wouldn’t take your mind too far away from the task at hand. Something like drinking a bit more water to hydrate, or looking out the window to watch the clouds, or pacing through your room to stretch your legs.” He adds, gesturing to the bottle, window, and the room respectively.
“But once the few minutes of break is done, you’ll have to go right back to work. You can repeat these last two in a cycle throughout the plan for as much as is needed.”
“Once finished, tell me so we can go over it together and correct any typos or mistakes we may find. That’ll be all.” Zhou Fi Hai finishes.
Pu Li Ming mulls it over before asking, “What if I end up not being able to do it?”
“We will agree on some sort of consequence or punishment if you do it too much or on purpose. Of course, we will discuss it beforehand to make sure it’s alright with both of us.” Zhou Fi Hai says.
“What kind of consequence?” Pu Li Ming asks.
“Something that punishes you, but doesn’t actively hurt you. Something like not being allowed to watch TV or play video games. Maybe having to sit somewhere to think for a few minutes or to write a few lines.”
“That sounds like something you’d punish a child with.” Pu Li Ming protests.
Zhou Fi Hai shrugs, “Parents use the ones I listed because it’s a fair punishment that isn’t too harsh. Some of the punishments parents use however would be either inappropriate or I believe wouldn’t work on an adult or you specifically so we won’t be using those.”
“Now is there anything you think would help you to complete this that I should know?” Zhou Fi Hai asks.
Pu Li Ming stops to think before looking at his phone, “I like listening to music while I work? It helps me keep track of how much time has passed, cuz sometimes I blank out while thinking too hard. It also helps me block outside distractions.”
“Would you be comfortable with leaving your phone to me while you wear wireless earphones? Your phone might also be one of your main distractions. If you want to change the music just tell me. And I’ll tell you if ever you get an important notification.” Zhou Fi Hai.
Pu Li Ming nods, “It’s okay. Sounds reasonable.”
The younger man immediately sets about to follow Zhou Fi Hai’s instructions.
Throughout it all, Zhou Fi Hai can see Pu Li Ming’s head bop to the music in his earphones as he swiftly answers his assignment, going back and forth from looking through his notes and writing down his answers.
Zhou Fi Hai can clearly see that despite coming across as somewhat of an airhead, Pu Li Ming is smart and a very determined person who can do something when he really puts his mind to it. Whether it be assisting a team of mechanics, trying to fix a car in the rain, or cramming an assignment due the next day. Zhou Fi Hai kind of admires it.
Once Pu Li Ming finally finishes, he sighs and lets go of his pen, placing it aside. Then he pushes his chair out a little and stretches, arms going over his head and back arching.
“Finished?” Zhou Fi Hai asked as soon as the other took off his earphones.
Pu Li Ming nods and goes to show him his assignment, explaining it as clearly as he can and telling Zhou Fi Hai his thought process of it.
As soon as they’re both sure there are no more typos or mistakes, Zhou Fi Hai says, “Thank you for listening so well, Pu Li Ming. You did great today.”
Pu Li Ming flushes, “I didn’t do much at all.”
“You finished earlier than what you planned, and your quality of work was very good too.” Zhou Fi Hai affirms, “Remind me to take you out to grab a bite somewhere another time.”
“You don’t have to at all!” Pu Li Ming pushes.
“It’s my treat, and I believe you deserve it.” Zhou Fi Hai says.
Pu Li Ming despairs, “Can we go somewhere else instead…?” He hoped to compromise.
“…how about the Aquarium? Do you like sea creatures?”
Pu Li Ming immediately perks up, “I love animals.”
“There you have it.” Zhou Fi Hai says, “We’ll go to the Aquarium then.”
This author has something to say:
Hello readers! If you managed to catch the announcement I made on CG’s server, then you’d know this already but decided to add it in as post script hehe
Because of a really busy schedule this December, I’m only updating one book at a time
After this chapter, I will concentrate on posting on my other book Something’s Up with Background Character D
Usual updates will resume around January! ^^
Woah, advice on doing assignments actually helpful?!
I really struggle with procrastination…