Day 30 · Cheers to Right Now

Day 38 · The Morning After

A slow English story about The morning after gaokao — parents tiptoeing, the kid sleeping in, and one quiet line at breakfast. 11 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Yesterday was the last day of gaokao. Today, the house is too quiet. He came home past midnight. From the class dinner. With a hangover. It's almost noon. He's still sleeping in. Door closed. There's no rushing this morning. No alarm. No backpack by the door. Mom keeps walking past his door. Listening for any sound. She wants to knock. But doesn't. He wants to ask. But doesn't. It's not the kind of morning you see on TV. No tears. No big hugs. Finally, his door opens. He walks out. His hair is a mess. They eat in silence. Nobody mentions yesterday. Nobody asks the question. Then he says it. Just ask. Probably 420. Enough for a third-tier university. And just like that. Mom and Dad finally let out a breath. 🔑 Vocabulary • hangover /ˈhæŋˌoʊvər/ • sleeping in /ˈsliːpɪŋ ɪn/ • wants to but doesn't /wɑːnts tuː bʌt ˈdʌznt/ • mentions /ˈmenʃənz/ • let out a breath /let aʊt ə breθ/ • class dinner /klæs ˈdɪnər/ • in silence /ɪn ˈsaɪləns/ • third-tier university /θɜːrd tɪər ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːrsəti/ • just like that /dʒʌst laɪk ðæt/ • His hair is a mess /hɪz her ɪz ə mes/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

Day 37 · The Class Dinner Night

A slow English story about Wednesday midnight, picturing them on their last day of gaokao — and the class dinner ahead. 13 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences It just turned Wednesday. I'm thinking about them again. Today is their last day of gaokao. Probably their only one ever. Just one more exam. English. They'll walk out of that exam room by five. All over. And just like that, they're free. Free from high school. They'll try to keep their cool. And head home to check their answers. Within an hour, the group chats will blow up. Their last class dinner is tonight. They'll sing their class song first. Then someone will put on a pop song. Some girls crying. Some boys way too loud. They'll pretend to drink like grown-ups. Please. Take a million photos. This is what youth looks like. 🔑 Vocabulary • just like that /dʒʌst laɪk ðæt/ • blowing up /ˈbloʊɪŋ ʌp/ • class song /klæs sɔːŋ/ • way too loud /weɪ tuː laʊd/ • take a million photos /teɪk ə ˈmɪljən ˈfoʊtoʊz/ • last day of gaokao /læst deɪ əv ˈɡaʊˌkaʊ/ • exam room /ɪɡˈzæm ruːm/ • keep their cool /kiːp ðer kuːl/ • check their answers /tʃek ðer ˈænsərz/ • last class dinner /læst klæs ˈdɪnər/ • like grown-ups /laɪk ɡroʊn ʌps/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

Day 36 · The Gaokao Year

A slow English story about Driving past a school full of parents holding flowers — and remembering my own gaokao 20 years ago. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences This morning, the streets felt unusually quiet. No one was honking. No one rushing. It hit me. Today is the day. I drove past a school on my way to work. Parents were everywhere, holding flowers. And just like that, I was eighteen again. And just like that, I was back in that exam room. My pencil was shaking. My heart was pounding. Part of me just wanted it over. And part of me wished I had more time. Honestly, that was almost twenty years ago. But it still feels so close. Time really does fly. I hope they ace it. Every single one of them. 🔑 Vocabulary • honking /ˈhɒŋkɪŋ/ • on my way to work /ɒn maɪ weɪ tə wɜːrk/ • heart pounding /hɑːrt ˈpaʊndɪŋ/ • wished I had more time /wɪʃt aɪ hæd mɔːr taɪm/ • time flies /taɪm flaɪz/ • unusually quiet /ʌnˈjuːʒuəli ˈkwaɪət/ • it hit me /ɪt hɪt miː/ • holding flowers /ˈhoʊldɪŋ ˈflaʊərz/ • eighteen again /eɪˈtiːn əˈɡen/ • exam room /ɪɡˈzæm ruːm/ • pencil shaking /ˈpensəl ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

Day 35 · The Call Before Gaokao

A slow English story about A phone call from my nephew the night before his gaokao — and what I told him. 16 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Listen, my nephew called me this weekend. He told me his gaokao starts tomorrow morning. And he wanted me to give him a pep talk. Honestly, I was kind of touched. He thought of me at a moment like this. But I didn't really know what to say. I mean, it's the gaokao. I just wanted him to take it easy. So I said, I'm so glad you called me. You've really grown these past three years. I genuinely like who you've become. To me, you already aced your gaokao. Then we started joking about his freshman year. So rebellious. His junior-year crush. His senior-year all-nighter. He laughed. I could feel him relax. We talked a little longer, then hung up. 🔑 Vocabulary • pep talk /pep tɔːk/ • touched /tʌtʃt/ • ace /eɪs/ • all-nighter /ˌɔːlˈnaɪtər/ • hang up /hæŋ ʌp/ • gaokao /ˈɡaʊˌkaʊ/ • a moment like this /ə ˈmoʊmənt laɪk ðɪs/ • take it easy /teɪk ɪt ˈiːzi/ • genuinely /ˈdʒenjuɪnli/ • rebellious /rɪˈbeljəs/ • crush /krʌʃ/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

Day 25–29 · Last Week Review

Day 25 · I Poured Another Glass So this weekend, I had a picnic with a friend. Out in the park. We laid out a blanket. Wine, bread, fruit. All takeout, honestly. Nothing fancy. The weather was perfect. I just sat there, doing nothing for once. And there were two kids next to us, sharing one ice cream. Both racing to finish it before it melts. It was the sweetest little rush. Honestly, I was kinda jealous. Then it hits me. My life is heavy. Bills, deadlines, Monday's almost here. I poured another glass. The kids kept laughing. Day 26 · Meet a Stranger? Monday morning. A stranger DMed me out of the blue. Turns out, she wanted to ask about my career switch. Switching into tech. Said she's been stuck for a while. Truth is, I don't usually meet people from the internet. Makes me nervous. But I get it. I've been there before. Working up the courage to reach out to other people for help isn't easy. I mean, if I just turned her down, would she ever DM anyone again? You know what? I even flipped a coin. Heads yes, tails no. It came up tails. But I typed back anyway. "Tomorrow after work?" Yeah, I'm a little rebellious, I know. Got her reply right away. Three exclamation marks. "Thanks!!!" I put my phone down. I suddenly felt tomorrow getting closer. Day 27 · Don't Be Too Polite After work, I walked over to the coffee shop on the corner. She was already there. I spotted her right away. The only one with her laptop closed, just staring at the door. She apologized like five times before I even sat down. "Sorry to take up your time," she kept saying. Look, I had to cut her off. If we kept being this polite, we'd waste the whole night. So I asked her straight up. Which companies. How many interviews. Where she was stuck. Then I pulled up my own resume on my laptop. I mean, walked her through the whole thing, showed her what to highlight. We mapped out a four-step plan. Fix the resume. Keep applying to big companies. At least three LeetCode problems a day. And hey, listen to my podcast too. That's how you prepare behavioral questions in English. Honestly, once I got direct, she relaxed too. We focused on the real pain points together. Walking out. Turns out, meeting someone from online isn't as scary as I imagined. Day 28 · Unspoken Thing Wednesday. Honestly, it's my favorite day of the week. I know that sounds weird. But let me explain. Here's my theory. Once Wednesday hits, the week's halfway gone. Weekend's right around the corner. Plus, I've got a special Wednesday routine. And it's a good one. There's a bubble tea shop right downstairs from my office. And on Wednesdays, their signature drink is half off. Total hump day lifesaver. I've been showing up the same time every week. Turns out, I'm a regular now. The boss doesn't even ask anymore. Just starts making my usual. But here's the thing. Every time, he doubles up on the pearls. I never asked. But I always tip him a little extra in return. It's our unspoken thing. And honestly, it makes my whole week. Walking back upstairs, sipping. Only two days before the wonderful weekend hits. Hang in there, I can do this. Day 29 · Open Secret Wednesday afternoon. Casy came over to my desk with that look in her eye. You know the look. The "I've got something interesting" face. She leaned in to spill the tea. "Did you know Joe and Lin are dating?" My jaw actually dropped. But honestly? In hindsight, it kind of makes sense. Turns out, all those "random" coffee runs? Not so random. I felt a little guilty. Like, should we even be talking about this? Casy waved it off. "Everyone knows. We're literally the last to know." Plus, honestly? We're all rooting for them. They actually click. We agreed to keep it off the record. You know, until they tell people themselves. And walking back to my desk, I caught myself grinning like an idiot. Office gossip is the worst. But honestly, kind of the best.