Jian's final year of junior school started with a decision he hadn't expected himself to make.
He remembered the night he brought it up with his parents, sitting at the dinner table in the kind of atmosphere that should have been tense but wasn't.
Jian picked at his food, pushing his rice around his plate. His mother noticed first; of course, she did. She always did.
"Is something on your mind, Jian?" she asked, her voice gentle.
Jian put down his chopsticks, leaning back in his chair. He had rehearsed it in his head, imagining how they might react, but now that the moment was here, he felt oddly calm.
"I want to take a break," he said, meeting their eyes. "From everything. School, basketball... I just need some time."
His father set down his glass, looking at Jian with that steady, thoughtful gaze. He was quiet for a moment. "You've been working hard for a long time," he finally said. "If you need a break, then take it."
