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Chapter 830: The Charms of Education (Part 1)

The wealthy neighborhood was tranquil and serene at night, and the footsteps of those returning home did not seem out of place here at all. Every affluent and peaceful person here longed for the embrace of home.

The mailbox, engraved with fancy English words, rattled in the wind as the switch was flipped. Wayne's name was carved on the door of the mailbox, and a hand held the fidgety switch, flicking it up.

Bruce pushed open the door of the manor and, looking through the window, felt a sense of reassurance from the warm light shining through.

As soon as he entered the manor's hall, a figure pounced towards him. Bruce instinctively opened his arms and embraced Aisha, who had leaped into them. Alfred, following behind, cleared his throat.

Bruce held Aisha in front of him and said sternly, "You shouldn't pounce on people..."

"Daddy! Daddy!" After calling out twice, Aisha struggled to get down from him, ran to Alfred, and shook her head at him. Alfred picked her up, and Aisha said, "Daddy! No smell! No alcohol!"

Bruce shook his head, and Alfred smiled at him, saying, "Sir, have you finished your homework?"

As Bruce walked towards the sofa, he said, "Yes, I've already submitted part of it."

"I heard from Mrs. Bird, our neighbor, that the competition among the outstanding graduates of Gotham University this year is fierce. Do you have confidence, sir?"

Bruce looked around the hall and then turned to Alfred, saying, "Where's Dick? Shouldn't he be home today?"

"He's playing in the backyard. Should I call him over?"

"No need." Bruce stood up again and said, "I'll go see him."

Bruce crossed the hall and the corridor to the backyard, where he found not only Dick but also Selena.

At that moment, on the lawn in the backyard, Selena was playing with a gymnastics wheel, the kind with two hoops and a frame connecting them parallel to each other.

Supporting the two iron rings, she rotated them while performing various acrobatic movements within the rings. She said, "Look at me! I'll teach you the Nine Rings! First, like this. Do you see? Support your arms on the rings, then use inertia to propel your upper body forward, roll—"

Selena agilely propelled herself forward, rolling headfirst, and after circling her hands around the iron rings, she stood steadily on top of them.

Bruce felt his blood pressure rise suddenly.

Unexpectedly, Dick decided to give it a try. He jumped onto the iron rings, supporting the two iron rings with his hands, and said, "How do I do this? Hmm... propel the upper body forward... Oh! Goodness!"

As Dick propelled himself forward, his balance faltered, and he fell off the rings, which landed heavily on him, causing him to let out a cry of pain. Bruce quickly walked over, moved the rings away from him, and helped him up from the ground.

Dick got up, rubbed his waist, and when he saw Bruce, he nervously took a step back and said, "Oh, Mr. Wayne, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have played with this here. It will damage the lawn..."

"What's to fear? He's a rich person. If it's damaged, we'll just fix it," Selena shrugged indifferently, trying to push the rings away from Bruce's hands. But Bruce held onto the rings tightly with his arms, staring at Selena. She looked innocent and said, "What's wrong? Am I wrong? Do you really care about the lawn?"

"Do you have any safety measures for exercise?" Bruce asked, "And without any training, you're directly using the equipment?"

Selena showed a helpless expression, waved her hand, and said, "Mr. Wayne, can't you stop nitpicking? We're just playing around, getting some physical activity..."

"Furthermore, both Dick and I have practiced gymnastics. Do you think this is difficult? I can guarantee that in less than ten minutes, he'll be more skilled than me. You're underestimating him!"

"I'm not saying you can't practice gymnastics, but at the very least, you should have some safety measures, right? If this thing hits your spine, you'll be paralyzed."

Selena rolled her eyes, pouted, and showed a helpless expression, saying, "You're such a worrywart!"

"Sorry, Mr. Wayne, I'll go back to study now," Dick said and was about to leave. But Bruce heard a pause in his tone and said, "Wait, as Selena said, you'll quickly learn this thing?"

Upon hearing this, Dick's first reaction was not to answer but to glance at Bruce's expression. Seeing this, Bruce frowned, and certain psychological terms and explanations appeared in his mind.

Due to the intense focus on writing his paper before, some things he hadn't focused on memorizing were still retained in his mind. Now, in a situation where he needed to use them, they immediately surfaced in his mind.

"Selena, demonstrate it again, and Dick, come over..." Bruce pointed to the iron ring and said, "If you want to play with this thing, remember to take safety precautions, and there should be a third person nearby. Otherwise, if it hits your spine, no one will take you to the hospital..."

Dick nodded, and Selena swung around the iron ring again. But this time, when Dick tried, his arm trembled, and his technique was much worse than before, causing him to fall directly to the ground.

Bruce tried to soften his expression, but Dick shook his head and said, "I might be too weak now. Maybe I should go back to studying."

"No, Dick, didn't you practice gymnastics before?" Bruce said. Dick widened his eyes, looking somewhat surprised, as Bruce continued, "I don't mind if you want to practice dancing and gymnastics, or join the choir. After you finish your homework, you can play with the gymnastics equipment, but always be careful."

Selena flashed a bright smile, leaning on Bruce's arm, and said, "Can I do it too? Can you set up a gymnastics room in the Manor? I've been wanting to play on the uneven bars for a long time!"

Bruce, however, looked at Dick and asked, "Do you want to play? Or do you want to be a gymnast? Or a circus performer? Or a dancer?"

"Um, I...," Dick stammered, "I don't know."

Bruce turned to Selena and said, "Go find Alfred, pick out the gymnastics equipment you like, have it customized, and then bring it over. Those adjacent warehouses have been unused for a long time. You can turn them into a playground or a gymnastics room."

Selena cheered and ran off to find Alfred, leaving Bruce and Dick on the grass. Bruce supported the iron ring and said, "Do you remember when you asked me to take you in, what did you want to do?"

Dick lowered his head, then nodded and said, "I just wanted to learn some skills. I don't want the Grayson family to continue to decline. I want to investigate my grandfather's case..."

Dick took a deep breath and then said, "My grades at school are good, so I..."

"Do you want to continue trying this?" Bruce pushed the iron ring equipment and said, "I can support you, so you can exert more force."

Dick shook his head and said, "No, it's been a long time since I played in the circus. My limbs are a bit stiff. I might still fall."

"Are you afraid of falling?" Bruce asked.

"No, I just..." Dick paused and said, "Don't you think it's embarrassing? Falling to the ground, getting hit by the iron ring, and then having to trouble Alfred to wash my clothes..."

"I've known for a long time that I can't do this here. I can't tell my classmates that I practiced gymnastics, that when I danced ballet, the teacher praised my flexibility. I can only smile and not let them know that I'm a member of the circus, otherwise... they would make fun of me..."

Bruce saw a kind of mask on Dick's face again. Perhaps, when he didn't care about Dick's school life, this was the only way he could use to fit in with the group, seeking comfort.

The formation of the mask is not the result of one or two days, or one or two people. When a person longs for love from society, they voluntarily put on a mask.

And if they want to take off this mask, there are only two ways. One is to completely understand that society won't give them love, and the other is if other people can give them enough love.

"Come on, Dick. If you feel stiff, do some warm-up exercises, and then try a few more times. I can control this iron ring, so you won't fall," Bruce said as he walked to the other side of the iron ring. "If you want to learn from me, of course, you can't be afraid of falling."

"I have to go out tonight. If you want to come with me, you'll have to jump from a high place and then use the grappling hook to swing up. If you're afraid of heights, you won't be able to fly."

Dick stared at Bruce, his eyes shining a bit. "Are you willing to take me out? Like Batman? Roaming between alleys and high-rise buildings, really?"

"The condition is that you have to finish your homework," Bruce shrugged. "But I think that shouldn't be difficult for you. If you've finished your homework, then play with the gymnastics equipment for a while, and then come with me to the basement. I'll teach you how to use the grappling hook."

Dick looked surprised and held onto the iron ring equipment, saying, "Really? Can I really become Batman's assistant? Can I fight crime with you?"

"I..." Bruce paused for a moment, but still said, "Yes, I need your help, tonight."

Dick began stretching, and as he did his warm-up exercises, Bruce noticed that his flexibility was truly remarkable. Standing forward bends, splits, and high leg lifts were effortless for him, and his balance and flexibility were impeccable.

After getting on the ring equipment, Dick took a deep breath, gripped the equipment, flexed his waist, leaned forward, and rolled out, performing a beautiful somersault back to his original position.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. He realized that Selena hadn't lied; Dick possessed balance and muscle memory far beyond the ordinary, in other words, he was a sports genius.

Dick, successful for the first time, seemed excited, but soon he calmed down and coughed, pretending to be serious. "Not bad, right? I might have just lacked a bit of warm-up earlier..."

"Can you do more difficult moves?" Bruce asked. "Like what Selena just did?"

Dick excitedly stamped his foot and said, "I should be able to, but... but you have to support me. I'm afraid I'll fall..."

Bruce fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "I'll support you... Don't be afraid."