Martial Arts Master

I’m the one who has to do it? Lou Cheng absently browsed his contact list for his cousin’s number.

His finger froze for a moment when he saw the “cousin-in-law” entry.

We used to be brothers-in-arms, fighting our way to the championships. But that was before. Since then, I’ve attained Physical Invulnerability while he remains an Inhuman. To receive an invitation from me to revisit old places and reminisce on the past? Heck, I wouldn’t come if I was him. As the wise internet says, who wants to go to a ten-year reunion if they’re doing bad in life? Not to mention pride… Lou Cheng nodded slightly at his phone, feeling as though he had read his cousin-in-law’s thoughts.

Won’t I just be rubbing it in if I call like this?

Hmm, I’ll have to be brief with it… Switching to the contacts tab, Lou Cheng found Lin Que’s QQ and sent a message.

“Are you coming back to Songcheng to attend the opening ceremony?”

After clicking send, he didn’t expect to get a reply right away. His cousin-in-law was the type to stay offline for days.

But just as he was about to log out of the interface and report the progress to wife, there was a beep.

“Yes,” replied Lin Que.

Lou Cheng’s jaw dropped at the simple word.

An unusual answer, brother!

He couldn’t probe. After struggling for some time, he finally came up with an answer.

“Haha! See you there,” he wrote.

Lin Que was quick to reply.

“Sure.”

How awkward, thought Lou Cheng. He left the chat to text Yan Zheke.

“Your cousin’s going… [wipes sweat nervously]” he wrote.

The girl replied with a jaw-dropped emoji.

“Ummmmmm… Well I guess my cousin feels attached to Songcheng University and the martial arts club after all. He won’t admit it, but it’s not hard to tell. [eyes moving thoughtfully]”

“At least he’s honest with his actions,” quipped Lou Cheng. “Is he always so cool and standoffish when he chats online? He never spares a second word for me…”

“Don’t read too much into it. My cousin is just used to expressing himself concisely. [rubs chin thoughtfully]”

“I could feel his coldness… [shivering]” wrote Lou Cheng.

“Isn’t he like that in real life too? It has nothing to do with chatting online, [dumbfounded]” wrote Yan Zheke.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” said Lou Cheng. He thought for a moment. “I’ll try asking him a harder question and see how many words he uses to reply!”

“What is it? What’s the question?” she pressed curiously.

“I’m gonna ask him when he’s going to arrive at Songcheng. Let’s see if he can answer that with one word! [confident]”

A few seconds later, a second message from him came. It was a sad emoji.

“Hm? Did he do it with one word? How?” Yan Zheke’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“He didn’t use a single word this time… [blank look]”

“He sent me a screenshot of his flight details.”

Yan Zheke paused, then giggled and sent a “pummels ground laughing” emoji.

…

June 6th. Songcheng Scenic Hotel.

The committee staff who received him led him to his room.

“Mr. Lou, please be reminded that there will be a party at 11:30am tomorrow. The opening ceremony will commence at 7pm sharp. We have arranged a car for you,” said one of the staff politely.

“Got it,” nodded Lou Cheng gently. He watched as they left.

Once the door was closed, he bid farewell to his mature, taciturn facade and held up his phone. With a smile on his face, he casually snapped photos of his room from every angle to send to Yan Zheke.

“The committee isn’t too stingy.”

It was 5am in Connecticut and she was still asleep. After sending the message, he planned on contacting Talker to check on his teammates and maybe plan to meet up.

As he typed the first word, he felt something. He looked at the door.

A few seconds later, a rhythmic hand rapped on the door.

Smiling, Lou Cheng walked over and pulled it open. Without a doubt, it was Xiao Ming in his casual clothes.

“I was just going to look for you. Great minds think alike,” he jested.

“I’ve been knocking on every door and inviting whoever’s in for a gathering,” said Cai Zongming disdainfully.

A couple of faces popped up behind him. There was the square-faced Li Mao; the soon-to-be-wed Sun Jian and Lin Hua; and He Zi, Wang Dali, and Mu Jinnian, who still had more competitions ahead of them. Standing against the wall was Lin Que, dressed in his usual simplicity and neatness. He still kept his hair short and was reluctant to talk. It seemed as if nothing had changed.

Cai Zongming smiled and threw up his hands.

“Surprise?”

Surprise? Surprise, my ass! I’m not blind, and my brain isn’t defective! The moment you guys gathered at the door, I knew who and how many of you were there! Lou Cheng’s mouth twitched and his eyes showed his disdain.

“Let’s go. There’s a restaurant nearby, perfectly suited for us to have a good chat,” said Cai Zongming. He pointed his chin at the lift.

“Alright,” said Lou Cheng. Without speaking further, he took his things and shut the door.

He took a serious look at Lin Que when he walked past him. To his relief, he realized that his cousin-in-law had recovered well from the inhumane modification experiment. His spirits were good and his body in normal condition. However, it didn’t seem like he had improved much. But, as Ke Ke said, maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

A smile set on Lou Cheng’s face. He raised his right hand at Lin Que, like how they used to high-five during their days in the martial arts club.

Lin Que did not move. Lou Cheng could sense the judgment in his look.

Now, this is awkward… Just as Lou Cheng was about to laugh drily and retract his hand, Lin Que raised his palm and gave him a high five.

Beside them, Cai Zongming stifled a laugh.

“How come you don’t high-five with the rest of us, Cheng? I’m going to sue you for discrimination!” He sighed dramatically. “Everyone hears the laughter of the new wife, but the weeping of the old wife goes unheard.”

“You’re so dramatic,” chided Lou Cheng.

Behind them, He Zi watched their interaction intently. She had taken out her pen and paper, but didn’t draw anything after a long time.

“Are you thinking of drawing yaoi?” said Wang Dali, subconsciously moving away.

He Zi nodded seriously.

“I’ve already thought up a 500,000 word fanfiction.”

…

Ten minutes later, Lou Cheng was studying his surroundings, stunned. Peevishly, he said to Cai Zongming,

“Is this what you meant by ‘a restaurant that suits us’?”

How does someone mistake the food market as a restaurant!

Cai Zongming gave a heh-heh laugh.

“I call this a journey down the bittersweet memory lane. With all of us here, there’s bound to be a lot of emotions as we drown in reminiscence. A private room isn’t the place for that. This is the best place after all. No one will bother us even if sing at the top of our lungs, swinging bottles in our hands.”

“I have missed the Songcheng food market,” said Li Mao sentimentally.

So have I, thought Lou Cheng secretly.

It had been an memorable phase of their lives.

They found a secluded place and set up a table. As usual, Cai Zongming busied himself with ordering food and drinks. When he was done, he sat beside Lou Cheng. Placing a hand on Li Mao’s shoulders, he said,

“You are glowing with health, Senior Li Mao. Looks like you’re doing well.”

“Nothing worth mentioning,” said Li Mao.

“Really? I heard that you’re now the head of security in your company,” laughed Cai Zongming.

Talker’s well informed with how everyone’s doing… He’s so much better than me at this. Some people are born a people person, thought Lou Cheng, listening to their conversation with a smile on his face.

“I’m the head of a small department,” said Li Mao self-deprecatingly.

“At least you don’t have to guard the door…” mumbled Sun Jian. “Ow!”

Lin Hua pinched his leg.

Li Mao pretended not to hear. Continuing on the subject, he said,

“Before this, I had to go all the way to Huahai to do security courses.” He sighed. “That moment when you realize nothing you learned in university is useful at work… what a damn waste of time,” he said, tongue in cheek.

“A waste of time? That only applies to people who made it through university without getting into a single relationship!” said Cai Zongming. A few of those that were present felt like they took an arrow to the knee.

After garnering some attention, he took a cup and clinked it against the table.

“Come! Here’s to Songcheng University Martial Arts Club, our champion title, our passionate dreams, our unforgettable youth, and this long-awaited reunion!”

Ho, good with words, aren’t ya? Becoming a streamer has done you plenty of good, huh? said Lou Cheng through telepathy. He followed suit and raised his soda-filled cup.

“To our youth and this reunion!”

“To our youth and this reunion!” echoed the rest, following suit. Even the aloof Lin Que tapped his cup and raised it.

Cai Zongming glanced at Lou Cheng.

“To becoming the champion!”

He threw back his head and gulped down the contents of his cup.

“To becoming the champion!”

The resounding cheers made it seem like it was only yesterday.