Martial Arts Master

“Don’t you remember that I had once been the seatmate with her for one semester? Since then we got to know each other quite well… ” Cheng Qili said with a lowering voice.

With his short hair divided in a ratio of thirty to seventy, he wore a pair of thick black rimmed glasses in half frames. There were several pimples on his head and acne at the corner of his mouth due to excessive internal heat. Though he looked very introverted (like the person of the saying “No matter how he is tortured, he won’t even let out a silent fart,”) he would surprise you when you got along with him for a long time. When talking about something he found interesting, he would become an incontinent talker.

Lou Cheng recovered from the shock and said in a gossiping tone, “I had been wondering why you frequently talked with the Monitor at that time. So you’ve had a crush on her since then? Ha, ha, how does she treat you? Or how familiar have you two become now?”

In Lou Cheng’s impression, their Monitor Qiu Hailin looked dignified and was quite capable of organizing. The only thing worthy of mentioning was her old-fashioned hairstyle and glasses. As the Playboy Tao Xiaofei, who sat in front of him in high school, had said, “See through the appearance to perceive the essence. The Monitor has good facial features and skin, but she looks like the head teacher due to her aunt-type hairstyle and the middle school teacher type glass. One might mistake her for the head teacher.”

Thinking of her hairstyle, Lou Cheng was unable to restrain himself from disclosing funny things about Qiu Hailin. Although he was not familiar with Qiu Hailin, he couldn’t help staring at her forehead when each time he talked with her or met her. She just leisurely exposed her high lined forehead without covering it with her hair, making one feel the impulse to knock at her forehead.

After a careful thought, Cheng Qili said, “We never have awkward silence during our chats, and there’s always something to talk about.”

Dumbfounded, Lou Cheng replied. “So you intend to confess your feeling for her just like this?”

“Why not?” Cheng Qili felt at a loss.

Feeling that Cheng Qili was muddle-headed just like he was several months ago, Lou Cheng said sincerely, “The Monitor went to university in the Capital while you were in the provincial capital. How did you two get in touch with each other in usual time?”

“QQ of course,” Cheng Qili answered in a natural tone.

“How often did you chat with each other? How long was each talk?” Lou Cheng asked in an orderly manner.

Thinking for a while, Cheng Qili answered, “Every two or three days. We could chat for one or two hours when we were in full spate.”

“The right answer should be chatting all day every day”… Lou Cheng couldn’t help but say, with his hands covering his forehead. “Is there any sign that the Monitor shows affinity with you, or is there any romantic involvement?”

“Umm… ” Lost in thought, Cheng Qili answered after a long time. “That doesn’t hinder me expressing my feelings for her. I do it because I like her, not vice versa.”

Heaving a sigh and recalling the words of “Casanova” Cai Zongming, Lou Cheng said, “Cheng, love confession isn’t just like this… ”

He reorganized the teachings of Little Ming and told Cheng Qili in an understandable way. Cheng Qili was struck dumb with astonishment, as if he had entered the door to a new world.

Hearing this, Cheng Qili went absent-minded for a while and then said in a worshiping tone, “Cheng, if it weren’t for you, I’d have screwed this up. It’s clear to me now that one shouldn’t express his feelings for a girl directly! Oh, where did you learn this? I remember that you didn’t get into a relationship in high school. Have you become suddenly enlightened in university?”

He nearly stretched out his hands to hold and shake Lou Cheng.

Drunk in his worshiping sight, Lou Cheng felt the delight of “being a teacher” and said with a laugh, “I’m chasing a girl, so I learn from others and have summarized my own experience.”

“No wonder!” Cheng Qili said in surprize, “You didn’t mention that you were chasing after a girl.”

Lou Cheng replied with a hollow laugh. “I intend to leave it in suspense before I make it, for the fear that it would be awkward if I fail.”

“Ha ha, introduce her to us at that time.” Cheng Qili joked in the same way Jiang Fei did.

“It would surprize you when I introduce her to you.” Lou Cheng got lost in daydreaming for a while and continued to chitchat with Cheng Qili. They talked freely about funny things they had encountered in school respectively. However, unlike what he did for the girl he fell in love with, he wouldn’t bother to talk about all matters, whether important or trivial, to crude men like Jiang Fei and Cheng Qili!

After talking and laughing to past four o’clock, Cheng Qili went back home to keep accompany with his relatives. Lou Cheng, taking his phone, came to a local business center under the instruction of Yan Zheke. He found the two physical stores and bought two lady’s autumn clothes and one knitted sweater directly.

Yan Zheke murmured at his unthoughtfulness, “You nearly drive me mad! I can’t believe you pay for them directly without even asking whether there is any activity, scraping-up of orders, or discounts.”

Lou Cheng answered in a weak tone, “The price seems reasonable… ”

Yan Zheke said with a dazing emoji, “Well, that’s what Cheng would do, very manly… What a spendthrift!”

Returning back home, Lou Cheng walked through the living room with great care to avoid his mother, who was cooking. He hid the presents in his room with an expectation to surprise his parents on New Year’s Eve.

Just then, he received an E-mail from Geezer Shi containing videos and detailed data about Big or Small Hand Wrap. Watching them while discussing them with Yan Zheke, he reached to a theoretical grasp about the Big or Small Hand Wrap.

Frankly speaking, the Big or Small Hand Wrap was about Catch and Reverse Catch and would achieve a fantastic effect with listening skill in close battle. Compared with other fighting skills which might cause serious injuries or even deaths, the Big or Small Hand Wrap was a good choice for street fighting. Among the attached data, Lou Cheng found the illustration about joints were fascinating.

…

Before long, the day came for the get-together of high school classmates. Lou Cheng and Jiang Fei went back home respectively after exercise. They took a shower, changed their clothes, got into the taxi and headed toward the rendezvous.

“Coach Yan, I’m about to meet Du Liyu today. Do you have any suggestion on how to bully him? For he had taken your dear friend sitting behind you as his girlfriend.” Sitting in the car and watching the scenery on both sides, Lou Cheng sent the message to Yan Zheke with a cheeky grin.

Yan Zheke replied with a proud emoji wearing sunglasses. “Just throw him on the ground!”

“Umm… Under the gaze of assembled company, others may misinterpret this as my unrequited love for Song Li.” Lou Cheng replied with a “dumbstruck” emoji.

“Just a joke!” Yan Zheke said with a “stretching hands” emoji. “You can ask him about his love affair with Song Li by inference and pay attention to his answers. I must guard a pass for my friend. Cheng, I hereby entrust this important intelligence duty to you, and wish that you won’t fail my expectation!”

“Haha, you may rest assured, and I’ll finish my duty!” answered Lou Cheng with a bright smile.

After he arrived at the rendezvous, he saw Fatty Jiang, as the assistant organizer of the get-together, had already got there. In Lou Cheng’s eyes, Fatty Jiang could be described with the saying “He has aching waist, back, and legs, but he could climb to the fifth floor with one breath.”

His weight-reducing plan hadn’t had much effect yet, but Fatty Jiang looked more energetic and was talking with the Monitor Qiu Hailin and the others right now. Right beside them standing Cheng Qili, who had changed a suit of new clothes to look clean with high spirits, and broke in with few words now and then.

Unconsciously, Lou Cheng threw a glance at Qiu Hailin’s forehead by force of habit. With her big forehead still exposed, Qiu Hailin looked totally different and was almost a beauty, for her hair was more fashionable, and her eyeglasses changed to invisible ones.

Smiling, he walked toward Qiu Hailin to greet her.

“Cheng, you have changed a lot, and I nearly can’t recognize you.” Qiu Hailin said this with a smile.

Lou Cheng laughed. “Speaking of changes, I can’t compare with you. Look at your deskmate, he is trembling with surprize and doesn’t dare to speak.”

Imitating Cai Zongming, Lou Cheng tried to connect Cheng Qili with Qiu Hailin to create the atmosphere for him.

Brother, I’ve done my best to help you!

Amidst the laughter of their classmates, Cheng Qili was abashed while Qiu Hailin said with her mouth covered, “Look at the imposing manner you’re talking, you really have changed. By the way, do you still remember you deskmate?”

She pointed at the girl who was wearing a light blue cotton-padded jacket.

The girl was called Cao Lele, deskmate of Lou Cheng during his first year and second year in senior high school. With a small nose, small eyes, and small mouth, Cao Lele looked comely, and she was also the one Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke talked of at the topic of menstruation.

Looking at Cao Lele, Lou Cheng unconsciously recalled the topic and his sudden recollection at that time, he couldn’t help but laugh out. Nodding his head, he said, “How could I forget? Classmate Lele was almost half an English teacher to me.”

Seeing his whimsical expression, Cao Lele said in surprize, “Lou Cheng, what’s wrong with you?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing at all. I was just thinking of other things.” Lou Cheng would never talk about that topic foolishly.

More and more classmates arrived. Qin Rui came to greet and discuss with Jiang Fei and Qiu Hailin in whispers. Tao Xiaofei, the dandyish classmate sitting in front of Lou Cheng also reached here, driving his BMW Seven Series. He exchanged pleasantries with Lou Cheng, larding with dirty topics.

Old Wu and Teacher Xin showed up their face. A skinny middle-aged man, Old Wu wore a pair of big glasses, which nearly covered half of his face, and showed no sign of enthusiasm for martial arts. While Teacher Xin, a delicate and exquisite lady, had become their head teacher two years later after her graduation, and handed the responsibility of a head teacher to Old Wu for her lack of experience during their third year in senior high school.

Du Liyu arrived later. Since dating a girlfriend, he became exquisite in his dressing. Wearing a black coat, he looked vigorous in short hair with his height of one meter and eighty. His eyebrow was dense and black as always, for which he was given the name “Crayon Shinchan”.

Dragging Jiang Fei, Lou Cheng murmured to him, “Fatty Jiang, we shall cooperate with each other later. I want to make Du Liyu confess his love affair with Song Li.”

Jiang Fei laughed and said, “Cheng, I didn’t realize until now you are a bigger gossip than me. Is it necessary to go that deep? Have you got feelings for Song Li?”

“I’m doing a favor for someone else,” Lou Cheng answered briefly.

“Who?” Jiang Fei asked in confusion and bewilderment.

Lou Cheng laughed. “Of course, it’s Song Li’s bestie Yan Zheke.”

“Jesus!” With his mouth widely open, Jiang Fei breathed in a northwest wind. Immersed in shock for quite a long while, he said to Lou Cheng with his thumb up, “Cheng, you surprise me. You have got Yan Zheke’s number!”

At this time, almost all the classmates arrived. Fatty Jiang couldn’t have said more before he organized them to board on the traveling bus.

The assembly point was over ten kilometers from the Nine Curves of Xiushan, and it was still a long way from the Nine Curves to the Conference Villa of Spring Scenery Field, which required climbing up the mountain. But actually, except for Lou Cheng who had enough physical strength, no one else would like to walk to the destination from the Nine Curves. Qiu Hailin ordered a bus to get everyone to the Conference Villa. Anyone who was fond of climbing mountain could himself climb it during their free time.

The fee for the get-together, two hundred yuan each one, was collected online earlier. The overcharge would be returned while the shortage would be paid by Tao Xiaofei.

Getting on the bus, Lou Cheng sat straightforwardly beside Du Liyu, which shocked him for a while because he was not very familiar with Lou Cheng.

At that time, Qiu Hailin counted the number on the spot. Clapping her hands, she said in the front,

“Except Tao Xiaofei and several other people who are driving to there, everyone is present. Please be quiet for a while, Qin Rui has something to tell us.”

Standing beside Qiu Hailin, Qin Rui said smilingly with his hands in a salute gesture,

“I’m about to fight at a Martial Arts Competition at the North Garden of the Conference Villa today. It concerns the preliminaries after the New Year. Your appearance will be sincerely appreciated. At this moment, I wish you guys a happy New Year in advance!”

Coming by such a joyful thing was hard. The classmates got agitated with barracking first then shouts next, and expressed their willingness to watch the competition. The site became bustling with noise and excitement for a while.

Actually speaking, Lou Cheng was also very interested in it, because he was eager to know about the level of martial arts circle at his hometown.