Chapter 58  

"What are you thinking about?" Lin Zi Chen's clear voice behind him broke his train of thoughts and pulled him back from the distant memories. "It seems your thoughts are deeper than mine. Or is your business going bankrupt and you can't make enough to buy milk powder and diapers?"

"If I were to go bankrupt, then I will have to depend on you to support me since we are lovers." Zhen Lang calmly replied insinuating a certain matter.

Lin Zi Chen's expression suddenly changed twice and muttered. "Okay, just assume that I didn't know what happened that year. You are by no means a person who can be brought down by just 2 to 3 cans of beer. After being used by you as a shield for so many years, I didn't even get any compensation for my mental suffering. However, you were really vicious in the past, so vicious that you even totally ruined your own reputation."

"I don't like to be harassed and I don't like her to be burdened with the reputation as a third wheel." Zhen Lang patted Lin Zi Chen's shoulder. "In any case, both of us had taken what we needed and you were not completely without guilt. Don't mention about compensation for your mental suffering again. Be careful, lest I expose your misdeeds."

The two men looked at each other, at the same time, burst into hearty laughter and slowly they walked along the river.

Two young boys wearing taekwondo uniforms rushed past the two men and the boys' vague conversation drifted in their direction carried by the wind.

"Hurry up, it's rare that Senior Sister Feng Yun is back to teach us a few moves. Are you still sleepy?"

"Who is Senior Sister Feng Yun?" Apparently, someone was not fully awake and was still rubbing his eyes as he muttered.

"Who can Senior Sister Feng Yun be?" The person next to him glared at him fiercely. "That year, she was the one who trounced her opponents in the inter-school competition. One person alone, she singled out 5 high-level opponents. It was a Wheel Battle* and she was also a low-level participant who defeated all the legendary fighters. It was said that when Senior Sister Feng Yun was here during those years, we were the reigning champions for a few years. This time a competition is coming up and the senior schoolmates had specially invited Senior Sister to come back to give us a few pointers. So, shouldn't we learn a bit from her?"

(Wheel battle is a tactic where several people take turns fighting one opponent to tire him out.)

"Oh......" The sleepy person suddenly woke up. "Now I remember. She is the person that can make the seniors' eyes light up and revere incessantly at the mention of her name. The person who the seniors almost made us worship her with 3 incense- sticks, morning and night.......is she that Senor Sister Feng Yun?"

"That's her."

"Then let's hurry up! Hurry up!"

The two young boys flew off as if they had sprouted wings. Zhen Lang and Lin Zi Chen were left behind and they looked at each other with disbelief.

Lin Zi Chen shivered and twitched his mouth. "The Senior Sister Feng Yun they were talking about can't possibly be........"

Zhen Lang sighed deeply. "Should be!......."

Except for that person, who else would have such great achievements?

Except for that person, who else would have set such a brilliant record?

Except for that person, who will still dare to run around at this time?

Lin Zi Chen put a hand to his forehead. "If I remember correctly, she seems......"

Zhen Lang's face darkened and it seemed to be like the lake in front of them. "You remember correctly."

Lin Zi Chen clicked his tongue. "I really admire your heart's ability for endurance. You condone her too much."

"If not, what do you want me to do?" Zhen Lang glared at him. "Do you expect me to tie her up and give her a good beating? Don't forget, if I were to make a move on her, she will be so deliriously happy that finally, someone is willing to give her a chance to stretch her muscles and loosen her bones."

His words were calm but his footsteps betrayed him as his legs carried him flying in the direction of the training hall. With a face full of sympathy, Lin Zi Chen stood in the same spot and shook his head. He lowered his head to look at his watch and muttered to himself. "It seems I have to give the talk on my own today."

(Sister Feng Yun means Sister Storm. This should be a nickname the Author gave Jia Shao since she is very aggressive in her moves.)

In the center of the large hall, there was a group of people sitting in a circle and in the middle of the group was a woman with a slender back pointing her finger at the person in front of her. "You.......you turned your back too slow and if your skill is not higher than your opponent's, this kind of spin kick will enable your opponent to take advantage of the lapse and attack your lower body."

The young boy was not acceptable to her advice. "The Coach had said the score for this kind of kick is higher and also it will give the opponent a sense of fear."

The woman let out a laugh and hooked her finger at the young boy. "You can try to attack me."

The young boy looked at the woman's slender figure and felt a little awkward. "Senior Sister, you are a woman."

"Come on!" A loud shout and her momentum burst out with force. The young boy could not help but shrink his neck, straightened his body and prepared to combat with the woman in front of him.

The two people exchanged looks and the young boy involuntarily bowed his head under her piercing gaze.

Suddenly, a low shout drifted into his ear. "If you don't dare to look at me when I attack, how will you know if l sneak a surprise attack on you?"

The young boy lifted his head and only felt the person in front of him was shrouded with immense power without any visible weak points. He was at a loss on how he should attack her.

"Use your spin kick.......the move you used just now!"

The command rang out provoking the boy's actions and after a slight pause the boy threw out a flying kick.

The moment his leg kicked up, the person in front of him took a side step and his attack was totally lost. Before he could withdraw his leg, a huge force hit his left leg and he fell back two steps.

He had not even regained his balance when a long leg shot out from nowhere and kicked him again.

Barely able to support himself, he looked back and saw the woman standing not too far away, eyeing him leisurely.

"Senior Sister!" The young boy felt wronged. "Just now you told me to use my spin kick."

"Your speed together with the speed of your kick and the strength of your kick is not enough. And you still insist on using your spin kick? The time you used to jump back on your feet was enough to kick you down several times." Jia Shao shook her head. "Action is too big, concealment is not good and it is easy for others to see through your intentions."

"Come again. I want to take a look at the spin kicks that you are so proud of." Jia Shao nodded and smiled but the excitement revealed in her eyes were like little fire clusters starting to flame up.

This time, the young boy cautiously kept a distance between them. After two tries, he launched another fierce spin kick.

Jia Shao sidestepped to dodge and the boy concealed his delight. He leaped into the air, swung his body around and shot out his leg aiming for Jia Shao's waist and abdomen.

Just as his leg stretched out, from the corner of his eyes, he found the figure that was standing behind him had vanished from sight. The kick that he had mustered with strength from his body had landed into emptiness.

The moment he touched the ground, the figure that had vanished suddenly appeared, standing in the same position as before. Without giving him time to change his posture, a kick appeared out of nowhere to land directly on his waist fiercely throwing him down on the ground. The force was so powerful that it was difficult for him to bear.

"Wa!......"

"Ah!......"

"Wow!......"

All kinds of praises were combined into a chorus. The young boy cradled his waist with a twisted expression on his face while Jia Shao calm and composed. "I told you that if your spin kick does not bring down your opponent, it will become an opportunity for your opponent to counter-attack you. You are not filming a movie and your actions are not completely concealed. From your first sidekick, it is already possible to guess your next move will be your spin kick."

The boy involuntarily nodded and had tremendous admiration for the tall woman in front of him. He rubbed his waist pitifully and said. "Senior Sister, can you please be a bit more lenient? It's very painful."

Jia Shao looked at him and smiled. "No matter how close you are with your friend, once you enter this circle, in your eyes there must only be you and your opponent. I'm more vicious and use all my strength when I fight with my husband as compared to when I fight with you."

There was complete silence on the floor and everyone looked at each other in dismay.

The boy pulled his face taut and silently massaged his waist. Quietly, he muttered under his breath. "Self-sacrifice for others........ A prayer for you......."

Jia Shao placed her hands on her waist and waved towards the group of people sitting on the floor around her. "Come, who is next? Let me see the level of your skills."

The group of people looked at each other again. In fear, everyone sitting in the circle shifted their asses back and the size of the circle of people had suddenly grown bigger.

Who......who said that Senior Sister other than being highly skilled in martial arts, she is also kind and loving?

Who......who said that Senior Sister other than being a master in technical skills, she is also considerate and shows concern for her Junior Brothers and Juniors Sisters?

Who......who said that Senior Sister has a happy-go-lucky appearance but in actual fact, she is gentle and adorable?

If they carry on like this, they definitely would not be able to participate in any competition. All of them will collapse under Senior Sister's terrifying offensives and return home to nurse their injuries.

"That......" The Senior Brother who was the culprit finally spoke up after everyone's eyes, filled with censure, were trained on him. "Senior Sister Jia Shao, we can't compare with you."

"Why not?" Jia Shao's eyes were clear and domineering. "You don't even have the heart to surpass the old bones of your predecessor, why do you still want to participate in competitions? Just because the other party has a prominent name, you don't even dare to take up the challenge. Your determined heart is already scattered, so don't even think about winning. What is the main spirit of Taekwondo? It is to hone your will-power and if you don't even understand this, then it's better not to learn."

Her voice pierced into the hearts of the people and everyone bowed their heads not daring to speak. Jia Shao raised her chin. "Are you really sure you don't have the courage to challenge me?"

"Yes, we have!" A young and vigorous boy jumped to his feet first and he was followed by several other boys who were also eager to give it a try. "We challenge Senior Sister!"

Jia Shao beamed a happy smile. "Come!"

The boy walked to the center of the court, shrugged his shoulders and bent down in a salute. "Senior Sister, please."

The two people looked at each other without blinking their eyes and they exuded a slight momentum. Suddenly the atmosphere tensed up.

"Ha!" The boy shouted and quickly kicked up his leg.

Jia Shao blocked his kick with both hands and staggered a few steps back. She twisted her body and kicked at the boy's chest. Just at that moment when she sent out a flying kick, the corner of her eyes, unfortunately, swept over the crowd and her body froze.

In the group of people wearing white uniforms, the iron-grey western suit was too eye-catching. Especially when everyone was sitting in rows, that person was standing upright which was really outstanding.

She could not be blamed for being distracted. It was actually.......it was actually her ability and habitual sensitivity to a certain figure that she forgot to block the blow when she swept her gaze over the crowd.

Zhen......Zhen Lang!.......

Someone trembled and the next moment, she wanted to cover her face and make her escape, forgetting that in front of her there was a Junior Brother who had mustered all his strength, ready to strike.

There was a sound of wind followed by the shadow of a leg that flashed before her eyes and the leg struck out in the direction of her lower abdomen.

Jia Shao quickly dodged but someone was faster than her.

Before the shadow of the boy's leg could fall on her body, another leg shot out, multiple times faster than his, to neatly counter the kick......and as swiftly, it was withdrawn.

The flying kick that came from the side suddenly kicked at the boy's lower body to turn his body to another direction and the boy fell back several steps before he could stand back up steadily.

With one hand pressed on Jia Shao's shoulder and another hand around her waist, the tall figure stood in front of her, embraced her and kept her tightly protected in his arms.

"Wow!......"

The people who were seated, instantly stood up collectively to praise that series of beautiful moves. Only the poor boy had a twisted expression on his face when he saw a big leather shoe print on his clothes when he looked down.

His fingers gently caressed Jia Shao's face and he had a cold clear smile on his face.

He did not speak and just smiled as he watched the person in his arms, trembled and avoided his eyes.

"Didn't you say you wanted to fight? If the person doesn't look into the opponent's eyes, the person will lose first." The man's voice was very soft. "Look at me."

Jia Shao stiffened her body and lowered her head. "You didn't take off your shoes. I can't beat you."

She was in her bare feet and he was wearing his shiny leather shoes.

She was in her loose training suit and he was wearing his western suit.

She was avoiding his gaze and he was smiling broadly at her.

No matter the comparison, it seemed they were not in the same condition.

"Only this morning, you promised me that you will stay home and not run around." He calmly stated out the facts. "You also said that you won't even go to 'Golden Sunflower' and will absolutely not step out the main door."

She bowed her head even lower and mumbled. "You told me today you have a meeting and you were supposed to be holding a talk."

"I do have a talk scheduled but the talk is to be held here, in the University." Zhen Lang held her waist and his fingers rubbed her lower abdomen under the large training suit. "If I didn't come today, I won't be able to catch you secretly doing such good things."

"I......"

"What should you do if you had done something wrong?"

"I will wash the dishes, I will wash the clothes, I will mope the floor, I will clean the bathtub and everything that my husband requests, I will do them." Her extremely fluent words made people guess how many times she had repeated those words before she could master such good rhythm and tempo.

Zhen Lang sighed helplessly. "Yesterday, you were clamoring for seafood baked rice. I was thinking I would take you today after my work is done but now, I've decided not to take you."

"Ah......" Pitiful cries started to rise and Jia Shao put her arms around Zhen Lang's neck. "I want to eat. I want to eat."

He stretched out his hand. "Then do you want to go now?"

Jia Shao obediently put her small hand into his palm. "Yes."

As Zhen Lang led her away, she had totally forgotten about the group of people standing at the side who were still in shock. Obediently she walked to the side of the court and watched as Zhen Lang squatted down to help her put on her shoes and carefully tied the shoestrings.

"That......" The younger Senior Brother who finally regained his senses and found his voice, spoke up. "Senior Sister, we are......"

"Ah!" Jia Shao then only remembered about the group of people still waiting at the side for her. She pulled at Zhen Lang's sleeve and said. "I promised to teach them the techniques. They are going to compete soon."

He lifted his eyebrows and Zhen Lang's voice sounded threatening. "Are you sure you still want to teach them?"

Immediately she raised both her hands and waved them at him. "No, I'm not teaching them. No......."

She looked regretfully at the younger Senior Brother and felt sorry for the boys.

"Senior Brother Zhen Lang......" The younger Senior Brother finally remembered who was the man in front of him and quickly stepped in front of Zhen Lang. "You are also a student of A-University and like Senior Sister Feng Yun, you are also one of our seniors. I'm sure you don't want to watch us lose the competition, right? I hope you will allow Senior Sister Jia Shao to guide us for a period of time and it is only a few days. It will not be a hindrance."

Zhen Lang's eyes remained on the face of the younger Senior Brother and his cold eyes made the younger brother's heart quivered with fear. Zhen Lang slowly began to speak. "There is no problem with her guiding you but it must be 5 months later."

"Why do we have to wait for 5 months?" The younger Senior Brother had an unhappy expression. "The competition will be over in 5 months."

"Because......" He looked at Jia Shao. The culprit immediately lowered her head and kneaded the hem of the training suit she was wearing, in silence. "Because our baby will be born 5 months later and after that, she can do whatever she wants. But now, she must behave."

"Oh......" The younger Senior Brother did not expect to be given this answer at all. With surprise, his eyes rested on Jia Shao's lower abdomen for a long time and did not dare to move his gaze.

The large training suit she was wearing had covered everything and it was not discernible. Her slender body also did not have any signs of a pregnant woman. Just now, someone was still jumping around and did not mind others aiming their kicks at her waist. Her courage was truly a bit too much.

Only just now, he had sympathized with Senior Sister's husband when Senior Sister had said she always hit her husband viciously but at this moment, his mood became even darker.

This kind of wife......can an average man be able to control her?

"Then, can she just guide us and not join in the physical training?" It was difficult for him to ask. "We actually didn't know at first and we will not let her train with us again in future."

Zhen Lang laughed out loud. "Do you understand her more than me? When she sees a competition, she is like a dog that sees shit. She will rush up madly to join in and have a good time."

Jia Shao frowned as she stood at the side and glared at Zhen Lang fiercely.

The younger Senior Brother turned away and could not hold back the smile on his lips.

Although the description did not sound nice, the comparison was really appropriate.

"I promised them." Jia Shao said angrily. "If it was not for you, I will still be able to fight and I would not be forced to stay home in sadness. It's all your fault, your fault, your fault!...... In future, you're not allowed to touch me!"

The censure, from Zhen Lang catching her red-handed, turned into Jia Shao's complaint and from a small deception, it turned into a family dispute.

"Do you want to stay here so much?" Zhen Lang pinched her face and the cat which made threatening gestures had the urge to give him a bite.

On her face, he found his answer and he sighed. "Then you just sit on the sidelines while I teach them. Is that alright?"

Immediately her smile bloomed like a flower and Jia Shao nodded hard. Then suddenly she looked sad again. "But I feel hungry......."

He pointed to the bag on the ground. "I bought the meat sauce cake* at the campus gate. It was formerly your favorite. I bought it especially for you so that I can feed you at night. Take it out to eat."

(Meat sauce cake is a popular street food which looks like this.)

Feeling happy like a dog, she ran over to the bag and rummaged through it while Zhen Lang took off his shoes and took off his coat to leave it on the sidelines. "Come, let me see your basic skills."

The people in the court shouted, sending out kicks and hits while the person sitting on the sidelines was happily enjoying her food. Jia Shao smiled sweetly as she looked excitedly at Zhen Lang's moves.

"Thanks to your blessings, this is the first time I am sitting on the sidelines watching him spar with others. This really feels so good."

She thought happily, oblivious to how many people were crying in pain.

The first young Junior Brother who had sparred with Jia Shao earlier silently sighed.

"I finally understand why Senior Sister had to use all her strength when she fights with her husband."