"And then what? Just arrange them as usual?"
"Um...you didn't really put me in first place, did you?" I asked nervously.
Song Qing said expressionlessly, "You're the first one counting backwards."
Relieved, I hugged him tightly and exclaimed, "Brother, you're so thoughtful!"
Chapter Nineteen: How Can This Be Endured?
As we were leaving after the match, Xiang Yu and I were lagging behind when a small giant, about the same height as Xiang Yu, stopped us and asked Xiang Yu in an unfriendly tone, "Are you Zhang Bing's new boyfriend?"
I sized up this little giant. He was still very young, probably still a student, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, incredibly handsome, and judging from his sportswear, he must be involved in sports.
Xiang Yu was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Zhang Shuai, and I'm from the Sports Institute."
On a sudden impulse, I said, "You're that basketball center who was chasing after Zhang Bing, right?"
Zhang Shuai glanced at me and said coldly to Xiang Yu, "Can you businessmen stay away from Zhang Bing? She's not the kind of girl you think she is. Don't try to interfere just because you have money, or I won't be polite to you!"
I couldn't help but say, "She's known Zhang Bing for much longer than you have."
Zhang Shuai pointed at my nose and said condescendingly, "Did I talk to you?" It was clear that this young man also came from a good family background and was a bit spoiled.
Xiang Yu said calmly, "Be polite to my friends."
Just as Zhang Shuai was about to get angry, he suddenly looked at Xiang Yu strangely and said, "Hey, why does your suit look so familiar? I even picked out the fabric myself."
Xiang Yu chuckled: "You have good taste."
Zhang Shuai finally exploded: "I didn't believe the tailor when he said my suit was stolen, but it turns out it was you who did it!"
I broke out in a cold sweat and said, "What a coincidence!"
Zhang Shuai angrily exclaimed, "You made me wear a trench coat and be someone's best man!"
I chuckled: "You're being asked to be the best man? Are you attending a wedding for someone with intellectual disabilities?"
Zhang Shuai stared intently into Xiang Yu's eyes and said, "I want to fight you one-on-one. The loser has to leave Zhang Bing."
I quickly jumped to the side. The Decepticons and Autobots were about to go to war; it was best for Earthlings to stay away. If those two started fighting, one roll of their bodies could crush me.
To everyone's surprise, Xiang Yu simply smiled and said, "I won't fight you. Remember this, young brother: if you like a woman, you should pursue her. Even if you eliminate all your competitors, if she doesn't like you, she still won't like you." With that, he patted Zhang Shuai on the shoulder and walked away.
Damn, is this still Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu? Back then, he could fight three heroes for a girl he didn't even know, but now that someone wants to take his Yu Ji away, he can calmly say a bunch of big brother-like things.
Zhang Shuai stood there, stunned. I quickly caught up with Xiang Yu and asked, "Brother Yu, are you alright?"
"how?"
"If you don't teach that kid a lesson, he won't give up his wicked intentions."
Xiang Yu chuckled and said, "You mean you want me to beat him up?"
"What's wrong with that? Even if he only has one arm and one leg, you can still beat him until he's scrambling for small change on the ground."
"You can win a city by fighting, but you can't win a woman's heart. Actually, I'm quite relieved that someone genuinely likes Zhang Bing; at least I can leave in peace."
I sensed something was off about the way they addressed each other, so I suddenly asked Xiang Yu, "Is Zhang Bing really Yu Ji?"
Xiang Yu sat by the roadside, and surprisingly took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. He lowered his head and said, "Xiao Qiang, we may have done something wrong."
I've never seen him so dejected. He exclaimed in surprise, "Zhang Bing really isn't Yu Ji?"
Xiang Yu slowly shook his head: "I don't know. Her figure, appearance, and tone of voice are all A Yu's, but... she doesn't remember who I am at all."
"So what?"
Xiang Yu asked me, "Have you ever thought about this? If a woman looked exactly like a steamed bun, but she didn't recognize you, stopped bothering you, and treated you politely when she saw you, how would you feel?"
I waved my hand and said, "Come on, there's no such thing as a free lunch."
"These past few days I've been thinking about what Xiao Rang said: no matter how similar they look, they are ultimately not the same person. Zhang Bing—perhaps it really is just a coincidence."
"But doesn't she like you a lot now?"
"That might be another coincidence. What am I supposed to do a year from now?"
I said, "That's not right. Even if Zhang Bing is definitely Yu Ji and she remembers who you are, you still have to face the separation a year from now. What will you do then?"
Xiang Yu smiled faintly, "Ayu and I are both willing to die for each other. If it is really Ayu, whether she comes with me or stays in this world because she feels there are still unfinished responsibilities, we will have no regrets."
I got goosebumps: "You're not going to strangle Zhang Bing before you leave, are you? There are so many cases of girls in the art department turning love into hate."
Xiang Yu glared at me and said, "Don't joke like that. Aren't I already regretting and worrying? What will Zhang Bing think if I disappear without a word a year from now? I never intended to hurt her, so I can only slowly distance myself from her now."
I shouted, "We all worked together to get Zhang Bing, and you're just going to ruin all that work for us?"
Xiang Yu said bitterly, "I never thought that memories were so important. In fact, a memory represents a person."
I said, "Is what you're doing fair to Zhang Bing?"
“I did this precisely for the sake of fairness. Zhang Bing has no obligation to suffer for the mistakes I made; I did this to atone for my sins. Besides, would it be fair to Yu Ji otherwise?”
Finally, I sighed and concluded, "Tell me, what are you after? You traveled from 2000 years ago to the modern era just to make adult films."
Back at the hotel, Hu Sanniang was fiercely beating Duan Jingzhu. The reason was simple: we made a huge blunder in the draw for the round of 32 to 16 in this singles competition, and Hu Sanniang and Duan Jingzhu became opponents.