I feigned curiosity and asked, "Isn't that person a friend of the leader from Xinyue?"
"Yes, but according to Tong Yuan, it was you who introduced her to him."
"Uh..." I was embarrassed for a while before saying, "Oh, is that so? I almost forgot about it." I was already a little flustered.
"Also, this young man named Xiang Yu doesn't seem to be one of us. I heard he owns a steamed bun shop?"
Here it comes! The question of why the steamed bun shop owner could beat up "the one who is invincible throughout North China (the world)"—a question that even the Chinese Academy of Sciences might not be able to solve—has finally been raised. I wiped my sweat and racked my brains for a solution.
The problem is, if I tell the Chairman that the steamed bun shop owner is Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, he'll definitely turn on me. And coming up with a seemingly truthful lie is beyond my brain's capabilities. I stole a glance at the Chairman and saw him staring intently at me, as if he'd already noticed something. Suddenly, I knew exactly what he wanted to know about this, so I pretended to check the time and used my mind-reading ability on the old man. The phone displayed only a few words: "Are they really that close?"
Suddenly it all clicked: Although Xiang Yu was practically my ancestor, nobody else knew that. So—
"Actually, I'm not very familiar with him either."
The old man was dumbfounded. He stared at me, speechless, unable to utter a single word.
I took the opportunity to stand up and stroll towards the door, saying that there was still a match to play and I had to leave soon. This time, the chairman didn't stop me. He said to me, "Don't take this conversation too seriously, Team Leader Xiao. Every team that makes it to the top 8 undergoes this routine investigation." I immediately stopped and asked, "Is it possible for every team that makes it to the top 8 to receive government sponsorship for education?" I've led my team for so long, so of course I'd like to take advantage of any benefits I can.
The chairman hesitated for a long time without speaking, and the staff member next to him answered for him: "I'm afraid that won't work. In fact, only the team that wins the competition will receive assistance, and even the second place team will only be observed."
The chairman said, "Anyway, keep up the good work. People have been watching you for a long time." The staff member straightened up and laughed, "It's not just a few individuals. Hasn't Team Leader Xiao's Yucai program already been the focus of attention?"
That last sentence sent chills down my spine: What I fear most now is becoming the center of attention, even more than being afraid of tainted cotton being featured on CCTV's "Focus Interview".
Moreover, I always felt that this conversation was strange, as if I was being watched closely from behind by a pair of all-seeing eyes, and I couldn't shake them off or run away.
I stiffened up and backed out of the chairman's room, then took off running!
"We can't win anymore!" These words kept repeating in my mind. Look, the students patrolling the playground are from Yucai School, the teams in the quarterfinals are from Yucai School, and the most eye-catching flag at the entire event is our triangle ruler and sunflower combination flag. We've become the focus of attention without even realizing it, and it's too dangerous to continue!
I ran breathlessly to the competition field, grabbed Lin Chong, and asked, "What's the score?"
"2-0, we're in the lead."
I glanced at Shi Qian on the stage and said, "Can we still lose?"
Zhang Qing interjected, "I'm afraid it's too late." He pointed to the scoreboard, and I glanced at it. There was less than half a minute left in the third game of the third match; Shi Qian was leading his opponent 12-0…
I stomped my foot and said, "Didn't I tell you to stick to the original plan? How did you win again?"
Zhang Qing said, "It's according to the original plan. Weren't you so angry on the day of the draw that you were yelling and jumping around, saying that we couldn't let them win even one game?"
I grabbed my hair and said, "I meant as long as they're still okay, we should take the opportunity to let them off the hook..."
Yang Zhi said coolly, "But the problem is they're not good enough!"
Zhang Qing nodded and said, "Actually, there is another way to lose."
I grabbed him and said, "Tell me!"
“I’ll gesture for Shi Qian to pretend to fall off the ring and forfeit the match, then it’ll just be you and Brother Lin Chong left. It’s no problem for Brother Lin to throw the match and lose. As for you, that’s even less of a problem, you don’t even need to pretend, I just don’t know if you can withstand 10 minutes of beatings.”
I coughed and said, "We've already won this one, let's not do it again."
The match ended with us winning 3-0 against Beijing Wencheng Wujiu—also known as Beijing Yucai Martial Arts Academy. As the team leaders bowed, a tall, unfamiliar man stepped forward from the opposing team. I glanced at their group; the young man from Beijing had already discreetly stepped forward. It turned out he wasn't a player; his role was similar to a dean of students, just like mine, except people called him "Manager." This Manager Wang, looking embarrassed, said, "A bet's a bet. We'll go back and change our name right away, and send you the photos after they're taken." This made me chuckle. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't take it seriously. Yucai is a century-old school; it's not easy. We should unite and work together to make its name even more renowned. All Yucai schools are one family; let's stop fighting each other!"
Manager Wang said with shame, "Brother Xiao's level of expertise suggests he studied at Oxford or Cambridge."
I said, "Oxford and Cambridge will both be outmatched by Yucai. In the future, we'll open a branch school there and call it Yucai Martial Arts School Oxford Branch and Cambridge Branch."
Xiao Wang chimed in, "Right, right, I'll get a Level 4 Chinese proficiency certificate first. In situational dialogues, anyone who says 'It's nice to see you' upon meeting will be rejected. Not only will they have to ask if I've eaten, but they'll also have to answer 'chive dumplings'..."
I said, "The dialogue scene in the Level 6 exam is when the son-in-law and father-in-law discuss the betrothal gifts..."
After listening to us brag for a while, the referee said, "Sign it. I think from now on, the level 8 scenario dialogue will be set up so that two students from Yucai can chat together..."
We were both embarrassed. Xiao Wang patted me on the shoulder: "Let us know when you get to Beijing. That's all, let's have a good drink together at Tanghui."
As per the rules, the four newly selected finalists drew lots on the podium after the entire competition concluded. The other three finalists were Hongri Martial Arts School, Tianlang Martial Arts School, and a martial arts school located far away in Yunnan. With that, our original mission at Yucai Martial Arts School was successfully completed. Whoever we drew next was no longer important, as my mind was made up.
However, I still hope the opponent is Red Sun, or another team would be fine too. My friends and I don't have a good impression of Duan Tianlang, and since we've decided to go easy on him, we all want to give our friend this opportunity.
Before I could even unfold the slip of paper after the draw, the farmer from the Red Sun team had already shaken hands with the representative from the Yunnan team. I was still scribbling away at the slip when Duan Tianlang appeared behind me. This kid seemed to have completely returned to his old self; he said to me with a half-smile, "No need to look anymore, see you next time."
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Tiger
I walked back clutching the note, and people pointed and whispered about me all the way. Some shouted at me, "Dude, come on stage!" Many others, including quite a few girls, blew horns and sirens at me.
"I have female fans now," I thought to myself, feeling a little smug.
But I really dare not go any further. Even without any other reason, if just one local police officer notices us, we'll be in a very passive position. Moreover, the shockwaves we've created may no longer be limited to this city; many of the people and teams we defeated have become Yu Cai's loyal followers and unpaid promoters under the influence of our heroes. After returning home, they particularly emphasized the image of a reclusive master, surnamed Xiao, the leader of Yu Cai's team. His four henchmen are all highly skilled, so people want to see him in the competition but can't get a chance…
It's no exaggeration to say that I can travel all over the country and eat and drink well with just 200 yuan in my pocket. As long as I don't fight with anyone, I can come back alive, and the money on me will only increase, not decrease.
Fortunately, Baozi had no idea about my new identity. Ever since the martial arts tournament produced the top 32, the local TV station suspended its original programming to broadcast the entire competition live, even interrupting the "Yucai is strong" commercial break three times. Baozi was very unhappy about this. Every time she turned the channel and saw the chaotic stadium on the screen, she would immediately change the channel, complaining, "This stupid tournament isn't over yet! Is 'Struggle' going to stop airing?" Sometimes I would occasionally tell her that Yucai had made it into the top 16 and into the top 8, and Baozi would just say "Oh" and that was it. I guess it's because she heard that even people like us made it into the top 16 and into the top 8 that she stopped watching.
Baozi is a careless woman, so careless that even if I became the President of the United States, she wouldn't notice unless I told her.
Baozi is also a sensitive woman, so sensitive that even if I were the President of the United States, and I were to pick up girls under the cover of the FBI and CIA, I still wouldn't escape her watchful eye.
I returned to the shed, and Zhang Qing and Dong Ping gathered around, asking, "Who is it?" Behind them, even Lu Junyi and Wu Yong were listening intently. At this stage of the competition, the heroes were all particularly interested.
I pointed to the mats where Duan Tianlang and the others were sitting, and Zhang Qing rubbed his hands together and said, "Now we finally have some opponents. Let's have a good fight with them."
With a solemn expression, I walked to the front, slammed my hand on the table, and said, "Let's have a quick meeting while everyone's here. Just one sentence: We can't afford to lose anymore!" Although the heroes all knew what I meant, they still fell silent when I said it.
"Brother Dongping, Brother Gou, we can't push your singles match any further. Let's just accept defeat tomorrow."