Just then, a girl nearby said, “Can some people stop bragging? You think two months of practice can compare with someone who’s been at it for years? Why don’t you just fly up to the sky?”
She had phoenix-shaped eyes, brown eyebrows, and hair dyed a similar shade. When she noticed everyone around her looking at her, she added, “I’m not wrong, am I? If you think you’re better than her, then go up and have a match. It doesn’t matter if you lose—you’ve only been practicing for two months, after all.”
Zhang Mingming said, “Haven’t you ever heard, ‘See no evil, hear no evil’?”
The girl folded her arms. “There’s only so much space here, and you were talking so loudly. If you didn’t want anyone to hear, you could’ve whispered. Besides, she said it herself. I didn’t put those words in her mouth. Or was she bragging just now?”
“You…” Zhang Mingming looked at Song Cheng and fell silent. Although she hadn’t known Song Cheng for long, she didn’t think Song Cheng was the sort of person to brag. But after seeing the instructor’s moves, she found it hard to believe Song Cheng could match him. So Zhang Mingming didn’t know what to say.
Fu Chao glanced at the three girls, feeling a headache coming on, and tried to smooth things over. “Ha-ha, Song Cheng was just joking. You can’t take it seriously. Even if she did exaggerate a little, her movements really are precise—lots of the boys can’t match her.” The students around them nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, the girl grew furious. “So what if she’s pretty? Do you really have to defend her this much? Her movements are so affected I can barely stand to watch. Why doesn’t she just go up and have a match?”
Song Cheng looked at the girl, who was beside herself with anger, and thought back over how this argument had started. She really had only been telling the truth, but the girl didn’t believe her. And Song Cheng couldn’t let down the people standing up for her, could she?
So Song Cheng got to her feet and smiled brightly at the girl. “Thank you for calling me pretty.”
The girl: “…”
She was so annoyed. What could she say to get her swagger back?
Song Cheng walked over and spoke for a while with the instructor, who was drinking water. He looked her up and down, then set down his cup, and the two of them moved toward the center.
To be honest, Instructor Zhang hadn’t taken Song Cheng seriously at all. He just assumed the pretty girl had probably learned a little martial arts and become overconfident. Instructor Zhang loved dealing with this kind of “troublemaker.” In past years they’d always been boys; this year, it was a girl instead. At most, he’d go easier on her and be a little gentler.
Song Cheng knew the person facing her probably wasn’t taking her seriously. She was a little nervous herself, too. This was her first time having a proper fight with someone. She had practiced with instructors at the taekwondo studio, but they were running a business, after all. They couldn’t exactly injure their customers, so the instructors had always gone very easy on her. Once the two of them took their places, the students of Class 12 all turned to watch.
Song Cheng stood with her feet apart and clasped her hands in a salute to the instructor. Then she clenched her fists, took up a punching stance, and darted forward, aiming straight for his face.
Instructor Zhang hadn’t expected her to attack right away. Surprise flashed briefly in his eyes. Her technique was remarkably refined; she didn’t look like a beginner. But despite his surprise, he moved quickly. He caught her incoming fist with his left hand and chopped his other hand toward her neck. Song Cheng leaned back slightly, caught his wrist with her other hand, and twisted it back with force, while kicking at him with her right foot. The instructor quickly leaned back and bent his leg to meet her kick. Their limbs clashed with a sharp smack, and the force sent them both stumbling backward. They quickly regained their footing.
That brief exchange made Instructor Zhang realize that this girl wasn’t just a reckless beginner. She really did have skill. He became serious, too. If he lost to a girl, how would he ever live it down? The others gathered around, and Lu Yaozhi watched Song Cheng’s movements in surprise. She’d improved quite a bit since they’d last seen each other. She just hoped Song Cheng wouldn’t get hurt.
Seeing the serious look on Instructor Zhang’s face, Song Cheng stepped forward and swept her leg across. He caught her ankle with both hands, bent his knee, and pressed her leg down. Song Cheng planted one hand on the ground, used the momentum to flip her body, and kicked at him with both feet before landing steadily on her feet.
Instructor Zhang said to Song Cheng, “You’re good. Now it’s my turn.” He gave her a thumbs-up.
And so they traded blows, fists and feet clashing as their palms sliced through the air. They moved faster and faster, and the students around them watched with keen interest.
The two instructors stood to the side, talking.
“Zhang Feng’s finally met his match. Ha-ha, and it’s a girl. But she still needs a bit more experience.”
“With that strength and those moves, even if Zhang Feng wins, it won’t be easy.”
That was certainly true. Both of them were drenched in sweat, their stamina nearly spent. After twenty minutes, Song Cheng was kicked to the ground. She sat there and didn’t get up, waving a hand. “Enough, enough. I’m done. I can’t beat you.”
Instructor Zhang stepped forward, took her wrist, and pulled her up. “If you hadn’t conceded, I’d have been close to losing.” He solemnly clasped his hands and bowed to Song Cheng. “If you train for another year, I absolutely won’t be able to beat you. You’re amazing.”
Song Cheng was panting too hard to speak. The instructor was really skilled. Right now, everything on her body hurt except her face.
When Song Cheng returned to the group, the crowd parted to let her through. The girl who’d challenged her moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but someone beside her tugged at her.
Lu Yaozhi hurried over to help Song Cheng sit down and handed her some water. “If you want to fight, you can just fight me. That instructor definitely wasn’t going to go easy on you. It hurt just watching.”
Song Cheng smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t have the heart to use your full strength, so I wanted to test how good I really was. It hurts, but I’ve gained a lot from it.”
Zhang Mingming looked at Song Cheng with awe. “I’d guess you’ve just lost half your admirers.”
Song Cheng burst out laughing. “All the better. I need to study hard and keep improving every day.”
Fu Chao said, “The boys in our class were saying they’d protect our beauty. You’ve left us no chance to do that.”
Zhang Mingming said, “Don’t blame girls for being too strong. Maybe you should think about whether you’re just too weak.”
In the principal’s office at No. 1 High School, Fang Muhan had been standing by the window, talking on the phone. As his gaze swept past, he spotted a familiar figure clasping her hands in a salute to the instructor. Fang Muhan quickly hung up and stayed by the window, watching the match with interest.
It was her again—Qin Hongtao’s younger cousin. Why was she fighting again the next time he saw her? Hmm. She’d improved quite a bit since the last time at the taekwondo studio. To make such great progress in so short a time—she really was talented.
When she got home, Song Cheng touched the bruises on her arm and asked the System, “Do you have anything that can get rid of the pain?”
“Yes. Hundred-Flower Pain-Relief Dew. The symptoms will disappear within an hour of taking it. It costs 50 points.”
“The textbooks only cost 50. Isn’t it a little expensive to charge 50 for one bottle of medicine?”
“The medicine’s effects last for one month. A textbook is still part of this world, and you have to study it and make the knowledge your own. This medicine, on the other hand, is a product of Y Star. And since it gives you good results without requiring you to put in any effort, it goes against the System’s core principles. That’s why it’s expensive.”
Song Cheng: “…”
Fine. It was expensive, but at least it worked well.
She took the medicine, and an hour later she was good as new. The next day, Lu Yaozhi looked at how full of energy Song Cheng was and called her “tough as nails,” saying she could take a beating and that she’d have to fight her more often from now on.
Over the next few days, perhaps Song Cheng’s match with Instructor Zhang had fired up the students. Many students from other classes began challenging their instructors, too. Without exception, they all ended up flat on the ground. Even so, the students couldn’t get enough of it, and the whole military training camp was buzzing with enthusiasm.
Military training passed quickly. Class 12 performed a fist routine for their presentation. The whole class had improved markedly through practice, and they even received the honor of Outstanding Group. Song Cheng, Lu Yaozhi, and two other boys from their class were named Outstanding Trainees.
After military training, they had two days off. Song Cheng returned to the Aerospace Residential Complex and found Mom Song at home.
“You should’ve called ahead so your dad could pick you up! I don’t have any of your favorite dishes today, so I’ll go buy some ready-made food from across the street.” As she spoke, Mom Song hurried out.
At dinner, Mom Song said, “You’re off tomorrow, so let’s go have lunch at your uncle’s. You haven’t visited your grandma in ages.”
Song Cheng replied, “Are we coming back right after lunch?”
Dad Song said, “What, do you want to stay longer?”
“No. I was thinking I’d go straight from Uncle’s place to Huanjing Bay tomorrow.”
“That works. Your dad and I can go over tomorrow and see if there’s anything else you need. We’ll buy it all for you so you don’t have to keep going out.”
Song Cheng agreed, then suddenly remembered something. “Mom, weren’t you working at the shop today?”
“I was open all morning, but not a single person came in. It got so hot in the afternoon that I closed up and came home. Business is getting harder and harder. There’s more competition, too. Just this year, two new clothing shops opened in our night market. I went to take a look, and I feel like their clothes are prettier.”
Song Cheng glanced at what she was wearing. Most of her clothes now came from Mom Song’s shop. The shop’s main customers were young women, so in summer it was stocked mostly with dresses: long ones, short ones, skirts and one-piece dresses, all in bright colors.
Song Cheng was wearing straight-leg trousers and a white blouse with puff sleeves. The blouse had just a little embellishment, and the whole outfit made her look young and lively. She said to her mother, “Mom, let’s go shopping tomorrow. It’s been ages since we went shopping together. We can take a look around the mall and see what styles are popular.”
Mom Song said, “Sure. School hasn’t started yet, so we can all go together tomorrow.”
Dad Song then said, “Our company needs to buy a batch of computers soon. We can get them straight from the manufacturer, so they’re cheaper than in stores. The company leadership said employees could buy some for personal use, so I’m planning to get one for Chengcheng and one for Hongtao. Your eldest brother didn’t have to do much to get Chengcheng into No. 1 High School, but we still ought to show our gratitude. And in the end, he didn’t take the school admission fee. Hongtao will be taking the university entrance exams next year, so I thought I’d buy him a computer early—and get one for Chengcheng, too.”
Song Cheng said, “Thanks, Dad. I was thinking of getting another computer, too. Sometimes I have to go to an internet café just to look something up.”
There was only one desktop computer at Song Cheng’s home, and it hadn’t been moved to Huanjing Bay. Sometimes her parents needed to use it when they came home, so Song Cheng had been thinking of asking them to buy her another one. She hadn’t expected Dad Song to have already thought of it.
Early the next morning, the family drove to the residential complex where Uncle Qin lived. It was an older complex, built years ago as staff housing for the school, but the apartments were quite spacious and had good layouts.
As soon as they entered, Grandma rose from the sofa and came over to hug Song Cheng. “Oh, my dear granddaughter! Why haven’t you come to visit me in so long? Why have you lost so much weight lately? There’s hardly any flesh left on your face. You looked prettier when you had a little more weight.” Grandma pinched Song Cheng’s cheek.
Song Cheng hugged her back. “Grandma, I’ve missed you so much. How have you been feeling lately? I’ve been eating and sleeping well, and I’ve even grown taller.”
“Mmm, you have grown taller. But don’t start dieting like other girls. It’s unhealthy.”
“Grandma, Song Cheng is perfectly healthy. She even challenged an instructor during military training. My cousin’s become quite famous,” Older Cousin Qin Hongtao put in.
Song Cheng glared at him. “How did you hear about that? Did the story spread that fast?”
“You bet. Everyone’s saying there’s a girl in Class 12 of the first year who picked a fight with an instructor—and won, beating him so badly he didn’t know which way was up. But I’d like to interview Miss Song: how much of that is true, and how much is made up? Did you really fight him?” Qin Hongtao asked.
“I’ve been learning taekwondo lately, so I wanted to test my skills. There’s no way I could beat him—he was going easy on me. I guess I was just the first to challenge him, but rumors get more exaggerated with every retelling.”
Mom Song set the things down on the sofa. “If you wanted to spar, couldn’t you have done it at the taekwondo school? You haven’t even started school yet, and you’re already famous. A girl who fights doesn’t get a good reputation.”
“It’s fine,” Dad Song said. “Knowing how to fight means she can protect herself. At least people won’t be able to bully Chengcheng just because they feel like it.”
Mom Song shot Dad Song a glare but said nothing.
Uncle Qin chimed in too. “It’s nothing serious. The fact that Chengcheng could spar with someone shows she’s got a real talent for it. Girls don’t all have to be quiet and reserved.”
Just then, Aunt came out of the kitchen. Seeing the things on the sofa, she said politely, “You really shouldn’t have brought gifts.”
Mom Song gave Dad Song a meaningful look. He stepped forward and said, “We came to visit Mom today, and it’s thanks to Eldest Uncle that Chengcheng got into No. 1 High School without us having to spend any extra money. Our company recently got a batch of laptops at a discount, and I put one aside for Hongtao. Hongtao, you’ve only got one year until the gaokao, so don’t slack off. Spend less time playing games.”
Hearing Dad Song, Older Cousin Qin Hongtao jumped up excitedly and grabbed his uncle’s hand. “You really bought one for me? I’ve wanted a laptop for ages! My dad said I had to wait until after the gaokao. It’s been such a hassle.”
Uncle Qin said, “Why spend all that money on him? He’s in his final year of high school. Giving him one now would just be a waste. I told you, it wasn’t much trouble. You’re being far too polite.”
“It just so happened we had the chance to get them directly from the manufacturer, and employees were allowed to buy them. So I put in for two. Kids these days have a hard time getting by without a computer. And Hongtao’s always been sensible—he knows how to keep himself in check,” Dad Song said.