Yang Xue stood in the middle. That day, the people who shouted “senior sister” at her kept their distance—and there were two more people.
The four of them stood side by side, holding a banner that read, “Welcome, junior Xia Tian!”
I was really moved, truly, but what I cared about was, d*mn it, this martial arts club can’t really have only these four members, right? Apart from Yang Xue, whose body radiated the aura of martial arts, the rest practically had none. Well, Yang Xue’s juniors did have some, but compared to her, they were far behind.
“Senior…” I was about to speak when Lin Youchen suddenly stepped out from behind me, got down on one knee, and said to Yang Xue, “Yang Xue, I present this to you!”
“Thanks!” Yang Xue accepted without hesitation and then said to her junior, “Put these in the vase.”
Seeing that Yang Xue had taken the flowers, Lin Youchen said happily, “Yang Xue, do you have time? Would you like to go out for a meal with me?”
“Sorry, I still have to entertain the new junior club members!” Yang Xue smiled, then bypassed Lin Youchen and walked over to me. “Junior Xia Tian, our club should be alright, right?”
“It’s great—the club members are so enthusiastic, I feel honored…” I thought these words were insincere, because d*mn it, there are only four members in the club, and with me as the new recruit, that makes five in total! Although I hadn’t had high hopes for the martial arts club before, I never expected it to fall to such a low level!
“Yang Xue, can’t you agree to this just once?” Lin Youchen stood up with a frown.
Yang Xue turned her head coolly and said to Lin Youchen, “I’ve already accepted your flowers. I don’t have time for a meal, so please, President Lin, leave.”
“Even though your martial arts club is down to just a few members, you still want to persist?” Lin Youchen said angrily.
Hearing his tone, Yang Xue was displeased. “Even if the martial arts club were down to one person, I would still carry on! You are not welcome here; please leave!”
“Hmph…” Lin Youchen laughed with a mixture of resignation and disdain, then turned to the two remaining club members and said, “I, Lin Youchen, welcome you to join our karate club. I can even help you apply for a scholarship—a hundred percent guaranteed!”
“Lin Youchen! You’ve already lured so many people away from us. What do you mean by this?” Yang Xue said urgently, glaring at him.
Lin Youchen smiled. “I just want you to be my girlfriend—nothing more. If you agree, not only will I not oppose you, but I’ll also help recruit more members for your martial arts club. How about it?”
At Lin Youchen’s words, Yang Xue’s face darkened as she said to the two club members, “If you want to leave, you can leave anytime. But don’t forget the oath you all took when you joined the martial arts club!”
“President, I’m sorry…” one of them lowered his head and stepped behind Lin Youchen.
Seeing this, the other said to Yang Xue, “President, I’m sorry. You know how my family is… so…”
Before he could finish, Yang Xue clenched her fist and shouted, “Get out! Get out! Get out, all of you!”
“Yang Xue, if you agree to date me, I’ll consider returning these members to you!” Lin Youchen said with a playful smile.
“Hmph!” Yang Xue scoffed coldly. “Our club doesn’t need such ungrateful people”
Lin Youchen paused for a moment, then laughed, “You’re so headstrong—that’s exactly the trait I like.”
Ugh… Why do I feel like slapping Lin Youchen now? If he wants to chase girls, let him, but his methods are so low, and that last remark was even lower. If I don’t give him a good beating, I just can’t calm down.
“Get out!” Yang Xue pointed at me. I froze for a moment—damn it! I didn’t do anything to you! But then I realized I was blocking the door, so she was actually talking to Lin Youchen.
Who would have thought that Lin Youchen simply smiled and ignored Yang Xue, turning to me instead, “Junior, I invite you once again to join our karate club. Once you join, you’ll get the same treatment as everyone else.”
“Too little!” I shook my head dismissively.
Lin Youchen paused, then smiled, “I’ll pay you 5,000 yuan a month. How’s that?”
“Sorry, bro, I’m not short on cash, really!” I said, watching Lin Youchen put on his act of helplessness.
Ugh, I’m still waiting for Zhao Gao’s 500 million. Compared to that, Lin Youchen’s 5,000 is nothing! Today at noon, I’ll go check if Zhao Gao has transferred the money.
“Hmph! Suit yourself!” Lin Youchen snorted coldly and left the martial arts club. The two original club members, apologizing as they went, followed Lin Youchen out.
“Looks like I, Yang Xue, picked the right people this time!” Yang Xue patted my shoulder.
At that, I grinned, “Of course—sigh… I’m just that awesome!”
“Screw you!” Yang Xue laughed and cursed at me. Seeing her laugh made me feel at ease—a girl holding up a martial arts club on her own isn’t easy, even if there are only three members left now…
Yang Xue’s junior, whistling, walked out from a room in the martial arts club and looked at us in disbelief, “Um… where are the chubby one and the skinny one?”
“They went with Lin Youchen…” Yang Xue sighed, sounding rather disappointed.
Her junior paused, then frowned and said angrily, “When they were in dire straits, it was us who took out the club funds to help them—damn it! Such ungrateful b*stards!” With that, he punched the wall.
“Everyone has their own ambitions; it’s not their fault…” Although Yang Xue said that, she couldn’t help but bite her lower lip.
“They’re all damn Lin Youchen’s ungrateful b!tches!” Yang Xue’s junior fumed, shaking with anger.
“Senior, did our martial arts club used to have many members?” I asked Yang Xue.
From the conversation earlier, I guessed this wasn’t the first time Lin Youchen had been poaching members.
Before Yang Xue could reply, her junior said, “Every time Lin Youchen fails at his confession, he takes away a few members. Gradually, our martial arts club has dwindled. Back then, we had a club of over a hundred people—all ruined by that idiot Lin Youchen!”
“Where is Lin Youchen’s karate club?” I asked her junior.
Her junior paused and then said, “It’s right nearby. What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to come over and take a look!” I replied with a smile.
Yang Xue looked at me as if she were pondering something, then said, “I’ll take you over, but don’t be rash!”
“Of course not!” I laughed.
Leading the way, Yang Xue walked ahead. I whispered to her junior, “I’m Xia Tian—what’s your name?”
“I’m Yang Fan!” he replied with a smile.
I grinned, “Sailing far and wide, that’s a nice name!”
“Just that!” Yang Fan scratched his head, laughing.
“This is the karate club!” Yang Xue, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
I glanced at the sign; it indeed said “Karate Club,” but the decor and space were far grander than those of the martial arts club.
“Ahem! Ahem!” I coughed a couple of times.
Seeing this, Yang Xue asked me, “What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing, senior—don’t overthink it!” I replied, as I lifted my foot and kicked the door of the karate club open, shouting, “I’m here to challenge you!”
Yang Xue and Yang Fan stood there, stunned, watching me in disbelief.