Yang Xue stood in the middle. That day, the people who shouted âsenior sisterâ at her kept their distanceâand there were two more people.
The four of them stood side by side, holding a banner that read, âWelcome, junior Xia Tian!â
I was really moved, truly, but what I cared about was, d*mn it, this martial arts club canât 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 Xueâs juniors did have some, but compared to her, they were far behind.
âSeniorâŚâ I was about to speak when Lin Youchen suddenly stepped out from behind me, got down on one knee, and said to Yang Xue, âYang Xue, I present this to you!â
âThanks!â Yang Xue accepted without hesitation and then said to her junior, âPut these in the vase.â
Seeing that Yang Xue had taken the flowers, Lin Youchen said happily, âYang Xue, do you have time? Would you like to go out for a meal with me?â
âSorry, I still have to entertain the new junior club members!â Yang Xue smiled, then bypassed Lin Youchen and walked over to me. âJunior Xia Tian, our club should be alright, right?â
âItâs greatâthe club members are so enthusiastic, I feel honoredâŚâ 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 hadnât had high hopes for the martial arts club before, I never expected it to fall to such a low level!
âYang Xue, canât you agree to this just once?â Lin Youchen stood up with a frown.
Yang Xue turned her head coolly and said to Lin Youchen, âIâve already accepted your flowers. I donât have time for a meal, so please, President Lin, leave.â
âEven though your martial arts club is down to just a few members, you still want to persist?â Lin Youchen said angrily.
Hearing his tone, Yang Xue was displeased. âEven if the martial arts club were down to one person, I would still carry on! You are not welcome here; please leave!â
âHmphâŚâ Lin Youchen laughed with a mixture of resignation and disdain, then turned to the two remaining club members and said, âI, Lin Youchen, welcome you to join our karate club. I can even help you apply for a scholarshipâa hundred percent guaranteed!â
âLin Youchen! Youâve already lured so many people away from us. What do you mean by this?â Yang Xue said urgently, glaring at him.
Lin Youchen smiled. âI just want you to be my girlfriendânothing more. If you agree, not only will I not oppose you, but Iâll also help recruit more members for your martial arts club. How about it?â
At Lin Youchenâs words, Yang Xueâs face darkened as she said to the two club members, âIf you want to leave, you can leave anytime. But donât forget the oath you all took when you joined the martial arts club!â
âPresident, Iâm sorryâŚâ one of them lowered his head and stepped behind Lin Youchen.
Seeing this, the other said to Yang Xue, âPresident, Iâm sorry. You know how my family is⌠soâŚâ
Before he could finish, Yang Xue clenched her fist and shouted, âGet out! Get out! Get out, all of you!â
âYang Xue, if you agree to date me, Iâll consider returning these members to you!â Lin Youchen said with a playful smile.
âHmph!â Yang Xue scoffed coldly. âOur club doesnât need such ungrateful peopleâ
Lin Youchen paused for a moment, then laughed, âYouâre so headstrongâthatâs exactly the trait I like.â
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 donât give him a good beating, I just canât calm down.
âGet out!â Yang Xue pointed at me. I froze for a momentâdamn it! I didnât 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, âJunior, I invite you once again to join our karate club. Once you join, youâll get the same treatment as everyone else.â
âToo little!â I shook my head dismissively.
Lin Youchen paused, then smiled, âIâll pay you 5,000 yuan a month. Howâs that?â
âSorry, bro, Iâm not short on cash, really!â I said, watching Lin Youchen put on his act of helplessness.
Ugh, I’m still waiting for Zhao Gaoâs 500 million. Compared to that, Lin Youchenâs 5,000 is nothing! Today at noon, Iâll go check if Zhao Gao has transferred the money.
âHmph! Suit yourself!â Lin Youchen snorted coldly and left the martial arts club. The two original club members, apologizing as they went, followed Lin Youchen out.
âLooks like I, Yang Xue, picked the right people this time!â Yang Xue patted my shoulder.
At that, I grinned, âOf courseâsigh⌠Iâm just that awesome!â
âScrew you!â Yang Xue laughed and cursed at me. Seeing her laugh made me feel at easeâa girl holding up a martial arts club on her own isnât easy, even if there are only three members left nowâŚ
Yang Xueâs junior, whistling, walked out from a room in the martial arts club and looked at us in disbelief, âUm⌠where are the chubby one and the skinny one?â
âThey went with Lin YouchenâŚâ Yang Xue sighed, sounding rather disappointed.
Her junior paused, then frowned and said angrily, âWhen they were in dire straits, it was us who took out the club funds to help themâdamn it! Such ungrateful b*stards!â With that, he punched the wall.
âEveryone has their own ambitions; itâs not their faultâŚâ Although Yang Xue said that, she couldnât help but bite her lower lip.
âTheyâre all damn Lin Youchenâs ungrateful b!tches!â Yang Xueâs junior fumed, shaking with anger.
âSenior, did our martial arts club used to have many members?â I asked Yang Xue.
From the conversation earlier, I guessed this wasnât the first time Lin Youchen had been poaching members.
Before Yang Xue could reply, her junior said, âEvery 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 peopleâall ruined by that idiot Lin Youchen!â
âWhere is Lin Youchenâs karate club?â I asked her junior.
Her junior paused and then said, âItâs right nearby. Whatâs up?â
âOh, nothing. I just wanted to come over and take a look!â I replied with a smile.
Yang Xue looked at me as if she were pondering something, then said, âIâll take you over, but donât be rash!â
âOf course not!â I laughed.
Leading the way, Yang Xue walked ahead. I whispered to her junior, âIâm Xia Tianâwhatâs your name?â
âIâm Yang Fan!â he replied with a smile.
I grinned, âSailing far and wide, thatâs a nice name!â
âJust that!â Yang Fan scratched his head, laughing.
âThis is the karate club!â Yang Xue, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
I glanced at the sign; it indeed said âKarate Club,â but the decor and space were far grander than those of the martial arts club.
âAhem! Ahem!â I coughed a couple of times.
Seeing this, Yang Xue asked me, âWhat are you doing?â
âOh, nothing, seniorâdonât overthink it!â I replied, as I lifted my foot and kicked the door of the karate club open, shouting, âIâm here to challenge you!â
Yang Xue and Yang Fan stood there, stunned, watching me in disbelief.