Chapter 36: Two Endorsements

"What do you think is the point of participating in the women's martial arts exhibition?" I shifted my gaze to Gao Xiungkui's face.

He was posturing in front of me, trying to show off in front of our classmates, saying, "Actually, I know martial arts too. If this exhibition didn't exclude boys, I would have signed up myself."

A few male classmates heard this and shouted from five meters away, "Gao Xiungkui, why don't you show us a move then?"

He seemed terrified of performing in front of a crowd, waving his hands frantically...

This sparked a desire in me to see his flashy, substance-less display.

"Since the classmates want to see it, why not perform?" I thought, since he had already put on such a show, why not follow through instead of trying to back out?

He looked incredibly embarrassed. Seeing many students in school uniforms crowding around, he grew panicked, shrinking back as if to flee...

To lure him in, I shouted, "If you won't perform, I will!"

"You do it then!" The words worked perfectly, giving him a convenient way to back down.

Some students had seen me perform before, but most hadn't. They crowded around, shouting, "Zhengtai, give us a show!"

My goal was just to bait Gao Xiungkui, with no real intention of performing. I stood in the center of the crowd, balanced on one leg with the other kicked back, hands poised in a balancing "Flying Swallow" stance.

"We want to see a martial arts demonstration!" the students clamored. Not a single person clapped.

I didn't say a word. I retracted my leg, swept it in an arc, launched myself into the air, delivered three consecutive kicks, performed a backflip, and landed steadily. I finished with a flurry of punches, yet still, not a single student applauded.

"That's so outdated! Do something else!" a male classmate shouted, wanting to show off himself.

"If you've got a better trick, why don't you do it?" I asked, shifting my gaze to his face.

"Jia Wuren, show us something!" Some of the surrounding students, who recognized him, couldn't help but call out.

"Since they're calling for you, why don't you go ahead?" I stared at him, waiting to see how he would handle it.

His name was hilariously ironic; "Jia Wuren" (a play on words for "Fake Martial Benevolence") was clearly just there to posture.

Jia Wuren pulled a long face and grumbled at me, "Damn you, you're the one who started this! Otherwise, why would anyone ask me to perform?"

I was annoyed at being cursed at for no reason and was just about to ask him why...

Gao Xiungkui, looking to curry favor with me, stepped forward and glared, "Why are you cursing?"

"I'll curse whenever I damn well please. Who's going to stop me? Get lost!"

Jia Wuren had no justification, yet he continued to spout even more vulgar insults.

"You dare curse again? See if I don't beat you up!" Gao Xiungkui was furious, his eyes flashing with rage.

Jia Wuren couldn't afford to lose face in front of so many students, especially the girls. He tried to look fiercer than anyone else; not only did he keep cursing, but he also swung several wild punches at Gao Xiungkui’s head.

I watched and realized he had no idea how to fight—he was just posturing. He wouldn't even know what hit him!

Gao Xiungkui used rigid, practiced forms that couldn't land a blow. He took a hit to the head, grew dizzy, and before he could retaliate, he took several punches to the chest that knocked him into a crouch...

"Alright, that's enough!" I couldn't bear to watch anymore and shouted to stop them.

Jia Wuren didn't listen. He jumped up and delivered a vicious kick to Gao Xiungkui's head...

Gao Xiungkui, unable to dodge, flipped backward and landed on his back, limbs flailing...

"Hahaha!" The male students doubled over in laughter, nearly choking.

"Do you yield?" Jia Wuren pressed his advantage, mounting Gao Xiungkui and pinning his hands down.

"Damn it, was all that shouting for nothing? What kind of scum are you!" My eyes turned red as I stared at him. I flew forward with a kick, knocking Jia Wuren off Gao Xiungkui, giving him a chance to scramble up and charge at Jia Wuren...

Jia Wuren rolled to his feet, and they began trading punches like rain.

Gao Xiungkui dodged and blocked, but neither gained an advantage. They ended up grappling and pulling at each other, just like girls fighting...

"This is the man you picked? He's a total embarrassment to us women!" I shook my head, no longer wanting to help. I said to the persona inside me, "I only liked his looks; I didn't expect him to be such a coward. And he claims to have studied martial arts!"

She didn't respond, but my brain received relevant information.

The class bell rang, and a woman's soft voice drifted in: "Students... I hope you found this lesson rewarding..."

I had been thinking about this woman constantly and desperately wanted to meet her. I wondered if she was real or just a recording, like the female announcer on the bus who was never actually seen.

Jiang Meili appeared by my side, took my arm, and walked into the classroom. As we sat down, she whispered in my ear, "I was late because I was copying your essay, but I made it before the bell."

My essay was a mess, and I wasn't even sure I had addressed the prompt. I didn't want to get yelled at by the teacher, so I just said, "Copy whatever you want, it wasn't any good anyway!"

The Chinese teacher walked in, looking exactly the same but wearing a teacher's uniform. She stood at the blackboard, took roll call, and told the students to pass their essays to the front. The student in the first row collected them and placed them on the desk.

The teacher spent the class observing the students, checking for fidgeting, lack of focus, or whispering.

Teacher Wang was the same. She faced the class, opened the second-grade Chinese textbook, and said, "Today, we are starting a new lesson. Please turn to... Which student would like to read aloud?"

Many hands went up, and even Jiang Meili was eager, while I kept my head down.

Teacher Wang scanned the room and, to my surprise, locked eyes with Jiang Meili. She waved her hand and said, "You, stand up and read!"

Jiang Meili sprang up, holding her textbook, and shouted, "Teacher Wang, Zhengtai is going to participate in the city-wide women's martial arts exhibition!"

My eyes nearly popped out of my head! When had I ever told her that? She was spouting nonsense without even consulting me!

"Would you like to talk about that?" Teacher Wang asked, clearly taking it seriously as she turned her gaze to me.

Jiang Meili swayed her body, acting coy and spoiled, "Zhengtai, please say yes? Won't you?"

Teacher Wang didn't stop her, waiting for my response...

Of course, I couldn't afford to offend Jiang Meili—what if she stopped talking to me? I stood up slowly and said calmly, "Actually, I really wanted to participate in the martial arts exhibition, but I had too much going on at home, so I didn't sign up. Since Jiang Meili mentioned it, I’ll join."

The female students stared at me, some with envy, some with suspicion, and others with complete indifference.

Many male students cast strange glances my way; they knew my relationship with Jiang Meili and seemed to want a piece of the action...

Teacher Wang waved for me to sit, signaling her approval. She asked Jiang Meili to read the text, but she stumbled through it, unable to recognize many of the characters. Another male student was called to finish it, but it didn't go as planned...

Such occurrences were normal for a first lesson.

Teacher Wang wrote the difficult characters on the blackboard for the class to identify. Piece by piece, the students finally read them correctly. Teacher Wang then said, "Students, the Great Chinese Dictionary contains about 48,000 characters, and the Kangxi Dictionary has over 47,000. In reality, knowing about 4,000 common characters is enough! From what I understand, a high-achieving sixth-grader should be able to read everything without missing a beat. Yet, here we are in the second year of middle school, approaching the third, and you still don't recognize so many words! I hope you will focus in class. High school education is becoming universal, but university is not..."

The bell rang, and no homework was assigned. Teacher Wang took a quick glance at the essays and walked out.

The students swarmed around me, asking questions. It was too chaotic to answer everyone. Some walked away angrily, but most wanted to hear my take.

Before I could speak, Jiang Meili insisted on acting as my spokesperson.

"Students, I believe Zhengtai is the best and will definitely win a prize! Success isn't just her honor; it belongs to all of us!"

"You two are lucky, being such good friends! Can I enter your little world too?"