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墨書 Inktalez
They often drove up to the entrance to pick me and Old Bi up, so the guard at the gate would occasionally glance our way. I simply took a seat in the passenger seat. "Brother Wang, there's something I want to discuss with you, and I might need your help."
"Oh, sure, I'll do my best to help," I replied with a smile. After all, these people had been running around with us, and we had formed a friendship.
"Well, it's like this." She seemed a bit embarrassed. "It's about Shen Han."
"Oh? What does he have to do with this?" I was a bit surprised.
"After you all left yesterday afternoon, I stayed at the hotel watching TV. Later, Zhu Wu and Qin Sihu actually knocked on my door. I didn't dare open it since you all had gone back to the base, and I was a bit scared of them. Just when I was at a loss, Shen Han showed up and even got into an argument with them. It almost turned physical, and even Ma Ge was alerted. Eventually, Zhu Wu and the others left."
"They went to your room?!" I felt a surge of anger. While I could understand their pursuit of girls—having been there myself—I couldn't condone such reckless behavior. It showed a lack of upbringing, especially for soldiers. It seemed their self-awareness was too strong; young people like them needed to face some hardships to learn humility.
"What happened next?"
"After that? Zhu Wu and his friends didn’t seem to get the hint and waited downstairs at the hotel. Luckily, when it was time for dinner, Shen Han offered to take me out to eat. To thank him, I invited him to the restaurant across the street." At this point, Jing stole a glance at me, and seeing that I didn’t react much, she continued.
"Brother Wang, it turns out Shen Han really has it tough."
As I listened, I thought about how to deal with Qin Sihu next time. I didn’t pay much attention and casually said, "Isn’t it tough for anyone in the military?"
"No, no! Brother Wang, Shen Han is also from Hunan. His family lives on the outskirts of a county in Xiangxi; they are very poor. His father passed away early, and his mother is often ill. He’s stationed on a remote island and can’t go home for long periods. He’s an only child with no one to take care of his mother. He wants to transfer back but has no way to do so; he can’t leave the army either. Last time he came back just for a competition registration but ended up being late and almost missed it."
"Shen Han wants to transfer?" I was taken aback again. If I wasn’t mistaken, Shen Han had been in Vice Platoon for several years now; transferring this early seemed unusual.
"Yes, yes! It seems like he’s looking into transferring or something like that, but I don’t really understand."
"What does that have to do with you?" I felt confused; what was Shen Han doing getting involved with Jing? Seeking sympathy? That didn’t seem like Shen Han's character. "What’s he doing with you guys?" I asked again; something about Jing today felt off.
"Um, um... We had a bit to drink last night," Jing said hesitantly.
"What?! You, you drank with Shen Han?" I almost jumped up.
"I, I saw he wasn't in a good mood, so I ordered a bottle of beer to help him relax. I didn't expect him to keep drinking more..." Jing lowered her head, her voice getting softer, as if she had done something wrong.
"Oh, you!" I wasn't really concerned about anything else; I just felt that it was odd for a girl to drink with a stranger. But then again, Jing was always so fiery and spirited. In ancient times, she'd be the type of heroic woman, and in modern terms, she was a tomboy. That's why I found it hard to accept her.
Thinking this way, it wasn't surprising that she could drink with Shen Han. But what did that have to do with me? Should I step aside for Jing? Ridiculous! Jing and I didn't have any clear relationship. Besides, women aren't objects to be given away. Strangely enough, even though I hadn't accepted Jing, seeing her seem to have feelings for Shen Han made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it's human nature to be possessive and vain. Shaking my head to avoid the awkwardness, I joked, "So you want me to help? You don't want me to lose to him, right?"
Jing looked up in surprise. "Brother Wang, how did you know?!"
"What the hell! Are you joking?" I stared at Jing in astonishment and took a moment before speaking again. "Why?"
"Shen Han is very filial. He doesn't feel secure in the army and really wants to go back to accompany his mother. He drank too much last night. It seems that if he can achieve a good ranking this time, the leaders in the army might let him go home or at least consider transferring him."
I scoffed lightly. "Hmph! What a thought! With so many high-ranking leaders at Stage, does he really hope to win a championship and get noticed by them so they would directly transfer him?"
"Brother Wang, what are you talking about?" Jing looked at me in disbelief.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them immediately. It was just my habitual thinking; I had never liked Shen Han from the start without knowing why. Looking at it this way, was there a hint of jealousy in me? I felt ashamed; judging others by my own standards was something I had always despised, yet here I was doing the same.
"Nothing, nothing!" I quickly changed the subject. "Jing, it's not that I'm unwilling to help him." After considering my words carefully, I continued, "First of all, I might not even win against him; second, someone like Shen Han probably wouldn't appreciate being given an advantage; third..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Jing suddenly turned her head to look out the window. "You just don't want to help!"
I stared at Jing in surprise. At that moment, it felt like I was seeing that willful girl from our Flood Control days again. My heart sank with helplessness just as I was about to explain when Old Bi's head popped in through the window. "Hey there! Are you two lovebirds chatting in the car? Should I take the bus instead? You can have a nice chat." Old Bi grinned cheekily.
"Get in the car, Brother Bi," Jing coldly shot back as she started the engine.
Old Bi was the next to be surprised. He glanced at Jing and then at me, scratching his head in disbelief before getting into the car through the back door.
Although Old Bi didn't know what had happened, he tried to lighten the mood. After getting in, he attempted to start a conversation several times, but Jing didn't respond. Realizing this, he wisely fell silent and stared out the window. Thus, we traveled in silence all the way to the Provincial Military District.
After Old Bi and I got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the activity center, Jing went to park in the back. Old Bi looked at me with a strange expression and said, "What’s going on with you two? I feel like something's off. Are you having a fight?!"
I pondered for a moment and decided not to hide it from Old Bi. Just as I was about to speak, I heard someone say, "Hey, are you all here? Make sure to perform well today! The ones coming later are all experts!"
Looking up, I saw Old Ma waiting for us at the entrance.
At that moment, Old Ma seemed like a messenger of gossip. He pulled us aside a couple of steps and mysteriously said, "Among these contestants, there are some who have been bored and made up a phrase about a few favorites. It’s actually four words. Do you know what it is?"
"What is it?" both Old Bi and I asked curiously.
"Five Tigers Shaking the Dragon!"
"What does that mean? What kind of nonsense is that?" Old Bi jumped in front of me to ask.
"Hehe, this 'Five Tigers Shaking the Dragon' refers first to the four major favorites of this event: Striking Group Zhu Wu, Equipment Group Qin Sihu, Shen Han, and Soaring Dragon; secondly, it indicates their strength ranking from weak to strong."
"Haha, Old Ma, if that's the case, then Soaring Dragon must be really impressive! It takes five tigers to shake a dragon—does that mean the first three can't compare to him?"
"Hahaha, yes! That's the second meaning. But I'm an outsider; I don't really know their actual strengths!" Old Ma laughed heartily. "All I know is that Soaring Dragon has registered for both barehanded and weapon matches and has never lost. He defeats his opponents in just a few moves; those who have lost to him are convinced of his strength. It seems he’s not just any ordinary fighter! You should be careful; I think if you can’t win against these people, getting fifth or sixth place would be good enough!" Old Ma rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Haha, Old Ma, you're overestimating me! I'm up against Qin Sihu next; I might not even be able to beat him," I said deliberately.
"Ah, by the way, your brother has been discussed quite a bit too! You just got lucky; in the first round you had a bye, in the second round you faced a girl, and in the third round you're up against Qin Sihu—a guaranteed loss! Yet somehow Qin Sihu let you off!"
"What does that mean?" Old Bi and I exclaimed in surprise.
"Qin Sihu challenged Soaring Dragon, but Soaring Dragon ignored him. With no other choice, Qin Sihu had to find a nearby opponent to switch places with. Ah, you're really lucky! If I had your luck, I would sign up too. With this setup, even standing still could earn you a ranking!" Old Ma said enviously.
I helplessly spread my hands. "I can't help it either. I actually wanted to face him, but he looks down on me!"
"Seriously, in this round, your opponent is someone who uses the Teng Stick. It seems he has a background in the armed police and is very skilled with the baton. He has specifically trained in Filipino Stick Fighting," Old Ma's intel was quite useful. Steel Rod against Short Staff; it seemed victory was within reach this time.
"Thanks, Old Ma. Let's go inside." The latter part of my sentence was directed at Old Bi since I noticed Jing walking over.
"Hey, hey!" Old Ma probably also saw Jing and pulled me aside, whispering in my ear, "Just a reminder, your girlfriend went out drinking with another man last night! Do you know who it was? Shen Han!"
What the hell! Can't we not gossip like this? I looked at Old Ma with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "She's not my girlfriend, okay?"
"Hey, we're all men here; I understand," Old Ma said with a knowing look. "If it were me, I wouldn't like that Shen Han either. He dresses so poorly—so outdated and lacking any sense of time. I think his skills are inferior to yours. Just put in the effort, and you might just take him down and make it to the top four!" Old Ma fanned the flames.
"Alright, alright! Old Ma, that's enough; we're entering!" I saw Jing walk past us into the activity center and quickly pulled Old Ma along.
(To be continued; tomorrow will be even more exciting!)
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