Chapter 276: Hold On and Don’t Lose it
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Meng Fan wasn’t worried about Wu Ji ambus.h.i.+ng him during training. He just wasn’t interested. Learning here was for the trip to Singapore. It would be ridiculous if he really tried to become a fighter. He didn’t like to abuse people or be abused, nor did he have a strong desire for fighting.
Yang Feng asked a few more questions, even giving some attractive bonuses. Of course, they were only appealing to people in the fighting world and not tempting to Meng Fan at all.
After confirming Meng Fan’s lack of interest in this area, and remembering how much he wanted to study quickly, Yang Feng guessed that Meng Fan really just wanted to learn some techniques. He gave up on his persuasion and went to talk to Wu Ji.
“So what if he doesn’t want to learn!”
Wu Ji retorted, but he did feel wistful. Meng Fan was annoying, but he was really built for this sport.
Then he thought, it’s good that Meng Fan didn’t want to learn. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about the kid showing him up.
Meanwhile, Lao Hei was feeling even more upset than Wu Ji.
Master Meng, if you don’t want to be a fighter, why did you throw me this hard?
You practiced this much with me just to see me tap out?
For the whole morning, Meng Fan didn’t rest at all. He worked so hard, as if he was trying to become a professional athlete.
After a break for lunch, he continued to practice. He kept fighting until five in the afternoon.
Even Lao Hei, a very durable fighter, had trouble enduring this regimen, even with breaks. He had to call up three other strong coaches to subst.i.tute him for three “half-hours.”
After a whole day of practicing for almost seven hours, other than the debacle with Wu Ji and the three subst.i.tute coaches, which were less efficient, all training done with Lao Hei was very productive. Every hour produced over 100 points of “s.n.a.t.c.hing” skills, and around five o’clock, he got the [Thousand Hand s.n.a.t.c.h].
In the next twenty minutes, Meng Fan was using Lao Hei to familiarize himself with 10 new points in his s.n.a.t.c.hing technique.
The 10 points in Wrestling Techniques were pretty comprehensive, including almost all of the s.n.a.t.c.hing techniques, some of which Meng Fan knew and some he didn’t. Currently, Meng Fan has become familiar with what he’s learned and the extended lessons, and turned the knowledge into his own ability.
There’s quite a bit left for which Meng Fan had gained theoretical knowledge. But with no practice, he hasn’t transformed them into his own ability yet.
It wasn’t difficult to transform them, he just needed to practice with Lao Hei on the theories. There’s not enough time today, so Meng Fan decided to stop for now.
The new +3 in Hand Speed was easy to transform, or hardly needed to be transformed. He just needed to be familiar with it.
Finis.h.i.+ng the [Thousand Hand s.n.a.t.c.h] task was a lot faster than Meng Fan antic.i.p.ated. This was thanks to the very resistant Lao Hei. If it was anyone else, it’d take at least another day or two.
But Meng Fan didn’t gain any experience with [Wrestling Compet.i.tion] today. He knew how to do takedowns but had no other wrestling techniques, it wasn’t enough to overpower others.
If he didn’t run into Wu Ji, he would definitely come back tomorrow to learn dominating wrestling techniques from Yang Feng or Lao Hei. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
While Meng Fan shamelessly called Wu Ji Seventh Bro, he was really nervous. The future Seventh Brother-in-law was not easy to please.
Meng Fan also had a feeling that Wu Ji was Wu Tong’s actual older brother. If Wu Ji was just a cousin, they wouldn’t look so much alike.
He actually picked up his brother-in-law from the ground in front of his future wife. The scene was really awkward.
How was he going to explain everything to Wu Tong tonight?
…
“Meng Fan, first of all, I want to apologize for my brother.”
After meeting up at Waterfront Restaurant, before Meng Fan knew how to talk to Wu Tong, she spoke first. She smiled with a grimace, “My brother… he’s very direct and crude, he’s not a big thinker. He did say that you just ran into each other at the dojo, and so he treated you like a trainee. He wasn’t really going to…”
Wu Tong spread out her hands and looked resigned. “He just really wants to protect me. To him, I’m just a naive girl who knows nothing. In any case, I need to apologize for him.”
Meng Fan shook his hands. “Actually, Seventh Bro has already… apologized to me. It’s really my fault. I just heard of the rumor about me. If it was my older or younger sister’s boyfriend being rumored with others, I’d be upset too. I understand where he’s coming from.”
Wu Tong glanced at Meng Fan sideways, “Pfft, who’s your girlfriend?”
Her coquettishness mesmerized Meng Fan.
“Here, a scarf.”
Wu Tong tossed a bag at Meng Fan.
Her gesture was so light that Meng Fan could have picked it up easily. But in his stunned state, the bag landed on his face.
Wu Tong glared at Meng Fan, “Idiot!”
“Heh heh.”
Meng Fan smiled like a moron and opened the bag. Inside was a scarf. It was thick and beautiful, and covered with embroidery. The pattern was a row of white birds flying over the trees.
White egrets flying in the sky!
Meng Fan looked mesmerized again when he saw the scarf. He put it over his neck and his face looked even more stunned.
The waiter pa.s.sing by was surprised. Meng Fan often ate here and was well-known. He thought, what’s wrong with Iron Hero today? Is it that cold? There’s AC here. Is his brain fried?
Wu Tong stared at Meng Fan, “Take it off! Aren’t you hot?”
Meng Fan sounded dimwitted. “It’s not hot, it’s warm. I can feel it.”
Wu Tong was puzzled. “You think this is the Three-Nine Cold Medicine?”
Meng Fan, whether stunned or out of sorts, answered, “No, it’s twice as much as three nine’s.”
Wu Tong was startled, then she tossed the tissue box at him.
Meng Fan was a little nervous. He was getting too daring now. If he kept going, he’d have to practice with tissue boxes all his life.
After the meal, Meng Fan paid the bill with the waiter, and the two of them left the Riverfront Restaurant. By now, it was dark and quite windy. It was not just cool but cold.
Wu Tong, “Should we walk a little?”
Of course, Meng Fan nodded. He wrapped the scarf around Wu Tong’s neck while she smiled and stayed still. Meng Fan was clumsy as he happily tied the scarf. The result was not exactly elegant.
Wu Tong didn’t mind. She turned and walked toward the streetlight, leaving a seductive silhouette.
Meng Fan, still mesmerized, didn’t catch up for at least three seconds. The two of them walked together from the restaurant, to the school entrance, and then the play yard.
His arm next to Wu Tong was like his misplaced youth. He didn’t know how to touch her hand. He tried and gave up countless times, always pretending the touch was accidental. Once, twice, three times… Meng Fan counted the attempts in his mind. He looked up, as if he was counting the stars. He hoped the sky didn’t end and their walk didn’t end.
Suddenly, his hand felt cool.
He looked down at the hand which grasped his.
It was like the Milky Way had fallen on his hand.
Wu Tong didn’t turn to look at him. She kept looking forward. “My hand was cold.”
The way Meng Fan walked changed, his tongue also felt frozen. He finally blurted. “Me, too.”
Wu Tong was waiting for him to say something like this. She glanced at him, then her hand, which grasped the back of his hand, slid into his palm.
She also slid into Meng Fan’s heart, and she kept sliding in…
Wu Tong suddenly turned to Meng Fan and smiled at him, “Hold on. Don’t lose it.”
Meng Fan kept nodding his head, “Yes, yes, yes!”
“Idiot.”
Wu Tong turned to look forward. There’s darkness as well as lights ahead. There’s also tomorrow.
Wu Tong yelled out his promise. “I’ll put your hand in my pocket. I won’t lose it, and your hand will be warm. I’ll put you in my heart too, and I won’t lose it! My heart is you, if you’re lost, I’ll die!”
“Yes.”
Wu Tong nodded.
Meng Fan stuffed Wu Tong’s hand with his into his pants pocket, then he moved them to his coat pocket.
Wu Tong suddenly blushed.
Meng Fan pretended nothing had happened.
They kept walking like this, neither speaking. The world seemed to have fallen silent, too. The looks and comments from pa.s.sersby were all excluded from their world. They only had each other: his breathing, his heartbeat, her breathing, her heartbeat.