I arrived at the practice room at 3 o’clock, where there was already a group of people waiting.
I walked inside with the force of a champion. I warmed up and drank some water. I looked around at the audience that had gathered and recognized a few familiar figures.
My girls were standing there, watching me enthusiastically. They even raised their hands with thumbs up. I’d already warned them not to come. I was just going to get beat up, so what was there to watch?
They looked at me and then quickly pushed their way to the front. Boss pat me on the back and earnestly told me, “I came to cheer you on.”
Lil’ Second said, “I came to take photos.”
Miss Fourth chimed in, “I came so I could carry you out later.”
I was speechless.
I glared at each of them, one by one. And then I walked up to the match site with grandeur.
The club president was presiding as referee. He raised a small flag and waved it. Ready, start.
Senior Ling Ling’s piercing eyes were fixed on me. A murderous aura spread from all over her body. With bare feet, she hopped on the floor. And she kept hopping, like a rabbit.
I imitated Bruce Lee’s opening gesture. And then, like a great warrior, I stood very still.
Senior Ling Ling suddenly cried out. Her foot went up to kick me.
Before her foot could hit my chest, I fell to the ground and held my chest, crying. I howled in pain as I whimpered, “Senior, I’ve lost. I’ve lost, OK…?”
Senior Ling Ling looked down at me on the ground, confusion on her face. When she realized that I was faking it, she viciously bent over to pull me up. “Get up! I haven’t even hit you yet!”
I remained on the ground, whimpering, refusing to get up.
Up to that point, things had gone exactly according to my plan. But then something I hadn’t planned for happened.
My ferocious Miss Fourth suddenly charged onto the floor. Before anyone realized what was happening, a stable flying kick hit Senior Ling Ling in the jaw.
A miserable shriek resounded in the air. Senior Ling Ling took a heavy fall three meters back. This time, she was the one crying. And it was the kind of wailing that came from deep within a person’s soul.
At the turn of events, the audience all stepped forward.
Miss Fourth must have found the match unfulfilling. She kept mumbling awful things like, “What’s the big deal about knowing how to fight? I was already fighting when you were who-knows-where sucking on lollipops…” She angrily charged towards Senior Ling Ling, like she wanted to take a few more kicks, but fortunately, Lil’ Second and Boss grabbed her.
Trembling with fear, I picked myself up from the ground. “Fourth… I-I’m fine…”
Just then, one of the people gathered around Senior Ling Ling called out, “It’s bad! Senior Ling Ling’s jaw is dislocated!”
—
From forehead to chin, Senior Ling Ling’s face was wrapped up in bandages. It was pretty funny. She was shooting daggers from her eyes at me… She didn’t dare look at Miss Fourth. It seemed that sometimes, one needed to fight to prove their strength.
The rest of the club members had left by then, leaving only Miss Fourth and myself to offer our apologies to her… Well, I’d had to drag Miss Fourth along with me; she was simply too formidable. She dislocated Senior Ling Ling’s jaw, but she still hadn’t had enough. When Senior Ling Ling overheard Miss Fourth’s words, the anger on her face turned to awe.
She was about to shake my hands off when she saw Miss Fourth’s fiendish look. She immediately corrected her attitude and grasped my hands. Her expression was filled with such anguish.
I found Senior Ling Ling’s constipation-like expression was burdensome, so I called over Miss Fourth. “Fourth, good job today. Thanks. Why don’t you… head back first? I’ll treat you to a meal later…”
“Don’t worry about it. Same rules as always. Get my water for a week.” When she finished speaking, Miss Fourth shot a menacing look at Senior Ling Ling and then turned to leave.
After Miss Fourth left, Senior Ling Ling’s awe-inspiring aura returned. Unfortunately, her bandaged face majorly affected her image and force. And since she couldn’t speak normally due to her injury…
She opened her mouth and seemed to be saying something to me. I mulled over it for a while before I realized she had said: Mu Er, good job.