Chương 57: Senior Brother, may I ask...

..

..

If even the leaders were speechless, what chance did the remaining coaches and students have? And so the exchange meeting quietly came to a close.

The next morning, Wang Zhanshan, along with several teaching assistants and some team members, went to the school hospital to visit Li Xinran and Zhang Kui, who were recovering from their injuries.

They also brought the hospital leaders, especially Dean Zhang, their condolences and a donation of two thousand yuan.

Although the loss in this competition was rather crushing, we still have to show our appreciation, especially Zhang Kui. If it weren't for his shamelessness, this exchange would most likely have ended in a zero score.

Therefore, his contribution was still significant.

"The school has already started the process of recruiting new students into the Young Pioneers. The selection of freshmen will begin next Monday."

After Wang Zhanshan and the others left, Zhao Rui, Qin Rui, and the others gathered in Li Xinran's hospital room.

Even Zhang Kui, who had several stitches in his face, sneaked over from his own hospital room.

"Whether it's started or not is actually none of our business anymore. We lost so badly this time, our chances of getting into graduate school directly are definitely slim."

A sorrowful expression appeared on Qin Rui's pretty face, adding to her pitiful and fragile charm.

"I've applied to Coach Wang to withdraw from the team!"

At this moment, Zhang Kui suddenly spoke up.

"what?"

"So fast?"

Everyone was stunned. Although they had heard him say it many times, they did not expect that he did not even plan to continue in the first semester of his sophomore year.

"Too bad, the coach didn't approve! Oops."

"If I had known... I wouldn't have won!"

Zhang Kui's cheek twitched slightly as he spoke.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, while also rolling their eyes at him with a sense of utter exasperation.

They'll say they don't want to win anymore.

When that girl from Dongyi Sports came to visit you at the school hospital yesterday, why didn't you say the same thing?

"Coach Wang told me not to be discouraged... Well, the path of martial arts is like rowing against the current... That's what he meant, oh dear!"

"He said that... not only to you, but also to you..."

Zhang Kui said, grimacing.

"I think you'd better shut up. Anyone who didn't know better would think you had hemorrhoids!!"

Cao Guannan, who was listening to him struggle with his explanation, couldn't help but scoff.

"You're the one with hemorrhoids, you don't appreciate a kind heart!"

Zhang Kui snorted and then said, "Anyway, I can't let this beating go unpunished!"

"Senior, you're reluctant to part with that girl from the East Art and Sports Center, aren't you?"

Zhao Rui, standing to the side, saw through his little scheme.

"Damn, do you think I'm that kind of person?!"

"Yes, you are!"

Everyone said in unison.

With Zhang Kui's sudden change of direction, Qin Rui's previous helpless and dejected mood was instantly dispelled.

"Dear seniors, we've fought side-by-side before, let's keep going!"

"come on!"

"hiss!"

"Go back and lie down. Maybe that girl will bring you a lovingly prepared dinner after she gets off work!"

Li Xinran lay on the bed and smiled at Zhang Kui.

"Yes, I need to go back to bed!"

After Zhang Kui finished speaking, he made an OK sign, then turned around and quickly returned to his ward.

"Let's go, senior sister. You get some rest, we'll come see you again tomorrow!"

Zhao Rui spoke up.

"Um!"

Li Xinran smiled and nodded. Although Zhao Rui was a year younger than them, he was noticeably more mature than the other boys.

It also makes it easier to connect with others.

Otherwise, given Cao Guannan's personality, would he have come to visit her in the hospital?

……

The break wasn't timed, and before we knew it, it was Monday.

At this time, it was still early morning, the red sun was just beginning to rise and gradually disappeared into the layers of clouds and mountains, and in an instant, the rosy glow spread, which was extremely beautiful.

About fifty or sixty students, in groups of three or five or in pairs, were walking toward the gate of Mingchan Academy.

"This is our Martial Arts Academy! It's so beautiful!"

"Yeah, I heard the minimum level inside is level seven. I wonder if we can meet that requirement."

"Our class is said to be the strongest in the last decade, so don't let us down."

"I'm a genuine Level 6 student, above average, okay?"

"I wonder if there are any pretty senior girls? I heard there's a senior named Ye Jingqiu, the kind who's very aloof and ethereal."

"What you're talking about is a refrigerator."

"Tch, you'll see when you get there."

The bustling procession quickly passed through the gate of Mingchan Courtyard and followed the stone-paved path toward the main hall of the courtyard.

"Please register your information here."

As they approached the entrance to the main hall, a wooden desk appeared before them.

Two students, a boy and a girl, were sitting behind the desk. The boy had a bruise on his cheek.

Who else could this be but Zhang Kui? He and Qin Rui were in a group, responsible for registering people at the entrance.

"Please line up and register in order."

Zhang Kui stood up, walked to the side of the freshmen's group, and began to direct them.

After the students lined up, he returned to his desk and started registering the list of students with Qin Rui.

"I heard there are a lot of beautiful girls this year, so I won't be as lonely as you."

Zhang Kui glanced at the pretty female student who had just finished signing her name and left, and said with a smile.

"Lonely what?"

"A solitary flower blooming all by itself!"

"Pah! Use your smooth talk on a girl from the Tokyo University of the Arts. Don't try to fool me. You're not on my radar!"

"Damn, I praised you, and you insulted me. But to be honest, this year's class..."

Just as Zhang Kui was about to speak, Qin Rui said, "Look, another one!"

Zhang Kui quickly looked up and saw a graceful figure slowly walking towards the registration point at the entrance of the main hall.

The originally orderly line automatically vacated the front row seats after her arrival. Not only that, the students behind her kept a distance of almost two meters from her, as if she were a man-eating tiger.

Soon, the girl walked up to the registration table.

"Hello seniors, I'm Miao Miaomiao from Martial Arts Class 1!"

Meow meow meow?

Zhang Kui looked up at the cat, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected the cat to be so pretty.

Especially when she speaks, the way her fingers slightly curl and brush her hair across her forehead is so captivating.

Zhang Kui was momentarily stunned.

"Bang!"

Just then, he was suddenly struck in the ribs, a sharp pain jolting him out of his daze.

"The Method to Calm the Mind!"

The one who stabbed him in the ribs was naturally Qin Rui.

Upon hearing the words "Mindfulness Mantra," Zhang Kui shuddered and quickly composed himself, avoiding looking at Miao Miaomiao.

"Senior, are you alright?"

As if sensing Zhang Kui's discomfort, Miao Miaomiao's pretty face immediately showed a worried expression, plaintive and sorrowful, yet full of concern.

It's impossible not to feel pity for her, and one can't help but wish that everything she said and did was right.

"No, it's alright! Next!"

Zhang Kui quickly activated the incantation of the Mind-Calming Technique, exhaled a slight breath of stale air, and hurriedly chased the cat far away.

There's nothing we can do; there are just too many prodigies among this year's freshmen.

This cat is one of them. Not only is it an eighth-level martial artist, but it has also mastered a strange charm technique with astonishing power.

If the difference in internal strength is not significant, few people can escape her charm.

The freshmen all secretly called her the Cat Demon.

Some third- and fourth-year students disagreed, confident in their martial arts skills and lusting after the cat's beauty. They took the initiative to try and suppress her charms.

He did this to demonstrate his abilities and win the woman's favor.

Instead of succeeding in suppressing them, they were directly bewitched by the charm on the spot, not only losing their composure in speech, but one of them even went so far as to take off his pants on the spot.

The company was instantly wiped out!

This incident became a laughing stock at the martial arts academy.

"Wang Dalong, Class 2 of Martial Arts, age eighteen, martial arts level eight!"

Not long after the cat demon left, another level eight martial artist also appeared.

This person has an ordinary name, an ordinary appearance, and an ordinary height.

In a crowd, he would just be another passerby.

But his name is known to everyone in the entire martial arts academy.

An eighteen-year-old level eight martial artist, a highly talented master of internal energy, who has opened up the Ren and Du meridians at a young age, and whose Dragon Subduing Palm is powerful and domineering, rarely matched with anyone of the same level.

"I kind of regret not insisting on leaving the team!"

After Wang Dalong left, Zhang Kui turned to Qin Rui and whispered in her ear.

"It's not too late now."

"Um... how come these people are so monstrous? If we had known, we should have let these guys join the team a month earlier, and we would definitely have been able to crush Dongyi."

"What's it to us? Get back to your work!"

Qin Rui, in a bad mood, stopped his rambling.

The group of dozens of people registered quickly. After signing in, they followed the arrows and headed to the training ground.

The area is spacious and has a martial arts arena, making it ideal for selecting team members.

At this moment, Zhao Rui and a group of second- and third-year students were here, busy selecting new team members.

The selection of martial arts teams involves not only reviewing past historical records, but also considering various other factors, such as the individual's strength, the competitions they have participated in, and their results.

What kind of martial arts are you good at? Are you good at actual combat or at research?

In short, from the second coach Wang Zhanshan to the newly recruited player Zhao Rui, everyone took on a part of the selection process.

Zhao Rui's job is to guide freshmen to designated locations to take tests.

"Hello, senior! Hello, fellow student!"

"Senior brother, aren't we tired all the time?"

The repeated affectionate calls of "senior brother" made even Zhao Rui, with his thick skin, feel guilty.

"No need to call me senior brother, we're not tired usually, we're very free."

Zhao Rui casually introduced the situation of the martial arts team, and "kindly" stopped these "newbies" from calling him "senior brother".

"Senior brother, excuse me... Zhao Rui! What are you doing here?"

Just as Zhao Rui was busy giving directions and answering questions for his students, a clear, melodious voice, like that of a nightingale, rang out beside him.

Zhao Rui turned his head and saw that it was Luo Min and two girls he didn't recognize.

"I'll help out here!"

Zhao Rui smiled and said.

"Help? Does the Martial Arts Academy need help from people from other academies?"

Luo Min was very puzzled.

"We'll talk about it another time. You go and test it first."

Zhao Rui pointed in the direction of the testing location and led Luo Min and the others a little further ahead.

"Just keep moving forward."

After saying that, Zhao Rui waved his hand and turned back to his position.

"This senior is very gentle, Luo Min. Now that we know each other, we should definitely talk more. It's easier to get things done if you know someone in the team, hehe."

"That's what a girl said."

"What do you mean by 'more communication'? He's my high school classmate, okay?"

"Huh? No way?"

The other two were quite surprised.

"We took the college entrance exam at the same time and entered the same university. The only difference is that he studied accounting!"

"Accounting?"

The two girls were even more confused and immediately became curious about Zhao Rui's situation.

However, with the team entrance assessment imminent, they temporarily put aside their thoughts and busied themselves with the assessment.

The number of people who signed up was a few dozen, which is not a lot, but it was only a matter of one morning.

Around noon, the registration process came to an end, and all that remained was to wait for the list of people selected for the martial arts team to be released.

Zhao Rui shrugged and walked out of the martial arts arena. He saw Luo Min and her two classmates standing prettily at the door.

At the same time, another girl appeared beside him. Zhao Rui had seen this girl before when he was in the cafeteria.

"Zhao Rui!"

When Luo Min saw him come out, she quickly called out to him.

Zhao Rui frowned slightly and walked over.

"What's up, Luo Min?"

"What are you doing here helping out?"

"Oh, I'm a member of the martial arts team. Of course I'm here to help."

"Huh? You're a martial arts student... wait a minute, you don't seem to be from the martial arts academy, and you're only a freshman!"

Luo Min pondered for a moment, then asked.

"That's a long story. I'll keep an eye on your list. If anything comes up, I'll let you know. Otherwise, I'll be going now!"

Just then, Zhang Kui and Qin Rui arrived.

Seeing this, Zhao Rui waved goodbye to Luo Min and then walked out.

Seeing Zhao Rui chatting and laughing with the two senior students at the registration desk, it seemed as if they didn't really want to talk to her.

Suddenly, the curiosity and competitive spirit in my heart burned even more intensely.

"That girl is the girlfriend I mentioned before."

After taking Zhao Rui away, the slightly dark-skinned girl whom Zhao Rui had met before couldn't help but speak up.

"Girlfriend? Oh, I see. Your classmate is really something."

So, he was able to get in because of his girlfriend.

In an instant, all my thoughts became clear.

……

At the door, Zhang Kui, who was walking out, narrowed his eyes and said with a half-smile, "Zhao Rui, you're quick on your feet, you've already hooked up with a freshman girl."

"What nonsense are you talking about, senior? That's my high school classmate."

"Your high school classmate? She's very pretty. How's her martial arts skill?"

Qin Rui turned her head slightly and looked over, then couldn't help but ask.

"That's pretty impressive."

Zhao Rui didn't know Luo Min's true strength either, since he was not strong enough in high school and rarely had contact with Luo Min.

Secondly, several more months passed. He wasn't sure what level his skills had improved to.

"oh!"

Qin Rui couldn't help but let out an "oh," as she was quite interested in these pretty freshmen girls.

If someone is skilled in martial arts and good-looking, they will definitely have a natural advantage.

There was a girl named Ye Jingqiu in the team who was always the team's "darling," always overshadowing her and making her, who was clearly very pretty, just a nobody in the team.

When people talk about the martial arts team, they usually say that there's a guy in the team named Qiu, who's really handsome.

But nobody mentions her.

If a few more beautiful and skilled girls came along...

Wouldn't her status be even lower?

Thinking of this, Qin Rui's crimson lips involuntarily curled up slightly.

I had insomnia last night, and I'm so sleepy right now. I finally finished writing today's entry, and my eyelids are almost closing.

My writing is a bit muddled, and there may be some inappropriate parts, such as paragraphs, plot points, or wording. Please point them out so I can revise them.

(End of this chapter)