Dad, Please Try a Little Harder - Chapter 24
Chapter 24 Come and Face Me One on One!
As the sun set, the horizon was painted with the hues of evening glow.
Qian Quan handed the plush rabbit toy back to Bai Yuanzhi.
“Here you go, this is a merchandise item the co-sponsor gave me. It’s a Tai Chi Rabbit,” Bai Yuanzhi said with a smile.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Bai Yuanzhi smiled and looked at Qian Quan, “Why didn’t you continue pretending today?”
“You’ve already seen through it, and continuing to hide would be impolite,” Qian Quan admitted candidly.
Bai Yuanzhi nodded with a smile, “Qin Shenglong, as the vice president of the karate club, naturally has faster reflexes than ordinary people. But when he tried to grab you from behind, you managed to avoid his grasp twice in a row. If I couldn’t even detect a hint of your real skills in that performance, then all these years of training would have been in vain for me.”
“How’s your Tai Chi in real combat?” Qian Quan asked tentatively.
“You want to try?” Bai Yuanzhi raised an eyebrow at Qian Quan.
“Hehe,” Qian Quan replied with a smile.
“No rush, let’s talk business first.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Starting from early November this year, the martial arts clubs of the 32 universities in Azure Bay, including our school, will jointly hold a ‘Newcomer Pairs Tournament.’ Each school has three spots, and those with excellent performance will have the chance to go straight to the national competition in the future…”
At this point, Bai Yuanzhi intentionally paused, looking at Qian Quan. “So, are you interested?”
“Just for freshmen?”
“Yes, because this event is held every year. Besides learning from each other, the main purpose is to establish the rankings for the new students of that year. It facilitates challenges among students in the following years to vie for rankings. Of course, those confident in themselves can also challenge higher-ranked senior students to learn through martial arts.”
“Got it. Is there any reward for first place in this competition?”
“Regarding honors, there are certificates and records. As for material rewards, the top ten all receive activity points, but only the top three get cash prizes. It’s tentatively set at 50,000, 30,000, and 10,000.”
“Of course, the most important thing is that the top three can have a chance to receive direct guidance from the masters and priority registration for the national competition in the future.”
Upon hearing about the 50,000 prize and the opportunity to receive guidance from a master, Qian Quan felt a bit intrigued.
Earning the prize money would allow him to spend his system reward money rightfully.
Getting in touch with a master would provide him the chance to witness the skills of a true expert.
“Not bad,” Qian Quan expressed his interest.
“After the recruitment work is over, we can start preparing,” Bai Yuanzhi assessed the situation and realized that she had convinced Qian Quan. She felt relieved.
“I will perform well in the interview.”
Bai Yuanzhi nodded with a smile and continued, “There’s another matter, a personal matter for me. I’d like to know your thoughts on it.”
“Well, please go ahead.”
“I want to invite you to join my video team…”
Upon hearing this, Qian Quan hesitated a little. He had just started university and wasn’t very familiar with online celebrities, YouTubers, and such. He was afraid he might not be able to handle it well and that it could impact his studies.
Just as he was about to express his reservations, he heard Bai Yuanzhi continue.
“Don’t worry, I’ll let you try it for a month first. If you’re interested, we can discuss further collaboration after a month, including helping you set up a new account for joint operations. For this month, we’ll also symbolically offer you a remuneration of 5,000.”
“No problem.”
Qian Quan no longer hesitated. It wasn’t really about the money; he believed he should be open to trying new things and embracing the opportunities of the new era.
“Well then, we can consider it a verbal agreement,” Bai Yuanzhi said, achieving both of her goals for this encounter. She felt delighted. “Now, let me witness your real Wing Chun.”
“Okay,” Qian Quan was also curious about the practical application of Tai Chi.
“But let’s set some ground rules first,” Bai Yuanzhi added. She didn’t want to end up like Luan Qingyun from Azure Bay University, defeated so thoroughly by a freshman.
“Of course,” Qian Quan agreed and then extended the Tai Chi Rabbit in his hand. “Let’s use this Tai Chi rabbit as the prize. I’ll throw it into the air, and you try to snatch it. If you manage to catch it or if the rabbit touches the ground, I’ll consider it my loss.”
“That way, I’ll have the upper hand,” Bai Yuanzhi remarked.
Qian Quan chuckled and said, “Then I’ll begin.”
With that, he exerted force and launched the Tai Chi Rabbit high into the air.
Bai Yuanzhi extended her right leg, reaching out with her right hand to push Qian Quan. It was a single whip push in Tai Chi. Qian Quan adjusted his hand position externally, countering with his left hand as he caught the falling rabbit.
The first round could be considered a warm-up.
In the second round, Qian Quan tossed the rabbit even higher.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Yuanzhi suddenly took a step closer to Qian Quan. Her hands coiled around his arms like whips with a sticky force. Employing power from her waist, she utilized her body’s movement to manipulate her arms, using a peeling skill to separate Qian Quan’s arms, and then, with a squeezing force, she pushed him away from his original position.
Peeling, transforming, and squeezing. These movements were connected and commonly used skills in Tai Chi.
Qian Quan wouldn’t give her such an opportunity in a formal match. The moment she closed in, he would meet her head-on with a punch, followed by a series of continuous strikes that wouldn’t harm her but would force her to retreat.
The Rushing Punches and Short Strikes in Wing Chun was not playful, especially when performed by a master like Qian Quan. Ordinary people couldn’t withstand it.
However, since today was just a friendly exchange, Qian Quan certainly wouldn’t be reckless. He executed a circular step, rotating around Bai Yuanzhi to her side and rear. Leaning against her back, he used his shoulder and elbow to restrain her while his hand reached out and took hold of the Tai Chi rabbit.
It looked somewhat similar to positioning and rebounding in basketball.
Martial arts skills adhered to various routines during practice, but one had to adapt spontaneously in real combat. The focus was on winning, not rigidly adhering to fixed moves.
Some people say that the term “kung fu” encapsulates the meaning of “winners stand tall, losers lie down.”
“Let’s continue, Miss Bai!”
With these words, Qian Quan playfully teased Bai Yuanzhi, hoping to ignite her stronger fighting spirit.
“Throw!”
After all, Bai Yuanzhi was a practitioner of martial arts, and a competitive spirit naturally resided within her, especially when she witnessed her opponent’s effortless performance.
Qian Quan forcefully hurled the Tai Chi rabbit upwards.
Seeing this, Bai Yuanzhi swiftly launched a fierce cannon strike at his head, showing her intent to get serious.
Qian Quan’s eyes lit up, and he sidestepped to dodge.
Bai Yuanzhi followed with a clapping palm strike, maintaining her assault, while Qian Quan remained in a defensive posture.
The rabbit had descended at this point, but Qian Quan didn’t want Bai Yuanzhi to stop. He continued to fend off her attacks while cleverly kicking the rabbit back into the air.
Bai Yuanzhi no longer aimed to seize the rabbit. Instead, she escalated her assault intentionally. Her goal was to pressure Qian Quan to the point where he couldn’t focus on the rabbit, allowing it to land freely.
From “High Pat Horse” to “Bow-Arrow Palm,” “Single Whip Hand,” “Forward Thrust Kick, “Right Splits Kick,” “Wild Horse Parts Its Mane, “Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail,” “Block and Punch”…
Bai Yuanzhi’s moves flowed seamlessly, like a river surging forward, uninterrupted. She maintained the framework and strength of Tai Chi throughout, neither loose nor tense, neither light nor slow.
The two of them had now progressed to a state of graceful refinement in their sparring.
Qian Quan faced Bai Yuanzhi’s attacks while keeping the rabbit airborne and guiding her through various skills. Since he was only defending and not attacking, it presented a certain challenge.
Qian Quan displayed various defensive moves. At times, he blocked, while at other times, he used his palm to intercept attacks. He also utilized skills like the “spread hand outer block,” “bound hand interception,” “shoulder hand interception,” and even demonstrated the “plow hand knee interception.” He sealed off the attacks flawlessly, leaving no room for any weaknesses.
The delicate white Tai Chi rabbit bobbed like a shuttlecock – sometimes high, sometimes low – evading both capture and the ground.
After around twenty or thirty rounds, Bai Yuanzhi realized she could not win. After a few more exchanges, she withdrew from the engagement and ceased her skills.
Qian Quan regained his stance, his palm outstretched, catching the Tai Chi rabbit as it landed perfectly in his hand.
“Thank you for conceding,” he said.
Bai Yuanzhi shook her head, smiling. “I didn’t concede; I genuinely couldn’t match you. If you had chosen to attack just now, I might have fallen before the rabbit did.”
“You’re being humble, Miss Bai.”
“I’ve practiced martial arts for eighteen years, and you’re only the second opponent who’s made me feel entirely incapable of winning – like facing a mountain I can’t surpass.”
“Who was the first? Your master?” Qian Quan grasped the key point.
“No, it’s my mentor. He practices Tai Chi, too.”
“Oh, then, if there’s a chance, I could seek guidance from him.”
Bai Yuanzhi chuckled. “He’s just two years older than me but has a higher seniority. He used to train at Wudang Mountain. After descending the mountain, he wandered around, traveling from place to place, with a mysterious whereabouts that wasn’t easy to track down.
“Does he travel every day without working?”
Qian Quan was curious. Reality was not like martial arts novels, where skilled martial artists had endless wealth as they roamed the world.
Bai Yuanzhi provided a succinct answer:
“He’s very wealthy.”
“Got it.”
Qian Quan thought, as expected, reality.
“That’s it for today, then. We’ll meet during the weekend for the interview,” Bai Yuanzhi said.
“Sure.”
After Bai Yuanzhi left, Qian Quan returned to his dormitory.
He started a video call with his parents, preparing them for the fact that he would be collaborating on videos with a senior student who had over a million followers.
Unexpectedly, his mother got excited as soon as she heard.
“What’s her username? I’ll follow her right away.”
And Rocky, you need to seize this opportunity. Once you become famous, create your account and build a following. After you graduate, if you can’t find a good job, you can do live broadcasts to sell products. You can even help Mr. Ding sell furniture.”
Qian Quan knew that his mom’s words weren’t just idle talk. She had an account named “HappilyEverAfter” on a short video platform with over 700 posts, 1,100 followers, and 32,000 likes.
She was following over a thousand accounts and even found some of her elementary school classmates on the platform. She was quite the seasoned user of short video platform.
“Mom, take it easy. I need to focus on my studies first.”
Qian Quan responded with a smile. The rise of short videos has indeed changed many people’s lifestyles.
His father spoke at this point, “Don’t listen to your mother’s rambling. A student’s first priority is to study. Get your studies in order first, then consider other things. Once you’ve acquired knowledge, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn money.”
“Sure,” Qian Quan agreed.
His mother didn’t argue either and changed the topic, “Your dad just signed up for a driver’s license. He’s going to take the written test soon.”
“Oh, that’s great. Dad, go for it and aim for a first-time pass.”
Qian Wenlin chimed in, “Probably done by early October, and you can consider getting your driver’s license during your university years. It would be an advantage when looking for a job after graduation.”
“Sure, once you get your license, you can share some tips with me.”
“By the way, your dad and Mr. Ding are planning to open a training class for Chinese chess and calligraphy,” his mother added.
“Can you start training classes now?”
“Chinese Chess and calligraphy should be fine. It’s not like tutoring.”
“Yeah, Dad, you’ve been working hard lately. I should put in the effort too and learn from you,” Qian Quan said sincerely.
The family chatted for a while longer before ending the video call.
Afterward, Qian Quan sent a brief message to Ding Linlang, informing her about these matters.
Just as Qian Quan finished sending the message to Ding Linlang, “Tai Chi-Yuanzhi” posted a new video on the short video platform.
As expected by Bai Yuanzhi, within half an hour of the video being posted, Qian Quan, who was up for a three-on-one challenge, quickly caught the attention of netizens.
“This guy is so handsome and has great humor!”
“Anyone know what his username is?”
“I’m also at Azure Bay. I’m going to Seacoast Normal University this weekend to meet him!”
Qian Quan’s sunlit and handsome appearance and playful and humorous contrast ignited a heated discussion.
Comments related to him kept increasing, alternating with extravagant praises for the content creator’s style.
“Come and face me one on one!” and “He’s panicking like crazy” quickly became the top two trending comments.
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