Chapter 88 Fourth Brother, Here I Come!
"If I can make it to the finals... then yes," Bian Ji agreed.
The singing competition abroad was divided into groups. At his current age, he could only be placed in the children's group. There were no audience members for the first two rounds of the competition; only the judges' seats were available.
After the finals, we will perform on a brand new stage, and the audience will be allowed to enter.
Bian Ji's teacher wanted him to give it a try.
Previously, the music competitions he participated in were all instrumental, such as piano and violin competitions.
This was his first time participating in a singing competition.
However, he wasn't nervous. The teacher said, "Just treat it as a fun trip."
Anyway, the competition is overseas, and the channels for broadcasting these kinds of competitions are limited. Domestic netizens know very little about them, so even if you lose, no one will recognize you, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
"Okay, Brother Ji, if you make it to the finals, give me a call and I'll fly over right away." Lu Yinzhao was really looking forward to seeing how the big shot from his childhood would perform on stage.
"Um."
With Bian Ji absent, the "Water Play Team" is now only composed of Lu Cheng and Lu Yinzhao.
Lu Cheng was worried that her younger brother would be bored, so she also invited her teammates from the UPW club to join her.
Lu Wangchi, Zhaozhao's uncle, somehow learned that she wanted to swim and invited them to his swimming pool. It was a privately owned swimming pool that Lu Wangchi could only go to, and outsiders were not allowed to enter.
Several of Lu Wangchi's apprentices would come to his training ground to practice even during their holidays, as it was open to them free of charge.
Lu Cheng received a call from his uncle. After listening to the caller's story, he asked Zhao Zhao for her opinion.
"Not a water park, but a swimming pool, is that okay?"
“Mhm!” Lu Yinzhao nodded immediately.
With Bian Ji not around, he lost interest in going to the water park. It was mostly for kids and entertainment, and the only place where he could actually swim was a swimming pool.
If my uncle were here too... I could teach him the correct posture.
“OK, let’s go there first thing tomorrow morning.” Lu Cheng told Lu Wangchi on the phone a time.
After the call ended, Lu Cheng turned around but couldn't see Zhao Zhao anywhere.
Then the little guy came out carrying his bunch of swimming equipment.
"These are the new swim trunks Mom bought... This is the new swim cap Dad bought..."
The little guy laid out the equipment piece by piece on the sofa and started choosing his favorite color.
Lu Cheng discovered another great hobby of his younger brother besides photography: this little guy has more styles of swim trunks than he does!
It seems that Zhao Zhao's parents have bought her quite a few of these things.
If you didn't really like them, you wouldn't be able to own so many colors, right?
Lu Cheng grinned mischievously and pointed to one of the items, saying, "Zhao Zhao, choose pink! If you're a macho man, you have to wear pink briefs!"
He was just joking, but Zhao Zhao actually started to seriously consider his suggestion.
"Then I'll wear a white swimming cap."
The little guy folded his pink swim trunks and white swim cap neatly and carefully packed them into his swim bag.
Lu Cheng: "..."
That's good, the brighter the color, the clearer it will be even if it falls into the water. Lu Cheng comforted himself with this thought.
His younger brother looks good in anything, even pink and cute clothes.
*
The next day.
Lu Cheng specially hired a car and had the driver pick up his teammates from the club first, and then detour to their house on the way.
Before leaving, Yin Song reminded Lu Cheng to keep a close eye on his younger brother and to be careful.
The car stopped in front of the Lu family's house, and the older child carried the younger one into the car.
"Hi, Zhao Zhao, good morning!" Jiang Yuanbai greeted the baby in Lu Cheng's arms with a kind smile.
"Zhao Zhao, we meet again!" Yi Jing waved and said.
"Zhaozhao, sit next to me." Su Haocheng pointed to the empty seat next to him.
"What's in Zhao Zhao's bag? It's bulging..." Tao Xiangyu asked with a smile.
Lu Cheng: "..."
Lu Cheng remained silent, then Lu Cheng exploded.
"No, does anyone even care about me?"
Everyone: "Huh?"
"I chartered the car today, and I arranged the event, all for free. Shouldn't you have informed me first?"
Lu Cheng was so angry that a strand of her bangs flew up in the wind.
After exchanging smiles, they all spoke at the same time in tacit agreement.
"Yes, Mr. Lu, good morning!"
Lu Cheng swaggered over and found a row of empty seats to sit down. "That's more like it."
Lu Yinzhao covered his mouth and chuckled. Whenever his fourth brother was around, the place was never boring.
Even the most deathly quiet atmosphere can be enlivened.
Su Haocheng then remarked, "Why bother greeting someone you see every day?"
“Exactly! We haven’t seen Zhao Zhao in a while, so of course we should greet the lovely Zhao Zhao first,” Yi Jing chimed in.
Lu Yinzhao was sitting near the corridor. His fourth brother was to his right, and he was surrounded by the UPW group from all sides.
Lu Yinzhao didn't know who to talk to first.
"Hello, brothers~" All the words in the world are reduced to the simplest greeting.
"Oh! My sweet baby!"
Everyone started asking Lu Yinzhao a barrage of questions.
Can you swim?
Who taught you?
Why do I like playing in the water?
Do you want to be a swimmer when you grow up?
...
Such topics never stopped on the bus.
Lu Cheng was always considered a loud and talkative person by his family, but today he couldn't even get a word in edgewise.
It's so noisy!
I should have known better than to bring them!
Why do his teammates talk even more than he does when they're around his brother?
After driving for a while, we finally arrived at our destination.
Lu Cheng picked up Zhao Zhao and stood up, letting out a sigh of relief.
It's finally a bit quieter now.
After they entered the venue, Lu Cheng immediately spotted Lu Wangchi walking towards them.
"Uncle!" Lu Cheng called out.
"Uncle~" Lu Yinzhao called out in a soft, sweet voice.
"Acheng, Zhaozhao, you're here..." Lu Wangchi smiled and came over to hug Lu Yinzhao, then patted Lu Cheng's shoulder.
“Those are my apprentices over there. You’re all the same age, so you can play together.” Lu Wangchi pointed to the few boys who were poking their heads out of the pool.
"They're all professionals, we're just a makeshift team," Yi Jing said, scratching his head sheepishly.
"It's alright, it's alright. Today is just for fun. I already gave them a day off, but they couldn't stay still and insisted on coming here," Lu Wangchi said with a smile, telling them not to feel too much pressure.
Lu Cheng chimed in, "Wouldn't it be better if they were professionals? Isn't that more useful than just buying a membership at a swimming pool or gym? You could have them teach you the correct movements."
Jiang Yuanbai: "What you said... actually makes a lot of sense."
Su Haocheng: "Indeed, there's no way to refute that."
Tao Xiangyu: "It's a pity Coach Zheng didn't come. He had mentioned wanting to swim for fitness..."
Young people get along very easily, and Lu Wangchi's apprentices quickly became friends with the UPW team.
After they changed their clothes, the professional athletes began to teach them warm-up exercises.
Lu Yinzhao was taken by Lu Cheng to change his clothes as well.
When Lu Wangchi saw that pink and white figure from afar, he almost burst out laughing.
Why is little Zhao Zhao dressed like a cherry blossom Swiss roll? She's so cute!
"Zhaozhao, come here, Uncle will teach you how to swim, okay?"
Lu Wangchi had only heard his brother mention that Zhaozhao could swim a little, but not much, so he was going to teach the child properly today.
Having an extra skill can be a lifesaver in a critical moment.
"Great!" Lu Yinzhao had long wanted to learn to swim from his champion uncle.
His current swimming style is more "wild," relying entirely on instinct and lacking any technical skill.
"Acheng, you go and have fun with your friends. I'll take care of Zhaozhao."
"But I promised my mom I would take good care of Zhaozhao."
"With me here, you don't need to worry."
"Oh well……"
Thinking about what his uncle did, Lu Cheng felt relieved; his uncle would know what he was doing.
The boys excitedly plunged into the water, chasing each other and having a great time.
Lu Yinzhao is warming up with his uncle.
"Does Zhao Zhao know why you have to warm up before going into the water?"
Lu Yinzhao knew the answer in his heart, but he politely shook his head.
"Actually, our bodies are like little bicycles. When we move our arms and legs, it's like lubricating the small parts of our joints, making them rotate more flexibly... Warming up our bodies in advance, waking up our muscles, will help us avoid injuries when we do strenuous exercise later..."
“Okay!” Lu Yinzhao nodded.
He put his hands on his hips, bent his knees, and jumped up and down a few times like a little spring. Then he spread his "wings" like a bird and swung his little arms from side to side.
"Alright, you can go into the water now!" Lu Wangchi led the little guy down from the shallow end of the pool.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, lifebuoys are always available nearby.
Given Lu Yinzhao's current height, even in shallow water, the water would completely cover his head.
“Your dad said you’re good at holding your breath. I’ll slowly let go of you later, and you can try swimming a bit.”
"good."
Lu Wangchi held Lu Yinzhao's arms under his armpits, then gradually let go.
Once the little guy lost its support, it quickly fell into the water.
It didn't show itself for quite a while.
Lu Wangchi panicked. Just as he was about to pull the cub out of the water, he saw the pinkish-white creature move.
Lu Yinzhao immediately went underwater and swam around like a fish.
With a slight wiggle of its two legs, it darted forward several meters.
"!!"
Lu Wangchi's eyes widened, and he quickly swam forward a distance as well.
"Wow! Lao Lu, is this your new student? He's quite a swimmer, like a little fish."
Just then, a middle-aged man came in. He was also a regular here. He didn't have many hobbies, except for swimming. He was introduced by an acquaintance, and after coming so many times, he had become friends with Lu Wangchi.
"Old Liu? You're here too. Let's go to that pool over there. My nephew and his friends have booked this one." Lu Wangchi greeted him, but his eyes remained fixed on the water.
He was genuinely quite surprised.
Zhao Zhao can swim so freely in the water, and she can hold her breath for a long time.
With Zhao Zhao's talent, if she starts training with him now, she will be a promising swimmer.
It's just that... his height, arm length, and leg length are a bit lacking.
However, the child is still young and developing, so there's no rush.
Swimming is a sport that heavily relies on body shape. In professional swimming competitions, having an advantageous physical condition can indeed increase the probability of winning.
Lu Wangchi's professional instincts kicked in at this moment; upon seeing a child swimming, he immediately began to rationally analyze the possibilities for future development.
Lu Yinzhao swam to the surface to breathe, her little feet still kicking in the water.
"Uncle, how did I swim?"
Lu Wangchi gave a thumbs up, "Baby, you're awesome!"
"Uncle, I want to learn freestyle swimming," Lu Yinzhao said.
Lu Wangchi was worried that the little guy would get too tired from splashing in the water, so he threw a swim ring to Zhao Zhao and put it on.
Lu Yinzhao held onto the sides of the swimming ring with both hands, bobbing gently in the pool.
"Okay, Uncle will teach you the proper movements now."
In the time that followed, Lu Wangchi demonstrated very carefully and taught in steps.
Lu Yinzhao already had some basic skills and was a good swimmer. With the help of the champion coach, he quickly mastered the key points.
On the other side, just as Lu Cheng and his group were having a great time, they saw a small creature splashing water as it swam quickly past and then quickly back.
"Holy crap! Is that Zhao Zhao?" Yi Jing exclaimed in shock.
"He's already learned it?" Jiang Yuanbai looked equally shocked.
"Kids are so quick to learn..." Tao Xiangyu exclaimed. He suddenly changed the subject and said to Lu Cheng, "You can bring your younger brother to our club in the future. Maybe he'll learn e-sports very quickly."
Su Haocheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "Captain, if you want to cultivate seedlings, you don't need to catch such small fish fry, do you?"
"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Lu Cheng: "..."
Why does he seem so weak in front of Zhao Zhao?
The young apprentices of Lu Wangchi, who were standing nearby, saw Zhaozhao's performance and got a little caught up in it.
"I'm not going to chat with you guys anymore, I'm going to swim a few laps first."
"I'll join you too."
"Sure, let's have a competition!"
Lu Cheng and the others were dumbfounded.
"You're getting serious now? We agreed to just have fun today."
Perhaps because he hadn't warmed up enough, Lu Cheng suddenly got a leg cramp after soaking in the water for a while. He slipped and swallowed several mouthfuls of water from the pool.
"Ahhh! Help, help me!"
Seeing Lu Cheng's pained expression, Lu Yinzhao, who was not far away, immediately became serious.
It crossed the dividing line in the middle and swam across with all its might.
"Fourth brother, I'm here!" The little boy's voice echoed across the pool.
The moment Lu Yinzhao arrived, Lu Cheng was trapped inside a lifebuoy.
It was Tao Xiangyu, who had just gotten ashore, who kicked the swimming ring down, and it landed precisely on Lu Cheng's head.
With support, Lu Cheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his leg continued to cramp, causing him to grimace in pain.
Lu Yinzhao was so anxious that he circled around Lu Cheng several times.
"Fourth brother, are you alright?"
"Fourth brother, are you having a leg cramp?"
"Fourth brother, hurry up and go up!"
"Fourth brother..."
The people on the shore could hardly contain their laughter at this bizarre scene.
Lu Cheng glared at them fiercely, "Hey! You guys, are you dead?!"
Yi Jing grabbed Lu Cheng's left hand and said, "Your little mermaid has come to save you, riding on the colorful waves."
Jiang Yuanbai went over and grabbed Lu Cheng's right hand: "I'm sorry, I was so moved by what I just saw that I didn't react for a moment."
Lu Cheng pouted, feeling utterly humiliated in front of his younger brother.
Lu Wangchi also swam over and carried the little guy ashore.
A big one and a small one walked over.
Lu Wangchi taught Zhao Zhao in front of her, "See that, Zhao Zhao? This is the consequence of not warming up properly."
"Yes, I see, Fourth Brother's leg cramped up."
Lu Yinzhao felt that he was at a disadvantage because of his height. If he were an adult at this time, he would definitely be able to save his fourth brother much faster.
Getting a sudden cramp in the water can be very dangerous.
Lu Yinzhao, with a stern face, imitated Yin Song's tone as she lectured the boy in front of her, "You brat, I told you to warm up properly and be careful, but you weren't paying attention!"
Lu Cheng: "..."
Everyone: "Hahahaha!"
Su Haocheng added, "Lu Cheng, it seems you're the youngest brother in this family."
Lu Wangchi nodded affirmatively: "Zhaozhao is more like your brother than you are. He's much more mature."
He said that, but he still felt sorry for his nephew, so he personally massaged Lu Cheng's calves.
Lu Cheng calmed down after getting ashore, but he saw that Zhao Zhao still looked angry.
He pleaded, "Brother Zhao, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I made you worry."
Lu Wangchi laughed and said, "Zhao Zhao swam over to save you just now at a speed that could win the children's swimming championship. Those little legs of hers were practically making sparks in the water."
"Hmph!" The boy on the shore snorted coldly, hands on his hips.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: [Shrugs] (Swipes out from under the propeller)
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