138 Ghost Stories
Li Wei became increasingly uneasy. If this happened in public, being beaten would be considered fair and just, but she would be clearly at a disadvantage. If she spoke carelessly at that time, she would appear petty, and she would not only be despised by others, but also by herself.
Moreover, and most importantly, Li Lin couldn't help him at all.
After much thought, Li Wei decided to consult Luo Da. After all, she was his cousin, and he had to keep an eye on her. He couldn't stand her looking at him like he was a rival in love all the time.
Li Wei told Li Lin and Song Xuejiao before leaving the training room. She asked a passing waiter for directions and found out that Luo Da was upstairs.
Li Wei made her way upstairs, but was stopped by a male staff member. Li Wei said she was a relative of the sixth senior brother, and was sized up several times. The staff member probably thought Li Wei was too small to cause any trouble, so he let her through.
Li Wei walked in the direction indicated by the staff member. It was a long corridor with many rooms on both sides that didn't have door numbers, and there was hardly any sound. However, the further Li Wei walked in, the more she heard a sound. At first, it wasn't very clear, but gradually it became a rhythmic thumping sound. As she got closer, it became clearer, like the thumping of a drum, but not as hollow; it was somewhat solid.
Finally, they arrived at the door from which the sound had come. Li Wei thought about knocking, but then decided against it, not wanting to disturb the teacher's lesson. She gently pushed the door open, and the door, which was ajar, slowly began to open.
Li Wei peeked inside and was shocked to see a few boys in training clothes sitting on one side. In the middle of the field, Sixth Senior Brother and Luo Da were fighting like enemies. This was not martial arts training, it was a hooligan brawl!
Moreover, it seems that Luo Da is no match for the Sixth Senior Brother. He gets beaten up more often than he can hit the Sixth Senior Brother. It is estimated that this fight is nearing its end.
Although Luo Da was wearing a vest, so it was impossible to see if he had any injuries, the punches from his sixth senior brother made a series of crisp cracking sounds, which were quite loud. Especially Luo Da, sweat poured down his body like streams, soaking his vest, yet his eyes still gleamed like a wolf.
Li Wei felt uncomfortable watching this. This was too much. It's just learning some martial arts to improve physical fitness, why is it being done so hard?
Luo Da was clearly no match for the Sixth Senior Brother. He was finally forced back several steps by a barrage of punches. Then, without warning, the Sixth Senior Brother kicked him to the ground. The Sixth Senior Brother stood there and said, "Not bad. You've improved. You lasted a minute longer today."
Is this... a compliment?
Li Wei saw Luo Da lying there panting. She wondered if she should show some concern, so she could ask for help later. She rolled her eyes, then quickly pretended to have just come in. She pushed open the door and rushed in, squatting down beside Luo Da. Her face full of concern, she asked, "Oh, Jianhua! How are you? Are you dead?"
Li Wei wanted to slap herself. Why was she so quick to speak? Of all things to say, why bring up death? It's obvious she's not dead.
Several of the boys watching nearby couldn't help but laugh. Li Lianhui didn't laugh. He felt embarrassed.
The sixth senior brother had already noticed Li Wei peeking in from the doorway. Seeing her enter, he recognized her – she was Grandpa Cheng's granddaughter. He guessed she had a close relationship with this junior brother. He said, "Today you'll spar in pairs. Go put on your protective gear first. This is the last time you'll wear it. Don't wear it again. Get ready." Then he walked off the training ground and into his office in a corner.
Luo Da lay on the floor to rest, while Li Wei squatted beside him, poking and prodding his arm with her fingers. Luo Da felt ticklish and turned his head, saying, "I'm not dead. Tell me, what can I do for you before I die?" He didn't look like he was about to die at all.
Li Wei chuckled awkwardly, watching everyone busy putting on protective gear, and whispered, "I saw your cousin in that class too. I felt like she was trying to kill me with her eyes the moment she saw me. It was terrifying. If I study with her in the future, like what happened to you guys today, she'd beat me to death. Look how much stronger she is than me, I'm sure I'd suffer. You see, I'm the one who paid tuition, shouldn't you keep an eye on her? She's your cousin."
Luo Da turned back again: "She's not from my family... Are you really that spineless? Can't you put in some effort to practice and become better than her? You're already thinking about getting beaten up before you've even done anything. Is that all the grit you have?" He cowers at the sight of something tough, just like a turtle.
You put in the effort, but you still got beaten up by the sixth senior brother.
Li Wei didn't want to risk her life for exercise, so she quickly said, "Oh, that's for the future. Let's talk about now. Right now, I'm not as strong as others, so my personal safety isn't guaranteed. You'd better think of a way for me quickly."
Luo Da fell silent. This was a real, open fight, and what could he do? It wouldn't make sense to stop Zhong Xin from participating. Thinking this, he turned to Li Wei and said, "There won't be any real combat for the first month. You can practice with her first. Let me think about it some more. Don't worry, it's nothing serious." Even if a girl really fought, how much strength could she possibly have? If necessary, he could give Li Xiaoming some extra training. It wouldn't be that pathetic. Besides, there was still a month left.
Seeing that Luo Da didn't seem to have any good solutions for the time being, Li Wei decided to leave it at that. Before leaving, she made sure to remind him, "Remember, I've paid my tuition." If you can't do it, you have to give me a refund. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone someone like me who isn't even a brother to you.
Luo Da smiled bitterly as he watched Li Wei leave. He had originally hoped that Li Wei would continue practicing for the sake of money, but now it had become an excuse for her to blackmail him. What a waste of his time.
Li Wei returned to the practice room, where her former instructor, Li Hai, was already there, leading the students in warm-up exercises. Li Wei said "Report!" and joined the group. It was Li Wei's first day; some of the students had already been there for two days. Because everyone had only been there a short time, they hadn't officially started learning the moves yet, mainly practicing basic skills like leg stretches and backbends. They were all quite grown up, their bones mostly fully developed, so the pain of doing leg stretches and backbends was unimaginable. Li Wei, while stretching her legs, was secretly relieved. At least they weren't doing horse stance yet.
Less than five minutes later, the coach started teaching how to do a horse stance. After everyone could basically get the stance right, they were told to go home and start by doing it for ten minutes each day, gradually increasing the time later.
After class, Li Wei didn't shower, nor did she bring any change of clothes. She decided to go home and pack later, while she and Li Lin went to find Li Lianhui. Before they even reached the stairwell, Li Lianhui and Luo Da came down and said to Li Wei, "I'll take you home first."
Li Wei noticed he was still wearing his training clothes and was covered in sweat. She said, "No need for that. We can just take a taxi back; it's not far. You can go back and do your work."
Luo Da glanced at the three of them, seeing no problems. His training for the day had only just begun, so he nodded: "Then be careful. Call me when you get home... Or maybe not. I'll take you. It won't make a difference."
It was already dark outside. Li Wei and the others took turns showering after returning home. The house, which had seemed quite spacious before, suddenly felt cramped. At least, there weren't enough bathrooms. Li Wei sat on the sofa, drinking water and watching TV, pondering that with three classes like this every week, she couldn't always rely on Luo Da to drive her. He wouldn't allow her to take a taxi, and it was too much trouble. Maybe she should buy a car herself?
Li Wei immediately rejected this idea. Unlike Luo Da, the three siblings could not drive without a license without a conscience. She was timid, and Li Lianhui, let alone her, would not allow their parents to drive. Therefore, such an oddball as Luo Da could only have come from Luo's third uncle and aunt. Ordinary families could not raise such a person.
Using the company car isn't out of the question, but it would have some negative implications. It would be better to take a taxi, but going home feeling sticky and uncomfortable is definitely not ideal.
After much deliberation, Li Wei decided that buying a place to live near the martial arts school was a good option. The location was excellent, and the property would appreciate in value in the future, making it a worthwhile investment.
The next day at school, Li Wei was still preoccupied with the house purchase. She didn't have time to look at it carefully, so she realized she would have to ask her aunt for help. Her aunt had a lot of people working for her, so it would be easier and faster for her to do this.
During break, Li Wei was doodling in her notebook, figuring out what kind of house she wanted to buy and what her specific requirements were, when Ding Anni came to find her. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Li Wei, smiling as she said, "Hey, little Weiwei, can you give me some advice? I have to give a speech at the flag-raising ceremony next Monday. How should I write my speech? It would be even better if you could write one for me."
Li Wei looked at Ding Anni: "Didn't you say you didn't want to give the speech anymore?"
Ding Anni smiled sheepishly: "Um... I heard from Gao Jin in my class that the equipment in the school's broadcasting room has been replaced, so it won't be as scary as your speech on Monday."
After Li Wei finished her speech on Monday, Ding Anni and Zhou Xiaoyan ran to her as soon as the first class ended to report how terrifying it was! They were standing on the playground, listening to the constant "plop plop" sounds from the loudspeaker, which made it feel like they were listening to a horror story. There was also a "whoosh whoosh" sound, along with occasional screams from the microphone, which was incredibly eerie. Finally, they seemed to hear the sound of a Taoist priest spraying talisman water, which must have been an exorcism.
As they stood there, they felt a chilling wind blowing in their faces, which was quite unsettling.
As for Li Wei's speech, I'm sorry, I didn't hear it clearly. If she hadn't been talking non-stop, I would have thought she'd been kidnapped by a demon!
So Ding Anni's first reaction upon receiving the speech invitation was that she didn't want to tell ghost stories.
When she told Gao Jin about it, Gao Jin laughed for no apparent reason, then patted Ding Anni's little shoulder and said, "Don't worry, kid, it's okay. The equipment will be replaced this week. I guarantee that your beautiful voice will be conveyed to the ears of all the students in the school without any mistakes. Just don't bring a recipe to give a speech."
Ding Anni also found Gao Jin quite humorous; who would give a lecture using a recipe, unless they were sick?
So he eagerly came to Li Wei for advice, as he didn't know how to write the article.
Li Wei asked, "Did the teacher assign you any topics?"
Ding Anni shook her head: "I said it would be the same as last time, but I didn't hear what you said last time clearly."
Seeing that class was about to start, Li Wei said, "Alright then, when I go back for lunch, I'll give you my speech draft. You can change the title and use it."
Ding Anni's eyes widened: "Will that work? Didn't you already use it?"
Li Wei: "Then you can ask around and see if anyone can hear my speech clearly. I doubt anyone can hear it clearly. You can revise it a bit more, at least change the beginning. It should be usable. Anyway, use it or not, don't expect me to rewrite it for you!"
After knowing each other for so many years, could Ding Anni possibly hide her true intentions from Li Wei?
One look at her fawning smile and the way she addressed me, and I knew it wasn't anything good.
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