After running a lap of honor, members of the martial arts club returned to the locker room with great joy from the first victory.
Shu Rui followed in with her crew, carrying a big smile. "You do whatever you usually do. Just pretend we are not here."
Geezer Shi approved her request for filming in the locker room during these matches to add some details to the documentary.
Upon hearing her words, club members shared a few glances with each other. "We are no exhibitionists. How can we do what we usually in front of a camera?" Lou Cheng felt worse than the others since he lost the opportunity to massage his little fairy with ointment.
He didn't intend to show off their love with such intimate moves in front of these not-so-familiar junior members in the locker room. It was just something sweet and warm, part of their routine. However, they had to do it themselves separated in these uninvited guests' presence.
Yan Zheke looked at him subconsciously and noticed something odd, her eyes rolled, lips pursed and head turned. She lowered her voice, "I'm in such a good mood. Let's go for a walk tonight."
"Err... Did Ke misunderstand something? Hmm... Great!" Lou Cheng burst into a smile and accepted the offer at once.
"Yes!"
Few illuminating stars accompanied the bright moon. By the lake, there was a refreshing breeze.
Wearing her boyfriend's jacket, Yan Zheke held his arm while strolling on a path with gentle water sounds, her head raised up, filled with excitement and expectation.
"Cheng, how far do you think we can make it in this martial arts tournament?"
Her hair was a little bit messy, face rosy pink, lips moist, and eyes shiny and bright.
Lou Cheng with one hand in his pocket, joyful and free from worry, smiled after a moment of pondering,
"I'll only say this to you and no one else because I don't want to be laughed at. My goal is the championship. The national championship!"
"So is mine!" Yan Zheke raised her voice and smiled, with amazement and joy in her eyes.
"I know Shanbei is strong. So is the Capital College, Huahai and Guangnan. Everyone thinks they are better than us but I want to win and I'm confident that I do have a chance!" In front of his girlfriend, Lou Cheng revealed his ambition with no cover.
"Yeah. By next April, who knows how great my cousin and you will become?" Yan Zheke's dimples appeared along with her high expectation. "We shouldn't take the enemy lightly. I heard Qu Hui from Sanjiang has grown a lot. Shannan is no easy target, either."
Walking along the lakeshore, the pair carried on to plan their future in high spirits with endless topics. When they were close to the long bridge, they suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing by the wooden rallies.
"Qing?" shouted Yan Zheke with some hesitation.
Guo Qing turned her head immediately and hurried to dry her eyes while forcing a wry smile.
"Ke and Cheng, what a small world!"
"I wasn't sure it was you." Yan Zheke smiled but soon realized something was not right with her. She asked, deeply concerned, "Qing, what's wrong?"
She was crying...
As she was thinking if she should send Cheng away to avoid embarrassment for Qing, Guo Qing lowered her eyes and gripped her hand. "I... I don't want... I want to quit the special training!"
"You don't want to take the special training anymore? Why?" Yan Zheke blurted out and Lou Cheng was shocked.
Why would Guo Qing think about quitting all of a sudden?
Guo Qing took a deep breath and put on a forced smile. "We are already in the second year... I'm feeling more pressure from classes... I'm afraid my results will go worse... Maybe... Maybe I should put more effort on my study."
Yan Zheke came to some realization but she didn't bring it up to her right away. She remained silent, carefully organizing her words.
Guo Qing paced about fretfully as if her tensed string had finally reached the limit. She suddenly collapsed.
"Ke, I... I find myself very useless! I feel so much pressure. I've been practicing on visualizing for over a year but I still can't enter the meditation state. More and more of you have surpassed me... You guys are running faster and faster, and the distance between you and me are getting bigger and bigger. I'm very sad... I already cried many times! Even those junior members are better than me now! I can't even get a seat on the bench. Soon I'll be out of the list! The boy I like doesn't like me. My grades keep on dropping. The counselor has scolded me. I... I'm pretty much a failure! I'm useless!"
Listening to her hysterical abreaction, Lou Cheng felt he had never really known her. He didn't know this hearty, outgoing sister had secretly accumulated so much negative emotion and carried so much weight on her shoulders.
He turned around to look at Yan Zheke, seeing the same shock, sympathy, and pity on her face.
Qing has always been the funny one, concealing her pain and sorrow from everyone and covering her weak, helpless side.
She appeared quite gloomy this afternoon in the locker room.
"Relax, Qing. Relax. You are giving yourself too much pressure. Hmm... If you really want to quit, quit temporarily. Loosen yourself and throw away all the pressure. You will succeed! We always welcome you back! You are always one of us!" Yan Zheke bit her lower lip and put on her most gentle voice to comfort her and offer her suggestions.
Guo Qing rubbed her face and forced a smile, her eyes shiny with tears. "Ke, no need to comfort me. I feel much better after venting it out. I get it now. People are different. Probably I'm just not gifted for this. I'm already at the Amateur Third Pin level. That's something for my job hunting. I'll continue to attend the martial arts lessons twice a week but I'll devote the rest of my time to my study. You guys go on! This time we'll have a great result!"
She sobbed a bit before continuing, "I'm out of the special training team but I'll cheer for you on the stand. I'll be proud of your great performance!"
Guo Qing was getting lost in her own words. She eventually came to a stop and pointed at the long bridge.
"We should go back now..."
I wouldn't hurt this badly if I didn't have my expectation high.
I would have chosen to stay if I came for a certificate like Sister Wen.
Ke, Cheng, and everyone... Sorry, I'm a quitter...
Neither Lou Cheng nor Yan Zheke had any experience dealing with such a problem. They had no idea what to do but to watch Guo Qing leave in a rush but determined manner.
With feelings welling up in his heart, Lou Cheng turned to look at Yan Zheke who looked very down and low spirited, her lips pursed tightly.
He tried to comfort her with a hug. "Ke, don't be upset. Like you said, we have two kinds of friends. One will stay with us for the rest of our lives and the other will cross their path with us for a period but then go on their different journey."
Guo Qing's roommates are still in touch with Qiang, Old Qiu and the Model Worker but I've long forgotten their faces. Although they are from the first and very likely the only dorm room that I have ever had a social meetup with.
Yan Zheke buried her head in his shoulder and tapped him gently.
"Don't talk... I understand this but I can't help feeling sad..."
Lou Cheng stroked her back gently while watching Guo Qing gradually disappear in the dark. A line of lyrics flashed in his head that might not be perfect for this situation very pretty close to it.
"Hundreds of thousands of gates... One of us must leave first."
Sigh... For this precious get-together, we must write down the most beautiful and unforgettable memories! We must get the National University Martial Arts Competition championship!
Guo Qing's leaving also shocked Li Mao and Sun Jian. The low pressure hovered above the martial arts club for a week until the end of the second round of the knockout. The joy of the victory and the fun from teasing Cai Zongming helped leave this matter behind. Guo Qing was no longer a topic in the club.
This is cruel but this is the reality.
They pulled themselves together and advanced steadily, entering the group stage with ease. Their first rival in the group would be Shannan University Martial Arts Club, the seed of the group.
On a Saturday morning, the express train sailed away from the station. Lou Cheng and other members of the club were either watching out of the window or chatting about the opponents.
The first powerful rival of this tournament, here we come!