Translator: Lynn
Sponsored chapter (2/2)
“Try it again,” Cheng Ke observed Jiang Yuduo’s third attempt at a side kick, which had a highly unorthodox posture, and sighed, “Your center of gravity is too far forward.”
Jiang Yuduo clicked his tongue and replied, “I think it’s getting better.”
Cheng Ke didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted his leg to the side and delivered a side kick to Jiang Yuduo’s arm. “Is it similar to how I do it?”
Jiang Yuduo let out a sigh.
“Let’s try it again,” Cheng Ke lifted his chin, “First, visualize the correct form in your mind…”
“Hah!” Jiang Yuduo roared before Cheng Ke could finish his sentence, delivering another sideways kick that was still far from standard.
The kick had quite some force, causing Cheng Ke to stagger a step.
“I told you to visualize the form in your mind before moving your legs!” Cheng Ke scolded him.
“I visualized it,” Jiang Yuduo claimed.
“What’s wrong with you?” Cheng Ke stepped behind him and grasped his shoulders, using his hands to correct his posture. “Sideways! Right foot grounded! Shift your weight to your left foot, pivot! Hips lead the leg! Raise your knee! Extend your calf!”
Jiang Yuduo was in the middle of a kick when he was interrupted by Cheng Ke, causing him to fall backward and collide with him.
“This form is so awkward,” Jiang Yuduo frowned, “You can kick however you want, why are you so picky?”
“Having the correct form allows you to generate more power in your kicks,” Cheng Ke said helplessly, “Why don’t you try something else? Let’s put aside the side kick for now and focus on some other kicks, then I can teach you the side kick later.”
“But you said the side kick is the most commonly used one. If I can’t get the side kick right, I won’t truly understand Taekwondo,” Jiang Yuduo complained.
“Then you’ve been messing up for quite a while now,” Cheng Ke retorted, “Let’s change it up…”
“No,” Jiang Yuduo interrupted him.
“… Damn it,” Cheng Ke muttered, growing a bit frustrated. “Fine, then…”
“Ah!” Jiang Yuduo kicked him in the back once more.
Cheng Ke suddenly became irritated and turned to face him. “Dude! I’ve been telling you to visualize the movements before you kick! After so many attempts, have you even thought about it once?”
“I did think about it!” Jiang Yuduo responded, also feeling annoyed.
“What the hell were you thinking then?” Cheng Ke raised his voice.
Jiang Yuduo remained silent.
“You need to either think about it before kicking or practice something else first,” Cheng Ke said, turning and stepping aside.
“No more practice,” Jiang Yuduo impatiently kicked a foot target on the ground, causing it to fly forward and hit Cheng Ke’s heel. “This is so frustrating, all this nonsense.”
“Did I force you to practice?” Cheng Ke, now in pain, suddenly became angry. He turned around and glared at Jiang Yuduo. “Who kept insisting every day that I agree to teach?”
“Did you teach me the right way?” Jiang Yuduo retorted. “It’s all wrong, it’s completely wrong! Have I managed to get it right even once after kicking for so long?”
“No!” Cheng Ke exclaimed, “Then just show me once if you’ve got it right!”
“No more practice,” Jiang Yuduo waved his hands.
“Who are you trying to scare?” Cheng Ke said, his anger rising. “Do you think I really want to teach you?”
“I can still kick you away even without practicing,” Jiang Yuduo stated.
“Come here!” Cheng Ke grew even angrier, spinning around and extending his arms toward Jiang Yuduo. “Let me have a go. San-ge is so amazing; do I really need to learn this shit? He can blow you away with just a breath and make you fly to the sky.”
Jiang Yuduo rushed toward him and delivered a kick to Cheng Ke’s chest.
Cheng Ke’s initial reaction was that Jiang Yuduo’s posture was still incorrect. However, his second thought was that he didn’t have time to react. Jiang Yuduo was incredibly fast, even though he had been on medication for a year and struggled every day with forgetfulness. His speed was unmatched by ordinary individuals, and his kick was powerful.
Cheng Ke was kicked back several steps, and he had to grip a nearby shelf to steady himself.
“Aren’t you amazing? Perfect posture, elegant movements! Center of gravity, straight line, hip joints, knee joints!” Jiang Yuduo pointed at him, displeased. “I’m so far from the standard…”
Cheng Ke didn’t let him finish. He raised his leg and executed a textbook downward chop, striking Jiang Yuduo firmly on the shoulder. Cheng Ke particularly liked using the downward chop; it was highly effective. Although he didn’t use full force this time, it still forced Jiang Yuduo to stagger sideways.
“Downward chop! I’ve taught you this!” Cheng Ke didn’t give Jiang Yuduo a chance to regain his balance. He suddenly spun around and delivered a backswing kick straight into Jiang Yuduo’s face. Again, Jiang Yuduo couldn’t respond in time and was kicked to the ground.
“It’s the backswing now!” Cheng Ke shouted, turning Jiang Yuduo onto his back. Cheng Ke then knelt on one knee and executed a kick while still on the ground, knocking Jiang Yuduo down.
As Jiang Yuduo fell, Cheng Ke grabbed his foot and gave it a hard tug.
The ensuing scene descended into chaos as the two grappled on the ground.
Jiang Yuduo had always been unconventional, doing things his way, while Cheng Ke fought to maintain his technique and adhere to proper form amidst Jiang Yuduo’s unpredictable style. Cheng Ke aimed for precision in every strike, even though he couldn’t identify the specific moves he executed during the brawl. To level the playing field, Cheng Ke even tore off the protective gear from Jiang Yuduo’s head in the midst of the melee.
“What’s wrong with you two?” Coach Xiao Yang’s voice rang out from the sidelines. “Stop fighting! You’re both adults!”
Several coaches rushed over to intervene.
Cheng Ke had no intention of stopping, and it seemed Jiang Yuduo shared that sentiment. Even as they were forcibly separated, they managed to land a few more kicks on each other.
“Brother Cheng!” Xiao Yang yelled, “What are you doing? Calm down!”
“Why are you and Brother Cheng fighting?” Jiang Yuduo shouted back. “He’s breaking all the teaching standards and pretending to be a coach!”
“This is Shengyuan’s training session!” Cheng Ke retorted. “I can damn well teach you!”
“Shengyuan?” Jiang Yuduo appeared bewildered.
“Figure it out for yourself,” Cheng Ke shrugged off the person restraining him. “I’m out of here.”
Jiang Yuduo didn’t say another word. After a brief moment, the onlookers also tried to mediate and eventually dispersed.
Cheng Ke and Jiang Yuduo stood still, not acknowledging each other.
Cheng Ke had no desire to talk, and the fight with Jiang Yuduo wasn’t the primary reason. It was the fact that they had fought in the gym, in front of a dozen bodybuilders and numerous coaches, that left him feeling most ashamed.
Shame.
Their arguments with each other were rare, and today, he couldn’t fathom why they had become so angry.
Jiang Yuduo acted foolishly, perhaps because he hadn’t fought anyone in a long time and had no self-restraint initially. Although both were strong, they lacked finesse in their fighting, resorting to brute force rather than technique. Their blows landed haphazardly.
Awkward.
Painful.
Embarrassing.
Cheng Ke was deeply unsettled by the experience. He grabbed his coat, put it on, and walked towards the gym’s exit without acknowledging Jiang Yuduo.
“Aren’t you going to shower?” Jiang Yuduo’s voice followed him.
“Forget it,” Cheng Ke replied without looking back.
“Damn,” Jiang Yuduo muttered.
Outside, Xiao Yang stood by the door, looking surprised as Cheng Ke exited. “Brother Cheng, are you leaving?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Ke replied.
Xiao Yang sighed, as if he wanted to say more but didn’t know how. “Is San-ge leaving too?”
“In the gym,” Cheng Ke said.
Xiao Yang sighed once again.
After a few steps, Cheng Ke turned his head slightly, seemingly undecided.
Jiang Yuduo was trailing closely behind Cheng Ke. When Cheng Ke stopped abruptly, Jiang Yuduo nearly collided with him.
Cheng Ke raised an eyebrow, asking, “What are you doing? Did you get beaten up?”
Cheng Ke continued, “Did you roll around on the ground with your head covered or run all over the place? Did someone beat you up? You didn’t fight back at all, did you?”
“Then say you didn’t beat me!” Jiang Yuduo shot back, glaring.
“Did you beat me?” Cheng Ke inquired.
“I beat you up,” Jiang Yuduo admitted, “and then you beat me up too! You lifted my helmet and went at it!” Jiang Yuduo insisted on calling it a “helmet.”
“Get lost,” Cheng Ke said, turning his head to resume walking.
Jiang Yuduo continued to follow him in silence. Cheng Ke had the urge to glance back several times to check if Jiang Yuduo was still there, but he resisted and refrained from doing so.
He did, however, sneak a peek at the ground’s shadow as they turned a corner.
He saw the shadow of Jiang Yuduo, swaggering and swinging his arms as he walked.
Suddenly, Cheng Ke felt a slight urge to chuckle.
Jiang Yuduo was likely still miffed, exiting the gym in a huff.
However, Cheng Ke restrained his laughter and didn’t look back.
He acknowledged that he had been somewhat irritable today, but Jiang Yuduo had shown no patience and had displayed a disrespectful attitude. Cheng Ke had no intention of tolerating such behavior.
He was not Chen Qing.
Once inside the room, Cheng Ke grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. Jiang Yuduo approached, seemingly wanting to say something, but Cheng Ke shut the bathroom door in his face.
“Are you genuinely upset?” Jiang Yuduo’s voice came from outside the door.
“Of course,” Cheng Ke replied, opening the door to look at him. “Do you want to claim you’re not upset?”
“I’m done,” Jiang Yuduo said.
“I’m not done!” Cheng Ke retorted and closed the door again.
“This door can’t stop me,” Jiang Yuduo twisted the doorknob.
“If you dare come in, I dare to use the shower nozzle on you without mercy,” Cheng Ke warned as he stripped off his clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket with force.
As soon as Cheng Ke finished his sentence, the door was pushed open by Jiang Yuduo, who leaned against it, holding a small wire in his hand.
Cheng Ke brandished the shower nozzle.
“I didn’t come in,” Jiang Yuduo clarified, “I just opened the door.”
Cheng Ke held the shower nozzle in the air, ready for whatever might come next.
After a few seconds of silence, Cheng Ke placed the showerhead back in its holder, stripped off his clothes, and began showering.
“Why are you so angry?” Jiang Yuduo inquired. “You’ve been upset for half an hour.”
“Was it you who wanted to learn Taekwondo? Was it you who couldn’t perform standard moves? Was it you who didn’t want to practice diligently?” Cheng Ke retorted. “It wasn’t you, was it? Wasn’t it you who refused to practice and initiated the fight?”
Jiang Yuduo remained silent.
“I’m still upset now,” Cheng Ke continued, “I don’t have much patience, but I’ve been holding it in all this time. When you’re done being angry, you come and pick a fight with me. I’ve been annoyed for half an hour. Do you think that’s too long? Let me tell you my plan. If you’re still upset for another twenty-four hours, then just wait and see.”
Jiang Yuduo didn’t respond, and Cheng Ke didn’t turn to look at him. He continued to shower.
After a while, Jiang Yuduo finally sighed and said, “I didn’t mean to.”
Cheng Ke ignored him.
“I’ve grown up,” Jiang Yuduo said, “but it seems like I haven’t learned anything, and I keep messing up. It’s really frustrating.”
“Learning something isn’t just about playing around,” Cheng Ke remarked.
“That’s why I got frustrated,” Jiang Yuduo added after a brief pause. “And I feel… quite embarrassed.”
Cheng Ke was surprised and turned his head to look at him.
“Yeah,” Jiang Yuduo nodded.
“What’s embarrassing?” Cheng Ke asked.
“I can’t seem to learn anything,” Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brow. “I can’t beat you, and you always find fault with me. I’m not afraid of anyone in a fight, but in the end, I still can’t learn it, so it’s embarrassing.”
Cheng Ke observed him for a moment and said, “You’re not learning to fight right now, and I’m not teaching you how to fight. Those are two separate things. Being good at fighting doesn’t matter.”
“Oh,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
“Forget it,” Cheng Ke turned his head and resumed his shower.
“So, are you still going to teach me?” Jiang Yuduo inquired.
“Once my anger subsides,” Cheng Ke replied.
“When will your anger subside?” Jiang Yuduo asked immediately.
Cheng Ke sighed and turned to look at him again.
“Do you want me to apologize to you?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
“No,” Cheng Ke said, “I know it’s difficult for you to apologize, and it’s difficult for me to accept.”
“So when will you calm down if I don’t apologize?” Jiang Yuduo persisted.
“It’ll pass after I finish showering,” Cheng Ke said. “Don’t disturb me.”
“Alright,” Jiang Yuduo conceded and turned to leave the bathroom, returning to the living room.
When Cheng Ke emerged from the shower, Jiang Yuduo sat on the sofa, holding a meow-shaped creation in his hand.
This meow head was Cheng Ke’s handcrafted gift, a product of his nonexistent DIY skills, completed just in time for Jiang Yuduo’s birthday.
It featured two small round fur balls atop a larger round fur ball, with two tiny buttons serving as the eyes. Other than the eyes, it had no nose, mouth, or whiskers.
“Mickey Mouse!”
“Hamster!”
“Bamboo Rat!”
“Golden Silk Bear!”
“Pig!”
“Me!”
“You!”
Despite several guesses, Jiang Yuduo failed to identify it as a representation of Meow.
Cheng Ke wasn’t surprised by these guesses; his creation didn’t resemble a cat at all after he had finished crafting it.
However, Jiang Yuduo didn’t mind the meow wool scarf’s unconventional appearance. He cherished it, placing it next to his pillow at night and occasionally rubbing his face against it.
Thinking of this, Cheng Ke’s heart softened, and he reached out to pat Jiang Yuduo’s head affectionately.
“Have you cooled off now?” Jiang Yuduo immediately inquired, lifting his head.
“Yeah,” Cheng Ke sighed and headed to the backyard with his freshly laundered underwear to hang it up to dry.
“I was just thinking,” Jiang Yuduo followed him, “I was mentally rehearsing a certain move.”
“Which move?” Cheng Ke entered the bedroom.
Jiang Yuduo followed him in, saying, “I was rehearsing the side kick.”
“The issue with your side kick is your balance,” Cheng Ke stated as he retrieved a T-shirt from the closet and put it on. “It’s strange; when you’re sparring, your balance and positioning are excellent, but when you attempt a side kick, you struggle to maintain your equilibrium.”
“Now I’ve figured it out; watch!” Jiang Yuduo swiftly assumed a fighting stance. Before Cheng Ke could intervene, he executed a side kick that struck the cabinet. “Ah!”
A black square plate that hung on the cabinet door clattered to the floor.
“Damn it!” Cheng Ke exclaimed, “You hurt your foot!”
“What do you think?” Jiang Yuduo raised his leg and massaged the back of his foot. “Is it right?”
“…It is,” Cheng Ke responded, taken aback. Jiang Yuduo’s kicking form was indeed correct, not only correct but also quite impressive. “Does your foot hurt?”
“No, I didn’t use much force…” Jiang Yuduo inspected the fallen plate on the ground, “Oh no, is it broken?”
“You’re even more troublesome than Meow,” Cheng Ke commented, picking up the plate. Meow had knocked it down at least five times since it was hung there, causing some of the paint on the corners to chip.
Every time Cheng Ke saw the plate, which Jiang Yuduo had crafted, he was amazed. It was an assortment of disassembled watch components, arranged chaotically. The upper section consisted mostly of circular parts: gears of various sizes, balance wheels, dials of different sizes, while the lower half featured an array of irregularly shaped components: bearings, hands, springs, some stacked, others interlocked.
Clouds and Dandelions
This painting was named by Jiang Yuduo.
At the top were dandelions, and at the bottom, there were clouds.
Even though this creation, much like Jiang Yuduo’s lamp, was a bit perplexing, Cheng Ke still admired Jiang Yuduo’s messy creativity.
At times, it reminded him of himself – intricate and disorderly, yet profoundly simple.
“It’s not broken,” Jiang Yuduo assured as he took the plate and rehung it on the cabinet door.
“Go take a shower,” Cheng Ke suggested.
“Wasn’t I handsome just now?” Jiang Yuduo inquired.
“…Yes,” Cheng Ke nodded.
“Are you really not angry anymore?” Jiang Yuduo asked once more.
“I’m no longer angry,” Cheng Ke confirmed.
“In that case, I’ll go shower,” Jiang Yuduo said with a cheerful tone, grabbing his clothes and heading out of the bedroom.
Cheng Ke stretched out on the bed, gazing at the plate in a trance.
Jiang Yuduo swiftly returned to the bedroom after his shower, dried his head with a towel, and approached Cheng Ke.
“Cheng Ke.”
“Hmm?” Cheng Ke glanced at him.
“When you’re angry… you look handsome,” Jiang Yuduo remarked.
“…So?” Cheng Ke replied, “Shall we continue next time?”
“No,” Jiang Yuduo smiled and placed a hand on his stomach, “Just…”
Cheng Ke clicked his tongue. “Let’s eat first; I’m hungry…”
“Eat me when you’re hungry,” Jiang Yuduo interrupted, tossing the towel aside and pouncing on him.
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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