“Oh, you must be friends of my Lan Ni, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
The man was quite burly and well-built, with a sunny disposition, a truly top-notch sunny type. However, his next actions put Ren Yuanhao in an awkward spot.
“I’m Zou Long, nice to meet you all.”
“Yang Lingxue.”
“Ye Lan.”
After shaking hands with Yang Lingxue and Ye Lan one by one, he directly ignored Ren Yuanhao’s outstretched hand, instead immediately helping the two women with their luggage into the car.
Watching Zou Long drive away, Yang Lingxue couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Hey, why do I smell a strong whiff of jealousy? Ren Yuanhao, aren't you embarrassed?”
Ren Yuanhao spread his hands, looking as confused as ever, then forced a couple of laughs. He followed the two women into the car, their destination naturally being the Donglü City First Martial Arts Hall.
In the car, Zou Long briefly introduced the situation of the Southeast preliminary match to the three of them.
“The National Youth Taekwondo Championship is divided into four major regions and eight sub-regions. The top eight from each sub-region advance to compete, then decide the top four, and finally these top four will head to the nationals,” Zou Long said, driving with spirited enthusiasm. It seemed to him that Shen Lan Ni’s team had already secured a spot in the Southeast preliminary match.
“By the way, I didn’t expect Goddess Ye Lan to be interested in Taekwondo too.”
Ye Lan didn't reply, her expression cold, giving Zou Long the cold shoulder, as if to defend Ren Yuanhao.
Zou Long, naturally, had heard that Ye Lan was known for her aloof demeanor and didn't mind. He turned to Yang Lingxue and asked, “Right, Miss Yang, you’re busy with your affairs, but you still took the time to come and support my Lan Ni. I thank you on her behalf.”
—Damn it, always ‘my Lan Ni,’ ‘my Lan Ni.’ Where does this guy get his confidence? Is it that quiff, or the weapon between his legs?
Ren Yuanhao looked out the window with disdain.
He saw the clouds rushing in from the coastline like wild horses, their momentum powerful. It was far more pleasant than listening to Zou Long’s nonsensical chatter.
Yang Lingxue, however, let out a cold snort, “Zou Long? Why haven’t I heard Lan Ni mention that name before? Your relationship is questionable.”
“No, no, no, Miss Yang, you don’t know, my Shen Lan Ni has never told the outside world, but we’ve actually been childhood sweethearts. If it weren’t for Uncle’s investment failure and his move to Aishen City, we might have had children by now.”
As he drove, Zou Long, afraid they wouldn’t believe him, opened the storage compartment and handed them a photo.
“Look, she and I were only 6 years old then, we were even holding hands for the photo. Lan Ni has worked hard, striving alone in Aishen City, always trying to help her father pay off his debts. If it weren't for my family’s business holding me back there, I would have gone over to help her long ago.”
In the photo, Shen Lan Ni’s current charm could still be vaguely seen, but her eyes were much sharper than when she was a child.
“By the way, ladies, what would you like to eat first? My Lan Ni instructed me to take good care of you both and not to neglect you.”
Ren Yuanhao couldn't get a word in edgewise. However, he figured that since this person was Shen Lan Ni’s assistant and childhood sweetheart, he shouldn't offend him.
But just because he didn’t want to offend someone, didn’t mean they didn’t want to offend him.
Seeing that the two women didn’t answer, Zou Long then pouted and said, “I say, you’re Lan Ni’s Taekwondo hall’s accountant, right? I don’t know what Lan Ni was thinking, sending a useless accountant over, it’s really puzzling. But, you’re lucky. Go ahead, tell me where you want to eat, and I, young master, will satisfy you.”
Upon hearing this, the two women’s anger surged to their foreheads. However, Ren Yuanhao patted their shoulders and suppressed it, replying, “Young Master Zou, there’s no need for a meal. How long until the competition starts?”
“The competition? It’s still an hour away, don’t worry. I have confidence in Lan Ni, and besides, you, a mere accountant, won’t be of much use there anyway.”
The two women suppressed their anger, only to hear Zou Long continue, “Oh, let’s just eat here. I don’t think you can name any fancy places. After all, someone like you, a small accountant, usually frequents roadside stalls. Go ahead, call me after you’ve eaten. I’ll take the two goddesses to another place, to avoid spoiling their appetite.”
Ren Yuanhao’s face turned ashen. Indeed, if he hadn't encountered the system, that's exactly how he would have been, eating scallion oil pancakes or gluten for ten yuan at roadside stalls, and hadn't been to many high-end places.
He felt the flames in his heart ignite, and the reason for the ignition wasn't Zou Long’s taunt, but his phrase ‘spoiling their appetite’!
Ren Yuanhao snorted coldly and slammed the car door, getting out. The two women were also about to get out, but Zou Long accelerated quickly, leaving them hundreds of meters behind in just four or five seconds.
Ren Yuanhao stood alone on the unfamiliar city streets, feeling like a stranger in a strange land, as the sea-scented wind blew. The roadside stall owner greeted him enthusiastically. Ren Yuanhao smiled back, and his stomach obediently rumbled, urging him to sit down at the very roadside stall that the young master Zou had so disdainfully dismissed.
A moment later, the owner brought him seaweed soup and fried hor fun, saying in imperfect Mandarin, “Young man, you look like you’ve traveled a long way. Did you come specifically to watch the Taekwondo competition?”
“Hello, boss, you have sharp eyes. I’m also from the Southeast region, here to cheer on a friend.”
“And where are you from?”
“Aishen City.”
“Oh, yes, yes, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you. You’re a friend of Shen Lan Ni.”
Ren Yuanhao asked with some curiosity, “Boss, how do you know Shen Lan Ni?”
“Shen Lan Ni’s hometown is Donglü. We finally have a Taekwondo champion from the Eastern region, who wouldn’t know her?”
“That’s true, haha. Boss, seeing as you’re quite knowledgeable, I wonder about the kids Shen Lan Ni brought this time for the competition…” Ren Yuanhao was about to inquire, but the boss waved his hand.
“To be honest with you, Shen Lan Ni will likely stop at the Southeast regional group matches this time.”
The boss offered Ren Yuanhao a cigarette. Since there wasn’t much business, he sat down and continued, “This time, Donglü City, Zigu City, and Yufang City are full of masters, and it’s said there are already Black Belt experts!”
“Black Belt? Isn’t the youth division for those 18 and under? How can there be a Black Belt, such a freak?”
Ren Yuanhao knew very well what a Black Belt signified. Taekwondo itself is divided into ten grades and nine dan ranks, with the highest grade among the ten being the Black Belt. It’s said that very few people can reach Black Belt at 18.
However, from the boss’s words, it seemed that there were individuals with such monstrous talent in this competition!