Chapter 36  

"I have a feeling that you are also back home." Coach Zhou opened the door when there was knocking at the door. The coach was surprised to see the person standing outside his door. "I didn't expect that you'd come to visit me."

The person placed a gift box in the Coach's hands. "Do you think I will not come?"

He looked at the high-quality supplements in his hands and his face turned gloomy. "You just make people dislike you. Even your gift does not match up to the comfort that Girl gives me."

"As you grow older, it's better not to drink so much." The person outside the door did not mind the Coach's cold reception and said lazily with a smile. "You have old injuries. It's better to drink nourishing tonic. You should nourish your body in Summer to fight off illness in Winter, then next year you will feel much better."

"You're very noisy." The Coach waved his hand. "Now that you're a doctor, you lecture me. I'm very healthy and don't need any nourishing tonics. In future, don't bring me anything like this. This is practically cursing me."

His tone was fierce but his eyes were filled with laughter. Quickly, he let the person through the door and his two hands clutched the gift box tightly, refusing to let go.

"I brought you a few of your favorite dishes to enjoy with your wine. I beg this Elderly to give me face." The hand which was hidden behind his back quietly stretched out and shook a bag of foodstuff in the old man's face.

The Coach took the bag and was still somewhat unhappy. "Only food......no wine."

"I know she is going to bring some wine as a gift for you." He replied lazily. " Then isn't it better for me to bring food?"

The walls of the two rooms were taken down to form a bigger room. On the floor, thick cushions were laid out with various protective gears such as arm-guards and headgears and they were scattered everywhere. Zhen Lang bent down from the waist to pick up a cushion. "Coach, do you still have the habit of teaching your disciples at home?"

"He, he......" Coach Zhou was taking the food out of the bag. "I'm looking for a good seedling. I always wanted to train a good one to see whether I can develop a good disciple. There are some who are not sure and there are some who are unwilling to go to the sports school, so I let them practice in my house. Don't tell me you don't know about this."

The Coach smiled and transferred the food to the plates. "I have a feeling you will come today and I have also specially bought some dishes. I will prepare them for you to eat."

He turned the chopping board over and his hands trembled. The hand that was holding the knife was held down by another hand with force.

Zhen Lang smoothly took the kitchen knife from his hand and said. "I will do it, so you can try my cooking skills."

The Coach nodded and his smile became wider.

Zhen Lang nimbly cut up the vegetables. "Later, take leave and come over to my place. I found a good Chinese Medicine Practitioner to give your hand physiotherapy."

"No time." The old man rolled his eyes and refused outright. "I don't have any problem. It's not necessary."

"Then I will have to use my name as a doctor and talk to the sports school to make them give you leave." Zhen Lang gave him a huge smile. He put down the knife and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "As a national-level coach, tell me, do you think they will approve your leave?"

"This child, how can you be so bad?" Coach Zhou pulled his face taut. "Since a child, you were not likable and now you have grown up, you are even worse. No wonder she hates you."

Zhen Lang did not react to his provocation and still smiled. "The both of you are the same.......stubborn and wayward and like to do whatever you want without a care. I can indulge her and let her be since I like her but why should I let you off? You must come within a month or else I will write to the sports school."

The old man blinked. "Do you believe me when I say I'll bash you?"

Zhen Lang clicked his tongue in wonder. "Sure enough, the characteristic of a Teacher will mold the character of a disciple. The way both of you speak is also the same. Your most precious disciple almost says the same words every day. Do you think it works?"

Coach Zhou was seething with anger and ground his back molars. The expression on his face showed his desire to swallow the man in front of him alive. Suddenly his face changed and beamed a satisfied smile. "If my disciple said those words several times a day, it proves that she still hates you. She hates you for not letting her participate in the competition. Serves you right. Why did you have to break up the both of us? Why didn't you let her become famous? Perhaps today, my disciple may be a famous world champion."

"I don't want her to be famous. I don't want her to be rich. I just want her to be healthy and strong." Zhen Lang raised his chin. "We had already agreed at the beginning. As long as she is hurt, I will not agree to let her continue to compete in the games."

"She was not injured." The old man felt very angry. "I protected her well, you used trickery."

"She had a problem with her ankle. Don't tell me you didn't know about it." Zhen Lang snorted. "When she participated in the competition, she sprained her ankle but she still continued to train which resulted in habitual dislocation of her ankle. Everyone knew about it, right?"

The old man snorted. "It was a normal injury. After a good rest for a period of time, she would have recovered."

"But she is someone who can't rest for long. You wanted her to enter the national team and following that there would be more intense competitions. Due to her headstrong personality, it would have been impossible for her to rest. What would have happened to her foot later? Everyone was aware of it, so I did not use trickery." Zhen Lang refused to give in. "She does not care for fame, she just likes sports. Just for a moment of fame, I didn't want her to injure herself so seriously that it would affect her mobility in future. Look at her now. Isn't it good that she is so energetic and lively?"

"If you didn't allow her to go, then......." The old man still wanted to say something when suddenly a knocking sound came from the door and a voice rang out. "Old Man, I brought you good wine. Open the door!"

"Stinky disciple!"

"Stinky Old Man!"

The Coach and the disciple spoke at the same time. Then the old man laughed and rushed madly over to the open the door.

Two identical voices and two identical tones expressed the intimacy between two different people.

"I brought you two bottles of good wine for you to enjoy later and I had ordered a carton of beer from downstairs for us to drink together.

"Are you afraid you'll get drunk before I do?"

Jia Shao burst into laughter. "I'm afraid I'll make you drunk and you'll lose face. You've grown older, so don't try to put on an act of bravado."

"What about a match?"

"Why not? Who is afraid?"

In the midst of sounds coming from the fighting match, the person in the kitchen shook his head with a feeling of helplessness.

"Hey, Old Man, is your old injury giving you a problem?" After Jia Shao had repeatedly attacked, she suddenly stopped. With eyes flashing, she stared at Coach Zhou and said. "You didn't take my blows directly."

The old man snorted. "It is because this Teacher is going easy on his disciple. I'm afraid if I knock you down, I'll feel that I had taught a useless straw bag which is humiliating."

Jia Shao withdrew her leg and plonked her ass down on the mat. "Old Man, if your hand is giving you a problem, then you should go to my place for a while. I'll get Vet to find two good doctors to take a look at you and I'll pay for the medical fees."

"Vet?"

Jia Shao threw him a glance. "It is the young child that you said is very beautiful but with a stomach full of bad ideas......Zhen Lang. As expected, someone bad is nurtured from young. He was bad when he was young and now that he is grown up, he is even worse."

"When you were young, weren't the two of you very intimate? When did you change and become so dissatisfied with him?" The old man smiled strangely. "But it is true when you say he has a stomach full of bad ideas. Well said! Well said! This guy gives you an impression he is easy to be bullied but in fact, he is extremely calculative and he is not a good man."

"That's not true either." Jia Shao sullenly opened a can of beer and handed it to the Coach. Then she opened another can for herself and took a big mouthful. "He is not considered totally bad. At least, he doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't gamble, can enter the kitchen and grace the living hall*. He knows how to earn money, takes care of the family, with good social morals, with good business sense, is handsome.........'

(Can enter the kitchen and grace the living hall refers to women who can cook and take care of the home and also can entertain gracefully.)

Suddenly Jia Shao stopped talking and turned around sharply. "Old Man, what are you doing so close to me?"

"How did you get to understand him so well?" The Coach smiled slyly. "Listening to you, it seems he can be a good candidate to be a husband."

"Of course, I understand him." Jia Shao choked. "Since young, I've known him and I also know how many strands of hair there are on his chest."

"How many strands are there?"

"Let's bet. The loser has to drink." Jia Shao smiled strangely. "You just have to bet on either one patch or two patches will do."

She leaned back on the cushion and suddenly an image of Zhen Lang appeared in her mind. He was wearing a bathrobe and swaying in front of her. There were water droplets clinging to his white and tender skin which was even more beautiful than her own skin.

She shook her head hard to shake off the smile that made her heartbeat speed up.

Why does she have to think of him? Damn!

Coach Zhou scratched his head and then suddenly he raised his voice. "Brat, how many patches of hair do you have on your chest?!"

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared at the door of the room with a steaming plate in his hands and an apron tied around his waist. "If I let you know, what benefits do I get?"

Jia Shao's hand shook and nearly spilled the beer in her hand. "How come you are here?"

Holding the steaming plate in his hands, he brought it in front of her. "Old Man wanted to cook this dish for you. Taste this and tell me how it is."

"Did you put in laxatives?" Jia Shao stared at him cautiously and fiercely suppressed the urge to stretch out her hand. "First, tell me why you're here. He is my coach and he should not be familiar with you, right?"

"Familiar......very familiar." The old man quickly finished a can of beer and grabbed another can to open. "Who said he is......."

"Last time, I used to accompany you for practice every day and stood at the door. At least, he watched me grow up, so how can you say I'm not familiar with him?" Zhen Lang met the eyes of the Coach and the latter quickly picked up a pair of chopsticks to stuff the stewed meat into his mouth and continuously nodded.

"Help the Coach to look for a doctor." Jia Shao pouted.

Before Zhen Lang could speak, the Coach stretched out his thick arms and bent it to show off his bulging muscle. "I'm very strong. I don't need a doctor."

Two pairs of eyes were trained on him at the same time. The poor Coach silently gripped the chopsticks, stuffed food into his mouth and continued his silent protest.

"What are my benefits?" Zhen Lang spied some sauce on the corner of Jia Shao's mouth and reached out his hand to wipe it.

Jia Shao's face became distorted, turned away to avoid his hand and used her fingers to rub over the spot. She could feel her cheeks become hot and using both hands, she rubbed her lips but she still could not erase the lingering feeling left by his hand.

"Anything is alright. Just pick whatever."

Anyway, he will be getting married tomorrow. How long can he extort from her?

"Let me think about it."

This evening, while Zhen Lang was busy cooking in the kitchen, Jia Shao accompanied the Coach, sometimes singing crazily and sometimes laughing hilariously. The two people who seemed almost like they had the same character, created a din and enjoyed themselves.

Zhen Lang looked at the empty beer cans scattered on the floor and the two people who were swaying while sitting on the mat. He reached out his hand and lifted Jia Shao to her feet. "Girl, it's time to go home."

"Um......" After drinking the whole night, the happy Jia Shao was now feeling a bit drunk as she waved goodbye to the Coach. Leaning her head on Zhen Lang's shoulder, they left.

The two people walked in the moonlight and only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the street. The street lamps threw long, slanted shadows of their figures on the ground.

"How long have we not walked home together like this?" Zhen Lang intertwined their fingers. "Is it ten years?"

"It was from the time you made me lose the chance of entering the national team." Jia Shao said with hate.

"Didn't it start when you secretly spirited away the bunch of love letters and gifts meant for me? After you had eaten all the gifts, you didn't dare to face me and returned all those sappy love letters to me, right?" Zhen Lang asked.

"It was you who created the rumor that the girls who befriended me were all secretly in love with me. After that no one wanted to be my friend.......it started from there!" Jia Shao argued.

"The girls didn't want to be your friends because you had said that whoever comes close to me, you'll beat them up. So you made yourself into a public enemy, alright?"

"I had meant the boys and you deliberately mislead the others. For three years in junior high school and three years in high school, I didn't even have one female friend!"

"You used my name to distribute love letters everywhere and in the three years in junior high school and all three years of high school, I was surrounded by only girls."

"It was you who first promised me that everything would be mine. You seduced others and broke your promise."

As the two people walked home, they blamed each other and whatever that had happened either small or big matters in their 22 years, were brought up by Jia Shao. After drinking a little too much, it had made her memory become clearer.

"You promised to get engaged with me but you still ran away. Is that considered as keeping your promise?"

Zhen Lang's words made Jia Shao choked and for a long time, she could not speak.

A long time passed before she finally jeered coldly. "I'm better than you. Only a few days had passed and you have found someone else. Stud!!!"

"Stud?" His eyes narrowed and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes. His hands pressed against Jia Shao's shoulders, trapping her between the wall and his body. "You called me a stud?!"

The alcohol made Jia Shao become bold and ignoring the consequences, she straightened her neck and replied. "Yes.......A stud!!!"

His lips landed heavily on hers. He fiercely kissed her on the lips, forcing his way into her mouth and prodded aggressively with his tongue.

And she foolishly allowed him to ravage her and could only feel her body going soft......so soft......

When her mind cleared, she discovered Zhen Lang had disappeared and she was leaning against the wall with his words still ringing in her ears. "I will help you find a doctor for your Coach. This is the deposit."

Wiping her lips fiercely, Jia Shao clenched her hands into fists with anger.

He.......he is really disgusting!!!

For Bai Wei to marry him......it is really a loss.