Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Challenge

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Challenging the Club, Putting on a Show

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a gentle glow across the girl’s face. Her profile was exquisitely soft, her expression tranquil. Her long hair was casually tied into a slightly crooked ponytail, giving her an air both fresh and playful.

On the table before her sat a classic white Apple laptop—the very model adored by female students. Of course, the one before this girl was an even more expensive limited edition.

She sat quietly, propping her chin on one hand. Even with only her profile visible, it was enough to make every man in the room hold his breath.

A beauty like a flower, serene as the moon.

Ordinary beauties were lovely enough, but this girl possessed a beauty untainted by even a hint of worldliness. Such charm surely explained why so many young men flocked to the library.

To Chen Xiao, the sight left him momentarily stunned, then filled with astonishment. He recognized her.

It was the very “Phoenix” who had left him so dazed just yesterday.

Around them, the would-be suitors watched Phoenix with longing eyes. Some even seemed on the verge of drooling, yet none dared approach her.

Chen Xiao furrowed his brow, a faint bitterness stirring in his heart. Suddenly, with a determination he could not quite explain, he squared his shoulders and strode confidently toward her.

His movement through the crowd drew surprised glances. Many of the young men sighed inwardly—there goes another fool to his doom...

But as more recognized Chen Xiao, their expressions turned dismissive. Him? That penniless kid?

Chen Xiao approached Phoenix directly, smiling. “Hello.”

Phoenix looked up at him, her gaze calm, a faint furrow in her brow, though her voice remained polite. “Hello.”

“Didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Chen Xiao said as he sat down. Phoenix’s eyes grew strange; she gave him a lingering, cool look.

Chen Xiao opened his backpack and took something out.

The surrounding boys watched closely. When they saw it was just a pack of chewing gum, they couldn’t help but snicker.

Hmph... Another clueless kid! Earlier, others had tried flowers and expensive gifts—only to be refused. Now this guy shows up with a pack of gum? Out of his mind!

“Though it’s a day late,” Chen Xiao said with a sincere smile, “I still wanted to say—happy birthday.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Phoenix’s eyes.

Chen Xiao pushed the gum toward her. “This is for you.”

A hint of amusement touched Phoenix’s gaze as she studied him curiously, then finally spoke. Her voice was melodious as ever, sweet as a warbler’s song, though her words were—

“Who are you? How do you know yesterday was my birthday?”

“Uh—?” Chen Xiao was startled, looking into her eyes. Was she playing another prank? Yesterday he’d already experienced her mischievous side.

Before he could respond, Phoenix’s expression cooled. Her previously gentle eyes hardened. “I don’t know who you are, but you certainly put effort into this. I suppose you looked up my registration to find out my birthday. Is there anything else?” She closed her laptop and eyed Chen Xiao with clear indifference.

“Uh...” Chen Xiao scratched his nose and managed a wry smile. “Phoenix, I really didn’t mean anything by it, just wanted to say hi.”

“Phoenix?” The girl stifled a laugh but then fixed him with a serious look, her bright eyes suddenly strange. “That name... I’m surprised you came up with it. But, don’t you think using such a tired trick to chat up girls is a bit outdated?”

“You really aren’t Phoenix?” Chen Xiao was taken aback, finding it hard to believe—how could two people look so alike? Even identical twins usually had some differences.

Since meeting Phoenix last night, his heart had felt as though it had been pierced by her dazzling smile, her last glance etched deeply in his mind. He trusted his memory; he couldn’t possibly be mistaken.

But...

“You’re not Phoenix?” he repeated, frowning. “Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”—after all, Phoenix could read minds.

“I’m sorry, I have no interest in what you’re thinking. Nor do I care for people who approach girls in public like this.” Her tone was calm—her words harsh, yet coming from her lips, somehow not offensive.

“That’s not your name? Then what is?” Chen Xiao, still suspecting a prank, pressed on.

She glanced at him. “If you can look up my birthday, surely you know my name. I don’t like talking to disingenuous people.”

She stood, closed her white laptop, and looked at Chen Xiao one last time. “Seems I won’t be able to read here after all. Goodbye.”

With a faint scent of fragrance, she brushed past him and was gone, leaving Chen Xiao bewildered once more.

Even her walk was just like Phoenix’s. Other than Phoenix, he’d never seen a girl walk so gracefully.

Flat running shoes, stylish casual clothes, friendly yet understated, hair flowing behind her...

Her departure drew many lingering glances from the boys until she disappeared through the door, after which many sighed in disappointment. Then the mocking eyes turned on Chen Xiao.

“Hahaha! Know your place, kid!”

“Bicycle Prince, a girl like that is out of your league! Hahaha...”

Amid the jeers, Chen Xiao felt not the slightest annoyance—he’d always been this way, never caring what irrelevant people thought. If you fret over every opinion, life would be unbearable. Only those who truly matter are worth your concern.

Ignoring the taunts, Chen Xiao pocketed the gum, his expression unchanged, and walked out of the library.

Was she Phoenix or not?

Same birthday, yes... Could they really be twins?

He shook his head. It was too much of a coincidence. Even twins rarely looked so identical.

The library was no longer an option. After some thought, he turned and headed for the gymnasium.

He hadn’t visited the Karate Club in days. With nothing better to do, why not drop by?

The Karate Club was one of the most popular societies at Gide Academy—thanks mainly to Chen Xiao and Second Young Master Xu, two of the academy’s heartthrobs.

Xu needed no introduction—young, wealthy, handsome, from a distinguished family, and a notorious heartbreaker, he naturally attracted plenty of girls. Chen Xiao, with his good looks and sympathetic background, had the air of a charming, inspiring youth—his nickname, the Disgraced Prince, was well-deserved. Every Valentine’s Day, he received more chocolate than even Xu!

Because of these two, the Karate Club drew countless female applicants. At one point, the club’s membership was over seventy percent female.

As he entered the gym and approached the Karate Club, he was immediately greeted by excited squeals from the girls inside.

“Wow! Chen Xiao! He’s here!”

“It’s him! Look!”

Chen Xiao sighed, recalling the girl in the library—no wonder she’d spoken so curtly; being stared at like this was unpleasant.

But he quickly noticed something was off.

The Karate Club, a major sports society, had its own wing in the gym, complete with changing rooms, showers, and three spacious dojos.

Now, in the main dojo, over a hundred members were clearly divided into two groups. One wore white karate uniforms—the club’s members. The other, just seven or eight people, was led by a young man in a tight vest, his muscular arms on display, glowering at the karate students.

“What’s going on?” Chen Xiao asked a bespectacled girl beside him.

She glanced at him shyly. “What do you think? They’re here to challenge us.”

“Hmph! Today you’ll see that your karate is nothing compared to real martial arts!” The man in the vest wore a look of deep-seated grievance.

A challenge?

The Martial Arts Club challenging the Karate Club?

Chen Xiao shook his head—how amusing.

Most would find it thrilling to see the Martial Arts Club challenge the Karate Club.

Why? They’d wrap it up in patriotic slogans—“For the nation!” “Promoting our national arts!” and so on.

But to Chen Xiao, it all seemed rather dull.

He didn’t look down on Chinese martial arts. Quite the opposite—he truly believed Chinese martial arts were far deeper and more profound than karate or taekwondo.

Those foreign arts weren’t fit to hold a candle to the real thing.

But why did Chen Xiao practice karate instead of martial arts?

The reason was simple: everyone knew martial arts were hard to master! Chinese martial arts are so deep that to truly learn, you must put in tremendous effort. Whether from the southern or northern schools, even the most basic stance training takes ten years or more to master.

True martial artists start as children, enduring hardship in both summer and winter, forging real skill through sweat and pain.

But this very difficulty makes martial arts hard to popularize. Modern life is busy—who has the time or energy to devote to such study?

Karate and taekwondo, on the other hand—even if Chen Xiao didn’t think much of them—were easy to pick up. Any gym could provide a coach, and with a year or two of casual practice, you’d look the part.

Most people who learned taekwondo or karate didn’t view them as something sacred or noble—just fitness activities. Exercise, sweat, weight loss for girls—at the end of the day, it was just entertainment.

For most, karate or taekwondo were no more than a hobby, no different from playing mahjong or gymnastics—a pastime, nothing more.

It wasn’t that people didn’t want to learn martial arts. First, they didn’t have the time. Second, you needed a good teacher—and where could you find a true master these days?

As for the Karate Club at Gide Academy, it was just a student-run group for passing time and getting some exercise—a bit of fun, nothing more.

Because of this, Chen Xiao found these so-called “patriotic” challenges laughable.

Challenging a club is patriotic? There were plenty of karate and taekwondo gyms in the city—why not challenge the real experts? Why come to a student club for a show?

Besides, Chen Xiao recognized the challengers—they were just members of the school’s Martial Arts Club, another group of students just amusing themselves. Their leader wasn’t a true master, just someone who’d practiced a couple of years—not even third-rate.

The man in the vest had a poor reputation at the academy—another spoiled, arrogant rich kid.

The real reason for this challenge was probably jealousy—the Karate Club had many members, especially girls, while the Martial Arts Club was struggling for attention.

Waving the flag of patriotism and “promoting national arts” was just a pretext.

“Show-offs,” Chen Xiao thought, but simply walked to the side, ready to enjoy the spectacle.

If you’re so patriotic, go challenge the real karate dojos in the city, not us students just here for fun.

He yawned, folded his arms, and watched with a smile.

Enjoy your weekend—remember to vote!