Chapter 103: Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Unexpected Encounter

Lin Zhengran casually made the arrangements. "Since my bedroom has a double bed anyway, we can just split it in half tonight. If you feel uncomfortable, we can put a blanket in the middle to separate us."

After saying that, he went into his room to drop off his backpack and change clothes.

Xiao Heqing’s brain short-circuited, and she blinked her small eyes. Her heart was pounding, THUMP THUMP THUMP; she was nervous to death.

Standing to the side, Lin Yingjun blinked. Although he firmly believed in his son’s righteous nature—after all, the two had grown up together, frequently playing and taking naps in the same room—he still had his reservations.

He walked into his son’s room and asked, "Ranran? About this matter..."

Before he could finish, Lin Zhengran explained to his father, "I was just teasing her. I’ll just sleep in the study tonight."

His father smiled in relief. He knew it.

He then walked out of the room and smiled at Xiao Heqing. "Qingqing? Since you’re willing to stay here, I’ll find an extra blanket for you tonight."

Unaware of the truth, Xiao Heqing looked at him with a blushing face, feeling extremely shy. "Th-Thank you, Mr. Lin."

By the time Lin Zhengran finished changing, washing up, and getting ready to leave, he saw Xiao Heqing curled up on the sofa. Her face was flushed red, as if she were imagining a certain scenario for tonight.

"Let’s go, He Qing."

Xiao Heqing was startled by his call and hurriedly stood up. "Okay!"

After saying goodbye to Lin Yingjun, the two left the residential complex and headed straight for the town’s taekwondo studio.

On the way, Xiao Heqing bit her lip, unable to stop thinking about the unexpected sleepover tonight.

Seeing her brain short-circuit like this, Lin Zhengran rapped her lightly on the head. "The competition is today. What are you letting your imagination run wild for?"

Xiao Heqing let out a yelp and clutched her head. "N-Nothing... It’s just..."

She kept holding her head, staring at the ground. "It’s just that this seems to be my first time spending the night at your house..."

"That’s true, but didn’t you use to sleep in my bed all the time when we were kids? Besides, is this really the first time we’ve spent the night together?"

Hearing this, Xiao Heqing thought he made a good point. It wasn’t the first time she had spent the night alone with him. But in bed... she felt like it was somehow different from before.

Lin Zhengran advised her, "Stop thinking about this nonsense and focus on the taekwondo competition. You’ve prepared for so long, and this afternoon is the big day. Do not let your guard down."

Xiao Heqing nodded. "Don’t worry. I’ve gotten so strong over the past few years with you teaching me. There’s no way I’ll lose."

Lin Zhengran smiled. "It’s best if that’s the case. But even if there’s really a tough opponent, I’ll teach you a few emergency moves."

"Mhm."

Although they were still in a small town, He Qing’s taekwondo training was now on the right track, unlike the martial arts she had learned in kindergarten and elementary school, which had consisted of numerous but unorthodox moves.

Come to think of it, the full name of her former martial arts studio had been the "Children’s Taekwondo and Martial Arts Experience Center." That meant they taught a mix of taekwondo, martial arts, and everything in between. However, ever since starting middle school, Xiao Heqing had been learning proper taekwondo skills. Many of the non-compliant moves and techniques from other martial arts styles could no longer be used.

Upon arriving at the taekwondo studio, the coach warmly welcomed Xiao Heqing. "He Qing, you’re here! In an hour, we’ll take a bus to the competition arena in town. You can use this time to warm up. We’ll be meeting competitors from other studios this morning, and the matches will officially begin this afternoon."

"Got it, Coach."

The coach, dressed in a snow-white taekwondo uniform, let out a long breath. "Even though you signed up here at the start of middle school, I honestly haven’t taught you much. Lin Zhengran has been teaching you almost everything. At most, this place is just a training ground for you."

Xiao Heqing smiled sheepishly.

It was true that everything she knew had been taught by Lin Zhengran. She had only learned a little from the coach when she was a clueless kid, but after transferring schools and coming back, Lin Zhengran had completely taken over her training. Furthermore, it wasn’t just Xiao Heqing—even the coach would sometimes learn from Lin Zhengran...

During the one hour of training time, Lin Zhengran helped Xiao Heqing with a simple warm-up. Watching Xiao Heqing, now in her taekwondo uniform, landing heavy barefoot kicks on the punching bag with an imposing aura, Lin Zhengran marveled at how much she really had grown up over the years.

An hour later, all the students took a bus to the town’s taekwondo competition center.

The venue was quite large. After Lin Zhengran, Xiao Heqing, and a bunch of others entered, they felt a bit excited looking at the massive space. It featured five or six professional competition rings surrounded by a spectator area, making it feel vast and grand.

The coach reminded everyone, "Students from other taekwondo studios will be arriving soon. As fellow taekwondo enthusiasts, you’re free to make friends and exchange contact info with them, but remember, the focus today is the competition."

Despite his words, matches in a small town were honestly more about making friends. After all, you might not find a single top-tier athlete even across hundreds of small towns.

As Lin Zhengran watched the coaches and students from other studios trickle in, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

She had slightly curly long hair cascading over her shoulders. Below her slender waist were perfectly proportioned legs. The woman wore high heels, and her eyes were filled with tenderness.

Many of the coaches didn’t seem to be seeing her for the first time. Someone even proactively greeted her, "President Jiang, I didn’t expect you to personally come watch the matches this time."

That person was, naturally, Jiang Jingshi.

Jiang Jingshi surveyed the venue. "Well, didn’t you say there was a very formidable little girl practicing taekwondo nearby? You mentioned she was even stronger than your veteran students, so I thought I’d come take a look. By the way, which studio is that little girl from?"

The coach pointed in Lin Zhengran’s direction. "She’s from that one over there."

Jiang Jingshi looked in the direction he pointed and suddenly noticed the familiar silhouette of the young man. The two of them locked eyes from a distance.

Jiang Jingshi’s gaze showed surprise at first, but she soon couldn’t help but smile. She thought, "Are we really this fated?"

She raised her hand toward Lin Zhengran, and he also nodded in greeting.

Seeing Lin Zhengran nod at someone, He Qing looked toward the beautiful lady in the distance. She asked in surprise, "Who is that? Do you know her, Lin Zhengran?"

Lin Zhengran replied, "I’ve met her once before."

The coach walked over and said in astonishment, "You actually know President Jiang, Zhengran?"

Xiao Heqing was confused. "President Jiang?"

The coach looked up and said, "That is President Jiang. Don’t let her young age fool you; she’s only about four years older than you. But do you see this massive competition venue? Actually, the venue wasn’t this big before. It was all funded and invested in by President Jiang. The reason there were no matches for a year was precisely because her investment allowed this place to undergo a major renovation."

Seeing her actually walking over, the coach turned a bit more serious. "However, as for why President Jiang did all this, I have no idea. Rich people probably just have their own ways of thinking." He proactively went over to greet her. "Hello, President Jiang!"

Jiang Jingshi nodded at the coach. Another coach introduced them to Jiang Jingshi, "She’s a student from this taekwondo studio. There’s a very impressive one, named He Qing, I believe?"

Lin Zhengran’s coach nodded. "The strongest in our school is He Qing." He introduced He Qing. "This is her. She’s incredibly strong. With proper training, she could even compete at the provincial level in the future."

Jiang Jingshi glanced at He Qing, then at Lin Zhengran. He Qing was standing closely beside Lin Zhengran, clearly very reliant on him.

Jiang Jingshi asked the coach, "I heard that although He Qing is your student, you aren’t the one who teaches her?"

The coach nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "That’s correct, President Jiang. She’s mostly taught by this young man here. His name is Lin Zhengran. Although he hasn’t formally enrolled in taekwondo, his talent is remarkably high. Oftentimes, even I have to ask him for advice."

Jiang Jingshi looked at Lin Zhengran in surprise. She thought, "He really is well-rounded... I bet even my little sister doesn’t know he can do taekwondo."

Stepping forward slowly in her high heels, her tone was gentle. "We meet again, Zhengran. I didn’t expect to run into you in a place like this."

"I didn’t expect to run into you here either, Jiang."

Xiao Heqing looked at this beautiful lady, then at Lin Zhengran. Suddenly, she felt a subtle strangeness about the situation, but she couldn’t quite put it into words.

It was the unique, special sixth sense of a young girl.