Chapter 110: Big Sister Will Remember This Grudge

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Big Sister Will Remember This Grudge

After exchanging a few consecutive kicks, Xiao Heqing exerted her full strength, executing a perfect spinning hook kick that sent Lin Xue stumbling back a few steps.

The referee blew his whistle, awarding full points. "Match one goes to contestant He Qing!"

Lin Xue’s eyes widened in disbelief, looking entirely unable to accept the outcome, while Xiao Heqing happily threw her hands in the air.

In the distance, Lin Zhengran stood up and waved at her, signaling that she had done a great job. Xiao Heqing beamed and waved back at him. This time, Lin Zhengran even took the initiative to leave the stands and head down to the rest area to cheer her on. "How do you feel? Was it hard to win?"

Xiao Heqing smiled happily when she saw him approaching. "Not hard at all." She covered her mouth and whispered into his ear, "That girl only looks fierce, but I don’t think she’s in top condition. She couldn’t seem to put her full strength into her kicks.

"Earlier, I was really worried that if my strength couldn’t match hers, it would be a struggle to win with speed. Turns out, I didn’t need to worry at all."

Lin Zhengran smiled and reached out to pat Xiao Heqing’s head. The little girl’s face turned bright red as a blissful smile spread across her lips.

"In that case, let’s finish the next round as quickly as possible," Lin Zhengran said. "We can head back to school early."

Xiao Heqing gave a soft hum of agreement.

On the other side of the arena, having lost the first round, Lin Xue sat weakly in the rest area. Jiang Jingshi came down from the stands and walked over. Lin Xue was too ashamed to even look at her.

"It’s fine that you lost," Jiang Jingshi consoled her. "Just win it back in the next match." She said this out loud, but she already knew how this would end.

Lin Xue clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles popping with a sharp CRACK. She wondered how someone like her, who had privately defeated the city champion, could possibly lose to such a naive, sweet little girl in a minor competition like this.

Seeing her stay silent, Jiang Jingshi didn’t linger and returned to the stands.

"It seems this team I spent a fortune training is a bit of a failure," she muttered to herself. "However..." She turned her gaze to Lin Zhengran, who was chatting with Xiao Heqing, and stared at the young man’s figure. "It’s not a total loss. This little guy... is far more precious than any competition."

The second match officially began.

If Xiao Heqing won this round, today’s competition would be over.

Lin Zhengran and Jiang Jingshi sat back down in the stands. This time, Jiang Jingshi dropped the topic from that morning and changed her phrasing. "Zhengran, have you ever thought about joining a suitable company after graduation? That way, you’d have a relatively stable starting point. After all, you’d have someone to back you up.

"I believe you’re not the type to settle for a fixed salary as a corporate drone, but having a good starting platform isn’t a bad choice. Once you’ve grown, you can leave whenever you want."

Lin Zhengran was surprised she had changed the subject so abruptly. It seemed she had also seen the inevitable outcome of the match. "To tell you the truth, Jiang, I have no interest in joining someone else’s company. Besides, it’s a bit too early for me to consider these things. I haven’t even graduated from high school yet."

Jiang Jingshi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t believe the latter half of his sentence for a second. Talented people were never restricted by their age. Even if he couldn’t take action right now, he definitely already had plans.

"So that means you intend to... start your own business in the future?" She let out a long breath, suddenly feeling a sense of danger—an innate business intuition kicking in. "If it were anyone else having such thoughts at this age, I’d say they lacked self-awareness. But for you, Zhengran... Even though I don’t know much about you yet, I have a feeling you’ll become a formidable rival to me in the future."

Lin Zhengran smiled, his tone remaining unremarkable. "You must be joking, Jiang. I’m no different from any ordinary person."

Jiang Jingshi stared at him before suddenly breaking into a tender smile. "There’s a very big difference. At the very least, I liked you the moment I laid eyes on you."

They went back to watching the match, whose outcome they already knew.

As the second round commenced, Lin Xue was much more irritable than before. She seemed to have realized that she was in poor form today—to the point where her strength couldn’t even compare to this little girl’s. Anxious, she tried to rely on her experience and her less-proficient speed to secure a victory. From the get-go, she unleashed a flurry of techniques, aiming to overwhelm Xiao Heqing without giving her a chance to retaliate, hoping to snatch a quick win.

But this time, Xiao Heqing didn’t even bother to block seriously. She merely dodged with ease and parried a few key strikes, blankly watching her older opponent, who had already lost her composure. Her gaze seemed to say, "You can’t win fighting like this. You’re too anxious. Besides, Taekwondo is no fun when played this way."

Feeling mocked by her gaze, Lin Xue grew even angrier. Her footwork became more aggressive, but Xiao Heqing only found it increasingly effortless to deal with. To her, Lin Xue just looked like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

Lin Xue couldn’t believe she was going to lose again. She had never lost before. After a barrage of attacks, Lin Xue threw a full-force roundhouse kick. Unexpectedly, Xiao Heqing blocked the strike using only a single arm.

Lin Xue was shocked.

He Qing wasn’t endlessly patient with everyone, either. Her eyes suddenly flared with anger, as if she couldn’t understand what her opponent was even trying to do. With a heavy kick, she sent Lin Xue flying backward.

Although Lin Xue had just given up a point, a smirk appeared on her lips, as if to ask, "You’re out of energy too, aren’t you? That kick didn’t even hurt."

Xiao Heqing looked at her in confusion before her expression gradually hardened into one of pure resolve. Dropping her arms, she finally got serious and took two steps back.

Lin Xue recognized the wind-up. Watching the girl’s footwork, she realized what was coming. "A jumping back kick? Everyone knows how to defend against such a basic move. There’s no way I can lose..."

With anger flashing in her eyes, Xiao Heqing lunged forward two steps. Then, under Lin Xue’s distorted, terrified gaze, the girl let out a soft shout. Xiao Heqing spun and unleashed an incredibly heavy, near-perfect jumping back kick—honed under Lin Zhengran’s guidance—violently launching the defending Lin Xue right off her feet!

Lin Xue was sent airborne, crashing onto the ground and skidding nearly a full stride backward. Lying on the floor, her shocked eyes trembled. Her arms were completely numb. Knowing the outcome, she stared despairingly at the arena’s ceiling and slowly closed her tear-filled eyes.

Even the referee felt the disparity in skill was far too great. He announced the result: "The match is over! Contestant He Qing claims the final victory!"

The other competitors on Jiang Jingshi’s team were dumbfounded. No one had expected Lin Xue to lose two rounds in a row, let alone so thoroughly.

Meanwhile, members of the other Taekwondo dojos—even those who had lost their own matches—were all cheering for He Qing’s victory.

"He Qing! He Qing! He Qing!"

Everyone chanted her name. Amidst her joy, Xiao Heqing glanced at Lin Xue, who lay on the ground completely devoid of her fighting spirit, her little head pondering who-knows-what.

In the stands, Jiang Jingshi sighed. "To think she actually lost. It’s truly unexpected. He Qing is in fantastic shape today, and her strength is absurd. With Lin Xue’s current skill level, she really is no match."

Before Lin Zhengran could respond, Jiang Jingshi turned her head and said, her gaze gentle yet her tone deliberately pointed, "Zhengran, I’ll be keeping score for this grudge. When the opportunity arises, I’ll definitely pay you back."

Lin Zhengran was at a loss for words. Before she could even finish her sentence, her phone suddenly rang. Checking the caller ID, she saw it was her grandfather calling.

She shushed Lin Zhengran, suddenly acting as nervous as a little girl. "Hello? Grandpa? It’s Jingshi. Why are you calling?"

Her grandfather said something on the other end of the line, and Jiang Jingshi was visibly shocked. "Ah? You’re at the house? Okay, okay, okay, I’ll head back to see you right now. Alright, just wait a little while."

She hung up the phone, a troubled look crossing her face. "Zhengran, there’s an emergency at home. I need to leave right away." She pulled out a business card from her coat. "I forgot to give you my number the last time we met. This time, we can consider ourselves officially acquainted. Although the future is uncertain, I have a feeling we’ll meet again soon."

She smiled. "This time, it has nothing to do with my younger sister. Would you mind having me as a friend, Zhengran?"

Lin Zhengran took the business card. It was still warm from being kept close to her chest. "Of course I wouldn’t mind. My number is—"

Jiang Jingshi shielded her lips with the back of her hand and whispered gently into his ear, "No need to say it. I’ve known your number for a long time. It’s been saved in my phone since way back." She stood up and waved. "I’ll be off then. See you when fate allows."

With that, she walked away from the competition venue, her high heels clicking with every step. Her slightly wavy, shoulder-length hair swayed gently in tandem with her slender waist. Despite not being that old, she exuded an indescribable aura of mature charm.