Chapter 110: Pummeling Foreigners on the Competition Field—Now That's Truly Satisfying!
He had been keeping a close eye on the trending topics, even re-downloading Weibo for this purpose. After Xia Shiqi clarified matters on Weibo, her studio moved quickly and had already prepared a lawyer’s letter. This surge in attention propelled Xia Shiqi’s fame beyond other young male stars and female celebrities of her cohort, securing her spot on the trending list for two days. Even those who had never heard of her became casual fans, though, inevitably, some haters appeared as well.
There were people who seemed to hate for the sake of hating—and there were more of them than one might expect.
Returning to the dormitory, three pairs of eyes immediately locked onto Cheng Yao, refusing to let him go.
Wang Wenbo was the first to stand up, his expression odd. “Bro, I’m still stuck in hotel hookups, and you’ve already reached the level of dating a hot female celebrity?”
“Dad!” Wang Wenbo flopped over and hugged Cheng Yao’s leg limply. “Save your child, I want to date a celebrity too!”
“Let go—get lost!” Cheng Yao said, half laughing, half crying.
Zhu Huiyang couldn’t believe it. “The person in those photos—is that really you?”
“It’s me.”
“Damn, you’re incredible, Old Cheng!” Zhang Lei let out a curse. The honor of Dorm 404 was shared by all.
Cheng Yao kicked Wang Wenbo off and placed a finger to his lips. “Shh, keep it down. I don’t want anyone else to know—got it?”
“Tsk, now you’re putting on airs?”
Wang Wenbo grinned, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. “Cheng Yao, you’ve been hiding something from us. You used to say your parents were gone, you had a sister and a house, acting all pitiful. Thinking back, that was impossible. You’re a second-generation rich kid, aren’t you? Otherwise, how could you get involved with a celebrity?”
“Her agent is my aunt. When I was in Shanghai, she happened to give me a ride. I didn’t expect the paparazzi to be so shameless.”
Cheng Yao truly hadn’t expected it—he hadn’t known Xia Shiqi would pick him up that day.
Honestly, if he hadn’t known Xia Shiqi was good-natured, he might have wondered if she’d orchestrated the whole thing as a publicity stunt. But clearly, that wasn’t the case.
“No wonder! You’ve got such a powerful aunt!” Wang Wenbo now understood why Cheng Yao was so talented in music—it was all preparation for breaking into showbiz.
“Old Cheng, you really hide it deep.”
“Tsk, tsk…”
“…”
Cheng Yao slumped into a chair, frowning, unwilling to say more. He knew these fools had already filled in the blanks with their imagination, and honestly, he was too lazy to explain.
“Let’s have hotpot tonight. My treat.”
“You have to treat!”
“No problem.” Cheng Yao nodded with a smile.
Wang Wenbo suggested, “Want to play basketball?”
“Let’s go. Nothing else to do anyway.”
Cheng Yao changed his shoes and sent a message to Liu Hanyue, who hadn’t contacted him in the past two days. Was she angry about the Xia Shiqi affair?
Could she be… craving my body?
He had plans with Lu Mengyao that evening; she’d been practicing yoga lately and wanted him to come over. Tomorrow morning, he was meeting Lin Ketong—his schedule was packed.
Recently, Cheng Yao found “Time Management” to be an absolute masterpiece, providing him with invaluable insights and help in managing his time.
He also realized he was heading further down the path of a playboy.
It was a hot day when they reached the gym.
“Cheng Yao, Cheng Yao!” Wang Churuo waved energetically and hurried over. “That script you gave us last time—after Yuyue and I got home, we kept studying it. The results were great, we gained a lot of fans. Your salary wasn’t wasted!”
“Keep it up.”
“Hehe, so, what’s the deal between you and Xia Shiqi?”
“Just friends,” Cheng Yao replied.
“Just friends?” Liu Hanyue glanced at him curiously.
Cheng Yao smiled slyly. “You care so much? Meet me at the pavilion tonight—I’ll whisper it to you.”
“Get lost~”
Liu Hanyue blushed, though curiosity still danced in her eyes.
---
Knowing Liu Hanyue wasn’t a typical girl, Cheng Yao’s way of speaking had become distinctly “Liu Hanyue-style.”
This Saturday and Sunday, he finally had a break from daily tasks; full of energy, he charged across the court, as if his veins pumped nothing but adrenaline.
He played all out, fouling five times and getting benched.
Seeing him on the bench, Liu Hanyue smirked. “Pathetic and playful—what a combo.”
She hadn’t forgotten how Cheng Yao had embarrassed her at the lobster restaurant. Though outwardly reconciled, she was still waiting to ridicule him.
“Hilarious… Can we shoot a swimsuit series tomorrow?” Cheng Yao asked seriously.
Liu Hanyue’s face froze, exposing two small tiger teeth as she sneered. “Are you filming swimsuits, or just trying to take advantage of me?”
“I’m a respectable person. No mixing business with pleasure. That’s called professionalism.”
Cheng Yao stroked his chin—no beard—and spoke in earnest.
“Yeah, right. I’d be a fool to believe you.”
Her boss, whom she grudgingly called that (since the money wasn’t free), made such unreasonable requests—Liu Hanyue resisted. She suspected Cheng Yao wanted her in a swimsuit just to mock her for being small!
The thought made her grit her teeth.
She and Wang Churuo huddled together, gossiping and occasionally shooting Cheng Yao a look full of disdain.
Cheng Yao sat quietly, scrolling through videos. Both Liu Hanyue and Wang Churuo showed ambition, filming at home as they had before, easily adapting to new styles, especially with ready scripts.
Two girls from Guangzhou messaged him, inviting him to play games…
Speaking of Guangzhou, Cheng Yao turned to Zhang Lei. “Old Zhang, how’s your girlfriend’s piano playing?”
“Me? We’re meeting Saturday. You coming?”
“Saturday?”
“Yeah.”
Cheng Yao hesitated. “I’ll think about it, depends if I’m free.”
That afternoon’s class wasn’t a major, so Cheng Yao borrowed Liu Hanyue’s notes, sometimes tugging her twin ponytails—earning a glare in return.
He just laughed, unfazed.
Wang Churuo was still studying the script Cheng Yao gave her, full of goofy humor—the videos were genuinely well done.
Before he knew it, five o’clock had arrived.
Cheng Yao and the group planned hotpot, heading straight to Golden Eagle Mall after class.
Along the way, he playfully chatted with Liu Hanyue.
She asked curiously, “You and that celebrity…”
“Just friends.”
“Oh~”
She didn’t ask further, but her attitude softened.
After paying the bill at Golden Eagle, Cheng Yao returned to campus, immediately driving to Xinjiekou. That evening, he’d arranged sparring practice with Chen Xingyan.
Chen Ruiyong was teaching kids at that moment.
“Weren’t we supposed to spar?” Cheng Yao was puzzled, seeing Chen Xingyan in casual clothes. He’d been looking forward to seeing her in full gear.
She sized him up, pinched her chin, and said, “Cheng Yao, you and that celebrity…”
“?”
Cheng Yao froze. “Why does it feel like the whole world knows it’s me?”
“Paparazzi are skilled. The photos are so clear, I could recognize you by your outline. Anyone close to you would. You just wore sunglasses, not a mask…”
Chen Xingyan shook her head, still curious.
Cheng Yao explained again, and she nodded, surprised at his connections in entertainment.
---
“Come on, let’s head next door.”
“The sparring you mentioned is…”
Chen Xingyan slung an arm over Cheng Yao’s shoulder, gave his head a knock. For some reason, bullying him felt oddly satisfying. “Didn’t I tell you? Sparring is the best teacher.”
Then what’s the point of you? Cheng Yao thought, but didn’t say—lest he sound like a rebellious apprentice.
“Isn’t it a bit much to stir trouble at another dojo?”
“Relax, these kinds of exchanges are common—builds friendships, strengthens ties. So don’t hold back; if you face a Korean opponent, hit hard.”
A cunning gleam sparkled in Chen Xingyan’s pretty eyes.
Cheng Yao’s lips twitched. “Are you sure we’re not here to stir up resentment?”
He glanced at the Taekwondo dojo across the way. “Aren’t they all compatriots?”
“Not at all. Several are Korean, including the coach.”
“You’re not making me fight the coach, are you?”
“Not that extreme…”
Chen Xingyan flexed her fists. “I’ve been annoyed with them for ages. We used to be the only school on this floor, but they took a chunk of our business. Taekwondo isn’t all that.”
“You used to say Taekwondo was great, and that a skilled practitioner in any discipline is strong…”
“That’s true,” she sighed. “But in reality, whether it’s mixed martial arts, kickboxing, or Taekwondo, none of them respect each other. Outwardly friendly, inwardly itching to see each other embarrassed. It’s an unspoken rule of the circle—got it?”
“Got it.”
“And another thing: Koreans look down on people from our country. Two-faced, always sarcastic. So go all out.”
Clearly, Chen Xingyan had been annoyed with the Korean fighters for a long time.
As they walked, they reached the dojo, where “International Taekwondo Martial Arts Academy, Nanjing Branch” hung above the entrance.
“Looks impressive.”
“They do have some skill. Taekwondo is an Olympic sport now, so it gets attention.”
Seeing Chen Xingyan arrive with someone, the other side had already prepared the arena.
A middle-aged man awaited them—not looking particularly Korean.
To Cheng Yao, Korean men (aside from the likes of Ma Dong-seok) all seemed like fresh-faced pretty boys, lacking any real tough guys…
“Hello, Miss Chen. We’re delighted to spar with your school—been looking forward to it,” Kim Ji-chung said, flashing his signature smile.
Chen Xingyan, out of courtesy, shook his hand, then glanced at Cheng Yao in the distance. “That’s my prized student. He’s got talent, but a bit arrogant—please teach him a lesson.”
Kim Ji-chung gave a polite but awkward chuckle.
He then approached a young man pounding away at the sandbag.
The youth glanced at Cheng Yao, disdain flickering in his eyes.
Kim Ji-chung patted his shoulder. “Since Miss Chen wants you to teach her student, do your best. This is a first for me, but don’t ruin our reputation. Everyone outside Taekwondo is an opponent.”
“...Sumida!”
In truth, such challenges were tantamount to dojo storming—a rarity unless it was for international competition.
So, though Kim Ji-chung appeared friendly, he was especially annoyed with Chen Xingyan.
No one in mixed martial arts? Sending a young woman?
Chen Xingyan patted Cheng Yao’s shoulder. “That guy says you’ve only trained for a few days and dared to come challenge him. He wants to show you Taekwondo’s power—don’t disgrace your school.”
“Mm…” Cheng Yao was beyond words.
…
…