Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

Chapter 20 Bring It On, All Three of You! I’m Not Scared!

In the early 21st century, Seacoast Normal University established the College of Sports and Health, offering a martial arts major focusing on Tai Chi. They widely spread invitations, inviting two true grandmasters of Tai Chi and Xing Yi Quan martial arts from the folk as guest professors to unearth and cultivate martial arts talents.

Bai Yuanzhi, an English Department of Luminary Pedagogical University graduate, began learning Tai Chi from her grandfather at a young age. She had been practicing for eighteen years and had achieved remarkable accomplishments.

Last year, Bai Yuanzhi was admitted to Seacoast Normal University’s Tai Chi master’s program with top scores in both written and interview exams. Her outstanding theoretical knowledge and exceptional combat performance led to her election as the university’s Martial Arts Association president.

Moreover, Bai Yuanzhi was also a popular content creator with 1.5 million followers. Her online handle was “Tai Chi-Yuanzhi”. With her naturally sweet appearance and graceful Tai Chi movements showcased without any artificiality, she had earned the title “Tai Chi’s Number One Beauty” online. Netizens playfully referred to her as “sweet yet fierce.”

Recently, she held a meeting with the heads of martial arts clubs from various universities in Azure Bay. Ultimately, they decided to collaborate on a “Newcomer Pairs Tournament” to learn from each other, enhance mutual understanding, invigorate the martial arts atmosphere, and discover potential talents.

Then, last night, Luan Qingyun, the president of the Azure Bay University Martial Arts Association, sent a message to the president’s chat group, saying, “I declare that this year’s Newcomer Pairs Tournament champion has already been decided for us, Azure Bay University. You all need to work harder to compete for the second place.”

His attitude was extremely arrogant, sparking outrage among the members.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that they had recruited an extraordinary newcomer this year named Zhao Baiyu, who specialized in Xing Yi Bagua Palm. She nearly knocked down Luan Qingyun during yesterday’s interview, leading to a rather awkward scene.

Luan Qingyun used the phrases “unprecedented” and “powerful beyond comparison” to describe this new recruit.

This news left everyone stunned.

First and foremost, Luan Qingyun wouldn’t lie about his embarrassing experiences.

Secondly, everyone knew Luan Qingyun’s prowess, having immersed himself in Baguazhang for many years. If what he said was true, Zhao Baiyu would become the top newcomer in the Azure Bay area this year and potentially rise to the top three nationally.

Based on these factors, during today’s club recruitment event, Bai Yuanzhi intentionally came to the scene as well. On the one hand, she hoped to unearth a supremely talented newcomer willing to enroll with his skills, and on the other hand, she aimed to gather material for her new video.

At the start of the semester, the website strongly preferred related videos. She had unique advantages as a graduate student and future university teacher.

To gather materials and attract new students’ attention, she demonstrated and explained “Tai Chi push-hands” with her club members on the lawn throughout the morning.

Being one of the few internet celebrities at Seacoast Normal University, her presence naturally drew a considerable number of students to watch. Among them was Qin Shenglong, the Ultimate Karate Club Vice President, which was also recruiting new members.

Whether it was out of competition, teasing, or an attempt to expose the other’s intentions, Qin Shenglong watched for a while and felt that the “Tai Chi push-hands” demonstration was rather playful, lacking in technical depth. The reason why Bai Yuanzhi could push her opponent away seemed solely due to her partner’s cooperation.

Therefore, after watching a round, he provocatively exclaimed, “Miss Bai, can my friend from the media give it a try?”

He deliberately played on a popular meme from short video platforms.

There was a comedic content creator who earnestly taught traditional self-defense skills, first demonstrating them with his own disciple. Due to the disciple’s cooperation, the demonstrations appeared highly successful.

Following that, he would say, “Let the friend from the media give it a try.” Then, various mishaps would ensue as the uncooperative media friend subjected him to various creative forms of defeat. This was meant to generate laughter and create a satirical effect.

Indeed, as soon as Qin Shenglong finished speaking, the audience’s cheerful laughter erupted.

“Sure.” Bai Yuanzhi didn’t mind and smiled in agreement.

Qin Shenglong, with a rubbing-his-hands-together attitude, walked over. He even bowed slightly exaggeratedly, saying, “Thank you,” before extending his hand to clasp Bai Yuanzhi’s.

At first, he deliberately cooperated, planning to counter Bai Yuanzhi’s final push to return it to her.

However, after six or seven rounds, he sensed something was amiss.

It seemed like his body was gradually losing control, the situation slipping from his grasp. Unsteady and wavering, he felt himself being led step by step by the opponent.

By the time he realized the danger and tried to withdraw, it was already too late.

“Go!”

With a light shout, Bai Yuanzhi extended her hand forward. Qin Shenglong felt a long-gathered tremendous force, combined with his own effort, acting upon him. His feet almost left the ground as he slid backward, and then, upon hitting the ground, he continued to retreat seven or eight steps before finally falling flat on his back.

He landed in a sprawled position.

For a moment, his mind was in shock, and he was at a loss for words due to panic.

“Great!” A loud round of applause erupted around them.

“Thank you, Mr. Qin, for your cooperation.” Bai Yuanzhi gave him a way out.

Qin Shenglong quickly stood up, his expression gradually calming down. He awkwardly smiled and said, “Miss Bai, you’re impressive. I was careless and didn’t manage to dodge.”

After speaking, he hurriedly left, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Everyone just witnessed it. Tai Chi can also be performed with just one hand,” Bai Yuanzhi added, sharing some knowledge.

After this small incident, many new students inquired about and signed up for the martial arts club.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuanzhi prepared to shoot videos of other clubs’ recruitment activities for later editing. Filming content only from the martial arts club would be too monotonous.

Holding her phone, she explained while selecting materials.

Suddenly, two young men entered her camera frame – one was handsome and tall, while the other was tall and strong.

The handsome and tall young man seemed to light up her screen momentarily. He had that typical sunny boy aura, making people feel cheerful just by looking at him.

As she was about to approach them for a few words, she noticed that Qin Shenglong had intercepted them.

“Are you Qian Quan?”

Qin Shenglong glared at the handsome young man, his anger still fresh from his recent defeat.

“Yes, I am Qian Quan. Do you need something?” the handsome young man replied gently.

“Did you add Wang Tongyu as a friend on the social app?” Qin Shenglong asked.

“Yes, she said she would help me inquire about the club.”

“Delete her immediately!” Qin Shenglong ordered.

“That would be quite impolite,” the young man responded calmly.

“I told you to delete it, so just do it. No need for so much talk,” Qin Shenglong grew even more irritated.

“I won’t delete it,” the young man, seemingly not intimidated by Qin Shenglong’s karate uniform, shook his head resolutely, showing no fear. “Do you have any other business?”

“So, you came to the school just to cause trouble, huh?” Qin Shenglong’s tone turned threatening.

“I didn’t come to cause trouble. It seems like you’re the one causing trouble for me. I’ll tell Miss Wang about it if you continue this way. You wouldn’t want her to know about such unsavory matters, would you?” the young man countered with a threat of his own.

Bai Yuanzhi watched with amusement. She found the young man named Qian Quan quite interesting, especially his witty manner that complemented his looks.

Qin Shenglong indeed didn’t want Wang Tongyu to find out that he threatened the new freshman, but after being defeated by a girl and rejected by a newcomer, his pride was hurt, fueling his anger. Out of habit, he burst out with a furious roar, “Do you want to face me one-on-one?”

Qian Quan hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping from Qin Shenglong’s face to the faces of the other two karate members. He replied in a surprising tone, “Bring it on, all three of you! I’m not scared!”

Qin Shenglong and his two companions were dumbfounded instantly, thinking, “Has this guy gone crazy?”

The tall male student who was with Qian Quan grabbed him, saying, “Qian Quan, looking at their stance, you can’t beat even one of them.”

“I know, but if I take on all three and lose, it’s not shameful,” Qian Quan said with an air of confidence.

Qin Shenglong and his two companions couldn’t help but think, “Are they doing a comedy routine?”

Meanwhile, Bai Yuanzhi, who had captured this scene on camera, struggled to contain her laughter. This young man was truly amusing!

This footage was an absolute stroke of luck!

With his handsome appearance and such a facetious sense of humor, the contrast in his charm was bound to spark extensive discussions and shares among netizens once it was posted online.

She could already picture the barrage of comments flooding the screen.

“I was just kidding. If you really mind me adding Miss Wang, you can ask her to remove me. I’m okay with it, and I won’t delay your recruitment,” Qian Quan said, grabbing his companion and heading off.

“Wait a minute!” A recovered Qin Shenglong turned around and reached for Qian Quan’s shoulder.

Whether it was a coincidence, Qian Quan’s shoulder conveniently shifted, causing Qin Shenglong’s grasp to find nothing but air.

While Bai Yuanzhi, who was recording the video, noticed this, and her expression tightened.

Thinking he might have acted too hastily, Qin Shenglong took a step forward and attempted once more to grab Qian Quan’s shoulder, only to miss again.

Both times, the contact was evaded in a split second.

Seeing this, Bai Yuanzhi no longer hesitated. She put away her phone and prepared to step in to defuse the situation.

From what she knew, the remarkable auditory discernment skill demonstrated by that young man a moment ago was likely attributed to his advanced level in Tai Chi, particularly in “listening force.” Or, he might display a skill renowned in the world of martial arts – Wing Chun’s “Fluid Interaction of Wing Chun.”

Which skill was the young man named Qian Quan using?