After stomping on Tong Yi, Jiang Li was ready to storm off. Tong Yi, realizing his misunderstanding, quickly grabbed her arm, “I was just joking. Haven’t you already stepped on me twice? Don’t be mad. If it helps, you can step on me again, okay?”
Jiang Li huffed, “Big nephew, I see you’ve picked up some bad habits abroad.”
Tong Yi: “…”
When did he ever pick up bad habits? Compared to his peers, he was certainly a very innocent young man, alright!
But indeed, the question he had just asked Jiang Xiao Li was out of line, so Tong Yi tried to change the subject, “Didn’t you just say you’ve seen plenty?”
Jiang Li nodded, “Yeah, scenes like that are all over movies and TV dramas. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen them.”
“Ah, so the ‘scenes’ you’ve seen were all fakes,” Tong Yi intentionally argued.
Jiang Li shook her head, “Not only that. Once, someone was littering in the school corridor, and the teacher checked the surveillance to find out who it was. Instead, they found a couple kissing after evening self-study. Of course, both of them had their parents called in.”
Tong Yi was shocked, “Really?”
“Really. Some members of the class committee were there when the teachers checked the surveillance, so I ended up seeing it too,” Jiang Li said honestly.
Tong Yi burst into laughter, “I think you should avoid watching improper scenes like that, lest you dream about them.”
Jiang Li looked at Tong Yi suspiciously, “Why are you so hung up on dreams? Have you been troubled recently?”
“…” He refused to answer that question.
Seeing Tong Yi’s evasive gaze, Jiang Li mused thoughtfully, “You’re an adult now. It’s normal to have those kinds of dreams occasionally. No need to feel ashamed.”
Tong Yi looked incredulous, “Jiang Xiao Li, do you realize I’m an adult man?”
“I know you’ve been an adult for a while now, why are you shouting?” Jiang Li was puzzled.
“Was it appropriate for you to say those things to me just now?” Tong Yi asked.
Jiang Li frowned, “Weren’t you the one who started this conversation?”
Tong Yi prattled in all seriousness, “Jiang Xiao Li, you need to be more cautious around men. If someone talks like this in front of you, they’re definitely up to no good. You should just hit them right then.”
“Alright then.” After saying those words, Jiang Li clenched her fist and swung it towards Tong Yi.
Tong Yi reflexively thought to retaliate but immediately stopped himself and grabbed Jiang Li’s fist instead, “What’s this about?” He asked, incredulous.
“What else? Of course, doing what you just told me to.” Jiang Li lightly replied, not even pausing her attacks. Every weekend she went home, she would spend time sparring with her third uncle. When Feng Qi was busy, she’d take the chance to bully Feng Bai instead. Today being a weekend, her muscles were demanding some exercise, so she gladly used Tong Yi for some practice.
Tong Yi didn’t expect her to take his words literally and was caught a bit off guard at first. After taking a punch, he had to start taking the situation seriously. Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Jiang Xiao Li, and soon enough, he took another hit. “H-hold on, let’s set some ground rules first,” Tong Yi tried to intervene.
Jiang Li frowned, “Fighting is fighting. What rules are there?” She lunged at him again, using both arms and legs in her assault.
Faced with Jiang Xiao Li’s relentless and rather unorthodox movements, Tong Yi had no choice but to dodge and weave, making sure not to hurt her, until Jiang Xiao Li tired herself out, leaving him also exhausted on the grass.
Jiang Li came over and sat down not too far from him, “You’re giving up already?”
Tong Yi: “…” Isn’t the word ‘give up’ a bit too insulting?
But Tong Yi no longer had the energy to argue with Jiang Li and only managed to say weakly, “Jiang Xiao Li, with your fighting style, I doubt many would volunteer to spar with you.”
“Every time my second brother spars with me, he looks as if he’s on his way to his execution. My third uncle, on the other hand, is always willing. He says girls should learn some self-defense to protect themselves when necessary,” Jiang Li shared truthfully.
Tong Yi chuckled, “Your second brother definitely deserves the title of China’s Best Brother.”
“I think so too.”
Now drenched in sweat and running low on energy, Jiang Li saw Tong Yi lying comfortably and decided to lie down as well, planning to rest for a bit.
Tong Yi noticed her movements and felt his heartbeat sped up at her action. Although Jiang Xiao Li was lying a distance away, the faint scent unique to a girl drifted over to her nostrils, even more so after the vigorous exercise.
For a moment, Tong Yi found his thoughts wandering, but he quickly suppressed them before they ran wild. After a long silence, he finally asked another question, “Jiang Xiao Li, besides Third Master Feng and your second brother, have you fought with anyone else?”
Jiang Li thought for a moment and replied, “During the military training in my first year, I sparred with an instructor.”
Tong Yi breathed a sigh of relief, suggesting, “Maybe you should fight less from now. With your style, you might actually be a bit of a liability to your team.”
Jiang Li turned to look at him, “Did you get hurt?”
Tong Yi’s eyes twinkled with amusement, “You only ask now?”
Jiang Li’s face showed some guilt as she got up from the grass. She moved towards Tong Yi and reached out to pull up his sleeve, remembering clearly that she had landed two punches on that arm.
Tong Yi jumped up in an instant, “What are you doing?”
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow, “Just checking if your arm got hurt, why such a big reaction?”
Tong Yi looked guilty and lay back down again, “Just check, I thought you were going to hit me again!”
“Relax, with your skills, I don’t need to resort to sneak attacks.” She lifted Tong Yi’s sleeve, saw he was fine, and let it be.
Tong Yi couldn’t help asking, “What level do I need to reach for you to consider a sneak attack?”
Jiang Li replied without hesitation, “My third uncle’s, of course. But sneaking up on him seems pointless, he reacts too quickly.”
Tong Yi: “…”
Had he known Jiang Xiao Li was a martial arts fanatic as well, he would have trained himself better to spar with her daily.
“Jiang Xiao Li, you’re almost of age, right?” Tong Yi suddenly changed the topic.
Jiang Li nodded, “Yeah, it will be my eighteenth birthday in a few months. My grandpa wants to throw me a coming-of-age ceremony, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Of course it’s necessary. Becoming an adult is important,” Tong Yi insisted.
Jiang Li was nonchalant, “We’ll see. I don’t care much, really.”
Tong Yi: “…”
To be honest, he did care about it because once Jiang Xiao Li was of age, he would no longer need to feel so guilty because of those peculiar dreams.
Since she was traveling to attend a competition, Jiang Li couldn’t stay overseas for long. When she returned to China, she went through another interview, just like the previous year, and gained some online popularity before going straight back to school. Even though it was currently the summer break, as a soon-to-be third-year student, she couldn’t miss the supplementary lessons at school.
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