Chapter 1, the youth's ambitions do not speak of sorrow

He pondered back and forth, hesitating: "But, but how can someone like me, with an average height and an ordinary appearance, be worthy of her? I don't even know if I can provide her with the life she deserves in the future. Perhaps, perhaps I should just..."

Cai Zongming listened in astonishment, his mouth half-open for a long time before he finally spoke

Why? The building suddenly became interesting.

In today's world, martial arts have a long and profound history, not merely a legend, nor are they elusive. They have existed since thousands of years ago and have continued into modern times. Through decades of confrontation with technology, there has been a necessity to change old concepts and traditions, fully integrating into all aspects of society. The ranks of martial arts have also taken on a modern hue—evaluated through a "ranking competition" held by specialized martial arts associations, with the first rank being the highest and the ninth rank as the entry level. Beyond the entry level, there are also amateur enthusiasts, thus creating a distinction from amateur first to ninth ranks. However, do not underestimate the "amateur" label; they are more than capable of competing with ordinary individuals.

Luo Cheng turned his head in confusion to look at him: "What opportunity?"

Cai Zongming changed his tone and waved his fist, saying: "Moreover, the situation is still uncertain; whether you can catch up is another matter, and the hope is probably slim... Uh... Hurry up, Orange, do not leave any regrets. At least you have made an effort and tried. Youth does not know failure, and the ambitions of youth do not speak of sorrow"

Luo Cheng's heartbeat quickened due to exercise, yet his feet felt somewhat sluggish, still a bit timid, but he soon reined it in, glancing past Cai Zongming, and silently clenched his fist saying

How did she end up welcoming guests for the Martial Arts Club?" Luo Cheng asked in confusion after coming to his senses

"Orange, what are you so nervous about?" Cai Zongming, with his hands in the pockets of his beige casual pants, noticed Lou Cheng's unusual behavior. "Isn't it just the martial arts club's welcome meeting? Many people aren't coming. Look at Old Qiu, he signed up even earlier than us, and he went to study instead, right? It's not an exam, so why are you so worked up?"

Orange, are you overthinking this? You don't even know each other yet, and you're already contemplating life after marriage? Your ability to make associations is truly remarkable

Lou Cheng stared in astonishment at Cai Zongming, unable to believe that this fellow could utter such reasonable words

Cai Zongming grinned and said: "Oranges, you are too impatient. Touch your face; it's as red as a monkey's bottom. The other party can tell at a glance that you have ulterior motives. Hurry up, go buy a bottle of ice water to cool your face."

Can the redness of the face after running not cover up the original redness of the face

This kind of thing is too damn exciting

"Get lost!" After a succinct response, she took a light breath, strolled forward, and spoke as she walked, "She was quite famous in high school, so I knew she had a passion for martial arts. What I didn't expect was that we both ended up at Matsumoto University. At that moment, I felt it was fate, and my heart raced with excitement and a bit of anxiety, so I dragged you to sign up, hoping for a chance to connect."

He could not help but turn his head to look at his roommate Cai Zongming, as if seeking some form of psychological comfort

Luo Cheng listened to Cai Zongming's ramblings while quietly observing Yan Zheke, who stood at the edge of the steps, attracting everyone's attention. She was as striking, outstanding, and radiant as a star under the spotlight, making others feel utterly ashamed of themselves

I understand, unrequited love, who hasn't experienced it?" Cai Zongming stopped mocking and instead said, "No wonder you insisted on dragging me to sign up for the martial arts club back then; I thought you had seen through my disguise as a hidden expert!

I will give it a try

Lou Cheng waved his hand, indicating that he had heard, and did not reduce his pace, determined to press on with vigor

"Forget it, let's get down to business, Chengzi, the opportunity has arrived!" Cai Zongming concluded his soliloquy

Well, at least I have made an effort

Cai Zongming chuckled and said, "Isn't this simple? If I were a senior in the Martial Arts Society and saw a junior sister of such quality signing up, I would definitely reach out in advance and communicate more. Even if I couldn't pursue her as a girlfriend, having her as a representative of the Martial Arts Society would be great! Unlike you, a rough man, what use are you?"

Cai Zongming remarked: "It seems that this person is not even an amateur of the ninth rank. Whether one is skilled or not is all relative, according to the theory of relativity, isn't it? What if I let you use one hand?"

"Pah, isn't it just an amateur rank five? A hidden master, my foot!" Lou Cheng couldn't help but retort.

Loucheng pondered for a moment and felt that some guidance was still needed, so he carefully chose his words and said: "Love guru, do you still remember that girl from when we signed up?"

Indeed, youth knows no failure

Above the main entrance of the venue, there are several large black illuminated characters, inscribed with its own "name"

This person claims to have dated many girlfriends, is experienced, and particularly skilled at talking nonsense. He is collectively referred to as "the Love Saint" by everyone in the dormitory, so seeking his advice on such matters should be the right choice

The two only met when they first enrolled, yet they were quite compatible in their personalities. After going through military training and course selection, they quickly became friends skilled at mutually inflicting harm on each other

What happened? Lou Cheng only felt his blood rushing to his head at that moment

Indeed, her mother is from Jiangnan... Lou Cheng stared for a few moments; this was the first time he had seen Yan Zheke in Hanfu, and it was quite stunning

Having spoken, he looked at Yan Zheke in the distance, gazing at her beautiful figure adorned in red and white, and mustered the courage to take a step forward.

Opportunities for flirting! Opportunities for hooking up! Cai Zongming said with a tone of frustration as if he were lamenting the failure of iron to become steel

From a distance, as he gazed at these few words and the youthful men and women surging towards the venue, Lou Cheng felt a surge of vibrant energy. However, he, who should have belonged to this group, swallowed hard with a hint of trepidation, seemingly stirred by a sentiment known as 'homesickness.' Of course, martial arts is not home, and a club is not family.

"I remember! How could I forget? It's been over a month since I entered school, and I've only encountered two or three girls with such qualities. If I didn't already have true love, I would have approached them!" Cai Zongming glanced at Lou Cheng and chuckled, "What? Are you interested? Want to pursue her? I thought at first glance that you were a very dull and honest guy, but who would have thought, who would have thought, that you are such a flirt!"

I have never engaged in the act of flirting, and just thinking about it makes me a bit hesitant. Moreover, is flirting really effective?

Understood! Do you know her, does she know you? Cai Zongming said with a suppressed smile

At that moment, Cai Zongming suddenly grabbed him.

Cai Zongming stared blankly at this... at this moment, he finally understood and gave a thumbs up, "Impressive!"

This is the meaning of feeling ashamed of one's own shortcomings

Loucheng quickly explained: "Actually, I have known her for a long time. She was in the class next to mine in high school. Every time there was a broadcast for martial arts exercises, we happened to be right next to each other. She was in the rightmost column of her class, and I was in the leftmost column of ours. Over time, you understand, right?"

Provoked by Cai Zongming, Lou Cheng, being young and impetuous, momentarily filled with passion, suppressed all his hesitations and concerns, and nodded emphatically

Are you secretly in love with someone? You are both from the same hometown and classmates, what a wonderful relationship! Being in a different place, away from familiar faces, having a fellow townsman or classmate is the best opportunity to find a partner. Cai Zongming said eloquently, "Think about it, a girl who has left her hometown to study thousands of miles away, surrounded by strangers, must feel the most insecure at this time. Naturally, she will subconsciously feel close to familiar faces from her past. As the saying goes, 'When fellow townsmen meet, tears fill their eyes.' Moreover, you were once in the same school and the same grade, so there are countless topics to discuss, and the sense of closeness is different."

At this thought, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and without hesitation, he took off running, not towards the grand venue of the Martial Arts Society, but in the opposite direction. In no time, he had covered a hundred meters, and then he turned back. By the time he passed by Cai Zongming, he was already panting heavily

"Hey, that's not true. I am a distinguished amateur fifth-tier expert, the future pillar of the Martial Arts Society..." At this point, Cai Zongming paused for a moment, "Normally, they should have contacted me in advance. An amateur fifth-tier is not something common in the Songda Martial Arts Society. Could it be that the quality of this year's freshmen is so high? Aside from the legendary Lin Que, are there many others at the amateur third or fourth tier?"

After finishing his words, without waiting for Lou to think too much, he continued to persuade: "Chengzi, what you call having a sense of responsibility and self-awareness sounds nice, but to put it bluntly, it can also be seen as being timid, weak, and lacking confidence. We are only in our first year of university, the school is among the best in the country, and our major is quite decent. If we study diligently and earnestly for four years, are we really afraid of not finding a good job after graduation? Have you lost even this little bit of confidence? Or do you simply not want to put in the effort? Liking her should be a motivation for you to improve yourself, to push yourself, to extract your potential; that is what true responsibility means. Otherwise, it is merely enjoying the feeling of being moved by your own emotions. Everything is daunting when it comes to being serious about it!"

Cai Zongming is half a head taller than Lou Cheng, exceeding 1.8 meters. Not only is he tall and upright, but even in terms of appearance, Lou Cheng has to admit that this guy is indeed handsome, almost fitting the description of "sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes" found in novels. Moreover, he comes from a well-off family and has a very tasteful sense of dress and style. The only problem is that he talks too damn much

Who has not experienced youth

She, like herself, is a newcomer, and today is the orientation meeting!

"Wow, Casanova, you really have experience." Lou Cheng touched his own face, which was indeed burning hot, and he almost stuttered while speaking

He encouraged himself while striding towards the venue, moving towards that red and white figure.

Luo Cheng's lips twitched, and he glared at Cai Zongming with anger, finally muttering after a long pause: "I don't know him..."

Luo Cheng's heart skipped a beat as he followed Cai Zongming's gaze. He saw a nine-step staircase outside the main entrance of the Martial Arts Society venue, where stood a young girl dressed in a red and white Hanfu. Her face was almost the size of a palm, with delicate features that immediately gave the impression of being "graceful and lively," embodying the essence of a girl from the Jiangnan water town. It was none other than Yan Zheke, whom he had been longing for.

"You are no different..." Lou Cheng retorted.

Cai Zongming shook his head and said: "Although the success rate of flirting mainly depends on looks and eloquence, if you do not even have the courage to flirt, you will never have a chance. Moreover, most women look down on such cowardly and timid men. What happened to the so-called liking? What kind of liking is it if you don't even have the courage to flirt? Furthermore, I have analyzed it, and you have a great opportunity; she might not even realize that you are flirting."

The autumn tiger stands majestically, still surveying the world. The sunlight at three o'clock in the afternoon is scorching and intense, casting a layer of golden raiment over the heavy, dark exterior of the massive venue.

Songcheng University Martial Arts Club

Looking at his back, Cai Zongming hurriedly said: "Don't chat too much, you are not familiar with each other yet. Talking too much can lead to awkwardness. It's better to leave a good impression first to lay the groundwork for the future"

Lou Cheng listened carefully, his heart gradually pounding, filled with an impulse to leap forward, as if the words of the love guru made a great deal of sense.

This is youth... Under the street tree nearby, an old man with completely white hair, seemingly in his seventies or eighties, looked at the figure of Lou Cheng with a sense of admiration, and for a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Back then, I was young like that too..."

"Flirting?" Lou Cheng looked at Yan Zheke in the distance, stammering, "Me?"

You should pretend to encounter and recognize them by chance; there is a ninety percent chance you can obtain their QQ number, mobile phone number, or something similar. Well, it is not advisable to delve too deeply on the first encounter, as it may make the other party feel wary and uneasy. It is best to stop once you have obtained their QQ number.

"Not bad, a normal line of thought." Cai Zongming took a few steps and suddenly said with a smile, "Look, Chengzi, isn't that your goddess?"