Ch 57: Fight Between Brothers
Yin Chang stared back at Shao Junling who was bristling. Calmly he said, "You still want to fight?...Come on then, hit me."
Shao Junling was stunned when he heard this. Yin Chang's tone said he wasn’t joking. He was serious, and he couldn't tell if he was angry.
"I'll fight you," Yin Chang repeated. He stood up and beckoned him with his hand.
Shao Junling's gaze flickered uncertainly.
Yin Chang reassured him, "Don't worry, you can't hurt me."
Maybe it was Yin Chang's attitude that made Shao Junling feel demeaned, or maybe it was something else, but he gritted his teeth and swung his fist.
But he still had some reservations and only used half his strength.
Yin Chang raised his palm and blocked the punch with a loud "smack." He raised his eyebrows at Shao Junling, "That’s it? Is that all you’ve got?"
Shao Junling felt insulted and became furious. He used all his strength to swing another punch.
Just like before, Yin Chang used his palm to block directly, but timed pulling back to cushion the force of Shao Junling’s blow.
Dissolving his punches so easily made ShaoJunling's pupils contract. He continued to throw punches, but Yin Chang either easily dodged or blocked them. At one point, Yin Chang even wrapped his palm around Shao Junling's fist and pulled it towards himself, causing Shao Junling to nearly fall into his arms.
Shao Junling stumbled back into his taekwondo attack stance, with fierce eyes and an imposing manner.
He spun, jumped, and kicked. Yin Chang sidestepped the kick and grabbed his ankle, causing Shao Junling to lose his balance and fall forward again!
The little guy panicked and opened his mouth, but just as he was about to fall, Yin Chang caught his waist, and gently helped him stand firmly.
"Again," Yin Chang beckoned.
Shao Junling's face was red. He yelled "Ah!" and charged towards Yin Chang like a small rocket.
Yin Chang narrowed his eyes and gave it his all to respond.
To any bystander, it would’ve been clear that Yin Chang was bearing the brunt of Shao Junling's attacks head-on, whether he blocked with his arms or palms. He let Shao Junling viciously hit him all over, acting as a human sandbag for him to vent his frustrations.
However, from start to finish, Yin Chang didn't even furrow his brow, as if he felt nothing from Shao Junling's strikes.
Shao Junling became increasingly anxious, losing all sense of decorum.
He pulled everything out of his arsenal like tripping and clawing to relentlessly attack Yin Chang.
"Hey, why’re you resorting to tricks..." Yin Chang finally felt a little uneasy. He put up with it for a bit with a frown. He then grabbed Shao Junling's neck from behind, pushed him to the ground, and held him down with his body.
Despite how it seemed to Shao Junling, Yin Chang wasn't made of iron. It’d been ten minutes since the little guy had started swinging his fist, and Yin Chang was starting to feel a little out of breath.
Yinchang held Shao Juling down with one hand pressing down his neck and didn’t let him get up. Shao Junling refused to admit defeat. He struggled on the ground like a little turtle trying to flip over and fight again.
Yin Chang looked at him flailing around and couldn't help but chuckle.
Hearing this laughter, Shao Junling stopped struggling.
Just when Yin Chang thought Shao Junling had surrendered, he heard a faint sob.
Yin Chang's heart tightened as he quickly flipped Shao Junling over, only to see his eyes were red and tears streaming down his face.
"What's wrong with you?" Yin Chang asked.
Shao Junling wiped his eyes fiercely with his arm.
Yin Chang pulled him into a hug, exasperated. "I let you hit me for so long, and you still haven’t vented enough?"
Shao Junling had been holding back his tears, but Yin Chang's words hit a nerve, and his tears burst forth uncontrollably.
He cried and sobbed like a small animal whose paw had been caught in a trap, both aggrieved and angry. "I, I can't beat you! Taekwondo is useless!"
Yin Chang was stunned by Shao Junling's thought process. He burst into laughter. "Hahaha..."
Shao Junling was furious. "Why are you laughing!!!"
Yin Chang laughed so hard that he was trembling. "Do you even realize how young you are?"
This guy... Did he really think he could beat him?
Shao Junling was furious and started struggling again, but Yin Chang grabbed his wrists and soothingly said, "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing..."
Shao Junling couldn't escape or avoid him, he could only curl up on Yin Chang's body and weep in humiliation.
Yin Chang calmed down and gently stroked his back, "Right now, you can't beat me, but that doesn't matter. The door is closed. This is just between us brothers. Even if you lose, I won't look down on you. But have you ever considered, if you start a fight to help Xuezi but lose? When the show airs, you'll be embarrassed in front of the whole country."
Shao Junling choked up. He puffed out his cheeks. "I won't lose!"
Yin Chang remembered what Shao Junling's taekwondo coach had said to him on the phone. Shao Junling must have fought against opponents who were a few years older than him and that's why he was so confident.
But so what...
"Do you really think you can beat anyone just because you've been learning taekwondo for a few months?" Yin Chang chuckled.
Shao Junling was angry, "Even if I can't beat them now! I won't give up!"
Yin Chang raised his eyebrow... why was this kid so stubborn?
"How can you be so certain that you won't lose? Lang Chizhi and his friend are already fourteen years old, and a whole head taller than you and Xue Ziwen. Plus there are two of them," Yin Chang wanted to teach Shao Junling to learn to assess the situation properly and act accordingly.
Moreover, learning martial arts was for self-defense and staying fit, not for starting fights.
But Shao Junling replied firmly, "My literature teacher taught us a man can be destroyed, but not defeated!"
Yin Chang: "............"
Yin Chang was amused by this kid again, and jokingly asked, "So I beat you today – does that mean every day and night you’ll only be thinking of beating me?"
Shao Junling looked up, his wet eyes flickered with confusion. Finally, he lowered his head and muttered, "No."
Yin Chang breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was a "No." If this kid had answered "Yes." he would have been angry enough to break the brat's arms.
After crying and venting his anger, Shao Junling was now like a piece of soft candy, lying quietly on Yin Chang's without making a fuss.
Seeing that he’d calmed down, Yin Chang asked, "Feeling better now?"
Shao Junling tightened his hug and made a low "mmm" sound.
Yin Chang patted him on the back, "Alright, get up and go take a shower, you’re so stinky."
Shao Junling: "..."
After fighting, naturally both of them were sweaty. They helped each other wash and cool off.
After lying down again for bed, Yin Chang pinched Shao Junling's ear and whispered, "Shao Junling, let me say a few things. Listen carefully."
Shao Junling: "...?"
These words had been in the back of his mind since Yin Chang initially invited him to spar. After confirming some thoughts, Yin Chang decided to tell him.
"I told you before, if there's anything that bothers you, you should tell me... Do you remember?"
"Uh-huh..."
Yin Chang gazed at Shao Junling and suddenly said, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."
Shao Junling stared back in confusion, not knowing why his brother was apologizing to him.
Yin Chang explained, "There was another time before, the night before we decided to participate in this program. You were also very angry, weren't you?... At that time, I didn't realize that you might not even know what you were angry about."
Yes, he now realized that children sometimes couldn't understand their own emotions.
Yin Chang remembered that he used to be stubborn for a while when he was a child, especially when Yin Dong was about to go out of town for a business triip. He would cry and throw tantrums.
But Yin Dong said something to him back then, and he couldn't remember exactly what it was. He only remembered that he later went abroad and took a course on emotional management in school, which was similar to what Yin Dong had said.
In Yin Chang's eyes, Yin Dong was a person who was perfect in emotional management. He was polite to everyone and never got angry in front of loved ones. He handled everything calmly and seemed to have no problem that couldn't be solved.
Through that course, Yin Chang gradually grew from a child who couldn't understand his father and was always sulking by himself to a person with emotional stability,
He didn't know if he was influenced more by his father's words or by the course. But he couldn't deny that the lessons helped him a lot.
He learned step by step to understand his own emotional state, to express himself clearly, and to gradually resolve pain and achieve inner peace.
As Yin Chang recalled, he said to Shao Junling, "In the future, if you feel unhappy but can't express it well, you can go for a run, scream in a place where no one is around, or come to me to fight. You can also hide in your blanket and cry alone."
Seeing Shao Junling look uneasy and lower his eyes, Yin Chang smiled, "You're still young, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Actually during the last couple of days, Yin Chang had noticed that Shao Junling would at times express some frustration. But possibly because he held onto Yin Chang's advice to behave on the program he’d tried his best to endure it...
But a person's endurance was limited, let alone Shao Junling, who was still a child. He must have been really upset after being stopped from fighting tonight.
That's why Yin Chang just asked him to fight with him. He wanted to allow Shao Junling to vent his emotions in this way.
Yin Chang continued, "But after venting and calming down, can you think about why you were angry just now? If you encounter the same situation again, can you be a little calmer than this time and use a better method to deal with it?"
Shao Junling listened attentively, as if trying to understand the meaning behind Yin Chang's words.
After a long time, the little guy slowly said "Mm".
Yin Chang rubbed his head with satisfaction and encouraged him, "You've been doing well these past few days. Hold on a little longer and we can go home tomorrow afternoon. When we get back, tell Fiona what you want to eat and she'll make it for you."
Shao Junling snuggled up to him and buried his head in his arms, murmuring, "I want to eat little cakes..."
Yin Chang was stunned. "Do you want me to make them?"
Shao Junling replied with an "Mmm."
Yin Chang chuckled, "Alright, I'll make it for you when we get back."
The next day, Yin Chang went to the designated location to pick up breakfast as instructed by the staff.
He bumped into Wang Chen and was a little surprised. Wang Chen's face was dirty, his hair disheveled, and he looked very haggard. The past two days had been rough, and taking care of his nephew was a higher priority than his appearance.
"I'll have two bowls of porridge, six buns, four tea eggs... oh, and youtiao too? Give me two more youtiao..." Wang Chen yawned sleepily.
Yin Chang greeted him, "Morning, uncle."
Wang Chen was shocked when he saw Yin Chang, who was immaculate. He took a step back and couldn't believe his eyes. How could he still be so fair and handsome after being exposed to the sun for two days? It wasn’t scientific!
After two seconds of confusion, he finally realized that Yin Chang had just greeted him. He felt a flash of annoyance as he thought to himself, "What the hell, man!"
Yin Chang asked Wang Chen while the staff helped him carry the breakfast, "Did you know Xue Zi was bullied yesterday?"
Wang Chen asked, "Huh? Bullied by whom?"
"Those twins. I heard from my younger brother that they shoved him and caused his head to hit something."
Wang Chen recalled the incident and said helplessly, "Oh, that. He kept complaining to me about it yesterday. It's just a small bump, what does he want?"
Yin Chang remained silent.
Wang Chen said, "My sister said to bring him here to suffer a bit, don't bother with him." After that, he prepared to leave with his breakfast.
Seeing him like this, Yin Chang had nothing more to say.
On the last day of the shoot, the production team finally stopped tormenting them.
They probably didn't want to go too far and scare off these young masters and misses from coming back for the next episode. The production team let them freely team up and help the villagers deliver some agricultural products to their families in the morning. At noon, the villagers gathered together and made them a big pot of rice, which moved them to tears and stirred up some emotions.
After lunch, everyone packed up and prepared to leave.
The shooting location for this episode was the closest to Haicheng, so Yin Chang and Wang Chen could take a car back, while the other guests went directly to the nearest airport.
The shooting for the next episode would take place on July 16th, and the location was still unknown. Everyone made plans to meet up again in a week and then returned to their own homes.
Back at home, Yin Chang and Shao Junling slept comfortably in an air-conditioned room that night. In the following days, Yin Chang had other work to do, but he still kept his promise and took half a day to personally bake a bunch of little cakes for Shao Junling.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the shooting day for the second episode of "Superstar Life".
The day they were scheduled to depart, the guests of the show who hadn’t chatted in the group suddenly became lively.
Wang Chen messaged “Ah, we're going to suffer again!” He even added a "life is hopeless" expression.
Huang Han: “My sister has been hiding in her room since last night... [sigh]”
Yin Chang: "Do you guys know where we're going this time?"
Huang Han: "I saw the flight that the production team booked for us. It's a city in the central region, probably nearby?"
Wang Chen:"It's probably some small rural village in the middle of nowhere where you can't even leave without a car. It doesn't matter if we know or not."
Qin Jing Shan: "I really want to stay at home and enjoy the air conditioning. [sigh]"
Lang Chizhi: "Although I also want to stay at home with air conditioning, I'm also looking forward to seeing Sister Jing Shan... [shy]"
Qin Jing Shan: "[giggling]"
Qin Jing Shan: "What about your little brother?"
Lang Chizhi: "He's not in this group, only the adults are. [grinning]"
Huang Han: "You two are clearly the same age..."
Qin Jing Shan: "Why don't we create a group with everyone? A few of the younger ones must have WeChat, my sister does."
Huang Han: "My sister doesn't count. She only knows how to play Candy Crush on her phone."
Qin Jing Shan's proposal was supported by many people, and they quickly created a new group chat, dragging the younger siblings with WeChat accounts into it.
In the friend's list, Yin Chang found Shao Junling's profile picture and hesitated for a moment before adding him to the group.
"Hey, whose cute cake avatar is this?" Qin Jing Shan asked.
"My younger brother's..." Yin Chang replied.
Everyone was shocked, unable to connect the adorable avatar with the cold, poker-faced little boy. This avatar was just changed by Shao Junling. He took a photo of the little cake Yin Chang made for him a couple of days ago. His previous avatar was...Yin Chang didn't say anything, and he didn't know what Shao Junling was thinking.
The door of the dilapidated house where Shao Junling and Yin Chang lived was full of gaps. When the two were fighting inside, the staff of the program were all lying outside, peeking in.
"Ah, what should we do? They're fighting!"
"Who's fighting who? Is Yin Chang getting beaten up? Can you hear their conversation?"
"It's Shao Junling who's hitting his brother..."
"Wow, Yin Chang is letting him beat him up..."
"I feel like Yin Chang is teasing a kitten..."
"Oh no, the little brother can't beat him and is crying."
"Hehehehehe..."
"Yin Chang is hugging and comforting him, so gentle."
"They're coming out! Shh... let's get out of here!"
...
"It's a pity that Yin Chang didn't let us film this scene. It's so loving."
Vignette 2
Shao Junling: I don't want to beat my brother. I want to work hard to make myself stronger, so that I can protect and love him... (/ω＼)
Author’s Note: “A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” Is from The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway
Translator’s Note: Sorry to be late! I was drawing Shao Junling and Yin Chang last night and forgot to post! See the WIP on twitte
