Rebirth: I Am Not the Movie Queen This Time-Chapter 106: The Rigid Are Easily Broken

"Nice, Chuchu, you’ve really surprised me. In just one day, you’ve completely transformed yourself. Doesn’t your family hide some kind of expert?" Mai Qiqi joked.

Wan Chu’er replied airily, "This young lady has a unique physique, exceptional talent, and quick understanding."

"You’re really not modest at all."

...

The two chatted and laughed for a while, then planned to rehearse together.

Unfortunately, Mai Qiqi’s guzheng practice room was just too cramped. Wan Chu’er simply couldn’t move freely; a single turn and she could hit the wall.

After thinking for a while, Wan Chu’er said, "Record it with your portable player."

"Good idea," Mai Qiqi agreed.

The two returned to the mountaintop plaza once again.

This time, however, there were people on the plaza. Old Sir Zhong sat in his wheelchair, gazing into the distance, emanating a sense of desolation.

The man pushing the wheelchair stood at attention in the distance.

Mai Qiqi and Wan Chu’er exchanged a glance.

The shock in Mai Qiqi’s eyes was no less than the day before yesterday. Old Sir Zhong usually kept to himself and was quite eccentric. Seeing him once was already considered rare.

That evening, when talking to Father Mai and Grandpa Mai about this, they even made several serious phone calls to inquire about it.

Unexpectedly, they saw him again today, and Mai Qiqi really wanted to run home and call her grandfather.

Her grandfather held Old Sir Zhong in high esteem, having tried many times to visit him only to be turned away at the door.

Wan Chu’er, however, wasn’t as surprised because she didn’t know the significance of Old Sir Zhong. She just wanted to know if they could still practice here today or if they should find another place.

But seeing Mai Qiqi’s horrified expression, she couldn’t help but treat the elderly man in the wheelchair ahead with respect.

Mai Qiqi cautiously walked over, stopping a meter away from Old Sir Zhong, and respectfully said, "Hello, Grandpa Zhong."

Old Sir Zhong slowly turned his head, glanced at Wan Chu’er holding the sword, nodded and said, "Don’t mind me, go ahead and practice."

"Okay," Mai Qiqi obediently replied.

She then walked back to Wan Chu’er and said, "Let’s just practice here, it won’t disturb him."

Wan Chu’er nodded, she didn’t mind.

The music from the portable player started, Wan Chu’er got into position and began her swordplay.

The sword sliced through the air like a white snake hissing, cutting through the wind, weaving like a dragon in motion, covering all directions, sometimes light as a swallow, tapping and raising the sword, sometimes as sudden as lightning, scattering the fallen leaves.

What a charming and graceful jade dragon!

Mai Qiqi was so mesmerized by the sight that she forgot about the presence of the elderly man nearby and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

"Chuchu, well done! We will definitely win the championship!"

Wan Chu’er sheathed her sword revealing a smile, pleased to have her companion’s approval.

"Am I going to steal your spotlight?" Wan Chu’er asked, since after all, she was participating in the evening party to help Mai Qiqi make an impression in front of someone important.

"Don’t worry about it," Mai Qiqi wasn’t concerned at all.

While Wan Chu’er was resting to catch her breath, Old Sir Zhong on the wheelchair spoke up.

"Young lady, come here."

Mai Qiqi hurriedly took two steps forward, asking, "Grandpa Zhong, do you have any instructions?"

Old Sir Zhong frowned, saying, "Not you."

Mai Qiqi stood there somewhat embarrassedly. She glanced at the old gentleman, then turned her head to look at Wan Chu’er.

Wan Chu’er felt somewhat puzzled. Was he about to give her some guidance again?

She took a few steps towards the old man, maintaining a distance of four or five meters, and politely asked, "Do you have any orders, sir?"

But Old Sir Zhong just stared at Wan Chu’er’s face for quite a while, which made her feel somewhat uneasy. Just before she decided to turn around and leave, the old man finally spoke up.

"Young lady, I’ll give you a piece of advice: The overly rigid will readily break, while those who are skilled in softness will not be defeated. Those who are strong-willed are not necessarily the strong."

He discerned Wan Chu’er’s strong and resolute character from her sharp sword movements, and, being insightful of people’s hearts, he knew this type of character could easily take things to an extreme.

Seeing a trace of similarity in this girl, he spontaneously offered her a piece of advice.

Wan Chu’er was stunned for a moment. She was aware of this saying; was this old man teaching her how to conduct herself in life?

"Thank you for your guidance," she said, knowing she should be grateful for the kindness of an elder.

The elder snorted disdainfully, clearly seeing that the girl hadn’t taken his words to heart, then beckoned for a man in the distance to come over and push him.

After the old man left, Wan Chu’er still didn’t understand why he had suddenly become annoyed. She looked at Mai Qiqi.

Mai Qiqi was even more baffled. Unable to figure it out, she decided she would go home to discuss it with her grandfather.

"Chuchu, let’s stop here for today. Take this Walkman back with you to practice. You can give it back to me when we get to school."

It was evident that Mai Qiqi had something on her mind. Being considerate and aware, Wan Chu’er naturally nodded in agreement.

After Wan Chu’er left, Mai Qiqi quickly made a phone call to her grandfather.

Old Sir Mai took the call but felt it was not clear enough over the phone, so he asked his granddaughter to come to see him in person.

"Qiqi, explain everything from the beginning to the end in detail, and don’t miss out on anything," Old Sir Mai urged as soon as he saw his granddaughter.

Mai Qiqi recounted their journey to the mountaintop, their encounter with Old Sir Zhong, how they were told to just focus on their martial arts practice, and how Old Sir Zhong had snorted and left, narrating everything without omission.

Grandpa Mai asked a few more questions, puzzled about how Qiqi’s classmate had caught the eye of Old Sir Zhong, managing to receive his advice twice after two meetings.

"Tell me more about your classmate," he asked.

Mai Qiqi obediently replied, "Wan Chu’er is from Wutong County in S Province. Her father was a soldier and was lost when she was ten years old, and her mother also passed away from cancer before she went to college. Now, Wan Chu’er lives alone in Beijing; she claims she has no relatives."

Old Sir Mai pondered for a moment before finally saying, "In the future, get along well with this Wan Chu’er."

Although he couldn’t understand why Old Man Zhong took a liking to Wan Chu’er, it was always right to make friends with her. freeweɓnovel.cøm

Mai Qiqi nodded, "Chuchu is a very good person, and I really like her."

"Mm."

After his granddaughter left, Old Sir Mai thought to himself that Old Sir Zhong had appeared twice in the courtyard in just three days. Should he consider moving there for a while?

When Wan Chu’er got home, she remembered what Old Man Zhong had said earlier. Feeling that the old man’s words were not without purpose, she took out a pen and wrote down the saying.

"The overly rigid will readily break, while those who are skilled in softness will not be defeated."

Was he advising her to show softness to others?

It seemed to be similar to what Bai Zhixi had told her before, who also always advised her not to be overly defiant, to bow her head when necessary, to yield when it was appropriate, and to offer more smiles and kindness to others.

Remembering Bai Zhixi, Wan Chu’er felt a wave of sorrow. She went into the bedroom, took out a portrait of Bai Zhixi from the drawer, and looked at it intently for a long while.