Chapter 3299

Ye Chen understood the meaning behind Qin Aoxue's words, smiling as he said: "Any reasonable matter must also operate within reasonable bounds to be truly reasonable; if it exceeds those bounds, it will inevitably become distorted or even counterproductive."

Qin Aoxue said approvingly: "Master Ye, I actually think the same way—I don't necessarily need the competition organizing committee to respect my personal views, but if their event makes me uncomfortable, I simply won't sign up to compete again in the future."

Speaking, Qin Aoxue helplessly stuck out her tongue and complained: "Actually, I've long since lost interest in competing; I feel these athletic contests don't do much to improve real combat ability, whereas martial arts are far more direct and straightforward, without so many rigid rules—but my father insists I participate, saying that since I haven't graduated from university yet, I should win more championships so I can later join the national team for the Olympics and even use this to apply for graduate school at top institutions like Tsinghua and Peking University; he cares most about face, and just hopes I can go study at Peking University."

Ye Chen smiled: "Your father wanting his daughter to become a phoenix is understandable—he's already earned enough money for the family, and naturally hopes you'll keep improving."

Qin Aoxue nodded lightly: "Master Ye, I understand what you're saying, but sometimes I feel that if one wants to pursue a true professional path in a certain field later on, one shouldn't set too many simultaneous yet divergent goals; athletes applying to Peking University's graduate program mostly go just to gild their résumés, with more studying MBA and fewer pursuing sports-related majors—but actually, this is something only retirees can do; otherwise, it's merely formalities. Aoxue doesn't expect to become a professional athlete in the future; instead, I hope to immerse myself deeply in martial arts. If I go to school, spending two or three years or even longer there will naturally affect my martial cultivation greatly..."

Ye Chen smiled: "An athlete's sports career is generally just a few years or even just a few years of golden period; after that, in competitive sports they will gradually fall behind, so to achieve good results they must undergo full-time training, pouring as much of that golden period as possible into training."

Speaking, Ye Chen added: "But martial arts are different—it's like climbing an endless staircase; for the vast majority of people, one lifetime isn't enough to see the end. If you want to walk this path, you must cultivate a calm mindset. You're only twenty; the martial path still has at least fifty or sixty years ahead. During this process, you cannot let yourself become completely immersed in martial arts, because if you do, a lifetime lived will actually yield very little time that is truly meaningful, fruitful, or capable of bringing joy and happiness. Although studying doesn't help martial arts much, it still benefits life greatly—so as long as you're not especially averse to studying and happen to have the opportunity, I suggest you still give it a try."

Qin Aoxue was moved by Ye Chen's words; though she was obsessed with martial arts, she also felt his point was important—one lifetime, making life fulfilling and happy is what matters most. If all one's energy is used to obsess over martial arts, perhaps many regrets will be left in life.

Thus, she nodded seriously and said: "Aoxue will certainly remember Master Ye's teachings—continuing to study after undergraduate graduation is also not a bad option, but if that's the case, wanting to apply to a higher institution like Peking University might require winning even more awards!"

Ye Chen smiled: "I recall you were already recruited by the national team, right?"

"Yes." Qin Aoxue said: "I'm still participating in university competitions now; next year the national team should arrange for me to join the official World Championships. The official World Championships aren't as limited as university competitions—there will be more masters then, and if I can achieve a good ranking there, I'll have a chance to be called up by the Olympic team."

Ye Chen nodded: "At least bring back an Olympic championship—take it as your own stepping stone; then you can choose, according to your preference, whether to keep competing or retire to study. If you need any help from me, I'll certainly do my best."

Qin Aoxue exclaimed excitedly: "Thank you, Master Ye! But Aoxue will surely do her utmost to first bring back an Olympic championship! Otherwise, how could I live up to your constant care and attention all this time?"

Ye Chen smiled faintly and nodded slightly.

He greatly admired Qin Aoxue's character—she possessed the innate pride of a wealthy young lady, yet never became arrogant because of it; she was confident when confidence was due, humble when humility was due, never argued stubbornly with others, nor did she engage in internal self-destruction. Such a person is actually rare in today's restless society.

……

Ye Chen had been waiting to personally witness Qin Aoxue receive her award on stage before using his phone to bid her farewell, then leaving the martial arts hall alone.

Upon returning to the hotel, Xiao Churan and Dong Ruolin had also just arrived not long before; Dong Ruolin was in Ye Chen and Xiao Churan's room, chatting with Xiao Churan about everything under the sun. Seeing Ye Chen return, she said to him: "Ye Chen, you must not run around everywhere tomorrow afternoon—we're going to attend a gathering."

Ye Chen asked curiously: "What kind of gathering?"

Dong Ruolin said excitedly: "It's a private party hosted by the Mitsui family in Tokyo, and Tawana Svito will also be there—then I can meet her privately, and even have a chance to take a photo and get her autograph. The party is in the backstage of the dome, starting at three o'clock and ending at six. After it ends, we'll go straight into the venue to wait and watch, and the concert will officially begin at seven."

Speaking, Dong Ruolin added: "Such an opportunity doesn't come often—Tawana has never before accepted the host's invitation to attend such a private party."

Ye Chen asked with a smile: "Then why is she giving the Mitsui family so much face? Although the Mitsui family is well-known in Japan, they still can't compare to those super giants on Wall Street."

Dong Ruolin explained: "You don't know this—the Mitsui family's influence in Japan is unmatched. Although the Ito family appears on the surface to be Japan's number one family, in reality they're merely the most powerful direct line, and the Ito clan has few members—just a handful of people surnamed Ito. But the Mitsui family is different—they've developed in Japan for several hundred years, having already penetrated every industry in Japan and even globally. Today's Mitsui family has at least a dozen relatively independent sub-families, each managing different fields, and most of the Mitsui descendants actually don't even bear the Mitsui surname. One could say they are the Eastern Rothschilds, and even more low-key than the Rothschilds."

Speaking, Dong Ruolin added: "The Mitsui family's reach is vast, including in Japan's business and sports sectors, where they are extraordinarily strong, and they are even one of the shareholders of Universal Music. For this Asian leg of Tawana's world tour, they are also the organizers—so this is truly a perfect three-way alignment. More importantly, the Mitsui family's eldest daughter is a die-hard fan of Tawana, so the Mitsui family organized this private party, inviting Tawana and her current boyfriend. Moreover, the Mitsui family's influence in Japan and even global finance is so great that Tawana, no matter how arrogant, cannot afford to offend them."

Ye Chen nodded slightly: "As for the Mitsui family, I've heard of them before, but most of the time they are no longer seen as a family image, but rather as a vast conglomerate. Moreover, the Mitsui family members have intentionally weakened the family aspect of Mitsui, so many people still think Mitsui is actually a brand, not a family."

At this moment, Dong Ruolin recalled something and said mysteriously: "Actually, Tawana probably has her own motives too—her current boyfriend is a very famous American baseball player, and baseball is also extremely popular in Japan, second only to football as the second most popular sport. So Tawana surely wants to use this opportunity to let her boyfriend connect with the Mitsui family, so she can later expand into the Japanese market."

Ye Chen smiled: "You're chasing stars with such serious dedication, doing all this homework!"

Dong Ruolin giggled: "Even if I chase stars, I couldn't dig up this much insider gossip on my own—it's all told to me by my good friend. Although she's not a member of the Mitsui family, her family has depended on the Mitsui family for development for decades, and she's close friends with the Mitsui family's eldest daughter, so I was able to get the tickets and learn about these insider details."

Speaking, Dong Ruolin added: "For tomorrow's party, she's also helping to get the invitation from the Mitsui family's eldest daughter—supposedly these invitations are especially sought after in Japanese high society, with people offering tens of millions of yen to buy them and still unable to obtain one."

Ye Chen said: "Then why not just sell my ticket? Anyway, I don't chase stars—going would be meaningless, pure waste. If I could really sell it for tens of millions of yen, that'd be quite profitable—enough to cover all our expenses for this trip to Tokyo."

Dong Ruolin gave him a look and said: "You're dreaming—do you know what the Mitsui family's background is? In Japan, people might use a toilet made by one of their subsidiaries in the morning, and the toilet paper might also be from one of their brands. Even the flush water might come from them, and even the electricity might not be separable from their influence. A family like this throwing a party—how could they possibly sell tickets to outsiders? Each invitation has a name written on it, and at entry they still need to verify identity. If you wanted to resell it, the only chance would be to find someone who looks very much like you and sell it to them; otherwise, it's absolutely impossible."

Xiao Churan laughed and said: "Ruolin, you're still explaining this so seriously to him—can't you hear he's just joking with you?"

Dong Ruolin made a face at Ye Chen and snorted: "Who knows what he's thinking—what if he really isn't interested and doesn't want to go?"

Speaking, she stared at Ye Chen and said seriously: "I'm telling you, Ye Chen—I and Churan are both stunningly beautiful super beauties. Going into such occasions without a flower protector, we'd easily be harassed—so you must come with us tomorrow!"

Ye Chen smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright, I'll go then—no problem!"