Hu Sanniang and Fang Xiaorou exchanged helpless glances before beginning their fight. However, the audience remained restless. Someone said, "Did I hear wrong? That man's name is Fang Xiaorou?" Contestant A said, "The referee must have said it backwards." Spectator A said, "I think so too. How could a girl be named Gongsun Zhishen?" Contestant B said, "So what? I saw a man named Huyan Dasao the other day." Tang Long quickly turned his face away. Spectator B said, "Quiet, quiet, wait a bit before the referee calls out the names."...
Thus, the first match between Hu Sanniang and the burly man passed in this tedious argument. In truth, to be precise, Hu Sanniang was a seasoned veteran, while the burly man, who had registered individually, possessed professional athlete qualifications. His moves and defenses were meticulously executed, and after probing Hu Sanniang's true strength, he unleashed his full potential without reservation. It could be said that their duel was a top-tier contest. However, because of their names, their martial arts skills were completely overlooked.
Three minutes later, the assistant referee signaled the end of the first game and a break. Immediately, everyone fell silent. Anyone who tried to be quiet was shoved and nudged by someone nearby: "Don't make a sound, listen up."
The next second, the area within 10 meters of the arena was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone seemed to have complete confidence in the referee. And he didn't disappoint. He solemnly announced, "First round, contestant number 1207," pointing to Hu Sanniang, "Gongsun Zhi versus—" pointing to the burly man, "contestant number 2188, Fang Xiaorou, intermission." Before he could finish, the burly man jumped off the stage in embarrassment. The crowd suddenly realized what was happening. Contestant C: "Did you see that? Did you see that?! I told you the guy's name was Fang Xiaorou!" Spectator C: "That girl named Gongsun Zhishen is the funniest."...
As soon as the whistle blew to start the second round, Hu Sanniang and the burly man walked onto the stage with trembling hearts, as if they were about to be hanged. The referee, expressionless, announced loudly, "Second round, player number 1207, Gongsun Zhishen..."
The audience burst into laughter upon hearing the name. One contestant remarked, "Does the referee have a grudge against these two?" Another spectator exclaimed, "He's clearly been bribed by Zhang Xiaohua to pad the word count!" Another contestant asked, "Who is Zhang Xiaohua?"...
In the end, Hu Sanniang won the competition by a narrow margin. This victory was somewhat accidental. First, Hu Sanniang shaved her head like a nun from Mount Heng, a desperate act of defiance. The distress caused by her name was still within her psychological tolerance, while "Fang Xiaorou" brought Fang Xiaorou eternal pain. Second, because of her gender, the burly Fang Xiaorou fell for her at first sight, showing absolutely no disrespect. However, Fang Xiaorou, true to his name, probably had a soft spot in his heart that was untouchable…
I left the original arena and wandered around. Hearing that Ruan Xiaowu's match was still a while away, I headed towards Zhang Shun's arena number 17. On the way, I saw Zhang Shun and a middle-aged man who looked like a farmer sitting on the sidelines, each with a bottle of beer in their hand. Both of them were covered in sweat, and their clothes were soaked through. I quickly ran over and asked him why he wasn't competing.
“Just finished playing,” Zhang Shun said, pointing to the villager. “This was my opponent.”
The villager patted Zhang Shun on the shoulder and said sincerely, "Brother, you have really great skills!"
Zhang Shun waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't say that, I'm just lucky today."
The two men talked, panted, and drank. It seemed that Zhang Shun had won. Both of them had given their all on stage, and they became close friends as soon as they stepped off the stage.
The villager gulped down his drink in two gulps, stood up, and said, "Brother, I hope to see you again in the team competition. We'll have another good fight then!"
Zhang Shun shook his head and said, "Even if we run into each other, we won't see you. My skills aren't up to par."
The farmer exclaimed in surprise, "Are you kidding me, brother?"
Zhang Shunyi pointed at me and said, "This is our team leader, Xiao."
The farmer immediately replied respectfully, "Haven't you asked me yet?"
I smiled and said, "We're from Yucai School, and you're the eldest brother?"
"Yu Cai?" The villager hesitated for a moment and said, "We think we encountered someone named Yu Cai in yesterday's team competition."
Now I know where he's from. Yesterday, on the same stage, the Shanxi Datong Yucai Martial Arts School lost badly to the Cangzhou Hongri Martial Arts School. At the opening ceremony, the Cangzhou team was favored by Lin Chong and his group, and judging from their fierce fight against Zhang Shun, their strength is definitely top-notch.
The villagers looked me up and down, then circled me a few times, clicking their tongues in disapproval. Zhang Shun asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"
The villager clicked his tongue for a while before finally saying, "I've been immersed in martial arts for 20 years and have seen countless masters and seniors. But no matter how well a martial artist hides their skills, you can always tell from their physique and aura. It's remarkable that your team leader, at such a young age, can control his aura so well that he doesn't look like someone with any martial arts skills at all..."
Zhang Shun chuckled, but didn't say anything. I was happy to play dumb, so I put my hands behind my back, put on an arrogant look, and if I stuck a feather duster in my hair, I could pass for Hua Yingxiong. But his next words almost made me trip over my own feet. He grabbed my hand and said, with utmost sincerity:
"Team Leader Xiao, I know I'm no match for you, but can you fight me?"
I choked on my saliva and coughed. A villager asked with concern, "Team Leader Xiao, what's wrong?"
As I circulated my qi, I waved my hand and said, "It's alright, I just went a little crazy while practicing internal energy."
The villager became even more respectful and said, "To be honest, after practicing martial arts for so many years, I'm only physically healthy; my so-called internal strength hasn't even reached the inner sanctum yet..."
I felt it was a bit unfair to keep lying to an honest person like this, so I pointed to our school flag and said to him, "That's our old haunt. You're welcome to visit anytime. You'll definitely have something in common with those guys."
The farmer's eyes lit up, and he said a little embarrassedly, "Hehe, I'm really sorry for being so presumptuous. We people have this problem; when we see someone of great talent, we don't want to miss the opportunity."
...
Our performance this morning was outstanding, winning all three matches. In the afternoon, as Ruan Xiaoer was preparing to go on stage, the stadium security guard contacted me via internal phone, saying a woman named Chen Kejiao was looking for me. The guard added apologetically, "As you know, after the incident with the 'powerful pills,' we can't let anyone in so easily anymore."
While saying "I can understand," I wondered what Chen Kejiao could possibly want from me at this time. Couldn't she explain it over the phone?
The security guard cautiously asked, "Should I let her talk to you?"
I snapped out of my daze, chuckled a few times, and asked the security guard, "Is the other woman's chest small?"
The security guard remained silent for a long time, whether out of embarrassment or because he was looking around, before finally whispering, "Not small..."
I laughed and said, "It's definitely not small. Let her in."
Chapter Twelve: Ten Years
I raised my binoculars and looked towards the stadium entrance. Chen Kejiao, her forehead smooth and radiant with energy, strode confidently, drawing admiring glances from passersby. A security guard pointed to our school flag for her, and after thanking him, Chen Kejiao walked straight towards us. This woman was always full of fighting spirit. Today, she wore black flared trousers and a silver vest. Around her neck hung a finely textured necklace, resembling the teeth marks of a rodent, which shimmered with her movements, leaving a lasting impression. In terms of clothing, Chen Kejiao was impeccable; there was no doubt that she could make even two mops and cheap curtains look fashionable. But her aura often overshadowed her taste in clothing—she always carried an unwavering determination.
A short while later, the sound of high heels echoed down the corridor leading to the VIP seating area. The door opened, and Chen Kejiao stood there, poised and elegant. Her eyes scanned the room, then she quickly walked over and shook my hand. My nose was filled with the wonderful scent of perfume; I could tell immediately it was… well, anyway, high-end stuff.
Chen Kejiao glanced at the heroes who were taking a nap haphazardly, then greeted Zhu Gui and Du Xing softly before saying to me with a slight smile, "Should I call you Manager Xiao or Team Leader Xiao now?"
I could tell there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and I said, "You should call me Xiaoqiang, that's best."
"Can we talk in private for a moment?"
I knew she couldn't have come here out of boredom to watch me, the thug she considered a gangster, leading a group of people in a fight. I led her to the office where the equipment was kept, and Chen Kejiao looked around and said, "That's really nice. I've seen several companies that might not even have one office, and yours is the biggest, yet it's just locked up like this."
I cut to the chase and said, "Miss Chen, is there something you need me to do?"
"What do you think of me?" Chen Kejiao asked abruptly.
Because it was so sudden, I was taken aback and subconsciously said, "He's smart enough, and not a bad person."
Chen Kejiao smiled and said, "Thank you, is that a compliment?"
I was stunned again, then hurriedly nodded vigorously: "Yes, absolutely!"
Chen Kejiao stopped laughing and said slowly, "I've come to ask for your help this time." I don't know why, but I've always felt that she was a little depressed, and this feeling is especially strong now.