"Godmother is going to live here long-term?" Liu Yi's voice rose in pitch. "Then where will she stay? Still at the villa at the foot of the mountain?"
"Yes, that villa has always been cleaned and maintained. Don't worry about these things, just bring Xiaoqi back quickly." Xu Yunxi said with a smile. "Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. The plane has landed, I need to go pick someone up."
After hanging up, Liu Yi sighed with emotion and said to Shen Qi, "Wow, so many happy things happening lately! My godmother is also coming back from abroad to settle down!"
"Your godmother?" Shen Qi asked curiously. "So you have a godmother too!"
"Yeah, I've known her as my godmother since I was very young. She's amazing, a very famous writer." Liu Yi said happily. "She has a bold personality, a bit of a tomboy, decisive in everything she does, never dragging things out. So my mom often says I'm not like her daughter at all, but more like my godmother's daughter!"
"Ah? Your godmother is also a writer? What's her name?" Shen Qi thought it was quite a coincidence—her own mother was a writer, and Liu Yi's godmother was one too.
"Her name is Shen..." Before Liu Yi could finish, a voice interrupted from behind.
"Excuse me, you two. We're from the Charity Federation, currently raising funds for underprivileged children. Could you please help those poor kids?" Two pretty girls holding donation boxes approached Shen Qi and Liu Yi.
"Oh, sure." Shen Qi smiled warmly, took out her wallet, and pulled out a few bills. "Sorry, I don't have much cash on me today. I spent quite a bit on food earlier."
"That's fine. Your kindness is more than enough. Have a great time, you two." The two girls smiled and walked away with the box.
Liu Yi grinned at Shen Qi. "You're too easygoing. They didn't even have ID badges. You just believed them when they said they were from the Charity Federation?"
Shen Qi shrugged. "Doing good deeds doesn't require questioning motives. I just want to do my part, regardless of where the money ends up. Using children as a front to scam people will bring divine retribution. I believe in karma in this world."
Liu Yi shook her head with a smile. "You're just too kind!"
The two ate their way from start to finish, then met up with He Yining, Wen Yibo, and Fan Sheng and Fan Li, who had shamelessly tagged along, at the end of the street.
Seeing them, Shen Qi couldn't help but say, "As the final judges, shouldn't you be cheering on the five contestants instead of hanging out here?"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li grinned and approached, greeting Shen Qi and Liu Yi. "We've wanted to hang out with you before, but you were still in the competition, and we couldn't break the rules. Now that you're done for the day, we can finally come find you! Xiao Yi, can we call you that? We heard you're a 60kg female boxer. There's an underground boxing ring here—want to check it out?"
Liu Yi's eyes lit up instantly!
Though Fan Sheng and Fan Li hadn't interacted much with Liu Yi, that one sentence immediately bridged the gap between them.
"Hmph, a woman fighting in boxing?" Wen Yibo couldn't help muttering again.
Liu Yi shot him a cold glare and flexed her bicep.
Wen Yibo immediately shut up.
He Yining, Fan Sheng, and Fan Li struggled to suppress their laughter. Watching Wen Yibo get put in his place was oddly satisfying.
He Yining glanced at his watch. "This is the perfect time."
Shen Qi hesitated. "Should I go too?"
Liu Yi tossed her hair stylishly. "Xiaoqi, haven't you always been curious about how I fight? Even though this is just an underground ring, it'll give you a taste."
Hearing this, Shen Qi nodded. "Alright, I'll go check it out!"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li subtly gave He Yining a thumbs-up.
His plan had worked perfectly!
With the decision made to switch locations, they moved quickly. A row of sports cars was already parked outside.
He Yining personally opened the car door for Shen Qi. She glanced back at Liu Yi, who was too excited to notice her.
Shen Qi sighed helplessly. Whenever boxing came up, Xiao Yi's eyes lit up!
He Yining closed the door for Shen Qi and drove himself.
Shen Qi snapped back to reality. "Huh? Why isn't Xiaochun with you?"
"That place doesn't allow bringing people in." He Yining explained. "Technically, unfamiliar faces aren't allowed either."
Shen Qi grew curious. "Right, M City isn't your turf. How did you get in?"
"I have my ways." He Yining smirked mischievously at her. "With a husband as handsome as me, I just flash my face."
Shen Qi rolled her eyes. Narcissism is a disease—it needs treatment!
After the joke, He Yining explained seriously, "Remember Brother Mo?"
Shen Qi nodded. Of course she did!
She'd stolen his goose eggs, a lifelong black mark on her record!
"Remember I told you Brother Mo was my first boxing teacher?" He Yining continued. "He used to fight in underground rings. He had quite a reputation before he retired."
Shen Qi's eyes widened in realization. "So Brother Mo helped arrange this?"
He Yining nodded. "Sort of. He made the connection, and after I contacted the boss here, they gave us a few access cards. So it's not wrong to say I got in on my face."
Shen Qi shot him another glare, ignoring his vanity. "Since it's an underground ring, doesn't anyone regulate it?"
He Yining laughed heartily and ruffled her hair. "Not everything is black and white. A lot falls into gray areas. Many things are tangled up with local interests, intertwined and complex. Even if you know about them, you can't easily shake them."
Shen Qi nodded vaguely. "But we're just here to watch, right? Should be fine?"
"Of course not." He Yining smiled softly. "As long as I'm here, you'll always be fine."
When Liu Yi got into the car, she realized she was in Wen Yibo's.
She wanted to switch, but when she looked back, He Yining and the Fan brothers had already driven off. She had no choice but to give up, buckling her seatbelt with a flourish and launching into sarcasm. "Can you drive, or should I take over, bro?"
"You're a woman—don't call yourself 'bro.' Look at other girls, they all call themselves 'baby'! And you!" Wen Yibo's temper flared as he started driving and firing back. "I was learning to drive when you were still in diapers!"
Liu Yi shot him a sidelong glance. "If I tore my pants now, they'd be diapers. Are you still learning to drive?"
"You..." Wen Yibo was left speechless, choking on his words.
"If you dislike me so much, why did you tag along?" Liu Yi kept up the sarcasm. "Aren't you surrounded by influencers? Aren't you the so-called 'national husband'? Why aren't you with them instead of watching boxing with me? I didn't ask you to come."
Wen Yibo stomped on the accelerator, as if the pedal were Liu Yi herself, and he wanted to crush her.
A woman calling herself "bro" was bad enough, but her mouth was even sharper!
Hmph, a woman like that would be lucky to ever get married!
Fan Sheng and Fan Li watched Wen Yibo speed off like a madman and exchanged glances. "What's gotten into him?"
He Yining saw Wen Yibo overtake him and shook his head. "The only woman who can make Yibo lose control like this is Liu Yi. Even his formidable mother couldn't do that."
Shen Qi smiled. "Don't you think they're both normal apart, but the moment they're together, the whole atmosphere changes?"
"Exactly! Lately, even influencers can't hold his attention. He's been obsessing over getting revenge on Liu Yi. Poor guy, after all this time, he still hasn't succeeded." He Yining had no qualms about throwing Wen Yibo under the bus, making Shen Qi laugh heartily.
The underground boxing ring was located at the intersection of three cities.
The location was awkward.
It sat on a mountain theoretically under the jurisdiction of all three cities, but because of that, it was poorly managed.
Add to that the remote location and multiple checkpoints, and without a guide, you couldn't get in.
The mountain's official business was selling local specialties, so red lanterns hung everywhere.
But at night, the four-story villa at the top hosted boxing matches.
At the appointed time, countless wealthy and powerful figures would arrive discreetly to watch and place bets.
As with any illegal operation, gambling was involved.
He Yining's convoy, guided by an acquaintance, wound through countless turns before reaching the destination.
Stepping out, Shen Qi was pleasantly surprised.
The entire mountaintop was ablaze with lights and bustling with people.
If she hadn't known what this place was, she'd have thought these were tourists lingering from the day.
She whispered, "With so many people, is this really okay?"
"Don't worry, it's a safe zone." He Yining replied. "Our area is separate from theirs."
Shen Qi nodded.
Liu Yi quickened her pace to catch up, flanking Shen Qi with He Yining on the other side.
"I've got your back." Liu Yi explained succinctly. "It's crowded here, bound to be chaotic. I can't relax without protecting you."
Shen Qi chuckled. "With you two, do I look like a VIP arriving in style?"
He Yining's phoenix eyes slanted. "Hmm, probably the highest-class VIP in the world."
Just then, someone hurried over to He Yining, bowed respectfully, and said, "Mr. He, your presence honors us. Please, come inside."