Wu Jing's face was a kaleidoscope of emotions—crying one moment, laughing the next, frowning, then sinking into gloom. He forced himself to finish reading, then flopped onto the bed, covering his face with both hands. "Ah, did you show your dad this?"
"Not yet, I'm going to show him now." Xie Nan was having a blast with such an amusing turn of events. "Take your time recovering, I'll go show my dad."
Wu Jing lay on the bed in silence as Xie Nan left the room alone.
What the hell was this? I let my guard down, really let it slip. Sigh, sigh, sigh.
A lifetime of reputation ruined in an instant.
At least I'm not the only one dying of embarrassment. By seniority, as long as Xie Nan's dad could handle it, he'd be fine.
As his mind wandered, bursts of laughter erupted from the living room—Xie Nan's, her mom's. Xie Nan's dad had gotten up early and was sitting in the living room sipping tea, only to be blindsided by his daughter first thing in the morning.
What now?
Where's my authority as the father-in-law?
Can my daughter still get married?
Should I go apologize? Bah, not worth it!
His expression was just as dramatic as Wu Jing's, if not more so.
So Wu Jing was quicker on the uptake—if I'm going down in shame, at least I'll drag someone with me. Seizing the chance, he rushed out: "Uncle, it's all my fault. I insisted on drinking with you last night. I can't hold my liquor, and I talk nonsense when I'm drunk. Please don't take it to heart."
What a lifesaver.
Xie Nan's dad took the out smoothly: "It's fine. At home, it's no big deal. Just don't drink so much outside. Come on, let's have breakfast."
The two women watched their performance, and Xie Nan couldn't help laughing: "Dad, I think you've got some acting chops too. I'll cast you in a cameo sometime."
Xie Nan's dad didn't let her off easy, muttering darkly, "If you don't want to get married, I've got no objections."
The mutual roasting ended there, and the happy, loving family atmosphere was restored.
After breakfast, the two headed to the training gym, having already arranged to meet Zhou You. Last night, Xie Nan had sent the video to Zhou You and Yu Qian, and now they were waiting for Wu Jing at the gym. Wu Jing had no idea the video had already leaked.
When they arrived, the place was grand, lively, and buzzing. Zhou You hadn't closed the gym to the public—there were still plenty of trainees, regulars who trained there long-term. First, there was no need; nothing could happen on his turf. Second, it was a good chance to boost word-of-mouth—why waste the opportunity?
Zhou You greeted him: "Jing Ge, how'd it go yesterday? Smooth?"
"Of course it was smooth. Who do you think handled it? The whole family totally approved of me," Wu Jing said with full confidence.
Yu Qian stood nearby, grinning. "They even became sworn brothers, so of course they approved."
Wu Jing's face flushed red. "That's called strategy! You wouldn't get it!"
Damn it, how was he supposed to live this down? He'd be laughed at for life.
Fuming but helpless, he had to swallow it. But he needed to vent.
"You Ge, let's go a round."
"Sure, warm up with Liang Ge first, let me see your level." Zhou You wasn't stupid—Wu Jing was on a roll, and he wasn't about to take that head-on. "Liang Ge, go a few rounds with Jing Ge."
"You got it." Li Houliang had already changed into his gear.
Wu Jing just wanted to blow off steam, not caring who it was. He changed, stretched, and stepped up.
Once on the mat, he regretted it. This wasn't the same weight class. He was 175 cm, 140 pounds. The guy across from him was 190 cm, 190 pounds.
How was he supposed to fight this?
Why did it feel like bad luck was following him? Whatever, the guy probably wouldn't go all out. Just treat it as sparring.
Coming to his senses, he started circling Li Houliang, occasionally testing with a kick. But Li Houliang was steady, knowing it was just for fun and mutual practice, focusing on defense as he slowly closed in.
After a few laps, Wu Jing couldn't find an opening and decided to take a risk. He lunged with a step to draw Li Houliang's attention, then sidestepped and whipped a kick at his waist. *Smack*—Wu Jing's foot stung from the impact.
But Li Houliang didn't even flinch, pressing forward until he cornered Wu Jing.
Wu Jing threw a front kick to create distance and escape, but Li Houliang caught his leg.
Once caught, Wu Jing's nerve faltered—he was choking under pressure. There's a saying in kickboxing: Don't freeze in front of an opponent; courage beats cowardice. Besides, Wu Jing hadn't trained in ages; his body had forgotten everything. He could handle amateurs, but against a pro, he was outmatched.
He braced for a throw, but Li Houliang held him for a moment and then let go, saving his face.
Seeing an opening, Zhou You laughed. As Li Houliang stepped down, he shouted, "Jing Ge, come on, let's go!"
Wu Jing was so mad he laughed. "A tiger fallen among dogs gets bullied. I can't beat a pro, but I can take you!"
"Bring it." His confidence surged back.
Zhou You knew movies were fake, but without trying it, who knew? He was still a bit nervous. After watching Wu Jing's match with Li Houliang, though, he had a read on it. Li Houliang didn't handle him that easily and wouldn't casually take his punches. Zhou You's style was defense and counterattack—no unnecessary risks, fitting his self-preservation mindset.
Wu Jing didn't know that. He wanted to crush a weaker opponent to salvage his pride, with so many people watching. At least no one was filming. But then he saw Xie Nan recording again—rage welled up.
He launched a flurry of combos—jabs, hooks, uppercuts—pouring it all out. A fierce assault.
A lot of flash, but little substance.
Zhou You was startled by the ferocity, but when the punches landed, they were light, barely a tickle. Flashy but useless.
Now he relaxed. *Heh, today I'm the one crushing the noob.*
Wu Jing was stunned. After that barrage, his opponent stood unfazed, even flashing a smug smile.
*Damn it, bad luck strikes again. I've been played for a fool.*
Zhou You threw a straight punch to Wu Jing's chest, pushing him back two steps, then stepped forward and whipped his right leg at Wu Jing's neck.
Wu Jing felt the rush of air and knew it was bad, but his body couldn't react. After the chest hit, he'd lost his balance. He instinctively closed his eyes, bracing for the KO, already imagining the cringe-worthy scene.
But the foot stopped at his neck, then pulled back.
Li Houliang couldn't help but exclaim, "You Ge, you've got full control now. Let's spar later."
Cheers erupted from below. Regulars knew Zhou You was the silent big boss, with incredible fighting talent, now second only to Li Houliang in the gym. Many trainees looked up to him as a goal.
Wu Jing broke out in a cold sweat, but at least his dignity was spared.