Chapter Four: Dire News from the Black Market Fist

The car came to a stop in the underground garage of the Shangpin residential complex.

Ling Xuan didn't say a word. She killed the engine, grabbed her bag, and walked away.

"Wait a second." I chased after her. "Save my number. Call me tomorrow when you need the car."

Her car didn't require an ignition key, just a push-to-start button, so the key fob was still in my pocket.

Ling Xuan finally remembered this. She turned back and said coldly, "Give me the key."

"Since I'm your driver, I’ll keep the key. Now, hurry up and save my number."

Ling Xuan stood before me, gritting her teeth as she glared at me.

She was at least 1.7 meters tall, dressed in a sharp, professional office suit. Her figure was curvaceous—full at the chest, with the hem of her skirt revealing half of her straight, rounded legs. They were flawless and snow-white, a truly captivating sight.

The garage lights were dim, casting a hazy glow that made Ling Xuan look like a fairy, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Eight years have passed, and you’ve become absolutely stunning!" I smiled faintly, snatched her bag, and pulled out her phone.

"Unlock it," I said, handing the phone back to her.

Ling Xuan snatched her bag and phone away, turned, and walked off, saying coldly, "The car is yours. Don't bother me again."

"What spirit. You truly are President Ling," I said, standing my ground with a smile. "But if you continue to be so disobedient, watch out—I might just come and stay at your place. I mean what I say!"

Ling Xuan’s steps faltered. She stood frozen for a long moment, then suddenly spun around and marched toward me, kicking my leg. "You animal! You scoundrel!"

I reached out, pulled her into my arms, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Then, in one fluid motion, I turned and pressed her against the car. "Can you be a little more well-behaved? Otherwise, I’ll treat you just like I used to."

After being kissed, Ling Xuan went still, but hearing my words, she erupted into a fury, cursing and raining blows upon me.

Damn it, this was endless!

I pinned her hands down, blocked her legs with mine, and kissed her again.

A pure, sweet fragrance washed over me, and I felt intoxicated, longing to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly, a sharp pain flared in my lips—she had bitten me.

I released her and touched my lip; there was a streak of blood.

"That's spicy..."

I stopped mid-sentence as I saw Ling Xuan squat down, covering her face and sobbing bitterly.

Guilt washed over me. I squatted down beside her, patted her shoulder, and said softly, "I’m sor..."

She violently shook off my hand, looked up, and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Get away! You scoundrel, I will never forgive you in this lifetime! Never! Get away from me!"

As she screamed, she began pummeling me again, acting like a madwoman.

I didn't dare grab her hands, so I quickly backed away.

Ling Xuan took the opportunity to lunge at me, knocking me to the ground and straddling me, sobbing and striking me with all her might.

I shielded my face with my hands, letting her vent. I couldn't help but smile bitterly to myself: "Such a fierce beauty. I only thought she was cold and distant before; I didn't realize she was this fiery and feisty. It seems being forceful won't work."

After a while, Ling Xuan was exhausted from crying and hitting me.

I lowered my hands, but my gaze suddenly fixed. Because she was sitting on top of me, I caught a glimpse of the scenery beneath her short skirt.

Black lace trim...

My breathing quickened slightly, and I quickly looked away, saying softly, "I'm sorry, Ling Xuan. I was impulsive, but I truly don't mean you any harm."

"I don't need your apology! I don't want to see you ever again!" Ling Xuan said coldly, standing up and walking away.

I stood up and watched her back, wanting to call out to her, but I couldn't find that sense of confidence I had moments ago.

I pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

I took a deep drag and followed her from a distance.

While most of the Shangpin complex consisted of standard apartments, it also featured duplexes and small villas.

Ling Xuan lived in one of the villas.

Before she went in, it was dark inside. I listened for a while, and hearing nothing unusual, I headed back to my own rented place.

It wasn't that I lacked money, but I had just returned and hadn't found a suitable permanent home yet, so I had rented a place for the time being.

Because I needed to train and had quite a bit of equipment, I rented a ground-floor unit.

Walking inside, the living room was filled with training gear: barbells, dumbbells, a bench press rack, and more.

"Hoo!"

I sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and took a deep breath.

"I didn't expect Ling Xuan’s resentment toward me to be so deep. It seems it won't be easily resolved. Damn you, He Hu, don't let me find you!"

"Still, she looks so glamorous on the outside, but she must be hurting inside. She might even be psychologically twisted. Well, I have nothing better to do anyway, so I'll protect her for a while."

After letting my mind wander for a bit, I checked my phone, but there was still no reply.

I went into the bedroom, turned on my computer, and logged into my email.

Two new messages appeared.

One of them was from Qin Wei!

Qin Wei was the man I had sent a message to at the company. He was also from Tianhe City and was still active in the top-tier American black-market boxing scene.

He excelled in high kicks; a single strike from him could snap a hollow iron pillar with a diameter of ten centimeters and a wall thickness of one centimeter. His squat was six hundred kilograms, and his bench press was one hundred and eighty kilograms, surpassing the world-famous boxing champion Tyson.

We met at the Siberian training camp. At the time, he was better than me, but I eventually surpassed him. He was the best friend I’d had over the past eight years.

I opened the email. It read:

"Chu, the Great God of Slaughter, tonight I will officially challenge the boxing champion 'The Devil' Black. Although I am full of confidence, I cannot guarantee success. My money has been transferred to your account in batches; you should receive it in a few days. If I fail, please take care of my sister, Qin Ruhua. If she doesn't have a boyfriend, pursue her. If she does, I support you in stealing her away! But don't force her. We’ve been brothers; I trust you completely! Her number is..."

I quickly checked the timestamp.

It had been sent two days ago.

It’s over!

My heart sank instantly.

If he had succeeded, he would have contacted me long ago.

I sat there for a while, then used trembling hands to open the second email.

As expected, it was from our manager, Byron. It was sent the night before last.

I took a deep breath and opened the attachment—an encrypted video.

This must be the footage of his fight that night.

I clicked play and watched slowly.

The video was short, just over a minute, but the fight lasted only thirty seconds. He died cleanly. Although he managed to break 'The Devil' Black's right arm, he was simultaneously struck in the head by one of Black’s kicks.

His body collapsed straight to the floor and didn't move again.

He wasn't sent flying; it seemed Black was a master of penetrating force. Qin Wei's brain tissue must have been completely destroyed.

I noted down Qin Ruhua's number, deleted the email, and shut down the computer.

I smoked one cigarette after another.

Black-market boxing is brutal. No one ever stays undefeated; even the greatest fighters are eventually replaced, and the outcome is often death.

I had long urged Qin Wei to retire with me, but seeing me defend my title as champion, he was too proud to give up. He swore he wouldn't retire until he achieved the glory of being champion.

...

The next day, I woke up early. I ran ten laps around the complex, went home to do twenty sets of partial-depth squats with a 750-kilogram barbell, followed by twenty sets of 230-kilogram bench presses, and then did some shin conditioning, punching, and kicking drills.

My body had long since reached the limits of all-around training; I no longer needed to train all day like I used to, just daily maintenance was enough.

It was past nine o'clock when I finished. I had breakfast in the complex and walked to Ling Xuan's villa.

Just then, an older woman who looked like a housekeeper came out to take out the trash.

I smiled and asked, "Morning, ma'am. Has President Ling woken up and left for the company yet?"

"Who are you?" The woman eyed me with suspicion.

"My name is Chu Fan. I'm an employee at President Ling's company."

"If you're an employee, why don't you know if she went to work?" The woman grew even more suspicious.

I pulled out the car key. "This is President Ling's car key. I drove her car last night, and she hasn't contacted me yet. If you don't believe me, I can go get the car to show you."

The woman looked at the animal-shaped charm on the key, then back at me. A grin spread across her face. "It’s not a big deal. You look like a decent guy, so I'll tell you—Miss Ling left early this morning."

Huh, so looks really are more useful than anything else!

I rubbed my face and smiled. "You have a great eye, ma'am! Thanks!"

As I turned to leave, I thought to myself: "This girl, she really just left the car behind? Does she hate me that much? She got home so late last night, she probably didn't get a few hours of sleep. She’s working too hard!"

I walked to the garage and sat in the car.

I used my phone to find Ling Xuan’s number and dialed.

The call connected quickly.