“You guys eat. I’ll pass,” Chu Xichen stood up and said to Zhang Wen, “Ms. Zhang, I’ll be leaving first!”
Without waiting for a response, he walked away directly.
Opening the car door, he heard hurried footsteps rushing up from behind him. Ning Anyu’s voice called out to him, “Dr. Chu, can we talk?”
Chu Xichen stopped and turned around, seeing Ning Anyu and a sturdy man in a black T-shirt walking toward him. The man had a buzz cut, sharp eyes, and muscles that strained his T-shirt tightly.
Chu Xichen thought, Is he bringing a bodyguard now? Could it be that he is here to avenge that punch? But even so, he did not soften his tone, coldly spitting out, “It seems we have nothing to talk about between us.”
“Dr. Chu seems to have a lot of hostility toward me, but I do not understand why. Clearly, you hit me, so why does it feel like I owe you a lot?”
Ning Anyu did not get angry. As he stepped closer, he felt a bit nervous inside, but on the surface, he wore a casual and breezy smile. He certainly could not let the other person see his shy, timid, bear-like appearance.
This remark choked Chu Xichen for a moment. It seemed indeed to be the case, and he was the one in the wrong. However, who asked you to look exactly like that scoundrel in my dream? Every time Chu Xichen looked at him, a blazing fire of irritation rose in his heart.
Chu Xichen ground his back teeth, fiercely suppressing his anger. “Sorry, but I really do not want to see you!” As he spoke, he reached to pull open the car door.
Ning Anyu slammed his hand onto the car door. “Sorry, I feel very wronged being targeted like this. I must know the reason!”
“Damn it!” Chu Xichen’s anger suddenly exploded. He grabbed Ning Anyu by the collar and asked through clenched teeth, “Do you want to get beaten up again?”
The bodyguard standing to the side immediately wanted to step forward to stop him, but Ning Anyu raised a hand to halt him.
Ning Anyu looked calm, gazing down at Chu Xichen from above, and curled his lips into a smile. “Does Dr. Chu really want to fight with me? Then why don’t we have a fair and square match?”
Chu Xichen frowned slightly in surprise, then immediately agreed, “That would be fantastic!”
Although this person had subdued him in the office last time, he figured it might have been because he was too emotionally agitated at the time and his movements lacked method, allowing the other person to take advantage. After all, his true strength was far beyond that of a mere college sports meeting combat champion.
He did not know why, but he seemed to possess a natural talent for fighting. His strength and speed far exceeded ordinary people’s, and he could master various combat techniques at a single glance. Coupled with his passion for it and frequent practice during his free time, he hadn’t revealed his true capabilities during that last match. He was confident his level could rank among the top world-class martial artists.
Chu Xichen pushed Ning Anyu away, not expecting this guy to proactively challenge him to a fight. This was truly exactly what he wanted. Why hold back? Rolling up his sleeves to beat him up was the correct way to vent his anger!
“Where to? You pick the place.” Cold, sharp glints flashed in Chu Xichen’s phoenix eyes. This wasn’t anger, but rather the exhilarating excitement of being able to openly beat up the person he wanted to strike.
Ning Anyu looked at the man before him, who was half a head shorter than himself, with a narrower frame, and looked scholarly and handsome. Yet, he appeared eager to accept the fight challenge, with a barely concealed excitement, truly resembling an unruly, clawing cat. He couldn’t help lowering his gaze and curving his lips into a smile:
“There is a boxing gym on 11th Road, and the fourth floor is mine. Do you dare to go?”
“Lead the way!” Chu Xichen got into his car, slammed the door shut, and waited for Ning Anyu’s car to drive in front.
This boxing gym occupied four floors and featured various training grounds for free combat, Muay Thai, ancient martial arts, wrestling, and more. With resident instructors offering guidance and opportunities to spar and exchange techniques with other practitioners, it was an excellent destination for martial artists. It had been opened half a year ago when Ning Anyu returned to China, and the fourth floor was his own private training ground.
Ning Anyu walked in front to lead the way, introducing everything with great spirits as they walked, “Look, that is Zhang Miao, this year’s 85-kilogram boxing champion. I invited him here with a hefty sum, and many people come here just to train and get a few pointers from him. That over there is Feng Jiang, a master of Bajiquan. Both of them only come to instruct one day a week.”
Chu Xichen desperately wanted to say, I am here to beat you up, not to chat with you. But doing that felt like losing his poise as an opponent, yet holding it in felt like it would cause internal injuries. He could only urge coldly, “Are you hesitating? What are you dawdling for?”
“Alright!” Ning Anyu curved his lips into a smile at him and pointed to a corner. “Let us take the elevator over there.”
Chu Xichen felt even more annoyed, as if hitting cotton with no resistance. He truly did not understand why this man didn’t know how to get angry, which only made himself look extremely irritable and lacking in composure.
The fourth-floor training area was very spacious. Ning Anyu walked to the middle, stood calmly, and looked at him with a smile, asking, “Do we need to wear gloves?” There was not a shred of hostility in him, making him look as gentle as a prince standing in the center of a stage inviting his beloved to dance.
“You really are a meticulous person, but unfortunately, I am not!” Chu Xichen had held back enough. Before his words even finished, he charged forward, his fists launching toward Ning Anyu like a torrential storm.
Unexpectedly, Ning Anyu’s speed was even faster, and his strength was even greater. Coupled with his height of 1.85 meters, which made him taller than Chu Xichen, he could be said to hold the absolute advantage in every aspect. As a result, within just a few minutes, Chu Xichen fell into a disadvantage, forced to passively evade his grappling.
The more they fought, the more astonished and stifled Chu Xichen felt. Instead of venting his anger, he became even more furious. The resentment in his heart grew stronger and stronger, leading to a sudden wave of panic, as if losing would trigger something terrifying. Suddenly, a fleeting memory of piercing agony in his ankles flashed through his mind, and this psychological impact affected his body to the point that his legs actually went soft.
Just as Ning Anyu reached to grab his shoulder, Chu Xichen’s sudden drop managed to dodge it. Chu Xichen rolled on the ground to escape the attack range, rushed two steps to the corner weapon rack, and snatched a long sword.
Ning Anyu cried out in alarm, “What are you doing? I am not playing with weapons with you!”
Although none of these weapons were sharpened, the long swords were thin and light. Without protective gear, given their strength, either of them could easily pierce the other through like a transparent sieve. This was a genuine life-or-death battle!
“That is not up to you!” Chu Xichen’s eyes were red with fury. The pain and resentment from the torture in his dream unconsciously bled into reality. Having lost his reason, he brandished the sword and thrust it straight at Ning Anyu.
Ning Anyu hurriedly stepped back to dodge. Chu Xichen pressed forward and thrust again, but Ning Anyu failed to evade in time, and his shoulder was pierced, causing blood to flow. However, Chu Xichen did not stop. He followed up closely once more, sweeping the long sword horizontally toward Ning Anyu’s waist.
Ning Anyu quickly crouched and rolled, avoiding the long sword while simultaneously pulling out a pair of karambits from his ankles.
A karambit is less than half a palm in length, with a crescent-curved blade that is extremely sharp, making it an exceptional weapon for close-quarters combat and gutting opponents.
With weapons in hand, Ning Anyu stopped panicking, blocking every move and handling the situation carefully.
Chu Xichen’s moves were ruthlessly vicious, and Ning Anyu dared not distract himself for even a fraction of a second. In an instant, two figures flashed rapidly across the room. Neither had time to utter a single word, save for the continuous clanging sound of colliding weapons.
Yet, Chu Xichen ultimately could not defeat Ning Anyu. After a short while, his movements slowed down just a tiny fraction, and his long sword was twisted out of his grip by Ning Anyu’s karambit. Following that, Ning Anyu executed a low sweep kick, knocking him flat onto the ground.
Chu Xichen tried to flip over and fight again, but how could Ning Anyu give him another chance? With a fierce lunging dive, he pinned Chu Xichen firmly beneath him, gripping his wrists with both hands to completely restrain him.
“Do you hate me that much? Do you want to kill me?”
Ning Anyu had been angered by his ruthlessness and roared in his ear. At this moment, apart from anger, his heart was filled with profound sorrow, because Chu Xichen wanted him dead, and that made him feel deeply aggrieved, his heart feeling as though it had been fiercely slashed by a knife.