Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Nan Shuyi frequented boxing gyms, had been to live matches at the boxing championship, and even talked with champions in the same weight class—his expertise was definitely above everyone else there. He'd dive into a sport until he got bored, then move to the next.

Nan Shuyi repeatedly watched the video forwarded to his phone by Zhou Yi. Admittedly, watching Jiang Yicen pummel Cao Ken in the footage was pretty satisfying.

However, he saw it differently from everyone else. While everyone else saw Jiang Yicen’s absolute dominance, Nan Shuyi observed his striking style. It seemed Jiang Yicen didn’t land many punches, but every hit was ruthless and precise, wasting no energy.

Jiang Yicen’s handwork was impressive, but so were his fundamentals—his retreat steps and lower-body dodging were a bit rusty at first, only to become exceptionally smooth by the latter half, as if he was still getting used to a new setup and needed time to adjust before getting the hang of it again. Even Cao Ken, who considered himself the toughest among all the young masters here, misjudged—which had a lot to do with his arrogance.

Because Cao Ken had never taken Jiang Yicen seriously, his first round was a complete disaster. Underestimating an opponent was a major taboo in competition.

Jiang Yicen had some explosive power, but if his opponent caught an opening, his defense wasn't enough. Cao Ken's build was undeniably more robust than his, and that couldn't be changed.

After Nan Shuyi finished explaining tactics and Cao Ken’s weaknesses, he asked Jiang Yicen, “You tired?”

Each round lasted three minutes, which seemed short, but only people in the ring know how long each second feels, having to score points and defeat the opponent in such a brief span.

“I’m fine, not tired.” Jiang Yicen shook his head. He had exploded in the final moments of the round, focusing mainly on defense earlier, which had consumed some energy but not enough to tire him.

Nan Shuyi asked him, “What outcome do you want?”

When Jiang Yicen lived at his maternal grandfather’s house, his cousin got jealous because his grandfather doted on him.

His maternal grandfather had once been a high-ranking official of the former dynasty. After the dynasty fell, the Republic of China government asked him to stay on as a local official. When he grew old, he retired. As a major official, he had collected many antiques and paintings—not exactly priceless, but to his cousin, they were family heirlooms that should stay in the family. Fearing that Jiang Yicen might take a share of the collection, his cousin had always disliked him and seized every chance to bully him.

Until one day, his eldest and second brothers came to deliver something and witnessed the bullying. They gave the cousin a thorough beating. Back then, Jiang Yicen still didn’t know how to fight back, only trying to reason with his cousin. He was surprised to see his brothers handle it differently. After that, he returned from his grandfather’s house to Lincheng, and his family had him learn self-defense from a master. In this chaotic world, self-defense was crucial.

The Jiang family principle: never let anyone push you around. If anyone dared to bully them, they would retaliate on the spot. If immediate retaliation wasn’t possible, they would find a way to ambush the offender later, an eye for an eye.

If there weren't cameras everywhere, Jiang Yicen would've dragged Cao Ken into a corner long ago.

Today, he had requested this match himself, so he was going to make the most of it and teach Cao Ken a lesson.

With his innocent face and in the gentlest, calmest voice, Jiang Yicen said, “I want to put him in bed for a month.”

Zhou Yi: “...” Damn, that's ruthless!

Hearing this, Nan Shuyi was totally on board with that.

“In the first round, you caught him off guard. Now that he’s recovered, he’ll tighten his defense. Although I’ve never fought Cao Ken myself, I know his weaknesses.”

Jiang Yicen's eyes were bright as he sought confirmation from Nan Shuyi. “Is it his right leg?”

Nan Shuyi nodded. “He injured it before from a motorcycle crash—his right calf got hurt. Watching the video just now, I noticed he unconsciously puts his weight on his left leg when attacking. Later, you can target his right side. When he loses balance, you can take him down as quickly as possible.”

Jiang Yicen: “Can I choke him?”

Zhou Yi finally chimed in, “Of course not!”

He realized that Jiang Yicen, looking so gentle and refined, actually used the most innocent face to say the most ruthless things, and he put them into action. Whether intentionally or not, it was astonishing how he balanced cruelty with elegance.

Nan Shuyi: “The club has its own rules—it's not MMA.”

Jiang Yicen thought to himself that there were so many different ways to compete; modern times really had fine distinctions.

Zhou Yi added for Nan Shuyi: “Something quite serious happened here before, almost a fatal incident. After that, they no longer allowed fighting styles like that.”

Jiang Yicen nodded, suddenly understanding. “I see.”

After both sides had rested enough, Nan Shuyi handed Jiang Yicen a new headgear. The coach was about to put it on Jiang Yicen, but Nan Shuyi shot him a glance, and the coach got the hint, handed it over, and stepped back to make himself scarce.

Having missed the first round, Nan Shuyi wouldn't miss a single detail in the second round. If Cao Ken pulled any tricks, he'd jump into the ring and use him as a punching bag.

Nan Shuyi squeezed Jiang Yicen’s shoulder. “Go.”

Jiang Yicen was confused by the shoulder squeeze. “Hmm?”

Nan Shuyi: “To relax your shoulders and neck. Don’t be nervous.”

Jiang Yicen nodded. “I’m not nervous. It’s actually quite comfortable. My right shoulder is a bit tight—could you give it a few more presses?”

Nan Shuyi pressed a little harder. “...” You little rascal.

After being beaten by Jiang Yicen, Cao Ken's arrogance faded. Seeing Nan Shuyi arrive and treat Jiang Yicen with such care, Cao Ken felt uneasy. He had thought Nan Shuyi was on bad terms with him and would naturally show no favor to Jiang Yicen, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.

He had assumed that the Jiang family sending Jiang Yicen to Nan Shuyi was merely a tool in a political marriage. Who would care about a tool? But what was wrong with Nan Shuyi? Wasn’t he supposed to dislike the Jiang family?

They had shared a bed and become husband and wife after all. It was his miscalculation, but now he was in too deep and had to tough it out.

Cao Ken still wanted to save face after messing up the first round.

“I was just careless earlier. I hadn’t warmed up yet. Don’t get too cocky just because you got lucky.”

Jiang Yicen tapped his gloves together. “Pride comes before a fall.”

Cao Ken: “Don't lecture me.”

He launched another attack at Jiang Yicen, each punch whistling past Jiang Yicen’s ears. Jiang Yicen dodged by a hair every time, his steps steady, his movements agile and light. However, he couldn't keep dodging forever; soon, Cao Ken cornered him against the ropes. As he defended, a punch grazed his shoulder.

At that moment, standing at ringside, Nan Shuyi clenched his fists. If he could, he would've taken that hit for Jiang Yicen.

Just as Cao Ken’s heavy punch was about to land, Jiang Yicen sidestepped and ducked, snapping a right hook to Cao Ken's side. The hit made Cao Ken sway slightly, his body bending forward from the pain. Jiang Yicen pressed his advantage, closing in on Cao Ken. Even when Cao Ken began protecting his head, it was useless. Jiang Yicen hit him with a string of right uppercuts to the jaw.

Realizing he couldn't dodge or block effectively, Cao Ken started throwing wild punches in return. But his brief composure shattered under Jiang Yicen’s assault. Jiang Yicen’s footwork was solid, dodging left and right, making Cao Ken’s flailing punches miss entirely. Seizing the moment, Jiang Yicen landed a fast, clean, powerful straight right to Cao Ken's face.

Cao Ken’s vision went black, and he fell flat on the stage. But it wasn't time for the break yet.

The referee stepped forward to check on him and began the countdown.

“One, two, three…”

“Eight, nine, ten!”

“Jiang Yicen wins!”

As soon as the announcement was made, Jiang Yicen asked the referee, “I might have hit a bit too hard. It looks like he passed out. Should we send him to the hospital?”

The referee, who was also the boxing coach, was alarmed and immediately shouted to the coaches below, “Quick! Quick! Get a stretcher! A stretcher! Young Master Cao is unconscious!”

Below the ring, Nan Shuyi didn’t spare a single glance at the prone Cao Ken. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Jiang Yicen. Wiping the sweat from his hands onto the now-wrinkled towel he was clutching, he watched intently.

Jiang Yicen, still not entirely satisfied, watched as the club coaches carried the unconscious Cao Ken away. He had held back, so he wasn’t worried. He just hadn’t expected Cao Ken to be so fragile. He felt he hadn’t even used his full strength.

All bark and no bite.

Jiang Yicen stepped over the ropes, preparing to jump down. Nan Shuyi extended a hand to him, and he took it, landing lightly on the ground.

He asked Nan Shuyi uncertainly, “Did I hit too hard?”

Nan Shuyi didn’t even think about it before saying, “Not heavy. He’s just weak. Being weak and arrogant is his fault.”

Jiang Yicen felt reassured after being comforted, since Cao Ken had been the one provoking him and testing his patience.

After a moment, he commented, “Like the King of Yelang, ignorant of the vastness of Han.”

Zhou Yi: “…” Why isn’t he showing off English and switching to poetry instead?

He looked at Jiang Yicen again—smiling gently, speaking gently, his eyes gentle. He looked even weaker? Before today, he might have thought so, but after today, he wouldn't judge a book by its cover. Who'd have guessed he had such a punch!

Zhou Yi: “How come you're not speaking English anymore?”

Last time he saw him, wasn’t he always mixing in a few English words?

Jiang Yicen explained, “It's not a custom for Chinese people, so I stopped.”

Nan Shuyi didn’t care about that; his gaze swept over Jiang Yicen’s shoulder: “Are you hurt? Do you need to put some ointment on it?”

Jiang Yicen rubbed his shoulder: “No need. I’m fine.” He's not that fragile.

Nan Shuyi nodded: “They have some good medicinal oil here. Grab a bottle when we head home.”

After Cao Ken was carried away on a stretcher, the crowd dispersed, more interested in He Mingshuo’s three-million-yuan grand prize.

Seeing everyone leave, Jiang Yicen asked Nan Shuyi and Zhou Yi, “Are you two also joining the scoring game they mentioned?”

Zhou Yi looked at Nan Shuyi: “You just said to call him He…”

Nan Shuyi cut Zhou Yi off: “Yeah, he invited our club to play.”

Zhou Yi started texting He Mingshuo: The game doesn’t need to be canceled!

His last message had been: Nan Shuyi told you to cancel today’s event!

“???” He Mingshuo had just arrived at the scene—why was it different every minute?

Zhou Yi: It’s fine. The event continues.

At that moment, a sharp-eyed club manager handed them a small booklet.

Jiang Yicen curiously flipped open the palm-sized booklet: “What’s this booklet for?”

The manager explained: “Everyone participating gets one. Each completed activity earns points. By 8 PM today, the player with the highest total points wins the three-million-yuan grand prize sponsored by Mr. He. There’s also a mini-program that syncs today's activity scores. Scan the QR code inside to check other players’ points and rankings.”

Jiang Yicen was immediately enthusiastic: “Sounds interesting! How many points did I get for that match just now?”

Manager: “You get ten points for a win.”

Jiang Yicen: “What if someone throws the match?”

Manager: “…”

Nan Shuyi: “Take boxing out of the activities.”

Manager: “Yes, we'll follow Mr. Nan's advice and drop this event. It will not be counted in the points.”

Jiang Yicen excitedly opened the booklet, flipping through pages. Anyway, he'd already gotten his goal of beating Cao Ken, so he didn’t really care about the points.

The booklet was beautifully crafted, with detailed descriptions of each activity.

With boxing removed, there were seven activities left: horse riding, archery, basketball shooting, rock climbing, etc.

Nan Shuyi asked him: “Which one do you want to do?”

Jiang Yicen pointed to the first page: “I want to go horseback riding.”

He hadn’t ridden in ages; he used to own several horses, but unfortunately sold them all.

Nan Shuyi also took a booklet from the manager. Seeing Jiang Yicen flipping through the beautiful booklet, he said in a low voice to the manager: “How does your club let anyone in? Who's gonna bring friends here anymore?”

The manager said nervously: “You’re right. I'll talk to my boss right away!”

At that moment, Cao Ken, being carried away on a stretcher, still didn’t know he had been kicked out of the club.

Nan Shuyi turned to Jiang Yicen and said, “I grabbed one too. Let's go.”

Seeing that Zhou Yi hadn’t taken one, he also got a copy for him: “Zhou Yi is really good at horseback riding.”

Jiang Yicen looked at Zhou Yi with curiosity: “Then we could have a little competition?”

Zhou Yi: “No, not me…” No, he wasn't good at horseback riding. Last time he got kicked by that stupid horse of Nan Shuyi's.

Nan Shuyi moved a step forward, blocking Jiang Yicen’s view of Zhou Yi, and said: “He'd be very happy to compete with you.”

Zhou Yi: “…” I'm not happy about it!