"Xu Hao?"
Fang Cheng frowned slightly, his eyes falling on a familiar figure sitting on a leisure chair in the shopping mall opposite.
The man's forehead was dyed with a striking streak of Huang Mao. He was the Xu Hao who came to play at Club a month ago.
At that time, he picked out many professional boxers in succession, claiming to be invincible in Club, and his arrogance was extremely arrogant.
In the end, Fang Cheng, who came back to work during the Chinese New Year, was politely persuaded to quit by "tying the knot".
Although it was a draw on the surface, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Xu Hao actually lost.
At this moment, Xu Hao seemed to have been waiting for Fang Cheng to come out. When Fang Cheng noticed him, he immediately jumped up from his chair.
"Brother, long time no see. Last time... hey, we haven't gotten to know each other since we didn't fight each other."
He walked forward, started chatting, and had an inexplicable smile on his face.
Fang Cheng watched Xu Hao approach and saw that his attitude had obviously become much more restrained this time, and he was no longer as arrogant as last time.
So he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"It's okay, it's just... after I fought with you last time, I went back and thought about it for a long time."
Xu Hao rubbed his hands, looked around Fang Cheng, and lowered his voice:
"Brother, tell me the truth, are you really just a Sparring Partner? I don't believe it."
He paused, then moved closer, with a probing look in his eyes:
"Your skills are definitely not something ordinary people can have. Last time you fought me, you must have kept your hands, right? And you kept a lot of them!"
Fang Cheng's heart moved slightly, but his face remained calm:
"You're overthinking it. I'm just an ordinary person who makes a living from boxing Sparring Partner. I was able to tie with you last time because of luck."
"Luck? What the hell!"
Xu Hao couldn't help but curse, but quickly restrained himself, glanced at the customers passing by, and then continued:
"Brother, if you don't tell secrets, I know you must be really capable."
"Do you have any secrets? Or... Which sect do you follow and what special Fist Technique have you practiced? Can you give me some tips? Or tell me how to practice? Don't worry, the price is easy to negotiate!"
Fang Cheng looked at the unabashed desire and exploration in Xu Hao's eyes and secretly guessed in his heart.
This guy doesn't look like he's gone back to practice hard for many days, polishing his skills, and then wants to regain his place.
I'm afraid I haven't watched too many martial arts movies, and suddenly I have a whim, suspecting that there is some outsider behind me, and want to dig "Divine Skill Manual"?
"The secret..."
After thinking about the words for a moment, Fang Cheng shook his head and replied in a calm tone:
"I don't have any secrets. I just keep practicing boxing every day. Practice more and your hands will become more familiar."
"As for giving guidance, there are many good coaches in our Club. If you really want to learn, you can sign up. I am just a Sparring Partner and I am not qualified to teach others."
Xu Hao Seeing that Fang Cheng was not getting enough oil and salt, the smile on his face gradually faded.
He looked around to make sure no one around him was paying attention. He lowered his voice again, with a hint of mystery in his tone:
"Brother, don't refuse in a hurry. I know you may want to keep a low profile, but there are some things that you can't just keep a low profile if you want to..."
Fang Cheng frowned slightly and looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Xu Hao's eyes flickered and he glanced at Fang Cheng:
"There has been a lot of noise on the road recently. I heard some news. It seems that someone is secretly checking up on a very skilled person. The characteristics described are somewhat similar to yours..."
Fang Cheng's pupils shrank slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
Then he showed just the right amount of confusion and surprise:
"Ah, investigate me? Why? I am just a little Sparring Partner who works hard in Club and earns money to support my family. What is there to investigate?"
Xu Hao stared closely into Fang Cheng's eyes, as if he wanted to see something from them:
"Really? Maybe I heard wrong."
He changed the subject and raised a meaningful smile:
"But, buddy, I, Lu Ziye, am relatively well-informed. If you want to know who is behind the scenes, or want to know how far they have found out..."
He paused and looked at Fang Cheng with meaning:
"Just agree to my conditions just now. You don't need to teach me any unique martial arts. Just give me some pointers occasionally and tell me some ways to become stronger. The information I got will definitely be useful to you."
Fang Cheng still shook his head with blank eyes and declined:
"I appreciate your kindness, but I'm really just an ordinary person. I'm not interested in what you said, and I can't help you."
"Of course, if you want to ask me to do Sparring Partner to compare skills and improve training effects, I would be happy to take the order."
Xu Hao's face flashed with obvious disappointment, but he didn't force it anymore.
Then he took out a Business Card from his pocket and handed it to Fang Cheng:
"Okay, buddy, think of me as talkative. However, you'd better take what I just said to heart. This is my Business Card, it has my phone number on it."
"In case... I mean just in case, you change your mind one day, or you really run into some trouble and want to find someone to ask about something, you can call me and just treat it as a friend."
Fang Cheng looked at the somewhat fancy design Business Card and quickly glanced at the string of identification marks on it:
"Midnight Forest Bar, Security Department manager", "Fierce Tiger Boxing Club, gold medal coach".
Then he took it without rejection, put it in his pocket, and nodded:
"Okay."
At this moment, a crisp voice came from the escalator not far away, with a bit of excitement.
"Brother Cheng!"
Zhou Xiumei ran over in small steps, carrying two cups of milk tea that he had just bought.
She ran closer, stopped, looked curiously at Xu Hao, who was standing next to Fang Cheng with a conspicuous Huang Mao, and asked:
"This is..."
"Former student of Club."
Fang Cheng said casually, with a natural tone, as if he was just introducing an ordinary acquaintance.
Seeing this, Xu Hao nodded in a friendly manner to Zhou Xiumei as a greeting, and then immediately said goodbye to Fang Cheng:
"Then I won't bother you anymore. We'll talk another day."
After saying that, he turned around and left, easily blending into the crowd of people in the shopping mall.
It seemed like it was just a chance encounter, and nothing strange was said.
Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Zhou Xiumei beside him:
"Let's go and eat."
Zhou Xiumei blinked her beautiful big eyes, and she vaguely felt that the atmosphere between Fang Cheng and the Huang Mao young man just now seemed to be slightly subtle.
But seeing that Fang Cheng had no intention of elaborating, he was very sensible and did not ask further questions.
She raised a bright smile and handed one of the cups of milk tea to Fang Cheng:
"Here, I bought it for you, half sugar and ice, the flavor you like."
Fang Cheng stretched out his hand to take it, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. "Thank you."
Then he naturally changed the topic and looked at the elevator leading upstairs:
"Are you hungry? It's getting late. Let's go up and see what we want to eat."
As soon as food was mentioned, Zhou Xiumei's attention was immediately diverted and his eyes lit up:
"Okay, I saw an advertisement when I came over just now. I heard that a new buffet restaurant has opened on the third floor with very good reviews. My classmates also recommended it! Shall we go and give it a try?"
"Okay, I'll follow your arrangement."
Fang Cheng smiled and nodded, with a relaxed and cheerful tone.
The two of them talked and walked side by side towards the slowly rising escalator, blending into the lively atmosphere of the mall at noon.
After lunch, Zhou Xiumei went back to class and concentrated on vocal music.
Fang Cheng carried the bag, put on a Duckbill Cap, left Club, stopped a Taxi outside Shopping Mall, and headed to Guanlan District.
The cityscape outside the car window passed quickly, and the sunlight filtered through Glass, creating a light golden halo.
Looking at the flashing Glass curtain walls, Fang Cheng leaned on the seat, tapping his fingers lightly on the window edge, and narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about something important.
After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he took out his mobile phone from his bag and dialed the number in his mind.
The call was connected, and a surprising voice came from the receiver:
"Hey, boss!"
Fang Cheng asked:
"Old Xu, how are you doing now?"
"My family and I are on vacation at Tiannan Province. The weather here is good and the scenery is great. It is much more comfortable than Eastern Capital."
There was a burst of enthusiastic voices on the other end of the phone. It was Xu Sanduo who ran out to avoid the limelight because Golden Benba Vase was in trouble.
After a few words of greeting, Fang Cheng's voice gradually became deeper:
"There is something, please help me check it out."
"No problem!"
Xu Sanduo understood immediately and his tone became awe-inspiring:
"Although I'm not here at Eastern Capital, my brothers are still there. If you want to check anything, just tell me, boss, and I'll make sure to complete the task."
Fang Cheng then whispered a few words.
From the other end of the phone, there was the rustling sound of the pen tip scratching the paper, as if he was taking notes carefully.
A few minutes later, Fang Cheng put down the phone, looking slightly relaxed.
Before you know it, the car has entered Coastal Highway.
The sea breeze carried the salty and wet Aura through the half-open car window. In the distance, there were sparkling waves on the sea, and a few seagulls were circling at low altitude.
When the familiar high-rise residential buildings came into view, Fang Cheng came back to his senses and immediately said:
"Master, stop at the north gate of Haitian Garden ahead."
When we got out of the car, the sun was a little dazzling.
Fang Cheng stood at the gate of the community, looking at the newly planted Ginkgo saplings, then put on his bag and walked in.
Afternoon.
The buzz of the electric drill Crying Sound echoed in the empty room.
Decoration Master people are busy drilling holes in the walls and installing various pipes and training facilities.
The fine Cement powder fell, forming a hazy dust mist in the sunlight.
Fang Cheng held his breath and stood in the house under construction, carefully inspecting the decoration.
The Tiles and cabinets in the kitchen have been laid, and most of the waterproofing work in the bathroom has been completed.
He squatted down, checked the flatness of the ground, and tried filling the newly installed bathtub with water.
After getting up, focus on the structure of Living Room as Training Ground.
"These two support beams must be strong enough."
Fang Cheng pointed at the ceiling and warned Master about the decoration. His voice was particularly loud amid the construction noise.
"The iron frame below is used to hang Sandbag. The load-bearing capacity needs to be strengthened. Money is not an issue, safety and reliability are the most important."
After all, the weight of the Sandbag I use for boxing training is extraordinary. Ordinary ceilings and hangers will definitely not be able to withstand the abuse of long-term training.
"Okay, I promise it'll be fine."
The foreman Master nodded and took note, and then specially explained a few words to Fang Cheng.
For dynamic loads such as suspended Sandbag, newly added support beams can directly disperse the stress, which is a traditional and effective reinforcement method.
If coupled with the steel structure hanger and fixed steel plate, it can fully withstand the super large Sandbag weighing 500KG.
Fang Cheng nodded upon hearing this.
The reason why I chose Renovation Company in the first place was because they had experience in decorating Club.
The foreman Master is not surprised either. He has seen many avid kung fu fans like this who have modified their home into Boxing Gym in his career.
The two then discussed several details, including sound insulation measures, safety protection, etc.
Until the sunset, the decorators Master packed up their tools and left after get off work, leaving Fang Cheng alone in the house.
Orange-red light slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling windows without curtains, casting long shadows on the rough Cement ground.
Time passes slowly with the daylight, and the sky gradually becomes darker.
The lights of the buildings in the distance lit up one by one, like scattered stars.
jingle bell--
In the darkness, there was a dull ringing sound accompanied by vibrations.
Fang Cheng took out the mobile phone from the bag and looked at the number displayed.
His eyes flickered, and he immediately pressed the answer button.
"Hello."
The voice of Fang Cheng sounded in the empty Unfinished Apartment, with a bit of echo.
"Boss, there are some clues about what you want to investigate."
Xu Sanduo's deliberately lowered voice came from the other end of the phone.
Fang Cheng heard this and walked to the window and said in a deep voice:
"Say."
"The road has been really not peaceful recently, a lot of things have happened, mainly related to the batch of Antique that Western Mountains leaked out."
Xu Sanduo's voice was somewhat cautious, and he roughly talked about some of the disputes between various forces and the conflicts that he had learned about.
Then, cut to Fang Cheng's explanation, Lu Family and Red Tiger Gang that need to be focused on.
"Lu Family's side, just the day before yesterday, there was a new head of the family. The person in charge is a man named Lu Yongquan. He is young, has very powerful methods, and the city is very deep."
"This person is said to be the illegitimate son of the previous head of the family, Lu Shirong, because this identity has never been popular among the Lu Family clan. The process of successfully ascending to the throne this time is certainly not simple. There were some disputes during the period, and it is difficult for outsiders to find out the specific details."
"However, what is certain is that several senior executives of Jin Lu Group, as well as the heads of several branches below, were quickly replaced. Looking at this situation, Lu Family is definitely not very stable internally and is undergoing a major reshuffle."
"As for Red Tiger Gang... they have been a little unusually low-key recently, with almost no big moves. It is completely different from the arrogant and domineering appearance before."
"Brothers on the road, I guess their gang leader may have a problem, or he is holding back some big move. There is no definite news yet."
Fang Cheng listened quietly and let out a soft "hmm" in his nose without commenting.
Xu Sanduo seemed to feel a little dissatisfied from this simple response, and immediately added confidently:
"Don't worry, boss, I will have people keep a close eye on both sides. If there is any trouble, I will report to you as soon as possible!"
After making the guarantee, he changed the subject and entered the second point:
"Boss, you asked me to pay special attention to the Xu Hao. I did find out some details about him."
Fang Cheng heard this, and his spirits perked up slightly:
"Go on."
"This Xu Hao is really not clean at all."
Xu Sanduo begins to describe in detail:
"My parents divorced very early, and the family relationship was very bad. I have been a delinquent who likes to cause trouble and get into fights since I was a child. I dropped out of school and joined the society when I was a teenager. In my early years, I joined Gang called "Black Eagle Gang" over there at West City, but I could never make a name for myself in it. I was just a low-level role."
"In June last year, Black Eagle Gang's territory was targeted by Red Tiger Gang, and it was eventually annexed by the other party. Basically all the members of Gang were incorporated, but this Xu Hao..."
Xu Sanduo paused here, seeming to organize his words.
"What's wrong?"
Fang Cheng asks one more question.
"He disappeared."