How Long Had This Been Going On

The Locker Room was much livelier than usual.

Many colleagues had gathered around Fang Cheng, talking, their laughter and chatter rising in a clamor.

Chen Xiaohai, in particular, was gesturing wildly with both hands, vividly describing the earlier test, as well as all the shocked reactions from the Coach and the students.

It was as if he had been the one taking the assessment on the floor, and he had been the one enjoying everyone's amazed cheers.

Fang Cheng sat quietly in the middle of the crowd, wiping his damp hair with a Towel.

The news had spread like wildfire.

About how he had wanted to become a Sparring Partner, then performed beyond expectations and passed the assessment.

It could be said that almost the entire Club staff already knew.

Just now, after he had finished showering and returned to the Locker Room, the two young ladies from the Marketing Department had even deliberately waved their fists at him and said, "Good luck."

At that moment, the noise around him was overwhelming. The Locker Room had practically turned into a marketplace.

Colleagues from other departments kept running over, looking at him as if they were looking at some rare animal.

After all, transferring from an ordinary Club employee to a Sparring Partner, and breaking the record with his test results, really was an unprecedented first.

This left Fang Cheng rather speechless.

To be honest, he did not like the feeling of being the center of too much attention.

Once it was past one o'clock, the lunch break ended.

Only then did everyone gradually return to their posts, leaving behind a brief moment of quiet.

Because the Sanda Department did not have any classes scheduled until three o'clock that afternoon.

While Karate had a large Group Class coming up right away.

So Fang Cheng followed Chen Xiaohai to Training Hall No. 2 to familiarize himself with the environment in advance.

Perhaps his astonishing performance earlier had left a deep impression on the students.

When they saw Fang Cheng walking over, every one of them started whispering to each other or simply watched him intently.

Especially certain professional fighters who were practicing punches; when they looked at Fang Cheng, their gazes were particularly eager.

As if they were saying, this kid was pretty good, and choosing him as a Sparring Partner in the future definitely would not be a mistake.

"If that's really what they're thinking, then that's a good thing..."

Fang Cheng gave a faint smile and quietly adjusted his mindset, adapting to his new identity.

Chen Xiaohai walked in front, talking nonstop.

He was mainly introducing some of the fixed facilities in Hall No. 2, as well as the special rules regarding the Karate area.

While speaking, his footsteps suddenly paused, and his eyes drifted toward the entrance.

"A Cheng, look, that's him!"

Hearing Chen Xiaohai's low exclamation, Fang Cheng immediately followed his line of sight and looked over.

He saw a man striding this way.

He had a thickset, short, sturdy build, a striking bald head, a face full of coarse flesh, and eyes staring straight ahead. He looked rather fierce.

Behind him were two men in suits and ties, who looked like assistants.

They were helping carry two heavy black outdoor training bags.

Inside, there were clearly all kinds of specialized protective gear and fitness equipment.

"That's the Karate expert from Japan, Majima Goro..."

Chen Xiaohai lowered his voice again.

Seeing that the man was about to come close, he hurriedly moved aside, as if avoiding a plague god.

As for the Japanese Fighter, he did not even look properly at the two of them. His expression was cold, and he carried himself with an impressive air.

He walked straight to the ring in the middle, changed in public into a gi with a black belt tied around him, then began training.

Chen Xiaohai had his own work to attend to.

Fang Cheng simply stayed there, watching the other man train with great interest.

He first practiced a set of expansive, forceful kata as a Warm-up Exercise.

It was equivalent to form practice in traditional martial arts, containing various fixed attack and defense techniques.

With every punch and kick, he exhaled sharply and shouted, and between the raising of his hands and feet, he displayed quite a rigid, powerful force.

After finishing the kata, next came Physical Training.

The main content was Fist Push-Ups, fifty in one set.

He completed four sets in total, and it was clear his stamina was still quite abundant.

Fang Cheng had not yet begun practicing advanced movements like fist-and-finger Push-Ups.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng couldn't help comparing himself to the other man.

After kicking and striking the sandbag in succession and smashing wooden boards with his palms, Majima Goro began sparring with a sparring partner.

Fang Cheng stood off to the side, watching without blinking.

This time, the sparring partner was a new face.

He seemed to be a professional karate fighter the club had just hired.

Unlike a beginner sparring partner like Fang Cheng, whose main job was to act as a "human punching bag,"

he could also provide the higher-end service of doing offensive and defensive drills with the employer.

Overall, his movements and technique could be called very good-looking; he just lacked physical strength.

Every time they clashed, he was always the one at a disadvantage, constantly getting kicked flying by Majima Goro or suffering projection techniques.

Fortunately, he was wearing a full set of protective gear; otherwise, he probably would not have lasted even a few minutes.

Looking again at Majima Goro, his movements were vicious, his expression ferocious. He was practically a battle maniac.

Gradually, the sparring partner was clearly running out of stamina and raised a hand to signal that he needed to pause and rest.

Smack!

Majima Goro acted as if he had not noticed. He still strode forward and abruptly seized the other man's belt.

He actually lifted him high into the air with both arms, intending to use a "Waist Slam Back Attack."

"Stop!"

Seeing such a dangerous move, Shen Haoming, who had been paying attention and staying on guard at the side, hurriedly shouted for him to stop.

He immediately shot forward in a single step, sprang onto the ring, then used the momentum to crash in and clinch, interrupting the other man's motion.

Majima Goro took the impact, and his body swayed.

Although he dropped the person he had lifted, he immediately hooked his arm back around Shen Haoming's head and neck, since Shen Haoming was holding on to him.

His arm exerted force, the muscles of his face twisting, his eyes bloodshot and bulging red.

It was as if he had some deep, irreconcilable hatred with Shen Haoming and wanted to use this "Guillotine Choke" to strangle him to death.

Shen Haoming could not breathe. He gripped Majima Goro's wrist with all his strength and kept punching him in the abdomen, but it seemed to have no effect at all.

"Is there something wrong with this guy's head?"

Fang Cheng stood below the platform and watched, his brows slightly furrowed, somewhat surprised.

He had heard Chen Xiaohai say that Majima Goro had competed in KFC and seemed to have been suspended indefinitely because he had failed a drug test.

"I also think he's not normal. If this guy had a wife, he'd definitely be a wife-beater!"

Just as he was thinking of someone, that someone's voice suddenly sounded from beside him.

It turned out the group class on that side had already ended, so only now did he have time to come closer and watch the show.

"How is it? Scared? You can still back out now."

Chen Xiaohai looked toward Fang Cheng with a faint teasing edge.

Fang Cheng did not answer, only asked in return:

"Between Coach Shen and Majima Goro, who's stronger?"

Chen Xiaohai pursed his lips. "See for yourself."

The chaotic brawl on the ring continued for more than ten seconds.

In the end, only after two assistants and another coach exhausted all their strength was Majima Goro forced to loosen his grip.

He stood there in a daze, panting heavily in great gulps.

As for Coach Shen, he lay on the ring like a salted fish, his eyes rolled back, almost passing out.

Fang Cheng shook his head, then asked Chen Xiaohai again:

"How long has Majima Goro been like this?"

"He was like this when he first came, but recently, he seems to be going crazy more and more often."

"Hey!"

A sudden bellow rang out, cutting off the two men's whispering.

Fang Cheng looked up; the voice came from the ring.

Majima Goro was pointing at them with a furious glare, looking this way, his mouth jabbering away.

He was like a beast that still had brute force left but nowhere to vent it.

Fang Cheng did not understand Japanese.

Because of his job, Chen Xiaohai did know a few phrases, so he gave a rough explanation.

Someone had told Majima Goro that Fang Cheng was the new sparring partner, so Majima Goro told Fang Cheng to hurry up and get on stage to spar with him.

Fang Cheng was startled.

He really did want to spar with this Japanese Fighter and raise his Skill Experience a little.

However, they had yet to sign a formal contract.

If something happened during this period, no one would be able to say who was responsible, so it was best not to act rashly.

"Hai Ge, translate for me."

After considering it for a moment, Fang Cheng had Chen Xiaohai pass on his words.

"Tell him not to be in such a hurry. His wish will be granted very soon."

After saying that, Fang Cheng lost all interest in watching any longer.

He turned and left Training Hall No. 2, completely ignoring the shouting behind him.

Chen Xiaohai froze for a moment, not knowing what he meant, but still translated it back exactly.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Sunlight passed through the gaps between the skyscrapers and fell onto the venue floor, forming streaks of pale white.

As Fang Cheng passed by, he raised his head and looked at the city scene outside the window.

A light blue screen emerged in midair, making his eyes shine especially brightly.