Crushing (Seeking Collection, Seeking Votes)

"Yo! Isn't this my cousin?"

Suddenly, a young man's voice came from beside them. Xiao Hen turned to see a slick-faced youth approaching with a burly man in tow.

"Chen Tianming!" Chen Xinyu said coldly. "You're here early."

"Xinyu, you're not late either!" Her cousin Chen Tianming's gaze landed on Xiao Hen. Chen Xinyu was here for the Martial Arts School Competition; he knew the short-haired woman beside her was her secretary. Among her companions, only Xiao Hen was a stranger, so the conclusion was obvious—Xiao Hen was the expert she'd brought to fight.

Chen Tianming sneered inwardly. This guy looked scrawny, like a fresh graduate stepping into the workforce. How could he represent a martial arts school in a fight?

"Cousin, don't tell me this is the expert you hired?" Chen Tianming pointed a finger at Xiao Hen's nose and snorted. "Looks like you've given up already. The CEO position of Chen's Group is mine for the taking!"

With that, Chen Tianming walked off with the burly man. Before leaving, the burly man shot Xiao Hen a cold grin and cracked his knuckles.

"That bastard..." Yu Li gritted her teeth, her face pale with anger. "CEO Chen, he's way too cocky. He hasn't even won yet."

"Enough." Chen Xinyu pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's head in. Let Mr. Xiao get familiar with the venue and the stage. I believe he won't lose."

Xiao Hen smiled. "Relax. Someone like that? I'll beat him without breaking a sweat."

That afternoon, Chen Xinyu's eldest and second brothers also arrived. Her eldest brother was a steady young man who seemed harmless, but Xiao Hen could sense he was far more dangerous than Chen Tianming. The expert he'd brought—a two-time national Sanda champion—was no slouch compared to Chen Tianming's man either.

As for Chen Xinyu's second brother, he was in the same boat as her—targeted and pitiable.

Xiao Hen didn't want to get tangled in the Chen family's squabbles. All that petty, messy drama was a headache.

He just needed to win this Martial Arts School Competition, take first place, and complete the side quest. The Shuttle would reward him, and with that reward, his survival odds in the next world would get a boost.

The next morning, Chen Xinyu came to Xiao Hen's room early and took him to the gymnasium. They were staying at a hotel right across the street.

"Not many people here," Xiao Hen remarked, glancing at the sparse crowd in the gym.

"This is a family internal matter. The family used to put these four schools under the four of us. Now it's time to test their strength, and this competition decides how the family's corporate interests are split." Chen Xinyu explained briefly, then fell silent.

Xiao Hen didn't press further. He didn't ask why family interests were settled through a martial arts competition. It was their family business—none of his concern.

"Xinyu, come over here and wait for it to start." Ahead, there was a viewing stand with a dedicated referee and Chen family elders overseeing the proceedings. The speaker was a middle-aged woman who bore a resemblance to Chen Xinyu.

"Got it, Aunt."

Chen Xinyu led Xiao Hen and Yu Li over, sitting on the stand to wait for the competition to begin.

"This is the one you chose?" The middle-aged woman glanced at Xiao Hen blandly, then asked Chen Xinyu.

"Yes," Chen Xinyu nodded.

The woman frowned, sighed, and said nothing. It was too late to argue now. The competition was about to start, and the other three participants were filing in. The referee checked the time, stepped onto the fighting stage, and announced loudly, "For this Chen family martial arts competition, I will serve as referee, overseeing and judging the matches. The fight is about to begin!"

"Are all four schools ready?" The referee looked at Chen Xinyu and the other three on the stand.

"No problem!" Chen Tianming shouted with a grin. The burly man beside him, who'd competed internationally, stood up with a smirk.

Chen Xinyu's eldest brother also spoke up: "Ready!"

Her second brother glanced around helplessly. "I'm ready too."

Chen Xinyu said firmly, "We're ready."

"Good. Let me briefly explain the rules," the referee said. "This competition has two groups. Winners advance; losers are out. The final winner will be decided among the victors. The owner of the winning school will take the CEO position of Chen's Group!"

"Now, let's welcome Mr. Xiao Hen from Jiangcheng Chen's Martial Arts School and Mr. Zhuang Haotian from Haicheng Chen's Martial Arts School to the stage."

As soon as the referee finished, the burly man who'd supposedly competed internationally bounded onto the stage, sneering at Xiao Hen and tauntingly crooking his finger.

Xiao Hen's expression didn't change. He stood up and walked onto the stage.

Both wore specialized fighting gear. The referee made a gesture and asked, "Are you both ready?"

"OK!" Zhuang Haotian snorted.

"Ready," Xiao Hen said.

"Then, begin!"

The moment the referee's words fell, Zhuang Haotian let out a sharp yell, his muscles tensing. He stomped forward, charging in with a high kick aimed at Xiao Hen's head. If an ordinary person took that hit, they'd end up with a concussion.

"This guy's ruthless..."

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Hen's eyes. Since the other side showed no mercy, he wouldn't hold back either.

Xiao Hen's lips curled. Faster than his opponent, he whipped out a leg strike.

Bang!

Zhuang Haotian's aggressive attack was shattered. Xiao Hen's kick sent him flying sideways, crashing onto the ground and rolling to the edge of the stage.

The referee jumped in surprise—was it over that fast? He hurried over to check. Zhuang Haotian lay face-down at the stage's edge, eyes rolling back, twitching and foaming at the mouth. Xiao Hen's kick had given him a concussion.

The referee wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, stood up, and announced loudly, "First match, Mr. Xiao Hen wins."

"This..."

"One kick and he won? He looks so ordinary, but he's that strong?"

Though the audience was small—just a few Chen family elders—they stared at Xiao Hen with bright eyes. They hadn't expected the family school to find such a skilled fighter.

"We won?" Chen Xinyu jumped up in joy, grabbing Yu Li and her aunt's hands, asking in disbelief.

"Yeah, we won the first round, and it was that easy. Zhuang Haotian's even competed in national tournaments, but he turned out to be useless—one kick and he's a vegetable," Yu Li said happily.

"This... I really couldn't tell. That guy actually is a true expert." Chen Xinyu's aunt also wore a look of shock.

"He lost? Just like that?" Chen Xinyu's eldest and second brothers stared at Xiao Hen in astonishment, but the most shaken was Chen Tianming. The expert he had gone through so much trouble to invite was defeated with a single kick—how could he have ever imagined that?

"That Zhuang Haotian, a so-called expert? Just a useless piece of trash trying to swindle my money!" Chen Tianming's face darkened.

"Now, the second match begins. Mr. Li Tingxuan and Mr. Lei Yong, please step onto the stage."

The plot moves forward tomorrow. Can anyone guess what story world this is???