Proposal

The Chen family home was brightly lit.

The whole family sat around the dinner table, no one touching their chopsticks as they waited in silence.

Chen Yiming had not kept it from them. They knew he and Chen Shaojie were going on their first assignment together that evening.

Though Chen Yiming had repeatedly insisted there would be no danger, his family was still deeply worried. They had long heard from the neighbors about the chaos in the urban village.

Their son was a fresh-faced novice who had joined the martial arts school just over a month ago. The thought of him running into a vicious robber was terrifying.

7:52 p.m.

With both hands full, Chen Yiming hurried home.

To avoid drawing attention, he did not use the front door. Instead, he leaped from a spot on the roof where no one could see him and landed in the courtyard.

Seeing Chen Yiming suddenly appear in the courtyard, his mother jumped. "Son, what are you doing sneaking around with all that stuff?"

"Brother, you look like a thief right now," Chen Yingying murmured beside her.

The tense atmosphere vanished when his family saw him home safe. His father stepped forward to help carry his things.

"Dad, there's some important stuff in there. Help me put it in the basement first," Chen Yiming said.

"What is all this?" His father tried lifting a bag and found it quite heavy, especially the sack filled with dried Mutated Beast meat.

"No time to explain. I have to go teach a class right now. Chen Yingying, you're coming with me," Chen Yiming told his father.

"Brother, what am I going for?" Chen Yingying asked.

She was perfectly happy with her life as it was, staying home and reading every day without having to go out.

"To sit in on my class, of course. Starting now, you're going to learn martial arts." Chen Yiming announced the decision he had already made.

The world was unstable, and only strength could keep a person safe. Even though he knew Chen Yingying disliked physical activity and preferred reading quietly, he had to push his younger sister onto the martial path.

He owed that to her and to the Chen family.

"Isn't it enough for the family to have you? Besides, I don't have the talent," Chen Yingying protested instinctively.

In middle school and high school, students underwent annual tests to identify those with martial arts talent. Chen Yingying's aptitude was about the same as Chen Yiming's had been before: neither was considered worth training.

"That's right, son," his mother said. "You should spend all the money on your own training. Your sister's a girl, and she isn't particularly talented at martial arts. She can just keep studying." Deep down, she did not want Chen Yingying to train.

"Yingying, go change and get ready to leave with me. Just trust my judgment. It won't cost much to teach her martial arts." Chen Yiming rejected his mother's suggestion and settled the matter without leaving room for argument.

"Oh. Wait for me, then, brother. I'll be right out." Chen Yingying had always been mild-mannered, and she gave in as soon as Chen Yiming pushed back.

The urban village was quiet at night, apart from the occasional bark of a dog.

His mother helped his father carry the things Chen Yiming had brought home down to the basement, one item at a time. Chen Yingying went to her room and changed out of her dress into sportswear.

Chen Yiming had Chen Yingying sit on the back of his bicycle, and they set off for the Libei Martial Arts Training Center.

8:05 p.m.

Chen Yiming and Chen Yingying arrived at the Libei Martial Arts Training Center.

Riding with Chen Yingying was much slower than walking on his own, so they had arrived a little later than expected.

In the training center's reception area, Xie Xuejiao and Luo Yafang were chatting quietly.

Both had long legs. Each sat with one leg crossed over the other, a high heel dangling half off her toes as she swung her foot, revealing a small foot wrapped in a black stocking.

"That young man you checked in last time is pretty unreliable, isn't he? He's already late on his second day?" Luo Yafang brought it up idly.

"Maybe something held him up on the way," Xie Xuejiao said uncertainly.

"I say you should warn him when he gets here that he can't just show up late. Otherwise, who knows how much of your bonus they'll dock next month?" The thought of the bonus made Luo Yafang indignant on her coworker's behalf.

"Oh, stop talking nonsense. If I dared do that, the company would probably fire me first." Xie Xuejiao smiled.

"I'm joking. They dock our pay for no good reason, and we can't even complain in private?" Luo Yafang rolled her eyes.

Company rules deducted a set amount from the assigned contact person's bonus according to how often a martial arts instructor was absent or late.

If a martial arts instructor failed to fulfill the company's teaching requirements, however, senior management would discuss whether to dock their pay. Usually, nothing came of it.

Chen Yiming came out of the elevator with Chen Yingying. He had intended to go straight to class, but he needed to discuss something with Xie Xuejiao, so he headed for the reception area.

Xie Xuejiao immediately broke off her conversation with Luo Yafang, slipped her heels back on, and hurried over to greet him.

"Instructor Chen, who is this?" Xie Xuejiao asked, noticing the young woman beside him.

"This is my sister, Chen Yingying. I brought her to sit in on the class," Chen Yiming said. Out of respect, he had decided to inform the training center rather than act as though he could do whatever he pleased.

"Instructor Chen, your sister is beautiful," Xie Xuejiao said, not daring to bring up enrollment fees.

Chen Yingying said nothing, but her cheeks flushed at the compliment.

"There's one more thing I'd like to discuss. Could we add a few students to my swordsmanship class? There's plenty of room," Chen Yiming said.

"Of course. I'll arrange it right away," Xie Xuejiao agreed without hesitation.

She smiled politely throughout, while inside she was overjoyed.

Short on money? She promptly added another piece of information to her notebook. She was sure she could sell it for a good price.

Having told Xie Xuejiao what he needed, Chen Yiming checked the time. Already quite late for class, he cut the conversation short and took Chen Yingying with him.

Inside the classroom.

The students in the advanced swordsmanship class had lined up, ready for the lesson. But when Chen Yiming still had not appeared after eight, they had scattered and were sitting against the walls, chatting and joking.

Chen Yiming pushed the door open. Every student sprang to their feet by reflex, and within half a minute they had lined up in neat rows.

They had heard rumors that day that someone was using connections to get into the class.

If the class size stayed the same, someone would have to leave to make room. Chen Yiming stood out even among the martial arts school's students, and an instructor like him was not easy to find.