Through their conversation over drinks, Li Rui learned that the man before him was named Lü Yifan, twenty-eight years old and the second son of the Speeding Group. He had an older brother, but the two had different mothers, so naturally, there were some irreconcilable conflicts between them.
Lü Yifan was merely a seed his father had sown during an affair. Only after his grandmother found out was he brought home. Without his mother's support in such a wealthy family, his hopes of inheriting his father's assets were undoubtedly a fool's dream.
That was why he had spent these years building connections with all sorts of people. He wanted to prove that he was better than his older brother. Only then would he have a chance to gain his father's recognition and possibly inherit the family business.
These were not things he should have told Li Rui. Whether it was because of the alcohol or because they were close in age, Lü Yifan had simply laid everything out without reservation.
This also won Li Rui's goodwill. He liked sincere people like this, and soon they were calling each other Old Lü and Old Li.
"I say, Old Lü, you wealthy families really are a headache. Doesn't that luxury car dealership of yours already guarantee you'll never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of your life? Why wear yourself out fighting over the family fortune?"
After all, Li Rui had only recently obtained the system. He still felt that earning eight hundred million or a billion a year and enjoying himself would be enough. Why bother running a business? If he hadn't had biological system personnel who could take full responsibility, and if it hadn't been for revitalizing his family, he wouldn't have bothered setting up a group at all.
"Ah, Old Li, it's not as simple as you think. Although I opened the dealership, the shares are held by the group. If I don't fight for the right to inherit, I'll end up with nothing. At best, I'll spend the rest of my life on the few million in dividends the family tosses me each year. That's not what I want," Lü Yifan sighed, slightly drunk.
Li Rui found Lü Yifan's words familiar. They seemed much like the rules he had set for his own family. So these wealthy families also kept something in reserve to prevent the family from splitting apart.
But this was someone else's family business, after all, so Li Rui couldn't really say anything more. After several rounds of drinks and a full spread of dishes, once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lü Yifan spoke again.
"Old Li, want to find a club and have some fun? I know a good place. Want to give it a try?" Lü Yifan wore a sleazy grin. Li Rui marveled at how he seemed like a completely different person from when they had first met.
Li Rui was also very interested in places like clubs, especially since any place Lü Yifan recommended was sure to be very upscale. He had been a poor loser before, and now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to broaden his horizons. But compared with a club, the place he wanted to visit more right now was Star City's underground fighting arena.
"Old Lü, do you know where there's an underground fighting arena in Star City?"
Although Qian Yi and the others had learned Gu Yuanshan's identity through means such as listening in on phone calls and hacking networks, and knew that he was investigating Li Rui, they had yet to determine exactly where this underground fighting arena was. That was why Li Rui asked Lü Yifan, a local rich young master, directly.
At Li Rui's question, Lü Yifan instantly sobered up halfway.
"Old Li, why are you interested in underground fighting arenas? Do you like betting on underground fights too?" Lü Yifan asked in puzzlement.
"What does betting on underground fights mean? I've just heard there are underground fighting arenas and wanted to take a look." Li Rui genuinely didn't know what betting on underground fights involved. The first time he had heard of underground fighting had been from Gu Tianlong, something about Iron Fist having twenty-eight wins and zero losses in underground fights. Later, he had learned of Gu Yuanshan's connection to the underground fighting arena from Qian Yi.
"Old Li, since you're interested in underground fighting, let me tell you about it. Star City's underground fighting arena was established by a man named Gu Yuanshan. The fighters compete, and guests can place bets, with payouts based on set odds."
"There aren't really any rules in underground boxing. You don't even have to wear boxing gloves. You can fight however you want, and sometimes people even get killed. That's why it's called underground fighting."
"Oh," Li Rui responded mildly after hearing Lü Yifan's explanation, then asked, "Do people bring their own boxers?"
"People with a bit of status generally bring their own boxers. Naturally, they trust their own men more than the arena's fighters. Are you thinking of having a go?" At Li Rui's question, Lü Yifan glanced again at the four bodyguards behind him.
"Yeah, I'd like to have a go."
Lü Yifan wasn't surprised by Li Rui's affirmative answer. He had gone to have some fun plenty of times himself, so what was surprising about Li Rui wanting to try?
"Old Li, if you want to have a go, I can take you there right now." As he spoke, he started to get up to take Li Rui there.
Li Rui pressed a hand downward, signaling him not to rush. Lü Yifan sat back down, and Li Rui said, "Tell me about the rules of underground fighting. Let me get an idea first."
Seeing how interested Li Rui was, Lü Yifan enthusiastically began explaining. "The rule of the underground fighting arena is that there are no rules. You fight until your opponent admits defeat or can't get back up."
"That's it?"
"That's it. How could underground fighting have so many rules? If there were rules, it wouldn't be underground fighting."
"I mean, is there something like a challenge match, where someone comes to challenge the arena and the arena can't refuse?"
Lü Yifan pondered for a moment, then his eyelid twitched. "You want to challenge their turf?"
"No, I'm just trying to learn about it."
Lü Yifan patted his chest and said, "You gave me a scare. I thought you wanted to go challenge their turf."
Li Rui merely smiled without saying anything.
When Li Rui didn't reply, Lü Yifan explained further that the arena did have challenge matches. The rules were just as simple: fight until the other side had no one left to send into the ring. That was what challenging their turf meant.
Over the years, quite a few forces had come to Star City to challenge Gu Yuanshan's underground fighting arena, only to return with their feathers shorn. Gu Yuanshan's arena had ten world-class boxers. It wasn't so easy to challenge their turf.
"Besides, the challenge fee is no small sum. It can't be less than a hundred million yuan, and there's no upper limit." Lü Yifan explained the underground arena's rules to Li Rui as readily as if counting his own treasures.
He was a young man, after all, and enjoyed these blood-pumping sports. He had gone to watch many times and placed plenty of bets, so he had heard something of these rules.
After hearing Lü Yifan's explanation, Li Rui nodded to show he understood, then said, "Let's head out, then."
Following Lü Yifan's car, they drove for over twenty minutes before arriving at the underground fighting arena. Contrary to what Li Rui had imagined, it wasn't out in the deserted wilderness, but in a large shopping mall right in the city center.
Following Lü Yifan, he took the elevator to the mall's second basement level. They passed through over a hundred meters of dark corridors that twisted and turned like a maze, then finally went through an inconspicuous little door to properly enter the underground fighting arena.
With the place so well concealed, it was no wonder Qian Yi and the others hadn't been able to locate it right away.
Upon entering the little door, they were greeted by a glittering, lavish scene entirely different from the basement's gloomy surroundings.
"This is the lounge, where guests can rest," Lü Yifan explained.
Watching all sorts of bunny girls weave through the crowd, Li Rui marveled. He had lived in this city for over seven years. When had he ever imagined there was a place like this here? People might be alike, but their fates were worlds apart.
After crossing the lounge and opening the door, they were greeted by a boxing ring surrounded by hundreds of seats, all packed with people. Watching the two fighters in the ring land punch after flesh-pounding punch, the spectators screamed excitedly. Many waved the betting slips in their hands and loudly shouted the names of the fighters they had backed.
"Wild Wolf, kill him! I've got eighty thousand riding on you! Make me proud!"
"Fierce Bull, twist that brat's arms and legs off! That bastard cost me two hundred thousand!"
"How can you be so stupid? Bite him! Bite him!"
"What a thrill! This is so thrilling! Hahahaha!"
All manner of shouts and furious curses rose and fell in waves.