"Mm, thanks!"
Shen Heng reached out and took the rice.
"You don't need to thank your mom." Xu Yuqin smiled and pointed at the dishes on the table. "I made your favorites today-pig's feet and cola chicken wings!"
Shen Heng glanced at the dishes on the table.
Three dishes and a soup: red-braised pig's feet, cola chicken wings, stir-fried water spinach, and pork rib soup.
Well, cola chicken wings were Shen Shuning's favorite, while red-braised pig's feet had been the original owner's favorite. His favorite now was red-braised pork belly.
"Mom, you don't need to make so much. It's too wasteful!" Shen Shuning said, sitting beside Xu Yuqin.
"It won't go to waste. It's been so long since we ate together!" Xu Yuqin smiled, looking rather happy.
Shen Shuning nodded and said nothing more.
Shen Heng thought back. It really had been a long time since the three of them had eaten together. The last time had been during the New Year.
Since Xu Yuqin was always working, she hardly ever ate at home. Even on her occasional days off, there was no fixed schedule.
Shen Shuning had school and was only home on Saturday nights and Sundays each week.
The original owner had only occasionally been home during those same times as Shen Shuning.
With all three of their circumstances, although they lived under the same roof, it was hard for them to gather for a meal unless something special came up.
"By the way, Xiao Heng, don't you get days off over there?" Xu Yuqin asked, looking at Shen Heng as she ate.
"They don't normally schedule days off, but if I feel tired, I can ask for leave and rest!" Shen Heng replied.
"Oh, I see!" Xu Yuqin nodded and asked, "Is the work tiring, then?"
"No, it's very easy!"
"And your boss..."
Xu Yuqin asked about every little detail, and Shen Heng patiently answered each question.
The food gradually disappeared as they chatted.
Most of it, however, was eaten by Shen Heng and Shen Shuning. Xu Yuqin had only taken a single piece of meat so far.
Noticing this, Shen Heng's hand paused slightly. He picked up a piece of pig's foot and reached over.
"Xiao Heng, you..."
"Eat more meat. Don't just keep eating vegetables!" Shen Heng placed the pig's foot in Xu Yuqin's bowl.
Xu Yuqin stared at the pig's foot in her bowl for quite a while before taking a deep breath and nodding with a smile.
"Mm!"
In a dim basement.
Huang Shaohua lounged against the back of a sofa, his legs brazenly propped up on the coffee table in front of him. Boredom filled his eyes as he stared straight at the smoke-filled scene ahead.
The dice tumbled wildly inside the dice cup as though running free, giving off a series of crisp, rapid rattles. Then the dealer raised his voice and drew out his call:
"Bets down, hands off! Big, small, reveal!"
The gamblers' voices rose and fell all around, some shouting in excitement, others sighing in regret.
"I told you to bet big, but you wouldn't listen. Look what happened!"
"Ah, lost again! One more round. I refuse to believe this curse!"
"Hurry up and deal! I'm definitely winning it back this round!"
Tsk, who knows what the old man's thinking? When am I finally going to take over this casino... Irritation welled up inside Huang Shaohua, and he couldn't help curling his lip.
"Young Master Hua!" Yellow Hair hurried in from outside and came to Huang Shaohua's side.
The moment Huang Shaohua saw Yellow Hair, his eyes lit up.
"Well? Is it taken care of?"
"Yeah, we've spoken to everyone we know. There might just be a handful of private lenders left!" Yellow Hair nodded.
"That doesn't matter. There aren't many of those people. Even we can't find them, let alone Shen Heng! As long as we make sure nobody we know lends Shen Heng money, leaving him unable to repay it, that's enough!" Huang Shaohua didn't insist on too much.
"All right, then. Everything else has been arranged!" Yellow Hair nodded again.
"Mm, good work!" Huang Shaohua praised him.
His gaze returned to the smoke-wreathed casino before him, and the scenes of him pestering Shen Shuning and being rejected by her over the past few days seemed to appear before his eyes again.
Heh... Shen Shuning, huh...
The Supervision Bureau, training room.
Two figures stood facing each other-none other than Shen Heng and Wang Hai.
"Ready?" Wang Hai asked.
"Mm!" Shen Heng nodded.
"Then tonight's combat training officially begins!"
Wang Hai made the announcement, then stood quietly in place, waiting for Shen Heng to attack.
Shen Heng took a deep breath and loosened up his body.
Then he shifted his right foot slightly backward, planting it on the rubber floor.
With a bang, Shen Heng shot straight toward Wang Hai.
Whoosh!
A sharp rush of wind rang out.
His fist tore through the air, smashing straight toward Wang Hai.
This punch spanned more than ten days of time.
Its force could not be mentioned in the same breath as it had been more than ten days ago. This punch carried the fruits of Shen Heng's cultivation over those days.
Wang Hai swiftly dodged the punch, then swept his leg at Shen Heng's lower body, trying to knock him to the floor.
Yet Shen Heng seemed to have anticipated it. He pushed off the floor with both feet, launching himself into the air, and turned his punch into an elbow strike as he drove straight toward Wang Hai.
Wang Hai twisted sideways while bending his arm, blocking Shen Heng's elbow strike with his forearm.
Bang!
The two figures collided with a dull thud, then separated again.
Seizing the moment when Shen Heng's old force was spent and new force had yet to arise, Wang Hai swiftly stepped forward and drove a straight punch directly toward Shen Heng's face.
Watching the fist hurtle straight toward him, Shen Heng's gaze sharpened. He quickly leaned backward, dodging the strike.
Then, using the momentum of his backward lean, he rapidly spun his body, his left leg sweeping toward Wang Hai's waist like a bolt of black lightning.
Wang Hai reacted extremely quickly, stepping back while crossing his hands to guard his waist.
Bang!
Another dull impact rang out.
Taking advantage of the opening as Wang Hai defended, Shen Heng pushed hard off the floor with his toes and closed in again. Clenching both fists, he attacked from left and right, raining blows on Wang Hai like a furious storm.
Amid the interweaving shadows of fists, only the whooshing wind of their fierce fight and the thuds of fists and feet colliding echoed through the training room.
A long while later.
"Hah... hah..."
Shen Heng bent forward slightly, bracing both hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. Sweat dripped steadily from his body.
Opposite him, Wang Hai's expression remained unchanged.
"That's enough. You've done very well in your training these past few days. This concludes the unrestricted combat course!" Wang Hai nodded at Shen Heng.
"Con... hah... concludes?" Still panting heavily, Shen Heng raised his head to look at Wang Hai in some surprise.
"Mm!" Wang Hai nodded.