Chapter 5

"Brother Chen, don't worry about me. I can still hold on for ten more boxing matches. I feel I've made great progress recently. The boxers who fight me should be the ones to worry."

Heizi was always overly confident and didn't care that his contract had been changed to twenty-five wins.

"Brother Chen, with your skills, even though your strength is a bit lacking, winning five C-level boxing matches shouldn't be a problem," Heizi said with a smile. No one else knew Su Chen's true strength, but he did. The reason for his rapid improvement was largely due to Su Chen's hands-on guidance. However, because Su Chen, as a sparring partner, was not allowed to counterattack and could only endure, this secret was unknown to anyone.

Su Chen was naturally sensitive to force and used the technique of borrowing force to counteract it very skillfully. During sparring, he used this technique to reduce injuries, but he could never fully execute the complete boxing technique.

Borrowing force to counteract it is like drawing a circle. When Su Chen was hit, he only drew half a circle each time.

Even so, he managed to withstand the full attack of Mad Dog, which showed how formidable Su Chen was.

Heizi's previous opposition to Su Chen fighting in C-level matches was actually just to confuse people like Iron Wolf. Fifteen matches were too many; by the time Su Chen's strength was fully exposed, the subsequent matches would become increasingly difficult and dangerous. Five matches, however, were just right.

Facing opponents with over 300 pounds of strength, anyone would underestimate them. This was Su Chen's opportunity.

"If you think you can last through five matches, you're wrong," Shen Yue's clear voice came from behind.

Su Chen looked up in surprise. The female doctor was still there, standing to the side with a smile, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Shen Yue seemed to be more than just a doctor; she was said to have a significant background. Su Chen couldn't help but take her words seriously, especially since he felt a vague sense of unease.

"Is there something fishy going on?" Su Chen asked, looking at Shen Yue as she approached. Her eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses were like a deep pool, making it hard to read her intentions.

"If you haven't improved much these past few days, you'll likely die in the ring within three matches," Shen Yue said with a look of pity. She gently patted Su Chen's shoulder and said, "Be careful." Then she turned and left.

Watching Shen Yue's elegant figure depart, Su Chen felt a wave of shock, not because of her ominous words. He opened his palm and found a small piece of paper had been slipped into his hand. The paper still carried a faint fragrance, which was the scent of Shen Yue.

But damn, when did she slip the paper into his half-closed hand without him noticing? If he had to fight her, he wouldn't even know how he died.

Thinking about this, Su Chen broke out in a cold sweat.

...

After getting treated at the medical room and signing the contract with Heizi, Su Chen left the boxing gym. Walking on the street, he felt the bustling and prosperous atmosphere of Hai Cheng City, with the golden-red sunset gradually disappearing in the distance. He let out a long sigh.

One door, one world.

Su Mu had always worked as a sparring partner without signing a boxer's contract, and he had never been involved in bloodshed. However, this time, he couldn't escape the day of facing Mad Dog's murderous intent.

His mother, Mrs. Gu, had taught him to be a good person, but now he had killed someone and would soon have to fight to the death on the boxing ring. Was he still a good person?

Thinking about Mrs. Gu's words, Su Chen felt a sense of melancholy.

The note from Shen Yue was simple.

"Tomorrow morning at 9:00, 18th floor, Shuiyue轩."

The 18th floor was an independent training room allocated by the boxing gym, known for its unique and personalized decoration, which further confirmed Shen Yue's mysterious nature.

Was this a date?

Thinking of Shen Yue's queen-like demeanor, Su Chen couldn't help but indulge in some wild thoughts, but he quickly dismissed the absurd idea. If it were a date, there would be no need for such secrecy, making it seem like a spy rendezvous.

There was no need to overthink it; he would find out tomorrow morning. Given her tone, it seemed to be a matter of life and death, so he couldn't afford to miss it.

"Brother Chen, this is for you. Su Xiaomei's health is important," Heizi said, handing him something.

Su Chen looked and saw it was the signing fee, also known as the settlement fee. Heizi had signed for ten more matches, earning 50,000, while Su Chen had signed for five, earning 20,000.

In a certain sense, Tianwu Boxing Gym was not short of money, and being a boxer did indeed pay more than being a sparring partner. As long as you could win and gain some fame, you would receive generous tips from wealthy patrons, which were the main source of income, not just the appearance fees.

"I can't take it. You take it back and buy some supplements for Auntie. I just received my signing fee too," Su Chen quickly pushed it back.

Heizi wasn't rich either. His D-level matches had low appearance fees, and his win rate wasn't high. He often got injured over the past two years. After paying for treatment and training, and supporting his mother, he was not financially well-off. How could Su Chen take his money?

After much persuasion, Heizi finally took the money back.

They parted ways, and Su Chen went to the pharmacy to buy a twenty-year-old ginseng, then to the market to buy a few pounds of pork ribs and some fresh small fish, and headed home.

Passing by the seaside park, Su Chen stopped and whistled twice. After a short wait, a small black shadow stumbled out.

It was a palm-sized kitten with big, black eyes and a reddish-brown coat, looking like a ball of fur. It seemed to have run too fast and stumbled, rolling over to Su Chen.

Seeing the kitten's appearance, Su Chen almost burst out laughing. He quickly bent down to pick it up, saying, "Xiaohong, you must have been hungry today, running so fast."

"Zhi zhi..."

The kitten rolled its eyes and chirped, as if saying something, but Su Chen couldn't understand it. He guessed it was unhappy about being called Xiaohong.

"You're a cat, not a mouse. You should meow, not chirp," Su Chen corrected the kitten, reaching out to pet its head.

The kitten turned its head, somewhat unwillingly avoiding Su Chen's hand, and found the small fish in the food bag on the ground. It chirped a few more times and started eating greedily.

"Slow down, there's plenty," Su Chen said, opening the food bag a bit more to make it easier for the kitten to eat.

"Really strange, you have such a big appetite, but you don't grow at all. Where does it all go?"

The kitten meowed, too lazy to answer, and kept eating without lifting its head.

The kitten looked very small, only palm-sized, like a newborn kitten, but Su Chen knew it wasn't.

Two months ago, Su Chen found the kitten lying beside a osmanthus tree, dirty and emaciated, on the verge of death. He bought some cat food and fed it, and continued to feed it every day after work, which helped it recover gradually.

He walked to the boxing gym to save on transportation costs, but also because of the kitten. He felt that such a small kitten, if left alone, would starve to death.

After all, it was too small to find food on its own.

Strangely...

Two months had passed, and the kitten hadn't grown at all. Its fur was smoother, its color more vibrant, and its eyes more lively, but nothing else had changed.

Every day, it ate dozens of small fish, each about two fingers wide, which together were larger than the kitten. Su Chen wondered where it all went.

Curious, Su Chen picked up the kitten and felt its belly, which was still flat. He asked, "Xiaohong, are you full? Do you want to eat more tomorrow?"

The kitten opened its eyes and chirped twice, its gaze soft, making Su Chen's heart flutter. He felt the kitten's eyes were like his little sister's, and the most peculiar thing was that the kitten could understand him.

"Too bad you won't come home with me. My sister would love you too."

Seeing the kitten was full, Su Chen carefully placed it on the ground, saying, "Go play on your own."

Usually, the kitten would leave after eating, but this time was different. Seeing Su Chen about to leave, the kitten ran over and bit his pant leg, meowing twice.

"Are you asking me to follow you?"

Su Chen was puzzled and followed the kitten, which led him through the woods for a few minutes. The kitten didn't run fast and often stopped to wait, not afraid of getting lost.

At the bottom of a small hill, Su Chen saw a patch of light purple flowers in the dense grass. The kitten used its paw to clear the weeds, revealing a unique three-leafed plant with two shiny fruits.

One was red, the other green.

The kitten paused, pulled off the red fruit, and ran back to Su Chen.

This was too obvious. The kitten was giving Su Chen its hidden treasure. Was this an invitation?

Su Chen took the red fruit, which was the size of his finger, and smiled, "Xiaohong, is this your treasure? Are you giving it to me to eat?"

The kitten chirped happily, looking at Su Chen, then at the grass, and smacked its lips, as if saying it had more.

Su Chen squatted down, petted the kitten's head, and looked at the red fruit in his hand. He smelled a sweet fragrance and felt his mouth watering.

He wondered why he felt so hungry just looking at the fruit.

At this point, he knew the fruit was something special, but he didn't know what it could do. He had intended to study it further to see if there were any side effects, but his body was honest. Unconsciously, he put the red fruit in his mouth.

The red fruit turned into a sweet, warm, and fragrant stream that flowed down his throat.

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(End of the chapter)