"It's true!"
Liu Yafei’s spirits instantly lifted, and she eagerly pressed him for the secret recipe. Wu Hao explained briefly that it was something his master had given him back when he was in the mountains. Hearing this, Liu Yafei felt a sudden surge of motivation.
After the family finished dinner, Wu Hao suggested they go out for a walk. Although Liu Yafei was quite tired from a long day, she felt that being able to go out with her family was a form of happiness, so she agreed immediately.
They arrived at a shopping plaza in the city center. The square in front of the mall was packed with people out to enjoy the evening. As Wu Hao held his son’s small hand, they strolled for a while until he spotted a vendor selling candied haws. The little guy, Liu Chenghao, began to drool at the sight.
"Daddy, can you buy me a candied haw?"
"Want a candied haw? Of course!"
Wu Hao went up to the stand and bought one for his son.
"Oh, why did you buy him that again? His teeth are going to rot!" Liu Yafei stepped forward and scolded.
Wu Hao laughed and said, "It’s fine, he’s just a kid!"
"Ah! Help! Help!"
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Wu Hao looked up and saw a middle-aged man in the distance wielding a kitchen knife, attempting to attack people indiscriminately. The crowd scattered in panic.
"Haohao, Haohao, quickly!" Liu Yafei cried out, grabbing their son and scooping him into her arms.
The man with the knife was already approaching. Clutching their son, Liu Yafei tugged at Wu Hao. "Hurry, let’s get to the side!"
"It’s fine, you go first!"
With that, Wu Hao chose to walk against the current, heading straight toward the man with the knife. Seeing Wu Hao move toward the danger, the fleeing crowd stopped and began to whisper.
"Hey, friend, whatever is bothering you, just put the knife down!" Wu Hao said, standing in front of the man.
"Who the hell are you? Looking for a death wish?" the man cursed, glaring at him.
Wu Hao stepped closer, which actually startled the man—he hadn't expected to run into someone who wasn't afraid of dying.
"Don't come any closer! If you take one more step, I'll kill you!" The man backed away, waving the knife around wildly.
But Wu Hao wasn't afraid. Seeing Wu Hao continue to advance, the man’s eyes widened. "You're fucking looking to die!" He swung the blade toward Wu Hao.
"Ah, watch out!" someone in the crowd shouted, everyone holding their breath in anticipation.
At that split second, Wu Hao lunged forward, grabbing the man’s wrist. With a swift movement, a sharp cry rang out, and the knife clattered to the ground. Wu Hao executed a perfect shoulder throw, slamming the man to the ground and pinning him down.
"Good! That’s great!"
"A hero! He's a hero!"
The onlookers were stunned, then erupted into applause. Liu Yafei, who had been breaking into a cold sweat, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Daddy is so cool!" Little Liu Chenghao, still munching on his candied haw, gave his father a big thumbs-up.
"Coming through! Make way, move aside!" The City Guard Bureau officers arrived on the scene.
Wu Hao let go of the man and, seeing that the situation was under control, slipped away. By the time the officers rounded up the criminal and turned to thank him, Wu Hao was already gone.
"Captain Cheng, that guy just now was something else!" a young officer said to a man in his thirties. This man was the captain leading the operation, Cheng Tongtian, chief of the He-cheng Jinhe District City Guard Bureau.
"The person is already gone before we could even thank them properly. Alright, back to work!"
Meanwhile, Wu Hao’s family had reached a nearby snack stall.
"Haohao, was Daddy cool just now?" Wu Hao asked, holding his son’s hand.
"Cool! So cool! I even gave you a thumbs-up, did you see it, Daddy?"
"You gave me a thumbs-up?" Wu Hao and Liu Yafei exchanged a glance and nodded immediately. "Ah, yes, we saw it! Thank you, Haohao!"
"Hee hee!"
"Honey, please don't do that again. You scared the life out of me; it was so dangerous!"
Wu Hao patted Liu Yafei’s shoulder. "It's fine, you know how capable your husband is!"
"That’s not the point. What if you had gotten hurt? What would we have done?"
"Alright, alright, I won't do it again."
After walking for a while longer, the family headed home. Once they tucked their son into bed, Wu Hao and Liu Yafei lay in bed, chatting about work. When Wu Hao mentioned the martial arts hall, she became serious immediately. "No, absolutely not!"
"What’s wrong?"
Liu Yafei said, "You don't know who Li Kailong is. He’s incredibly dangerous. Rumor has it he’s killed people in the shadows. Are you sure you can handle being a coach for someone like that?"
"What, even you don't believe in me now?"
"It’s not that—Li Kailong is just too formidable!"
"So what if he's formidable? Your husband is quite capable himself, isn't he?"
With that, Wu Hao turned over, clicked off the light, pulled up the quilt, and they turned their attention to their private life.
The next day, Wu Hao got up early to make breakfast. After dropping his son off at school, he went to the martial arts hall. Once there, he waited by the ring just as Boss Yu had instructed, waiting for his "student."
He waited for over two hours, but no one showed up. By noon, realizing he couldn't wait any longer, he called Yu Dongshan to report the situation.
"Coach Wu, just wait a moment. I'll make that brat go find you right now!" Yu Dongshan’s roar came through the phone.
Sure enough, within five minutes of hanging up, a youth in his early twenties walked over. He looked confused when he saw Wu Hao. "What the hell? Is Old Yu losing his mind, or am I? Hey, buddy, don't tell me you're the special coach Old Yu hired for me?"
Wu Hao nodded. "That’s right, it’s me."
Zhou Bin looked like he wanted to die. "Oh, man, I'm calling Old Yu right now!"
"No need. I am your coach."
Zhou Bin sighed and looked at Wu Hao. "Look, buddy, who do you think you are to be coaching me?"
With that, Zhou Bin stripped off his shirt, revealing a body full of muscle. "Come on, let’s go. Let's get out of here before you embarrass yourself. I don't know what Old Yu was thinking, hiring you to coach me. It’s like he’s trying to make me lose the match!"