Wu Hao sat in a chair, cracking sunflower seeds as he spoke: "Don't worry, with me here, I won't let you lose the match!"
Zhou Bin was speechless. "Do you even know who I'm fighting? Are you even as good as me right now? You're acting as my coach? Why don't I be your coach and you go compete instead?"
"I don't need you to coach me; I could beat Li Kailong myself!"
"You're joking, right? You, beat Li Kailong?"
Wu Hao finished the seeds, stood up, and clapped his hands. "Alright, let's start."
Zhou Bin thought for a moment, then immediately hopped onto the ring. "Come on, let me see what you've got!"
"Are you sure? Don't cry when I'm done."
"Pfft, me? Cry? You clearly don't know me!"
Wu Hao climbed onto the stage slowly. Zhou Bin gave a loud shout, lunged, and charged at him.
*Boom!*
Wu Hao flicked his hand, and Zhou Bin went flying instantly!
"Ouch!"
With a yelp, Zhou Bin winced in pain. "You're playing for real, huh? Take this!"
Zhou Bin’s expression shifted, and he charged at Wu Hao again. But the next second, Wu Hao swatted him to the ground with a single palm strike.
"You're not doing so well, are you?" Wu Hao looked down at Zhou Bin, his tone full of mockery.
At first, Zhou Bin hadn't taken Wu Hao seriously. After all, Wu Hao was only a few years older than him, and not as tall or sturdy. He never expected to be pinned down twice by the man.
"Have you had enough?" Wu Hao asked again.
Zhou Bin thought about it, sighed, and nodded. "I've had enough. I've had enough. I give up!"
"Fine, get up. For the next two weeks, just listen to me, and I guarantee you'll be able to beat Li Kailong."
Zhou Bin stood up. Wu Hao began to train him, teaching him various techniques. The morning passed in the blink of an eye. By noon, Zhou Bin had realized Wu Hao’s true prowess; his initial disdain had vanished, replaced by an earnest "Master" this and "Master" that.
"Master, I'm ordering takeout for lunch. What do you want to eat?"
Wu Hao took a sip of water. "I never said I was your master. Order whatever."
"Master, did you train in the past, too? You're really good!" Zhou Bin asked while browsing the delivery app.
Wu Hao smiled to himself, thinking: *What do your little scuffles even amount to?*
Less than twenty minutes later, the food arrived. "Hello, here’s your order!"
"Oh, coming!" Zhou Bin hurried over.
At first, Wu Hao didn't pay attention, but the moment he heard the delivery driver’s voice, he froze. He stood up, turned around, and immediately recognized the man.
"Yuan Qiang!"
At Wu Hao’s shout, the driver looked up, and their eyes met.
"Wu Hao!"
Wu Hao ran over. "It really is you!"
"Damn, kid, what are you doing here?"
The two began chatting immediately. Yuan Qiang had been Wu Hao’s college roommate—the bunk-above type—and they had been incredibly close. After the incident all those years ago, they had lost touch. Six years had flown by, and Wu Hao never expected to find his old brother working as a delivery driver.
Zhou Bin, watching from the side, realized Wu Hao knew the guy and, showing some initiative, said, "Um, brother, have you eaten? If not, why don't you join us?"
"Oh, I, I..."
"Come on, join us!" Zhou Bin pulled Yuan Qiang over to the table.
During the meal, they caught up. It turned out that after Yuan Qiang graduated, he had landed a good job, but in his second year, a fire broke out at his home, and his younger sister’s face was badly burned. To pay for her medical expenses, he had emptied his savings, which led him to this delivery job.
Hearing this, Wu Hao felt a pang of sadness. He had met Yuan Qiang’s sister back in school when he visited their home; she had been such a cute, cheerful, and outgoing girl.
"Qiangzi, don't worry. Later, I'll go to your place with you to see her. I'll help treat her injuries."
"Wait, you can provide medical treatment?"
Wu Hao explained briefly, "After the incident, I was saved by an old gentleman. He was a master of many things and taught me a lot, including medicine. Let's give it a try!"
Zhou Bin, listening to Wu Hao’s past, grew excited. "Holy crap, Brother Hao, so the reason you're so strong is that you had a master coaching you? Brother, what did that old guy look like? Was he a total legend? Was it like those martial arts dramas..."
"That's enough!" Wu Hao interrupted the agitated Zhou Bin. "After you finish eating, run three kilometers around the grounds, then practice what I taught you this morning. Understand?"
"Got it!"
After the meal, Wu Hao left the martial arts hall with Yuan Qiang, leaving Zhou Bin to train alone. Just then, Fan Wu walked over. Seeing Zhou Bin by himself, he asked, "Bin, why are you here alone? Didn't Brother Yu find you a coach?"
"Brother Wu, Brother Hao had some business to take care of, so he went out. He told me to train by myself."
"What? He left you alone?" Fan Wu flared up. "What kind of coach is that? How could he be so irresponsible? Do you know Brother Yu is paying him fifty thousand a month to be here full-time? He only spent the morning here and took off in the afternoon!"
"Brother Wu, you can't really say that. The stuff Brother Hao taught me is incredible!"
"Pfft, incredible? You've got to be joking. With such an irresponsible coach, I bet we'll lose this match for sure." With that, Fan Wu walked away.
Zhou Bin shook his head, speechless, and went back to his training.
Meanwhile, after reaching the lounge, Fan Wu called Yu Dongshan. "Hey, Brother!"
Yu Dongshan was out eating with an old friend, and as soon as he picked up, he heard Fan Wu’s complaint.
"Brother, that guy named Wu is completely out of line. You're paying him fifty thousand a month, and all he does is teach Zhou Bin for a morning before going off to enjoy himself! What kind of mess is this? If this keeps up, we might as well just forfeit the match!"
Yu Dongshan replied, "Wu, Coach Wu already told me, and I agreed to it. If I, the boss, don't mind, why are you so upset?"
"What?" Fan Wu was furious. "No, Brother, don't you realize how important this match is? How could you just..."
"Enough, enough. I've told you to trust my instincts. I believe in Coach Wu, and the time for the match hasn't even arrived yet!"
"Fine, Brother. I've said my piece. Don't go getting angry when we lose the match."
Fan Wu hung up, tossed his phone aside, and sat on the sofa, his face flushed with rage. "Hmph, let's see how this plays out. If he can actually get Zhou Bin to win this match, I'll eat my own crap on a livestream!"