Chapter 64
The match lasted quite a while. The audience was enthusiastic, and the two fighters in the ring showed no signs of fatigue.
In the end, Officer Zhao, with his remaining sanity, called for a timeout. He cautiously entered the ring, his hands raised, saying to Zhuo Zhi and Fang Yi repeatedly, “Take a break, take a break, that’s enough, enough…”
Like trying to calm down two agitated kittens.
Zhuo Zhi immediately smiled, wiping the sweat from her face. Li Qinyue saw the droplets of sweat fly off and land on the ground.
“I’m fine, Officer Zhao, it depends on whether Officer Fang has had enough,” she said.
Officer Zhao chuckled, turning to Fang Yi, “Have you had enough, Officer Fang?”
“Brother Zhao,” Fang Yi started, then paused, leaving his sentence unfinished.
Officer Zhao smacked his lips, “Seems like he hasn’t had enough yet.”
Li Qinyue shouted from outside the ring, “It should end now, sparring partners charge by the hour, you know.”
Officer Zhao pointed at her, “All you care about is money.”
Li Qinyue didn’t deny it, “What else do us ordinary people like most besides money?”
Officer Zhao glanced at the table outside the ring, then turned to Zhuo Zhi, “So, how do we settle this bet?”
Zhuo Zhi said, “There’s no winner or loser, Officer Fang is very skilled, we were just sparring and learning from each other.”
Fang Yi nodded in agreement. He was a straightforward person, not one to beat around the bush or boast about his own skills.
It was indeed just a friendly spar. It might have looked intense to outsiders, but only they knew it was like discussing what they had learned and read.
There was no winner or loser, and to be honest, he hadn’t even had enough yet.
Officer Zhao was now in a dilemma. He turned to Li Qinyue, “Xiao Li, what about this gambling debt…”
“Let’s just forget about it, it was just for fun, who would dare to gamble openly in front of police officers?” Li Qinyue looked around, “Don’t you all agree?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Everyone had only bet a small amount anyway, and now they had enjoyed a free show, they all agreed readily.
Li Qinyue shrugged and said to Zhuo Zhi, “Comrade Xiao Zhuo, no late-night snacks for us.”
Zhuo Zhi walked over to the ring, her eyes on Li Qinyue, her smile wide and bright, “Do you still love me, Sister?”
Li Qinyue was about to tease the sweaty girl, when Fang Yi suddenly said, “I’ll treat you to late-night snacks.”
Everyone was stunned. Fang Yi then asked Zhuo Zhi, “What do you want to eat?”
Heh, he was completely ignoring her, the loving girlfriend.
Li Qinyue looked at Officer Zhao, “Brother Zhao, control your officer, he’s not tired, but Xiao Zhuo is, he doesn’t want snacks, he just wants to keep fighting.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Officer Zhao said, pulling Fang Yi aside, “That’s enough for today, it’s getting late, time to go home and rest.”
Fang Yi was about to say something, but Officer Zhao dragged him away to buy drinks.
The crowd dispersed. As they left the gym, Li Qinyue didn’t give Fang Yi another chance to talk to Zhuo Zhi. She put her arm around Zhuo Zhi and walked away, “We’re leaving, see you later, Officer Zhao~”
Officer Zhao said, “Wait for Fang Yi to bring the car over and give you a ride.”
“It’s not far,” Li Qinyue waved her hand dismissively, “We’ll walk and let Xiao Zhuo cool down.”
Officer Zhao chuckled.
Comrade Xiao Zhuo did need to cool down, she was practically steaming.
Li Qinyue pointed at her unzipped jacket. Zhuo Zhi, being perceptive, quickly zipped it up.
Li Qinyue took out a pack of tissues from her bag and handed it to Zhuo Zhi, who quickly wiped the sweat from her face and neck.
“Happy?” Li Qinyue asked her.
Zhuo Zhi observed Li Qinyue’s expression. Seeing that she didn’t seem upset, she smiled and said, “Yes!”
“Could you have defeated him?” Li Qinyue asked.
“I’m not sure,” Zhuo Zhi replied.
“You said you didn’t know before the fight, and you still don’t know after sparring with him?”
“We didn’t go all out, it was just a friendly spar,” Zhuo Zhi said.
“Tsk,” Li Qinyue looked at her, “Look at you, a martial arts master.”
“Just average, hehe,” Zhuo Zhi chuckled for a moment, then her expression turned serious, “It’s rare to see someone so skilled.”
“You’re talking about Fang Yi?” Li Qinyue scoffed, “Didn’t you have a bunch of masters on the mountain? What’s so special about him?”
“Those masters have been training since they were young, you guys don’t.”
“You guys?” Li Qinyue stopped walking.
“Yes, you all focused on studying.”
Li Qinyue felt a pang of displeasure.
Zhuo Zhi had categorized her with “those people,” while Fang Yi was categorized with “her people.”
“I think that Fang Yi…” Li Qinyue paused, lying effortlessly, “He doesn’t seem like a good person, stay away from him.”
“Huh?” Zhuo Zhi was stunned.
“Who’s better at judging people, you or me?” Li Qinyue asked immediately.
“You.”
“Then listen to me,” Li Qinyue took Zhuo Zhi’s hand and tucked it into her pocket, “By the way, you didn’t give him your contact information, right?”
“No,” Zhuo Zhi said, “We were together all night, he didn’t ask.”
“Were you disappointed that he didn’t?” Li Qinyue glared at her.
“No, no, no, I mean, if he didn’t ask, I definitely wouldn’t have given it to him.”
“Would you have given it to him if he had asked?”
“Sister, hahahahaha…” Zhuo Zhi doubled over with laughter, “You’re so cute, hahahahaha…”
Li Qinyue initially wanted to hit her, but her hand landed on the back of Zhuo Zhi’s neck, warm and damp with sweat, and she stopped.
She couldn’t help but laugh with her.
They went back home, laughing. Zhuo Zhi went to take a shower, while Li Qinyue went to the kitchen, washed some fruits, and brought them out.
Zhuo Zhi was surprised to find that Li Qinyue had washed fruits for her.
Li Qinyue turned on the TV, peeling longan fruit and playing with her phone.
Zhuo Zhi sat down next to her, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sister, do you think I can teach martial arts at a gym?”
Li Qinyue chuckled, “Still thinking about finding a job?”
“Of course,” Zhuo Zhi said, “How can we survive without working?”
Li Qinyue tapped on her phone, then handed it to Zhuo Zhi, who saw a notification about a deposit into her Alipay account.
It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to cover their living expenses for the past few days.
Zhuo Zhi’s eyes widened, “Where did you get this money, Sister?”
Li Qinyue smiled smugly, “Just a few taps on my phone.”
“But it’s a lot of money! If you can earn this much with a few taps, we won’t have to worry anymore!”
“We never had to worry, it’s just you who’s worried,” Li Qinyue said, taking back her phone.
“So where did it come from?” Zhuo Zhi hugged her arm, her voice serious, “Is it related to your past…”
“It has nothing to do with my past, my money, my connections, or my family,” Li Qinyue interrupted her, “But it has something to do with me. I am who I am because of my past, that can’t be changed.”
“That definitely can’t be changed,” Zhuo Zhi smiled.
Li Qinyue looked up at the ceiling, “Come to think of it, my rebellion seems pointless. After all, I’m still a product of my upbringing.”
Zhuo Zhi thought about it, it made sense, but this was a philosophical question, not something worth pondering right now. It was better to focus on solving real-life problems.
“So how did you earn this money, Sister…”
“Playing games,” Li Qinyue said.
“Huh?” Zhuo Zhi was confused.
“Don’t you understand what I mean by playing games? Esports, have you heard of esports? You can earn money by playing games.”
“I know that,” Zhuo Zhi paused, “I just didn’t expect you to be a professional…”
“I’m not a professional player, I just play for fun. But even casual gaming can be profitable. I played in a tournament for someone.”
“Wow,” Zhuo Zhi was truly impressed, “You’re amazing, Sister.”
But Li Qinyue was lost in her own worries. She put down her phone and continued staring at the ceiling, “If I want to completely escape from this circle, I guess I can’t even play games anymore. The best solution is for you to support me and let me stay at home…”
“Sister, do you think I can start practicing gaming now and in how long…”
Li Qinyue interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.
“Did you like me for my money? For my status?”
“No, no, no!” Zhuo Zhi said immediately, “I like you for who you are.”
“But I am who I am because of my family…”
“Oh, come on!” Zhuo Zhi was exasperated, she slapped the sofa with her butt, “Stop thinking about this!”
“Okay,” Li Qinyue replied, “Forget about gaming, if you make it your career, your hands will be ruined.”
“I can…”
“But you don’t enjoy it,” Li Qinyue looked at her sideways, “Have you ever logged into that game account I gave you since we played together?”
“No…”
“See?” Li Qinyue continued pondering.
Zhuo Zhi joined her in contemplation. After a few minutes, she suddenly remembered, “Sister, what about that idea of me being a martial arts instructor at a gym?”
“Instructors need qualifications, they need to be properly trained.”
“I’ll get certified.”
“I won’t allow it.”
“Why not?”
“What kind of instructor doesn’t touch their students?” Li Qinyue looked at her intently, “I won’t allow you to touch anyone else.”
“Sister…”
“Hmm?”
“You’re so jealous.”
“Yes,” Li Qinyue admitted readily, “I want sweet and sour pork ribs tomorrow.”
“Hahaha…” Zhuo Zhi laughed.
There were times when she felt she understood Li Qinyue, but there were also times when her thoughts were beyond Zhuo Zhi’s comprehension.
For example, now that they were in this situation, Li Qinyue, who was multi-talented, wasn’t even considering finding a proper job. And Zhuo Zhi, after exploring all possible options, any job she thought she could do was vetoed by Li Qinyue for various reasons.
This made Zhuo Zhi feel uneasy. When she was on the mountain, her life was repetitive and boring. Now, every day was unpredictable, and she felt insecure.
This contrast in emotions brought about many realizations, but in the past six months since she had come down the mountain, she had learned that many of her initial epiphanies were likely to be overturned. In this world, she was still just a child who had just opened her eyes.
Thinking about this, Zhuo Zhi felt like she was growing up.
She could only absorb half of what was on TV. Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue, who was in a similar state.
And Zhuo Zhi felt that Li Qinyue was also growing up.
Growing up together was a wonderful thing. Zhuo Zhi used to envy people who had siblings. Now, she felt like she had one too.
And this person was her girlfriend.
Her first love.
To have such a wonderful person as her first love.
Heh.
Zhuo Zhi couldn’t resist leaning over and kissing Li Qinyue’s cheek.
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