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"Boss, brisket and sausage, I want beer, and she wants cola."
After Deng Qian sat down, she skillfully began ordering food.
She and Mu Heqing were at a barbecue restaurant. Unlike the small barbecue skewer shop where Deng Qian worked, this place preferred to use large chunks of beef with rich sauce and slow-cooked grilling. The taste was good, and the business was booming.
The owner of this restaurant was an old acquaintance of Deng Qian, and Mu and Qing often dined together here.
After being discharged from the hospital, Mu and Qing went straight back to Ancheng, only telling Jiang Mu about it and not telling anyone else.
She didn't want to see Sifei or Baoyan; just seeing them annoyed her.
After returning to Ancheng, Li Shi sent her many messages, but she pretended not to see them.
The owner, Ah Jing, was a burly man with a red cloth strip tied around his thick arm. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and full lips. It was said that he used to be a boxer, but now he had changed careers and opened a shop.
He and Deng Qian met while practicing boxing.
Boss A-Jing held a thick wooden tray in one hand and a glass of beer in the other, looking like a burly giant holding a miniature toy.
"Boss, where's my Coke?" Mu Heqing asked.
A-Jing laughed and took out a can of iced cola from her bright red apron, placing it in front of Mu and Qing.
Mu and Qing opened the cola with satisfaction and took a sip.
"Where's Little Star?" A-Jing asked.
Mu Heqing, Deng Qian, and Tang Ruxing usually appeared at his shop together, but this was the first time only Mu Heqing and Deng Qian appeared.
"I've been working overtime for almost a week now," Deng Qian said.
This is Tang Ruxing's busiest time, and they probably won't see her for a long time.
"Well, poor little star." Ah Jing shrugged and went to greet the other guests.
Mu Heqing put a piece of beef in his mouth, and the taste was as delicious as ever. The rich fat instantly soothed Mu Heqing's painful heart.
"What happened to you? You look so haggard." Deng Qian turned around and asked about Mu Heqing's condition.
Mu and Qing had just been discharged from the hospital, but they were in a bad mood and didn't look radiant.
She swallowed the meat and said, "Qianqian, I might be very busy lately."
Mu and Qing need to sort things out. The frequent appearances of her high school classmates have made it impossible for her to deceive herself anymore, and she can no longer go back to a complacent attitude.
She needs to think of a way to resolve these issues.
However, she hasn't come up with a solution yet and is still thinking about it, but she doesn't plan to meet with her friends anytime soon.
She originally planned to have a meal with Tang Ruxing and then disappear for a while so that her friends wouldn't look for her, but Tang Ruxing was busier than her.
"Busy? Busy with what?" Deng Qian's eyes were sharp.
Mu and Qing had a feeling that if they lied, they would be exposed.
"It's about company matters. I haven't been in Ancheng recently..." Mu Heqing mumbled.
She was really bad at lying to her friends.
Deng Qian looked up at Mu Heqing and said, "Qing, I haven't asked you because I thought you could handle it yourself, and I also told Xing not to ask. But now that you're like this, your aunt and uncle will feel sorry for you, and we'll be worried too. What happened?"
Mu and Qing buried their heads even deeper and said in a muffled voice, "Qianqian, give me some time. Trust me, please talk to Xingxing too."
"I won't agree to your demands. Tell me today, or I'll tell Auntie." Deng Qian said coldly. She already had a sharp look, and with her displeased gaze, she almost broke the fork in Mu Heqing's hand.
Mu and Qing pleaded, "Qianqian, don't tell my mom..."
She hasn't figured out what to say to her mother yet.
"and you……"
Before Deng Qian could finish speaking, an even louder voice drowned her out.
"What are you doing here? You're not welcome here." The shop owner, A-Jing, stood at the entrance, her eyes filled with extreme anger.
This was the first time Mu and Qing had ever seen A-Jing so angry.
The man in front of Ah Jing was also a big guy, but he was pale and unsteady on his feet, which didn't do justice to his muscles.
The man wanted to enter Ah Jing's shop, but Ah Jing pushed him away, preventing him from coming in.
"What? You have your shop here, but you won't let customers in? How can you treat your brother like this?" The man shouted loudly at the door, attracting the attention of many customers.
Deng Qian stood up, her brows furrowed, and she walked over to A Jing, asking, "Boss, what's wrong? Do you need any help?"
"Oh, you even have a beauty to stand up for you, Ah Jing, you've been doing well these past few years!" The man's eyes were lewd, his words were sarcastic, and he even reached out to touch Deng Qian.
"Ding Bao, don't go too far! Just because I haven't boxed for a few years doesn't mean I won't fight." A Jing stretched her shoulders and blocked the man's restless hands.
"Stop talking so much nonsense." Deng Qian couldn't stand it. This person reminded her of her father. In a moment of distraction, she had already punched the man in the face.
Although this man named Ding Bao was big, he was all show and no substance; Deng Qian knocked him to the ground with a single punch.
"Qianqian!" Mu Heqing exclaimed as she walked to Deng Qian's side.
Deng Qian pushed her aside, telling Mu and Qing to go cool off somewhere else and not get involved.
Ding Bao sat on the ground, covering his face, clearly not believing he had been beaten. "Fine, you're all bullying me because you're big businesses! I'm calling the police right now!"
Deng Qian stepped forward, wanting to punch Ding Baolai again.
Ah Jing stopped Deng Qian and said, "Qian, he doesn't deserve your punch. If the police come, just say I hit him."
Deng Qian said coldly, "So what if he hit me? He was the one who started the insults. Let's see who the police side with when they arrive."
“He doesn’t dare call the police.” A-Jing squatted down in front of Ding Bao. “Do you dare? What, you lost the competition and now you remember me? Now, get out of here.”
Ding Bao covered his face, his imposing manner immediately weakening, and said, "Ah Jing, I just wanted to see you. After all, we used to be brothers. Have you forgotten the days when we trained together and competed together?"
"I haven't forgotten, and I don't want to see you," A-Jing said bitterly, looking extremely disgusted with Ding Bao.
Seeing Ah Jing's disgusted look, Ding Bao covered his face and slunk away.
Ah Jing sighed and said to Deng Qian, "Qian, I'm sorry you and Xiao Qingqing had to eat here and this happened. This meal is on me."
"It's nothing, who is he?" Deng Qian didn't care. She had encountered plenty of scumbags in her life, and Ding Bao was nothing to her.
A-Jing waved to the staff to reheat the beef brisket on Mu and Qing's table, and added a pork rib for them. She then sat down at their table as well.
“Qian, didn’t I tell you there’s an underground boxing ring at the border of Huacheng and Ancheng?” A-Jing said.
“Yes, you said you used to compete there.” Deng Qian nodded; she had heard A Jing mention it.
"The underground boxing ring disappeared a few days ago."
"Gone? What does that mean? Was it seized?"
“No.” A-Jing shook her head. “That Ding Bao just now, don’t let his appearance fool you, he was the nine-time champion of that boxing ring. A few days ago, he was defeated by a man named Guo Ren.”
"Nine-time champion?" Mu and Qing questioned. Ding Bao's unsteady gait made it seem like he was a nine-time champion. The quality of this underground boxing ring must be incredibly low.
Moreover, Ding Bao was knocked down by Deng Qian with just one punch.
"Qianqian, you're amazing." Mu Heqing said with admiration.
"No, I feel he's really not strong." Deng Qian also didn't understand why the nine-time champion was so weak.
Not only is he incompetent, but he also has poor character.
Ah Jing said, "Years ago, we had a pretty good relationship and could be considered brothers. We made money together in the underground boxing ring. Suddenly one day, Ding Bao stopped boxing. He told me that it was unnecessary and that he could win the championship."
“I thought Ding Bao was just joking, but he really did win the championship that time. During the competition, his fists suddenly became very powerful. I can’t explain it, it just felt strange. For example, when he threw a punch, the same action and the same angle that could only break foam boards before could break bricks this time.”
“But that’s not why we parted ways. After he won the championship, he received a lot of prize money and his status rose accordingly. He looked down on me, and I was too lazy to curry favor with him, so we had less contact. Ding Bao won more and more competitions, and his popularity grew higher and higher.”
Deng Qian said, "But I can tell you really dislike him."
The two didn't seem to have a cold relationship; they seemed to be enemies.
“Yes, when Ding Bao and I were training together, we had a brother. That brother came from a poor family, but he was very hardworking. He not only earned money through underground boxing, but also did several odd jobs.”
"In one match, he faced Ding Bao and naturally suffered a crushing defeat. He had already admitted defeat, but Ding Bao went berserk that time, hitting him relentlessly until... until he was beaten to death." A-Jing took a deep breath, and recalling his brother's death brought tears to his eyes.
Mu Heqing asked, "Didn't anyone stop it?"
“It was an underground boxing ring, and nobody knew who was behind it. The fact that someone died only excited the audience. I was sitting in the back row that time. When I saw Ding Bao hitting him, I walked forward. Everyone around me was laughing, but I was the only one crying. By the time I got to the ring, my brother was already dead.”
“My brother’s money came from shady sources. He also has a sick sister. I took the money he earned from boxing and gave it to his sister, and I also contributed some of my own money. After that, I left that underground boxing ring. During the day, I worked odd jobs, and at night I taught boxing. After earning money, I took out a loan to open this shop. Fortunately, the shop did well, and I was able to pay off most of the loan. After that, I never boxed again.” Ah Jing sighed repeatedly as she spoke, her voice choked with emotion.
“It was Boss Jing who taught me boxing before. I was wondering why she wouldn’t teach me anymore. Now I know why,” Deng Qian explained to Mu Heqing.
No wonder Deng Qian and A Jing have such a good relationship; they're actually master and apprentice.
"Boss Jing, you said Ding Bao lost the match again. What happened?" Mu Heqing asked.
"Although I no longer practice boxing, I still keep up with the news from that underground boxing ring. Someone told me that Ding Bao lost a match a few days ago, and that someone is stronger than him."
Mu Heqing asked, "Is it that Guo Ren?"
"Yes, Guo Ren not only beat Ding Bao, but also reported this underground boxing ring, saying he didn't want it to harm people anymore."
Deng Qian frowned: "He's cutting off people's source of income; he's probably not going to have a good time."
She admired Guo Ren's actions, but one person's strength is always limited. No matter how strong Guo Ren was, he couldn't defeat a group of people.
"You know what, after he reported it, quite a few people came to cause him trouble, but none of them could do anything about it."
"Why?" Mu and Qing asked, puzzled.
"Of course he's strong. Those people can't beat him. Do you want to meet him? He said he's coming to my shop today." Ah Jing wiped away her tears and transformed back into the burly shop manager.
"Is it that one?" Deng Qian asked, pointing to the man who was about to walk into the store.
The man who entered the store was wearing a gray vest, with strong, muscular arms, a bald head, and a cold expression. A fresh knife scar was on his right cheek, a blue dragon was tattooed on his left arm, and a string of characters was tattooed on his right upper arm.
“Yes, speaking of him, here he comes. Guo Ren, over here!” A-Jing waved Guo Ren over.
Guo Ren sat down opposite Mu Heqing.
Mu and Qing could see the writing on his arm. The writing did not seem to be a common script. Instead, it was of different sizes and connected to each other, making it impossible to tell which country it belonged to.
But Mu and Qing knew each other, and were very familiar with each other.
These words are exactly the same as those on the Nightmare.
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