48: exchange

Three o'clock in the afternoon, second-floor office of the Xinrui Entertainment Center.

Dongguan in late October was still somewhat dry and hot, though not as muggy and wet as midsummer.

Li Zhan was drinking hot tea with Lao Zhou to warm his stomach.

Sister Hua was crossing her legs while reviewing the monthly ledger, and Little Night was listlessly playing on her phone.

"Brother Zhan!"

AZu burst through the door, sweat still clinging to his forehead.

"The fighting ring on the fifth floor is installed, and the brothers are going wild up there!

Want to go up and join the fun?"

Li Zhan and Lao Zhou exchanged glances, both revealing a knowing smile.

"Let's go take a look."

Li Zhan put down his teacup and looked at Sister Hua.

"Want to see how simple a man's happiness can be?"

Sister Hua closed the ledger, rolling her eyes elegantly. "You stinking men..."

"Come on, Sister Hua!"

Little Night had already jumped up, her eyes sparkling.

"I've never seen a real fight before!"

Li Zhan explained with a smile,

"Last week I found a vacant spot on the fifth floor, so I had AZu set up a ring."

He stretched his wrist. "When you're in the game, just building muscle is useless; you need something practical."

Sister Hua shook her head helplessly but still stood up.

She was wearing a turtleneck sweater and a short skirt today.

When she stood up, the skirt hem swayed slightly, causing Lao Zhou to quickly avert his gaze.

"Let me be clear,"

Sister Hua picked up her small bag. "I'm just going to watch the excitement."

As soon as the group reached the fifth floor, deafening cheers rushed toward them.

In the middle of the formerly empty space, a standard Octagonal Cage ring was particularly eye-catching.

Inside the cage, two shirtless young men were locked in a fierce battle, surrounded by subordinates who had gathered to watch.

"Left side! It's open on the left!"

"Hit him! Don't chicken out!"

Cash was passed around the crowd, and some people banged on the cage mesh, cheering.

Following a dull thud,

the young man with dyed yellow hair knocked his opponent to the ground and excitedly raised his fists as he circled the ring.

Huang Mao glanced at Li Zhan's group,

especially when he saw the two beauties, Sister Hua and Little Night, and immediately got energized.

He grabbed the cage mesh and shouted at Li Zhan, "Brother Zhan! Want to come up and play?"

The surroundings instantly quieted down, and everyone turned to look at Li Zhan.

Lao Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"These little brats really think you're just a boss who only talks big."

Li Zhan shrugged, winked at Sister Hua, "Let me show you what a man's happiness is."

After speaking, he neatly took off his shirt and leather shoes and tossed them to Little Night.

His muscular physique was exposed under the lights—

those were not the bulky muscles trained in a gym,

but streamlined contours honed by actual combat; every inch contained explosive power.

Sister Hua's pupils slightly dilated, and she unconsciously pursed her lips.

Li Zhan suddenly performed a cartwheel followed by a forward roll, leaping into the cage with fluid movements, drawing a thunderous ovation.

This seemingly simple action actually required extremely high core strength and physical coordination.

Those present who could execute it so cleanly could be counted on one hand.

Huang Mao's expression immediately turned serious.

He adopted a standard fighting stance, fists guarding his head, his feet constantly bouncing back and forth.

Li Zhan, however, just stood casually, slowly putting on the boxing gloves tossed to him from below the stage.

"I'll let you have three moves."

Li Zhan crooked his finger, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Huang Mao took a deep breath, suddenly lunged forward, and threw a straight right punch toward Li Zhan's face.

Li Zhan tilted his head slightly, and the fist grazed past his ear.

Followed immediately by a left hook and a low sweep kick,

Li Zhan simply retreated half a step and dodged everything.

"My turn."

Before Li Zhan finished speaking, his right leg whipped out like a lash—

"Crack!"

A fierce Whip Kick accurately struck Huang Mao's ribs.

The young man grunted, stumbled back a few steps, and sat down on the floor.

Thunderous cheers erupted from the audience.

Sister Hua leaned against the railing, her red lips slightly parted, her eyes sparkling with an unusual light.

"Not enough to watch!"

"Lao Zhou, go up! Lao Zhou, go up!"

Amid the crowd's clamor, Li Zhan smiled and beckoned to Lao Zhou.

This Hunan man took off his jacket, revealing a muscular, scarred upper body, and leaped into the cage.

The two stood facing each other in the cage; the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Li Zhan slightly lowered his stance.

His feet were positioned in a "T" Stance, his right hand loosely formed a claw guarding his chest, and his left hand was a palm hanging by his waist—

This was the typical "Golden Rooster Stands Alone" starting posture of the Guangxi Fist Style, seemingly relaxed but secretly harboring lethal intent.

Opposite him, Lao Zhou adopted the "Azure Dragon Probing the Sea" posture of the Dong'an Fist.

His legs were spread front-to-back like a bow, his left hand extended forward in a claw, and his right hand was clenched into a fist tucked under his ribs.

His whole person resembled a ferocious beast preparing to strike.

Lao Zhou suddenly moved.

His left claw feinted, and his right fist shot toward Li Zhan's face like a cannonball, the wind whistling around it.

Li Zhan's body remained still; he only tilted his head slightly.

The fist grazed past his ear, carrying a few strands of hair with it.

Below the stage, Sister Hua unconsciously gripped the black elastic ropes of the barrier, her knuckles turning pale.

Her entire body was tense, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the figures fighting in the cage.

Li Zhan's body blurred; instead of retreating, he advanced, delivering a Close-Quarters Elbow Strike straight to Lao Zhou's chest.

Lao Zhou hastily blocked, but the impact forced him back two steps.

Little Night's eyes widened, and the mineral water bottle in her hand crinkled loudly.

"Good!" Cheers erupted from the audience.

A sharp glint flashed in Lao Zhou's eyes. He suddenly changed tactics, sending a low sweep kick straight toward Li Zhan's knee.

Li Zhan leaped into the air, his right leg whipping out like a steel rod.

Lao Zhou hurriedly leaned back, narrowly avoiding the heavy blow that could have broken ribs.

Sister Hua gasped sharply.

She had known Li Zhan possessed some fighting skills, but she hadn't expected them to be so vicious and sharp.

The figures of the two men intertwined, and the dull thuds of their fists and feet connecting were startling.

Li Zhan suddenly seized an opening in Lao Zhou's defense, using three consecutive heavy punches to force him toward the edge of the cage.

Just when everyone thought the winner was decided,

Li Zhan suddenly pulled back his offense and leaped backward, landing steadily in the center of the area.

"Stop!"

He raised his hand with a smile, his chest slightly rising and falling. "If we keep fighting, no one will be working tomorrow."

The subordinates around them quieted for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Brother Zhou is awesome!", "Brother Zhan is incredible!" The noise level was enough to almost blow the roof off.

Li Zhan looked around, keenly noticing that the subordinates' eyes held a few more traces of awe than usual.

Only then did Sister Hua realize her palms were completely sweaty.

Watching Li Zhan leap out of the cage, she unconsciously licked her suddenly dry lips.

Little Night chuckled secretly nearby, earning a fierce glare from Sister Hua.

—

Returning to the second-floor office,

Li Zhan casually grabbed a towel to wipe his sweaty hair, then smiled at Lao Zhou.

"Lao Zhou, was that set of moves Dong'an Fist just now?"

Lao Zhou took the mineral water handed to him by Little Night and tilted his head back, downing more than half the bottle.

"Yeah, when I was little, my Old Man threw me into the mountains to study with a master for a few years."

He wiped his mouth.

"Later I joined the army and modified the moves by incorporating Military Combat Techniques."

He assessed Li Zhan. "As for your Guangxi Fist Style, those few moves require at least ten years of dedication to master."

Just as Li Zhan sat down on the sofa,

Little Night hopped over and curiously pinched his firm arm muscle.

"I didn't expect you to be so good at fighting!"

Just as she spoke, Sister Hua pushed the door open and entered.

Li Zhan raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, what do you think? Is a man's happiness simple?"

Sister Hua didn't reply, simply giving him a meaningful eye roll.

Just then, AZu hastily pushed the door open, his expression grave.

"Brother Zhan, people from South City are here."

The atmosphere in the office instantly solidified.

Lao Zhou immediately stood up. "I'll head back to my side first."

Little Night and Sister Hua exchanged glances, nodded tacitly at Li Zhan, and then withdrew as well.

In the blink of an eye, only Li Zhan remained in the large office.

He adjusted his collar and said solemnly to AZu,

"Bring them in."