Chapter 14: Winner in Life

On rainy days, the entire city becomes tranquil.

There are few pedestrians on the streets.

Only the sound of rain echoes softly, drowning out the honking of passing vehicles.

Fang Cheng carried a messenger bag and held a shopping bag.

Zhou Xiumei held up both hands, holding an umbrella for herself and also shielding him with it.

The two walked side by side, staying very close to one another, yet their expressions were quite different.

"Has that murder case Uncle Zhou is investigating been solved yet?"

Fang Cheng asked casually, looking for a topic of conversation.

"I'm not sure."

Zhou Xiumei nodded slightly and explained in a low voice

"It seems the killer is a serial murderer. The Chief is pushing hard, and my dad is in a bad mood, so he rarely mentions it at home..."

At this point, she paused, not continuing further.

A moment of silence lingered.

Suddenly, Zhou Xiumei lifted her eyes and looked at Fang Cheng with a serious expression.

"Cheng-ge, you work overtime often at night, so you must stay safe. Don't deal with strangers on the road."

"I heard Auntie Zhang downstairs say that there are many gangs now who specialize in 'honey traps' to trick young men into getting their kidneys harvested..."

Hearing a term he hadn't heard in a long time and seeing her open up like this, Fang Cheng couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

Then, he joked just like when they were children

"You're the one who needs to be careful. A girl as pretty as you running a night stall alone at night is bound to attract unwanted attention."

As their eyes met, Zhou Xiumei couldn't help but lower her head again, her sudden seriousness instantly deflating.

Fang Cheng looked up into the distance.

The bus stop in the curtain of rain seemed shrouded in a gray mist, looking somewhat dim and indistinct.

Thus, changing to a solemn tone, he continued

"Xiumei, if you ever need help in the future, just come to me. We are friends who grew up together, after all."

Hearing this, a blush instantly crept onto Zhou Xiumei's cheeks, and she became inexplicably nervous again.

She lowered her eyelids, not daring to look at the man beside her who was so incredibly familiar.

The rain fell like silk, wetting her sleeves and shoulders.

Suddenly, she had the feeling that this road seemed both too long and too short.

………………………………

Global Elite Combat Club.

Lunch break, locker room.

A chilly rain was falling outside the window, while the air conditioning inside was set to the highest temperature.

The air was a mixture of cigarette smoke, the sour smell of sweat, the scent of lunch boxes, and the noisy clamor of people playing cards.

In such a chaotic environment, only one lean figure seemed out of place.

He stood alone in a corner, back against the wall, performing squat exercises.

His abdomen was tight, his back straight, and his head slightly lifted.

Every movement of squatting down and standing up seemed to inject more strength and confidence, appearing exceptionally stable and rhythmic.

To the left of the locker room, a group of people gathered to play cards, occasionally erupting into shouts and yells.

"Holy crap, are you cheating? How many rounds in a row have you won?"

"Haha, just good luck. Pay up, pay up!"

Chen Xiaohai, who had just completed a "sweep of all three players," was grinning from ear to ear.

While counting the money, he glanced over and saw the unsociable figure still practicing squats.

His smile faded slightly, and then he added

"Look at that, Fang Cheng works out hard every day, hoping to snag a rich woman and settle his life once and for all. That's the pursuit of a true winner!"

The others burst into laughter upon hearing this, immediately joining in the teasing.

"Young people are smart!"

"Squats are great; women doing squats make men unable to handle it, and men doing squats make women unable to handle it!"

"No wonder a top student from the law department didn't become a lawyer but came here to find work. Seems he had ulterior motives all along..."

These jokes might have been unintentional from the speakers, but the listener was intentional.

One must know that the club had explicit regulations.

Staff members were not allowed to contact trainees privately, and harassing female trainees was strictly prohibited.

Fang Cheng did not say a word, nor did he show any intention of defending himself.

His gaze was calm as he kept his head up.

He continued as he was, repeating the motion of bending his knees to squat and straightening his back to stand.

Seeing that he showed no reaction, Chen Xiaohai gave a few awkward, bored laughs.

His expression seemed indifferent, but his mind was churning so much that he lost focus while playing cards, misplayed a hand, and lost a round.

Supervisor Qiu of the logistics department was already in his fifties and nearing retirement age.

The manager intended to promote someone to be his deputy to eventually take over the department's management.

Chen Xiaohai prided himself on his long tenure, excellent performance, and good relationships with superiors and subordinates.

He was clearly determined to get the promotion and raise, feeling that no one could compete with him.

But a few days ago, after accidentally overhearing a conversation between Fang Cheng and Old Qiu, a sense of vigilance immediately arose in his heart.

Fang Cheng had applied to the supervisor for a transfer, saying he wanted to gain more experience under other coaches.

This clearly revealed a certain ambition!

Although Fang Cheng was technically an intern.

With how difficult it was for university graduates to find jobs nowadays, he might just choose to stay.

Given his academic background and recent excellent performance, he had received frequent praise from the manager.

This inevitably gave Chen Xiaohai a sense of crisis, which led to his deliberate attempt to disparage his competitor.

Setting aside what his colleagues were thinking.

Regarding the petty gains and fame of the workplace, Fang Cheng might have once been preoccupied with them, but now he had let it go and become more open-minded.

The wins and losses of life do not lie in the trivialities of the journey, but should instead focus on the scenery in the distance.

At this moment, he simply maintained his focus, immersed in the satisfaction brought by the workout.

【You have completed 10 standard squats, Skill Experience +1】

【You have completed 10 standard squats, Skill Experience +1】

【You have completed 11 standard squats, Skill Experience +1】

Three notification messages appeared before his eyes one after another.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, lost in thought.

It seemed his squatting skill was gradually hitting a bottleneck and it was time to increase the difficulty.

With this thought, he chose to bring his feet together and slowly perform the squatting motion.

At the same time, he extended his arms forward to maintain balance.

He continued until his thighs and calves touched, his muscles were taut, and he could no longer squat any lower.

This movement is called a narrow-stance squat, an advanced version of the standard squat.

Compared to the standard posture, it puts more pressure on the knee joints and requires stronger body balance.

However, it can also more effectively train the quadriceps on the front of the thighs, activate the gluteal core muscles, and maintain knee stability.

If he were to continue increasing the difficulty, it would lead to single-leg half-squats, single-leg squats, frog jump squats, tornado squats, and so on.

Eventually, he could even add weighted objects like barbells.

Fang Cheng slowly straightened his back, intentionally slowing down the speed of his movements.

While adjusting and correcting his posture, he mentally counted the repetitions, trying his best to achieve a standardized form.

When he reached "9," a brand new notification finally appeared.

【You have completed 7 narrow-stance squats, Skill Experience +1】

"The effect is quite good!"

A hint of satisfaction appeared on Fang Cheng's face.

Just then, the locker room door was suddenly pushed open, and the sounds of card playing and talking immediately ceased.

A middle-aged man with thinning hair stood outside the door, waving and calling out

"Ah Cheng, come with me for a moment, the manager is looking for you!"

It was Old Qiu, the supervisor of the logistics department.

Hearing the call, a sharp light flashed in Fang Cheng's pupils as he instantly exited his focused state.

He glanced at his skill experience growth.

【Focus lv1 (81/250)】

【Squat lv0 (65/100)】

Then, unhurriedly, he stood up, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and strode toward the exit.

Watching their retreating backs, the others in the locker room couldn't help but feel curious, whispering among themselves.

"What does the manager want with Fang Cheng?"

"A raise, obviously. Haven't you seen that the boxing department has the most trainees and its performance is rising rapidly? Even Brother Hai's karate department can't compare!"

"Perhaps Manager Li wants Fang Cheng to stay on as a permanent employee and is offering terms to win him over..."

Everyone's words were laced with envy and jealousy.

Only Chen Xiaohai's face was written with tension, looking as if he were just one second away from shouting, "I don't agree!"

(End of Chapter)