Chapter 58: Boxing Ring

That night, the Sike Academy forum was flooded with high-quality images: #Sophomore Class A Senior Ling Wu's divine appearance#, #Dare not look at Guanyin ever again#, #Moonlight Sonata#, #Stage play performance#...

Seeing the popularity, the school administration specially chose one of the posts to pin to the top.

Many underclassmen who hadn't attended the Art Association event clamored to fish for information:

1L: "Begging for this divine senior's contact info!"

5L: "Same as above, fishing for contact info."

9L: "Senior Ling Wu's private life is very clean. Last time we went to ask him for his contact info, he politely declined us directly and even saved face for us."

101L: "So after all this time, you guys don't even have his contact info? What about his email then?"

142L: "I know one person who definitely has Senior Ling Wu's contact info, but I don't dare to ask. Who among you will go?"

152L: "The person above is talking about Young Master Jin, right? Forget it. I had a classmate who wasn't afraid of death go ask. Can you guess the reply? Young Master Jin said 'Get lost.' How can such cold and heartless words come out of a 36-degree mouth?"

165L@152L: "Now that you mention it, I remember again. Were the photos of Senior Ling Wu on the forum the last few times deleted by Young Master Jin? As expected, the rumors were wrong. Saying the Jin Family young masters are at odds? He clearly loves him super much!"

520L: "Then does Senior Ling Wu have a forum account or other social media apps?"

1002L: "After looking through the whole thread, I really came in holding a bowl and left with it empty."

1003L: +1

1004L: +2

10086L: +999

After the Art Association event, Sike Academy gave the students a three-day holiday.

Because of Grandma Liu's follow-up medical expenses and the money from the card Ming Tan lent him that needed to be repaid, Qi Yu went to the underground boxing ring after leaving Tonggang Avenue.

Qi Yu met Ming Qianglong when he was in desperate need of money and at his wit's end. Ming Qianglong had connections and guts; he started out in the underworld in his early years and had a dozen or so underground boxing rings under his control, often sending his men to the Lower City District to recruit desperate fighters.

In a place like the Lower City District, all kinds of people are mixed together; the people here like to show off their ferocity and can be driven by money.

Ming Qianglong especially liked someone like Qi Yu—a student at the Noble Academy, good-looking, and full of drive. Putting him on the ring to fight was a great gimmick.

Those young masters and misses of the nobility just loved this sort of thing.

The lighting in the boxing ring was dim, and a faint scent of blood permeated the air.

As soon as Qi Yu entered the boxing ring, he bumped into Yun Haiquan head-on. He had a long scar at the corner of his eye, thin lips, and a high nose; he was a man full of vigor, and this scar made him look extremely fierce on his face, like a Rakshasa guarding the gates of hell.

Qi Yu called out to him: "Brother Yun."

Yun Haiquan was loosening his wrists, his eyes filled with murderous intent; it looked like he had just come down from the ring. Seeing that it was the youngster Qi Yu, he frowned: "Why have you come here again?"

He glanced around and pulled Qi Yu into a corner.

Yun Haiquan's eyelids drooped: "Qi Yu, it's not like you don't know that Ming Qianglong has his eye on you. You aren't unaware of how much money you've made for him in the boxing ring over these years. What kind of intentions does he have by openly putting that kind of contract in front of you now? He's just bullying you for being a naive, poor student. To put it nicely, he wants to sign you; it looks like a huge sum of money, but that is a death-warrant contract!"

"It's a contract of indenture!"

"We have to have the life to spend it, don't we?"

Qi Yu paused: "Brother Yun, I understand."

"I won't sign the contract."

Yun Haiquan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then what did you come here for? Do you still want to get on the ring?"

"The market is different now. The few bosses who came today are offering a lot of money—high risk, high reward. I'm just afraid that even if you win, you'll die up there."

Qi Yu's eyes were pitch black, hiding a glimmer of light in the dimness: "Brother Yun, that matter I entrusted to you last time, did you help me check it?"

Yun Haiquan paused.

"The transaction record for your grandmother's hospital bill?"

Qi Yu nodded: "Yes."

Yun Haiquan: "I found it."

"That card was just an ordinary bank card, the security clearance wasn't high, and it was cracked very quickly. The owner of the card has a nice-sounding name, it seems to be Ling something or other..."

Yun Haiquan patted the back of his head, unable to remember.

Qi Yu suddenly raised his eyes, his pupils flickering, his fingers gripping so tightly they turned white: "Ling Wu, is that the name, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Yun Haiquan clapped his hands: "That's the name."

"He doesn't sound like a relative of yours either. With no family ties or connections, why would he help you pay such a large medical bill?"

"Too much money and nowhere to spend it?"

That's right.

No family ties or connections.

Why did Ling Wu help him pay the medical expenses?

Qi Yu had been suspicious back at the hospital; the few questions he asked, Ming Tan had been evasive and kept changing the subject. Afterwards, he went to the front desk to ask for the transaction record.

Ming Tan kept insisting it was a relative of his family. If Ling Wu had specifically instructed Ming Tan to say that, it wouldn't have been so full of flaws.

So there was only one possibility.

Ming Tan was lying to him.

Ling Wu happened to be at the Central Hospital that day, and Ming Tan had borrowed money from him—that way, everything could be explained.

But... what was Ling Wu doing at the Central Hospital that day?

Was he injured?

Or was he sick?

Why could Ming Tan happen to find Ling Wu? These various coincidences were just too coincidental.

Qi Yu touched the cigarette burn scar on his collarbone, thinking of that night on Maple Forest Avenue, Ling Wu turning half to the side, resting his hand on his arm, asking him so sincerely: "Why doesn't he know."

So at that time, Ling Wu had asked the question while holding the answer, and only now did he understand the metaphor in those words.

But no matter what, Qi Yu could not have any financial entanglement with Ling Wu, not even a little bit.

He wanted to stand by his side openly and aboveboard.

Qi Yu patted Yun Haiquan on the shoulder: "Brother Yun, I'm troubling you with this matter."

Yun Haiquan waved his hand and let out an "eh": "We've looked out for each other in the boxing ring for so many years, and I watched you grow up, so don't talk about thanking me."

"How distant."

Qi Yu: "I'll treat you to a meal next time."