Chapter 818: The Father

"Huh… huh… huh…"

At this moment, Ying Zhicheng was gasping heavily, his chest rising and falling like a giant fan, wheezing loudly.

Although he had only sparred with Li Luo for about seven or eight minutes, it had drained most of his strength.

If he had trained as he normally did, Ying Zhicheng would never have been this exhausted.

After years of consistent boxing training, he had long since learned a full set of techniques to conserve energy.

He could achieve effective exercise without becoming overly fatigued, so it wouldn't affect his workday focus.

But during those seven or eight minutes of sparring, Ying Zhicheng had unleashed his full strength—every punch brimming with rage, not holding back at all.

As a result, when he finally landed a solid punch on Li Luo's stomach, the pent-up bitterness inside him vanished with that heavy blow, leaving him feeling remarkably relieved.

But he hadn't enjoyed that relief for long when his daughter's startled cry startled him.

So when he saw Ying Chanxi sprinting over anxiously to Li Luo's side, his heart sank—he sensed trouble.

"You… you okay?" Ying Chanxi gently touched Li Luo's stomach, concerned, "Does it hurt?"

"Mmm…" Li Luo actually felt fine; he was about to say he was alright, but Ying Chanxi had already whirled around angrily toward Ying Zhicheng.

"Dad, what are you doing? Training is training—why hit so hard?" Her expression was genuinely angry.

Ying Zhicheng had never seen his daughter look so furious before; his heart turned icy, his mouth slightly open, unable to speak.

"I… Xi Xi, let me explain… that…"

"What's there to explain?" Ying Chanxi, seething, clenched her fists and began accusing, "I saw it all! You landed several punches on Li Luo—he only blocked them!"

"And then you still punched him right in the stomach—with that much force!"

"We just moved today, and tomorrow's Li Luo's birthday—what if you hurt him?!"

"Didn't he always let you win when he trained with you? Are you still not satisfied? If he hadn't held back, he'd have knocked you out long ago!"

"It's not…" Ying Zhicheng felt a pang of hurt listening to his daughter's scolding, but didn't know how to refute her.

Then, as he heard the last part, his unease grew—he frowned in disbelief: "What did you say? Li Luo was letting me win?"

"Uh… I should apologize to Li Luo for what just happened—I really did overdo it, couldn't hold back."

"But Xi Xi, don't say things like that—what do you mean Li Luo always let me win?"

Hearing Ying Zhicheng apologize, Ying Chanxi's expression softened slightly, but she immediately realized she'd slipped up—she instinctively glanced at Li Luo, then awkwardly scratched her head.

Yet remembering how hard her father had hit Li Luo, she grew angry again and puffed out her cheeks in retort: "He's always let you win! Do you really think you could beat Li Luo otherwise?"

"Don't look at how long he's been training—he learns everything fast."

"Even after years of training, you're no match for him."

"If it weren't for you being his elder, he'd never have let you win this long."

"That's not something to say lightly," Ying Zhicheng replied, visibly disapproving—but inside, he deliberately steered the conversation toward comparing their boxing skills.

That way, Ying Chanxi might temporarily forget about his heavy punches on Li Luo.

Thinking this, he continued: "Boxing takes months just to get started—Li Luo's current level is already impressive for how fast he learned."

"But to say he can beat me? That's still premature."

"Isn't he just bragging to you behind your back?"

"It's not bragging!" Ying Chanxi shot back angrily, "If you're so sure, fight him again—this time, let Li Luo use his full strength."

"Cough… maybe we should just drop it?" Li Luo coughed and intervened, "Uncle Ying didn't hit that hard—it didn't really hurt."

Hearing this, Ying Zhicheng's anger flared—he hated hearing this kid's voice.

Especially recalling how tenderly his precious daughter had looked at Li Luo just now, Ying Zhicheng felt his heart shatter.

This was the first time in his life Ying Chanxi had ever yelled at him.

And it was over another man!

The whole situation left Ying Zhicheng feeling utterly hollow.

They say a daughter who marries becomes water spilled out.

She hasn't even married yet, and already she's siding with him like this.

What will happen later?

Was he such a terrible father?

Then he remembered the sixty-two condoms—and the fire in his chest reignited.

"If you're fine, then follow Xi Xi's advice—let's go again," Ying Zhicheng took a deep breath, recovering slightly as his strength slowly returned.

He'd already guessed: that brat Li Luo was just showing off in front of his daughter, bragging he could beat him.

In reality, during their sparring, that was already Li Luo's full strength.

After all, in boxing, to deliberately hold back, you'd need to be at least a whole realm below your opponent.

How could two people of similar skill possibly hold back?

It's not like Li Luo, who's trained only a few months, is already better than the gym coaches, is it?

Ying Zhicheng didn't believe it.

Ying Chanxi thought Li Luo was better simply because of blind affection—and because that brat was too proud to admit he was holding back.

Normally, Ying Zhicheng didn't care about lovers' playful lies.

But today!

He'd just been scolded by his own daughter—unless he reclaimed his dignity, he couldn't swallow this humiliation!

"No problem—use your full strength. Even if you knock me down, I'll accept it," Ying Zhicheng gestured to Li Luo, urging him not to hold back, "Show me your real level."

Li Luo hesitated, glanced at Ying Chanxi, saw her nodding eagerly, and finally nodded: "Should Uncle Ying rest first? You looked really tired just now."

"No need," Ying Zhicheng waved him off. "We're just sparring again—if you've been holding back, two or three minutes will decide it."

Conversely, if you can't beat me in two or three minutes, then you were just lying to your girlfriend all along.

Ying Zhicheng let out a cold snort in his heart, vowing to reclaim the place in his daughter's heart that belonged to him!

As Ying Chanxi stepped back to the edge of the arena, Ying Zhicheng immediately assumed a boxing stance, fixating entirely on Li Luo across from him, giving two hundred percent focus.

Seeing this, Li Luo could only take a deep breath and close his eyes.

When he opened them again, the Memory Palace had been fully activated.