Xu Jingyu lost the match tonight. He didn’t lose badly, and after the match ended, Wu Qi came over, patted his shoulder, and told him to relax. “You did well. Tonight was just to test your progress, don’t worry about the result.”
How could he not care?
He might not care about the result of the match, but he would never accept defeat. Never.
Xu Jingyu mentally replayed the match, realizing he hadn’t heard Ying Huan’s voice for a while, though the wound on his face was well cared for. He opened his eyes and looked at the quiet young girl, smirking. “What, can’t I make a joke?”
“No.”
Ying Huan placed a Yunnan Baiyao bandage on his brow bone, her fingers gently smoothing it over his frown.
The ring’s spotlight illuminated her pale face, and Xu Jingyu could even see the fine downy hairs on her delicate, smooth skin—no pores visible, with long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes. She looked obedient and soft.
Aside from her slightly odd lips due to wearing braces, Ying Huan was a pretty girl, the kind of beauty that grew on you.
Xu Jingyu closed his eyes again, leaning back against the corner of the ring, propping up his right leg, and chuckled softly. “I was just teasing you. This little injury is nothing.”
Ying Huan pulled out an ice pack and pressed it to the corner of his right cheek. “Hold it yourself.”
He raised his hand to hold it.
Ying Huan tidied up the medical kit, and after packing everything, she stood up, ready to leave the ring. After a few steps, she turned back to look at him. He had his eyes closed, his expression calm. The wounds on his face didn’t make him look pitiful. In fact, they gave him a rugged masculinity.
Xu Jingyu had said before that he didn’t accept defeat.
So, was he feeling upset?
“Huan, are you done?”
Lin Siyu called to her from outside the ring.
Ying Huan turned her head and looked at Lin Siyu and Zhong Weiwei, who both seemed excited. Lin Siyu subtly gestured toward Xu Jingyu and mouthed, “Is King Jing okay?”
She shook her head. His brow bone was swollen, but he hadn’t even flinched while treating the wound, as if he didn’t feel any pain at all. How could anything be wrong? If there was something wrong, it would be in his heart.
Ying Huan took her medical kit and went down the ring.
At that moment, Xu Jingyu also stood up, casually grabbed his robe, slipped it on, and tied the belt before effortlessly jumping off the ring, his movements smooth and stylish.
Ying Huan put away the medical kit and watched as he headed toward the locker room.
It was already close to midnight when the match ended, and Lin Siyu and Zhong Weiwei still needed to head home. Lin Siyu had recorded the match on her phone and posted it in the group chat.
Jiang Meng saw it and nearly lost her mind, screaming in the chat, “Why didn’t you tell me! Why didn’t you invite me! I wanted to see it live too! King Jing is so handsome! Ying Huan, you’re so bad! Your brother is in the same club as King Jing and you didn’t say a word. Next time, I have to go. When school starts, take me with you!”
Ying Huan looked at the long string of messages and simply replied, “Okay.”
Lin Siyu smiled and said, “I’m coming again next time. I never used to pay attention to boxing matches—thought they were violent and bloody, with people getting all bruised and swollen and looking ugly. But today, I get it. This thing is purely about looks.”
“Good-looking people still look handsome, even when they’re beaten.”
“And damn, it was so thrilling,” Lin Siyu added.
“This wasn’t even an official match, right? Next time, I’m definitely going to watch it live. It must be even more exciting in person.”
Lin Siyu sighed with admiration, while Zhong Weiwei glanced over and said with a grin, “Naichi’s here.”
Ying Chi came running over and stood in front of Ying Huan. “Sis, I’m all set. Let’s head back.”
Lin Siyu and Zhong Weiwei were also ready to leave. Zhong Weiwei said, “We’re heading out. I’ll catch a ride home. What about you, Siyu?”
“It’s too late, so I’ll need to get a cab.”
Ying Huan still had her sketchboard in the storage room. She looked at Ying Chi. “You walk them to the gate and help them get a cab. I’ll go grab my stuff and meet you there.”
Ying Chi looked at Zhong Weiwei and the others, scratched his head, and said, “Okay, but hurry up.”
Ying Huan nodded and turned to go.
“Hey, Naichi, you looked really cool out there! I didn’t realize you had muscles. Can I pinch them?” Zhong Weiwei teased.
“Uh, better not… I’m ticklish, and I’m not that cool. I lost, after all.”
“It’s fine! You were still awesome! We’ll cheer for you next time.”
“… Thanks, Weiwei.”
…
Ying Huan went to the bathroom before retrieving her sketchboard. As she walked past the sofas in the lounge, where the lights were dim, she could faintly make out someone sitting on the couch. The figure was tall and strong, with folded arms resting behind their head, muscles clearly defined even in the shadow—a powerful, robust presence.
There was a sense of familiarity. She paused and glanced in that direction.
The man seemed deep in thought, focused and silent, and after a while, she could even sense a hint of melancholy in his posture.
Not wanting to disturb him, Ying Huan turned to leave, but suddenly, he turned his head and looked at her, lowering his arms. Their eyes met for a few seconds before the man smiled and asked, “Little doctor, want some candy?”
Ying Huan focused on his face and recognized him. He reached into a dish and picked out a mint candy. Just as she was about to tell him that she didn’t like mint, he lightly tossed the candy toward her. The mint-green-wrapped candy flew through the air over her head.
Not expecting him to throw it, she reacted a second too late. When she reached out, the candy fell straight past her, and she missed it.
Xu Jingyu laughed. “You couldn’t even catch that?”
Ying Huan responded, “…I didn’t ask you to throw it.”
He tossed another one, this time deliberately.
The mint-green candy arced beautifully through the air. He threw it perfectly so that it landed squarely in her palm as she reached out.
Ying Huan looked at the candy, a strange feeling spreading through her chest, and she couldn’t help but look up at him.
Xu Jingyu unwrapped another candy and tossed it into his mouth. She heard the soft crunch of the hard candy against his teeth.
Nice teeth, she thought.
Instinctively, Ying Huan licked her own small, braced teeth before squeezing the mint candy in her hand. “I’m heading back. You can go back to being all melancholy.”
The young girl, carrying her sketchboard, walked away.
Xu Jingyu bit down on the candy with a crunch and exhaled as he looked out the window.
“Who the hell said I was feeling melancholy?”
“You’re not?”
Zhou Baihao, who had somehow appeared behind him, had someone turn on the lights.
Zhou glanced out the window, where Ying Huan was running off with her sketchboard. He thought back to her gentle and meticulous demeanor when she was acting as the temporary medic, even encouraging people. She really wasn’t bad at all…
Then, Zhou Baihao looked back at Xu Jingyu.
With the lights fully on, Xu Jingyu’s somewhat lonely and indifferent expression was revealed. Losing the match today had left him with a sense of defeat, and for once, he was doubting himself, unsure if changing weight classes was the right decision.
He frowned and looked at Zhou Baihao. “Why are you still here?”
Zhou casually crossed his legs and sat down on the couch, chuckling. “I was just worried since it’s the first time you lost a sparring match. Didn’t want you to have a heart attack. Wanna grab a drink?”
Xu Jingyu nudged the coffee table with his foot and stood up. “No, I’m heading home.”
“Why not?”
“No alcohol before a match.”
“Pfft.”
…
Ying Huan and Ying Chi took the last subway train home. Sitting on the bench, she handed the mint candy to Ying Chi. “Want it?”
Ying Chi, like her, didn’t like mint.
“No, thanks.”
“Alright.”
Ying Huan stuffed the candy into a small pocket in her bag and zipped it shut.
Ying Chi sat with his head down, still feeling a bit dejected. He had lost his match, and with limited slots available, he wouldn’t be able to participate in next month’s competition. Ying Huan understood how he felt and patted his head. “It’s okay, there’ll be another chance. You’re still young.”
“Yeah, I know.” Ying Chi suddenly perked up, remembering something. “Even Xu Jingyu lost today, so what am I so worried about?”
“…”
Where did this habit of finding confidence in others’ failures come from?
Besides, Xu Jingyu is in a completely different league from you! He could knock you out without even breaking a sweat!
Not wanting to crush his spirits, Ying Huan just smiled and stayed quiet.
Ying Chi, unfazed, happily continued building his confidence. “Coach Wu said this was the first time Xu Jingyu lost a match in the club’s sparring sessions. You know, everyone used to call him ‘King Xu,’ but now even the king has lost. I bet he’s the one who’s really upset.”
Ying Huan thought of Xu Jingyu sitting on the couch, casually eating his mint candy.
There’s no way he’d cry.
“Sis, everyone calls you ‘little doctor.'”
“…Yeah, let them call me whatever they want.”
“Hey, why don’t you join the team as our medic? If you have time off during the holidays, you could even travel with us to competitions and cheer me on!”
“…”
It’s not like she could just decide to go if she wanted to.
The main issue was that there was no salary!
Plus, she was still a student. Even though the club didn’t require a medical license, it was still the top boxing club in the country—there had to be rules.
As it turns out, there were rules, but it all depended on who the boss was.
A few days later, she went to watch Ying Chi’s training again.
Suddenly, one of the HR ladies from the club approached her. “Ying Huan, do you want to work here part-time? As a medical assistant, with a salary—the kind paid monthly. For a part-time gig, it’s really pretty good.”
Ying Huan was stunned. “Who arranged this? I’m still a student, is that allowed?”
“Mr. Zhou,” the woman smiled. “Of course, it’s allowed! It’s not like an official competition where we need to bring in doctors from hospitals. You’d just help treat minor injuries during regular training. You’ll be fine.”
With the summer break coming to an end, Ying Huan had been looking for a part-time job for the new semester.
She thought about it for a moment, recalling what Ying Chi had said, and smiled slightly. “Sure, that way I can also keep an eye on Ying Chi.”
Xu Jingyu had just finished training with Shi Lei and the others. Carrying a water bottle, he came over to fill it up and overheard her. He chuckled softly.
Shi Lei shouted, “Oh no, that won’t do! If you’re joining the team, you’ve got to be fair to everyone. You can’t just look after Ying Chi—you’ve got to take care of all of us! Like blowing on our injuries or whatever. No special treatment for him!”
Everyone laughed.
“Exactly, no special treatment for Ying Chi!”
“Also, we need encouragement—just something a bit softer and kinder.”
“Right, right, no one gets left out! Blowing on our injuries, words of love and encouragement—we all need that! We’re teammates; there can’t be any favoritism, right?”
This group had long been fed up with the “little prince” Ying Chi.
Lucky for them this was his sister. If it were his girlfriend, with the way she spoiled him, who could handle that? Just thinking about it made their bones feel weak!
Honestly, they were a bit jealous…
Having a sister who was so gentle, accommodating, always caring and attentive, someone who could soothe even your most fiery temper—that sounded pretty nice.
Ying Huan: “…”
Xu Jingyu glanced at Shi Lei and said indifferently, “With a face like yours, no one would want to.”
Shi Lei: “…”
So, being ugly means you have no rights, huh?
—
**Author’s note:**
Ying Xiaohuan: No drinking before a match?
Xu Jingyu: Mm-hmm, once I have a girlfriend, there’ll be another rule.
Ying Xiaohuan: What?
Xu Jingyu: No sex.
