The streets on a winter night, sparingly lit.
A dilapidated tricycle covered in the marks of time, its undercoat showing, trudged along.
The basket swayed slightly and the hubs turned with a dry rasp.
The wind, carrying the cold, whistled by, making the atmosphere even more desolate.
Fang Cheng gripped the handlebars, feet on the pedals, trying to ride as smoothly as possible.
To reduce the jolting of this second-hand bike as it moved.
"Xiu Mei, how much did we earn tonight?"
Seeing that his childhood friend who had grown up with him spoke little all the way, Fang Cheng took on the role of livening the mood.
"I'm not sure, I need to count it first."
Upon this question, Zhou Xiumei, sitting behind him, immediately made a rustling sound as she rummaged.
Then, the rustle of flipping papers followed.
As if she was interested, she took out a notebook and started calculating accounts right there in the basket.
"First entry, sold a teddy bear, income 35 yuan."
"Second entry, sold a 'Persimmon Full of Wishes' ornament, income 19 yuan, that makes..."
She meticulously noted each transaction in her notebook, calculating costs and profits.
Suddenly, Zhou Xiumei's tone became slightly surprised:
"Brother Cheng, my total income tonight actually surpassed 200 yuan for the first time!"
She couldn't wait to share her joy.
However, the joy did not last long before she let out a long sigh.
Like a melancholic breeze, gently brushing past the ear.
Fang Cheng turned to look at Zhou Xiumei, who was wrapped in a scarf with her brows tightly furrowed.
"Why not put today's lost sales on my account, after all, those guys were thrown out by me."
"How could I do that!"
Zhou Xiumei immediately became somewhat anxious, her usually soft voice rising several notches:
"Don't overthink it, I'm just sighing at my own bad luck, having never done anything completely satisfying since I was young..."
Fang Cheng fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"Xiu Mei, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future, or do you have any dreams?"
Zhou Xiumei paused, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion.
"Like, opening a handicraft shop in the future, running a business, being the boss."
Fang Cheng tried to guide her.
Zhou Xiumei immediately shook her head like a rattle drum:
"Running a shop is too risky, I'm content if my stall can make over 100 yuan a day."
Fang Cheng continued in a serious tone:
"Xiu Mei, the reason you always feel that things don't go your way is just that you lack dreams."
"Once you have a dream, you will gain a kind of strength called belief."
"This strength can help you look beyond momentary gains and losses, have the courage to challenge difficulties, and also rediscover the meaning of life."
"So, I think you should try to find your own dream."
Listening to Fang Cheng's words, sounding like someone who had been through it all, Zhou Xiumei's eyes brimmed with understanding, yet also confusion.
After saying so much, she gradually opened up and carefully asked:
"Brother Cheng, you've been practicing martial arts, is it your dream to compete professionally?"
It was Fang Cheng's turn to shake his head:
"Some things are too early to talk about now."
"But there should be an answer soon, and then I'll tell you alone, just like when we were kids."
Saying this, he gave her a sly smile.
The corners of Zhou Xiumei's mouth lifted slightly, then her lips tightened, and she restrained her smile.
She lifted her eyes and exhaled a small puff of warm air.
Looking at the figure so close, her heart suddenly quickened its pace.
As if similar to the past, some secret was quietly blooming between them.
The sounds of conversation passed like a brisk breeze.
Unconsciously, the dimly lit tubular building had already emerged beneath the night sky.
No matter how dark and cold the night is.
A new and bright day will always come......
Global Elite Fighting Club.
Coach Hu, holding a thermal mug, sauntered into Training Hall No. 2 at his leisure.
Actually, he seldom came to this place.
Glancing around, he saw students dressed in white gis, getting ready for class and practicing some flashy moves.
Karate, Sword Dao, Taekwondo.
These disciplines, unfortunately, were commercially popular and particularly favored by trendy youths.
Hence, the club management valued them and purposefully allocated them to the newly renovated and better-equipped Hall No. 2.
While departments stronger in actual combat, like Boxing, Sanda, Muay Thai, and Jujitsu, were relegated to the less prestigious Hall No. 1.
Coach Hu was in charge of the Boxing Department, and his recent surpassing performance over the karate department had him boasting for quite some time.
But now, he suddenly lost that confidence.
The changes, all due to the appearance and departure of that young man.
With that thought, Coach Hu's gaze shifted forward.
He saw a crowd gathering, buzzing with excitement.
Most were students in training attire, and there were also a few coaches and staff members from other departments.
At the center of the group stood a clean-faced, refined-looking young man.
"Master Xu, you're here early!"
Coach Hu stepped forward with a loud voice, calling out to the crowd.
Xu Maochai gave him a cold glance, then turned away, clearly not interested in engaging.
Coach Hu smiled secretly to himself.
He deliberately greeted someone who had encountered a similar situation, as a way to retaliate against his experience of having his staff poached.
"Everyone's here, let's begin."
The head coach of the karate department suddenly stood up and spoke.
Since the main goal of this recruitment was to fill the vacancies in his department,
he was the one responsible for overseeing the assessment.
Once he approved, it meant the new sparring partner had passed the test and could then go to the HR department to get the employment contract.
The presence of coaches from other departments was mainly to supervise and prevent cheating.
Of course, choosing a department didn't mean one was only allowed to work there.
In principle, sparring partners are considered a flexible technical job.
If other coaches are impressed and their department is short-staffed,
they can also sign the paperwork at HR and are entitled to hire the individual.
Coach Hu and Xu Maochai weren't interested in the specifics of recruiting sparring partners.
Both their attention remained on the young figure at the center of the group, each with their own thoughts.
Fang Cheng, the subject of the crowd's attention, appeared calm and relaxed.
He first did a few Single-leg Squats, then stretched his arms, cracking his joints.
Then he nodded in response:
The first test was a series of consecutive push-ups.
Mainly testing a person's physical endurance and cardiorespiratory function, as well as the most important upper body strength required of a sparring partner.
At this moment, on the ground in front of Fang Cheng, there was a counter with a red button.
When his forehead tapped the button, the electronic display would beep, counting each push-up.
This ensured the posture was correct while avoiding any mishaps in counting.
Fang Cheng took a deep breath, then placed his hands on the ground and straightened his back, lowering his body.
His first standard push-up was done with a notably smooth and steady strength.
If rated during a competition, it would certainly earn full points from all judges.
Coach Hu and the other coaches couldn't help but nod.
Like martial arts, one could tell the depth of fitness training from the execution.
Although this young man appeared polished and somewhat frail,
just these few moves were enough to tell he had maintained a regular exercise routine.
Fang Cheng continued his rhythmical, unhurried, and neat movements.
His posture remained impeccably standard, clearly well-prepared.
The corners of Coach Hu's mouth lifted slightly as he mused to himself:
"Didn't expect this kid had some tricks up his sleeve, quite interesting..."
Meanwhile, Xu Maochai stood beside with a complex look in his eyes.