Though the lighter weight-class matches were fast and agile, they lacked the raw, violent beauty of boxing. Jason Luo had planned to skip the next day's bouts, preferring to rest and recharge.
But Tony Huo showed up early to pick him up, and Grace—who happened to have the day off—tagged along. She had never seen a boxing match before and wanted to take advantage of the free admission during the preliminaries.
With Grace there, Tony's excitement skyrocketed. Without giving Jason a choice, he dragged him straight into the car.
When they arrived at Haitan Arena, Grace quickly lost her enthusiasm.
"Jason, let's go back. I really can't watch this. These two don't even know each other, yet they're fighting like bitter enemies. Look, that guy's bleeding... and they're still going at it. It's so cruel!"
Jason smiled as he explained. "When I first got into boxing, I thought it was brutal too. But slowly, I began to understand."
"Life keeps getting easier, but that comfort makes people lose their fighting spirit. Boxing, through direct confrontation, pushes both skill and willpower to the limit. Think about it—would you really want your future boyfriend to be timid and weak?"
Grace's face flushed red. After a moment's thought, she slowly shook her head. "Still, it feels too violent. Jason, your match is tomorrow—you have to be careful."
Jason nodded. "Alright. Since you don't want to watch, let's head back."
But Tony panicked. He glanced at Grace and quickly said, "No way! We finally got out, and now you want to head home already? That's no fun at all!"
One wanted to leave, the other to stay, leaving Jason caught in the middle. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Tell you what, let's do something useful. My dad's getting out of the hospital soon, but he smashed up all the furniture at home when he was drunk. I want to replace it before he comes back. Since you two are here, you can help me pick some out. How about it?"
Grace brightened and clapped. "Perfect! I know just the place to buy nice furniture at good prices. Just follow me."
Tony of course had no objections—if Grace agreed, he was happy to go anywhere...
Guided by Grace, the three of them drove to a secondhand market. Despite the name, plenty of new furniture was sold there, just at lower prices.
Grace said she often came here for small items and knew several shopkeepers well. She led Jason into one store, and based on his home's layout, quickly picked out a sofa, wardrobe, table and chairs, and a small kitchen cabinet. The prices really were cheap—the owner asked only $670 for everything.
But Grace pouted in dissatisfaction. "Boss John, I dragged my friend here only because I trust your fair prices. If you're going to overcharge us, we're leaving! I won't come here anymore, and I'll tell everyone you rip off young girls..."
"Alright, alright..." Boss John groaned. "Grace, you'd be better off slapping me! When have I ever cheated you? Fine, 620. Happy?"
"But you have to cover delivery!"
"What? Renting a truck costs 40. No way!"
"Nope. You're delivering it!"
...
After much haggling, the owner finally gave in. Jason and Tony stared in disbelief. The girl who used to blush at the sight of strangers in restaurants was now completely unrecognizable.
After buying the furniture, the three hurried back to meet the delivery. Grace immediately started cleaning, while Tony and Jason carried out the old furniture.
After dumping the junk at the trash site, Tony rushed back to help Grace, which made Jason suspicious. He pulled him aside. "What are you up to? Stay away from my friend, got it?"
"Why? You've already made yourself her friend. Why can't I treat her well?" Tony looked genuinely puzzled.
"She's still young. And you're nothing but trouble. I need to protect her so you don't lead her astray."
"Pfft! Nonsense. I'm famous as the little Prince of Devotion. Unless you're the one with ulterior motives..."
Grace overheard everything, her face turning scarlet. Unable to take it, she shoved both of them out the door. "I don't need your help! I'll handle the cleaning. You two just carry the furniture. Go check if the truck's here yet!"
She slammed the door, kicking them both outside.
"This is your fault. You embarrassed Grace. But hey, she looked adorable!" Tony smirked shamelessly.
Fuming, Jason kicked him in the rear...
The truck arrived. They carried everything upstairs, assembled the pieces, and set the place in order. By late morning, the home looked completely transformed. The furniture wasn't fancy, but it made the place feel warm and homely.
Sweaty and exhausted, they sat down to rest. Grace stood up. "I'll cook. It won't take long."
Jason caught her arm. "You've been busy all morning. Let's eat out. My treat. Thanks for helping—I couldn't have done this alone."
Grace shook her head. "I'm not tired. Eating out just wastes money. We already spent enough today. I'll cook—it'll be quick."
Jason shook his head. "There's no food in the house anyway, and we'd have to shop first. Besides, it's not often we get together—let's just call it an early celebration of tomorrow's win."
Tony cut in. "Yeah, let's go out. This meal's on me. Think of it as advance payment for the copyright on Jason's fight videos. But Jason, you'd better keep winning—the longer you last, the more money I make off those videos!"
Jason and Grace exchanged a curious look. "How much could a video even make? Let us handle it."
"Heh, you don't know, do you? The last video I uploaded of your match has already brought in almost 500 dollar. If I upload all of this tournament's footage, I might even turn a profit..."
Jason and Grace looked at each other and said in unison, "Alright, you're buying!"
They enjoyed a lively meal together. Afterward, Grace insisted on taking Jason's laundry with her, no matter how he tried to stop her. Jason then asked Tony to find an apartment nearby for her, since commuting such a long distance wasn't safe for a young woman.
Tony pounded his chest in promise, vowing to take care of it, and even volunteered to escort Grace home...
Once they left, Jason looked around at his transformed home and thought of his father. In just over ten days, he would be discharged. If Jason hadn't been eliminated yet, what if his father strongly opposed his boxing?
It was a troubling thought.
He lit incense for his mother, bowed his head, and prayed for her blessing that everything would go smoothly.
...
Finally, the day of the match arrived. Jason, full of energy, still felt a twinge of nervousness. What kind of opponent would he be facing?
Tony drove him to Haitan Arena, where they quickly found Coach and Mr. Raul.
The group gathered and headed to Match Point 79, where they lined up to wait their turn.
Raul stepped out briefly, then returned with a sheet of paper. "These preliminaries are a joke. This is all the info they give us on the opponents? Can't tell anything from this. Let me read it."
"Oh, he's a 19-year-old exchange student from Jamaica, name... Abratu Papari Plaka Potunisse... My god! What kind of name is this? Let's just call him Abratu—I can't pronounce the rest!"
"Height: 180 cm. Reach: 179 cm. Amateur record: blank. Hobbies: basketball, boxing, street dance... What kind of garbage profile is this? We'd be better off without it!" Raul tossed the sheet to Jason in frustration.
Pedro chuckled lightly. "Calm down. You're a seasoned agent. It's just the first round of prelims—what's there to get upset about?"
Raul shot Jason a glance. "Pedro, how can I not be upset? It's been years since I've had a solid result. If this keeps up, I won't even be able to show my face in the industry."
Pedro's tone was unusually sharp. "Really? And you expect a rookie who's only been training for a few months to restore your reputation? If he makes it out of the prelims, that's already something."
Raul defended Jason. "Come on, Pedro. Anything can happen in the ring. If Jason's in good form, he could make a name for himself in one fight."
"Oh, maybe..."
Their conversation sounded casual, but it was clearly meant for Jason's ears. It left him unsettled. Fine then—he'd show them with his fists!
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser