Zheng Yubai's hips pinned Sun Haitong's legs, making him unable to move, and his shoulders bumped out, hitting Sun Haitong's chest and abdomen. He felt his breath stagnate and he couldn't breathe. Before he could catch his breath, Zheng Yubai swung his elbow and hit him on the chin.
"Bang!" Sun Haitong fell straight on the ring like a piece of dead wood. The arm that was acupunctured was curled up in front of his chest. He seemed to be able to move, but unfortunately, he had already fainted.
The audience were all impressed by this thrilling battle of wits and courage. When they saw Sun Haitong being knocked to the ground, both Zheng Yubai's supporters and people who liked Sun Haitong started to applaud in unison.
The applause continued throughout the venue, and even the referee's countdown could not be heard clearly. Amid the applause, audiences all over Asia saw the referee finally stop counting, walk to Zheng Yubai, grab his right hand, and raise it high.
"Brother Yubai is so great!" Yu Luo and Susu jumped up and hugged each other excitedly. Yu Luo got crazy and kissed Susu's soft face twice, making the little girl blush with embarrassment.
The people in the box cheered loudly, afraid that others would not know that they were all supporting Zheng Yubai. Tang Qing took out the candies that she had prepared long ago and threw them out of the window of the box, which made the security guard of the gymnasium look up and shout loudly: "Who is it? Who is so unethical? You are not allowed to litter, do you know?"
The award ceremony was very difficult for Zheng Yubai, as he was not used to being in the spotlight. He wanted to keep a low profile, but he became the champion of the martial arts conference under the attention of hundreds of millions of people. Zheng Yubai couldn't figure out where this incident started. But he knew very well that it would not be so easy to live a peaceful life from now on.
"Now, please welcome Mr. Weng Dongcheng, Secretary General of the Wushu Association, to give a speech." The host announced loudly. Leaders one after another delivered bland speeches without any substantive content on the podium, and many impatient audiences had already begun to leave. In fact, no one liked such unrealistic speeches, but as the organizer, Yang Feiyun had to balance the relationship between everyone. If he wanted to truly revitalize Wushu according to his ideas, he could not offend any powerful person, so superficial etiquette and courtesy were absolutely necessary.
After waiting for seven or eight leaders, big and small, who were involved and not involved, to finish their speeches, the official award ceremony began. The first awards were presented to the top eight. The four contestants who were eliminated in the quarterfinals stepped onto the podium and received a prize of 50,000 yuan each and a bronze medal symbolizing honor, as well as a certificate jointly issued by the Wushu Conference Organizing Committee and the National Wushu Association.
After the top eight received their awards, Huang Shiyu and Du Tao, who were eliminated in the semi-finals, came on stage to receive a prize of 100,000 yuan each and a silver medal, as well as a certificate of a higher level.
After they received their awards, the highlight of the night began. Sun Haitong, who had just been knocked unconscious, seemed to have recovered well. Although he still looked a little depressed, he still stepped onto the podium and received a prize of 200,000 yuan and a gold medal.
When Sun Haitong left the stage, the audience stood up and applauded, and everyone was shouting the same name.
"Zheng Yubai! Zheng Yubai! Zheng Yubai..." The rhythmic shouts could almost lift the roof of the stadium. During this period, hundreds of millions of people across Asia could not help but blurt out Zheng Yubai's name.
Zheng Yubai walked out of the passage a little shyly, and the stadium immediately erupted in earth-shattering cheers that were enough to almost deafen people's ears.
"Wave your hands." Yang Feiyan, who was following behind him, saw that Zheng Yubai was a little dazed, and couldn't help but pinch his waist hard. Zheng Yubai felt pain, so he quickly waved his hands, raised his head and chest, and looked like a champion.
After walking across half of the venue and coming to the temporary podium above the ring, Zheng Yubai took a check for 500,000 yuan from Ding Rulong, the main sponsor of the conference, amid the enthusiastic cheers of the audience. Yang Feiyun, as the organizer of the event, personally put on a championship belt inlaid with 18 diamonds on him, and Weng Dongcheng handed a certificate to Zheng Yubai.
Zheng Yubai raised his certificate and check high, which triggered the warmest applause from the audience. In this jubilant atmosphere, the martial arts conference finally came to an end. Yang Feiyun announced emotionally that the martial arts conference would be rekindled one year later, and Zheng Yubai would return his championship belt at that time. Countless martial arts masters would fight for this honor in a new round.
After finally escaping the reporters' blockade and escaping to the dressing room, Zheng Yubai finally understood what it was like to be a celebrity. No wonder those idol stars always wear sunglasses when they go out for fear of being recognized. It seems that being a popular person also comes at a price.
"Yubai, well done." Zheng Jingzhe finally got the chance to be alone with his son. He slapped Zheng Yubai on the shoulder and said happily.
"Ouch..." Zheng Yubai's shoulder was hit hard by Sun Haitong during the game. It was originally a little painful, but Zheng Jingzhe's heavy punch made him feel heartbroken and he almost cried.
"Brother Yubai, what's wrong with you?" Yang Feiyan asked with concern. Zheng Yubai's bravery and wisdom in the competition had been deeply engraved in the little girl's heart. People say that girls like handsome guys, but they like heroes more, because that can satisfy the vanity of girls who love to dream to the greatest extent. Although Zheng Yubai is a little dull and often does not understand romance, he is not ugly no matter how you look at him, not to mention that he won the championship of the martial arts conference with great power. Yang Feiyan did not realize that deep in her heart, her feelings for Zheng Yubai were quietly changing.
"It's okay. It hurts where Sun Haitong hit me just now." Zheng Yubai didn't dare to say that it was his father's palm that hurt him, so he sat down with his back hunched.
Cao Ji came over to help Zheng Yubai rub his shoulders and said cheerfully: "Yubai, you can finally be proud of yourself this time. With a brother like you, I will be proud of myself when I go out to mingle in the future."
Zheng Yubai laughed. In fact, it was not important for him to win the championship. However, he could fight with masters to prove his strength, and get some money to let his parents live a comfortable life. This was a good thing no matter how he looked at it.
"Dad, keep this 500,000 yuan bonus. When you return to your hometown, renovate our old house and buy a new tractor. In the future, don't do the farm work yourself if you can hire someone to do it." Zheng Yubai stuffed the check into Zheng Jingzhe's rough palm.
Zheng Jingzhe glared at him with eyes bigger than a cow's, and said in a muffled voice: "Boy, do you dislike your father for being old? Can't I even do farm work? You keep this money to marry a wife, your mother and I don't want it."
"Dad, this is a little gift from me. I have a good job now and can make a lot of money." Zheng Yubai said hurriedly. In fact, although he has experienced many ups and downs, when it comes to savings, Zheng Yubai's poor bank card only has no more than 20,000 yuan. However, in order to let his father accept the money, he lied for the first time.
"No matter how much money you can make, you should keep it." Zheng Jingzhe was very stubborn. Although he knew that the money was from his son, he still refused to accept it.
Zheng Yubai wanted to push him back, but Zheng Jingzhe got angry and grabbed his ear, shouting, "Boy, how dare you push and shove with your father?"
Zheng Yubai, who was at a loss and felt very wronged, saw that the situation was not good, so he quickly looked at the two people next to him for help.
At the critical moment, they had to rely on the eloquent and lively Yang Feiyan. She rolled her eyes and whispered a few words into Zheng Jingzhe's ear. Zheng Jingzhe let go of Zheng Yubai half-believingly and asked Yang Feiyan, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. Uncle often watches TV, so he must know how much money it makes." Yang Feiyan said with a very serious expression.
"Well, what you said makes sense. In that case, I'll take it to prevent this kid from spending money recklessly." Zheng Jingzhe put the check into his arms and stopped refusing.
Zheng Yubai glanced at Yang Feiyan and thought that the girl was really smart, but what did she say
Just as he was wondering, Zheng Jingzhe suddenly said, "Yubai, now you are a celebrity, there will be many people looking for you to shoot commercials and movies in the future. But I tell you, if you dare to spend money recklessly or learn from those messy people on TV, I will break your legs."
Zheng Yubai responded timidly, secretly glaring at Yang Feiyan, wondering what the hell this was all about.
Zheng Jingzhe was about to continue giving Zheng Yubai a shot of prevention when there was a knock on the locker room door. Caoji went over and asked, "Who is it? Zheng Yubai is not here." He was afraid that it was those omnipresent reporters again. If they targeted him, it would be a real headache.
"It's me, Sun Yunqing." A strong and loud voice came from outside.
Zheng Yubai was stunned, wondering what he was doing here. He looked at Zheng Jingzhe, and when his father nodded at him, he said, "Brother Caoji, open the door."
Cao Ji opened the door and saw Sun Yunqing, dressed in a black cloth jacket, standing at the door. He looked 70% similar to his son Sun Haitong, but he looked a little thinner.
"Sorry to bother you." Sun Yunqing said as he walked in, his eyes falling directly on Zheng Jingzhe.
"Brother Zheng, we haven't seen each other for more than ten years, right?" Sun Yunqing greeted with a fake smile, "I missed you very much. If I hadn't seen you assisting Zheng Yubai during the semi-finals, I would never have thought that he was your son, and I would never have thought that you were back again."
Zheng Jingzhe crossed his arms, obviously not intending to show any courtesy or politeness to Sun Yunqing. He said coldly: "I'm not back, I just came to see my son, and I'll leave in two days."
"Since you are here, why not stay a few more days? We old brothers haven't seen each other for such a long time, we should get together and chat. I have arranged a banquet at Juxian Pavilion Restaurant tonight, especially to celebrate my nephew's victory, and to catch up with you, my brother." Sun Yunqing did not take it as an offense at all, and still said with a smile.
"You want to treat me to a drink? That's like a weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken. You have no good intentions." Zheng Jingzhe said bluntly.
"What are you talking about..." Sun Yunqing still maintained a sanctimonious smile, "I was wrong about what I did before. After so many years, I really want to apologize to you. Tonight is a family dinner, with only our two families, so please do me the honor of attending."
After saying that, Sun Yunqing nodded to Zheng Yubai, turned around and left.
Zheng Jingzhe waited for him to leave the door, then stamped his feet and said, "This bastard, I really want to smash his head with one punch and use it as a chamber pot."
"Dad, it's better to resolve a feud than to create one. I think it's better to go and take a look at it tonight." Zheng Yubai said, "Maybe he really made a mistake."
"If he admits his mistake, even an old sow can climb a tree. If you don't believe me, let's go there tonight. But let me tell you first, this banquet will be a real Hongmen Banquet." Zheng Jingzhe said firmly.
Juxian Pavilion is one of the few top private clubs in Jinghai. To become a guest here, it is far from enough to just be rich. It is said that this private club has 3,000 members, and each member is a leader in their industry. Countless people are trying their best to get a membership card here in order to meet these top people.
Zheng Yubai and Zheng Jingzhe stood at the entrance of Juxian Pavilion and suddenly realized that their clothes were too rustic. They came here by taxi. After getting off the taxi, they found that the cars that kept stopping in front of the door and were enthusiastically opened and parked by red-dressed waiters were all luxury cars worth at least one million yuan. When the well-dressed guests walked into the club, they would look at Zheng Jingzhe in his ill-fitting suit and Zheng Yubai in his sportswear in a strange way.
Even the waiter couldn't help but look down on people. When he saw two people approaching, he said impatiently: "You two, this is a private club. You can't enter without an invitation from a member."
Zheng Jingzhe was about to explode with a glare, but Zheng Yubai hurriedly blocked his way and said to the waiter, "We are here for a banquet, and the host is Mr. Sun Yunqing."
"It's Mr. Sun's guest. Please come in." The waiter's expression immediately changed 180 degrees. As the head of Xingyiquan, Sun Yunqing was naturally qualified to be a member here. He had countless disciples in Jinghai and was very powerful. The waiter knew this and knew that he could not afford to offend his guests, so he hurriedly led the Zheng family father and son in.
Sun Yunqing arranged a banquet in the Bamboo Sea and Listening to Waves Elegant Room of Juxian Pavilion. When Zheng Yubai entered, he saw green everywhere. After a closer look, he found that there was actually a clump of bamboo planted in this elegant room. What's more wonderful is that there was actually a faint sound of waves in the bamboo sea.
Sun Yunqing and his son Sun Haitong were already waiting in the private room. When they saw the guests coming, they stood up and Sun Yunqing said with a smile on his face, "Please come in."
Zheng Jingzhe walked to the table without hesitation and sat down. Zheng Yubai also sat next to him. The four of them sat down together. The Zheng family father and son did not speak, and the atmosphere was a little stiff for a while.
"Haha, do you like this place? If you don't like the feeling here, you can change to another room. There is also the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and Slanting Shadows next door..." Sun Yunqing said for fun.
"No need for that. Drink the wine if you want to, and fart if you want to. I don't have as many frivolous thoughts as you." Zheng Jingzhe said.
Sun Yunqing was an old fox, and he didn't show any displeasure after hearing what Zheng Jingzhe said. But Sun Haitong was young and hot-tempered, and he couldn't keep his temper, so he said sternly: "Mr. Zheng, I'm telling you, don't be shameless."
Zheng Jingzhe sneered, flicked his index finger on the table, and the teacup next to him flashed with a white light like lightning and hit Sun Haitong's forehead.
In such a hurry, Sun Haitong had no time to dodge and could only watch the teacup hit him and was about to break his face.
Zheng Yubai was startled, wondering why they were fighting before the dishes were even served. He stood up and was about to reach out to stop the teacup.
But before he could make a move, a hand had already reached out in front of him and grabbed the teacup. The teacup kept spinning in his hand, showing how strong the force was. And that hand was also quite amazing. Even with such a strong force, he used the force skillfully and freely. The teacup was clearly full of tea, but not a drop of it spilled out.
"It's really beautiful." Zheng Yubai secretly applauded in his heart. His father had already used the power-generating method of Xingyiquan with just a flick of his fingers, and his skill in catching the teacup with one hand was even more perfect.
The person who took the teacup was naturally Sun Yunqing. Zheng Yubai's impression of him has always been that he was a hypocritical villain, but he ignored his kung fu. Villains are not necessarily incompetent. Sometimes, villains are more capable and competent than gentlemen who are restricted by various moral norms because they are shameless. Just imagine, if Sun Yunqing did not have real skills, even if he could force Zheng Jingzhe away, how could he become the head of Xingyiquan and teach a master like Sun Haitong
"After not seeing you for more than ten years, your skills have improved a lot." Zheng Jingzhe said without any surprise.
"Compared to you, I'm still far behind. I was not as good as you back then, and more than ten years later, my son still lost to your son. It seems that I will never be able to beat you in this life." Sun Yunqing sighed and nonchalantly put down the teacup that had stopped turning.
"You are so polite." Zheng Jingzhe said coldly, and then changed the subject, "Didn't you say you would treat me to a meal? Where are the food and wine? Are you just going to treat us with a cup of tea?"
"Serve the dishes right away." Sun Yunqing smiled and pressed a button on the table. A moment later, a waiter knocked on the door and brought eight dishes, four cold and four hot.
The Juxian Pavilion Club was indeed a place that the upper class liked to visit. Zheng Yubai had never eaten or even heard of the names and styles of these eight dishes. Zheng Yubai had seen a lot of the world, but he looked like a bumpkin who had just come out of the countryside in front of Sun Yunqing's detailed introduction.
"This is a bottle of fine wine that I have treasured for ten years. How about we drink it to our heart's content today and not go home until we are drunk?" Sun Yunqing took out a bottle of Shanxi Bamboo Leaf Green Wine that he brought with him. Seeing that the wine in the transparent bottle had turned slightly green, Zheng Yubai knew that this must be a very precious bottle of fine wine.
As expected, as soon as the bottle cap was opened, a fragrance came out. Even though Zheng Yubai was not good at drinking, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva secretly. Looking at Zheng Jingzhe again, his eyes were shining. When he saw the good wine, he immediately forgot about the past grudges.
"It's really a good wine." Zheng Jingzhe asked Sun Yunqing to fill a glass, put it close to his nose and smelled it, and immediately exclaimed in praise.
"Brother, you have come to Jinghai with great difficulty, so I certainly wouldn't dare to fool you with inferior wine. When it comes to drinking and tasting wine, if you claim to be second to none, I'm afraid no one in Jinghai dares to claim to be first." Sun Yunqing said.
Zheng Yubai listened to Sun Yunqing's words, and pondered his attitude today, and secretly became wary. If he was just sorry for what happened that year, would he tolerate his courtesy so much? There is no gain without pain, if Sun Yunqing is really a villain, then what is the motive behind his actions
"Okay, stop talking nonsense and try taking a sip first." Zheng Jingzhe couldn't wait to pick up the wine glass, brought it to his lips, and took a sip.
"Good wine!" Zheng Jingzhe held the wine in his mouth for a while before swallowing it. He gave a thumbs up and said, "I haven't had such a mellow wine in years."
"Since you like it, drink more." Sun Yunqing said with a smile, "People say that a smile can erase all grudges. We are all old now, and the world is ruled by young people. It's time for us to understand each other's grudges."
Zheng Jingzhe took another sip of wine, and then he said slowly: "Sun Yunqing, I don't care about what happened back then. I don't really care about what you want, so why not give it to you? It's just that I hate you for being a mean person, so I don't want to associate with you. There is no favor or hatred between you and me, it's that simple."
These words were very straightforward and clear. After hearing them, Sun Yunqing said a little embarrassedly: "This is the best, this is the best."
Zheng Jingzhe took a piece of food with chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth. He took two big bites and said, "You know my temper very well. You don't know these principles just now. If I still hate you, I would have come to Jinghai to settle the score with you. Let's not talk about secrets in front of others. Just tell me what you want to do."
"It turns out that I can't hide anything from you." Sun Yun cleared his throat, "In fact, I asked you to come here today because I do have an important matter to discuss."
"Just say what you want to say. Don't beat around the bush." Zheng Jingzhe picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and drank it all. He smacked his lips, and poured himself a full glass without hesitation.
"It's like this, I would like to invite Zheng Yubai to be a coach in our Sun martial arts school. What do you think?" Sun Yunqing said.
"What?" Zheng Jingzhe looked at Sun Yunqing as if he had heard a big joke, "My son is going to be your coach?"
"Not only that, I also want to invite you to return to Xingyiquan as a consultant. What do you think?" Sun Yunqing said again.
Zheng Jingzhe smiled at Zheng Yubai: "Son, what do you say?"
How could Zheng Yubai not understand Sun Yunqing's intention? On the surface, it was an invitation, but in reality it was a solicitation. If he agreed, wouldn't it be equivalent to being incorporated into the sect system planned by Sun Yunqing? At that time, he would have to listen to Sun Yunqing, the head of the sect, in any case.
Seeing his son gently shaking his head, Zheng Jingzhe laughed and said, "Sun Yunqing, did you see that my son didn't fall for your trick? Do you think I will fall for it? Do you think that my son and I have stolen your limelight and are afraid that the people in the sect will not accept it, so you want to recruit my son and me? I tell you, your wishful thinking is wrong."
Sun Yunqing's thoughts were exposed by Zheng Jingzhe. His face turned pale, but he still kept smiling and said: "Brother, what you said..."
He had just said half of his words when Sun Haitong, who had been patient, finally couldn't hold back his anger anymore. He stood up suddenly and overturned the table: "Zheng Jingzhe, you are taking advantage of me. This is too much!" (To be continued)