Chapter Eight: Blood, Sweat, and Hard-Earned Money

1. 29.   The Boxing Match for Triple Pay

Around dusk, Liu Dingtian and Zhu Erdong were eating instant noodles in the small office of the “Online Anger Relief Company.”

Suddenly, the computer on the desk gave a “ding” and displayed a notification for a new order.

Zhu Erdong leaned over to take a look, and his eyes immediately widened.

“Dingtian!”

“What?”

“A big job!”

Liu Dingtian still had half a noodle hanging from his mouth.

“How big?”

Zhu Erdong turned the screen toward him.

“The client is willing to pay triple!”

Liu Dingtian almost spit out his noodles.

“Triple?”

“Triple!”

The two looked at each other.

The next second, they both slapped the desk and stood up at the same time.

“Take it!”

An hour later, the two were standing in front of the gate of a luxury mansion.

Liu Dingtian looked up at the imposing house in front of him, so grand it hardly looked like a place where ordinary people lived, and could not help letting out a whistle.

“Dongzai.”

“What?”

“Are you sure we didn’t come to the wrong place?”

“The address is right here.”

Zhu Erdong looked down to confirm the address on his phone.

“For a rich person’s house like this, even the gate is bigger than our company office.”

“Enough talking.” Liu Dingtian patted him on the shoulder. “Triple pay.”

Zhu Erdong immediately puffed out his chest.

“Right. Triple pay.”

The two entered the mansion.

The butler led them through the spacious living room and finally into a fully equipped gym.

The moment the two stepped through the door, they froze.

In the middle of the room stood a regulation-size boxing ring.

Boxing gloves, punching bags, and training equipment hung in the corners.

Liu Dingtian swallowed.

“Dongzai...”

“Hmm?”

“I suddenly feel like triple pay isn’t that much.”

Zhu Erdong stared at the boxing ring.

“Me too.”

Just then, a burly, middle-aged man walked out.

The man was in his forties, with broad shoulders and still-solid muscles in his arms. Although he had retired many years ago, he still carried the presence of a boxer.

He looked coldly at the two of them.

“You’re from the anger-relief company?”

“Yes.” Zhu Erdong quickly answered.

The man pointed to himself.

“My name is Wang Qiang. I’m a former member of the national boxing team.”

Liu Dingtian looked at Wang Qiang, then at the boxing ring.

He suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Mr. Wang...”

“Call me Coach Wang.”

“Oh. Coach Wang.”

Wang Qiang pointed at the boxing ring.

“I want you to fight me.”

Liu Dingtian froze.

“Fight... fight a match?”

“Yes.”

“Boxing?”

Wang Qiang remained expressionless.

“What else? Did I pay you to come play chess with me?”

Zhu Erdong almost burst out laughing, but Liu Dingtian shot him a fierce glare.

Wang Qiang walked over to the ring and picked up a pair of boxing gloves.

“My wife and I had a fight, and she went back to her parents’ house.”

He threw the boxing gloves to Liu Dingtian.

“I’m furious right now.”

Liu Dingtian caught the gloves.

“So...”

“So I want to beat someone up.”

Liu Dingtian stood there stunned for a long moment.

“Um... Coach Wang, the principle of our company’s service is to let clients vent their anger, but...”

“What?”

“I can stand here and let you yell at me.”

“No.”

“Let you kick me?”

“No.” Wang Qiang glared at him. “I want to box.”

The entire gym suddenly fell silent.

Liu Dingtian turned to Zhu Erdong.

Zhu Erdong looked back at him.

They exchanged their thoughts through eye contact.

Do we take the job?

Triple pay.

Could someone die?

Probably not, right?

Really?

I don’t know.

Finally, Liu Dingtian gritted his teeth.

“Fine!”

He put on the boxing gloves.

“But let me make one thing clear first. I’ve never learned boxing.”

Wang Qiang gave a cold smile.

“I know.”

“You know?”

“So I’ll control my strength.”

Liu Dingtian felt slightly relieved after hearing that.

“That’s good.”

The two climbed into the ring.

Zhu Erdong stood below the ring, his face slightly pale.

“Dingtian, be careful.”

Liu Dingtian patted his own chest.

“Don’t worry.”

He lowered his voice.

“For triple pay.”

Ding—

The match began.

Liu Dingtian had barely raised his fists when Wang Qiang was already upon him.

Bam!

The first punch landed directly on his chest.

“Whoa!”

Liu Dingtian staggered back two steps.

“That punch was fast!”

Wang Qiang gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Bam!

A second punch.

Bam!

A third punch.

A left hook, a right straight, a sidestep, then another heavy punch.

Liu Dingtian had absolutely no ability to defend himself.

“Wait!”

Bam!

“I’m not ready yet!”

Bam!

“Coach Wang!”

Bam!

“Didn’t you say you’d control your strength?”

Wang Qiang finally stopped for a moment.

“I am controlling it.”

Liu Dingtian felt his nose sting.

“You call this controlling it?”

Wang Qiang did not answer.

The next second, another punch came.

“Ow!”

Zhu Erdong stood below the ring, watching in horror.

“Dingtian!”

Liu Dingtian was driven backward again and again. Blood slowly began to run from his nose, and the corner of his mouth was split.

But he did not fall.

He simply wiped away the blood from his nose.

“Again!”

Wang Qiang froze.

“You sure?”

“Sure!”

“Why?”

Liu Dingtian panted.

“Because...”

He grinned.

“Triple pay.”

Wang Qiang froze for a moment, then could not help laughing.

“Good man.”

For the next few minutes, the only sound in the boxing ring was the impact of fists.

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

Liu Dingtian was like a thick punching bag.

His face was battered and bruised, blood and saliva mixed together, and his entire face was so swollen that it had almost lost its original shape.

But somehow, he refused to fall.

Finally, Wang Qiang threw one last punch, stopping it in midair.

He looked at Liu Dingtian, who was already breathing heavily, and suddenly lowered his fist.

“That’s enough.”

Liu Dingtian froze.

“You... you’ve calmed down?”

Wang Qiang took a deep breath.

His tense face finally began to relax.

“Yeah.”

He removed his gloves.

“I feel much better.”

Liu Dingtian leaned against the ropes at the edge of the ring and let out a long breath.

“That’s good...”

Zhu Erdong quickly climbed into the ring.

“Dingtian, are you okay?”

Liu Dingtian touched his swollen face.

“I’m fine.”

“You call this fine?”

“If there’s something wrong, I can’t say there’s something wrong.”

He looked down at his boxing gloves.

“Triple pay.”

Zhu Erdong gave him a bitter smile.

“That’s all you can remember—triple pay.”

Liu Dingtian grinned.

“It’s business.”

Wang Qiang walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

“You’ve got guts. You’ve got a real professional spirit.”

Liu Dingtian winced in pain.

“Coach Wang, a little lighter...”

Wang Qiang immediately pulled his hand back.

“Sorry.”

He took a thick envelope from his pocket and handed it to Liu Dingtian.

“This is your payment.”

Liu Dingtian took the envelope and opened it for a look.

A thick stack of bills filled it.

His eyes immediately lit up.

The pain of taking all those punches seemed to lessen by half in an instant.

“Dongzai.”

“What?”

“I suddenly feel...”

“Feel what?”

Liu Dingtian stuffed the envelope into his pocket.

“Taking all those punches doesn’t seem so bad after all.”

Zhu Erdong rolled his eyes.

“You must have been punched stupid.”

Liu Dingtian burst out laughing.

“As long as the money is real, what does it matter if I’m a little stupid?”

The two limped out of the mansion.

The sun had already sunk to the other side of the city.

Liu Dingtian touched his swollen face. He sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, yet could not help laughing again.

It looked like there really was a market for this “human punching bag” business.

1. 30.   Blood, Sweat, and Hard-Earned Money

The gate of the Wang family mansion slowly closed.

It was already deep into the night, yet the lights in the courtyard remained glaringly bright.

Zhu Erdong carried the envelope stuffed with cash in one hand and supported Liu Dingtian with the other as the two staggered toward the motorhome parked by the roadside.

At this point, where was there any trace of the usual swagger of “Big Guy” Liu Dingtian?

His face was battered and bruised, the corner of his mouth was split, a wad of bloodstained tissue was stuffed into one nostril, and his left eye was swollen until only a slit remained.

His whole face looked as if someone had used him as a punching bag for half an hour.

Zhu Erdong could not help looking at him.

“Big Guy, are you still okay?”

Liu Dingtian panted, forcing an ugly smile.

“I’m okay... Of course I’m okay, for the sake of the money.”

“Really?”

“A man, right? What’s one beating?”

Zhu Erdong glanced at his badly swollen face.

“You sure?”

Liu Dingtian was silent for two seconds.

“...Actually, I’m starting to question my entire life.”

Zhu Erdong burst out laughing.

“Weren’t you pretty tough just now? When Mr. Wang hit you for the thirtieth time, you were still yelling, ‘Again!’”

“That was professional ethics.”

“Now you know it hurts?”

“There was too much adrenaline before. It’s wearing off now.”

As they talked, they finally reached the motorhome.

Zhu Erdong opened the door.

“Come on. Careful.”

Liu Dingtian dropped himself into the vehicle.

The moment his body leaned back against the seat, he let out a long breath.

“Whew...”

Zhu Erdong put the envelope of money beside him and walked around to the driver’s seat.

“Triple pay.”

He started the engine and could not help laughing again.

“We really made money on this one.”

Liu Dingtian closed his eyes and grinned.

“Yeah... triple...”

After saying that, he touched his nose.

“But why do I feel like half of this triple pay is going to end up being medical expenses?”

“Don’t jinx it.”

Zhu Erdong stepped on the gas, and the motorhome slowly pulled away from the mansion.

The neon lights outside swept past the windows one after another.

Liu Dingtian leaned back against the seat.

At first, he still talked to Zhu Erdong now and then.

“Erdong...”

“Hmm?”

“You think our company...”

“What about it?”

“Should change its name?”

“To what?”

Liu Dingtian thought for a moment.

“‘The Life-or-Death Company.’”

Zhu Erdong burst out laughing.

“Don’t worry. Before you can change the name, you’ll have already beaten the company into the ground.”

Liu Dingtian laughed too.

But after only a few laughs, his voice gradually grew weaker.

“Big Guy?”

Zhu Erdong heard no answer.

He glanced into the rearview mirror.

Liu Dingtian had his eyes closed, his head tilted to one side, completely motionless.

The smile instantly disappeared from Zhu Erdong’s face.

“Big Guy?”

He raised his voice.

“Dingtian!”

There was still no response.

Zhu Erdong’s heart suddenly sank.

While driving, he reached back and patted Liu Dingtian on the shoulder.

“Hey! Don’t scare me!”

Liu Dingtian still did not respond.

Now Zhu Erdong was truly panicking.

“Dingtian!”

He looked at the road ahead, then at the rearview mirror, and immediately jerked the steering wheel.

The tires made a sharp screech against the pavement.

“Damn it! This blood-and-sweat money... we really can’t keep making it!”

The motorhome made a U-turn and sped toward the nearest hospital emergency room.

At the same time, the afternoon sunlight slanted into the hospital room, passing through the blinds and casting alternating bands of light and shadow across the white floor.

Liu Dingtian lay on the hospital bed, his forehead wrapped in gauze, his left eye swollen until only a slit remained, and a small piece of gauze still taped across the bridge of his nose.

After a night of observation, his concussion symptoms had eased somewhat, but his entire face was still swollen like a steamed bun made with risen dough.

Zhu Erdong sat beside the bed, holding a cup of warm water, his expression serious.

“Big Guy, I think after what happened this time, we really can’t keep doing this kind of work.”

Liu Dingtian looked at him sideways.

“Why can’t we? Didn’t we make triple the money on yesterday’s job?”

“Is making money more important, or is your life more important?”

Zhu Erdong put the cup down heavily on the bedside table.

“Look at your face! The doctor said you have a concussion, not a cold!”

Liu Dingtian touched his swollen cheek and sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

“Phew—”

He forced a bitter smile.

“Fine, I admit this time went a little too far.”

“What do you mean, ‘a little too far’?”

Zhu Erdong was so angry that he stood up.

“You almost ended up in the intensive care unit!”

“But Mr. Wang didn’t mean to beat me to death.”

“He’s a former member of the national boxing team!” Zhu Erdong glared at him.

“You’ve practically never even put on a pair of boxing gloves, and you got into the ring with him? Did those punches damage your brain so badly that you agreed to something like this?”

“Triple pay!”

Liu Dingtian held up three fingers, completely unapologetic.

“Triple!” Zhu Erdong was both angry and amused.

“You’re already hospitalized, and you’re still thinking about that triple pay?”

“That’s money I earned with my pain.”

“That’s exactly why I’m saying we can’t make this kind of money anymore!”

The two were still arguing heatedly when the hospital room door suddenly opened.

A burly, middle-aged man stood in the doorway, holding an exquisite fruit gift box.

He was wearing a simple sports jacket, and his expression was somewhat awkward.

It was Wang Qiang.

“Uh... I’m sorry.”

The two men turned around at the same time, and the hospital room suddenly fell silent.

Liu Dingtian blinked with the one eye he could still open.

“You... why are you here?”

Wang Qiang did not answer.

Instead, he first placed the fruit gift box on the bedside table.

“I’m here to apologize.”

He walked to the bedside, lowered his head, and looked serious.

“Mr. Liu, I’m truly sorry.”

Liu Dingtian froze for a moment.

Wang Qiang continued.

“I was too angry that day, and I didn’t control the force of my punches. I originally just wanted to vent, but I didn’t expect to hurt you this badly.”

He looked at the injuries on Liu Dingtian’s face, his expression filled with remorse.

“When the doctor told me you had a concussion, I felt terrible about it. That’s why I made a special trip here today to see you.”

Liu Dingtian, on the other hand, felt somewhat embarrassed and waved his hand.

“It’s okay, Mr. Wang. It’s business. You paid, and I did the job.”

“No.”

Wang Qiang shook his head.

“This was no ordinary job.”

He paused and looked at Liu Dingtian.

“You know, when I used to box, there was one kind of person I admired most.”

“What kind of person?”

“Someone who can take a beating and doesn’t go down easily.”

Liu Dingtian grinned.

“Does that count as me?”

Wang Qiang could not help laughing.

“You more than qualify.”

He patted Liu Dingtian on the shoulder.

“You took so many punches yesterday. You could barely stay on your feet, yet you stubbornly refused to fall. By the end, I was actually the one who couldn’t bear to keep hitting you.”

Zhu Erdong snorted from the side.

“He didn’t stay up because he was tough. He was too dazed to fall.”

“Hey!” Liu Dingtian glared at him. “Is that any way for a brother to talk?”

Wang Qiang burst out laughing, and the tense atmosphere in the hospital room immediately relaxed.

After laughing, Wang Qiang pulled over a chair and sat down.

“Actually, I didn’t come today just to apologize.”

Zhu Erdong and Liu Dingtian exchanged a glance.

“There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it?”

Wang Qiang leaned forward slightly.

“That... anger-relief company of yours.”

Zhu Erdong frowned.

“What about it?”

“I don’t think you can keep running that business this way.”

As soon as Liu Dingtian heard that, he immediately nodded.

“My brother is right this time.”

“But...” Wang Qiang changed direction. “I think you can do it another way.”

Zhu Erdong looked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Wang Qiang was silent for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

“Make sports equipment.”

“Sports equipment?”

The two said it at the same time.

“Yes.” Wang Qiang stood up and walked back and forth across the hospital room twice.

“I used to be a member of the national boxing team, and even after I retired, I’ve continued to work with all kinds of sports equipment. I’ve found that a lot of people want to exercise these days, but they don’t know where to buy equipment that suits them.”

He turned around and looked at the two men.

“Treadmills, fitness equipment, boxing gear, mountaineering equipment, even home exercise equipment... The market is actually quite large.”

Zhu Erdong slowly straightened up.

“You mean...”

“The three of us do it together.”

Wang Qiang held up three fingers.

“I’ll be responsible for the professional side of sports equipment and my industry contacts. The two of you will handle the company’s operations and customer service.”

Liu Dingtian froze.

“Partners?”

“Yes.” Wang Qiang nodded. “No more making you two trade your bodies for money.”

Liu Dingtian fell silent on the hospital bed.

He looked down at his arm, wrapped in gauze, then at the former national-team boxer who had beaten him black and blue.

Suddenly, he could not help laughing.

“Who would’ve thought that after taking a beating, I’d end up with a business partner.”

Zhu Erdong laughed too.

“And one who was the guy who beat you into the hospital.”

“You two, stop laughing.” Liu Dingtian touched his head. “Every time I laugh now, my head hurts.”

The three men burst into laughter.

After the laughter died down, Zhu Erdong looked at Liu Dingtian, his voice slowing.

“Big Guy, what do you think?”

Liu Dingtian did not answer immediately.

Outside the window, a gust of wind passed by, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently across the hospital wall.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said,

“I’m in.”

Zhu Erdong froze.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Liu Dingtian leaned back against his pillow.

“I was already thinking about shutting down that stupid anger-relief company. We made money, but every time I saw you putting medicine on my injuries, I didn’t feel good about it either.”

He looked at Zhu Erdong, then at Wang Qiang.

“If we can use our own strength to build a business where we don’t have to get beaten up, of course I’m in.”

Wang Qiang held out his hand.

“Then it’s settled.”

Liu Dingtian reached out his hand as well.

The two large, solid hands clasped tightly.

Zhu Erdong looked at them, and a long-missed smile finally appeared on his face.

“Okay.”

He reached out his hand too.

The three hands were stacked together in midair.

“Starting today, the anger-relief company...” Liu Dingtian announced loudly, “is officially over!”

Then he added even louder,

“The sports and recreational equipment company is officially established!”

A nurse happened to walk past the hospital room and, hearing the shouting inside, could not help poking her head in.

“Gentlemen, this is a hospital. Please keep your voices down.”

The three men froze at the same time.

The next second, they could not help laughing again.

Outside the window, the sunlight happened to fall on the fruit gift box Wang Qiang had brought.

What had begun as a bad connection forged through a beating had unexpectedly become the starting point for three men to go into business together.