14: Chapter 14 The Winner in Life

Chapter 14: A Winner in Life

In the rainy weather, the entire city became quiet.

There were very few pedestrians on the streets.

Only the sound of rain echoed softly, drowning out the honking of passing vehicles.

Fang Cheng carried a shoulder bag and held a plastic bag.

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Zhou Xiumei raised both hands, holding an umbrella for herself and another for him.

The two walked side by side, very close to each other, but with different expressions.

"Has that murder case Uncle Zhou is investigating still not been solved?"

Fang Cheng found a topic and asked casually.

"I'm not sure."

Zhou Xiumei shook her head slightly and explained in a low voice:

"The killer seems to be a serial killer. The chief has been pressing hard, so my dad has been in a bad mood and rarely mentions it at home..."

At this point, she paused and did not continue.

A moment of silence ensued.

Zhou Xiumei suddenly looked up and stared at Fang Cheng with a serious expression.

"Brother Cheng, you often work overtime at night, so you must stay safe. Never talk to strangers on the way."

"I heard from Auntie Zhang downstairs that there are many gangsters nowadays who specialize in using badger games to trick young men into having their kidneys harvested..."

Hearing the form of address he hadn't heard in a long time and seeing her open up, Fang Cheng couldn't help but chuckle.

Then, he joked just like when they were kids:

"You're the one who needs to be careful. A girl as pretty as you, setting up a night stall all by herself, is bound to attract unwanted attention."

As their eyes met, Zhou Xiumei couldn't help but lower her head again, the courage she had just gathered instantly deflating.

Fang Cheng looked up into the distance.

The bus stop in the rain seemed shrouded in a gray mist, somewhat dim and obscure.

So he switched to a solemn tone and continued:

"Xiumei, if you ever need help in the future, just come to me. We're friends who grew up together, after all."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei's cheeks instantly flushed, and she grew inexplicably nervous again.

She lowered her eyelids, not daring to look at the extremely familiar man beside her.

The drizzle fell like silk, wetting her sleeves and shoulders.

Suddenly, she felt that this road seemed both too long and too short.

...

Global Elite Combat Club.

Lunch break, locker room.

Outside the window, a chilly rain was falling, and the indoor air conditioner was set to the highest temperature.

The air was mixed with the smell of smoke, sour sweat, boxed lunches, and the noisy clamor of people playing cards.

In this noisy environment, only a thin figure seemed completely out of place.

He stood alone in the corner with his back against the wall, doing Squats.

His abdomen was tight, his back straight, and his head slightly raised.

Every squatting and standing movement seemed to inject more strength and confidence, appearing exceptionally stable and rhythmic.

On the left side of the locker room, a group of people gathered to play cards, bursting into shouts from time to time.

"Holy crap, you're not cheating, are you? How many hands have you won in a row?"

"Haha, just good luck! Pay up, pay up!"

Chen Xiaohai, who had just cleaned everyone out, was grinning from ear to ear.

As he counted the money, he glanced over and saw the non-conforming figure still practicing Squats.

His smile faded slightly, and then he added:

"Look, Fang Cheng works out so hard every day, trying to land a rich woman to set himself up for life. Now that's the pursuit of a winner in life!"

The others burst into laughter upon hearing this and immediately joined in the teasing.

"Young people really are smart!"

"Doing Squats is great. When women do Squats, men can't handle it; when men do Squats, women can't handle it!"

"No wonder a top student from the law department didn't go be a lawyer but came to look for a job here. It seems he had ulterior motives all along..."

These jokes might have been harmlessly intended, but they were taken seriously by the listener.

After all, the club had explicit rules.

Staff members were not allowed to contact students privately, and harassing female students was strictly prohibited.

Fang Cheng said nothing, nor did he have any intention of defending himself.

His gaze was calm as he kept his head up.

Still doing things his own way, he repeated the motion of bending his knees to Squat and straightening his waist to stand up.

Seeing that he didn't react at all, Chen Xiaohai gave a somewhat awkward chuckle.

Though he seemed indifferent on the surface, his mind was racing, so much so that he lost Focus during the game, misplayed a card, and lost a hand.

Supervisor Qiu of the Logistics Department was already in his fifties and close to retirement age.

The manager intended to promote someone as an assistant to take over the department's management in the future.

Chen Xiaohai prided himself on his long tenure, excellent performance, and good relationships with both superiors and subordinates.

He was absolutely determined to get the promotion and raise, feeling that no one could compete with him.

But a few days ago, after accidentally overhearing a conversation between Fang Cheng and Old Qiu, he immediately became wary.

Fang Cheng had applied to the supervisor for a transfer, saying he wanted to train under other coaches to gain more work experience.

This clearly exposed some sort of ambition!

Although Fang Cheng was only an intern.

But jobs were hard to find for college graduates nowadays, so he might very well choose to stay.

Given his educational background and his recent outstanding performance, which had earned him repeated praise from the manager.

This inevitably gave Chen Xiaohai a sense of crisis, leading to his deliberate attempt to smear his competitor.

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Regardless of what his colleagues were thinking.

Fang Cheng might have cared about petty workplace gains and fame in the past, but now he had moved past it and become open-minded.

Winning or losing in life did not depend on insignificant matters along the journey; one should Focus on the distant scenery.

At this moment, he simply maintained his Focus, immersed in the satisfaction brought by exercising.

[You have completed 10 standard Squats. Skill EXP +1]

[You have completed 10 standard Squats. Skill EXP +1]

[You have completed 11 standard Squats. Skill EXP +1]

Three notification messages popped up before his eyes one after another.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, lost in thought.

It seemed his Squat skill was also gradually reaching a Bottleneck, and it was time to increase the difficulty.

With this thought, he chose to bring his feet together and slowly performed a squatting motion.

At the same time, he extended his arms forward to maintain balance.

Until his thighs pressed against his calves and his muscles were tight, making it impossible to Squat any lower.

This movement is called the Narrow Squat, an advanced version of the standard Squat.

Compared to the standard posture, it puts more pressure on the knee joints and requires better physical balance.

However, it also more effectively trains the quadriceps on the front of the thighs, activates the gluteal core muscles, and maintains knee stability.

If he were to increase the difficulty further, it would be Single-leg Half Squats, Single-Leg Squats, Frog Jump Squats, Tornado Squats, and so on.

Or even gradually adding weights like barbells.

Fang Cheng slowly straightened his waist and stood up, deliberately slowing down his movement rate.

While adjusting and correcting his posture, he silently counted the repetitions, trying his best to meet the standard.

When he reached "9," a brand-new notification message finally appeared.

[You have completed 7 Narrow Squats. Skill EXP +1]

"The effect is quite good!"

A hint of pleasure appeared on Fang Cheng's face.

Just then, the locker room door was suddenly pushed open, and the sounds of card playing and talking inside immediately stopped.

A semi-bald middle-aged man stood outside the door, waving and calling out:

"A-Cheng, come with me for a moment. The manager is looking for you!"

It was indeed Old Qiu, the supervisor of the Logistics Department.

Hearing the call, a sharp light flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes, and he instantly exited his state of Focus.

He glanced at his skill experience growth.

[Focus Lv1 (81/250)]

[Squat Lv0 (65/100)]

Then, he stood up unhurriedly, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and strode outside.

Watching their retreating figures, the others in the locker room couldn't help but feel curious and began to whisper among themselves.

"Why is the manager looking for Fang Cheng?"

"To give him a raise, of course. Haven't you seen that the Boxing Department has the most students and its performance is rising rapidly? Even Brother Hai's Karate Department can't compare!"

"Or maybe Manager Li wants Fang Cheng to stay as a full-time employee and is offering terms to win him over..."

The words of the crowd were filled with envy and jealousy.

Only Chen Xiaohai's face was filled with tension, and he was on the verge of shouting, "I don't agree!"