0095: A Sparring Session at the Gym, Part One

“We’re just ordinary friends. We met through work, but we’re not especially close. I was looking for her about work-related matters, so it’s not really something I can talk about.”

With that, Xu Lin made it clear enough for the other man to understand. After all, he knew she was a police officer, so this had to be an internal matter. Hong Lei nodded.

“Then I won’t ask. But does she have a boyfriend? Do you know?”

“I don’t know that either. If you think she’s suitable, Brother Lei, you could always ask her yourself.”

“No, no, forget it.”

The two of them went upstairs and found that the second floor of the gym had been turned into a huge battlefield.

A space of about four hundred square meters had been divided into two areas. The floor was made of a material that wasn’t soft, but was still quite sturdy. It seemed designed so that one could stay on their feet, but not get hurt too badly if they fell.

“The owner here loves weapon sparring, so he set up this place. When he isn’t using it, everyone comes here to train and exchange techniques.”

Following his pointing finger, Xu Lin saw a crowd in the distance. It seemed someone was sparring inside it.

“It must be Qin Yunhe. She likes coming here to spar whenever she has time.”

“What about you, Brother Lei?”

“I can’t beat her. She’s very strong. Even though she’s a bit weaker than many of the guys who work out here, and men and women are naturally different, technique can make up for a lot.”

“We don’t really have many people here who study martial arts. It’s just regular fitness training. We’ve got strength, sure, but we can’t actually win in a fight.”

As Xu Lin and the others spoke, they drew closer, and the crowd politely made room for them.

Xu Lin could now see what was happening in the ring. A man and a woman were facing off. The woman was naturally Qin Yunhe, wearing a blue-black form-fitting athletic outfit.

It fully revealed the figure she had hidden so well yesterday. It wasn’t the exaggerated, super-curved body type like Ye Qinleng’s, but a kind of healthy beauty instead.

Her wheat-colored skin, slick with sweat, glimmered faintly under the lights, making the lines of her abs stand out even more clearly.

Yet her limbs carried none of that bulky, overbuilt muscle. Instead, they were smooth and sleek, with long legs that made her look like a beautiful but ferocious leopard.

She had an unmistakably regal air about her. No wonder everyone here was watching her. Men, after all, liked beauty, and it had nothing to do with whether the other person was a gentle girl or a tomboy.

The man opposite her fit Xu Lin’s image of a fitness enthusiast perfectly: a body packed with corded muscle, more robust even than Hong Lei beside him.

Most of all, he was taller, probably around six foot three. Xu Lin immediately felt a little awkward about his own five foot ten frame, which somehow didn’t quite make it to six feet.

By then, the two people in the arena had pulled apart. Qin Yunhe narrowed her eyes, breathing hard.

Then she charged again. Her speed was very fast, her angle excellent, but with a sharp crack, the other man blocked her attack head-on.

She struck again, and he blocked again. One attacked, the other defended.

It looked as if neither could do anything to the other, but Xu Lin knew that if this dragged on, Qin Yunhe would surely lose.

The opponent was plainly better at taking hits, and his defenses always covered his strong points. There was no opening to strike a weakness.

Besides, in sparring, one couldn’t use lethal moves. Some techniques were restricted, while the other man was simply using his strength to block and wear down her stamina.

But there was something even more important: that arm of his. If she managed to land even one clean punch there, the match would essentially be over. The difference in power was just too great.

“Hu Ke is about to win.”

“Yeah. The weight difference is too big. For those of us under two hundred jin, maybe technique can still work, but against someone with such stable footing, it’s hard to do anything.”

“Kid, call out to her and tell her to stop. She can’t win.” Hong Lei lowered his voice and said beside him.

But Xu Lin shook his head. He felt that telling her to give up would be disrespectful.

That was something Chu Fengyi had once told him, and something his former self from the dream had also taught him.

Just then, Qin Yunhe suddenly surged forward, as if she intended to break through head-on with all her strength.

The man abandoned his defense at once and met her directly. In a straight fight, that was his advantage.

But in the blink of an eye, Qin Yunhe dropped low, and a whipping kick cracked against his lower leg. His body sank heavily.

He adjusted quickly, but Qin Yunhe was already moving forward again. Another sharp whip-kick struck his other leg.

He immediately spread his arms, one hand bracing against the floor to keep from falling, while his right fist threw aside all thoughts of defense and smashed toward Qin Yunhe as she pressed the attack.

Qin Yunhe leapt back at once, and his punch struck empty air, tearing through the space with a chilling whoosh.

After evading, Qin Yunhe pushed off the floor and surged forward again like a leopard springing into the air.

Her legs hooked around his neck in midair, and then her whole body drove backward with a violent force. Her weight finally dragged him down to the ground.

His back crashed with a thud against the floor. She immediately released her legs, stood up, and said coolly from above him, “I win.”

“Impressive... But if this were a fight to the death, do you think you’d still win?”

The other man sat up slowly and shook his head. Though he had lost, he looked unconvinced.

“Then let’s continue next time. My friend’s here.” With that, she waved at him, smiling as she walked over.

At once, he felt the sour, envious gazes of countless men, but he didn’t care. Ever since Chu Qingchan and the others, he had already been envied more times than he could count.

“Good morning, Sister Qin.”

“It’s not morning anymore. Are you teasing me for getting up too late?”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Haha, all right. Come over here. There’s a lounge for chatting.”

“Okay.”

The two of them walked straight over together and stopped in front of a small door. The light above it was green; once someone went in, it probably turned red to indicate it was occupied.

Inside, there was only a small table and two chairs, with nothing else. The space was about the size of a restroom.

“Sorry. I’m covered in sweat.”

“No, no. Even if a woman stinks, she still smells better than a man. Otherwise, why would people call men ‘stinky men’?”

“Hahaha, no wonder Wanwan got taken by you. You’ve got quite the silver tongue.”

“I don’t really have much of one. Let’s get to the point.”

“Fine.” She gently wiped the sweat from her body and hair, her expression turning serious as well.

Then Xu Lin briefly told her about Ma Zhiyu, though he left out some details.

He explained only that Ma Zhiyu had already intended to join, and that as for Lu Man, she had been tricked into it, had wanted to escape, and had been treated brutally.

In the end, when there had been a chance to ask Ma Zhiyu for help, Ma Zhiyu had later told him and asked him to intervene.

“Why didn’t they call the police? For something like this, you could’ve just reported it directly and discussed it with us first. Dragging it out for so long...”

“They were scared.”

“That’s true. Some fraud gangs really do retaliate against people. Some of them even remember the person after getting out.”

“That’s exactly why I came to you, Sister Qin. Is there any way to deal with them directly without them suspecting who tipped us off?”

“Do you know how that fraud ring was busted a while ago?” Qin Yunhe asked with a smile.

“No.”

“One of our colleague’s wives got a scam call, and he recorded it. Then he called back and cursed at them, asking whether they were the other man involved in his wife’s affair.”

“The other side tried to explain, and then our colleague played dumb, acting like a victim who had been deceived into joining the ring.”

“He worked inside for more than half a month. After that, we moved in and managed to arrest the whole lot.”

“Impressive.”

Xu Lin had great respect for undercover officers. Even now, many police officers still put themselves in danger, all so that more people could be spared harm.

“Then we can do the same!”

“Eh? But how would we get in...?”

“We know the location. Aren’t they posing as an internet company? Then, like that girl, we apply for a job and go in!”

“That really could work.”

“The main thing is to find evidence and confirm the situation. There’s no need to stay undercover for too long. Once we have a rough grasp of things, we contact the higher-ups directly and send in a team to take them down!”

“Then I’ll leave this to you, Sister Qin.”

“Mm. Tomorrow, I’ll go over there and take a look.”

“Huh? You’re planning to go yourself? That’s dangerous. They’ve got crossbows.”

“Then someone still has to go in. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

She clenched her fist, and in her mind she heard again the words her father had once said.

Qin Yunhe would do what she said she would do. She would achieve results and prove to him that her path was not wrong, and that she could be a good police officer.

Seeing her like this, Xu Lin felt a little uneasy.

This girl seemed to have some other thought or purpose in mind. That was not something an undercover agent should have.