novelraw Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Chapter 73 Inside the mixed martial arts arena, even before the event began, the noise was deafening.
Qin Qing and Fang Zishu arrived a bit late and couldn’t get seats in the front row, so they settled for two seats in the back.
The seats were chosen by Fang Zishu. When Qin Qing saw the seat numbers that were next to each other, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she said nothing and took the tickets before following Fang Zishu into the arena.
Once inside, Qin Qing realized that the entire mixed martial arts venue seemed to have been renovated; it was completely different from the somewhat crude small venue she remembered from years ago.
The only thing that felt familiar was the octagonal cage in the center surrounded by the audience seats.
“Miss Qin, this way.”
Fang Zishu found their seats according to the ticket numbers and then turned to gesture for Qin Qing to follow.
Qin Qing snapped out of her thoughts and looked away from the octagonal cage.
She and Fang Zishu arrived at their seats.
“I never expected that Miss Qin, who looks so refined and elegant, would also be interested in combat sports,” Fang Zishu remarked with a hint of surprise.
Qin Qing’s gaze was distant, and if one looked closely, it would be clear that her attention was not on the live fight at the moment.
However, after hearing Fang Zishu’s words, she returned her attention and gave a small smile.
“Not really. I just have a deep impression from the first time I came here. If I don’t come again, it feels like something is missing.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Fang Zishu responded, a bit embarrassed.
Qin Qing did not notice Fang Zishu’s change in demeanor; all her focus was on the octagonal cage.
At that moment, she suddenly regretted sitting here—regretted being too timid back then to even see how that person finished a fight.
What remained in her memory related to the fight and that person seemed to be only… the man leaning against the fence, his flamboyant and unrestrained smile.
Thinking back, it still felt beautiful and dazzling…
As Qin Qing recalled this, her lips involuntarily curved into a smile.
A few seconds later, the lights in the arena suddenly dimmed.
The back row where Qin Qing and Fang Zishu were seated was plunged into complete darkness. Only the two walkways leading to the octagonal cage were lit by a few spotlight lamps, barely illuminating the front rows.
“Miss Qin, you’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”
Fang Zishu’s voice suddenly broke through the darkness.
Qin Qing chuckled softly. “As long as Mr. Fang isn’t afraid, you don’t need to worry about me.”
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Qing noticed a figure approaching from the empty seat to her right.
At first, she paid it no mind, but when the person sat next to her, she felt her body stiffen slightly.
She furrowed her brows.
—
Isn’t this person sitting a bit too close?
Qin Qing thought about moving slightly to the other side but was reluctant to do so because that side was occupied by Fang Zishu. She didn’t want him to misunderstand her actions. Thus, she remained still and turned her attention back to the octagonal cage in the center of the arena.
At this moment, the two fighters with their torsos bare were entering the arena.
The announcer’s voice, amplified through the microphone, drowned out the cheers and whistles from the audience, listing the details and honors of each fighter.
During each pause, the supporters of the respective fighters screamed loudly.
Qin Qing couldn’t help but cover her ears.
…The scale of the event had increased significantly since the last time she was here, and the noise level was much higher.
“Is it too noisy?”
As Qin Qing was shaking her head in her thoughts, a low, husky voice spoke from beside her.
— Familiar yet unfamiliar.
“…!”
Qin Qing’s back stiffened.
After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly turned towards Fang Zishu. “Did you just… say something?”
Fang Zishu, who was immersed in the event like the rest of the audience, exclaimed, “Huh? What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Qin Qing’s voice was barely audible amidst the clamor, and even she could barely hear her own words.
At this moment, she was completely absorbed in her own thoughts.
She felt that every hair on the side of her body nearest to the person who had just arrived was standing on end.
As if something was making her shiver uncontrollably.
After that seemingly hallucinated voice, everything fell silent again.
In the darkness, she couldn’t even verify her startling guess.
Qin Qing could only clutch her fingertips and force herself to focus on the octagonal cage.
By this time, she realized that the match had already started some time ago.
Every punch or kick from the fighters on the stage sent waves of screams through the crowd.
Unfortunately, just as Qin Qing finally managed to focus, one of the fighters was struck in the face by his opponent, and blood gushed out almost immediately.
The arena was filled with screams. The crowd, accustomed to the violence and near-bloodiness of the sport, only grew more excited.
“—Ah!”
Qin Qing was genuinely startled. She instinctively recoiled, her back hitting the hard seat.
She couldn’t suppress a moan.
In the center of the arena, the offensive rhythm of the dominant fighter grew increasingly fierce and swift, each move seeming to carry a palpable murderous intent.
Qin Qing, caught between the “enemy” in front of her and the spectacle of the fight, was unsure where to turn her body and gaze.
This awkward situation lasted less than a second when someone beside her sighed softly and suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
Startled, Qin Qing bumped into the person’s chest. The familiar scent enveloped her before she could even struggle.
Qin Qing’s body went stiff as a stone, her brain desperately trying to command her, but her body remained immobile.
“…”
Sensing her lack of resistance, the arms around her tightened suddenly and then loosened slightly, though still holding her firmly.
At the same time, a hot breath came close to her ear, its scorching temperature and the deep, husky voice burning through every corner of her body—
“You should push me away, sweetheart. …Haven’t you already planned to throw me away?”
“—!”
Qin Qing’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
…It was indeed him.
Qin Qing clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
She pushed against the chest that was so close, but compared to this man’s strength, her struggle was like a mere brush of a dragonfly’s wing.
Even under his arm’s pressure, it only brought her body closer, more tightly pressed against him.
“Wen Yufeng, you—”
“Don’t talk.”
The deep, husky voice with a chilling undertone interrupted Qin Qing. She could even feel the breath near her ear growing closer—
“At this distance, saying another word might drive me insane. — If you’re not afraid of your companion next to you hearing or seeing something, go ahead and speak.”
“…”
Qin Qing’s body suddenly froze.
At this moment, she remembered that Fang Zishu was still sitting beside her.
She didn’t care much about whether he saw or heard anything, but if this were to reach her grandmother…
The thought made Qin Qing feel as if she should hold her breath.
Having achieved what he wanted, Wen Yufeng’s eyes grew colder in the darkness.
He suddenly curled his lips into a thin smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes. “…Do you like him?”
Qin Qing remained silent.
She still remembered Wen Yufeng’s warning.
At this point, the silence seemed to be an unspoken agreement to Wen Yufeng.
It felt like a fire had been lit in Wen Yufeng’s heart, burning intensely through his chest, scorching every corner of his body.
The pain made him want to howl, to pounce, to disregard everything.
…but he couldn’t.
He had waited two years, through endless, agonizing nights, from dim twilight to dawn.
He had vented his frustrations through countless rounds of intense training, enduring strange looks and the monotonous, despairing checks and rehabilitation— all for this one person.
He would not let himself extinguish the remaining hope.
Thus, in the darkness, Qin Qing felt the urgency of the breath next to her ear gradually easing, and the strength holding her slowly loosening.
A voice, almost helpless, echoed in her ears—
“Can’t you not like him?”
“Just this last time… can you take me back?”
Qin Qing was stunned.
Before she could react, the referee’s final whistle sounded in the center of the arena.
At the same time, the lights in the venue gradually brightened from the innermost circle outward.
In an instant, Qin Qing found the strength to quickly push Wen Yufeng away and retreated to her seat.
As the lights in the back row came on, Fang Zishu, satisfied with the thrilling match, turned to find his “date” huddled in her seat, flushed.
“Miss Qin, are you all right? Is something wrong with your health??”
Fang Zishu was stunned and asked instinctively.
Before he could get an answer from Qin Qing, he felt a familiar and oppressive gaze coming from the side of her right hand.
“…”
Fang Zishu looked up and met a pair of fierce, wolf-like eyes.
He stood there in shock.
—
When did someone else sit down here?
And it was quite a coincidence, but this person seemed familiar from the entrance of the “Encounter” café not long ago?
However, with this intense, vengeful glare… did he offend this person somehow??