Gu Wan’er stood off to the side and let out a sigh. Men just loved their fighting and brawling—she really couldn’t understand it.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoduo was thinking that if it were his own body, he’d actually love to take on this undefeated champion and go for that massive jackpot. Ten million in the prize pool—that’s like how many 648 top-ups? He could marry all his wives and max them out completely.
Just then, the man standing beside Ye Shishi caught Fu Quan’s attention. “Ye Xiang actually showed up!”
“Who’s Ye Xiang?” Gu Wan’er asked, confused.
“Ye Shishi’s fourth brother. I’ve heard he’s the one who handles all the shady family business for the Ye family. I didn’t expect him to come out publicly to back her up. Looks like Ye Shishi isn’t planning to keep a low profile anymore.” Fu Quan looked a bit puzzled. This didn’t really seem like Ye Shishi’s style.
Before this, everyone had only speculated. But now that Ye Xiang was standing right next to her, it confirmed that she was indeed the Ye family’s princess. From now on, who would dare mess with her?
Yu Xiaoduo teased, “Wow, she really does have a great big brother.”
To Lu Zhengzhi and Fu Quan, this sounded like Gu Wan’er was feeling envious. After all, Ye Shishi’s brother had come to support her, while her own brother was nowhere to be seen. No comparison, no harm—but with comparison, it stung.
Gu Wan’er did feel a bit choked up inside. Even though she didn’t like Ye Shishi, at this moment she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. At least Ye Shishi had her family’s support. Gu Wan’er only had Yu Xiaoduo—and of course, Lu Zhengzhi and Fu Quan.
Over on the other side, Ye Xiang stood beside Ye Shishi. He had a buzz cut, and his eyes carried a fierce, dangerous glint. But he was undeniably handsome—after all, with a sister like Ye Shishi, her brother was bound to be good-looking too.
Ye Xiang had an imposing, bulky frame. His wine-red shirt looked like it was about to burst at the seams, and the veins on his arms twisted like centipedes. At over two meters tall, he stood next to Ye Shishi like a small mountain.
“What are you doing here?” Ye Shishi’s tone carried a hint of displeasure. It made her seem weak, like she needed someone to have her back.
Ye Xiang twirled a coin in his hand, the silver disc weaving nimbly between his fingers. “Dad said you’re not a kid anymore—you can’t keep acting so recklessly. Besides, if my little sister’s getting bullied, how could I not step in and have your back?”
“You think I’ll lose to her too?” Ye Shishi felt a flicker of defiance stir inside her—a feeling she hadn’t experienced in years.
“Of course not. Don’t I know what you’re capable of? But this time, you’ve gone a bit too far. How could you agree to something like that? Just wait till you get back and Dad reads you the riot act.” With that, Ye Xiang gave her head a pat, leaving the younger crowd around them stunned.
These days, who would dare pat my sister Ye on the head? Only this mountain of a man.
“Gu Wan’er isn’t afraid, so why should I be?”
“Ah, girls always need to mind their reputation a little. Otherwise, who’s going to marry you someday?”
“Hah, I never planned on getting married anyway.”
Ye Xiang shrugged helplessly, then asked out of curiosity, “I heard someone tampered with Gu Wan’er’s brakes?”
“You suspect me?!” Ye Shishi’s temper flared instantly. Anyone else could suspect her, but he couldn’t.
“Don’t I know what kind of person you are, Fourth Brother? But our family can’t just let ourselves be smeared with mud. Leave it to me.”
Ye Shishi nodded, then turned her gaze toward Gu Wan’er not far away. She noticed Gu Wan’er chatting casually with Yu Xiaoduo, her brows gradually knitting together. Where on earth did she get all that confidence?
“Be careful from here on out. It seems like your intel was all wrong,” Ye Xiang warned her seriously.
Ye Shishi didn’t reply. From the very beginning, she’d had Gu Wan’er investigated—what she could do, what she couldn’t—everything was clear. The file said Gu Wan’er couldn’t even ride a bicycle, yet she’d performed completely the opposite. At first, she’d found it amusing, but by the time she lost, she finally understood: Gu Wan’er was a formidable opponent.
Just then, Ye Xiang’s phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, his brows furrowed into a deep crease.
“Who is it?” Ye Shishi asked, noticing her brother hadn’t picked up.
Ye Xiang let out a soft sigh, glanced toward Gu Wan’er, and said, “Her brother.” Then he walked off to take the call.
On the other end of the line, Gu Yuanli’s laughter rang out. “Ye Xiang, I had no idea Ye Shishi was really your sister. You’ve been hiding that well.”
“Heh, are you trying to rub it in?” Ye Xiang’s voice was low and heavy. The coin in his hand stopped spinning and was clenched tightly in his palm.
“Me? Rub it in? I’m actually worried about you. What if your sister loses? Then my future brother-in-law gets himself a little concubine on the side. Oh, what a lucky streak—I’m almost jealous.” If anyone else had heard Gu Yuanli’s tone, they’d have wanted to punch him.
“Gu Yuanli, if I get the chance, I’ll pour cement down your throat.”
Gu Yuanli dropped his teasing tone and spoke coldly, “Ye Xiang, if you’ve got the guts, come try it. I’ve been running low on bait for deep-sea fishing lately. With a big guy like you, I could carve out quite a bit.”
Ye Xiang didn’t bother replying. He simply ended the call.
“Fourth Brother, what happened?” Ye Shishi asked, concerned.
Ye Xiang started twirling the coin in his hand again and smiled lightly. “Nothing. Just the usual trash talk and showing off.”
“I’ll make sure to call him back later and rub it in his face.”
“Alright, go get ’em, little sis.” Ye Xiang laughed heartily and ruffled her hair. She shot him a look of disgust—did he still think she was three years old?
Suddenly, all the lights went out at once, and a single beam of light shone down on the entrance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the final bout of tonight is about to begin! Introducing our next competitor—Gao Jian, from the city’s Dragon Fist Club!”
A man stepped into the spotlight. His muscles weren’t overly bulky, but they were incredibly solid. He bowed to the crowd around him—these were all his patrons.
“Gao Jian, professional fighter, with an impressive thirteen-win streak under his belt. He also has a nickname—’One-Punch Man.’ Under his heavy fists, no one has ever remained standing!”
Yu Xiaoduo sized up the fighter, then turned to Gu Wan’er and said, “Wan’er.”
“Hm?”
“Wanna make some money?” Yu Xiaoduo grinned mischievously.
Gu Wan’er furrowed her brow and shot back, “No.”
“There’s a ten-million jackpot! How about we split it fifty-fifty if we win? You provide the body, I’ll provide the muscle.”
Gu Wan’er: “…”
“Think about it, Boss Gu. You’re even broker than I am right now. If you want to win people over at the company, you need money, right? Without cash, who’s going to follow you? The opportunity is right in front of us. Even after taxes, that’s at least four million each.” Yu Xiaoduo immediately shifted into full-on temptation mode.
But honestly? Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of funds—let alone Gu Wan’er, who was currently struggling to stay afloat.
“How do you know he’ll lose? What if he wins?”
Seeing that Gu Wan’er was starting to waver, Yu Xiaoduo chuckled softly. “If he wins, then we just weren’t meant to have that jackpot. But if he loses, we go for it. And it’s not just about the money—if you help the locals beat an outsider, they’ll remember the favor. That’ll make doing business here a lot easier down the road. Two birds with one stone.”
After hearing Yu Xiaoduo’s analysis, Gu Wan’er felt her resolve weaken. “Can we actually win?”
