Yu Xiaoduo’s intention was simply to intimidate her and make her back down. After all, if he really beat her badly, she was still a wealthy young lady from a powerful family, and it would create bad blood between their two conglomerates. Gu Wan’er would end up bearing some blame too.
So winning without a fight was the most reasonable option.
Hearing Ye Xiang’s attempt to call it off, Yu Xiaoduo thought to himself, Your brother’s a sensible guy. If you concede now, you can still save some face. But if you insist on fighting, you might just lose all your dignity.
When he saw Ye Shishi charge straight at him again, Yu Xiaoduo let out a quiet sigh. Just as I figured. She’s still a woman after all.
Since you gave me that little bonus earlier, I’ll at least let you lose with some grace. Why does a girl like you have to get into all this brawling? Wouldn’t it be nicer to compete in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?
As Ye Shishi rushed in, Yu Xiaoduo suddenly dropped low, wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up, and slammed her onto the ground. What had started as a proper fistfight instantly turned into mixed martial arts groundwork.
The sudden shift caught Ye Shishi completely off guard, and she instinctively struggled to break free from Gu Wan’er’s hold.
Yu Xiaoduo noted that while Gu Wan’er’s body wasn’t particularly strong, it was incredibly flexible—like a beautiful snake.
Now flustered, Ye Shishi began thrashing wildly, but Yu Xiaoduo clung to her like a stubborn plaster. This only drained her stamina rapidly, and it was clear she wasn’t used to this kind of fighting style.
Ye Shishi cursed inwardly. This Gu Wan’er doesn’t play by the rules. If you’ve got skill, fight fair and square!
In the brief moment Ye Shishi relaxed, Yu Xiaoduo locked his legs around her slender waist, slipped his right arm through her neck, and clamped his left hand firmly over his own wrist—a perfect chokehold was instantly locked in. Everyone in the audience rose to their feet in disbelief, staring at the scene before them.
Ye Xiang let out a soft sigh. Once that choke was locked in, it was nearly impossible to break free.
“Give up,” Yu Xiaoduo said softly.
But that only provoked her further. “Never!”
“You asked for this!” As Yu Xiaoduo tightened his arm, it pressed hard against her throat. Ye Shishi’s face gradually turned red, and her breathing grew rapid and labored.
Still, relying on her raw strength, she kept trying to throw him off her back.
But as Yu Xiaoduo gradually increased the pressure, she grew more and more helpless—though she kept struggling anyway.
“Tap the floor, and I’ll let go,” Yu Xiaoduo said in a low voice. Do you want to save face, or save your life?
Ye Shishi answered by struggling even harder.
Fine then. Don’t blame me for being ruthless.
“Gu Wan’er, my sister concedes!” Ye Xiang called out from the side, clearly hoping she’d grant him that courtesy.
Yu Xiaoduo loosened his grip just a tiny bit—and Ye Shishi immediately tried to break free again. I gave you a chance, and you didn’t take it. Don’t blame me now!
“Mr. Ye, it looks like your sister doesn’t want to give up. Sorry about this!” Yu Xiaoduo showed no mercy this time, tightening his grip around her slender neck for everyone to see.
Seeing his sister in distress, Ye Xiang roared: “Gu Wan’er!”
By now, Ye Shishi was clearly deprived of oxygen. Her mind had gone blank, and her resistance was fading fast.
“Alright, I speak on behalf of Mr. Bai—you win,” Scarface said in a deep voice. If she kept this up, she’d really choke the girl out. And Ye Shishi was being stubborn too—still refusing to yield.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaoduo released her immediately. Ye Shishi gasped for air, her throat making hoarse rasping sounds.
Bai Ji let out a breath of relief. Good thing I stopped them.
Back in the booth, Gu Yuanli and Gu Mingqin weren’t cheering. They sat on the sofa with strange expressions.
“Don’t you think Wan’er’s been possessed or something? I barely recognize her,” Gu Yuanli muttered.
Gu Mingqin had a different take: “Our dear sister has been way too low-key. If not for this, she probably would’ve used all these skills on us.”
“That’s way over the top. Where did she even learn all this? I want to sign up and study under her master too.” Gu Yuanli still couldn’t believe it—she must have hired some kind of wizard, surely.
The venue had gone as quiet as a library. From the start of the fight to now, less than four minutes had passed. In that short time, the arrogant Ye Shishi had been defeated by Gu Wan’er—no, dominated by her. No one could accept this reality, especially those younger followers of Ye Shishi.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this bout is won by Miss Gu from Jingzhou. It’s getting late, so please take care and get some rest.” The awkward announcer seemed eager to avoid stirring up any more trouble. Praising Miss Gu would offend the local big shots; praising Miss Ye was impossible since she’d just lost.
Meanwhile, the real Gu Wan’er could hardly believe it. That’s it? We won?
That was way too fast. No wonder Yu Xiaoduo had been so confident earlier when he said he wanted to challenge that expert.
Lu Zhengzhi patted Gu Wan’er on the shoulder: “Brother Yu, I suddenly don’t envy you anymore. Good luck.”
“Brother Lu, you might see her as fierce now, but in front of me, she’s as obedient as a cat,” Gu Wan’er said, shamelessly bragging through Yu Xiaoduo’s body—completely ignoring the fact that she was boosting his reputation.
Lu Zhengzhi laughed and teased, “Brother Yu, that’s quite a tall tale you’re telling. I’ll have to tell Sister-in-law about this later.”
Down below, Pan Weiji sat frozen like a wooden chicken. Sister Ye lost that badly—just like I did back then. And this Gu Wan’er… the more I look at her, the more she reminds me of that bastard Yu Xiaoduo. Especially that chokehold move—I know it way too well.
Standing nearby, Fu Yangxue felt a chill of fear run through her. So Gu Wan’er really does have this kind of skill.
As the iron door opened, Ye Xiang walked in with a grim face and helped his sister up from the ground. “I knew this day would come!”
“Fourth Brother, I’m fine.” Ye Shishi seemed a bit weak, still not fully recovered.
“You want to keep going?”
“Fourth Brother!”
Seeing his sister so stubborn, Ye Xiang’s heart ached. If Gu Wan’er had been a man, he’d have taken her apart without a second thought—no pleasantries involved.
Leaning on Ye Xiang, Ye Shishi said reluctantly, “You won.”
“I know,” Yu Xiaoduo replied flatly—no need for her to emphasize it.
“One hour from now, we’ll have our final match. Dou Dizhu!”
Hearing that, Ye Xiang couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. This clever little imp… there’s just no stopping her.
Yu Xiaoduo was equally surprised. He almost wanted to ask Ye Shishi: Are you dead set on becoming my secondary wife or what? Every event you pick happens to be my strong suit. My luck is way too good.
“Fine, but Dou Dizhu needs three players. You’re not going to bring in a ringer, are you?” Yu Xiaoduo crossed his arms with a low chuckle—then quickly adjusted his posture because it was uncomfortable. Gu Wan’er’s chest was too big.
Ye Shishi said in a low voice, “If you don’t trust me, you can choose the third player yourself.”
“Alright, then him.” Yu Xiaoduo pointed at Ye Xiang. Both siblings were taken aback. What exactly is Gu Wan’er playing at? Isn’t she afraid we’d cheat? Or maybe she’s so confident she doesn’t care—and if she wins, people might think we rigged it on purpose?
