The Almighty Martial Arts System - Chapter 294

Outside the CCTV Press Building.

Next to a white Aston Martin stood a handsome man in an impeccably tailored suit, his hair slicked back perfectly, holding a vibrant bouquet of roses.

This scene was all too common in movies and novels—clearly, some wealthy young man was pursuing a beautiful woman, hence the grand gesture.

What was less common was the location: outside a press building, not a television network building.

While there are certainly attractive and charismatic women among journalists, truly stunning beauties are rare in this field. The overall quality tends to lag behind that of female broadcast hosts.

So, while sports cars and wealthy suitors are a common sight outside TV stations, they’re a rarity outside press buildings.

After Bai Ruoxi returned to work domestically and appeared in a few programs and interviews, her online fame grew significantly. The title “Most Beautiful Journalist” spread far and wide, much to the delight of gossip enthusiasts.

Naturally, this attracted a swarm of admirers trying to uncover information about her and vie for her attention.

Of course, even before her online fame, Bai Ruoxi had no shortage of suitors—just none as “extravagant” as this.

“He’s here again? Is this the third or fourth day in a row? This Young Master Du is really persistent, rain or shine!”

“Tall, handsome, incredibly wealthy, and completely devoted to you! Ruoxi, if I were you, I’d have said yes long ago!”

As quitting time approached, several people inside the building stood by the windows, watching the scene below with a mix of envy and resentment.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Ruoxi has a boyfriend! Not everyone is like you— Rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle. Ruoxi is beautiful, but her heart is even more so. She’s utterly devoted to her boyfriend!” someone remarked with a sarcastic tone, though it was unclear whether they were praising Bai Ruoxi’s integrity or subtly mocking it.

“What’s wrong with crying in a BMW? In today’s society, if anyone can still laugh while riding a bicycle, that’s a skill in itself. And besides, this isn’t a BMW—it’s an Aston Martin!”

Within the newspaper office, aside from Xu Ziqi, who had personally interviewed Jiang Fei during the Sino-Western Medical Exchange, most knew Bai Ruoxi had a boyfriend but weren’t aware it was Jiang Fei, the acclaimed “Healing Hands” and top figure in traditional Chinese medicine. Many had never even seen Jiang Fei.

Bai Ruoxi didn’t want to publicize this and had specifically asked Xu Ziqi not to spread the word.

So, in the eyes of most, Jiang Fei was somehow lacking or unimpressive, which was why Bai Ruoxi never openly discussed her relationship.

…..

Amid the chatter, Bai Ruoxi was in high spirits.

Of course, her good mood wasn’t due to the wealthy Du heir waiting below with roses. Instead, she had just received news that Jiang Fei had decided not to return to Jincheng tomorrow and would stay in Beijing to spend a few extra days with her.

After moving her work back to China, the distance between Bai Ruoxi and Jiang Fei had shortened significantly. However, as she was in a career upswing and under review for a promotion to editor-in-chief, her workload had only increased, making it difficult for them to meet.

Honestly, Bai Ruoxi wasn’t sure why, but the thought of Lin Molly being in Jincheng made her reluctant to return. Similarly, when Lin Molly came to Beijing, she didn’t want Bai Ruoxi to know.

Since their last parting in Beijing, Jiang Fei had returned to Jincheng, and in the nearly two months that followed, Bai Ruoxi hadn’t gone back to Jincheng even once—it was almost as if there was no difference between being domestically and internationally.

Women can be so peculiar sometimes.

When they’re in competition, they can be more assertive and fierce than anyone, as if honor were life itself, eager to fight to the death. But when one voluntarily steps back, the other becomes hesitant to advance, almost humble.

Perhaps this is what they mean by “women shouldn’t make things difficult for other women.”

…..

6:00 PM. Quitting time.

Bai Ruoxi, who usually stayed behind to work overtime for about half an hour, had already packed her things today and left promptly without delay.

Seeing this, her colleagues were astonished and somewhat stunned—they were used to Bai Ruoxi being the last to leave.

“What’s going on? Why did Bai Ruoxi leave so early today? Doesn’t she usually work overtime for half an hour?”

“What else could it be? She’s going on a date! If a young, rich, handsome guy was waiting for you downstairs, would you stay late?”

“Really? But this Young Master Du has been waiting for her every day this week, and she never gave him the time of day before.”

“What do you know? That was just playing hard to get. Women need to be reserved. If you let a man win you over too easily, he won’t cherish you. Enough talk—let’s hurry downstairs and see. I bet Bai Ruoxi will get into that Aston Martin soon!”

Whispers erupted after Bai Ruoxi left.

Due to her diligence and lack of arrogance, Bai Ruoxi generally had good relationships at work. But no one can be liked by everyone—after all, she wasn’t money.

Moreover, women who are too beautiful, too outstanding, and too damaging to others’ self-confidence often naturally attract envy. Many might be friendly to your face but talk behind your back later.

A group of sour grapes who loved drama quickly followed Bai Ruoxi downstairs, eager to see her accept the roses and step into the Aston Martin.

“Ruoxi, these roses are for you!” Du Zikang was overjoyed to see Bai Ruoxi coming down so early today.

He’d been bringing flowers every day without success, never managing to make her leave early. Her early departure today could only mean one thing: she was finally moved by his efforts and willing to go on a date with him.

And once a woman was moved enough to accept a date, how far could it be until she was completely won over and coaxed into bed?

“I’ve reserved a VIP table at Justin today and even booked a top French chef just for you. I hope you’ll grace me with your company for dinner…” Du Zikang said deeply affectionately as he offered the flowers.

But before he could finish, Bai Ruoxi ignored the roses in his hand, seemingly deaf to his words, and walked past him.

Suddenly, her stunning face, which had never shown him any warmth, bloomed like a flower. The usually reserved and independent Bai Ruoxi sweetly linked arms with a man behind Du Zikang, half-leaning into his embrace.

Whoosh!

Du Zikang turned around in surprise, his expression freezing at the sight. The crowd that had hurried downstairs to watch the drama was equally stunned.

What the hell… This wasn’t following the script!

Where was the rose acceptance? Where was the laughing in the sports car?

How did a an unexpected troublemaker suddenly appear out of nowhere?!

“Have you been waiting long?” Bai Ruoxi asked Jiang Fei with a smile.

“Not long. I just got here,” Jiang Fei replied, his eyes sweeping displeasedly over the rose-bearing, well-dressed Du Zikang. His earlier suspicion was correct: this guy was indeed here to pursue Bai Ruoxi.

“Who is he? Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” Jiang Fei asked discontentedly.

“Just a idle rich second-generation with too much time on his hands,” Bai Ruoxi said lightly. “What would you have done if I told you? Would you have come to Beijing?”

“Of course!” Jiang Fei glared.

If your girlfriend is being harassed and you do nothing, are you even a man? While having a beautiful girlfriend who attracts attention is something to be proud of, that doesn’t mean you should tolerate someone accosting her after work every day.

“Ruoxi, who is this guy?” Du Zikang’s face darkened. His flower-holding hand clenched into a fist, and he glared at the two gnashing his teeth.

Jiang Fei couldn’t help but laugh. Given how he and Bai Ruoxi looked together, wasn’t their relationship obvious?

“I’m Bai Ruoxi’s boyfriend. If you didn’t know before, that’s fine for now. But I hope you won’t pull this stunt again in the future,” Jiang Fei said earnestly.

Smack!

The bright red roses were thrown to the ground. The already furious Du Zikang could no longer contain his hot temper, his malice bursting forth.

“What if I keep doing it?!” Du Zikang glared with clear provocation at Jiang Fei.

This guy was clearly a spoiled rich kid, not some deeply strategic young master. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have resorted to such a blunt approach as waiting outside her workplace.

Jiang Fei frowned. Though his earlier words carried a warning, they were still polite and mild, without any offense. He hadn’t expected this guy to get aggressive first!

“Then nothing much, really. At most, I’ll just beat you up every time I see you until you don’t dare anymore,” Jiang Fei said lightly.

If someone doesn’t offend me, I won’t offend them. If this kid had been sensible and backed off, Jiang Fei would have let it go. But if he wanted to act recklessly and thought Jiang Fei was an easy target to bully, Jiang Fei wouldn’t hold back.

“Beat me up?” Du Zikang laughed incredulously, as if he’d heard the joke of the century.

Then, his face twisted slightly viciously, and without hesitation, he threw a furious punch at Jiang Fei’s head, shouting angrily, “I’m the one who’s going to beat you to death!”

Seeing the goddess he’d been painstakingly pursuing leaning affectionately against Jiang Fei made Du Zikang’s blood boil. He was determined to teach Jiang Fei a lesson. His earlier provocative words were just an excuse to strike.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Fei was even more of a hothead than he’d imagined, playing right into his hands and giving him a reason to throw a punch in just a few words!

Du Zikang’s punch was faster than most people’s because he had trained specifically for it.

As a qualified spoiled rich kid, he often frequented shady places, harassed innocent women, and hooked up with married women. These activities came with risks. Not wanting bodyguards around all the time, his only option was to work out and learn some basic combat skills to handle two or three ordinary people.

This way, when causing trouble, he wouldn’t have to worry about being beaten by a woman or some random guy showing up and taking him down.

Even mischief requires capital.

For instance, right now, if he didn’t have the skills, how could he dare to throw a punch at Jiang Fei so recklessly, so smoothly, and so unrestrainedly?

If he got angry, he’d have to call for backup, and by the time help arrived, it would be too late!

In short, Du Zikang worked out and practiced fighting for the sake of picking up women.

His fist whistled through the air with force.

Du Zikang’s angry eyes seemed to already see Jiang Fei’s head turning into a pig’s under his fist, this man who dared compete with him beaten into a idiot.

Thud!

The punch was deflected, indeed hitting flesh with a dull sound.

But it wasn’t Jiang Fei’s head as Du Zikang had expected. Just five centimeters from Jiang Fei’s head, a wall of flesh suddenly intervened.

At some point, Jiang Fei’s left hand had risen to block Du Zikang’s fist, stopping his powerful, determined punch dead in its tracks.

It was as if what blocked him wasn’t a hand but a real copper wall, impossible to budge with ordinary strength!

Du Zikang was surprised, but his brain hadn’t yet processed what Jiang Fei’s move implied. Subconsciously, he tried to pull his fist back to strike again.

Unfortunately, throwing a punch is easier than withdrawing it.

When Du Zikang tried to retract his fist, he found Jiang Fei’s hand suddenly closed around it, gripping it tightly, making it impossible to pull back.

“Let go!” Du Zikang roared angrily.

Jiang Fei’s expression remained calm, smiling slightly but saying nothing, only slowly increasing the pressure in his hand.

Soon, Du Zikang’s face changed. Anger turned to pain, then to redness. His fist felt as if it were caught in iron claws, immovable, the crushing force seeming to squeeze his bones to powder!

“Let… go!” This time, Du Zikang wasn’t shouting but trembling, his words stammering.

Jiang Fei snorted coldly. As he released the guy, his left leg shot out like lightning, kicking Du Zikang in the abdomen. The force sent Du Zikang flying through the air in an arc before landing heavily several meters away, unable to get up.

“I said I’d beat you up next time I saw you. Since you’re being unreasonable, we’ll start now. Remember, don’t let me see you again…”

With those words, Jiang Fei left arm-in-arm with Bai Ruoxi in her Volvo S60.