Hearing You Say Love chapter 15
Wanting to Kiss Him
There was still an hour before the match started. A few hot girls were dancing on the ring, hyping up the atmosphere.
Xu Jiadi received a call that Inoue Junya had left the hotel, so he got up to meet him at the entrance. Before he could leave the booth, another call came in, saying something had happened in Yu Dian’s family, and he was rushing home and couldn’t make it.
Yu Dian was their friend; he wasn’t from Rong City, but since his club was based here, he had been living in the area for a long time.
“Shit!” Xu Jiadi cursed into the phone. “Something came up now? Get Yu Dian on the phone!”
The person on the other end explained that Yu Dian really couldn’t leave and asked Xu Jiadi to understand. As Xu Jiadi’s anger rose, Zou Beiyuan took the phone and asked, “What happened?”
The explanation from the other side was long, and the more Zou Beiyuan listened, the more serious he became. He hung up the phone, leaned over to Xu Jiadi, and said something in his ear. Xu Jiadi cursed again, “Fuck! What a mess!”
Zou Beiyuan tossed the phone back to him. “Contact the club and find someone else.”
Xu Jiadi had no choice but to storm off with the phone.
About ten minutes later, he returned with a sour expression. “Inoue Junya doesn’t want to fight anyone else. He says he’s leaving.”
The promotion had been announced two weeks ago on all platforms, and that night’s venue was packed with guests who had come just for the match. If the fight didn’t happen, Box Wave was finished.
Zou Beiyuan rested his elbows on his knees, hands clasped under his chin, silent.
“What do we do, Beiyuan?” Xu Jiadi asked.
Everyone realized how tricky the situation was and looked at Zou Beiyuan. After two minutes of silence, Zou Beiyuan looked up and asked Xu Jiadi, “What’s Inoue Junya’s BOXREC rating?”
“Three stars,” Xu Jiadi said.
Zou Beiyuan nodded. “Then ask him if he would fight Zou Beiyuan.”
Xu Jiadi’s eyes widened. “But your contract…”
Zou Beiyuan nonchalantly said, “It’s an informal match. No problem.”
Since there was no better option, Xu Jiadi patted him on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll find someone to take you back to get your gear.”
Su Ming and his friends were not real boxing fans, so they were quite confused when they saw the situation.
Chen Muchao asked Su Ming, “Is Zou Beiyuan a boxer?”
Su Ming shook his head and gestured with sign language: I don’t know.
After a while, Su Ming received a message from Zou Beiyuan: [Don’t leave yet, wait for me to finish the match.]
He sounded very relaxed, so Su Ming asked him: [Can you beat that Japanese guy? They say he’s really strong.]
Zou Beiyuan deliberately replied: [It’s a bit difficult; it’s a weight class up. I’m a light heavyweight, and he’s a heavyweight; we’re nearly 20 pounds apart.]
Although Su Ming didn’t understand boxing well, he knew that the weight divisions in boxing were strict, and even in informal matches, such arrangements were rare.
Smaller fighters were naturally at a disadvantage in terms of strength and resilience to hits, while heavier fighters would lose face if they lost, so they generally wouldn’t fight lighter opponents unless they recognized their skills.
Zou Beiyuan thought Su Ming would encourage him, but after a while, Su Ming replied: [Well, losing isn’t shameful.]
Zou Beiyuan: [You think I will lose?]
Su Ming: [Won’t you?]
Zou Beiyuan: [If there’s a reward for winning, I won’t lose.]
Su Ming: [What reward do you want?]
Zou Beiyuan: [I want you to give me a painting.]
Su Ming remembered that when they first met, Zou Beiyuan said he wanted to buy one of his paintings to hang on the wall, and at that time, Su Ming casually mentioned he would give him one. He didn’t expect that Zou Beiyuan would still remember. Su Ming smiled: [Okay, I’ll paint you a big one.]
Five minutes before nine o’clock, the two fighters came on stage to meet the audience. Everyone stood up and moved to the edge of the ring, and Su Ming followed the crowd to the front, watching Zou Beiyuan intently from behind the ropes.
The host quickly introduced the two contestants, first introducing the guest fighter, and just as he mentioned the fighter with the green gloves, someone nearby recognized him and shouted loudly: “Zou Beiyuan! Zou Beiyuan!”
Chen Muchao asked, “Is Zou Beiyuan that famous?”
The person heard him and replied, “Of course he is famous; he defeated Pereira last year!”
Chen Muchao asked again, “What level is it to beat Pereira?”
At that moment, the match began, and the cheers from the crowd drowned out their conversation. The person leaned over to them and shouted, “Pereira has defended the world champion belt five times! What do you think it means to beat him?”
Chen Muchao was stunned and shouted, “So Zou Beiyuan is now a world champion?”
The person answered loudly, “The current light heavyweight belt is in Harrison’s hands. If Zou Beiyuan beats Harrison, he will be the world champion! But it’s coming up; they should have a match this year!”
Although it was an informal match, both fighters were very serious, and the crowd was electrified.
Chen Muchao was also excited, sticking close to the ropes and shouting, “Go for it! Go for it!”
You could see the weight difference between the two fighters just by their physiques.
Zou Beiyuan was tall, with clearly defined muscles. Inoue Junya was ten centimeters shorter than Zou Beiyuan, with broad shoulders and a stocky build, his muscles hidden beneath a layer of thick subcutaneous fat, making him look very tough.
After circling each other to test, Zou Beiyuan suddenly unleashed a series of punches that pressed Inoue Junya into a defensive posture, and his terrifying reach made it hard for his opponent to counterattack.
Each time he threw a punch, the crowd erupted into louder cheers. Su Ming was completely captivated by Zou Beiyuan in the ring, oblivious to the discomfort caused by the high-decibel noise.
At that moment, Inoue Junya broke through Zou Beiyuan’s defense and landed a heavy punch on his right cheek.
Even from outside, Su Ming could hear the sound of the fist hitting flesh, and his heart skipped a beat; he couldn’t help but close his eyes. Zou Beiyuan took the punch, frowned, and stepped back as the first round ended.
During the break, Zou Beiyuan sat in the blue corner while his assistants helped wipe the sweat off him, applied Vaseline, treated his wounds, and a pretty girl who had danced earlier fed him water. He had blood at the corner of his mouth and found Su Ming in the crowd with his eyes.
Su Ming was standing outside the red corner, looking across the ring at him.
Xu Jiadi leaned in next to Zou Beiyuan and said, “You scored higher in the first round.”
Zou Beiyuan replied with a hum, shifting his gaze away from Su Ming: “I’ll try to knock him out.”
“Don’t,” Xu Jiadi whispered, “He weighs 20 pounds more than you; if you go head-to-head, you won’t have the advantage. Focus on defense instead.”
Zou Beiyuan chuckled and put his mouthguard back in.
In the second round, Inoue Junya changed tactics, going from defense to offense, using his heavy punches to attack Zou Beiyuan. However, Zou Beiyuan wasn’t at all suppressed; thanks to his strong core strength, he dodged beautifully several times in a row.
The atmosphere outside the ring was completely ignited.
None of Inoue Junya’s heavy punches landed on Zou Beiyuan’s body, and he became a bit restless, wanting to end the match quickly using his weight advantage. He gathered all his strength and aimed a powerful jab at Zou Beiyuan’s face! But Zou Beiyuan, with agile footwork, moved to the side at that moment and threw his own jab, knocking Inoue Junya down in an instant!
The crowd fell silent at that moment, and Su Ming held his breath along with everyone else.
When Zou Beiyuan threw the punch, the speed and explosive power were like lightning!
Inoue Junya took that heavy blow and staggered a few steps before collapsing in the ring.
After a brief silence, the cheers erupted, rising higher and higher, as the referee joined in counting down.
Su Ming had already moved to the front, holding the ropes with one hand, and amidst the roaring crowd, he calmly looked at Zou Beiyuan while Chen Muchao shook him excitedly, shouting, “We won! We knocked him out!”
Soon, the excited audience jumped over the ropes, rushing to the ring and surrounding Zou Beiyuan like a star, blocking Su Ming’s view.
Chen Muchao also wanted to pull Su Ming up with him, but Su Ming didn’t move, gesturing to Chen Muchao: I’m going out for a smoke.
Then he moved against the crowd, leaving the thunderous cheers behind.
The bar was located on Riverside Road, with the summer night wind carrying the humidity from the Yangyuan River. Su Ming stood under the eaves, finishing a cigarette, unable to calm his emotions for a long time.
After standing for a while, he was about to go inside when a girl came out.
As they brushed past each other, the girl called out to him: “Hey, handsome, can I borrow a light?”
Su Ming recognized her as the girl who had just given Zou Beiyuan water. He took out his lighter and handed it to her. With a cigarette held in her mouth, she leaned in, wanting Su Ming to help her light it. Su Ming was usually very patient with girls; he smiled and flicked the lighter to life.
The girl used his hand to light her cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, “Thanks.”
Su Ming nodded and was about to leave when the girl asked again, “Do you have someone with you tonight, handsome?”
So direct?
Su Ming paused, raising an eyebrow to look at her, but saw her hand holding the cigarette freeze, her gaze fixed straight behind him, a hint of shyness on her face.
Before he could turn around, he felt a warm body lean against him from behind, a strong arm wrapping around his shoulder, and Zou Beiyuan’s voice sounded above him: “He already has someone.”
The girl, caught teasing a customer at work, quickly left in embarrassment.
Zou Beiyuan didn’t let go, squeezing Su Ming’s arm and saying, “I won just now.”
Su Ming turned to look at him; the right side of his face was slightly swollen, and a small cut had opened at the corner of his mouth, still oozing blood after treatment.
Su Ming stared at the wound, suddenly feeling a strong urge to kiss him.
Zou Beiyuan looked at Su Ming with bright eyes, and Su Ming looked back at him.
After staring at each other for a long time, Su Ming raised his hand and gently touched the cut at the corner of his mouth.