Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 52

Your Brother is Talented

After that day, Gu Jiahe moved back to his rented house. Li Zhao’s house was quite far from his company, making commuting inconvenient. Besides, the two hadn’t explicitly decided to live together, so staying at each other’s place every day seemed a bit odd.

Upon returning home, Li Zhao sent him the contract template he couldn’t figure out. Gu Jiahe worked on a revised version overnight and sent it over to him, also asking for the contact information of the boxing coach.

The next morning, Gu Jiahe promptly added the coach on WeChat as recommended by Li Zhao.

The coach, upon learning that Gu Jiahe was referred by Li Zhao, was very enthusiastic and offered him two free trial sessions, with the option to continue purchasing classes if satisfied.

Gu Jiahe couldn’t resist the allure of “free.” What’s the difference between that and just giving away money?

That evening after work, he put on his sports gear and headed to the club. He didn’t inform Li Zhao in advance. Li Zhao had recently taken on a new case and must be busy, so this little matter could be handled by himself. Moreover, he had been to this club before with Li Zhao, so he was familiar with the way.

When he arrived at the club by subway, he coincidentally arrived at the time he had agreed upon with the coach.

The hall was already crowded with people, shouts and gasps filling the air. Gu Jiahe felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Mr. Gu?” The coach spotted him poking his head in and waved at him.

“Hello,” Gu Jiahe quickly walked over and shook his hand.

“Hey, haven’t you been here before?” The coach looked at him with familiarity.

“Yes, I came here with Li Zhao last time,” Gu Jiahe nodded.

“You’re Li Zhao’s brother? You look younger than him,” the coach handed him a set of equipment.

Gu Jiahe wondered how he could tell, but couldn’t find a better way to phrase it, so he just nodded in agreement.

“Where’s the changing room?” Gu Jiahe asked, holding the clothes he brought.

“Oh, go straight back and turn right.”

“Okay, thank you,” Gu Jiahe smiled and thanked him.

About five minutes later, he came out wearing black shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. He rarely wore sports gear and felt a bit awkward.

The coach was already waiting for him on the training ground, holding something in his hand. “This is the equipment for our trial class. If you decide to buy classes later, I can recommend a more professional set for you.”

Gu Jiahe looked down at the black bandages and gloves in his hand, not sure how to proceed.

“Just follow my lead,” the coach was enthusiastic, teaching him how to wrap the bandages and put on the gloves.

Gu Jiahe watched attentively and learned after a couple of tries.

“Let me explain the characteristics of free combat to you first,” the coach pointed to a poster on the wall of the club, “You’ve probably seen some boxing matches on TV, right? Free combat looks similar to boxing, but the rules are different. In free combat, you’re allowed to use your legs, but elbow strikes and grappling are not allowed. Later, I’ll teach you some basic moves.”

Gu Jiahe nodded repeatedly, “Okay, Coach.”

Glancing around, he seemed to be the only beginner. The people on the boxing platforms nearby were already very skilled.

He had never participated in such sports classes before, let alone this intense collision of high-intensity sports, so he was a bit nervous.

The coach led him to a nearby training platform, also putting on gloves. “Come on, try throwing some punches.”

“Just any punches?” Gu Jiahe compared his fists.

“Yes, just as you understand it.”

Gu Jiahe spread his legs, with one hand in front and the other behind, eyes fixed on the coach’s right hand.

Bang! A punch landed.

The coach’s face lit up, “Excellent. Your punching speed is fast and accurate. Have you practiced before?”

Gu Jiahe thought, this coach is really good at talking. He, as a complete novice with no sports background, couldn’t have possibly practiced before. But he just smiled and said, “No, not at all.”

“Doesn’t look like it,” the coach continued tapping the pad, “Come on, keep going. Increase the power.”

Gu Jiahe raised his right arm and threw another punch.

Bang!

“Good, the power is a bit stronger than before,” the coach put down his arm and applauded, “But free combat requires a strong core. You can practice abdominal and back strength every day, so your footwork can be more stable. When it comes to punching or dodging attacks, your reaction will be faster.”

Gu Jiahe nodded repeatedly. He indeed needed to work on his core strength; otherwise, he would be exhausted after a short bike ride.

The coach demonstrated a few introductory moves – straight punches, jabs, hooks, knee strikes, and side kicks. Gu Jiahe had a good understanding and grasped the essentials after a few tries. Especially with leg movements, he lifted his legs quickly and controlled the power properly, almost resembling the real thing.

In the club, time seemed to pass faster than outside. Gu Jiahe only spent a few rounds on the platform, but he was sweating profusely, experiencing a sense of excitement and pleasure he had never felt before.

“Okay, let’s work on defense now,” the coach noticed that Gu Jiahe’s punches were getting on track and moved on to the next point.

Gu Jiahe instinctively raised his arms to protect his head.

“That’s not right,” the coach took down his arm, “Look at me. Protect your cheeks with your arms, don’t drop your elbows, or your opponent will quickly catch the opening and KO you.”

Gu Jiahe immediately tried it, his muscles tensing up.

“Yes, that’s right. This movement is correct,” the coach smiled, “Now I’ll throw punches, and you have to make sure your movements don’t deform and dodge my punches. Give it a try!”

Gu Jiahe was suddenly stirred by a sense of competition, not even realizing when someone pushed open the door of the club.

Someone sat by the training platform, arms crossed over their chest, watching intently.

Gu Jiahe raised his arms to protect his face, waiting for the punches.

With a left shift, he blocked the first attack. He felt the coach closing in, so he took a step back and dodged to the right.

Bang! He just managed to block the second attack.

Gu Jiahe glanced at the coach’s stance through the gloves, and an inexplicable flame ignited in his heart. After training all day, sweating profusely, adrenaline surged at this moment.

The coach took a slight step and prepared to attack again. Gu Jiahe seized the opportunity, instantly turning defense into offense, throwing a quick and precise punch directly at the coach.

The coach instinctively defended himself, and the two quickly engaged in a struggle. Gu Jiahe pressed on, his elbows and shoulders tightly suppressing the opponent.

The two tangled relentlessly, and the exhilarating sensation of striking and grappling made him somewhat addicted.

After half a minute, Gu Jiahe caught sight of a familiar figure below the platform and quickly gasped for breath, releasing the coach.

“When did you get here?” Gu Jiahe hadn’t caught his breath yet, walking towards the person.

The coach followed him down, still looking somewhat surprised. It was the first time he had seen a student grasp the rhythm and turn defense into offense so quickly in the first class. “You have a great reaction speed.”

Gu Jiahe turned back and nodded at him, “Thanks to your excellent teaching!”

Li Zhao, standing below the platform, didn’t show much expression. Gu Jiahe walked down and patted his arm.

Seeing Li Zhao, the coach also came over to greet him, “Li Zhao, your brother is really talented. Although he doesn’t have many muscles, his striking points are right on. Moreover, his defensive rhythm is excellent, and his reaction is very fast!”

Saying this, the coach also patted Gu Jiahe’s shoulder.

Gu Jiahe smiled and nodded his head, “You’re too kind.”

“Is that so?” Li Zhao raised an eyebrow, “It’s the first time I’ve heard about this talent of yours.”

Gu Jiahe shrugged, “I have no experience in hitting people, but I can sure take a hit.”

“Alright, let’s stop here for today. We’ll chat on WeChat about buying classes later.” Gu Jiahe raised his phone and shook it.

The coach nodded with a smile. The two looked quite familiar with each other.

After Gu Jiahe changed his clothes in the locker room, he followed Li Zhao out of the club and bought a bottle of mineral water from the vending machine nearby. He took a deep breath and drank half of it in one gulp.

“Ge, today was just right. I really enjoyed the class,” Gu Jiahe turned to him.

“Oh? You had fun?” Li Zhao recalled the scene he had just seen when he entered the club.

“Yes. I didn’t know how much I would enjoy it until I tried it,” Gu Jiahe said, noticing that Li Zhao’s complexion didn’t seem too good. He quickly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Li Zhao shook his head.

“Hey, tomorrow I plan to buy a package of ten classes first. The coach also said he would recommend a more professional set of equipment for me…” Gu Jiahe’s steps became brisker as he walked.

“You really like it that much?” Li Zhao’s voice came.

“Huh?” Gu Jiahe was a bit puzzled by his question.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around, “Don’t you want me to practice? Wasn’t it you who recommended this class to me?”

“Not at all,” Li Zhao denied.

“Then what’s wrong with you?”

“I’m fine,” Li Zhao walked to the parking lot and unlocked the car.

“Ah,” Gu Jiahe didn’t believe his nonsense.

Not until Li Zhao started the car and was about to shift gears.

Gu Jiahe suddenly lunged from the passenger side, his arms on both sides of Li Zhao’s body, staring straight into his eyes.

“Ge, are you jealous?”