Chapter 20

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

Nanrong Hao did not dare to dally any longer and obediently walked to the centre of the empty space, demonstrating the routine that he remembered from Ling Chen’s example yesterday.

Ling Chen just folded his arms, paying close attention to Nanrong Hao’s every movement, not uttering a single word.

Nanrong Hao had never practised martial arts before and it showed in his movements, his actions looked awkward and sluggish. However, that was not Ling Chen’s main concern right now; he was focusing on something else.

After Nanrong Hao finished his demonstration of the fist routine, he wiped off the sweat profusely rolling off his forehead and expectantly looked towards Ling Chen, who seemed to be deep in contemplation. His heart was filled with uneasiness.

“Bro Chen, what… What did you think of my demonstration?”

“Starting tomorrow, meet me here at five o’clock every morning.”

Listening to Ling Chen say that, Nanrong Hao’s face lit up with excitement. “Bro Chen, does that mean you’re willing to take me in as your disciple?”

“Let’s forget about taking in disciples or whatnot. There shouldn’t be any problem with me teaching you a move or two.”

Looking at the fist routine that Nanrong Hao had just shown him, Ling Chen felt that the brat’s talent was not bad. The moves he demonstrated seemed deceptively simple, but there were a lot of nuances in every step. If Nanrong Hao only showed the form but did not capture the essence of the moves, he would not bother wasting any more effort on Nanrong Hao.

Martial arts did not solely rely on practising repeatedly but required comprehension as well. Only through understanding could one grasp the essence of their martial arts and genuinely intuit their working. Nanrong Hao had met this requirement.

“I’m going home now. Right, don’t forget about my car. It’s best to finish fixing it by tomorrow morning.”

“Rest assured. Leave it to me.”

As he walked back into his apartment, he saw that Tang Shiyun’s apartment door was closed firmly and guessed that she had gone to the hospital to accompany her father.

Initially, he wanted to go to the hospital to visit Tang Shiyun’s father as well, but her mother definitely would not be pleased to see him. Even if he went, he’d probably be chased out immediately, so he quickly abandoned that notion.

On the morning of the following day, Nanrong Hao drove the Volkswagen to Ling Chen’s apartment complex punctually.

Seeing Ling Chen walking out from the apartment complex, Nanrong Hao immediately greeted him with the still steaming bun that he had just bought.

“Bro Chen, the car has already been fixed.”

Ling Chen broke out into a grin. The brat was quite perceptive, even knowing to buy breakfast for him.

At that time, it was only five in the morning, with faint sunlight starting to illuminate the sky.

The success of a day depended on beginning in the morning. Hence dawn was the best time to practice martial arts.

Nanrong Hao had never practised martial arts before, so naturally, he had to start from the foundations.

The two were busy till half-past six. Ling Chen looked at his watch and reckoned that if he did not get going, he would definitely be late. He had to try his best to avoid allowing Nanrong Wanqing to cause him trouble.

“Lil Hao, do you want to follow me to the Regal Villa later?”

“I’ll take a break first. I’ll make my way there later.”

Nanrong Hao collapsed on the ground, exhausted and gasping for breath, the clothes on his body drenched with sweat. He lived a pampered lifestyle and never had to undergo such torturous training in his life. In the last hour and a half, he felt his body aching in places that he never thought could ache, his legs did not feel like his own. There was no sensation in them at all.

“Alright, then I’ll be going. Right, there’s something I forgot to tell you. When practising martial arts one must avoid disturbing their inner vitality. You should avoid interacting with women for the next half a year.”

With that, Ling Chen waved his hand and left behind a shell-shocked Nanrong Hao.

It was six-fifty.

Ling Chen arrived at Regal Villa before the assigned time. All of the other squad members had assembled by then.

As there were already bodyguards inside Regal Villa to protect the area, the job of Squad 1 was merely to ensure the safety of Nanrong Wanqing whenever she was outside. Otherwise their job followed regular office hours, not counting urgent assignments.

Ling Chen did not wait too long in his car before he noticed Su Lin pushing Nanrong Wanqing out of the villa in her wheelchair.

Sensing Su Lin’s gaze directed towards him; Ling Chen smilingly waved towards her but only received a cold glare in response.

When the convoy left the villa, the three cars at the lead suddenly accelerated, instantly widening the distance between them and Ling Chen.

Want to get rid of me? Hmph, it’s not that easy!

The corners of Ling Chen’s mouth curled up slightly, and his right hand swiftly shifted gear, his foot stepping down hard on the gas pedal.

Suddenly, the antique Volkswagen, that looked as though it was about to break down at any time flew forward, taking only a few seconds to catch up with the rear Land Rover. After the car had been repaired, its performance had improved significantly.

After passing a few streets, Ling Chen’s eyes narrowed suddenly, noticing a white Buick in his rear-view mirror.

From the moment they set out from Regal Villa, he had been taking note of the Buick. They had already driven for a while now, yet the car had still been following them steadily. He could not reject the possibility that the car might just be following the same route as them to its destination. However, as his many years of experience taught him, unless he was sure he would not let go of any suspicion.

Thinking of this, he released the throttle and lowered his car speed, allowing the Buick to pull ahead in front of his car.

Zhong Wei and the rest of the squad were riding in Land Rovers and Rolls Royce. This antique Volkswagen would not capture anyone’s attention, and one would not believe that sitting in this inconspicuous car would be a bodyguard of Hongyu Multinational.

As the windows of the Buick were tinted, he could not clearly see the face of the driver, only deducing that it was a male from the silhouette.

“Ling Chen, where are you?”

“Captain Zhong, I discovered a suspicious car following behind us.”

“What is the license plate number?”

Ling Chen scanned the license plate before relaying the number to Zhong Wei. A short while, he only heard Zhong Wei saying, “I’ve checked the number. There is no problem with the car, immediately re-join the convoy. Don’t break off from the convoy based on your whims.”

“Roger.”

Ling Chen immediately changed to another lane, preparing to overtake the Buick. As the Volkswagen gained speed, it quickly pulled up right next to the other car.

Taking this opportunity, Ling Chen peered through the driver seat window. Similarly, the other driver seemed to have noticed him and looked over at his Santana as well.

Although neither of them could clearly distinguish each other, there was a strong feeling of unease coursing through Ling Chen’s heart. This feeling was similar to the one he felt that night at the bar.

With his acute sense that had been honed over the years, he was absolutely certain that there was something off with the driver in the Buick!

At the same time, in the Buick, the other driver turned his gaze away from Ling Chen and looked straight ahead at the road. His right hand rubbed his neck habitually, like he had done so many times before and his mouth revealed a cold smirk.

“I didn’t expect to meet a colleague of the same trade in Donghai City.”

The driver muttered softly to himself, before stepping down hard on the gas pedal. The Buick instantly let out a loud rumble and swiftly pulled ahead.

“Want to leave?”

Ling Chen immediately shifted gears and followed suit, trailing closely behind the other car.

It was already after seven in the morning, which meant that it was also peak rush hour with office-goers rushing to get to work. The two cars were zooming around on the road, as Ling Chen relentlessly chased behind the Buick with his Santana, constantly switching lanes to catch up with the Buick.

In a flash, both cars were at a speed of 100 kilometres an hour, long since leaving behind the Rolls Royce that Nanrong Wanqing was in.

“Ling Chen, are you crazy?! Return right this instant!”

Hearing Zhong Wei roaring at him through the walkie talkie, Ling Chen resolutely turned it off allowing him to concentrate on catching up with the Buick.

“Ling Chen! Ling Chen! Chairman, I think he might have switched off the walkie talkie.”

“It’s only his second day at work, but he’s already capable of insubordination, refusing to obey orders. That bastard is simply too lawless. Wanqing, let’s think of a way to get rid of him!”

Wanqing coldly looked at Zhong Wei and said, “He’s in your department. If something goes wrong, the first person I’ll look for is you. I don’t care about anything else.”

“My apologies, Chairwoman. I will discipline him more strictly.”