"Officer, can we do this instead? We won't fight publicly, we'll just close the door and spar," Ren Donglai stepped forward and suggested.
The police officer glared at Ren Donglai upon hearing this, "Spar? Is this sparring? Is he a member of your boxing club?"
"He isn't from our boxing club, but..." Ren Donglai continued to 'argue' with the officer.
Wu Li watched Ren Donglai's performance coldly. Normally, the police wouldn't bother with such trivial matters if two people privately sparred, but Ren Donglai insisted on saying it in front of the police, making it seem like he really wanted to fight Wu Li.
As expected, Ren Donglai's words angered the officer, who exclaimed loudly, "In any case, I've got my eye on both of you. If you dare fight without official permission, I'll take you straight to the police station!"
After saying this, the two officers turned and left.
Once the police had left, a crowd of reporters swarmed around again, and Ren Donglai stepped forward and spoke loudly, "Everyone saw it— it's not that I refuse to fight Wu Li, but now the police won't allow us."
As he spoke, he turned and walked towards Wu Li, "Wu Li, if you want to challenge me, go apply for a formal match. As long as the match is set up, I'll accept your challenge at any time."
Ren Donglai spoke to Wu Li with a righteous air, but the smug look in his eyes was unmistakable, which infuriated Wu Li.
Ren Donglai stepped closer to Wu Li, smiled, and whispered something before patting Wu Li on the shoulder, seemingly meant as encouragement.
"Kid, the match will never be organized. You're still too green to fight me."
That was what Ren Donglai whispered to Wu Li.
"Did you just insult me?" Wu Li raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised.
Seeing Wu Li's reaction, Ren Donglai smirked inside, and with a smile said, "So what if I did?"
Wu Li nodded and then suddenly slapped him.
"Smack!"
The crisp sound quieted the scene instantly.
Before anyone could react, Wu Li didn't pause and kicked Ren Donglai, sending him flying.
"You dare insult me?!" Wu Li pointed angrily at Ren Donglai on the ground.
"Wow!" The crowd was in an uproar, and all the reporters excitedly snapped photos—this was big news!
Ren Donglai lay on the ground, covering his face in disbelief, his head buzzing.
Had he just been slapped? Had a university student slapped him in front of all these reporters?
"You?!!"
Ren Donglai finally snapped back to his senses, fury boiling over, his eyes bloodshot as he quickly stood up, ready to fight Wu Li, damn his excessive insolence!
Wu Li's lips curved up as he saw Ren Donglai charging towards him, his body's center of gravity lowered, ready to brawl.
However, a figure swiftly ran out from the side and embraced Ren Donglai.
"Ren Donglai!!!"
It was Jia Li. She had been watching everything clearly from the side and had seen the expression on Wu Li's face, instantly realizing that Wu Li was intentionally provoking to start a fight with Ren Donglai.
"He's doing it on purpose, don't be impulsive!" Jia Li shouted, fearing that Ren Donglai would charge forward and end up like Zhao Bo, beaten down in a few movements, rendering their whole plan today useless.
Hearing this, Ren Donglai sobered up a bit and, seeing Wu Li's almost smiling expression, halted, struggling internally.
To go or not to go? Afraid of being defeated; and if he didn't go, would he just let the slap go? How could he continue mixing in this circle after that? He had wanted to show off in front of Wu Li, but now he was the fool...
Fortunately, Zhang Xiaodong, who was nearby, reacted quickly. Seeing Ren Donglai's embarrassment, he hurriedly had four members of the Eastward Boxing Club step forward to restrain Ren Donglai.
"Brother Ren, don't be impulsive."
"Coach Ren, let it go!"
"Don't stoop to his level."
...
The scene became somewhat chaotic as Wu Li regretfully watched Ren Donglai being surrounded by the crowd not far away.
It's a pity, otherwise, it wouldn't have been just a slap today.
After quite some time, Ren Donglai reluctantly stopped, his eyes fixed on Wu Li with five clear finger marks on his face.
"Why do you think you can hit someone?" Jia Li turned around, pointing at Wu Li and angrily questioned.
"You insulted me!" Wu Li, unafraid, pointed back at Ren Donglai and retorted.
Ren Donglai, "You're talking nonsense, I didn't!"
Wu Li, "You can't face up to your actions?"
Ren Donglai, "I said I didn't!"
Wu Li, "If you dare, come over here, see if I don't beat you to death!"
Ren Donglai, "..."
He attempted to break free from the crowd again but was restrained once more.
"No matter what, you shouldn't have resorted to violence. Are all students from Beichuan University like this?" Zhang Xiaodong couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to question Wu Li.
Wu Li nodded, "I only show civility to people. If a mad dog bites me, I will definitely smack it hard."
"The police haven't gone far, keep acting tough and see if I don't get the police to arrest you!"Jia Li said bitterly to Wu Li.
"Heh." Wu Li scoffed, "Then call the police. After all, the best thing Eastward Boxing Club is good at is calling the police when they can't win a fight, which I've learned today."
Zhang Xiaodong's expression changed, and he glared fiercely at Jia Li, thinking she was foolish to bring up such a point at this time.
The plot had been unfolding perfectly today. Ren Donglai, in front of a group of journalists and the police, had "earnestly" promoted a fight between the two, but the police had refused. This way, it wasn't that Ren Donglai was afraid to fight, but rather that he couldn't fight.
Even if anyone questioned why the police were involved, Zhang Xiaodong could explain it away. After all, everyone has their own version of the story, and by hiring some professional trolls to muddy the waters, it was not easy to completely clear Ren Donglai's name, but swaying public opinion was simple. By dragging Wu Li into Zhang Xiaodong's domain of expertise, he could use his rich experience to defeat him.
But Zhang Xiaodong had never expected Wu Li to be so reckless, acting impulsively in front of the journalists, without any fear, not at all like a university student.
Wu Li's actions had caused Ren Donglai, who had barely regained some ground, to fall back significantly, causing Zhang Xiaodong a great headache. He waved his hand at Wu Li, "Fine, go back and set up the match. Don't step foot in the Eastward Boxing Club again without an official invitation for the match!"
Wu Li didn't pay any attention to Zhang Xiaodong but instead looked at Ren Donglai.
"Ren Donglai, I always thought people who practiced martial arts had some spirit, but today you've shown me otherwise. You might as well change your surname from Ren to Ninja, as in Ninja Turtle."
With that, Wu Li turned and left, leaving Ren Donglai and the others with livid faces.
That night, Wu Li posted a video on Mo Yin.
"As a refined and easy-going university student, I shouldn't have lashed out today. If anyone insults me or my family again, I will definitely win them over with reason."
(As more and more friends read the book, everyone has their own opinions about Traditional Martial Arts and modern combat. Everyone is welcome to actively discuss, but please speak rationally and avoid willful insults. Let's be refined and easy-going.)