Because of Liang Mingyan, Ye Fan suffered heavy losses. Not only did he lose his job, but he was also nearly beaten to death. Now, seeing Ye Fan, Liang Mingyan didn't even have a greeting for him, not to mention a straight look in his eye. It just showed how indifferent people can be nowadays.
"Isn't this Miss Liang?" Ye Fan approached with a dark expression. "Haven't seen you in a few days, you seem to be in much better spirits."
Liang Mingyan wiped the fruit juice from the corner of her mouth, glanced at Ye Fan disdainfully, and then stood up to approach her purse, opened it, and took out a stack of cash. She waved at Ye Fan and said coldly, "This money is for you."
Ye Fan was stunned. He hadn't even said two words, and Liang Mingyan was already offering money. What was this all about? He asked, "What do you mean? Why are you giving me money?"
With a disdainful snort, Liang Mingyan said impatiently, "This money is the reward for saving me back then."
A surge of nameless anger instantly rose in his heart, and Ye Fan said icily, "I didn't save you for money."
"Don't play the saint in front of me. A pauper like yourself still tries to act noble. You saved me because you knew I was rich, right? This money should cover your reward for saving me. Take this and we're even." After that, Liang Mingyan threw the money on the ground, then crossed her legs, ready to watch Ye Fan make a fool of himself.
At that moment, Liang Mingyan was indeed furious. Back then, when Huo Zilong was being a thug, she outwardly resisted, but inwardly, she was pleased. Hooking up with a scion like Huo Zilong meant lots of benefits in the future. But she hadn't expected the meddling by Ye Fan, the hot-blooded youth, to ruin her opportunity.
Li Dongliang stood by with a gloating expression, watching Ye Fan. In Li Dongliang's view, the penniless Ye Fan would surely bend down to pick up the money. Hadn't Zhang Dahhu thrown money in Ye Fan's face, and Ye Fan still picked it up, swallowing his pride? Money was absolutely omnipotent.
Ye Fan looked coldly at the banknotes scattered on the ground. The memory of Zhang Dahhu flaunting money flashed through his mind. Back then, Ye Fan had chosen to endure, but things were different now. Having shed his psychological burdens, how could he let such an incident happen again?
Under the scornful gazes of Li Dongliang and Liang Mingyan, Ye Fan squatted down and picked up the banknotes one by one, carefully smoothing them out before slowly standing up and looking quietly at Liang Mingyan.
"To hell with your pretense of superiority! Just take the money and get lost. Don't disturb my mood here," Liang Mingyan glanced at Ye Fan with disdain, a flicker of contempt in the corner of her eye. Li Dongliang, standing by, chimed in, "Miss Liang, let's not stoop to the level of someone so lowly. Let's continue having fun."
All of a sudden, Ye Fan lunged in front of Liang Mingyan, grabbed her by the neck, and ferociously slapped her face with the cash, stunning the haughty Liang Mingyan on the spot. She only heard the crisp sounds, followed by a shower of banknotes falling before her eyes...
"Scumbag!" Ye Fan spat contemptuously at Liang Mingyan. "I kindly saved you, and you repay me with such ingratitude!" Having vented his anger, Ye Fan felt exhilarated, finally having taken his revenge.
After a few seconds of silence, the regaining-her-composure Liang Mingyan let out a shriek, yelling loudly, "Assault! Someone's assaulting someone!"
Even though Ye Fan felt a bit panicked inside, he stood his ground, trying to appear calm, thinking to himself, "Damn it, I've been mistreated for over twenty years; it's time for an outburst. Even if I get arrested by the police and locked up for a few days, I must let out this pent-up anger today."
The determined Ye Fan looked coldly at the screaming Liang Mingyan and snorted disdainfully. At this moment, he didn't even realize that in just a few short days, after several hardships, he had changed. Previously, not only would he have been unable to chastise Liang Mingyan, but he also couldn't have mustered a few harsh words.
"Save your energy. We're in an era that judges by appearance. With your looks, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will bother," Ye Fan taunted, seeing no point in giving Liang Mingyan any face now that they'd torn each other apart.
After three shouts, the staff of the fitness club hurried over, looking anxious as they addressed Liang Mingyan, "Miss, do you need any assistance?"
Before Liang Mingyan could speak, Ye Fan preempted her, "The money on the ground is your tip. Take it all."
At the word "tip," the staffer showed a look of surprise. Clients here were wealthy and tips were common, but they were usually a mere hundred or two. Yet, the cash on the floor was at least a couple of thousand. The staffer immediately picked up the money and, without a second glance at Liang Mingyan, rushed off.
Liang Mingyan stood dumbfounded as she watched the staffer leave, her face turning shades of purple and green.
Li Dongliang, who had been enjoying the show, curved his lips into a cold smile. He had chosen to watch as Ye Fan took action against Liang Mingyan, waiting for this moment to make his move, leaving a deeper impression on Liang Mingyan, one of the company's major clients.
Li Dongliang coughed softly twice, hands in his pockets, and strutted over to Liang Mingyan, tossing his hair with an air of arrogance and said, "Miss Liang, don't worry. With me here, no one dares to bully you." Then, turning to Ye Fan, he taunted, "If you're a real man, you shouldn't hit a woman. Come at me if you dare."
Indeed, just as Li Dongliang had anticipated, the now helpless Liang Mingyan leaned against him with a grateful look and pointed at Ye Fan, saying fiercely, "If you stand up for me today, all my future business will go to you."
Those were the words Li Dongliang had been waiting for. He perked up as if energizing on cue, looking at Ye Fan with a surge of combative spirit, saying, "Hitting a woman isn't a feat. Why don't we have a go at it?"
Upon witnessing such a repulsive scene, Ye Fan's anger intensified. Damn it, when he had heroically saved the damsel, he ended up getting beaten up on the spot. And now, with Li Dongliang's pretentious act, using such a clumsy method, he had actually managed to fill Liang Mingyan with gratitude. She was just short of kneeling down and hugging his thighs to say thank you.
"She's trash. To hit her is letting her off easy. It would be a favor not to kick her to death," Ye Fan said through gritted teeth.
"So you don't have the guts?" Li Dongliang retorted, seizing the opportunity. How could he let such a good chance slip away? It was definitely a great opportunity to win over Liang Mingyan's heart. As long as he could help Liang Mingyan vent her anger, it wasn't just about winning the order. Perhaps, he could even claim a kiss from her. It was said that Liang Mingyan was quite the catch.
"How do you want to play this?" Ye Fan responded, his tone ice cold.
Li Dongliang was somewhat puzzled. What was going on with Ye Fan? He was so different from before. He remembered that at the company, Ye Fan was a complete pushover, always nodding and bowing when he talked, never arguing with others, and not even retorting when someone criticized him. But today, it was as if he had changed into a different person.
This left Li Dongliang extremely confused. Still, he didn't take Ye Fan seriously and said arrogantly, "We're all civilized people, why don't you and I have a contest?" After saying this, Li Dongliang pointed toward the nearby barbell. "Since we're at a gym, let's make it a fitness challenge. Do you dare to accept?"
Li Dongliang stood at 1.85 meters and weighed over 200 pounds. He often accompanied clients to the gym, so his muscles were well developed, with six-pack abs giving a strong and robust appearance. In contrast, Ye Fan, at 1.75 meters tall, looked quite slender, giving off a frail vibe.
"No problem," Ye Fan pondered for a moment and then agreed on the spot. His purpose in coming here was to test his physical abilities.
"However."
Before Ye Fan could finish, Li Dongliang frowned and interrupted, "However what? Are you afraid to accept my challenge?"
Ye Fan shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm afraid. I'm saying if it's going to be a competition, then there should be stakes. For instance, if you lose, what should you give up?"
Li Dongliang was taken aback for a moment and then burst into laughter, "Ridiculous, how could I possibly lose?"
Ye Fan replied seriously, "Anything is possible."
"If I lose, I'll crawl around here three times. If you lose, you kneel on the ground and apologize to Miss Liang. Dare or not?" Li Dongliang asked back.
"What's the challenge?" Ye Fan inquired, to be honest, he wasn't one hundred percent confident at the moment. Although he knew his body had changed when he fought the security guards at the antique market, he didn't know to what extent his strength had increased. But now that the arrow was on the string, he had to shoot. Ye Fan could only give it his all.
"A 25-kilogram barbell, let's see who can lift it more times," Li Dongliang said gravely. After saying this, Li Dongliang gestured to an attendant not far away with a wave of his finger, signaling the attendant to keep count.
Ye Fan and Li Dongliang both approached the barbells, each grabbing one. Li Dongliang, who worked out regularly, easily picked up the barbell and lifted it over his head with ease...
The muscular Li Dongliang did twenty reps in one go before gasping for breath and dropping the barbell to the ground, then looking at Ye Fan with disdain. He mocked when he noticed Ye Fan hadn't even picked it up yet, "Don't you even have the strength to pick it up? You might as well go home and drink more milk."
This action prompted a round of applause from the onlookers. Although 25 kilograms wasn't very heavy, to lift it overhead for twenty consecutive reps was already an impressive feat.
Ye Fan gave it a try and found the 25-kilogram barbell wasn't as heavy as he expected; it actually felt rather light. To confirm this feeling, he lifted it about twenty centimeters off the ground and then placed it down, repeating this three times. Finally convinced, he was right; his strength had indeed increased.
Li Dongliang burst into laughter, "With such little skill, you still dare to accept my challenge. You're overestimating yourself."
Liang Mingyan lit up a lady's cigarette and blew a puff of smoke toward Ye Fan, then said haughtily, "You? I think you better give up. Just come over here and kneel to apologize."
"Give up? I just feel this barbell is a bit light. It's not very interesting to play with." After saying that, Ye Fan forcefully lifted the 50-pound barbell with one hand as easily as an eagle snatching a chick.
Such a show of strength immediately sparked another round of applause. Li Dongliang and Liang Mingyan were stunned.
Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Ye Fan grinned and said, "Don't let my appearance fool you. I'm actually pretty fierce."