Chapter Thirteen: His and Her Reactions
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He Tianran emphasized the words "ordinary classmate, ordinary friend" with great weight. As his voice fell, he heard a collective sigh of relief from those around him. Wen Liang held her father’s hand, swaying gently as she said, “Dad, this classmate of mine is physically weak and timid. That’s why I brought him here today—to have him train with you properly.”
Wen’s father withdrew his gaze and smiled at his daughter. “This is the first time I’ve seen you bring a classmate to the boxing gym.”
In an instant, the group’s earlier relief was replaced by renewed tension. Fortunately, Wen Liang didn’t say anything that would put He Tianran in an awkward position. Instead, she half-joked, half-seriously said, “He’s very introverted and hardly speaks at all. I just couldn’t stand it anymore, so I took the initiative to help him out. Right, Xue Yong?”
Beside them, Xue Yong was caught off guard when Wen Liang threw the topic to him. He shot He Tianran a glare but didn’t dare act as recklessly as before with the teacher present. He simply nodded coldly and said, “Teacher, He Tianran is strange and very reclusive. He barely has any friends at school.”
After hearing this, Wen’s father saw nothing amiss on his daughter’s face. The boy named He Tianran stood quietly nearby, barely daring to breathe, which seemed to confirm Xue Yong’s words.
For someone so obviously gentle and vulnerable, Wen’s father harbored no ill impressions. After all, he himself had once been physically frail and bullied in his youth.
So, seeing his daughter take the initiative to help a weaker classmate genuinely pleased him.
“You’re He Tianran?”
“Yes, uncle.”
He Tianran quickly responded to Wen’s father’s question.
“I don’t know if you truly enjoy boxing, but if your goal is to strengthen your body, that’s fine. Our gym offers three classes a week, each lasting two hours. Consider today a trial lesson...”
He stepped aside, set down his bag, and took out a red bandage, beginning to wrap his hands. He continued, “Many of Wen Liang’s classmates have come before, but most paid, attended one class, and never returned. I don’t want to waste your money.”
Why not just tell me to leave outright? He Tianran thought, ready to back out. But when he caught Wen Liang’s encouraging look, he steeled himself and said, “I... I’ll try, uncle.”
“Alright, line up! Twenty minutes of physical warm-up.”
Wen’s father clapped his hands, and everyone immediately formed a line. Wen Liang quietly made a funny face at He Tianran before stepping back and sitting down casually.
Watching the trainees burst into high-intensity burpees and jumping jacks, He Tianran struggled to last even a minute before gasping for breath. By five minutes, his movements faltered; ten minutes in, he collapsed on the floor without moving.
While others finished and began boxing practice, he still hadn’t recovered.
Just as dizziness overwhelmed him, He Tianran felt a cool sensation on his cheek. Looking up, he saw Wen Liang crouching before him, pressing a bottle of mineral water to his face.
“Just sip a little and hold it in your mouth for now. Drink more once you’ve recovered. Drinking too fast isn’t good for your body.”
But He Tianran was beyond caring about his body; he twisted open the cap and gulped down the water. Wen Liang didn’t stop him but watched with an amused expression.
When he finally caught his breath, the atmosphere had shifted. After that scene, the boxing trainees’ eyes flared with renewed hostility.
“I... I’ll continue training now...”
He placed the bottle at Wen Liang’s feet, stood like a corpse, and shuffled over to Wen’s father.
“He Tianran, you haven’t trained boxing before, right? Today, you’ll act as a target. Watch your opponent’s punching stance. He’ll only strike your gloves; just keep your hands steady.”
Wen’s father instructed, retrieving a pair of mitts for He Tianran to wear, then called out, “Who wants to go first?”
All the trainees raised their right hands!
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He Tianran’s eyelids twitched wildly—this hostility was off the charts!
“Bang!”
At that moment, Xue Yong landed a solid punch on a heavy bag, the base creaking under the force. Ignoring the raised hands, he strode forward with a stern face and said, “Teacher, he’s my classmate. Let me teach him.”
What a “classmate”!
He never even glanced at me outside of school before!
And now, when he’s about to hit me, suddenly he’s a classmate!
He Tianran seethed silently. Xue Yong jumped onto the ring and beckoned coldly.
“Go on!”
Wen’s father gave He Tianran a firm pat on the back, and he staggered onto the ring.
The trainees gathered below, eager to witness the spectacle. Wen Liang anxiously approached her father. Just the idea of a newcomer acting as a target was unprecedented.
“Dad... you’re really going to do this...”
“Baby, do you want He Tianran to be scared for life?”
Her father cut her off with a sharp retort. Looking at the physically slight boy in the ring, Wen Liang took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said no more.
“Clap, clap, bang, clap, clap, bang...”
On the ring, Xue Yong twisted his waist, throwing punches that looked textbook but packed heavy power. Even with the mitts, his blows stung He Tianran’s hands.
“Bang!”
He Tianran was just beginning to read Xue Yong’s punches, watching his mitts closely, when suddenly his gaze shifted and a sharp pain shot through his chin!
“Oops, sorry. Seeing your face made me angry for a moment—I thought you were the target.”
Xue Yong retracted his right hand with a mocking smile.
He Tianran rubbed his chin and looked pleadingly at the coach.
“Remember, when boxing, watch your opponent’s eyes, head, and shoulders. Don’t just focus on yourself or look down!”
Wen’s father ignored the plea and barked the command loudly. The trainees below responded in unison.
Understanding his father’s meaning, He Tianran raised his hands again. Xue Yong’s punches became more restrained. He muttered softly, “Watch out, next time I’m hitting your eye!”
Then, as promised, he pulled back his right hand and threw a sharp jab toward He Tianran’s left eye.
But He Tianran, scared, closed his eyes. Xue Yong sneered, expecting a hit, but the boy tilted his head just in time—the punch grazed his cheek and missed cleanly.
“Open your eyes!”
From below, Wen’s father shouted again. He Tianran blinked open his eyes.
“You’re lucky, kid. Think you can dodge twice?”
Xue Yong clenched his teeth and pressed him with a flurry of punches, cornering him against the ring post—there was nowhere left to retreat.
“Watch his punch trajectory!”
Wen’s father’s voice rang in his ear.
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Before him was Xue Yong’s fist.
He Tianran’s mind was a whirlwind of curses, but this was the moment he focused most intensely. Xue Yong no longer bothered to fake anything; each punch aimed straight for his face. Yet for every strike, He Tianran seemed to have already moved!
He dodged jabs by pulling his head back, bent away from right hooks, slipped to the left from uppercuts—his lower body remained still while his torso and head moved in a smooth, circular motion midair.
Though He Tianran was not fast, Xue Yong couldn’t land a single punch!
This raised the mockery level to maximum!
If only his punches were just a bit faster!
Xue Yong’s anger grew, but the more furious he became, the easier it was for He Tianran to dodge. The relentless onslaught lasted a full five seconds!
Those five seconds were enough to make him the laughingstock among the gym’s trainees!
He couldn't understand how a boxing novice like He Tianran could dodge so well when all he had to do was stand still and take a few punches!
Could it be just because he read the punch trajectories?
Impossible!
The trainees’ initial disdain turned to astonishment. Only Wen Liang’s father seemed able to explain He Tianran’s unusual ability.
This wasn’t coincidence or mere agility.
It was a reaction speed far beyond normal!
He simply anticipated the movements by a fraction of a second—nothing more.
Physical strength and skill can be honed through practice, but reaction speed depends on innate talent.
If He Tianran were to explain, he might be embarrassed. To him, it wasn’t a special gift—just like how in video games, “perfect counters” feel effortless.
Or how completing a game flawlessly once could be a bragging point in real life.
Finally exhausted, Xue Yong slowly withdrew his jab.
He Tianran’s head spun as he lifted it—but that brief lapse allowed a shadow to strike his abdomen. Unable to dodge, pain roiled through his guts, and he collapsed, clutching his stomach in agony.
“Xue Yong! Are you kidding me? Using your leg in a fight?!”
“Sorry, sorry. I got carried away. Are you okay, He Tianran?”
Several trainees rushed to check on him. Xue Yong offered a sincere apology, then bowed and apologized again to Wen’s father.
Wen’s father shook his head and stepped into the ring, feeling He Tianran’s belly.
“Kid, you alright?”
He Tianran shook his head; the pain was temporary and soon subsided. Wen’s father extended a hand to help him up and said,
“Come, let’s go to the lounge. I’ll take a look.”
“Okay...”
Supporting He Tianran, Wen’s father headed toward the lounge. Meanwhile, as they passed Wen Liang, Xue Yong was talking to her. But with his ears ringing, He Tianran couldn’t hear their words or see her expression.
The distance between them grew...
Yet Wen Liang never followed...