Chapter 24: The Honest Child

Not only Griffin but also Li Ang were somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected such a coincidence to occur, encountering a contestant's father just by going to a gym.

"So, what does this have to do with what you were going to say? Don't tell me you're implying that Li is your illegitimate child?"

Blair asked, looking utterly perplexed.

Griffin shook his head helplessly, slowly sipping his iced tea before revealing a look of constipation and continuing:

"You're always so impatient, Blair. Of course, Li is not my son, but he's the idol of my son."

"In fact, the winner of that competition was led to victory by Li."

Griffin's son had come home full of praise for the champion racer, as excited as if he had met his idol.

His son also told him that it was because of Li's presence that the performance of the team that came in third was affected, otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten the second place.

Having seen photos of Li Ang, Griffin was somewhat unsure when he first saw him today, but after witnessing his powerful leg strength, he finally confirmed that this was the Li his son had told him about.

For this reason, he had put down 1,000 US dollars to bet with Li Ang and had also filmed a video of Li Ang.

On one hand, it would cheer up his son, and on the other, Li Ang's challenge video could also be used to promote the gym.

"Let's get acquainted again. My name is Griffin, and I'm also a shareholder of Breakthrough Gym."

Griffin extended his hand to Li Ang with a sincere smile.

With the information he had just received, Li Ang also managed to clarify all the doubts in his heart, no wonder a gym membership card was used for the bet—it turned out he was one of the gym's owners.

As for the one thousand dollars, neither Griffin nor Li Ang were too concerned about it; Li Ang believed that the value of his video would soon exceed one thousand dollars.

However, practicalities aside, he wouldn't forget the kindness that Griffin had shown him.

After finishing their meal, Li Ang generously paid the bill. The price-performance ratio of the Chinese restaurant was quite good, and the three of them hadn't even spent a hundred bucks.

Griffin also promised that the next time Li Ang came over, he could teach him arm wrestling techniques, and the fee would be a photo together.

After parting ways with the two, Li Ang hopped onto his road bike and pedaled toward home.

Midway, Li Ang suddenly recognized a familiar figure.

He sped up and realized upon reaching the bicycle that it was Charles.

"Hey, Charles, did you just finish your shift at the convenience store?"

"Yes, Li."

Charles's voice was low, and even while responding, he didn't look at Li Ang.

Li Ang took a closer look and noticed several bruises on Charles's face and arms.

"What happened to the bruises? Did you run into some trouble?"

If it were someone else, Charles might have been too embarrassed to speak up because of his frail self-esteem.

But Li Ang was different. The two of them had been bullied at school before, and Li Ang had been bullied even more times than him.

"This morning while I was working part-time at the convenience store, I ran into Myer, Barber, and some others. They invited me to join them at the boxing gym to practice, and if I refused, they planned to steal items from the store and make me bear the loss..."

Charles's tone was as aggrieved as that of a 200-pound child—which was indeed close to his weight.

"You know, the police wouldn't care about the little stuff they took, but the boss, once he finds out, will definitely penalize me, and might not let me work part-time there anymore."

After listening, Li Ang was silent for a few breaths. As much as he wanted to chastise him for his weakness, he remembered that Charles was truly an honest kid, and it wasn't his fault.

Besides, he himself had been even more of a pushover in the past; this kind of thing was routine.

He could only blame it on those people for being so despicable.

Li Ang didn't know that, actually, these guys had initially targeted him, but Charles hadn't revealed any information about him.

It's normal that Charles couldn't beat several of them, as there are three essential elements to fighting.

The first is courage, the second is strength, and the third is skill.

Clearly, Charles was quite lacking in both the first and the third aspects.

Li Ang pondered for a moment before speaking up,

"Are you really short of money now?"

In his memory, Charles's family's financial situation wasn't great, but it was average; there was absolutely no need for him to take a part-time job over the summer.

"I'm saving up to buy a game console, and I'm still short three hundred bucks."

Charles's voice was even quieter than before.

Li Ang felt somewhat helpless, but this made things easier. He continued,

"I can cover those three hundred for you, but can you promise me one thing?"

Originally, he had planned to treat him to a good meal with the prize money from his competition, but now it seemed a game console would be much more to his liking.

"Really? But where would you get the money? Never mind, I can save up slowly."

Charles's spirits soared upon hearing this, but then he remembered that Li Ang's situation was clearly more difficult than his own.

"Remember that biking competition I've been preparing for recently? I won the championship and got a substantial amount of prize money. Three hundred bucks is nothing to me."

Clearly, after hearing this explanation, Charles began to be tempted again.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he cautiously said,

"Okay, I agree, what do you need me to do for you?"

Li Ang felt somewhat moved, thinking how honest this kid was for agreeing without even asking what it was about.

"Follow me and learn Chinese Kung Fu, then you will be able to protect yourself."

Li Ang believed that training with him was beneficial regardless of whether Charles actually learned anything; at the least, it would be good physical exercise, which was far better than wasting his youth working part-time in a convenience store.

"You know Chinese Kung Fu? Is that stuff really useful if you learn it?"

Charles sounded half convinced and half doubt, especially since Li Ang had been bullied on the last day before vacation.

"Recently, I met a very impressive Kung Fu master. As for whether it's effective or not, I'll give you a demonstration in a bit and you'll see."

With Li Ang's reassurance, Charles's mood gradually improved.

After putting away their things, the two of them went to Charles's backyard.

"This will do."

Li Ang pointed to a plot of land covered in fine sand, which used to be their playground, though it hadn't been visited much as they grew older.

Charles didn't know why, but whatever Li Ang said, he just went along with it.

"Now, try to knock me down."

Li Ang stood opposite Charles and gestured to him with his hand.

"Huh?"

"It's like fighting, do you understand fighting? Don't worry about hurting me, just go all out."

To be honest, although Li Ang sounded confident, he was still a bit apprehensive on the inside.

His physical condition was actually quite good, and his [Tongbei Fist] had even achieved a level of mastery, but after all, he hadn't had a real fight yet.