We Meet Again

She picked up the peeled crab and shoved it at him; he stared at it and took it from her before he sent it to his mouth.

"I won't go watch it; remember, I signed the contract to not be friends with your friends."

"Who told you he was my friend?" He frowned at her.

"I just heard it around," she said, unable to expose Mr. Li.

Then he took his phone and dialed a number; it soon got connected. "Get me a VIP ticket for that bastard's game," he ordered, and Grace signaled two with her fingers.

"Two VIP tickets," he corrected before he hung up.

"Are you really with me because of the money?" he asked, and she chuckled. 

"To be honest, it's all about the money," she said excitedly before she kept peeling the crabs and gave him to eat.

Raymond stared at her excited face, and he wondered, "Is she excited because I got her the ticket or because she will be seeing that bastard?"

"Did you attend the same school with Ancaan?"

"Hm, then he used a pencil and stabbed me in the back." Raymond snorted, and she stared at him, confused. "Did he really do that?"

"Next time, don't dare lie about the street lights," he warned, and she nodded. Then he stood up and picked up his phone, ready to leave, but she quickly blocked him.

"Uhm, Mr. Xu, do you live far from here?"

"What do you want?" he sighed.

"Will you also go watch the game?"

He patted her head and said, "Thanks for the crabs," then walked past her and left.

"Why is he always in a rush to leave?" She felt bad.

Then she picked up her phone and called Steph, "Hm?"

"I got two VIP tickets for Ancaan's boxing game, but I don't know who to invite," she teased, and Steph screamed so loudly that she had to take the phone away from her ear.

"You don't need to ask; of course I will take a picture with him and send it to you."

"What? Why will you send me a picture? I will be there as well," Steph asked, confused.

"I have just two tickets, and I plan on going with my best friend."

"Grace, don't forget how I wrote your name on the sports attendance because you didn't show up; you promised to pay back the favor." 

Grace burst out in laughter. "Okay, fine, we will go together."

"You were pulling my leg, right? I am the only best friend you have."

"No, there is Ken."

"You know Ken doesn't like boxing."

They talked for a while before she went to bed.

*

The next morning, Mr. Li dropped Grace off at school, and Ken was waiting for her. She smiled at him. "Grace," he called, and she nodded.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"The rumors aren't true, right?" he asked, and she raised a brow, confused.

"What rumors?"

"You didn't get involved with a married man, right? Even if you did, it's not too late to stop. I understand why you did that. But the man will dump you when he has had enough."

He blurted in a worried tone, "What are you saying?" Steph, who heard the conversation, walked to him.

When she saw that Grace was living a good life, the first thought that came to mind was that she had sold one of her organs. She could never imagine that Grace would get entangled with some married man.

So why was Ken thinking that way?

"Steph, you are promoting her. Yesterday you made a post on Weibo about attending Ancaan's game as a VIP, and I knew at once that Grace got that, so instead of leading her in the right direction, why are you encouraging her?"

Steph pushed him angrily. "What did you say about me?"

Grace held her and frowned at Ken. "You already assumed, and you think you can lecture me?"

"Listen to me; I understand that you are all excited about the fancy lifestyle, but what about your image?"

"Are you crazy?" Steph questioned, and Grace held her. Steph was a crazy person and could jump on Ken like an angry dog.

"Grace…"

"Shut up; never mention my name. Join the line of people judging me," she scoffed and left with Steph.

"What has gotten into Ken? Did he just say I am encouraging you? Of course I will encourage you. Isn't your present life better than the past?"

"Calm down; he was just worried." Grace tried to reason with Steph even though she was upset herself.

"I put a lot of effort on my face today; I won't ruin it. Once Ancaan catches a glimpse of me, then he will forget about other girls," said Steph, and this caused Grace to burst out in laughter.

Ken stared at them as tears formed in his eyes. "I will get you back on track, Grace," he swore to himself.

-

After school, Grace and Steph planned to meet at the venue at 17:00 while she went home to freshen up.

She was all freshened up and sat on the dining table, creating a poster with Ancaan's name.

"Hello," Seb said, standing before her. He had been standing there for a while, but she was too busy carving Ancaan's name.

"Oh, it's you," she smiled at him but continued.

"Are you going to hold a poster while screaming, Ancaan?"

She chuckled and nodded. That was their way of supporting him. 

"How did that fool get a lot of female fans? I look better than him." 

Grace stared at him, and he smiled at her. "What do you think?"

She looked at him with amusement and said, "Oh, Seb, it's not just about looks. It takes more than a pretty face to win hearts. Maybe you should work on your muscles, smile, and then we can talk about your fan club."

He pouted, "If I were in a boxing ring with Ancaan, then I would beat him up."

Grace stood up and rolled her poster. "I need to go now."

"I am taking you."

"Huh?"

Wasn't she going with Mr. Li? She thought, "Let's go." He walked out, and she followed. They both got into the car, and he drove out in silence.

Minutes later, they arrived at the venue, and it was so crowded, just as expected. Grace walked down while scanning around for Steph.

"Let's go in," Seb said, but she shook her head in denial. "I can't find Steph; let's look around, okay?"

He nodded, and his gaze met with her. "That's her."

Steph hurried to them; she also held a poster. "I made the most eye-catching poster," she giggled.

"Can we go in now?" Seb asked, and Steph rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, Mr. Adult."

Then she clung to Grace's arm as they walked to the entrance. They were about to get in line when Seb pulled them.

"Are you really going to stand in line?" He scoffed, and the guard at the entrance spotted them.

"Let's go in." They walked past everyone in the line, and Nora was shocked to see them.

Steph stuck her tongue out at her "loser," she muttered as they got inside.

"That was Grace and Steph; they just got in so easily." One of Nora's friends whispered in disbelief, "Let her be; at least we still have our dignity and virginity."

-

The hall was filled with mostly girls screaming, "Ancaan, Ancaan." 

Grace and Steph sat on the first row. There was a vacant seat next to Grace, and she was about to put her poster there when a lady sat there.

Her heart skipped a little when she saw the lady. Yoyo smiled at her before she focused on the boxing ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for an epic showdown tonight! In the blue corner, representing the heart of the city, with a record-breaking knockout streak and a heart of gold, we have the formidable challenger,The Titan."

As the spotlight illuminated the blue corner, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Thunderous chants of "Titan! Titan!" echoed through the arena.

Ancaan's fans didn't keep quiet. "Boo boo," they kept chanting before the announcer continued.

"And in the red corner, hailing from the gritty streets of Brooklyn, known for his lightning-fast jabs and unbeatable spirit, we have the one and only..."

Fans: Ancaan!! Ancaan!!

Ancaan walked to the boxing ring. He had coffee brown hair with very thick eyebrows, and his smile was like a tickle in the girls hearts.

"Hello China," he said, and the fans, including Grace and Steph, stood up while showing their posters.

"Ancaan!! Ancaan!!"

The fight started and it was tense because Titan wasn't an ordinary boxer; he was supposed to represent China this year, but with Ancaan back in the country, they had to fight for who would represent the country.

After what seemed like forever, Ancaan came out victorious as his fans went crazy.

He smiled, and his gaze moved to the VVIP door, where he saw a longtime friend standing there. Raymond stared at him.

He fell on his knees and bowed his head; his face was filled with guilt. "After so many years, we meet again," Ancaan thought, and everyone was shocked by his sudden reaction.

"Welcome back bastard" Raymond thought as he clenched his fist.