Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups
Chapter 461 - 278_2

Chapter 461: Chapter 278_2

"Who is this..."

"A former club member."

Fang Cheng said casually, his tone natural, as if he was just introducing an ordinary acquaintance.

Xu Hao, seeing this, gave Zhou Xiumei a friendly nod, as a way of greeting, and then immediately bid farewell to Fang Cheng:

"I won’t bother you, let’s chat another day."

After saying this, he turned and left swiftly, his steps relaxed as he blended into the mall crowd,

as if the encounter just now was a mere happenstance and no strange words had been spoken.

Fang Cheng retracted his gaze and turned to look at Zhou Xiumei beside him:

"Let’s go, time to eat."

Zhou Xiumei blinked her pretty big eyes, vaguely sensing that there seemed to be a subtle nuance in the atmosphere between Fang Cheng and that Huang Mao youth just now.

But seeing that Fang Cheng had no intention of elaborating, she wisely did not press further.

She then lifted a bright smile, handing one of the milk teas to Fang Cheng:

"Here, got this for you, half sugar, no ice, your favorite flavor."

Fang Cheng reached out to take it, the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "Thanks."

Then he naturally changed the subject, looking towards the elevator that led upstairs:

"Hungry? It’s getting late, let’s go up and see what we want to eat."

As soon as food was mentioned, Zhou Xiumei’s attention indeed immediately shifted, her eyes lighting up:

"Sure, I saw an ad on my way here. I heard there’s a highly rated buffet on the third floor, and even my classmates recommended it! Shall we give it a try?"

"Okay, we’ll go with your suggestion."

Fang Cheng nodded with a smile, his tone relaxed and cheerful.

As they talked, they walked side by side to the escalator that slowly rose, their figures blending into the bustling atmosphere of the mall at midday.

..................

After lunch, Zhou Xiumei went back to her classes, focusing on her vocal studies.

Fang Cheng carried a bag, put on a baseball cap, left the club, and hailed a taxi outside the shopping center heading for Guilan District.

The urban scenery outside the car window flashed by quickly, as sunlight filtered through the glass, casting a faint golden glow.

Looking at the flashing glass curtain walls, Fang Cheng leaned back against the seat, lightly tapping his fingers on the window frame, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if pondering something important.

A moment later, as if he’d made up his mind, he took out his phone from his bag and dialed the number etched in his memory.

The call connected, and a surprised voice came from the receiver:

"Hello, boss!"

Fang Cheng asked:

"Old Xu, how are you doing now?"

"I’m on vacation with my family in Tian Nan Province. The weather here is nice, the scenery is nice, much more comfortable than East Capital."

A warm voice came from the other end, it was Xu Sanduo, who had gone into hiding because of the trouble caused by the Golden Benba Bottle.

After a few pleasantries, Fang Cheng’s voice gradually became serious:

"I have something I need you to look into."

"No problem!"

Xu Sanduo immediately understood, his tone becoming solemn with respect:

"Even though I’m not in East Capital, my brothers are still there. Whatever you need checked, boss, just say the word, and I’ll ensure the task is completed."

Fang Cheng then softly instructed a few things.

The sound of a pen scratching paper came from the other end, seemingly diligently recording.

A few minutes later, Fang Cheng put down the phone, his expression slightly more relaxed.

Unnoticed, the car had already driven onto the coastal highway.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty aroma, blew in through the half-open car window, the distant sea surface shimmering as a few seagulls circled low.

When the familiar high-rise residential buildings came into view, Fang Cheng snapped back to attention and quickly said:

"Driver, stop at the north gate of Sea Sky Garden ahead."

As he got out of the car, the sunlight was slightly harsh.

Fang Cheng stood at the entrance of the residential complex, looking at the newly planted ginkgo saplings. Then, he slung the bag over his shoulder and walked in.

Afternoon.

The buzz of power drills echoed in the empty room.

Renovation workers were busy drilling holes in the walls, installing various pipes and training facilities.

Fine cement dust fell, forming a hazy cloud in the sunlight.

Fang Cheng held his breath, standing in the under-construction house, carefully inspecting the renovation progress.

The kitchen’s tiles and cabinets are done, and the bathroom’s waterproofing is mostly completed.

He squatted down to check the floor’s levelness and tried to fill the newly installed bathtub with water.

After standing up, he focused on examining the structure of the living room, which serves as the training ground.

"These two support beams must be solid enough."

Fang Cheng pointed at the ceiling, instructing the renovation workers, his voice particularly loud amid the construction noise.

"The iron frame below is for hanging sandbags. The load-bearing capacity needs to be strengthened further. Money isn’t a problem; safety and reliability are the most important."

After all, the sandbags he used for boxing were extraordinarily heavy. Ordinary ceilings and hangers could not withstand the demands of long-term training.

"Sure, no problem."

The lead worker nodded and noted down the instructions, then took a moment to explain a few things to Fang Cheng.

For dynamic loads like hanging sandbags, adding support beams can directly distribute the force, which is a traditionally effective reinforcement method.

If you also add a steel structure hanger with a fixed steel plate, it can fully withstand an oversized sandbag weighing 500KG.

Fang Cheng nodded at this.

The reason he chose this renovation company was because they had experience renovating for boxing clubs.

The lead worker was not surprised; he had seen many enthusiastic kung fu fans in his career transform their homes into boxing gyms.

The two continued to discuss several details, including soundproofing measures and safety protection.

Until the sun set and the renovation workers packed up their tools and left, only Fang Cheng remained alone in the house.

The orange-red light slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows without curtains, casting long shadows on the rough cement floor.

Time moved with the sunlight, and the sky gradually darkened.

The lights of the distant buildings lit up one by one, like scattered stars.

Buzz—Buzz—

In the darkness, accompanied by vibration, a dull ringtone sounded.

Fang Cheng took out his phone from his bag and saw the number displayed.

His eyes flickered slightly, then he pressed the answer button.

"Hello."

Fang Cheng’s voice echoed with a hint of reverberation in the empty unfinished house.

"Boss, there’s some progress on the thing you asked me to investigate."

Xu Sanduo’s deliberately lowered voice came from the other end of the phone.

Fang Cheng walked to the window and instructed in a deep voice:

"Speak."

"Things aren’t peaceful lately in the underworld, a lot has happened, mainly regarding that batch of antiques from West Mountain."

Xu Sanduo’s voice carried a hint of caution as he roughly recounted some of the conflicts and disputes among various factions that he had learned about.

Then he focused on what Fang Cheng had instructed, which was to pay particular attention to the Lu Family and Red Tiger Gang.

"Over at the Lu Family, just the day before yesterday, they got a new family head. The one who rose to power is called Lu Yongquan, he’s quite young but very capable and deep-minded."

"It’s said that he’s the illegitimate son of the previous family head, Lu Shirong, and hasn’t been looked upon favorably in the Lu Family. His rise to power this time must have been complicated, and it involved some conflicts, the specifics of which are hard for outsiders to uncover."

"However, it’s confirmed that several senior executives at Jinlu Group, as well as heads of a few branch companies, have been rapidly replaced. From this, it’s clear that the Lu Family is now unstable and undergoing a significant reshuffle."

"As for the Red Tiger Gang... they’ve been unusually low-key recently, almost with no major moves, which is entirely different from their previously arrogant demeanor."

"Brothers in the underworld suspect that something might have happened to their Gang Leader, or they might be planning something big. But no confirmed information has come through yet."

Fang Cheng listened silently, letting out a faint "hm" through his nose, neither approving nor disapproving.

Xu Sanduo seemed to sense some dissatisfaction from this simple response and quickly assured him confidently:

"Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll have people keep a close eye on both sides. Any movement, and I’ll report to you immediately!"

After making the guarantee, he shifted to the second main point:

"Regarding Xu Hao, whom you specifically asked me to watch, I’ve dug up some background on him."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng’s spirit perked up slightly:

"Keep talking."

"This Xu Hao, his background is indeed not clean."

Xu Sanduo began to detail:

"His parents divorced when he was young, and the family ties were pretty bad. He grew up as a trouble-making delinquent, always fighting and brawling. He dropped out in his teens to join the underworld, initially joining a gang called ’Black Eagle Gang’ on the west side of the city, but never made it big there, just a low-level player."

"Last June, the territory of Black Eagle Gang was targeted by the Red Tiger Gang and eventually taken over. Most of the gang members were absorbed, except for this Xu Hao..."

Xu Sanduo paused here, seemingly organizing his words.

"What happened?"

Fang Cheng pressed further.

"He disappeared."