A Substitute Bride With Multiple Identities
Chapter 38: Young Madam, the Young Master Has Gone to Drink

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Young Madam, the Young Master Has Gone to Drink

The other burly men also laughed and spoke up, "Yeah, being a sparring partner isn’t that easy, miss. Maybe you should consider a different part-time job."

Not only did sparring partners at the gym have to train with clients, but they occasionally had to act as human punching bags. Although the pay was high, injuries were common.

Moreover, given the young lady’s appearance, there might be some clients with ulterior motives who would use the guise of training to do something shady.

"Thanks for the advice, but there’s no need, I’ll take this job," said Shen Yanhe with a smile, warming up her wrists. "If you need to assess me, we can do it right now."

The several burly men looked at each other.

"Girl, are you serious?"

Shen Yanhe nodded, "Serious."

Ji Qian originally wanted to persuade Shen Yanhe more, but seeing her determination, he decided to respect her choice and helplessly smiled at the men, "Uncle An, please go easy on her."

Uncle An nodded heartily, "I know, just a touch is enough. Well then, I’ll spar with this young lady. Let’s go to the ring."

The group moved to a different location.

They arrived at a private room with a boxing ring set up and walls made of transparent glass.

On the boxing ring.

Uncle An and Shen Yanhe stood face to face, while Ji Qian and a few other sparring partners from the Sandbag Gym gathered below.

Uncle An warmed up his wrists and looked at Shen Yanhe seriously, "Here I go, I won’t hurt you, don’t worry."

Shen Yanhe smiled, her expression exceptionally calm, "Come on."

As her words fell, Uncle An moved, throwing a punch as heavy as a casserole straight at Shen Yanhe’s face.

Ji Qian’s pupils shrank, his heart leapt to his throat, and his palms sweated with tension.

Just then, Shen Yanhe made her move. She dodged to the side with extraordinary speed, avoiding Uncle An’s punch. As he looked on in surprise, her slender, fair fingers clenched into a fist and, without a moment’s hesitation, she struck at Uncle An’s abdomen.

With a muffled "thud," the sharp pain in his abdomen caused Uncle An to stagger and kneel on the ground, struggling to recover.

"!!!"

The sparring partners who were initially laughing below were now staring wide-eyed, unbelieving of what they were seeing on the stage.

Ji Qian’s heart settled back down into his chest.

Shen Yanhe’s eyes curved like a cat’s, "Thanks for going easy on me."

"Holy crap, looks can be deceiving, huh?" The onlookers couldn’t help but ridicule.

Uncle An grimaced, massaging his sore abdomen, and looked at Shen Yanhe with a complex expression, "I didn’t expect it, you’re quite the dark horse."

The speed of her dodge and the power of her punch were not something an untrained girl could manage.

Shen Yanhe’s smile curved at the edge of her lips, "Not bad. Does anyone else want to come up and assess me?"

The burly men standing below the ring collectively stepped back.

What a joke.

Just one punch had put Uncle An on his knees, unable to stand.

Why would they go up and spar with her? It would be utterly humiliating.

"How shameful," said Uncle An, shaking his head in amusement at his colleagues, "Forget it, forget it, you’ve passed the assessment. Whenever you’re free, you can come here and work as a part-time sparring partner. If someone picks you, you’ll make 600 yuan for an hour of sparring."

On hearing the amount of 600 yuan, the smile on Shen Yanhe’s face grew even wider, and she nodded obediently, "Okay, thank you, Uncle An."

Ji Qian watched Shen Yanhe with burning eyes and asked with a smile, "Then Yanhe, can you be my sparring partner today?"

These wealthy second-generation kids needed to learn how to defend themselves from a young age, so Ji Qian often came to this gym to practice boxing, receiving self-defense training from Uncle An.

He hadn’t done his practice fight for the day and needed a sparring partner.

Of course, he had his own ulterior motives.

He wanted to get closer to Shen Yanhe, to spend more time with her.

Shen Yanhe didn’t expect to get to work immediately after getting the job; she nodded cheerfully, "Sure!"

Uncle An, having been through similar experiences, knew exactly what Ji Qian was plotting. He winked and squeezed his eyebrows knowingly, then made his way towards the exit, "Well, this boxing ring is all yours now. It’s getting late and I expect more guests to arrive soon, so I’ll go out and attend to them."

Ji Qian smiled, "Thanks, Uncle An."

Only when everyone had left did Ji Qian hop onto the boxing ring to seek advice from Shen Yanhe, "Yanhe, if a thug were to hold you from behind, how would you break free from his grasp?"

Shen Yanhe pondered for a moment, stepped forward with her back to Ji Qian, "Come, control me from behind. I’ll demonstrate first and then explain to you."

Ji Qian was stunned for a moment, and his fair face instantly flushed with a hint of redness, his heartbeat pounding furiously as if it would leap out of his chest.

His response came out nervously, and he hesitated before wrapping his arms around Shen Yanhe’s slender and graceful neck from behind—which, from the back, looked as though he was holding Shen Yanhe in an embrace.

At the moment Ji Qian wrapped his arms around Shen Yanhe’s neck, a girl dressed in sportswear passed by the boxing ring. She was startled to see the two "embracing" each other on the ring. Looking uncertainly at Shen Yanhe’s face, she muttered, "Eh? Isn’t that the woman who stole Shen Yingying’s fiancé, her cousin?"

"What is she doing here, being so intimate with the Ji Family’s young master?"

Lin Chuxian was Shen Yingying’s close friend, and just last night Shen Yingying had cried to her about her cousin stealing her fiancé and marrying the eldest young master of the Fu Family, Fu Yanhe. It infuriated her immensely.

She had been worried last night about not having the opportunity to teach Shen Yanhe a lesson.

And now, she had unexpectedly run right into her.

Excitedly and agitated, Lin Chuxian pulled out her phone from her pocket and stealthily snapped a photo of the boxing ring before quietly slipping away.

Humph, still so restless even after getting married. Once she sent this photo to the Fu Family, she’d let them see for themselves the true colors of Shen Yanhe, that harlot.

That would also make the Fu Family regret not choosing Yingying but instead picking troublemaker Shen Yanhe.

Shen Yanhe, sharp as ever, sensed someone watching her. She turned her head towards the outside but only saw a white figure disappearing amongst the crowd, nobody stopping to watch.

Ji Qian asked puzzledly, "What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing; I must have been mistaken," Shen Yanhe shook her head, "Let’s continue. If a thug grabs you from behind, you do this..."

Two hours later.

Ji Qian lay on the ground in pain, his fair face flushed, sweat pouring from his forehead. He raised his hand to surrender, gasping, "No more, no more."

Shen Yanhe sat beside him. Despite exercising vigorously for two hours, her face was only slightly flushed, and she didn’t sweat at all. She tilted her head slightly, her cat-like eyes playful, "Ji Qian, you’re not very good at this."

Ji Qian, who had been thrown over the shoulder countless times: "..."

He couldn’t help but laugh, his smile tinged with indulgence, "Yes, yes, I’m no match for you."

As he spoke, the tightly closed door of the boxing ring was pushed open from the outside.

Both Shen Yanhe and Ji Qian looked up to see Song Shiwei accompanied by a tall and slender young man in a black shirt, with handsome features and a bruise on his face, walking in.

Ji Qian showed a look of surprise upon seeing the two, "Shiwei, Shifei, what brings you two here together?"

He knew both Song Shiwei and Shifei and was aware that Song Shiwei had been fervently pursuing Qi Yunqian until two years ago, after which he hadn’t seen her.

He hadn’t expected her to come to the gym with Shifei.

Shen Yanhe’s gaze fell on Song Shiwei, frowning as she got up swiftly from the boxing ring and approached Song Shiwei directly, "What happened? Did someone cause you trouble?" she asked, noting the dust on her clothes.

"It’s nothing, just some thugs. Shifei helped me drive them away," Song Shiwei replied with a smile, gripping Shen Yanhe’s hand and briefly shared the encounter at the gym.

Turns out, she had the driver drop her off near the gym, intending to walk the short distance for some fresh air, when she came across some thugs blocking her way.

Before she could act, Shifei had suddenly appeared and chased the thugs away.

Shifei, with one hand in his pocket, nodded coolly at Ji Qian and Shen Yanhe without saying anything. His gaze on Song Shiwei was subtly tender.

Shen Yanhe teased Song Shiwei with a glance, and Song Shiwei pursed her lips, avoiding her gaze.

"No, something’s not right. You just got out, hadn’t provoked anyone, why would those thugs bother you for no reason?" Shen Yanhe’s brows knitted tightly, sensing something was amiss.

"Those thugs might have been instructed by someone. I’ve already sent people to investigate," Shifei responded crisply.

Song Shiwei’s face tensed slightly, "You don’t have to, I can investigate on my own."

Shifei didn’t comment, simply staring intently at Song Shiwei, who ignored him and turned to Shen Yanhe to ask, "He Miao, can you join me for a drink tonight?"

Right as Shen Yanhe was about to agree, her phone in her pocket pinged with a notification. She pulled it out to see a message from Wu Fang.

[Madam, the young master has gone to Hao Sheng Bar for drinks.]