From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

The air quieted slightly. Though Matt's noticeably heavy and rapid breathing could still be heard, this time, Matt persevered.

Everything was indeed too quiet. The trivial sounds of the street could be clearly heard, to the point of creating the illusion that the room was empty.

“...They wouldn't have left already, would they?”

“Probably. It's not the first time anyway. It's always the same. They come over excitedly to join in the fun, but can't even last five minutes. One or two curse and turn to leave, then smear the reputation of the martial arts gym.”

“It's not all the same. That handsome guy persevered, didn't he? Two months, not easy.”

“Handsome guy? Who are you talking about? How come I don't know there's a handsome guy in the gym?”

The chattering conversation echoed in the hallway, not particularly trying to lower their voices. The quietly flowing air in the space gave them a false sense of security.

However, Matt looked at Anson with a bewildered expression. Hesitating to speak, he finally lowered his voice and mouthed, “What kind of elven language is that?”

In New York's Chinatown, the first wave of people who came here to make a living were mainly residents of the Pearl River Delta. Over time, Cantonese became completely unhindered here. Later, immigrants from the Min and Zhejiang areas joined one after another. Hakka and Minnan dialects also filled the streets and alleys, but dialects were still dominant.

To the point that for a long time, the United States always thought that “Cantonese” was “Chinese”. This can be seen from movies and TV series. Hollywood has always maintained this mistaken understanding, until the internet opened up the world, and the flow of information became more and more frequent and popular, only then did they slowly correct it.

However, the language being spoken right now was Chinese, not Cantonese but Chinese, Mandarin with a slight accent.

This also meant that only a handful of people could understand it, no wonder Chen Sheng and Wu Xi were so unscrupulous.

For the past two months, it had been like this. They even whispered gossip in front of Anson, covering it up with smiles, thinking they were deceiving everyone.

“Hoo hoo hoo, someone's jealous.”

“Scram! Who's jealous? He's not a handsome guy at all.”

“Senior brother, in the past three weeks, the number of women who have been using excuses to wander around our martial arts gym has obviously increased. Today they drop a needle, tomorrow they borrow a thread, one after another, all to steal glances at that handsome guy. Even just standing there is pleasing to the eye. You don't think they're here for you, you old roughneck, do you?”

“...Shut up if you don't know how to talk.”

“Just admit it, jealousy is jealousy, what's so embarrassing about being jealous. Honestly, looking like that is indeed worth being jealous of.”

“You're the one who's jealous, your whole family is jealous. He's just a pretty face, not even worthy of carrying my shoes. Such a pretty face has nothing but looks, they really don't know how to appreciate things. A handsome guy should be like me, paying attention to temperament, understand? Temperament!”

“Got it, I got it, 'Rural bumpkin' temperament, right?”

“...Damn it.”

The words stopped there.

Unsure if it was a trick of the hearing, the sound of fists hitting flesh came from the air, a series of tugs and muffled groans, and then two figures entangled and chased each other onto the stage.

An emergency stop.

Wu Xi stood at the door of the room and was stunned, staring wide-eyed, looking at Anson and Matt with a look of astonishment, and then, a beat later, noticed Nick standing in the corner.

Everyone was there, not one missing.

Wu Xi felt like his jaw might have dislocated.

A beat later, Chen Sheng also appeared, raising his fist high, ready to teach that guy a good lesson, but the next second he saw the surprised faces in the room.

Brakes, control, retract fist.

It was obvious that Chen Sheng was much more experienced, immediately returning to his original state, as if nothing had happened, revealing a polite smile again.

At the same time, switching from Mandarin mode to English mode, as amiable as a begging monk.

“Basic training, has already started, eh.”

A beat later, Wu Xi also realized that they had just been speaking Chinese, and these foreigners couldn't understand it anyway, so there was really no need to scare himself.

The heart that had been hanging high slowly returned to his chest, regaining his composure, stepping into the classroom, maintaining a serious expression, his eyes flashing with a gossipy look.

Chen Sheng sauntered closer, coming to Matt's side.

Although he had a smile on his face, his eyes were focused, coming to Matt's side, carefully examining him, the serious and earnest expression making the air unconsciously tense.

Matt was practicing the horse stance, unsure if he should greet him. Continuing like this seemed impolite, but he had just learned a lesson. Talking while practicing the horse stance might directly cause him to fall, so what should he do now?

Matt looked at Anson, asking with his eyes.

Anson gave him a look, signaling him to continue squatting.

Matt breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't expect a force to come from the position of the spine directly behind his waist. Matt reflexively straightened his upper body, his abdomen suddenly tightening, and Chen Sheng's voice came from his ear, “Tuck in your stomach! Straighten your back!”

Each time he said a word, the corresponding part of Matt's body was hit, and it was a real hit, burning with pain.

Back, waist, shoulders, thighs, even the buttocks.

Matt felt like he was a puppet, completely at his mercy. After adjusting his posture, after only five seconds, his muscles could feel little mice drilling holes, that tingling sensation.

“Don't relax!” Matt tried to take a breath, but his back was hit again.

Chen Sheng said in a deep voice, “Try to keep your breathing steady, don't exhale deeply, and don't inhale deeply. Steady! Otherwise, you won't last thirty seconds before you'll be sitting on the ground sucking dust.”

Looking at Matt's cheeks bulging little by little, as if he was practicing toad kung fu, that appearance was really funny.

Originally normal and steady breathing, after such a commotion, Matt didn't know what to do, that flustered look really made people want to laugh.

Matt cast a look of help towards Anson.

As a result, before Anson could respond, Chen Sheng noticed Matt's gaze, took a step forward and kicked Anson's calf.

“Focus!”

Anson, held on.

Chen Sheng was a little surprised. If his basic skills weren't solid, this sudden attack would probably have made him fall, but he didn't expect Anson to withstand it.

Anson glanced at Chen Sheng, and could immediately see that Chen Sheng was trying to put on an authoritative posture to cover up the guilty conscience exposed by the conversation outside just now.

Even if Chen Sheng and Wu Xi believed that they couldn't understand Chinese, the embarrassment of being discovered talking bad about others behind their backs still made their minds uneasy.

Anson was a good person, a good kid. He felt that he had the responsibility and the obligation to comfort Chen Sheng and calm his chaotic emotions.

So, Anson looked at Chen Sheng, before Chen Sheng could continue to find fault, he showed a smile, his face full of sincerity, and said in perfect Mandarin.

“I don't think I'm handsome either. Matt isn't either. Sincerely.”

Chen Sheng: ...

The air, was silent.

Then.

Burp.

Then came the sound of Wu Xi hiccuping in fright, breaking the silence, but the ripples quickly calmed down, and it fell into a dead silence again.