After Punching Her Way Through The Entertainment Industry [Ancient-to-Modern] - Chapter 9

Meng Shi felt that she might be facing the most severe challenge since arriving in this world.

She already thought the short shirts and thin trousers people wore here were rather revealing, yet Xiang Xiaoyan had brought her a pair of athletic shorts and a sports bra…

Hmm…

“Do I… really have to wear this…?”

Meng Shi was extremely unwilling. She touched the pitifully small amount of fabric.

How was this any different from wrapping herself in nothing but a scrap of cloth for modesty?!

Seeing her conflicted expression, Xiang Xiaoyan nearly burst out laughing.

What era was this? How could this child still be so conservative?

“Look, Yuan Xiaobai is wearing the same thing. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Uh… all right…”

Meng Shi steeled herself.

Forget it. If she had to wear it, then she would wear it!

After chasing Xiang Xiaoyan out of the changing room, Meng Shi gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and changed into the sports bra and shorts.

Huh?

The material was soft, fitted closely against her body, and was actually rather comfortable.

Fortunately, there was also a small robe she could use to cover herself.

Hmm.

It was acceptable.

Standing before the mirror, Meng Shi carefully gathered her long hair. With clumsy hands, she tied it into a relatively high ponytail so it would not get in the way.

The moment she walked out of the changing room, she clearly felt four pairs of eyes staring at her.

“Holy crap! She’s got curves!”

Yuan Xiaosong and Wang Yang, the two men, unconsciously fixed their gazes on Meng Shi’s chest.

“Holy crap! Her collarbones, abs, and those lines!”

Xiang Xiaoyan and Yuan Xiaobai stared intently at Meng Shi’s firm abdomen. The faintly defined lines made their eyes go wide.

Meng Shi was not particularly fair-skinned. Her complexion had a slight wheat-colored tone.

She was also the type who looked slender when dressed but had plenty of muscle beneath her clothes.

Without the loose T-shirt covering her, her gradually maturing figure was extremely alluring.

Her build was almost perfect, with hardly any unnecessary fat anywhere on her body.

Xiang Xiaoyan nearly stopped breathing and swallowed twice.

“Does it… look strange?”

Being dressed so revealingly while everyone stared and examined her made Meng Shi feel embarrassed.

She tugged at the robe around her shoulders to cover her upper body.

“No, no, no, no, no!”

All four answered in unison, shaking their heads and waving their hands.

【Yan Qing: Holy crap! I haven’t even seen my little girl’s body yet! Aaaaaaaaaah!】

Seeing Meng Shi look slightly embarrassed, shy, and awkward, a restless little flame suddenly ignited inside Xiang Xiaoyan’s heart!

【Yan Qing: Put it out! Put it out right now! I want to see too! Let me see! Aaaaaaaaaah!】

“Uh… so… what am I supposed to do next?”

They could not possibly keep staring at her forever.

She was not a monkey…

“Sister Xiaoyan, let her learn how to be a sparring partner from me first,” Yuan Xiaobai suggested.

However, Xiang Xiaoyan ignored her completely.

“Coach Wang, you take her first. Teach her some fundamental punches and the basic rules.”

【Xiang Xiaoyan: Use such a perfect body as a sparring partner? Wouldn’t my heart break if she got injured?】

【Yuan Xiaobai: ??? Is the difference between people really this enormous?】

Naturally, Wang Yang was delighted.

Meng Shi cupped her fist respectfully toward him.

“Coach Wang, I’ll have to trouble you.”

“No, no. I’m not worthy. Not worthy at all.”

Wang Yang touched the bruise around his right eye.

He truly did not dare consider himself worthy.

Throughout the afternoon, Wang Yang taught her fundamental techniques such as straight punches and hooks, evasive footwork, and the basic rules of boxing.

Meng Shi listened attentively and studied carefully.

She already possessed a strong foundation and extraordinary martial arts talent. In many cases, she understood what Wang Yang meant before he had even finished explaining it.

However, Meng Shi did not dare become arrogant.

She understood that boxing followed the same principles as the martial arts she had learned before.

Individual techniques were not difficult to master.

The true difficulty lay in using them flexibly and skillfully.

“Little Meng, I can tell that your martial arts foundation is quite solid. Which school did you study under?” Wang Yang asked curiously, impressed by her ability to understand everything so quickly.

“I… mostly figured it out while casually sparring with friends. Sometimes I watched my seniors exchange moves and secretly learned a few techniques.”

“I studied many different things. I can handle sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and a few other weapons. I simply learned whatever seemed interesting.”

Meng Shi did not know how to explain that she had learned martial arts to kill enemies on the battlefield and preserve her life in dangerous situations.

Her greatest specialty was spear fighting.

As for her other miscellaneous skills, she had indeed developed them while casually sparring and experimenting with Lian Xiu and the others.

“The young truly surpass the old. I’ve become old.”

Wang Yang shook his head and sighed emotionally.

“Coach Wang, please don’t say that.”

Meng Shi was practicing while holding a punching bag when she heard the door open.

She turned and saw a potbellied middle-aged man enter with a gleaming bald head.

The moment he walked in, he laughed loudly.

“Little Xiang, I’ve come to support your business again!”

“Oh, Brother Li! You haven’t visited in quite some time.”

Xiang Xiaoyan greeted him with a smile.

This was Li Liang, Boss Li, one of the gym’s regular customers. He spent generously and had a straightforward personality.

“I’ve been far too busy. Far too busy.”

“Making money is important, but your health is even more important. You appear to have gained another circle around your waist. You need to exercise properly.”

Li Liang laughed twice, rubbed his shiny bald head, and entered the changing room.

Before long, he emerged.

Meng Shi took one glance at him and burst out laughing.

“What is it?” Xiang Xiaoyan asked from beside her.

“He looks like… a walking braised egg…”

Li Liang wore nothing but athletic shorts. Combined with his round belly and completely bald head, Meng Shi truly could not restrain herself.

Xiang Xiaoyan also laughed.

“Behave yourself.”

She lightly scolded Meng Shi.

“Oh? There’s a newcomer in the gym?”

Li Liang also noticed Meng Shi.

He examined her from head to toe, and his eyes brightened.

“She looks pretty impressive!”

“Brother Li.”

Meng Shi liked interacting with straightforward people.

“Then you can spar with Brother Li,” Xiang Xiaoyan said, nodding toward Meng Shi.

She also wanted to see exactly how skilled the girl was.

“All right!”

Meng Shi clenched her fists, and her knuckles cracked loudly.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

Xiang Xiaoyan hurriedly grabbed her.

“You may only dodge. You’re not allowed to fight back!”

She quickly emphasized the rule.

Meng Shi looked slightly disappointed but nodded.

“All right.”

“Mm. Be careful.”

Once Li Liang had put on his gloves and warmed up, Meng Shi switched on the timer beside the boxing ring and jumped inside.

She reached down to lift the hem of her clothing, only to remember that there was no hem!

She removed the little hooded robe and placed it nearby.

Her perfect figure was completely exposed.

Li Liang’s eyes widened!

Meng Shi stretched briefly.

“Brother Li, please guide me.”

“Hey, you’d better be careful. I’m a trained fighter!”

Li Liang immediately boasted.

“Mm. Attack as much as you like. If you manage to touch me, I lose.”

【Xiang Xiaoyan: Pfft… This child is far too honest!】

Li Liang bumped his fists together and assumed his stance. His feet moved in small, quick steps as he shifted around in front of Meng Shi.

Suddenly, he threw a straight punch.

It was obvious he had not used much strength. He was probably only testing Meng Shi’s abilities.

Meng Shi waited until his fist was almost touching her face before slowly tilting her head aside and avoiding it.

“All right. I’m going to get serious now,” Li Liang warned.

He threw a hook carrying considerable force toward Meng Shi.

Li Liang appeared to be using all his strength, but from Meng Shi’s perspective, his movements contained far too many openings.

It was extremely easy to avoid.

The moment he threw his fist, Meng Shi had already predicted its path.

She stepped half a pace backward and effortlessly dodged it.

Li Liang, on the other hand, had used so much force that he lost his balance and staggered twice.

A truly divine trained fighter…

Meng Shi restrained her laughter and watched as Li Liang seriously attempted to strike her with punch after punch and kick after kick, while she evaded him without effort.

Twenty minutes later…

Li Liang sat collapsed on the floor, panting heavily, his bald head covered in sweat.

Meng Shi, meanwhile, remained perfectly composed and had not even begun breathing hard.

“Hey… young lady… I paid money for this, you know…”

“Couldn’t you let me hit you… just once?”

His helpless, pleading tone made it clear just how frustrated he had become.

Before Meng Shi could laugh, Xiang Xiaoyan burst out laughing uncontrollably.

“Brother Li, Sister Xiaoyan said you don’t exercise enough. Moving around more won’t hurt you.”

“I… I… Little Xiang… I…”

Li Liang looked at Xiang Xiaoyan with an especially aggrieved expression.

“All right, all right. Little Shi, take the focus mitt and let Brother Li hit it for a while.”

“Mm.”

Meng Shi picked up a focus mitt from nearby, strapped it onto her right arm, and held it before her.

She patted the target, signaling Li Liang to strike.

Li Liang stood up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, moved his shoulders, and gathered all his strength.

His punch struck the mitt squarely!

However…

Meng Shi did not move even slightly.

Instead, the impact forced Li Liang several steps backward, and he landed heavily on his bottom.

He sighed continuously.

“Oh, you child. You truly don’t know how to respect your elders…”

“Hahaha…”

Everyone doubled over with laughter.

Even Meng Shi laughed freely, something she rarely did.

She walked over and helped Li Liang to his feet.

“Your center of gravity is unstable, and you’re applying force incorrectly.”

Just as she spoke, the timer rang with a clear ding.

Time was up.

Li Liang sighed again.

“A full forty minutes, and I didn’t even touch a single strand of her hair. Tell me, how infuriating is that?”

He complained to Xiang Xiaoyan.

“Yes, yes, it’s absolutely infuriating. I’ll properly educate her later. The next time you come, I guarantee you’ll be allowed to touch at least one strand of hair.”

Xiang Xiaoyan teased him in return.

“Still, this girl is far more exciting than Xiaobai. Not bad. Truly not bad.”

Li Liang gave Meng Shi a thumbs-up.

Meng Shi did not become pleased upon hearing this.

Instead, she frowned slightly and looked around.

She happened to see Yuan Xiaobai silently walking toward the changing room.

Naturally, Xiang Xiaoyan also noticed something was wrong, but she did not pay it much attention.

After seeing Li Liang off, she privately celebrated her decision to keep Meng Shi.

The girl possessed excellent skills, was observant, understood when to advance and when to retreat, and carried herself with an extraordinary air.

Hmm.

She was truly a promising talent!

【Yan Qing: No matter how promising she is, she’s mine! Mine!】

It was almost time to close, and no one else came to box.

Meng Shi helped everyone clean the gym.

When she saw that there was nothing else to do, she informed Xiang Xiaoyan and left early.

When she exited the gym, the sky had not yet completely darkened.

Meng Shi walked home with a noticeably lighter and happier step.

Today was probably the happiest day she had experienced since arriving in this world.

She had found a job she genuinely liked and met several interesting new friends.

Although she was still somewhat unfamiliar with everyone, the friendly atmosphere made her feel as though she had returned to the military camp.

The only imperfection was that Yuan Xiaobai seemed to hold something against her.

Meng Shi would have to find an opportunity to speak with her properly.

Author’s Note:

So happy about the new job! Heave-ho, heave-ho! O(∩_∩)O