Have You Heard of Martial Arts Families

Meng Wenzhou caught the hint and said to the group, "Everyone can mingle for now. We’ll officially start once everyone arrives."

"Got it."

After he spoke, the group dispersed.

By this time, hotel staff had begun setting up the evening’s lighting, sound system, tables, and chairs in the lounge area.

Pan Ning didn’t dwell on how Su Yang and Ye Wan had met. She simply walked over to a nearby chair, sat down, and started scrolling through her phone.

Lu Yun and Tang Ziyun were drawn to the exquisite pastries on display.

Ji Bo picked up a glass of champagne and, with effortless familiarity, joined Ye Wan and the others in conversation.

Su Yang had just pulled out a cigarette, about to take a puff, when he noticed Ye Wan standing up a few meters away and walking out of the garden.

He slid the cigarette back into the pack and casually followed her.

"Old Su, where are you off to?"

After just a few steps, Meng Wenzhou’s voice called out from behind.

Su Yang turned around with a smile. "Just heading to the restroom."

"Alright, hurry back. My sister heard you’re an amazing singer and wants you to perform."

Su Yang chuckled and shook his head. "Later. I’ll be right back."

"Sure thing!"

He quickened his pace and caught up.

Exiting the rooftop garden, he reached the hotel corridor and spotted Ye Wan entering the women’s restroom.

After waiting outside for two minutes, the sound of flushing echoed from inside.

Soon, Ye Wan reappeared at the door.

She glanced at Su Yang, who was leaning against the corridor wall, and smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Want to talk?"

"Sure, what about?" Ye Wan stepped to the sink, checked her reflection in the mirror, then bent down to wash her hands.

Su Yang stole a glance at her décolletage through the mirror and grinned. "How do you know Meng Qianyu?"

Ye Wan kept washing her hands as she replied, "We’ve known each other for ages—longer than I’ve known you."

"So, back then, when you worked at the company, you were just slumming it?"

"Pretty much. I was bored. Weren’t you the same?" She lifted her head, meeting his gaze in the mirror with a faint smile.

"Nope."

Ye Wan tore off a paper towel to dry her hands. "Then how did you climb so high in just two or three years? Did you charm some rich woman?"

Su Yang rolled his eyes. "I got here through my own hard work."

"Don’t believe you."

"Believe what you want."

Ye Wan laughed but didn’t press further. Hesitantly, she asked, "Back then... did you have feelings for me?"

Su Yang smirked, unbothered. Anyone with eyes could’ve seen it.

"Yeah, for a few days."

"Just a few days?"

"How long were you expecting?"

Ye Wan crumpled the paper towel and tossed it into the bin before stepping closer to Su Yang. She tilted her head up, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "That night we walked home together after work—were you planning to confess to me?"

Su Yang held her gaze. "What does it matter now? It’s ancient history."

"I want to know," Ye Wan insisted, her expression earnest.

"Fine. Yes."

"Then why didn’t you?"

Su Yang couldn’t help but scoff. "Are you serious? You dragged that ‘BMW guy’ over, flaunting him as your boyfriend right in front of me. What was I supposed to do, confess to a brick wall?"

"Actually..." Ye Wan bit her lower lip, hesitating. "There was a reason I was with him."

Su Yang thought, You’re really laying it on thick. If not for the system’s intel on you, I might’ve bought it.

"Reasons don’t matter anymore. It’s been years. I’m not interested in digging it up."

Ye Wan sighed. "Whether you care or not, I owe you an explanation. Because... I liked you too, back then."

Her eyes softened as she looked at him, but Su Yang remained unmoved.

"Truth is, my family pressured me into being with Chen Yu," she continued.

Su Yang leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her with an amused smile.

"My family is part of a prominent clan. At the time, they wanted me to get close to Chen Yu for certain reasons. His family is also influential."

Su Yang interrupted with a laugh. "Hold on—there’s a hole in your story."

"What hole?" Ye Wan blinked in confusion.

"You said Chen Yu’s from a big family, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then explain this: if he’s some elite, why was he driving a BMW 3 Series? And why would he proudly show it off to me? Doesn’t sound very ‘high-society’ to me."

Ye Wan paused, then quickly clarified, "No, that was my idea. I asked him to bring that car. It wasn’t his."

"Oh? So you’re psychic now? You knew I’d confess that night and prepped Chen Yu to play along with a cheap ride?"

"Let me finish, will you?"

"Go ahead." Su Yang lit a cigarette, unfazed.

Ye Wan gathered her thoughts. "We spent a lot of time together back then. I could tell how you felt. But I couldn’t be with you for... certain reasons. I didn’t know how to explain, so I brought Chen Yu into it."

"I didn’t want to hurt you, so I told him not to bring one of his flashy cars..."

Su Yang exhaled smoke. "So I should thank you?"

Ye Wan shook her head, a trace of guilt crossing her face.

"Chen Yu really is from a powerful family. Our clans had dealings, and I needed something from his household. My father pushed me to get close to him. We were only together superficially—nothing happened between us."

Su Yang thought, That part’s probably true. Her ‘battle count’ is still zero.

"You needed something from his family?"

"Mm."

"What was it?"

"That’s... hard to say."

"Trade secret?" Su Yang teased.

"Not exactly."

"Then spit it out! If you don’t want to, just drop it. I’m not interested in the rest anyway."

Ye Wan hugged her arms, hesitating for two seconds before meeting his eyes. "Fine. You might not believe me, but here goes."

"Try me."

"Have you heard of Haicheng’s martial arts families?"

Su Yang stiffened. "No."

"Let me explain."

"Haicheng has many martial arts clans. Their children train in combat from childhood. You might think it’s outdated, but these families are real."

For the first time, Su Yang’s playful expression turned serious. This doesn’t sound like a lie. So that’s why her combat stats are so high.

Ye Wan continued, "Those martial arts families aren’t just about flashy moves or the kind of fitness routines you see online. They actually possess real, formidable skills."

"You’ve read web novels, right? These families are similar to the ancient martial arts clans described in those stories."

Su Yang narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn’t deny this point, and he firmly believed that ancient martial arts families still existed in modern society. After all, China had thousands of years of history, and martial arts had always been a traditional part of its culture.

Even though modern society didn’t emphasize it as much, that didn’t mean it had disappeared.

Moreover, the system had already introduced a combat power rating, explicitly stating that higher levels would unlock beyond S-rank.

What did S-rank even mean? It represented a level of strength surpassing ordinary human limits.

If S-rank was already beyond comprehension, then what lay above it? Su Yang could only think of one possibility—even more extraordinary ancient martial arts masters.

Since the system had introduced such power rankings, it indirectly confirmed that there must be many other formidable individuals in this world, perhaps not limited to martial arts alone.

Otherwise, without opponents of similar strength, the existence of such a system would be meaningless.

Noticing Su Yang’s thoughtful silence, Ye Wan went on.

"Actually... my family is also a martial arts lineage, and I’ve been training since childhood. You might find it hard to believe—a girl practicing martial arts—but it’s true..."

As she spoke, her eyes were clear, occasionally flickering with a trace of nostalgia, making it clear she wasn’t lying.

"Go on," Su Yang said calmly.

"That’s pretty much it. Back then, Chen Yu’s family had a martial arts manual perfectly suited for me, but his condition was that I had to be with him before he’d let me see it."

Ye Wan glanced at Su Yang before continuing, "So, I did stay with him for a while. Once I memorized the entire manual and started practicing, it didn’t take long before I broke up with him."

"He just let you walk away that easily?"

"Because within a month, I surpassed him. In this world, strength reigns supreme. He had no choice but to let me go."

A hint of pride flashed in Ye Wan’s eyes as she spoke.