The next day, Sunday.
Lu Zheng was still holding Lin Wan in his arms, breathing in her alluring scent as he slept, when his phone began vibrating relentlessly and woke them both.
He picked it up and opened it. The Full Armour Fighting group, the Tiger Beating group, the Hotpot group, and several private chats all showed a flood of red notifications.
The message was clear: yesterday’s incident had gone viral online.
“I don’t remember anyone filming,” Lin Wan said with a frown, then her eyes brightened. “Someone pulled the surveillance footage?”
“Exactly.” Lu Zheng opened the video Zhao Wenyu had sent him. It was first-person view from a surveillance camera in one corner of the restaurant, perfectly capturing both sides. “Probably the hotel’s doing.”
“The angle is pretty good. What a coincidence.”
Lin Wan leaned over to watch for a moment, then nodded and smiled. “At least it’s not too clear. People who don’t know us won’t recognise us.”
There had been plenty of onlookers yesterday, but the two of them had shown considerable restraint. Back in her days in Japan, Lin Wan could send a man flying with a single side kick. Even a Siberian tiger had been no match for her. Yesterday had been nothing by comparison.
“Good grief, straight to the top of the hot search. Does it have to be this big?” Lu Zheng grinned. He had not expected the incident to overtake even Zhang Weili’s championship news.
Well, Zhang Weili had been there too, so the combined effect had sent the popularity through the roof.
Lin Wan picked up her own phone. “Xiaodao and Weili have already explained everything on Weibo, and the video clips show the whole sequence from start to finish. No room for misunderstanding.”
“True.”
By now Lu Zheng was also scrolling through the internet. Most of the comments were full of praise.
“Awesome! This is real Chinese kung fu! Who says Chinese kung fu can’t fight?”
“Hahaha, world champion on his knees three times in a row!”
“Please let this master step into the ring and vindicate kung fu. I’ll definitely buy tickets to support him!”
“This master completely owned them. You give me one gesture, I’ll give you two right back.”
Of course there were doubters, rumour-mongers, the usual reflection brigade, and plenty who couldn’t resist spraying venom.
“It’s fake. Who gets pushed back five or six metres from a light shove? Total fake. Come on, how much did you pay them to act?”
“Exactly. Who can take down a world champion in one move?”
“Inside information: it was staged. Cost over ten million.”
“The idiot upstairs. Burns holds a cruiserweight gold belt. Spend ten million and see if you can hire him to play the clown.”
“Look at what Zhao Xiaodao and Zhang Weili posted. They explained it clearly. Are you saying they were bought too?”
“They are guests in our country. Treat them like this and how will they ever want to come again?”
“This guy went too far. He won, but he wouldn’t even let them vent a little? Step back and the sea and sky open up. He really doesn’t follow the Chinese way of moderation.”
“Wow, get insulted and you can’t hit back? Tell me where you live. I’ll come and see if you really have that much magnanimity.”
Online comments were a mix of truth and lies: water armies, anti-China accounts, foreign influences, some just stirring the pot, others deliberately causing trouble.
If you took it all seriously, you could anger yourself to death.
Things were better now than in the past, though. The internet was more developed, and as long as the truth and details were clear, the overall trend would turn positive after some time.
This time the video was complete. Burns had provoked first, Lu Zheng had responded afterwards, and at the end Burns, Carlisle, and the others had left normally with no visible injuries. There was no room to twist the facts.
So the online mood was largely celebratory, with relatively little noise. After some dedicated netizen sleuthing, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan’s identities had also been uncovered.
“That woman is the one who went to the Northeast with Zhao Xiaodao and took down the Siberian tiger!”
“No wonder! She’s basically Mulan. No wonder three UFC fighters were no match for her.”
“If that’s the case, Zhang Weili probably isn’t her equal either, right?”
“Obviously. Didn’t you see Zhang Weili’s post calling these two urban legends?”
“Zhao Xiaodao said last time that they’re wealthy and don’t want publicity.”
“What a shame!”
“Who’s the man, then? He’s clearly much lighter than Burns, yet he toyed with him!”
“Why doesn’t a monster like that fight in the UFC?”
“It’s that ‘Brother Lu’. I suggest you watch last year’s full armour fighting clips. There’s a short video of this Brother Lu thrashing some Japanese martial arts master.”
“I think it’s him. Zhao Xiaodao said he’s a friend. How many friends does she have in Haicheng?”
“My god, one man and one woman, the full set of door gods. With them around, who in the entertainment industry would dare cross Zhao Xiaodao?”
“Hahaha, good point!”
“Apparently this ‘Brother Lu’ is a traditional martial arts expert. Traditional martial arts this strong? Common sense says it shouldn’t be possible, but what about the video?”
“My worldview is shattered. What do I do? Do real masters just stay hidden?”
“Because real masters have money! Ever heard the saying ‘poor scholars, rich martial artists’?”
“Damn, I’m jealous…”
“Haven’t you spotted the blind spot? At the very start of the video, ‘Brother Lu’ and Mulan are sitting together.”
“No way, they’re a couple?”
“Modern Condor Heroes?”
“Aaaargh, I’m so jealous!”
“Eye witness from last night: handsome man, beautiful woman, real-life Condor Heroes.”
“Where are the high-res photos?”
“No photos, what are you talking about?”
“They refused pictures. You think I’d dare take secret shots?”
“Oh, you wouldn’t dare. Understandable.”
The netizens were as creative as ever. Lu Zheng and Lin Wan read through it all with amusement, then noticed the Full Armour Fighting group where a bunch of rich second-generation kids were egging them on to spar with each other.
Lu Zheng: I’ve screenshotted everything. Everyone trying to provoke a fight between me and my wife is now on record. Next time I’ll give you all personal instruction.
Rich second-gens: ……
……
Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaodao and Zhang Weili had already shielded Lu Zheng and Lin Wan from a lot of hassle.
No one could reach the couple directly, so they contacted the two women instead.
Variety show invitations, advertising offers, and fight contracts poured in, leaving Zhao Xiaodao and Zhang Weili utterly overwhelmed.
Fortunately one was an untouchable top star in entertainment and the other was undefeated in the ring, so they could hold the line. At least their refusals did not damage their own positions.
Zhao Xiaodao: Brother Lu! I want to eat food cooked by you personally (pitiful.jpg)
Zhang Weili: +1
Lu Zheng was in a good mood that day, so he took the opportunity to invite everyone from the night before over again for a small gathering at home. He stewed a big pot of seafood congee as a gentle tonic.
……
The online fervour continued to grow. Burns, Carlisle, and the others had already returned to America. Netizens had posted the video on foreign platforms too, but because it praised China, traffic was throttled and the heat remained limited.
Lu Zheng and the others simply ignored the video and carried on with their lives.
The next day Lin Wan went back to work, fielding shocked compliments from colleagues, while Lu Zheng dressed properly and once again travelled back to ancient times.
