You Are Really No Match For Me [Fighting] - Chapter 15

The moment Jin Yu stepped inside, she was struck by a wave of thick dust. Her nose immediately inhaled a mouthful of particles, and she burst into a fit of violent coughing.

Su Qian, wearing a mask, was walking in front. Hearing the noise, she turned around and shouted:
“Shoo, shoo! Too much dust in here. Go somewhere else first—come back once we’ve cleaned up!”

Covering her mouth and nose, Jin Yu replied:
“Fine, I’ll come back later. Oh, by the way, the stuff I bought from your dad has arrived. When do you want to pick it up?”

The buzzing of power saws made her words nearly impossible to catch. Su Qian cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted back:
“What? I can’t hear you!”

Jin Yu shook her head and raised her voice:
“Nothing! I’ll tell you another time. Just keep busy!”

With that, she went to knock on Xiao Bai’s door.

Ever since filming yesterday, Bai Hanqing had shut himself in his room almost an entire day.

“Xiao Bai, you finished yet?”

Inside came the sound of rustling and clattering—someone clearing up. Then a weak, tired voice:
“Come in.”

Jin Yu pushed the door open, only to be greeted by two panda-like dark circles under his eyes. She was startled.
“You didn’t stay up all night, did you?”

Xiao Bai muttered:
“Forget that. The video’s already edited and uploaded to Nebula. One good news, one bad news. Which do you want first?”

Jin Yu shrugged:
“Good first, I guess.”

Xiao Bai forced a little energy into his voice:
“Good news is, your video’s gone viral.”

“Bad news is, all the comments say it’s fake.” He drooped his head, looking utterly dejected. “Sorry, Xiao Yu… I think I screwed things up.”

“Let me see the edit.”

Xiao Bai nodded and hit play.

The video quality was razor-sharp, every move crystal clear. The whole sequence was shot in a single take with no camera shake, layered with a pounding BGM and an oversized, flashy title. Within a single day, the views had already broken 200,000.

But the flying comments across the screen told another story:

“No way this is real.”
“Totally staged.”
“She’s moving so fast there are afterimages.”
“Humans don’t move like this.”
“Obvious speed-up.”
Red text scrolled across: “Certified Fake.”

Jin Yu frowned:
“Did you speed it up?”

Xiao Bai quickly shook his head:
“No!”

“Well… some of the moves did leave afterimages. Maybe I should go slower next time?”

“Go slower? This is the ring—how do you just ‘go slower’?”

Rubbing his face, Xiao Bai suddenly lowered his voice:
“Jie, honestly, I have a better idea.”

Jin Yu raised an eyebrow:
“Speak.”

“Black-red is still red! What if we lean into it? Make the videos even more outrageous, so bizarre people can’t look away. Once the hype peaks, then we flip it and prove it’s real—instant fame!”

To his surprise, Jin Yu nodded without hesitation.
“Sure. I don’t mind.”

Though it was Xiao Bai’s plan, her straightforward agreement actually made him nervous. He stammered:
“B-but… people will curse you out online…”

“Time will prove everything.” She winked playfully.

“Don’t joke! I’m serious—those keyboard warriors are vicious! You’ll take a beating—”

“Time will prove everything.”

Xiao Bai was tearing at his hair now.
“Maybe you should reconsider? There are other methods… they’ll just take longer.”

Jin Yu suddenly cut him off:
“Wait. Is this kind of marketing really necessary for competing?”

“Of course!” His tired eyes lit up. “Most well-known fighters have professional marketing teams. Unknowns and rookies can only rely on their own crews at first. The World Fighting Championship is the most watched tournament in the world—the commercial value is insane. Capital bets crazy money on the fighters they believe in—”

He ticked them off on his fingers:
“Top sponsors cover every expense, design custom prosthetics, hire elite medical teams, even arrange international endorsements…”

With a swipe, he pulled up the holographic image of a familiar woman—the same face printed on his headphones.

Xiao Bai’s exhaustion melted into excitement:
“Former fighter, now the most commercially valuable sports star on the planet! Everything she endorses sells out instantly. Products with her face on them? Impossible to keep in stock. She owns multiple villas, companies—you name it: money, fame, power, all hers!”

“And get this—last year’s champion’s sponsor invested this much—” He lowered his voice and flashed a jaw-dropping figure. “If they can crown a champ, their returns are ten, a hundred times that!”

Jin Yu nodded firmly:
“Then let’s do it. I trust your instincts and your skills.”

Xiao Bai’s eyes brimmed with tears. He sniffled:
“So touched… never in my life has anyone trusted me like this…”

“Alright, enough sap. Can you go sleep now?”

He chuckled sheepishly:
“Guess you know why I stayed up…”

“It’s no big deal. Next time, just tell me directly instead of stewing alone.”

Scratching his head, he grinned:
“Heh… fine. I’ll sleep. But—”

“Hold on. I’ll walk with you. You’re in no shape to be driving tired.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go!”

But they hadn’t taken more than a few steps when the arena erupted in noise.

“It’s the Scorpion Girl! She’s here!”
“Scorpion Girl, sign this for us!”
“Look over here!”

A challenger had arrived.

“Sorry,” Jin Yu told him, “looks like I can’t walk you home.”

But Xiao Bai was already gone. Seconds later came the pounding of footsteps—he’d run back for his camera. He rushed up, beaming:
“Jin Yu, this is huge! Golden Mantis and Scorpion Girl are two of the three biggest names in Jiangbei’s underground circuit! Scorpion Girl especially—her matches are insanely watchable. If you beat her, this is your chance!”

Jin Yu smirked:
“Scorpion Girl? What, she’s got a scorpion tail?”

Her words trailed off when she saw the challenger.

The girl strode forward—ear-length bob, half-shoulder top with a short skirt, long battle boots clicking against the floor. Her arms were encased in massive black-gold mechanical pincers, each the size of Jin Yu’s head, painted with golden butterfly designs. Behind her swayed a gleaming golden tail, tipped with a deadly stinger.

And her face—fresh, innocent, almost childlike.

Her name was Xie Fei. Debuting at 18, she’d risen to fame in just one year. Now 19, still technically a rookie, she had bypassed the usual grind of endless matches through sheer presence: a distinctive look, youthful aura, and enough fighting skill to hook the younger crowd.

Pretty and capable—who wouldn’t love that? But her early success left her cocky, floating on her own hype.

Still, she had a year’s seniority over Jin Yu. By status, that made her the “senior.” Which made her opening all the more calculated.

“I heard a newcomer named Jin Yu’s been making waves in Jiangbei. That must be you, right? Little sister came especially to pay respects. I hope elder sister will grant me the honor of a spar.”

—Calling her “sister” right off the bat. Clever.

If Jin Yu lost, it would be written off as “youthful courage.” If Xie Fei lost, she’d be praised as “young but talented.” Either way, she couldn’t lose face.

Clear as day: Xie Fei was here to stamp out a rising rival before the flame grew.

Jin Yu’s lips curled.
“I don’t have a sister. Don’t climb relatives where there are none.”

The smile froze on Xie Fei’s face. No one had ever dared embarrass her like that before. Since debut, everyone had praised her brilliance, flattered her endlessly.

But this nobody? This rookie had just smacked her down in public.

Fine. If not “sisters,” then enemies.

Her tail quivered, eyes flashing with malice.
“In that case, Xie Fei won’t be holding back.”

They climbed onto the ring. The referee’s whistle shrilled. The electronic board lit up: Jin Yu vs. Scorpion Girl Xie Fei.

Xiao Bai squeezed forward, lugging his camera.
“Excuse me! I’m the cameraman!” He smiled and shoved his way to the front, planted the tripod, then synced his brain-interface to launch a drone for overhead shots.

He even kissed the drone before release.
“Baby, don’t fail me now.”

During yesterday’s editing, he’d realized fixed-angle shots missed too much detail, flattening the action. He’d ordered a drone overnight, and now—perfect timing.

The match began.

Usually Jin Yu liked to hang back and observe first. Not this time. She raised her long blade overhead and brought it down in a brutal slash.

The sheer force stunned Xie Fei, her pupils shrinking. She lurched backward and caught the blade with her pincer. Her tail lashed forward, the stinger aimed straight at Jin Yu’s chest.

Jin Yu instantly abandoned her weapon.

Clang! The blade clattered across the floor. She rolled to the side.

Xie Fei, expecting her to scramble for the blade, thrust her tail toward Jin Yu’s reaching hand.

But Jin Yu was faster. She looped her weapon around the tail, locked it tight, and with a hard jab pinned the tail to the floorboards.

Though rubber-coated, the arena floor held enough resistance to trap the tail. Xie Fei groaned, disengaging the prosthetic tail entirely. Now it was her two pincers against Jin Yu’s fists.

She readied herself for close combat—only for Jin Yu to leap, knee driving forward.

Xie Fei lifted her pincers to block—then realized too late she’d already ceded the tempo. Jin Yu had been controlling the rhythm all along.

Cursing, she reached for Jin Yu’s leg—but Jin Yu scissored her thighs, clamping the pincers tight. Too bulky to withdraw.

With a twist, Jin Yu snared her neck, swung around behind her, and released her hold.

Xie Fei thought she was free—only to feel pain at her throat and the crook of her knees.

By the time she processed it, the referee’s whistle had blown. Jin Yu had her arms pinned behind her back, face-down on the mat. Immobilized.

The “most entertaining fighter” had just lost in the ugliest way possible. Gasps and sighs rippled through the crowd—followed by cheers for Jin Yu.

Cold eyes bore down on her. From Jin Yu’s gaze, Xie Fei saw harshness. She saw rebuke. She saw her own arrogance and complacency reflected back. She saw how her obsession with flashy fighting for the crowd had betrayed true combat skill.

Jin Yu released her hold.

Xie Fei stood slowly, picking up her tail.
“…Thank you for teaching me. I understand now.”

Jin Yu raised an eyebrow. Not too dense, after all.

“I didn’t teach you anything. You realized it yourself.”

Shaking her head, Xie Fei’s once-arrogant face now shone with a young fighter’s humility and fire.
“Jin Yu… can we fight again someday?”

Jin Yu smiled faintly.
“Anytime.”