Chapter 5935

Hearing Charlie's words, Aurora felt a surge of adrenaline, and her fighting spirit soared! When she looked at Haley Swain again, her eyes sparkled with the thrill of a hunter eyeing her prey. At that moment, Haley Swain had just taken a significant hit to her waist from Aurora, leaving her momentarily stunned. In such a brief time, she hadn't been able to recover her composure. Aurora charged at her like a bloodthirsty cheetah. Haley Swain attempted to dodge, but her reaction speed couldn't compete with Aurora's. Before her lower body could stabilize, Aurora was already upon her. This time, drawing from her earlier experience, Aurora kept her chest protected rather than exposing it to the opponent. She leaned forward while simultaneously delivering a powerful, upward hook that struck Haley Swain right under the chin. Aurora tilted her body at a 45-degree angle, shifting her center of gravity forward rather than keeping it low. If Haley had reacted quickly enough, she might have been able to grab Aurora's head and counterattack. Such maneuvers are rarely seen in professional fighting. However, Aurora no longer weighed the risks. She knew that her opponent's speed couldn't match hers, and by taking the offensive, Haley wouldn't stand a chance to counter. The reason she took this bold approach was that Charlie had taught her to utterly vanquish her opponent! As Haley Swain realized Aurora was attacking, it was too late for her to block. Aurora's powerful fist swept through her still-extended arms and struck her chin from beneath. With a loud crack, Haley felt a sharp pain in her jaw, as if a bone had broken. Even more devastating, the impact was so forceful that it not only shattered her jaw but also sent a wave of trauma through her brain, akin to a heavy monitor crashing to the ground from a two-meter height, resulting in a sharp snap and instant darkness. Haley's world faded, and she collapsed backward, unconscious. The audience erupted into raucous applause, nearly shaking the venue to its core. No one expected Aurora's counterattack to be so fierce; it was as if a small car provoked by a muscle car suddenly transformed into a massive truck, completely crushing the opposition. It was utterly astonishing. The referee quickly approached Haley Swain and began counting loudly. By the time the referee reached five, Haley regained a flicker of consciousness. She kicked her legs aimlessly against the ground, trying to stand up, but found her limbs utterly powerless. After a few moments of struggle, her body remained inert. As the referee's count reached ten, Haley still couldn't rise. Consequently, the referee walked over to Aurora, raised her hand high, and declared loudly, "The champion of the women's division in this competition is Aurora!" The crowd erupted once more into thunderous cheers. Aurora's female coach rushed to the stage and embraced her tightly, while Haley Swain's coaching team could only assist her off the ring. Although Aurora found herself surrounded by many supporters at that moment, her gaze was always scanning for Charlie. She soon spotted him in the front row, a smile gracing his face. Overwhelmed with excitement, she waved at Charlie and shouted, "Master Wade! Master Wade!" Their eyes met, and Charlie nodded in acknowledgment before gesturing toward the backstage area. Aurora understood immediately. In such a crowded venue, normal conversation would be impossible, and since the men’s final was about to begin, Aurora needed to exit the stage and rest. After the finals, she would return with the other award winners to receive her trophy. Charlie pointing toward the backstage indicated his desire to have a private conversation. Aurora turned to her coach, saying, "Coach Tucker, do you see that handsome guy in black in the first row? He is my..." She faltered, unsure how to describe her relationship to Charlie. Should she refer to him as a friend? She held great respect for Charlie, and her father did as well, making it feel inadequate to label him merely a friend. If she described him as a teacher, there would be no issue in essence, but that would certainly pique her coach's curiosity. Aurora knew Charlie preferred to keep a low profile and didn't want outsiders to know too much about him. Noticing Aurora's hesitance, the coach, with an understanding smile, commented, "Your boyfriend came all the way from China to support you? That’s so thoughtful of him, and he is quite attractive. You make a lovely pair." Aurora felt a blush creeping up her cheeks; with the scene around her so chaotic, she didn’t want to explain much, so she whispered to Coach Tucker, "Could you please take him to the back later?" The coach readily agreed, smiling as he replied, "Sure! You go rest, and I’ll bring him back to see you afterward." Having just claimed victory, Aurora's coach felt elated. Even though casually bringing someone backstage was against competition rules, such matters were often overlooked. With her coaching badge displayed, the staff wouldn't stop them. Not long after, Aurora waved to the cheering audience and left the ring with the support team to rest backstage.

In the martial arts hall's backstage area, each competitor in the third place match and the championship match that night had their own private lounge. Once Aurora returned to her lounge, her coach made his way through the crowd to Charlie, smiling as he introduced himself, "Young man, are you Aurora's boyfriend? I’m Coach Tucker, Aurora asked me to bring you backstage." Charlie was taken aback for a moment but didn’t deny it. Instead, he smiled and replied, "Thank you, Coach Tucker." Although Coach Tucker is not an exceptionally prominent fighting coach in Aurous Hill, she felt fortunate to have met a talented fighter like Aurora. Aurora had never anticipated going so far in martial arts—credit for her success largely rests on Charlie's guidance. By meeting Charlie, a distinguished figure, Aurora indirectly provided Coach Tucker the opportunity to gain recognition and rise as a celebrated champion coach. Coach Tucker had once boasted her coaching abilities in front of Charlie. In critical battles, she often offered guidance that was quite misguided. After one particularly unfavorable match, Aurora decided to part ways with her coach and trained on her own. Thanks to the elixirs Charlie had given her, her physical condition significantly improved. Later, when Charlie taught her martial arts techniques, her effectiveness in combat soared. Since then, Aurora had effectively needed no coach. However, representing China's college students at competitions necessitated a superficial coach to navigate the organizing committee’s regulations; otherwise, many processes would be cumbersome and tedious. Coach Tucker aligned with her needs, leading to their cooperative arrangement. Though Coach Tucker is technically Aurora's coach, he functions more as her tournament assistant. Lacking the ability to provide superior tactical guidance, he transitioned into a service-oriented role, cultivating a smooth rapport with Aurora. Now that Aurora had won another championship, her popularity and worth would undoubtedly increase. Previously, she taught privately for a maximum of several hundred dollars per session, but now, since partnering with Aurora, her fees had surged to $3,000 for an hour. After returning to China, it was likely her rate would rise to $6,000 or more. For these reasons, Coach Tucker regarded Charlie with an almost maternal affection, as if he were her son-in-law. When Coach Tucker arrived at Aurora's lounge with Charlie, he gently knocked before pushing the door open and saying, "You two young people must have much to discuss—I won’t interrupt. The upcoming match will likely last at least 40 minutes. I'll call for Aurora once it's over." Charlie, not reading too much into it, nodded in agreement, expressed his thanks, and stepped into Aurora's lounge. At that moment, Aurora had changed out of her competition shorts and tank top into comfortable sportswear. Spotting Charlie entering, she eagerly approached him with a beaming smile, exclaiming, "Master Wade, why are you here?" Charlie smiled back and said, "I heard you were competing here, so I came to watch. Also, congratulations on defending your title again." Aurora responded with surprise, "Master Wade, did you come all the way to Tokyo just to see me compete?" Charlie replied honestly, "I was originally accompanying my wife to Tokyo for a concert. When I found out you were in the finals today, I decided to watch your match first." A smile lit up Aurora's face; she recognized that Charlie hadn’t traveled to Japan solely for her competition, but she was thrilled nonetheless. Upon hearing that Charlie was attending a concert, she asked excitedly, "Master Wade, you aren’t going to watch Tawana Sweet's concert in Tokyo tomorrow night, right?" Charlie confirmed, "Yes, that’s correct." Aurora gleefully exclaimed, "What a coincidence, Master Wade! I bought a ticket for her concert too! Since I’m not in a rush after the match and didn’t need to return to China immediately, I thought I would catch her show before heading back." Taken aback, Charlie asked, "Are you also a fan?" "Absolutely!" Aurora replied eagerly. "Not just a fan, but a die-hard one! Two years ago, I flew to the United States just to see her concert. Among young music enthusiasts, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t like her!" She then inquired, "Master Wade, do you not like her?" Charlie chuckled, "I’m not particularly well-versed in pop music, and I listen to songs occasionally, so I can’t say I like or dislike most artists." Aurora replied earnestly, "Master Wade, you should take the time to listen to her songs. I’m sure you’ll come to appreciate them! She’s incredibly inspiring too—just a talented young woman who has made a name for herself. Most of her songs are self-written, and they’re all globally successful hits!" As she spoke, Aurora’s thoughts drifted back to Haley Swain, her opponent earlier that day, and she couldn’t help but murmur, "But she has always openly supported sexual minorities. I hadn’t given it much thought before, but after today’s match, I feel like there’s something odd about it..."