Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1701

In the middle of the standoff, a Thyanian martial artist rushed onto the stage. He held a phone and whispered something in Shekao’s ear. Shekao quickly took the phone and walked to the side, turning his back to the crowd to take the call. After hearing what the person on the other end had to say, Shekao nodded repeatedly. When he hung up, he shot a venomous glare at Elliot before facing the audience and announcing in Thyanian, "The Thyanian authorities are taking this incident very seriously. We have concluded that both fighter #3 and the referee were in the wrong, and they will be severely punished! Furthermore, we are overturning the previous decision. Fighter #9 may continue to compete normally! On behalf of the tournament organizers, I would like to extend our sincerest apologies to the Zhinoran martial artists!" With that, Shekao looked at the Zhinoran fighters in the crowd and gave them a deep bow. He continued, "From this point forward, we will uphold the principles of fairness and justice, and we will diligently oversee this competition. Please, compete with peace of mind." After another sharp glare at Elliot, he left the stage. The Zhinoran fighters let out a collective sigh of relief. Even though it was just a verbal apology, it was a much-needed victory. Elliot walked off the stage with his bodyguard, and the Zhinoran fighters erupted in applause. "Way to go, kiddo!" Elliot looked at them and said, "You got this!" When you're in a foreign land, your countrymen are your family. If we're wrong, we apologize. But if we're not, no one gets to bully us for free. The competition resumed with fighters #7 and #8 taking the stage. Fighter #7 was a 35-year-old man from Nipponora. Fighter #8 was a 40-year-old man from the Philippines. They were evenly matched, and after a long, drawn-out fight, #7 barely scraped by with a win. He was the first Nipponoran fighter to take the stage, and even though it was a narrow victory, a win was a win. The other Nipponoran fighters in the crowd celebrated like they'd just won the lottery, shouting and cheering loudly. Evan rolled his eyes. "It's not like he won the trophy. What's all the fuss about? Talk about low standards." Elliot reminded him, "Never underestimate an opponent, no matter how weak they seem. Your first priority is to fight smart and not get hurt. Winning is second." Elijah added, "You'll definitely beat him, but we just caused a scene. When you get up there, you have to play by the rules. Don't give them any ammunition." Evan nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, guys. I know." The new referee called out from the stage, "Fighter #7 will continue. Next up is #7 versus #9. Will fighter #9 please come to the stage?" Evan had been itching for this. The moment he heard his number, he sprinted onto the stage. Since he’d already made an impression earlier, the crowd was intrigued, and all eyes were on him. The Zhinoran fighters cheered for him, "Go get 'em, kiddo!" Like a young hero, Evan gave a slight bow to the Zhinoran section before turning to face fighter #7. The Nipponoran fighter stood with his arms crossed, eyeing Evan with a sneer. "Everyone bear witness," he said mockingly. "Don't say I'm picking on a little kid. If I make him cry, I'm not the one who's gonna comfort him." The Nipponoran fighters in the crowd roared with laughter. "Don't worry, his mommy’s right there. If the brat starts wailing, she can change his diapers." "And if his mommy can't handle it, he's got all those Zhinoran fighters. You won't have to lift a finger. They might not be good at fighting, but they're probably great at babysitting, hahaha..." They were shamelessly mocking the Zhinoran team's skills. Elliot shot them a look but didn't waste his breath. Evan was already on the stage. There was no need for words; action would speak for itself. The more arrogant they were now, the more their faces would sting later. Evan’s gaze turned icy as he glared the fighter #7. He wasn't intimidated by his opponent, but seeing a Nipponoran fighter just reminded him of Bernard. A whistle blew, and the match began. The Nipponoran fighter cocked his head, his posture lazy and dismissive. "You..."