109: Runners - 2

At an intersection a few hundred meters from MixC City, Lin Wanxing began to slowly decrease her speed, letting her heart rate stabilize as she prepared to end her running commute.

Before the final traffic light, she jogged in place while waiting. She inadvertently glanced back in the direction she had come from and was suddenly stunned.

In the distance, a somewhat familiar figure was standing on a shared bike, pedaling furiously as he charged in her direction.

Eh...?

Isn't that the running buddy who just ran out of the neighborhood with her?

???

Several large question marks popped up over Lin Wanxing's head.

What's the deal?

Who switches to a bike halfway through a morning run? And pedals while standing up?

Before she could think further, the traffic light turned green, and a nearby traffic warden blew his whistle.

Lin Wanxing shook her head, putting her minor confusion aside as she continued jogging toward her destination—the back staff entrance of GAMA Fitness in MixC City.

————

On the other side, the figure pedaling the shared bike so hard that sparks were practically flying was indeed Jiang Ye.

He finally managed to reach the intersection, only to watch the green light turn red right before his eyes, where he was heartlessly stopped by the old traffic warden.

Watching Lin Wanxing's athletic figure quickly disappear across the road, Jiang Ye was completely speechless.

No way, lady?!

I can understand running to work, but you're way too freaking fast?!

If I hadn't had a brainwave and grabbed a bike, I wouldn't even be able to see your tail lights?!

Aren't you a yoga instructor? Isn't yoga all about stillness and slowness? Is it really appropriate for you to run so fast and so aggressively?!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He looked down at the little blue bike beneath him, which rattled everywhere except for the bell, and his frustration grew even more.

And this piece of junk!

The wheel only turns once for every three times I pedal. Doesn't this violate the law of conservation of energy? Can't some scientist come out and do something about this?!

Complaints aside, it was a fact that he had lost her.

Jiang Ye's original plan was to quietly follow Lin Wanxing on the subway and observe if she encountered any "minor trouble" on her commute, thereby triggering the conditions for the [Emergency Helping Hand] task.

Now, thanks to this woman's long legs, the plan had been nipped in the bud.

He sighed and helplessly got off the bike, pushing it to the roadside parking spot to lock it. He then took off his down jacket, turned it inside out, and put it back on.

Forget it, I'll just stake out near her gym and see if she runs into any situations while at work.

Or... wait until she gets off work tonight?

Hmm... I need to get an e-bike in advance tonight. Relying on pedaling is way too unreliable!

————

In the morning, inside GAMA Fitness in MixC City.

Lin Wanxing had just finished with a client who was trying out a private session. When she returned to the reception area, she found that the water barrel on the dispenser was empty.

She glanced around; there were only two petite girls busy at the front desk, and no other male colleagues were in sight.

"Fine, I'll do it myself."

Lin Wanxing shrugged, walked to the corner, and picked up a barrel of purified water. She moved to the dispenser, lifted it with both hands, aligned it with the slot, and with a grunt of exertion, snapped it into place.

She clapped her hands and was about to leave when her peripheral vision caught a man who had just entered the gym entrance. He suddenly froze in his tracks and stopped in place.

After their eyes met, he actually performed a 180-degree turn on the spot and walked back out quickly without saying a word.

"Eh?"

Lin Wanxing tilted her head, feeling a bit bewildered. "That person... is really strange."

————

At noon, Lin Wanxing went to the mall's dining area for lunch.

She first found an empty seat and claimed it with her water bottle. Then, she reached for a pack of tissues to wipe the table, only to find there was only one left inside.

"Hmm... I'll just ask one of the stalls for some later."

Lin Wanxing didn't mind much. She used the last tissue to give the table a quick wipe and then went to a familiar light-meal shop to buy her food.

When she returned to her seat with her tray, she suddenly noticed that besides her water bottle, there was now an unopened pack of Face Tissues on the table she had claimed.

"Huh?"

Lin Wanxing frowned and looked around, muttering in annoyance, "Who put this here? Can't they see someone's already here?"

Even though she had claimed the seat first, to avoid trouble, she simply picked up her water bottle and tray and moved to another empty table.

————

In the afternoon, at the gym entrance.

Lin Wanxing was leaning against the entrance chatting with a Fitness Consultant she was close with, waiting to greet a scheduled client.

The consultant casually handed her a newly printed member schedule. Lin Wanxing didn't grab it firmly, and the paper began to flutter and slip from her hand.

In the blink of an eye, she reacted with lightning speed. With a flick of her wrist and her fingers extended, she snatched it out of the air right before the document hit the ground!

"Whoa! Nice moves, Sister Wanxing!"

The consultant beside her was stunned and gave her a thumbs up. "That reaction speed is insane!"

Lin Wanxing raised an eyebrow proudly. "It's nothing. We yoga practitioners..."

She paused mid-sentence as her peripheral vision caught a man on a bench in the nearby rest area. He was leaning forward, poised as if to charge, but for some reason, he had frozen in place.

Lin Wanxing tilted her head and looked closer.

Eh? Isn't that the same guy who showed up at the gym entrance this morning and then ran away?

Her interest piqued, she nudged the consultant beside her and whispered, "Hey, look at that guy over there. He came to the shop this morning too. Do you think he wants to sign up? Why don't you go ask?"

"A client? Sure!"

A warm smile immediately spread across the consultant's face as he walked over quickly. "Sir, you..."

Before he could even get close, the man suddenly turned around and hurried away from the gym entrance, quickly disappearing from their sight.

Consultant: "..."

Lin Wanxing: "..."

The two of them looked at each other.

The consultant scratched his head. "What's... what's the deal? Am I that scary?"

Lin Wanxing was also completely bewildered. "Maybe... he was just passing by to take a look?"