274: Chapter 274 Why aren't you sweating?

At 5:30 PM, Lin Wanxing pushed open the door to apartment 1601, and a wave of heat mixed with energetic music hit her:

"My expression is leisurely, jumping roughly, my movements relaxed and free, you can't copy..."

It was Jay Chou's "Ben Cao Gang Mu (Herbal Manual)," and there was a lively male voice leading the exercise.

"The fat around your waist goes crack crack! I want a six-pack and toned abs!"

"Take the movements slowly, find your own rhythm, don't rush!"

"Friends who just joined in, follow along slowly, we'll keep jumping!"

Lin Wanxing tilted her head in surprise, peeking into the living room as she changed her shoes.

On the TV screen, Liu Genghong and his wife Vivi were energetically jumping to the shuttlecock exercise, dripping with sweat.

And in the middle of the living room, Su Ning and Ye Cheng were bouncing around, following the screen's rhythm in a flurry of clumsy movements.

"What are you two...?"

"Oh oh, Sister Wanxing is back!"

Hearing the voice, Su Ning turned her head while continuing to kick her leg: "Come on, come on! Let's burn calories together! Lose weight!"

"Lose weight? You two aren't fat at all, are you?"

"Isn't the New Year almost here! We have to hurry up and start exercising to keep our figures! Otherwise, when we go home for the holidays and the aunts and uncles start force-feeding us, what then?"

"Huh? Normally, isn't it after the New Year that people start frantically dieting, regretting eating too much?"

"Brother Jiang said, you have to lose weight sooner or later anyway! We're creating a calorie deficit in advance, so we can eat freely and boldly during the New Year! This is... right! 'Preemptive weight loss'!"

Lin Wanxing: "..."

Alright, this logic was indeed very "Jiang Ye," full of a certain dialectical flavor that was both slacking off and striving, abstract to the extreme, but upon careful thought, it was hard to refute.

She put down her bag and stood to the side watching for a while.

Ye Cheng seemed to have some exercise foundation; her movements were a bit clumsy, but her core was relatively stable.

Su Ning was just a complete mess of chaotic dancing, frequently moving her same-side arm and leg together, and occasionally tripping over herself, making Lin Wanxing's professional instincts itch.

"Um..."

Lin Wanxing hesitated for a moment but couldn't hold back, pointing at the screen: "Have you followed his live streams before?"

Su Ning shook her head, panting heavily: "No, it's the first time jumping, but I heard the results are pretty good."

"His routines are fast-paced and high-intensity, actually not very friendly for beginners, easy to get injured. If you really want to burn fat efficiently, there are safer, more gradual methods."

"..."

Ye Cheng and Su Ning's movements halted simultaneously, and they quickly exchanged a look that said, "Just as expected!"

"Really, Coach?"

Ye Cheng fanned herself with her hand, her face full of "thirst for knowledge": "We both started jumping because we saw online that it was effective. So it's not suitable for beginners?"

Su Ning also leaned over, looking at Lin Wanxing with pleading eyes: "Yes, yes, yes! Sister Wanxing, you're the professional, teach us! Lead us in a workout!"

Looking at the two pairs of eyes that instantly became sparkling and full of "expectation," Lin Wanxing instinctively let out an "uh" and scratched her head.

This atmosphere... felt a bit weird? It was as if they were just waiting for her to say that.

She scanned the living room. Jiang Ye's bedroom door was tightly closed, with no movement.

He wasn't present, so it should... be her overthinking things, right?

"Alright, let me take my clothes back first."

She took off her jacket and pants, wearing only a sports bra and tight leggings. After putting her outer clothes back in her room, she returned to the living room:

"Come on, let's start with the basics. Xiao Su, do you remember the jumping jacks I taught you when you were in class with Jiang Ye before?"

Su Ning blinked and decisively shook her head: "Don't remember! No impression at all! Sister Wanxing, my athletic ability is terrible, you have to guide us hands-on!"

Ye Cheng chimed in in perfect sync: "Yes, yes, yes, I've never had systematic exercise before. You have to lead us, otherwise we definitely won't do it correctly."

Lin Wanxing: "..." (Xiao Su learned pretty quickly back then though.)

But she didn't think too much about it and started explaining the key points while leading the two through the simplest jumping jacks, followed by small, in-place high knees, butt kicks, and side steps.

She slowed down each movement, carefully explaining the essentials and correcting their postures.

"Can you feel your heart rate going up? A light sweat is good."

Lin Wanxing observed their condition: "Just follow this rhythm: 40 seconds of exercise, 20 seconds of rest, that's one set. Starting out, doing five sets a day is enough. Once you're fully adapted and don't feel too much strain, then go online and follow a ten-minute beginner Pamela Reif tutorial. If you can stick with it until after the New Year, your body fat percentage and fitness level will show noticeable improvement."

She clapped her hands, feeling the teaching task was pretty much done: "Alright, I've taught you the method. The rest is up to your persistence. I'm going to go wash..."

"Hey, wait, Wanxing!"

Ye Cheng quickly interrupted her: "We'll definitely learn poorly just watching videos. Besides, Xiao Su is leaving tomorrow. Why don't you just lead us through a complete workout?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Su Ning immediately turned into a parrot, nodding pitifully: "I'm dumb-dumb, I can't learn from videos! You have to lead us!"

"..."

Lin Wanxing blinked, looking at her two roommates' unprecedentedly high enthusiasm for exercise. The question marks in her mind grew larger and larger.

But leading them through a full set of beginner circuits would only take a few minutes. It didn't matter.

Hmm...

As long as that guy wasn't around, there shouldn't be any downside.

"Alright, then I'll lead you through five sets of the basic movements I just taught, so you can get a feel for the interval training rhythm."

She stood firm again and began leading them through the movements seriously.

Although Su Ning and Ye Cheng were a bit out of breath, they tried hard to keep up with her rhythm, their attitude very serious.

Just as the fifth set was about to end, Ye Cheng's gaze quickly flicked towards a certain phone lying face down on the coffee table. Then, as if choking, she coughed heavily:

"Cough! Cough cough!"

Almost simultaneously, the master bedroom door clicked open. Jiang Ye stretched lazily and sauntered out: "Aha—Yo, the three beauties working out, huh?"

He ambled over, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. Then he turned and headed towards the bathroom, muttering:

"Look at all this sweat... gotta get you guys some towels to wipe off."

He quickly came back with their respective towels. He handed one to Ye Cheng first: "Cheng Cheng, look at you sweating. I told you before to do some squats and practice downward dog more often when you have time. Your constitution is too weak."

Gasping for breath, Ye Cheng shot him an annoyed glare, took the towel, and wiped her forehead and neck.

Jiang Ye then walked over to the heavily panting Su Ning and handed her towel to her:

"Little Su, I told you it would be great if you came to the gym with me, it could motivate you too."

While panting heavily, Su Ning waved her hand at him, took the towel, and wiped her face and neck haphazardly.

Finally, Jiang Ye walked up to Lin Wanxing, who wasn't even breathing heavily, and handed her the towel. His tone instantly softened by eight degrees:

"Wanxing, look at your sweat... cough, why aren't you sweating?"