47: Giving a gift - 1

This gym was located on the seventh floor of the New Mart Shopping Mall, not particularly large, just medium-sized.

The decor showed its age, but the equipment was fairly complete. Mixed with the thumping energetic music, the fitness atmosphere was quite strong.

Since it was Saturday afternoon, there were quite a few people working out inside. The air carried a mixed smell of sweat and disinfectant.

The consultant at the front desk, named A Mu, was a young man who looked about two years older than Jiang Ye. He enthusiastically led him around, introduced the various equipment areas and classes, and then, following procedure, arranged a female coach for him to conduct an experience session.

The female coach was named Lily. Her looks were ordinary, but her figure was the curvy type—clearly the result of long-term training. Wearing tight-fitting workout clothes, she belonged to the sunny, healthy type.

"Little Brother, let's warm up first, then get on the treadmill for a ten-minute slow jog to activate your cardio function."

Jiang Ye nodded, followed her through some simple stretches, and then stepped onto the treadmill.

He had only been jogging slowly for less than two minutes when Lily leaned against the treadmill's handrail and spoke with a smile:

"Little Brother, what do you think of me?"

As she spoke, she subconsciously straightened her chest: "Coincidentally, we have a promotional offer right now—buy 10 personal training sessions and get 4 free, for a total of 2,200 yuan, 14 sessions in all. It's super cost-effective!"

Jiang Ye had just started sweating slightly from the jog. Upon hearing this, his footsteps immediately paused.

He reached out and pressed the deceleration button, shaking his phone screen which displayed a group-buy page for a 9.9 yuan two-session experience package:

"Coach, I've just started warming up, and you're already trying to sell me sessions? At least let me finish the experience first, right?"

Coach Lily's face flashed with a hint of embarrassment. She reached out to help Jiang Ye adjust the treadmill's speed back to its original setting, her tone carrying a bit of coquettishness:

"Oh, Little Brother, we're not done yet, keep jogging~ It's not like I have anything better to do, just chatting with you casually."

Jiang Ye frowned and continued jogging.

Lily leaned in closer, smiling as she reached out to pinch the muscles on his arm, then gently patted his abdomen:

"Actually, your physique has a good foundation, lots of potential, and decent muscle definition. It's just that your core strength might be a little weak. Train with me, and I guarantee you'll see results quickly. When summer comes and you take off your shirt, you'll have no idea how many Girls you'll charm!"

Jiang Ye sighed inwardly, slowed his pace, and said nothing.

Coach Lily seemed unaware of his impatience and continued talking on her own:

"Bro, it's not that I want to nag, but I haven't closed a single deal in the past two weeks, the pressure is too much. Since it happened to be my turn to guide you, I thought I'd ask you right away."

She paused, then reached out to pinch his thigh again, seemingly trying to use physical contact to build rapport:

"And honestly, with fitness, without a coach to assist and guide you, many movements can easily be done incorrectly. Not only does it reduce the effectiveness of your workout, but it also increases the risk of injury... Huh? Bro? Where are you going?"

Jiang Ye was genuinely annoyed by her now. He directly pressed the stop button on the treadmill and waved his hand: "Forget it, let's end the experience here."

"Don't go, Bro! I talked too much, I admit I was wrong, okay? Let's keep training, I promise I won't mention buying sessions again!"

The consultant A Mu, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, quickly jogged over: "Bro, what's wrong? Is there something you're not satisfied with?"

Jiang Ye glanced back at Coach Lily, who wore an awkward smile, and couldn't be bothered to explain. He just waved at him: "It's nothing, just doesn't feel like a good fit. Thanks for your effort."

After saying that, he headed straight for the locker room, ready to change and leave.

It wasn't that he was being picky or putting on airs; he genuinely wanted to start working out and had considered hiring a personal trainer to train properly.

But definitely not this kind of approach where the payment code is shoved in your face before the warm-up is even finished. It's just too unseemly.

Jiang Ye clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction as he walked out of the New Mart Shopping Mall.

Just as he was pondering whether to go straight home and lounge around or check out another gym nearby, his phone suddenly rang.

He pulled it out and saw the caller ID—"Ye Cheng."

"Hey, Buddy, what are you up to?" The voice on the other end sounded in a good mood.

Jiang Ye replied irritably: "Just lost nine yuan and ninety cents, currently scrounging around for change. What's up?"

"Whoa, where did you get so worked up? Such a temper?"

Ye Cheng paused on the other end of the line, then burst out laughing: "Didn't I give you the thing? How about you hit me first, and after you're done, I'll hit you back?"

Jiang Ye: "..."

He couldn't help but marvel at the profound depth of the Chinese language.

If you gave this sentence to a foreigner as a listening comprehension question, it would probably eliminate a large batch of them.

He rolled his eyes and instinctively touched the gift bag in his down jacket pocket.

Hmm, soft to the touch, worth 12,000.

"Stop fooling around, what's the matter? Miss me?"

Ye Cheng giggled on the other end of the line, then let out a drawn-out, affectionate "Mm-hmm," dragging the tail sound for a long time.

"?"

That "Mm-hmm" made Jiang Ye's hair stand on end, instantly putting him on high alert.

"Hiss... Something's off. I just transferred 8,000 to you forty minutes ago, and you miss me already... Be honest, did you impulsively buy a bag?"

"Oh my! Classmate Xiao Ye, you... you really are the worm in my stomach! How did you know I wanted you to buy me a bag?"

Jiang Ye: "???"

"Ye Cheng, are you crazy? I was just thinking about how I inexplicably developed the bad habit of giving you weekly allowance, and now you're not only taking the allowance but also eyeing bags?"

Ye Cheng's voice clearly lacked confidence, tinged with guilt:

"Didn't I give you such private, such intimate things? You've done so many... so many embarrassing things to them, you can't just deny it, right?"

"Hah."

Jiang Ye sneered: "Right, I deny it. If you're not happy, go call the police."

The other end fell silent for a moment, letting out two awkward laughs, clearly aware that the efforts from both sides were hardly equal.

After a few seconds of silence, Ye Cheng seemed to adjust her strategy, switching to a "good friend" tone:

"Oh, aren't we good friends! It's perfectly normal for good friends to exchange gifts, right? How about this, Jiang Ye, you buy me a bag, and I... I'll get you a new phone! I noticed you're still using an old model Nova 11; I'll get you the latest Mate Phone, okay? How about it? Pretty generous, right!"

Jiang Ye, who was walking home, suddenly stopped in his tracks upon hearing this.

Holy crap?

Is business this easy nowadays?

Have Girls already mastered the art of initiating the "cashback loop" mode on their own?