5: Chapter 5 Old Lamp, It's Your Turn

iSport Fitness Center, basement level.

"Although our center's pool scale cannot compare to large swimming venues, it is considered quite good for a fitness center. Please, take a look."

Looking over, it was a large pool, estimated to be thirty meters square, and the water quality looked decent.

He took a look; it was indeed quite good.

"Does Coach Meng teach swimming as well?"

"I have the qualifications, but I don't teach it in my regular classes here."

"We currently have a 'Lifetime Companion' campaign. This specialty course is included in the advanced curriculum purchased during the campaign. If you are interested, I can introduce it to you."

Through her introduction, he learned that this campaign was actually a customized advanced course package, priced at 1,314 yuan per session, with an annual member price of 520 yuan, with a minimum purchase of ten sessions.

Regular courses only cost two or three hundred yuan. The reason this advanced course dared to sell for so much was due to some gimmicks.

For example, dividing the day into morning, afternoon, and evening, with 2, 3, and 3 hours respectively for the three time slots.

Within one time slot, the course could be extended indefinitely without reason; this was the origin of the 'Lifetime Companion' gimmick.

For instance, VIP rooms on each floor could only be reserved with this type of advanced course.

There was a small private pool on this floor where students and coaches could exercise with focus, undisturbed.

For example, each coach had personal specialties that were only taught in these advanced courses, and so on.

'I was choked by water when I was a child, so I've always been afraid to get into the water. Now that I've been reborn, it's time to try and break that past fear.'

Zhao Xiaoshuai was secretly making up his mind while recalling the past, but Meng Yawen just thought he found it too expensive and wasn't interested.

This was normal. In a second-tier city like Chuncheng, regular fitness courses only cost about 200 per session.

However, she didn't mind. This campaign had just launched today, and she was confident in herself; she certainly wouldn't lack students.

...

...

In the first-floor lobby, at the guest sofa area, Gong Meimei pulled her hand away for the seventeenth time without leaving a trace.

"Oh, Brother Chen, my throat is dry from talking. Why don't you buy ten or twenty sessions of 'Lifetime Companion' from me?"

"You are different from us working stiffs. You are a truly wealthy person; a few thousand yuan is just pocket change to you."

Although there was an element of flattery, Gong Meimei knew that this old man really had money in his pockets.

The car he usually parked in the iSport garage was a Lexus ES300h, and the Vacheron Constantin watch on his wrist was worth at least one hundred thousand.

He was the kind of big client who could really be squeezed for profit.

Moreover, this old man was all looks and no action; at most, she could get a little handsy, but there wouldn't be any real danger.

So she worked extra hard, wanting to close this deal while Meng Yawen was wasting time on that delivery guy loser.

For Chen Guozhong, although a few thousand yuan wasn't something he could completely ignore, it really didn't amount to much.

He wasn't young anymore; wasn't money meant to be enjoyed?

Gong Meimei was the prettiest coach in this fitness center, her professional skills were passable, and she wasn't too stubborn; she wouldn't refuse a certain amount of groping.

Overall, she was worth the money.

However, he believed in a gradual approach when spending money on women and wouldn't throw big money right away, so he decided to start by upgrading ten sessions with his old course.

Just then, with a 'ding,' a tall beauty walked out of the elevator coming from the B1 level.

Even with Chen Guozhong's experience, it was his first time seeing a beauty with such a perfect figure and such high beauty in reality, to the point where he lost his composure for a moment.

His eyes lit up, and he let go of the small hand he had been stroking without hesitation, stood up, and headed towards that side.

"A new coach at your center? You look professional at a glance. Hurry up and sign me up for ten sessions of that 'Lifetime Companion' thing. I want this coach!"

As soon as Meng Yawen stepped out of the elevator, she was startled by the sudden predatory gaze and instinctively took a step back, bumping right into Zhao Xiaoshuai, who was following close behind.

It smelled good, and it was bouncy.

Steadying Meng Yawen, Zhao Xiaoshuai stepped back to create some distance like a gentleman.

Chen Guozhong frowned; only then did he see that there was someone behind that great beauty.

Glancing at Zhao Xiaoshuai, he, who had seen countless people, quickly made a judgment about this person in his heart.

Mental state is poor, suspected overwork, hair is a bit oily, doesn't pay attention to appearance—a loser.

Clothing is ordinary and tasteless, the collar is a bit frayed, and the shoes are very old—a poor wretch.

According to the rules here, he should be here for the first time, being shown around by that beautiful coach.

Although she was prey he had just set his sights on, Chen Guozhong already considered her his own, determined to get her.

Her intimate contact with another man instinctively made him unhappy, let alone a competitor of this level.

A delivery guy, what status does he have to dare to get close to a woman he has his eyes on?

"This coach, don't waste your efforts. Some people just like to look at things they can't afford, wasting everyone's time."

"Just sign me up for ten sessions first. I heard the introduction just now; it seems to be 5,200?"

"It's not cheap, making me work for nothing for a day, haha."

"It's just that, for some people, they might not earn it back in a few months."

Chen Guozhong looked earnest and deliberately swept a glance at Zhao Xiaoshuai.

Gong Meimei's face turned ugly instantly.

She endured the discomfort in her heart, having "sacrificed" for so long, and the other party was finally about to give in.

As a result, the cooked duck flew away, and it flew into the pot of the person she hated most, which made her feel especially uncomfortable.

And Chen Guozhong's action of letting go of her hand without hesitation also deeply stung her, as if reminding her of the gap between the two of them.

This made her teeth itch with hatred, and her nails were almost digging into her flesh.

'Picking this time to come up, how can it be such a coincidence? I think that vixen planned it, just to target me!'

Chen Liqin wasn't very happy either. Although she was only perfunctory about the conflict between coaches, after all, it had no direct interest relationship with her.

But Chen Guozhong was a coach she had chosen herself; if she didn't introduce and arrange it, she wouldn't get a commission.

If it could be registered under Gong Meimei's name, she could secretly change the record; acquaintances wouldn't say anything.

If it weren't for that delivery guy causing a topic, they wouldn't all be gathered here, and she would have introduced the campaign to Chen Guozhong, and everything would have been perfect.

Besides, that delivery guy basically wouldn't spend money to get a card, which was a pure waste of her time.

'Seriously, just go deliver your food properly, why come here to waste everyone's time! I lost out on dozens of earnings!'

Complaining in her heart, she still put on a professional smile on the surface, "Coach Meng, Brother Chen wants to sign up for your classes. Why don't you come over and receive him?"

Meng Yawen was a little panicked and didn't want to go over.

She hadn't been in the job for long, and everyone she had seen before was a normal customer. Although they looked at her intentionally or unintentionally, they were still well-behaved.

She hadn't seen the malice of society yet.

Now, being wantonly scanned by that pair of aggressive eyes, she felt goosebumps all over.

Having not fully stepped out of campus, she had never seen such a battle and was instantly at a loss.

'I won't be subjected to unspoken rules, will I!'

She wanted to resign, but thinking of the bet she made with a classmate she hated, she was very unwilling.

In a desperate attempt, she looked pitifully at the person behind her who was unlikely to be able to help her.

Zhao Xiaoshuai wanted to laugh as he looked at this rude middle-aged man.

If he were mocked for being fat, greasy, or for his clothing, he might have accepted it, as it was a fact.

But the other party happened to mock him for being poor.

"I say, shouldn't we talk about first-come, first-served?"

He first glanced at the receptionist, thinking that logically, no matter what, this reception had to be completed before Meng Yawen could receive the next customer.

And that receptionist, despite knowing everything, ignored him directly.

The receptionist awkwardly put away her smile and shrank her neck. He didn't press the issue and looked at Chen Guozhong again:

"This bald, pot-bellied big brother, can you earn more than 5,000 a day? Then your vital capacity must be really good."

Chen Guozhong's face darkened. He didn't expect this kid to dare to talk back. Didn't he see the watch he was deliberately showing off?

Do you know how long you would have to deliver food to afford this watch?

Also, the other party might not recognize it and didn't know at all that he had provoked someone he couldn't afford to provoke.

"Whether I can earn 5,000 a day might fluctuate, but earning several times you in a month is definitely more than enough."

"Why don't we try it? Don't say I'm bullying you; you top up one session, and I'll top up two."

"If you are still a man, don't make me look down on you."

Chen Guozhong decided to teach this poor wretch a lesson and trample on his face in public.

Besides, even if the other side really got carried away, it would at most be ten or twenty sessions, which he thought he could handle.

Don't look at the internet where thousands of yuan don't seem like money; in reality, many working stiffs don't even earn three thousand a month.

[Ding! Stranger Atlas lit up: Chen Guozhong (Character rating 6.82)]

[Congratulations to the host for luckily obtaining a multiplier bronze card (permanent)]

Seeing the system rating, Zhao Xiaoshuai roughly knew what level of player the opponent was, and his heart was set.

"Alright."

"Receptionist, get me an annual card, and by the way, top up a few sessions of Coach Meng's activity classes."

'My name is Chen Liqin, can't you see my name tag...', complaining in her heart, the receptionist still switched to professional mode quickly:

"Handsome, our annual card here is 2,888, 'Lifetime Companion' campaign, annual card users enjoy the highest discount, 520 after discount. How many sessions would you like to top up?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai said nonchalantly: "Let's top up 100 sessions first to play with."

"Ho, how many?"

"100 sessions, is that a lot?"

Chen Liqin secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva:

"Handsome, let me confirm one last time. Because this is a campaign, we don't give extra sessions."

"100 sessions cost 52,000, plus the annual card 2,888, totaling 54,888. If there is no problem, please scan this QR code to pay."

Beep!

[Your debit card account 1649, online payment 54,888 yuan, balance after transaction 89.6 (Bank of China)]

Spending almost all his savings at once made Zhao Xiaoshuai's heartbeat speed up a lot; he hadn't done such an exciting thing yet.

You know, this was all the savings he had accumulated after working for seven full years.

However, the moment he spent this money, it was really refreshing.

There was a kind of pleasure in releasing something to the fullest.

[cash-back card - 1, multiplier bronze card - 1]

[This cash-back rate: 123%, final cash-back amount: 66,963.36 yuan]

'It's a loss that I specifically chose the card gifted for lighting up the Old Geezer atlas. This is too unlucky. There's a feeling that although I earned, I didn't earn much...'

However, this small dissatisfaction vanished the moment he saw Chen Guozhong's ugly face.

"Old Geezer, it's your turn."