95: Chapter 95 Some people follow the rules, some people make the rules.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, iSport officially opened for business.

"Drive me there first so I can pick up my car; I have to go out for something this afternoon."

Today he would stand his last shift, and his weight loss mission should be complete. There was a high school reunion in the afternoon, and after some thought, Zhao Xiaoshuai decided not to bring his young girlfriend.

"I don't have anything to do this afternoon anyway, can't you take me with you?" his young girlfriend asked tentatively.

The breakthrough in their relationship meant she was no longer shy about being part of his life. She instinctively wanted to know more about her boyfriend and spend more time with him.

"It's just a high school reunion, a bunch of guys. No one's bringing family. You'd just be sitting there awkwardly, and it would keep everyone from drinking freely."

It wasn't entirely nonsense; some people brought family to reunions and some didn't. What the atmosphere of Zhao Xiaoshuai's reunion was actually like depended entirely on what he said.

"Oh, alright then. I'll drop you off, and then I'll pick you up when you're finished."

"Don't go to all that trouble. I'll just call a designated driver. I need to show off my new car to my old classmates."

His young girlfriend pouted but ultimately accepted the arrangement.

There were quite a lot of people at iSport today; they almost couldn't find a parking spot. Luckily, they arrived early enough and, after driving around a bit, managed to find spots.

"Brother Zhao, Yawen, good morning!" the receptionist, Shen Liqin, greeted them attentively and warmly.

"Good morning, Sister Liqin."

Zhao Xiaoshuai just gave a plain nod. He had no real interest in this receptionist whose name he hadn't even bothered to remember.

"If it isn't Boss Zhao? Coach Meng is here too. What a coincidence."

The voice was deep and heavy; it was Chen Guozhong, the "Old Fogey" he had met once before.

Chen Guozhong actually wasn't entirely sure that the man was Zhao Xiaoshuai.

He was simply too different from the person in his memory. Could someone really transform from fat and greasy to a masculine, handsome man in just over ten days of working out?

However, hearing the receptionist's greeting, seeing Meng Yawen's intimate movements, and noticing a slight familiarity in the face, he confirmed the man's identity.

Ever since their unpleasant first meeting, Chen Guozhong seemed to have intentionally avoided Zhao Xiaoshuai, and they hadn't crossed paths for a long time.

He didn't have the confidence to reclaim his dignity on his own, but he wasn't alone today.

"Coach Meng, long time no see. Do you still remember me?"

The speaker was the sunny and handsome second-generation rich kid, Lin Yongbo.

Lin Yongbo was equally surprised. In his memory, Zhao Xiaoshuai was supposed to be much shorter than him, fat and ugly. How were they standing eye-to-eye now?

Had he remembered incorrectly, subconsciously vilifying the man in his memory?

After thinking for a moment without an answer, Lin Yongbo stopped dwelling on it. He was more interested in Meng Yawen.

Although he was doing his best to pursue Ling Rui, the Ling Family had gone on vacation, leaving him with no chance to continue his advances for the time being.

In his spare time, he might as well have a little fun on the side.

This Meng Yawen's looks were by no means inferior to Ling Rui's, and her figure was leagues better. She was more than qualified to be a lover or a mistress.

Zhao Xiaoshuai put his arm around his young girlfriend's waist and said casually, "Who are you guys?"

This was, of course, nonsense from Zhao Xiaoshuai. Although he only had a vague impression, the system's unlocked illustrations had records. At a glance, their past information was available for him to review in card form.

Stung by the remark, Chen Guozhong's expression stiffened, but he quickly replied with a normal face:

"Boss Zhao truly has a short memory. Before the New Year, I wanted to book Coach Meng's promotional classes, but you beat me to it."

"But Boss Zhao, you weren't very fair. You filled up Coach Meng's entire schedule, leaving no one else a chance to receive her professional guidance."

"But things are different now. Young Master Lin and I just bought Coach Meng's classes and booked the afternoon and evening slots respectively."

Zhao Xiaoshuai raised an eyebrow slightly. He had clearly booked a whole month in advance; how could they just wedge themselves in?

He saw the receptionist's expression and sensed she knew something, so he gave her a questioning look.

Shen Liqin offered an explanation with an apologetic look.

Essentially, the owner of the fitness center had changed the rules. Citing the reason of "reasonable fitness," they limited each person to booking at most one time slot per day.

The latter two slots Zhao Xiaoshuai had booked for the day were automatically canceled and postponed.

For dissatisfied customers, refunds were supported.

Similar things weren't uncommon in reality, and Zhao Xiaoshuai had seen them before.

However, they were usually covered with a fig leaf to save everyone's face and carried out in a more secretive manner.

Chen Guozhong was a bit smug. Although he couldn't compete with this man, the Lin family still had some weight.

the second young master of the Lin family just had to say a few words, and Boss Ma of iSport agreed to it.

Chen Guozhong said pointedly, "Some people follow rules, while others make them."

"Boss Zhao, having a little money is useless. You and I still have to follow the 'rules'."

Lin Yongbo said smugly to Meng Yawen, "Coach Meng, I'll be in your care from now on."

Meng Yawen didn't care about this job at all anymore. Although the bet she made with her classmates was a bit tricky, she would just find another way.

Her boyfriend had promised her that she would be his only fitness coach for life, so she wouldn't teach anyone else for the rest of her life either.

She was about to step forward and resign directly, but her boyfriend pulled her back into his arms.

"Rules? Sounds very impressive."

"Miss Receptionist, is your boss in today?"

Shen Liqin quickly replied, "Yes, he's in his office on the top floor. Should I ask for you?"

"Yes, please ask him if he can meet right away."

Lin Yongbo said disdainfully, "Save it. Even though you're a big customer here, there are tiers even among big customers. Boss Ma won't give you face."

Zhao Xiaoshuai replied with a relaxed expression, "I want to try and see just how big your 'face' really is."

Lin Yongbo wasn't bluffing. His family basically acted as the agent for all fitness equipment supplies in Chuncheng.

All equipment replacement and maintenance for iSport basically depended on his family's favor. As long as Boss Ma wanted to stay in business, it was impossible not to give him this face.

"Brother Zhao, the boss says please come up."

The owner of iSport, Ma Dongxi, had secretly investigated the matter a bit. When the second young master of the Lin family suddenly asked for this favor, he figured it was just a drama of young people being jealous.

A quick inquiry confirmed it.

Although the other person had spent quite a bit of money at his place, his weight clearly couldn't compare to that of the second young master Lin.

However, he still needed to do some basic courtesy work.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao! My surname is Ma. May I ask if there's anything you're dissatisfied with that you wanted to see me about?"

After a bit of polite small talk, Zhao Xiaoshuai asked calmly, "I spent real money to book Coach Meng's classes three times a day for a month. Why are the rules of this promotion being changed at will? Doesn't that mean my money was spent in vain?"

[Ding! Unlocked stranger illustration: Ma Dongxi (Character Rating: 7.42)]

[Congratulations to the host for luckily obtaining a multiplier silver card (Permanent)]

Ma Dongxi replied with a forced smile, "I'm very sorry for the trouble caused to Mr. Zhao. There was a problem with the rules drafted by my subordinates at the beginning of the promotion; they were released without my consent. Now, we're just correcting some minor issues."

"Of course, we can't let customers pay for our internal oversight. If Mr. Zhao is dissatisfied, I will give you a full refund. What do you think?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't respond to the question immediately but changed the subject and asked:

"Boss Ma, your operations here are quite good. It must have cost a lot of money to open a fitness center like this, right?"