79: Chapter 79 Getting Hit at the Gym

By the time Su Bai came out after his shower, a fragrant aroma was already drifting from the kitchen.

He walked to the kitchen doorway and saw Song Qian standing in front of the stove, stir-frying dishes.

She was wearing that floral apron, her hair tied casually in a low ponytail, with a strand of hair falling beside her cheek.

The spatula moved, and steam rose up.

Hearing footsteps, she turned her head to look at him.

"It'll be ready in a moment."

Su Bai nodded and walked over to the dining table to sit down.

A few minutes later, Song Qian came out carrying two bowls of noodles.

It was simple clear broth noodles, topped with a poached egg and sprinkled with some green onion.

"Morning... let's have something light for lunch." Her cheeks flushed slightly.

Su Bai picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

The noodles were chewy, the broth was light, and the poached egg was fried just right, with a runny yolk.

The two of them ate their noodles in silence.

After finishing, Song Qian cleared the bowls and chopsticks and went to the kitchen to wash them.

Halfway through washing, she suddenly remembered something and walked out.

"Master."

Su Bai leaned back on the sofa and looked at her.

"Hmm?"

"This afternoon..." She paused and said with some hesitation,

"I need to go to my part-time job."

Su Bai looked at her and frowned.

"What for?"

"To resign."

Song Qian said,

"There's still one student's class left to finish there. I'm going today to teach the last lesson and resign while I'm at it."

Su Bai thought about it.

"That's fine. What time will you be back?"

"Around four or five o'clock," Song Qian said. "I'll come back as soon as the class is over."

Su Bai nodded.

"Go ahead."

Song Qian looked at him, hesitating for a moment.

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you... going to be okay by yourself at home this afternoon?"

Su Bai was taken aback for a moment.

Then he smiled.

The smile was faint, but it made Song Qian's heart skip a beat.

"I'm not a child."

Song Qian's face turned red again.

She turned, went back to her room, changed her clothes, and grabbed her bag.

Walking to the door, she looked back at him.

"Then I'm leaving. Goodbye, Master."

Su Bai leaned on the sofa and waved at her.

The door closed.

The room went quiet.

Su Bai stood in the living room, thought for a moment, then got dressed and went out, preparing to go to the Gym.

Having had a taste of the forbidden fruit, his body needed to be trained even more.

After all, once some things start, they just...

The Gym wasn't far, a ten-minute drive.

At two in the afternoon, there were quite a few people in the Gym.

It was winter break, so many students had come over. Some people were jogging on the treadmills, others were training in the equipment area, and soothing music drifted from the yoga room.

Su Bai pushed the door and went in.

The Round-faced girl at the front desk saw him, and her eyes lit up instantly.

"Mr. Su! You're here!"

Su Bai nodded.

"Is Amy here?"

"Yes, yes, she is!" The girl nodded repeatedly. "However... it seems she is currently teaching another member. Would you mind waiting a moment?"

Su Bai waved his hand.

"It's fine, I can just train on my own."

He changed his clothes and walked into the equipment area.

First, a warm-up.

He jogged on the treadmill for ten minutes, his body slightly sweating, and his joints loosened up.

He planned to train legs today.

There weren't many people by the Squat racks, and there were two empty spots.

Su Bai walked over and started his warm-up sets.

Empty bar Squats, fifteen per set, two sets.

Just as he finished the second set, two people suddenly appeared beside him.

"Hello!"

A crisp female voice rang out.

Su Bai turned his head.

Two young girls were standing nearby, looking about twenty years old; they were likely university students from the neighborhood.

One was wearing grey yoga pants and a white sports tank top, with her hair in a high ponytail, and she had two dimples when she smiled.

The other was wearing a black fitness skirt—the kind with tight shorts underneath and a skirt on the outside—and a pink sports bra with a thin sun-protective shirt over it.

Her hair was loose, her eyes were large, and she looked a bit shy.

"Hello," Su Bai nodded.

The girl with the ponytail leaned forward.

"Um, can we train with you?"

Su Bai looked around.

There were still several empty spots at the Squat racks.

"There are plenty over there," he said, his tone polite.

This was effectively a refusal.

The two girls looked at each other.

The girl with the ponytail said again: "Everywhere else is full of sweaty guys, and we don't like that." She blinked.

"You look... clean."

Su Bai was stunned for a moment.

People care about the environment even when working out?

But he didn't refuse again.

"Suit yourselves."

The two girls were happy.

"My name is Zhang Kexin!" The girl with the ponytail pointed at herself, then pointed at the shy one beside her.

"Her name is Zhao Mengmeng. What about you?"

"Su Bai."

"Su Bai, what a nice name!" Zhang Kexin praised. "Then we'll train with you!"

They started training on the Squat rack next to him.

Su Bai continued his own training.

He added weight and started his main sets.

While he was training, the two girls watched from the side.

Every time he finished a set, Zhang Kexin would clap.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"So handsome!"

"Mengmeng, look, his legs are so long!"

"It looks like he even has abs!"

Zhao Mengmeng blushed, but she couldn't help but glance at Su Bai.

When it was their turn to train, they asked Su Bai for help.

"Su Bai, is my form correct?"

"Su Bai, I'm afraid of falling. Can you watch from the side?"

"Su Bai, can you help hold me? Yes, holding my waist is fine. You can move it down a bit too."

When Zhang Kexin was doing Squats, he stood by her side, lightly supporting her waist.

Her form wasn't very standard, and her center of gravity was too far forward, so he corrected her a few times.

Zhao Mengmeng was even shyer; her face stayed red the whole time she was working out, and her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's hum.

But she had Su Bai hold her for the longest time, and she didn't want to get up even after finishing a set.

After training for a while, a familiar figure walked over.

It was Su Bai's personal trainer, Amy.

She was wearing a black tight sports tank top and matching yoga pants, which outlined her perfect body curves.

Her short blonde hair shone under the lights. Those fox-like eyes landed on Su Bai, then looked at the two girls beside him, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

"Su Bai, why didn't you tell me when you arrived?"

Su Bai put down the barbell.

"I saw you were busy, so I didn't go over to disturb you."

Amy walked over, stood beside him, and sized up the two girls.

"Who are these two..."

Zhang Kexin looked at her, a bit unhappy.

"Big sister," she said, her tone carrying obvious hostility, "the three of us were training just fine here. Why are you coming over to join in?"

Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Big sister?"

She smiled, the smile carrying a hint of danger.

"Little sister, I am his personal trainer. He paid money, so I have to provide good service."

Zhang Kexin was stunned for a moment.

Personal trainer?

She looked at Amy, then at Su Bai, a flash of unwillingness crossing her face.

Just at this moment, a rough voice came from behind.

"Amy! What are you doing running over here?"

Several people turned their heads.

A burly man walked over with large strides.

He was about 1.8 meters tall and weighed at least 220 jin, with bulging muscles that made him look like a moving mountain.

He was wearing a tank top, and his exposed arms were thicker than a young girl's thighs.

He walked up to Amy, looking unhappy.

"I just went to the bathroom, why did you run over here?"

Amy frowned and pointed at Su Bai.

"He is also my member. I came over to give him some guidance."

The burly man's gaze fell on Su Bai.

He looked him up and down.

Then his gaze swept over Zhang Kexin and Zhao Mengmeng, two youthful university students who were looking at Su Bai with admiration.

His expression became even uglier.

"Guidance?" He snorted. "You didn't come over just because he's handsome, did you?"

He flexed his arms, his muscles knotted and veins popping out.

"Let me tell you, these pretty boys are all show and no substance, good to look at but useless." He patted his own pectoral muscles.

"Someone like me is a real man!"

Zhang Kexin couldn't help it.

"Uncle," she rolled her eyes, "do you have some misunderstanding about what a 'real man' is? We aren't choosing a weightlifter."

Zhao Mengmeng added a final jab from the side.

"Exactly... what's the point of training to be so big? It's disgusting..."

The burly man's face flushed red.

He glared at Su Bai, who hadn't paid him any attention.

"Pretty boy, what kind of man hides behind women?" He took a step forward and growled,

"If you have the guts, let's compete and see who's better!"