Bench Press

"Twenty pounds. How does that feel?" Su Lin asked, glancing at the number on the bench press rack.

"It's not that heavy," Chubby said with a relaxed expression.

However, judging by the bulging veins on Chubby's face, hidden by thick fat, Zhou En could tell the guy was definitely giving it his all.

Su Lin frowned, clearly seeing that Chubby was just pretending to be strong.

"Brother, being able to push twenty pounds for your first time is already pretty good. You know, some people can only push ten pounds when they first start."

It was obvious who "some people" referred to: women.

Chubby clearly wasn't convinced. His male pride had been severely challenged, and he yelled for Su Lin to add more weight.

"Alright, alright, I'll add more," Su Lin said helplessly, regretting bringing a newbie along.

Finally, with the efforts of Su Lin and Zhou En, the barbell's weight increased to thirty pounds.

"Let you guys see my chest muscles," Chubby declared, preparing to lift the barbell.

"Ah."

The barbell didn't budge.

"Ah."

The barbell still didn't budge.

"Ah."

The barbell remained motionless.

"Who is that guy? So funny," a few girls nearby giggled, covering their mouths.

Hearing the girls' discussion, Chubby deflated like a leaky balloon, slumping onto the bench. His male pride was utterly defeated.

"Brother, see? You can't do it," Su Lin said.

Chubby got off the bench press rack, looking sickly and full of disappointment.

"Ha, Su Lin, you're coaching a newbie?"

Chubby's loud grunts had attracted the attention of many club members.

"Huh, isn't that Zhou En?"

"Who's Zhou En?"

"You don't even know? Zhou En is the powerhouse who beat Yue Hua this morning."

"Whoa, that impressive."

"He looks like he's going to do the bench press test. Let's see how much weight they can lift."

Zhou En, being a celebrity at the school, was instantly recognized by the crowd. They pointed and chattered, all eager to see just how capable this rising newcomer truly was.

Zhou En had intended to grow quietly at the club, but why did so much trouble keep finding him?

"I'll give it a try," Zhou En said to Chubby.

"Could that brother adjust my barbell to twenty pounds?"

As soon as Zhou En said this, a wave of laughter erupted.

"Ha, this is the strongest newcomer? He wants to start with twenty pounds."

"This is really lowering the standard for newcomers."

"Could this guy not even push a twenty-pound barbell?"

"Hahaha, that would be hilarious."

Zhou En ignored the mocking gazes and lay down on the bench.

After being ridiculed for the past two days, Zhou En had developed a certain immunity to these onlookers.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhou En easily pushed up the twenty-pound barbell.

"He's got some of the newcomer's spirit." When the crowd saw Zhou En lift the twenty-pound barbell, they couldn't help but nod slightly.

In their hearts, they acknowledged Zhou En's strength.

"Yuyu, what do you think Zhou En's bench press limit is?" Wu Min asked Liu Yu from the outer edge of the crowd.

A layer of frost immediately spread across Liu Yu's pretty face.

"Wu Min, how many times have I told you? Don't call me Yuyu. Call me Coach."

"Okay, okay, Coach. So, what do you think Zhou En's bench press is?" Seeing the beautiful coach get angry, Wu Min immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

Liu Yu frowned.

"It's hard to say. Looking at Zhou En's thin arms and legs, I estimate his bench press is at most around forty pounds."

Actually, that was the beautiful coach estimating on the high side. For a normal person, thirty pounds would be remarkable.

"Zhou En, I've added the weight to forty pounds for you. Don't force it if you can't push it," Su Lin cautioned.

In fact, Su Lin was a bit displeased that Zhou En had directly asked for forty pounds.

Normally, for someone who can only lift a 20-jin barbell to lift 30 jin, it would take at least two months of training. And Zhou En is just a beginner. Beginners always overestimate their strength, which ultimately leads to tendon strains.

"Look, this guy's showing off again."

"Haha, he thinks lifting 20 jin means he can just try 40 jin. It's no wonder he's going to get injured."

Everyone watching had at least this much common sense.

"Maybe he's trying to get the girls' attention."

"Hahaha, instead of attracting girls, he'll end up in the hospital."

"That's the price of showing off."

Under everyone's gaze, Zhou En fully lifted the barbell in his hands.

"Hiss."

Everyone watching couldn't help but gasp.

"What, what, am I seeing things? This kid actually lifted a 40-jin barbell on his first try."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. I bet Zhou En must have trained at the gym before."

Some people started to find a suitable excuse for themselves.

"Yeah, yeah. That must be it, otherwise, how can you explain it?"

"This Zhou En is clearly playing the pig to eat the tiger to attract girls."

In an instant, the club became a lively ocean.

"Coach, I never thought that you, a former national-level coach, would ever misjudge someone."

Wu Min chuckled, his eyes filled with unconcealed smugness. It wasn't often that he got to see this beautiful coach flustered.

The beautiful coach frowned, her beautiful eyes filled with unconcealed surprise.

"Strange, it shouldn't be like this," the beautiful coach pondered.

"Could it be that Zhou En really did receive training before?"

"Logically speaking, if he had received training before, he should have said so directly to get better treatment."

"No one would hide their training experience."

Wu Min, watching the beautiful coach deep in thought, couldn't help but speak up.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. Besides, I think Zhou En still had some strength left after lifting the 40-jin barbell."

"How about we make a bet?"

Liu Yu's beautiful eyes darted around.

"Okay, what are we betting on?"

After the beautiful coach's analysis, she concluded that Zhou En definitely hadn't received formal training. In Liu Yu's opinion, the reason he could lift the 40-jin barbell was probably because Zhou En exercised regularly. But 40 jin was Zhou En's limit. Anything above 40 jin would require long-term training.

Wu Min smiled and said indifferently, "If I win, you'll treat me to a meal."

"What happens if you lose?" the beautiful coach asked.

"If you lose, you'll treat me to a meal," Wu Min's wolfish grin finally showed.

The beautiful coach sneered, "If you lose, you'll give me the money for the meal. You want to hit on me? No way."