So Annoying

Though they'd been told they could rest, Tang Zhi Chu had barely sat down for three minutes before Zhou Yun pulled him back to his feet.

"There's an aerobics class right now. Let's go!"

On the left side of the general workout area, near the wall, was an open space with a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror.

A young woman in a white athletic top stood at the front. From the front, her clothes covered her completely, but from the side, they just happened to show off her waist.

She clasped her hands behind her back. Though she had a baby face, she carried herself with a hint of composure.

Gradually, people began to gather.

"Xiao Yan! You're leading today!" someone called out to her.

The woman smiled and nodded. "I'll lead the class today."

"Great! We're in luck!"

Tang Zhi Chu leaned against the wall. It was clear that the young woman was popular at this gym. As soon as people heard she was leading the class, quite a few hurried over.

Tang Zhi Chu didn't join them, and Zhou Yun didn't insist.

"You still have the gym card I gave you, right?" Zhou Yun asked.

"Yeah."

"Don't lose it. I gave you a gold card, so you can join our private group chat and take part in all kinds of activities. Your fitness is really poor, so you need to take it seriously. Come train whenever you have time. Look at this place—the atmosphere is great. There's a pretty girl leading free classes every day."

Tang Zhi Chu nodded with a smile. "I think I understand why your place is doing so well."

Zhou Yun didn't accept his praise. She said smugly, "Like I need you to tell me that."

The aerobics class started, beginning with some simple marching steps.

Tang Zhi Chu thought Zhou Yun really knew how to run a business. The baby-faced instructor had a figure just as good as their boss's. She was like a flower in bud, opening up unabashedly right in front of them.

Who could resist a sight like that?

Women would see her and wish they could be her, while men would be even more determined to get in shape. Never mind getting close enough to kiss her—even just watching her was a pleasure.

"Is she pretty?"

Tang Zhi Chu snapped out of it. "Huh?"

"You should be running now."

An hour later, Tang Zhi Chu collapsed on the treadmill.

No matter how Zhou Yun tried to pull him up, he refused to move.

"I-I'm telling you, I-I feel... I feel like I'm going to die."

Zhou Yun looked around. Several machines faced them, but she gritted her teeth, grabbed Tang Zhi Chu by the legs, and dragged him off the treadmill so he could lie on the floor.

Then she picked up a massage gun and started loosening up his thighs.

It was the first time Tang Zhi Chu had seen Zhou Yun blush, but he was so exhausted he didn't even feel like talking.

"Your legs are almost as thick as mine. You really are a skinny runt." Zhou Yun's face was red, but she still couldn't resist a jab.

Tang Zhi Chu simply closed his eyes, as if he couldn't hear her either.

"If I ran like you, I'd barely break a sweat. So, what do you think? Are you going to train or not? Join the private group chat when you get home and book a personal trainer. Someone will guide you every time you come. Book a woman. At least she'll keep an eye on you, and you'll be too embarrassed to slack off, right?"

Perhaps she felt the atmosphere was a little awkward. Zhou Yun started chattering away to keep things from getting uncomfortable.

"I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?"

Tang Zhi Chu opened his eyes. "I heard you. You're so annoying."

Zhou Yun's eyes widened, then she smacked him with a kick.

Tang Zhi Chu sucked in a sharp breath. She'd kicked him right in the knee. "Ow! What kind of shady gym is this? You're hitting me now?"

Zhou Yun tossed him the massage gun. "If you don't want your legs to hurt tomorrow, loosen them up yourself."

A short distance away, someone had been hesitating for a while, as if waiting for the right moment to approach.

Once Zhou Yun and Tang Zhi Chu were no longer so close, she finally walked over.

"Yun-jie!"

Zhou Yun heard someone call her and turned around. It was the young woman who had led the class earlier.

Zhou Yun nodded. "Come on over."

"This is Wang Xiao Yan. She's one of our best trainers," Zhou Yun said, introducing her to Tang Zhi Chu.

Tang Zhi Chu sat up. "Hello, I'm Tang Zhi Chu."

"Hello."

"He's a friend of mine. Do we have any food left?" Zhou Yun asked Wang Xiao Yan.

"Yes. I saved some on purpose."

Tang Zhi Chu perked up. "There's food?"

In the break room, Tang Zhi Chu had a huge appetite after exercising. Even the vegetable salad got devoured with gusto.

Wang Xiao Yan looked to the side, her shoulders shaking as she tried to stifle her laughter.

Tang Zhi Chu was eating salad while shoving shrimp into his mouth. He didn't peel them; he just bit off the heads and put them aside.

Zhou Yun couldn't stand watching anymore. She took the box of shrimp from him. "All right, all right. I'll peel them for you."

Wang Xiao Yan was a little surprised by Zhou Yun's gesture, but she kept her expression neutral.

She knew her boss was appearing on a dating show, and from Wang Xiao Yan's perspective, she figured her boss was probably doing it for work.

Her appearance today had been arranged by her boss, giving her a chance to get some exposure too.

But some of her boss's gestures and expressions didn't seem like an act.

Wang Xiao Yan secretly glanced at Tang Zhi Chu a few times. He was tall and handsome, better-looking than the male staff at the gym, though he was a little thin—too thin.

Almost without thinking, Wang Xiao Yan opened another box. It held pan-fried fish and chicken breast. She handed it to Tang Zhi Chu.

"Thanks!"

Tang Zhi Chu felt alive again. He swallowed his food and said to Zhou Yun, "You're really not cut out to be a personal trainer. You're way too harsh. If all the trainers were like you, your gym would go under."

As she peeled shrimp, Zhou Yun rolled her eyes. "You're just weak. You're so out of shape. I wasn't even trying, and you were already done for."

Tang Zhi Chu gaped at her. "Look at you, picking on me too. If I were your client, I wouldn't come back tomorrow."

"Anyway, I've made it clear what's at stake. With your current fitness level, let me ask you one thing: could you even carry a woman? If you don't come back, you're the one who loses out."

"I never said I wouldn't come back. But... can't we take it gradually?"

Zhou Yun passed him a lid full of peeled shrimp. "Just eat, you skinny runt."

Tang Zhi Chu was a little confused. He didn't understand why that label had suddenly been applied to him. "What does 'skinny runt' mean?"

"Someone like you—tall and thin."

Tang Zhi Chu lowered his head and felt his stomach. He couldn't argue with that. He really was thin.

"I get it now. You like those big, muscular guys!"

Zhou Yun didn't continue arguing with Tang Zhi Chu. Instead, she turned to Wang Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, show him that video."

Wang Xiao Yan nodded, swiped through her phone, then set it in front of Tang Zhi Chu.

It was a short video, and Wang Xiao Yan was the one in it.

As soon as it played, Tang Zhi Chu understood.

It was the background music he'd given Zhou Yun on their last date, asking her to choreograph a dance to it.

The track was driven by a lively beat, with a light, cute, and fresh feel.

Wang Xiao Yan was adorable in the video, and her dancing was good, but it wasn't especially memorable, and the moves were quite difficult.

From a professional perspective, it might have been great, but Tang Zhi Chu was thinking about how widely it would spread on DY.

Still, he began by complimenting her. "That's really impressive. This background music suits her."

Zhou Yun held out her hand. "All right, then pay up."

"You really want me to pay?"

Zhou Yun smiled, but didn't bring up the money again. She pushed another portion of peeled shrimp toward Tang Zhi Chu, then took out a tissue and wiped her hands.

Zhou Yun felt that her opinion of Tang Zhi Chu had changed. The last time she'd told him her DY account hadn't taken off, he'd given her this track.

At first, Zhou Yun couldn't guess what Tang Zhi Chu was up to. Once she found out he was a DY singer, she came to her own conclusion.

Maybe he wanted to help her? As a DY singer who had gained close to a million followers through singing alone, he probably had insights of his own.

All of this had gradually changed Zhou Yun's understanding of Tang Zhi Chu, making her see him as a more complex person.