My Personal Fitness Coach

Chapter 31: My Personal Fitness Coach

Splash...

Blinking sleepily, Cheng Yun turned off the faucet, wiped his hands on a towel, and then opened the door, holding his head.

It was just past ten o'clock.

"I wonder if the Old Mage has left yet," Cheng Yun muttered to himself, shaking his head fiercely.

As soon as he reached the second floor, he ran into the six girls who had been cramming together last night. They were also just coming downstairs. He didn't know if they had actually studied last night, but they all seemed to be in good spirits.

Hao Nianwen saw him first and immediately greeted him excitedly, "Hey! Handsome boss!"

"Morning," Cheng Yun replied with a forced smile. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Ah, I slept so well! You have no idea how long it's been since I slept this soundly!" Hao Nianwen said with a satisfied smile. "Your place makes me feel like I'm back home. It's incredibly quiet at night, and there's no phone or internet. The only reason to get into bed is to sleep, so I don't overthink things or have insomnia. I wake up feeling perfectly refreshed! If it weren't for the money, I'd love to stay here every day and never leave!"

"It's good that you slept well," Cheng Yun said listlessly.

"Hmm, Boss, you don't seem to have rested very well," Hao Nianwen tilted her head cutely and asked. After all her talking, Cheng Yun had only given such a short reply.

"Because I was on the night shift."

"Oh, thank you for your hard work."

"It's business, after all. How can it not be hard work?"

"Right! After we got up, we all unanimously decided that if the dorm air conditioning isn't fixed today, we'll stay here another night. So, we might see you again tonight."

"You're welcome," Cheng Yun said with a smile, doing his best to appear pleasant. "But rooms are tight lately, so you'd better book early."

"Okay!"

The six girls walked a little ahead of him. Hao Nianwen took out the deposit receipt and room card from her bag and went to the front desk to check out. The other five girls sat on the sofa waiting for her.

Cheng Yun walked into the front desk area and sat down next to the young girl Yu Dian. "Have you had breakfast?" he asked.

"I have," Yu Dian's voice was soft. Her complexion looked much better than a few days ago, fair and clear, complementing her delicate features.

"Oh," Cheng Yun nodded and asked again, "Has the guest in room 202 checked out yet?"

"Huh? That very kind old gentleman?" Yu Dian paused for a moment before replying, "He left about five minutes ago and checked out. But he said he didn't pay a deposit."

"Five minutes ago..." Cheng Yun checked the time. It was exactly ten o'clock five minutes ago.

"Mm-hmm," Yu Dian nodded in response, handing a hundred-yuan bill to Hao Nianwen. "Please take your deposit. We welcome you to come back if you enjoyed your stay."

"Okay, thank you," Hao Nianwen nodded and then smiled at Cheng Yun. "Handsome boss, goodbye."

"Take care," Cheng Yun said.

Then, the other girls thanked him one by one, and he responded to each of them.

After they had all left, Yu Dian quietly said to Cheng Yun, "Oh, right. Cheng Yan said this morning when she went out that she was going shopping with friends and wouldn't be back until this afternoon, so she won't be having lunch here. She also said..."

"Said what else?" Cheng Yun asked.

Yu Dian's face turned red, looking particularly embarrassed. She paused for a moment before continuing, "She said to send her the money for breakfast this morning via WeChat. It's eighteen yuan in total."

"Oh," Cheng Yun nodded and slumped onto the chair, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Hao Nianwen and the other girls had reminded him that he should start marketing the small hotel as soon as possible. Cheng Yun had intended to do so, but his mind had been almost entirely consumed by his nightly dreams these past few days, and he had other things to attend to at other times, so he hadn't even started organizing his thoughts yet.

Though lazy, Cheng Yun was undoubtedly more innovative than the two professors. He also understood the importance of marketing in this era. Most of the money he made in college was due to good marketing. Although he was now managing a small hotel, not in a tourist spot, good marketing could still help him select the customers he wanted. Business would be much better, and he would have much less to worry about.

He narrowed his eyes and pondered for a while. Feeling a bit hungry, he got up, opened the refrigerator to check the ingredients, and then went out to the market to buy some more before heading upstairs to start cooking.

For lunch today, it would just be him, Yu Dian, and Heroine Yin. Cheng Yun casually stir-fried two home-style dishes, making generous portions.

At three in the afternoon, the sun was at its most scorching.

Cheng Yun, wearing black athletic shorts and a tight running t-shirt he'd bought before, along with running shoes, stood by the hotel entrance, his heart pounding slightly. He looked at the street, blindingly bright under the scorching sun, feeling as though the glass door separated two different worlds – inside was a cool, pleasant, air-conditioned room, while stepping outside was like entering a devouring fiery abyss.

"Um... are we really going out now? I'm scared just looking at this sun!"

"If I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of?" Heroine Yin, also wearing athletic shorts and a white t-shirt, with a pair of simple flip-flops on her feet, replied.

"Can't we go later tonight?" Cheng Yun hesitated. Although he had applied Cheng Yan's sunscreen, he still felt the sun was too intense.

"So much nonsense!" Heroine Yin stuffed the two brand-new socks into her shorts pockets, one on each side, then directly pushed open the glass door and said, "You want to practice martial arts but are afraid of hardship? Is there such a good thing in the world? Besides, you have your own business and things to do every day. Without perseverance and determination every day, when do you plan to start training?"

"The Heroine is right!" Cheng Yun nodded, gritted his teeth, and walked out, feeling a wave of heat wash over him.

"Hmm, that's more like it!" Heroine Yin was quite calm and followed him out.

Yu Dian, however, sat stunned at the front desk, her hands still on the computer keyboard, but she turned her head and stared blankly at their retreating figures, having heard every word of their conversation. After blinking for a while, she finally came to her senses.

"I should get back to my work," she murmured, looking back at the computer screen.

Today was the day Cheng Yun and Heroine Yin had agreed to start refining his body. Refining the body, in essence, meant improving his physical fitness. This process wasn't about sitting in one place circulating internal energy or seeking hardship under a waterfall. To put it plainly, it was training—

Endurance training, strength training, speed training, reaction training... all sorts of training!

This was how martial arts masters were made.

Yizhou University, sports field.

The sun in early July was truly scorching, and by this time, university physical education classes were long over. The entire sports field was empty except for members of the football club practicing, and a few scattered individuals sitting under the shade of trees. The vast sports field appeared deserted. Cheng Yun knew that once evening arrived, it would be filled with people running, playing football, and strolling. There were also many people in the morning. He had been a frequent visitor here in his first and second years, only occasionally coming in his third year, and almost never since his fourth year until now.

Two figures, one tall and one short, stood at the entrance of the sports field. The setting sun, slanting westward, cast their shadows onto the rubberized ground of the field, stretching them into long and short lines.

"Sigh." Cheng Yun sighed. He knew that not many people would come to this forsaken place under such a scorching sun.

Heroine Yin, on the other hand, opened her mouth wide, mechanically turning her head to take in the full view of the oval sports field—a red rubber track with white lines encircling it, wide and grand; in the center, a football field covered with artificial turf, the grass reflecting a vibrant, verdant green under the sun; a group of boys in football uniforms were sweating profusely on the green, occasionally letting out sharp shouts...

"I doubt even the training grounds on Sharpening Stone Cliff in Flying Fish Ravine are this big!" Heroine Yin said dazedly.

Cheng Yun only felt the scorching heat of the sun. "So hot."

Heroine Yin walked in dazedly. Her weight, even exceeding Cheng Yun's, allowed her to easily feel the elastic cushioning of the track, and she couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Is this the place you mentioned for running?"

"Yeah."

"People in your world really know how to enjoy themselves! Even the ground for running is soft!"

"Because our bodies are more fragile." Cheng Yun shook his head helplessly. Anyone who runs regularly knows the importance of cushioning, especially for long-distance running. For this reason, people spare no expense to buy good running shoes, one of the main purposes being to reduce the damage to joints like the knees from running. A rubberized track with built-in cushioning naturally provides a much better feel underfoot than running on a road.

Cheng Yun used to run often, mostly at night. Back then, he could run ten kilometers, but now...

"Alright." Heroine Yin didn't say much more. She looked at the rubberized track ahead and, after a moment of thought, said, "This track is about 100 'ka' per lap. You run thirty laps for me first."

"Pfft!" Cheng Yun felt like spitting blood.

This track was a standard four hundred meters per lap. Thirty laps meant a full twelve kilometers...

"What? You can't?" Heroine Yin raised an eyebrow.

"I can! Why can't I!" Cheng Yun gritted his teeth and began to warm up. "I'll stretch first."

"Mmm, no rush. After you finish running, I'll have some tasks for you," Heroine Yin said calmly. She then looked him up and down. "I'm not going to lie, Station Master, your body has become completely useless! Since Old Mage was kind enough to help you, I should also give you a good dose of training. Otherwise, wouldn't that be a waste of you sneaking into Old Mage's room so late at night!?"

"How did you know?" Cheng Yun was stunned.

"I... Oh, stop wasting time and just run!" Heroine Yin said, putting on a stern expression. "I'll stand here and watch! You can start slow, but you can't stop, or I'll punish you!"

"Uh."

Cheng Yun felt that Heroine Yin was truly determined to turn his flabby body into lean muscle in a short period. But he had no choice. He could only grit his teeth and start running on the track under the scorching sun.

Cheng Yun was tall and handsome. On this hot day, the field was vast and empty. As he started running, he attracted quite a bit of attention—a few students sitting in the shade, idly watching the football game and chatting, couldn't help but cast glances his way, probably wondering what was wrong with this person's brain to choose to run at this time.

As it turned out, over a year of comfortable living was enough to ruin a strong physique. After just one lap, Cheng Yun felt noticeably fatigued. At this rate, he would be exhausted after running a kilometer, and even if he pushed himself, he probably wouldn't make it past two or three kilometers.

Just then, the mark on his back began to feel as cold as ice, emitting a chilling sensation. The coolness quickly spread throughout his body, and then he felt a slight tingling.

His legs, torso, chest, even his arms...

Cheng Yun clearly felt his sore and tired legs returning to normal. His lungs, burning like fire, and his rapidly beating heart slowly calmed down. The muscles in his swinging arms, chest, and back also felt a wave of coolness, and the fatigue completely disappeared.

After one kilometer, he felt nothing...

Two kilometers, three kilometers...

Cheng Yun wasn't running particularly fast, but he was definitely not slow. Today, he maintained a pace of around five minutes per kilometer for his first lap, which is quite fast for a jog. He used to be able to run ten kilometers at this speed, taking fifty minutes. Now, without any external help, he could only run about one kilometer at this pace.

But now, with the rune program activated, he gradually realized that he might not feel tired easily, so he intentionally picked up his speed. As a result, he ran faster and faster, his pace quickly reaching around four minutes per kilometer—this was the speed he used to achieve only when running one kilometer during his physical fitness tests.

Five kilometers, six kilometers...

As expected, Cheng Yun no longer felt muscle soreness or fatigue, just a slight weakness, a feeling of emptiness in his legs.

The gazes of the men and women under the trees shifted from looking at him like an idiot to looking at him like a god...

By the time Cheng Yun finished thirty laps, it had taken him less than fifty minutes, which even surpassed his past peak performance.

Heroine Yin, meanwhile, was standing under a tree at the edge of the sports field, seeking shade from the sun. She wasn't looking at Cheng Yun but was staring blankly at the group of people playing football on the green turf, her small feet tapping idly inside her slippers.

It wasn't until Cheng Yun walked up to her that she said in surprise, "You're done? What did Old Mage feed you? You're so fierce!"

"Done!" Cheng Yun felt an emptiness in his stomach, a wave of hunger washing over him—he could almost imagine his hard-earned fat burning intensely.

After that, Heroine Yin didn't let him off the hook either. She made him do many difficult muscle-building exercises. Some were common in the real world, like push-ups and pull-ups, while others were movements typically found in professional fitness courses like "Ab Ripper," and some were even movements Cheng Yun had never seen before and would find difficult to perform with his current muscle strength. It was as if the twelve kilometers just completed were merely aerobic preparation, and the main course was only starting now.

Around 4:30 PM, Heroine Yin finally waved her hand. "That's all for today. We'll continue the day after tomorrow."

"..." Cheng Yun was speechless.

Even with the cheat, the recovery energy released by the mark on his back kept his entire body's muscles in a state of no fatigue and no damage. However, he felt that his body simply couldn't provide enough energy for such high-intensity exercise. As a result, he now felt as if he hadn't eaten for three days and three nights, his entire body, from head to toe, felt empty, and all he wanted was to go back and eat two pounds of meat and three bowls of rice, the greasier the better.

Heroine Yin stretched her neck to look at the students playing football again before turning to walk back.

Cheng Yun, with unsteady steps, followed the Heroine back, his expression one of utter despair.