Xia Mu's Plan

"Change myself?"

The fatty pulled out his phone, opened the camera in selfie mode, looked himself up and down, and then made a V-sign at his chin. "I think I'm already perfect."

Seeing this, Xia Mu's face darkened, and he kicked him. "I have to admit, I can't compare to you when it comes to narcissism."

"Ahahaha..." Zhu Xincheng rubbed his head awkwardly. "So, what do I need to do?"

"First, let's start with a casual five kilometers." Xia Mu's expression didn't look like he was joking.

"What??"

Zhu Xincheng almost thought he had misheard. "Usually, even one kilometer nearly kills me. You want me to run five kilometers? You're not kidding, Little Xia?"

"Wait, you don't want me to deal with Long Yuan, you want me dead!"

The fatty struck a defensive pose.

Seeing this, Xia Mu sighed helplessly and patted Zhu Xincheng on the shoulder. "I can't protect you forever. You have to become strong yourself."

"Don't you want to personally defeat Long Yuan and trample him under your feet?"

Upon hearing this, the fatty looked up, soft and weak, looking pitiful. "Can't you protect me forever? Master Xia?"

A chill surged through Xia Mu, and he kicked the fatty to the ground. "Get lost, don't be disgusting."

Then, he tossed a set of sportswear at him. "Go to the bathroom and change. I'll wait for you here."

"No way, Boss, are you serious?"

The fatty looked at the brand-new sportswear, completely stunned.

He pinched the fat on his belly, doubting himself. "With a body like mine, can I really beat Long Yuan?"

"If I say you can, you can."

"It's just a matter of time."

Xia Mu's tone was filled with confidence. He gave the fatty's leg a light kick, urging him. "Go."

"Alright, fine..."

Zhu Xincheng hesitated for a moment, then went to the bathroom to change.

After a while, he came jogging over in the sportswear.

The tight-fitting clothes highlighted his round physique. From a distance, he looked exactly like a ball of meat, causing the nearby girls to cover their mouths and giggle.

"Wow, Little Xia, why does this feel a bit embarrassing?" Zhu Xincheng's face flushed red. Even with his thick skin, he couldn't help but feel restless.

"This is the beginning of your transformation."

Xia Mu slapped Zhu Xincheng on the back, causing the latter to yelp in pain. "Follow me."

"Hey, hey, wait for me!" Zhu Xincheng chased after Xia Mu.

"Keep your pace steady, and find a rhythm in your breathing."

Xia Mu taught Zhu Xincheng earnestly, demonstrating as he spoke.

But although Zhu Xincheng nodded, his body couldn't keep up with his brain. His pace and breathing were a mess, and he was panting and his legs were turning to jelly before he had even run very far.

"H-how about we just give up." His face was flushed red from exertion, and he began to harbor thoughts of quitting.

Seeing this, Xia Mu thought he needed to give him some motivation.

So, he adjusted his pace. "Fatty, with the state of your belly fat right now."

"Later on, when you're in bed with your girlfriend."

"She'll say, 'Huh? Where's your ding-ding? Why is it gone?'"

"How do you think that would feel?"

As soon as Zhu Xincheng heard this, he immediately imagined the scene, and he couldn't help but shake his head frantically. "Then I'd definitely go limp!"

"So..." Before Xia Mu could finish, the fatty suddenly accelerated. "Ahhh, for the sake of my ding-ding, charge!"

His bizarre appearance scared the girls on the grass, their faces turning pale as if they were looking at a freak of nature.

However, this intermittent burst of energy didn't last long.

"Huff, huff..." He was too tired to run any further and collapsed onto the ground in a sprawl, panting wildly.

"N-no, I can't do it. If I run one more step, I'm really going to die here."

"Small is small, anyway, I'm never going to have a girlfriend in this life."

Listening to him wallow in self-pity, Xia Mu couldn't help but frown. "Fatty, if you want to defeat Long Yuan, how can you succeed without putting in the effort?"

"Defeat what? This is so hard, I might as well drop out..." The fatty didn't even lift his head.

"What did you say?" Xia Mu crouched down halfway. "Are you just going to give up like this?"

"Where did your firm resolve from yesterday go?"

"Think about it, are you really willing to be trampled under the feet of someone like Long Yuan for the rest of your life?"

"Have you forgotten how he beat you up?"

Xia Mu's words caused the shadows deep within Zhu Xincheng's mind to crawl upward.

"Hmph, you fat pig, calling you a pig is a compliment."

"What equality for all? Don't you know this school is built on meritocracy?"

"Are all people from Huaxia this weak and incompetent?"

"Creak!"

He couldn't help but clench his fists.

"If you still consider me a brother, get up." Xia Mu extended his hand toward him.

Zhu Xincheng gritted his teeth until his lips bled; he still remembered the way Long Yuan looked at him, as if he were nothing more than an animal.

"Damn it, the worst that happens is I die here!"

"Slap!"

He grabbed Xia Mu's palm and pulled himself up from the ground.

Afterward, he followed the plan Xia Mu had laid out and ran with all his might.

Although he was slow, he eventually finished the run.

"Not bad, that was great." Xia Mu praised him sincerely.

In a daze, he saw himself back when he first ran five kilometers.

Sitting on the grass, enjoying the light evening breeze and gazing at the star-filled sky, the fatty suddenly felt like crying.

"Xiao Xia, thank you." His voice was choked with tears.

"Now is not the time to cry."

Xia Mu smiled, "Wait until you defeat that kid Long Yuan, then you can cry all you want."

Then, he assumed a professional Boxing stance, "Watch closely. I'll slow down these Boxing movements so you can get a general idea in your head, and we'll start practicing tomorrow."

He had thought about it yesterday; the fatty wasn't suited for his Wing Chun, as that required too much time to accumulate.

As for something that could be learned quickly and suited his physique, after much deliberation, only Boxing fit the bill.

Therefore, he had studied Boxing to a modified, extreme level.

Now, his fists could act like pressure-point strikes, knowing exactly where to hit on the human body to inflict a specific degree of damage.

"Whoosh, whoosh."

Xia Mu punched the air, every move and stance carrying immense power.

The fatty studied earnestly; although he was exhausted, he didn't complain this time.

Life is long, so one has to accomplish at least one or two things.

Whether it takes a month, a year, or ten years, he was determined to defeat Long Yuan.

Over the next few days, Xia Mu spent his days taking photos of Sakura and his nights training the fatty and practicing Boxing.

He even acted as a human punching bag himself to help him master Boxing quickly.

Of course, it wasn't as fast as his own learning, but the fatty had potential; he had basically memorized the general gist of the moves, and the rest was just a matter of constant practice.

At this rate, given Long Yuan's level, he estimated he could defeat him in two or three months.

Although it was slow, he would win in the end.

He didn't just want all of Long Yuan's schemes to fail; he wanted the person Long Yuan once looked down upon to climb over him and crush him into the dirt.

Originally, Xia Mu didn't want to get involved in such things, but.

Provoking his brother was where he drew the line.

The next afternoon was swimming class.

Xia Mu changed into his swim trunks, drawing the gazes of the girls in the class.