Chang Bin

Because he had just beaten that six-foot-three Coach Shen, Xiang Kun instantly became the center of attention and discussion in the gym. Some people even pulled out their phones to secretly film him doing squats—and they were all burly, muscular men...

Xiang Kun had not expected the bet to have this effect, and he felt rather helpless about it.

In the end, he finished testing his squat and deadlift numbers: 210 kg and 240 kg respectively.

Those strength figures were nearly double Xiang Kun's results back when he had been in college.

And from the admiring, envious looks the gym's muscular men gave him, it was clear that even among regular gym-goers, those numbers were quite impressive.

After doing some simple stretches to loosen up, Xiang Kun left the gym and headed to the supermarket to buy some things.

While at the supermarket, his phone rang. Xiang Kun checked the caller ID and was somewhat surprised—it was his college roommate, the very roommate who had brought him to the gym in the first place.

What a coincidence.

Xiang Kun had been fairly withdrawn as a student and had never liked crowds or lively gatherings.

Still, whether in middle school or college, he had always had one or two close friends. His roommate Chang Bin, who was calling now, was one of them.

"You brat, why aren't you replying to my WeChat messages? Have you stopped using WeChat, or are you deliberately ignoring me?" Chang Bin launched into a stream of complaints the instant the call connected.

"I haven't checked WeChat much lately. I even forgot to reply to my dad's messages, and my mom had to call and ask me about it." Xiang Kun replied, "What made you suddenly think to call me?"

"Of course I'm here to save you in your hour of need! So, have you found a job yet?"

Xiang Kun found that strange. "How did you know I lost my job?"

Chang Bin named a company over the phone, then said, "That's my girlfriend's company. They're opening up a new project and hiring people right now. A few people from your old company came in to interview these past few days, saying their company had gone under. She'd heard me mention the company you worked for, so she came back and told me. I figured, if you haven't found work yet, you could go apply too. My girlfriend said that with your abilities and experience, there'd basically be no problem. Her company's benefits have always been pretty good, and if you get hired, the salary probably won't be much lower than what you made before. Plus... my girlfriend is in charge of recruitment now..."

Chang Bin stopped just short of plainly telling him that he would pull some strings for him. Xiang Kun was tempted. He still had some savings, but he also had a mortgage to pay, and he could not stay unemployed forever. But when he considered his current physical condition, he hesitated before saying, "Thanks, Bin, but I'm planning to take some time off for now. I don't want to look for work yet."

"Taking a break is good too. You spent all these years throwing yourself into work—you really wasted the best years of your youth. Since you have time now, why not settle the biggest matter of your life? Find a girlfriend or something. Speaking of which... where are you now? Since you're already unemployed, you probably aren't busy with anything, right? Come to Xichun Road and have dinner with me."

"Uh, let's skip dinner." What Xiang Kun feared most now was eating with other people. He could barely eat anything anymore; whatever he ate, he threw up. It was not as though he could just drink fresh blood at the table.

"Cut the crap and get over here. I'll send you the location on WeChat. Take a cab."

Xiang Kun continued to make excuses. "I've already eaten..."

But Chang Bin was resolute. "Come even if you've eaten. I want to introduce you to someone. You can just watch us eat!"

"Come on... you know I'm not used to socializing..."

"You've worked for so many years—how have you still not figured it out? You can't get anywhere in this world by fighting alone and keeping to yourself! When you work on projects, don't you need a whole bunch of people from different departments cooperating and dividing up the work? When you're free, you should get together with old classmates and stay in touch. When something comes up, you help me and I help you—that's how relationships grow closer. Maybe someday, at a critical moment, lending each other a hand could turn the whole situation around."

"I know all that, but that's just my personality..." If it had been some classmate or acquaintance he was not close to, Xiang Kun would not have said so much. He might not even have answered the call. But Chang Bin truly was different, and Xiang Kun knew he was sincerely looking out for him.

"Alright, alright, I'm not giving you a lecture today. There won't be anyone else there either. The person I want to introduce is my girlfriend... no, I should say my fiancée! I've mentioned her to you so many times. We've been together for over a year, and you still haven't met her, right? Anyway, if you don't come today, I'm blocking you. Your choice."

Xiang Kun sighed and said helplessly, "Fine, I'll come over and chat with you two, but I'm not eating..."

A little after six, Xiang Kun arrived at the restaurant's private room and saw his old friend Chang Bin, whom he had not seen in some time, as well as his fiancée, Wang Han.

"Holy crap, where are your glasses? And why are you bald now? Damn, you gave me a fright. I almost didn't recognize you." It was only after Xiang Kun walked over and sat down that Chang Bin realized who he was.

"I just lost my job, so I figured I'd change my image. I was losing plenty of hair already, so I might as well shave it all off." Xiang Kun smiled, then turned to the beautiful woman in professional attire beside his friend and greeted her. "You must be Wang Han. Today might be the first time we've met, but I've heard Bin praise you plenty of times."

Wang Han smiled as well. "Same here. Brother Bin mentions you all the time. He said that even in your freshman year, he could tell you were the smartest person in their class."

"He's jinxing me! Yeah, smart—so smart I've gone bald..." Xiang Kun said with a laugh, rubbing his shaved head.

Wang Han was a petite beauty and a local. Her mannerisms and speech were poised, and she had the air of a well-bred lady. Xiang Kun had learned from Chang Bin that although Wang Han was two years younger than them, she was already middle management at her company and highly capable at her job.

Perhaps Chang Bin had already briefed her before they came, but Wang Han did not mention asking Xiang Kun to work at their company. They simply chatted casually, reminiscing about amusing incidents from their college days, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

"The beef bone soup here is great—it tastes amazing. Even if you've already had dinner, you can at least have a bowl of soup." As Chang Bin spoke, he moved to ladle soup into the bowl in front of Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun quickly moved his bowl away. "No, no. I've been working out lately. I just came from the gym and already had my nutritional meal, so I can't eat anything else."

Chang Bin paused, studied him for a few moments, then nodded. "Mm, no wonder you seem a lot thinner. This is good, very good. You really should exercise. You look much better than the last time I saw you—ten years younger, practically. Mm, I need to find time to start working out too."

Wang Han, beside him, asked, "Then should we order a fruit salad?"

"No, no, I'll just have some water. We can have a meal together another day." Xiang Kun said. At last, that excuse convinced the two of them.