Damn, where was I supposed to find a gym this late at night?
Jiang Nian stood on the long street outside the school gates and opened the map on his phone beneath the yellow glow of a streetlamp. Any gym with a little ambition would keep its map listing updated.
Hmm, Sunshine Fitness Studio?
With a lame-ass name that trendy, it was already closed? How was that reasonable?
Nothing within three kilometers. Try five.
After searching around, Jiang Nian actually found one. It was called Visno Fitness, 4.2 kilometers from Zhen'nan County Middle School. Tap for directions, and it would definitely turn out to be over five.
He patted his pocket and realized he hadn't brought his electric scooter key, so he scanned a shared bicycle and pedaled off. He could count it as leg day.
Twenty minutes later.
Outside a brightly lit, two-story gym, Jiang Nian pulled up with a cold smirk, parking like a domineering CEO. A CEO with seven thousand yuan was still a CEO. Tofu still counted as a dish.
This fucking shared bike had no brakes. He hadn't discovered that until he rode into a ditch.
The roads in this little county town were seriously bumpy. Five kilometers out, they weren't fit to look at.
He wiped the blood off his elbow. It wasn't serious, just a little redness and swelling at most. When that bitch of a bicycle went into the ditch, its squeaks had been louder than his own cries.
He glanced down at the dirt on his clothes. There was nothing he could do about it now.
He entered the gym and found himself facing the reception desk, where a pretty woman in her twenties stood. She glanced at Jiang Nian, still wearing his Zhen'nan County Middle School uniform and covered in dirt.
She gave him one look and didn't bother speaking. Her shift was almost over, and some kid from the county middle school had wandered in without an adult outside. Why bother? It wasn't like she could make any money off him.
That was the laid-back charm of a small county town: treating people according to what you thought they were worth.
Jiang Nian couldn't be bothered with her either. In the lounge, he spotted an attractive young married woman in pink yoga pants. Her white tank top housed some substantial assets, and she was dressed like a fitness instructor.
He simply headed straight toward her. What did it matter who signed him up?
The receptionist turned her head and noticed, but didn't move. She just raised her voice.
"No entry without a membership."
Jiang Nian had already taken a tumble, and he'd come here specifically to hand the gym money. He only wanted to buy a membership and classes to complete his task. He certainly wasn't going to attend them.
Her tone instantly pissed him off.
"Isn't that exactly what I'm here to buy?"
At that, the attractive woman sitting in pink yoga pants suddenly stood up. Jiang Nian looked at her. She merely glanced at him before walking away with an indifferent expression.
Motherfucker. What kind of garbage gym was this?
Jiang Nian turned to leave. Why the fuck run a gym? If they were that free of worldly desires, they might as well open a temple.
But when he took out his phone and looked down, it was almost nine.
Normally, even if he found another gym, it would be closed by now. Fuck his life. He'd skipped evening study and come out precisely because he didn't want to waste time. If all this effort came to nothing, he was going to explode.
"Um... hello, excuse me..." A timid voice spoke up. "Handsome, were you looking to buy a membership?"
Jiang Nian turned and saw that another female fitness instructor had randomly spawned in the lounge. She wore a conservative gray yoga outfit and had a well-proportioned figure, though it couldn't compare to the peach-hugging yoga pants from earlier.
Tsk, foolish married woman. How was she supposed to hook clients dressed like that?
There weren't many people who worked out in a county town to begin with. Perhaps gyms in the city had more people genuinely interested in fitness. In a small county town, unless people had a real need to exercise, there was usually a little sex appeal involved.
Still, I choose you!
"Yes," Jiang Nian said steadily. "I don't have much time. Can we go inside and talk?"
"We can, but..." The wholesome-looking instructor spoke with an awkward expression. "Come over here, handsome. Let me explain."
Just then, another drawn-out call came from the reception desk.
"No membership, no entry!"
"Fuck your mother! I'm here to buy a fucking membership!" Unable to stand it anymore, Jiang Nian turned around. "Do you not understand human speech, you fucking bitch?"
"How can a student swear at people like that?" The little princess at reception couldn't take it and stood up.
"So what if I swear at you? I'll call your boss, too!" Jiang Nian cursed away. He was young, after all, and had a temper. "You won't take money when it's offered? Fuck your mother!"
"Want proof of funds, huh, you motherfucking **! Here, take a look and see whether your dad has enough money to buy a membership at your shitty gym!"
"Y-you... what's your name?"
"Your dad, Zhao Feipeng! Fuck your mother, you want to call someone?" Jiang Nian switched to the local dialect. "My uncle works with the anti-gang office. Try calling your fucking backup!"
Jiang Nian wasn't entirely bluffing. His mother worked at a public institution, and his uncle worked at the public security bureau. He didn't know his uncle's exact position, but he'd heard it had some connection to the anti-gang office.
Le Zhi's dad also worked at the public security bureau, in the same system as Jiang Nian's uncle, which was why the two boys got along fairly well.
Still, Jiang Nian usually didn't like bringing up that connection. His uncle was always stern and unsmiling, and they weren't particularly close. Actually calling his uncle over would be far too embarrassing.
Once Jiang Nian switched to the local dialect, the little princess at reception behaved herself.
"The rule is no entry without a membership. Are you saying you weren't at fault at all?" she muttered.
That was how these little princesses worked. After looking down on someone, they made everything someone else's fault. If they felt wronged, they went running to their bleached-blond boyfriend. Once they realized they couldn't afford to offend someone, they switched straight to assigning everyone a percentage of the blame.
"Your fucking..." Jiang Nian was furious.
Fuck. I'd come out to give them money and ended up running into an idiot.
The wholesome-looking married woman had come out of the lounge. Now carrying a small bag, she placed a card and folder on the reception desk and spoke softly in a lowered voice.
"Wenwen, I've finished the paperwork for leaving. It's all here."
The receptionist said nothing. She remained seated with a dark expression, looking as sour as if her mother had died. Jiang Nian wanted to curse again. He brought his hands together, ready to unleash Dust Release.
"Handsome." The married woman caught hold of Jiang Nian, a gentle smile on her face. "I'm sorry. Could you step outside with me? I... you wanted a membership, right?"
He'd been about to pull away, but the mention of a membership stopped him immediately.
"Didn't you quit?"
Looking thoroughly embarrassed, the wholesome woman leaned closer to Jiang Nian and whispered.
"I've started at a new... gym."
Oh, praise the seamless transition.
Outside the gym, the married woman wore an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, handsome. Wenwen might just be in a bad mood today. Please don't hold it against her. How about I apologize on her behalf?"
"Didn't you quit? Why are you apologizing for her?" Jiang Nian gave her a sidelong look.
"I'm sorry."
"Can you say something besides sorry?"
"I'm sorry, handsome."
Jiang Nian rubbed his forehead. "You... forget it. If you love apologizing, go ahead."
Zhao Qiuxue felt a little awkward at his response. She'd originally wanted to apologize and soothe his anger, then ask whether he wanted to buy a membership, since she'd already started working at a new gym.
But now, that didn't seem very realistic.
Fair enough. If she'd been treated that way, she'd probably be angry too. Boys his age cared about their pride. She'd better not bring up the membership and annoy him further.
It was just a shame. Switching gyms had already been a less-than-glorious move. If she worked another month without a single sale, she probably wouldn't last long at her new job either.
Just as she was silently feeling sorry for herself, Jiang Nian grew a little impatient.
"Weren't we talking about buying a membership?"
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