After the role was finalized, Song Shi'an's life became a routine of going between the classroom, the gym, and the climbing wall.
Ji Shuyao gave Lin Fan a strict order: he was not allowed to eat anything indiscriminately and had to strictly follow the nutritional meal plan.
Looking at the bright green box of weight-loss meals in front of him, Song Shi'an felt a pang of sadness and tears welled up in his eyes.
Chicken breast, broccoli, brown rice, and not even salad dressing—who knows what it's like to chew broccoli dry?
He never imagined that the bowl of spicy hot pot he ate a few days ago would be his last big meal. He should have ordered an extra fried chicken and hamburger; at least he could have savored it a little. He was so hungry for it...
After exercising, he gulped down more than half a bottle of water.
Coach Wang walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "You've been training well these past few days. Are you going to participate in some competition? You're working so hard."
Song Shi'an thought for a moment, and since outdoor adventure variety shows can be considered competitions, he nodded. "Yes, this isn't just last-minute cramming to avoid a humiliating defeat."
Coach Wang slapped him again, so hard that he stumbled forward half a step. "Good lad, you've got guts! It's never too late! Come on, I'll give you extra training these next few days, no extra charge. Do your best in the competition!"
Song Shi'an was on the verge of tears, "Thank you so much, Coach."
The grueling training has begun.
Every night when he returned to the villa, Song Shi'an lay on the bed unable to move, even turning over felt like doing weight training.
Lin Fan squatted down beside him to massage his muscles, silently admiring the faint lines of his thin muscles.
Despite his intense training, he hasn't developed an exaggeratedly large physique; he still maintains perfectly defined muscle lines.
He looked down and rubbed his limp arms; it seemed he really needed to get some exercise...
The grueling ten-day training program has finally come to an end.
When saying goodbye to his coach, Song Shi'an just wanted to roar to the sky; he was finally free.
Lin Fan, watching from the side, thought that Song Shi'an was reluctant to part with Coach Wang, and thought to himself that his brother was really sentimental, and that following him was never a bad idea.
There's a famous mountain on the outskirts of Capital, and a temple on it that's said to be very efficacious.
Whether you seek career success, wealth, love, or health, as long as you are sincere, your wishes will be granted.
Lin Fan wanted to pray for Song Shi'an's career luck. When he asked Ji Shuyao for leave, Song Shi'an overheard him and said with expectant eyes, "Then I'll go too! I can go hiking this weekend, I have to record a variety show next week."
Lin Fan reported to Ji Shuyao.
Ji Shuyao leaned back in his office chair, his phone screen displaying a leave request message from Lin Fan. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
When will these two troublemakers finally calm down? The approval has finally been granted.
Song Shi'an packed his luggage with great interest.
These past few days have felt like being in prison, being forced to exercise every day. Finally, I can go out and have some fun for a few days. Once I'm out, I can eat whatever I want. There's bound to be a lot of food in tourist destinations.
Lin Fan watched him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He didn't act like an entertainer at all; he was just like a child, curious about everything.
Lin Fan handed a box to Song Shi'an, Song Shi'an took it and asked, "What's this?"
"Brother, this is Brother Yao asked me to give you. It's a new phone the company provided for you, and you have to switch to it."
Song Shi'an was deeply moved. He took the phone and saw that it was the latest model, costing over ten thousand yuan. He wondered what he had done to deserve this, considering how little money he had actually made for the company.
The data synced for quite a while; there was still a lot of stuff left. And just like that, Little Qiang retired perfectly.
I thought my old phone was still usable and there wouldn't be any problems, but after getting a new phone that's so smooth, I realized just how laggy my old one really was.
The two set off early the next morning.
Lin Fan was driving, Song Shi'an was sitting in the passenger seat. Watching Lin Fan skillfully turn the steering wheel, Song Shi'an suddenly wondered if he should also get a driver's license so that they could take turns driving occasionally.
Upon arrival, the two went to the hotel to drop off their luggage.
Lin Fan put a sun hat on Song Shi'an's head, checked the mask again, and the two headed straight for the entrance of the scenic area.
The place was packed with people on the weekend. After scanning the QR code to get in, Lin Fan said, "Brother, I'll go buy you a bottle of water. You wait for me here."
Song Shi'an gave an OK sign.
When Lin Fan returned after buying water, the spot was empty.
He stood there, frozen, holding two bottles of mineral water, his mind completely blank.
Holy crap!! Where's Shi'an, who's such a big guy? His brother's gone!
He quickly pulled out his phone to make a call, only to see a message from Song Shi'an pinned to the top of his chat list. "I'm going to explore the area for a bit! Don't worry, I won't get lost. You go first, I'm fast, I'll catch up with you soon!"
It was followed by an emoji of someone running away at full speed.
Lin Fan was almost scared to death. His brother must have his reasons for saying that; maybe he was just climbing too slowly.
Lin Fan replied, "Okay, bro, I'll head over now. We'll meet at the temple later!"
Song Shi'an immediately replied with an "Mmm" emoji.
At that moment, he was like a mouse falling into a rice jar.
One of these grilled sausages, one of those ice creams—we lined up for everything that looked delicious, our hands overflowing with bags.
He found a corner, pulled his mask down a bit, took a bite, and exclaimed, "So delicious!" He thought to himself, "What kind of life have I been living these past few days? For someone who loves to eat, it's truly unbearable."
Just as he was about to move on to the next person, he noticed someone quietly pointing in his direction.
He looked up and saw a girl holding up her phone. Song Shi'an blinked; she probably wasn't taking a picture of him.
The next second, the flash went off, and the girl turned her head as if nothing had happened, pretending to take a selfie with her best friend next to her.
The two whispered in each other's ears, "They shouldn't have noticed us, right?"
"No, we've hidden it so well!"
Song Shi'an pulled up his mask, grabbed the rest of his spoils, and dashed up the steps.
Others could only climb a few steps and catch their breath, watching helplessly as a young man ran up the hill.
Someone rubbed their eyes. "Is this right? Running so fast!"
The two girls were dumbfounded. No, they had only glanced at the time on the photo, and Song Shi'an had vanished in the blink of an eye! Wait for them!
To avoid being caught by Lin Fan while he was sneaking food, Song Shi'an would stop every now and then to eat for a while, observing his surroundings as he ate.
He swallowed what was in his mouth when his phone rang, freeing one hand to answer, " Lin Fan, what's wrong?"
Lin Fan stood not far away, looking at the figure squatting by the roadside with a pile of snack wrappers in front of him, and asked in a resentful tone, "Brother... where are you now?"
Song Shi'an glanced at the road sign. "It's on Return to the Mountain Path. Where are you? I should be able to catch up with you soon."
Lin Fan's voice came through the phone, tinged with an indescribable helplessness. "Brother... if you cared about me at all, you would know where I am."
Song Shi'an frowned in confusion.
What is Lin Fan saying? He's not a fortune teller, how would he know where he is?
He was about to say, "Send me your location," when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure behind him.
He slowly turned his head, a half-eaten sausage dangling from his mouth, and saw Lin Fan standing less than twenty meters away, holding a phone in his hand, his expression indescribable.