A Martial Artist? He looks so formidable... Martial Artists must be rarer than athletes, right?
Before this, Sophia Zhou had certainly wondered why Zhang Beixing was so physically fit. She had considered possibilities like consistent training over the years, weighted running, high-intensity workouts, and so on.
But she had never imagined.
Zhang Beixing was actually into Martial Arts Training!
And she had just been completely smoked by him.
Perhaps Martial Arts Training wasn't completely out of the question!
Seeing her seriously pondering this, Zhang Beixing cooperated by maintaining a stoic face, playing the part of a master as he looked at Sophia without speaking.
Until moments later, Sophia snapped back to reality.
She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with newfound respect as she looked at Zhang Beixing. "I never thought you were a practitioner of Martial Arts—my apologies for the oversight!"
"No wonder your physical endurance is so impressive; you must have trained hard for a long time!"
In her imagination, Zhang Beixing must be so incredible because, just like in those Martial Hero films, he started Martial Arts from a young age, enduring all sorts of... not indoctrination, but brutal training and immense hardship to achieve what he had today.
Little did she know that it had been just over a week since Zhang Beixing started practicing Martial Arts.
He thought about his own routine: practicing his punches twice a day, every day, for the past week, rain or shine.
Zhang Beixing pondered for a moment, then said, "Training hard for a long time... Well, it's alright, I suppose. Once you get used to it, Martial Arts Training isn't all that remarkable!"
"You've really put in a lot of hard work!" Sophia said, her imagination running wilder.
Zhang Beixing was blissfully unaware of this and, of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't correct her.
After all, these days, the persona of a martial artist—raised through inhuman training, physically strong, well-built, and handsome—was much more appealing than any 'big guard dog' or 'little puppy' type. At least the former was human, while the latter were purely animals!
Afterward, he continued to chat with Sophia Zhou, who he had successfully bamboozled, and they exchanged WeChat contacts.
They made plans to work out together sometime.
Noticing her friend waving at her, Sophia apologized and went to meet up with her friend.
And Zhang Beixing, due to Sophia's interruption, lost the desire to continue running.
So he found Lin Siqi and bought a bottle of water.
Then he was ready to open the System panel to see what he had gained for the day.
But before he could open the panel, a big hand reached out from behind him first, wrapping around his neck.
Zhang Beixing turned around and realized that the trio from Apartment 203 had appeared behind him at some point, with Zheng Jituo excitedly throwing an arm around his neck.
"Lao Zhang, holy cow, you were on another level today! Freaking awesome! Do you realize what you just did? You freaking smoked the belle of the Sports Department from Shi University!"
"Seriously, my freaking goodness, when I saw you utterly smoke Sophia Zhou, I was dumbstruck. You're unbelievably strong! If I remember correctly, it's only been a little over a week since you started training. Did you start taking performance enhancers, or did you undergo some kind of genetic modification? How else could you change so dramatically?"
"Lao Zhang, this change isn't just huge; it's like you're a completely different person! If it weren't for you still being the same lecherous, ghost-fearing, leg-ogling guy, I'd swear you were possessed!"
"Speaking of which, Brother Zhang, I saw Sophia Zhou take out her phone just now. Don't tell me she added you on WeChat?"
"What the— No way, Lao Zhang, you actually added Sophia Zhou? I... You... Holy crap! You lucky bastard, I could kill you! I admit, I can't stand to see a brother suffer, but I hate it even more when a brother gets to drive a Land Rover! And Sophia Zhou isn't just any Land Rover; she's a top-spec Rolls-Royce Cullinan! Damn it!"
"You're missing the bigger picture! Is Sophia Zhou what we should be focusing on now? Shouldn't our main concern be Brother Zhang's physical condition? Brother Zhang, you must be exhausted after running more than ten kilometers. Here, sit down. Let me give you a shoulder and leg massage. By the way, Brother Zhang, how did you train to get so strong so quickly? Can you share your training secrets? We also want to smoke those athletes and win over the beauties!"
"....."
Chattering excitedly, Zheng Jituo and the other two underwent a rapid series of expression changes, like Sichuan opera masters.
First excitement, then envy, followed by jealousy, and now it had turned into anticipation and fervor!
After all, as Zhang Beixing's roommates, they had witnessed his transformation from a weakling to the hunk he is now!
Such incredible results in such a short time! Who wouldn't want to try? Who wouldn't want to show up those athletes and catch the eye of beautiful girls after training up?
Zhang Beixing saw what they were getting at, raised an eyebrow, and said, "So, you guys want to train too?"
"That's right, Coach, we do!" the three of them nodded in unison.
"But my training regimen is incredibly tough. Not everyone can handle it. Are you sure you can stick with it?" Zhang Beixing voiced his skepticism.
"We can, Coach! Bring it on, Coach!"
"Alright, it's nothing too complicated. Just daily laps, tempo runs, about twenty kilometers a day. In less than a..."
"Excuse us, Coach, goodbye, Coach!"
Zhang Beixing hadn't even finished his sentence before the three of them, upon hearing the words "twenty kilometers," decisively turned around and left without hesitation.
Their synchronized retreat, their voices in unison.
So smooth! So decisive!
Watching their retreating backs, Zhang Beixing's mouth twitched wildly.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to praise them for their self-awareness or for knowing when to back down.
"Your roommates are a bunch of weirdos."
Lin Siqi walked up to Zhang Beixing, watching the trio and making her assessment.
"Indeed," Zhang Beixing nodded, then looked at Lin Siqi. "Sister Qi, do you want to learn? I can teach you too."
Lin Siqi rolled her eyes. "Forget it! You're all about Martial Arts Training and running, spouting a load of nonsense, not a word of truth in anything you say. Besides, I don't need to exercise. I'm perfectly fine as I am."
"Haha, alright then. That's a real shame."
Seeing that Lin Siqi was not taking the bait, Zhang Beixing did not continue to dwell on the topic.
He merely said, "I'm going to rest," then, water bottle in hand, walked to a corner of the stands. He leisurely scrolled through Douyin and casually checked Sophia Zhou's Moments.
As for Lin Siqi, already used to Zhang Beixing's ways, watched him go. Then she pushed her small cart, meandering around to drum up more business.
However, she didn't wander for long.
BZZT. BZZT.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Lin Siqi took it out. It was a message from Sophia Zhou, whom she had just added as a friend that day.
"Hello, are you there? I'd like to ask you about someone."