Wu Yue led Sun Dasheng to the second floor of the gym. The boxing area occupied a sizable space, which included three professional boxing rings.
However, they were all currently occupied by male coaches instructing male students.
Wu Yue walked up to the ring at the far end and shouted, "I need this ring now. You guys will have to find another spot."
The coach and student in the ring stopped and looked down.
One of the coaches, a muscular middle-aged man, said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Coach Wu, although this is the designated ring for female coaches, you don't even have a single student. Let me use it for now."
"Don't I have one now?" Wu Yue gestured with her chin toward Sun Dasheng.
"Oh?" The male coach gave Sun Dasheng a meaningful look but didn't say much more, simply leading his student away. Before leaving, he smiled at Sun Dasheng and said, "Boss, if you want better training results, you can come to me. I'll give you a discount. My name is Zheng Dashan."
His words were diplomatic, but Sun Dasheng could still detect the disdain for female coaches underneath. Due to natural physical differences, there was certainly a strength gap between male and female coaches. However, who was actually better at teaching was another question entirely.
Sun Dasheng wasn't interested in the rivalry between the coaches and gave no response to Zheng Dashan's olive branch. Seeing the boss remain silent, Zheng Dashan glanced at Wu Yue, who was glaring at him, and walked away with his expression dark and uncertain.
"Alright, let's get your protective gear on," Wu Yue said, quickly stepping into her coaching role. It seemed she wasn't too affected by the squabble over a student. Perhaps such incidents were common, and she had grown used to them. She was indeed as serious and meticulous as the receptionist, Xiang Yiren, had described.
After helping Sun Dasheng put on the gear, she had him follow her through a series of movements, then patiently corrected his mistakes one by one.
No wonder they say boxing is a counter-instinctive sport. So many of its movements required you to resist your body's natural impulses to exert force. For instance, when most people fight, they pull their arms back to build momentum before swinging their fists. But boxing required a direct strike, leaving the opponent no time to react. In a fight, when a punch came your way, most people would close their eyes and cover their head or run. But boxing required you to keep your eyes open, stare down your opponent's fist, and use various movements to dodge. Sometimes, you even had to advance into their punch to land your own.
Getting started was quite difficult, but Wu Yue was a very patient teacher, tirelessly correcting Sun Dasheng's mistakes. The one-and-a-half-hour session passed quickly, leaving Sun Dasheng drenched in sweat.
"Your physical foundation is pretty good. If you can endure the tedious training in the beginning, you should be able to get the hang of it in about two months," she said, giving him high praise.
"Thank you, Coach Wu. Let me add you on WeChat. You can send me the time for our next class later."
After adding her on WeChat, Sun Dasheng went to take a shower. The shower area consisted of individual stalls. He took his toiletries and a change of underwear from his bag and stored his things in a locker.
He was happily scrubbing himself down when he overheard a conversation from the next stall.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"What's up?"
"Someone actually signed up for Wu Yue's private class today."
"Didn't Coach Zheng try to poach the student?"
"Who said he didn't try?"
"Oh, so Wu Yue is going to miss her quota again this month? If she misses it this month, she'll be fired, right? Well, congratulations to Coach Zheng on finally getting the girl."
So there was a whole backstory of workplace bullying and sexual harassment. Sun Dasheng turned down the water pressure to listen in on the gossip.
"Hah, don't even mention it. Coach Zheng got so angry he left early."
"What? The student didn't choose Coach Zheng?"
"Exactly."
"Hmm... Maybe he has the same idea as Coach Zheng."
"Heh... if so, he's dreaming. That Little Chili, Wu Yue, isn't someone just anyone can handle."
"True. If Coach Zheng didn't have his big brother in the Sports Bureau holding Little Chili's certification over her head, he probably wouldn't dare mess with her."
Looks like I spoiled someone's fun. They'll probably come looking for trouble with me later. I'll have to be careful.
After the two men left, he showered a little longer before getting dressed and leaving. The time was exactly five-thirty in the afternoon.
He started his scooter, but just as he was about to leave, he felt the back of the vehicle dip. Someone had hopped on. It was a woman; he could tell from the strong scent of perfume. Turning around, he saw it was Xiang Yiren, the gym receptionist.
Faced with Sun Dasheng's questioning gaze, Xiang Yiren said pitifully, "Mr. Sun, the road is slippery after the rain, and I twisted my ankle. Could you give me a lift?"
When he didn't answer, she added, "My place is just two bus stops from here. Come on, big brother, please take me?"
A pretty low-level schemer. But she had called him "big brother," so what could he do but give her a ride?
"Alright, hold on tight. The traffic is heavy right now, so be careful."
The experienced driver, Sun Dasheng, weaved his little scooter through the dense traffic. Although he had to brake frequently, he was mindful of his passenger and kept his braking smooth, avoiding any sudden stops.
But for some reason, the woman behind him either wasn't holding on tight or her body was just too soft. Even with such gentle braking, she would still manage to bump into his back with her chest from time to time, all the while apologizing, "I'm sorry, Brother Sun," her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.
The journey of less than two kilometers took over twenty minutes.
「Hepingli Community.」
The property prices in this community were not cheap, costing around sixty to seventy thousand yuan per square meter. After dropping her off, Sun Dasheng prepared to leave, but Xiang Yiren grabbed him, pleading for help getting upstairs.
He watched her walk with a limp and glanced down at her calf. Her ankle was red and swollen.
It seems I misjudged her. She's not a schemer at all, just a sensible and kind girl.
Sun Dasheng immediately parked his scooter and helped her upstairs. Her apartment was on the 23rd floor. It was a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit of less than 70 square meters. Though not large, it was cozily furnished.
After helping her onto the sofa, Sun Dasheng again said his goodbyes and prepared to leave.
"Brother Sun, wait, I'll make you some tea," she said, getting up and hopping on one foot toward the kitchen. "I can't have a guest leave without a cup of tea. People would say I have no manners."
Sun Dasheng had no choice but to sit back down on the sofa.
"Ouch..."
A cry of surprise came from the kitchen, sounding like someone had fallen. Without a second thought, Sun Dasheng rushed in.
"I'm so clumsy. I can't even make tea properly," Xiang Yiren said, sitting on the floor with tears glistening on her face as she rubbed her injured foot.
"Forget the tea. Look at your foot, it's so swollen." He helped her up and asked, "Do you have any liniment for bruises? Let's put some on first."
"Yes, it's in my room. Help me get it. You wouldn't be able to find it."
Leaning on Sun Dasheng, she made her way into the bedroom. Once inside, she turned on the air conditioner. She found the liniment in the wardrobe and, sitting on the bed, began to awkwardly apply it herself.
Sun Dasheng couldn't bear to watch. He took the bottle, poured some into his hands, rubbed them together to warm it up, and began to gently massage the swollen area.
"How's that? Any better?" he asked after a few minutes.
"A little, but not much," Xiang Yiren said in a delicate voice. "Brother Sun, if you have something to do, you can go ahead. I can handle this myself."
"No rush. I'll massage it a bit more for you. You don't know how to do it properly, anyway." Xiang Yiren had aggravated her sprain trying to make him tea, so he couldn't just leave her like this.
After a few more minutes, the room started to feel a bit warm, and they both took off their jackets. Sun Dasheng focused on massaging her ankle for several more minutes before asking again, "How about now? If it's still not improving, I should take you to the hospital."
"Mmm... it's... okay..."
A delicate gasp escaped her lips.
What kind of reaction is that? A foot massage shouldn't elicit this kind of response, should it? Is her foot a sensitive spot?
He looked up and saw the woman in the qipao with a flush on her face and a look of pure enjoyment.
"Brother Sun... your massaging... it tickles so much." As she spoke, she lifted her injured foot. The motion lifted the slit of her qipao high, revealing a flash of transparent black lace underneath.
She's dressed so provocatively.
Sun Dasheng felt a wave of heat rush through him, and he nearly got a nosebleed. Xiang Yiren looked over at him, her face flushed, and their eyes met. It was as if two blazing fires were about to leap from their eyes and merge into one. He felt his own inner fire burning hotter, threatening to spiral out of control.
He hurriedly slapped himself across the face, forcing himself to calm down before bolting out of the apartment.