The two went out to eat rice noodles.
Xu Lin didn't get home until almost midnight.
Yu Xinyan didn't go back to her place either, instead she followed Xu Lin right in.
Because it was so hot outside, Yu Xinyan's cheeks, forehead, neck, and collarbone were all a bit damp, and you could see a bit of sweat.
When she took off her backpack, the back of her shirt had gotten quite wet.
Forty degrees in the blazing heat, it's a wonder it's not hot.
Xu Lin's home has the air conditioner running 24 hours, so it cooled down as soon as they entered.
But Xu Lin still turned on the fan, and the two of them enjoyed it for a few minutes.
"Xu Lin, when did you get all this gym stuff at home?"
Yu Xinyan saw Xu Lin's gym.
"Got it a while ago, been working out recently."
"Why workout?"
"For finding a girlfriend in the future, my girlfriend is definitely going to love my physique!"
"Let me see what you've got!"
Yu Xinyan walked into the gym barefoot, tiptoeing.
Meanwhile, she wondered if Xu Lin would take her as his girlfriend.
Yu Xinyan entered the gym and picked up one of the dumbbells.
This dumbbell was 15 pounds, a bit heavy for a girl like her.
Yu Xinyan held it for a moment.
Then her gaze fell on one small dumbbell, noticing that there was a string attached in the middle.
"Xu Lin, why is there a string tied to this dumbbell?"
Yu Xinyan curiously hooked her finger through the loop on the string.
The 3-pound dumbbell could be lifted with her finger, though using two fingers exerted some effort, it was still quite heavy.
Xu Lin watched without changing expression but looked a bit awkward.
"That's just something I tied for fun."
"Oh!"
Yu Xinyan didn't think much of it, nor would she have guessed it was for Xu Lin's little brother's training.
Yu Xinyan fiddled with the string for a while, exploring the gym for about ten minutes.
Afterward, Yu Xinyan came out of the gym.
"Xu Lin, I bought you a gift in Jiangdu!"
Yu Xinyan had been at a summer camp in Jiangdu.
"Tell me all about it."
Curious, Xu Lin watched as Yu Xinyan opened her backpack and took out a box.
It turned out to be an Xbox Wukong Myth collaboration edition controller.
"Wow!"
"Yanyan, you actually bought a controller for me?"
Xu Lin was shocked.
Yu Xinyan fiddled with her hair and said, "I wouldn't know how to buy one otherwise, but do you like this controller?"
"How could I not?"
"Humph!"
Yu Xinyan had a bashful blush, a bit proud.
Soon, Xu Lin set it up in his room, installed the Nanfu battery, and connected the controller to the computer's Bluetooth. The controller was well-made, heavy in hand, with a matte texture and great hand-feel, especially the vibrations during gaming, providing an excellent gaming experience for Xu Lin.
One word, awesome!
Meanwhile, Yu Xinyan sat on the bed. Instead of reading today, she looked at Xu Lin's admission letter for a while, then just watched him play games.
At eighteen, in Xu Lin's world, games seemed more important.
Like now, he was using the controller to play a racing game.
Won first place in the competition.
Xu Lin turned back and asked, "Look, am I good or what?"
"Impressive!"
"Good or what?"
"Impressive!"
Yu Xinyan covered her mouth and laughed, shoulders shaking, her demeanor charming and attractive.
But because Xu Lin saw her through a filter, he didn't feel anything. If other guys saw Yu Xinyan's demeanor and actions, they'd probably be entranced, distracted, even enamored from then on.
Time arrived at three o'clock.
Xu Lin's biological clock was quite punctual.
"I'm tired, going to take a nap."
Xu Lin stretched, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep.
Yu Xinyan typically called his name three times, confirming Xu Lin was really asleep.
Only then did Yu Xinyan lean in closer.
"Haven't kissed in a month!"
Yu Xinyan looked at Xu Lin, took a deep breath, and her heart raced, like a child nervously stealing money from their parents' drawer for the first time.
With a blushing, intoxicating face, Yu Xinyan leaned in and kissed him for a moment.
Just then, Xu Lin turned over, startling Yu Xinyan, but fortunately, he didn't wake up.
Yu Xinyan wanted to kiss again but quickly restrained the impulse.
"Little flirt, wait till tomorrow to kiss!"
"Getting a bit greedy."
Yu Xinyan talked to herself.
She took out her phone and started playing.
But Yu Xinyan didn't have much entertainment; her phone was clean, almost no entertainment apps.
She opened the chat app, her parents had messaged her not too long ago.
Asking what time she'd get to the high-speed rail station, they'd come to pick her up then.
Yu Xinyan sent to the family chat: "I'm at Xu Lin's, arrived in the morning."
Lin Ya was the first to respond: ?
"At Xu Lin's?"
A few minutes later, came Yu Jianhua: "Yanyan, why didn't you let us know you arrived at the station?"
Yu Xinyan: "Xu Lin came to pick me up, I'm safe, don't worry!"
"Yu, this girl didn't even tell us she'd arrived, ran straight to Xu Lin."
Lin Ya sent a private message to Yu Jianhua.
Yu Jianhua: "What a headache!"
Yu Jianhua said in the group chat: "What is Xu Lin up to now?"
Yu Xinyan: "He's tired from playing games and fell asleep."
"Can't that kid do something meaningful? Playing games all day!"
Yu Jianhua was somewhat disappointed.
In the eyes of the older generation, games are not a good thing, and Xu Lin spends all day playing them.
Yu Xinyan: "Dad, Xu Lin is actually figuring out how to make money, and recently he's made quite a lot."
Yu Jianhua: "Getting rich too young is not a particularly good thing."
Yu Jianhua expressed it diplomatically, as Xu Lin previously made 180,000 all at once. How many young people could do that?
But young people don't have enough ability to manage it and can easily get lost in indulgence, getting involved in all sorts of messy things.
The saying goes, if wealth doesn't match virtue, there will be residual harm.
Seeing Yu Jianhua's reply, Yu Xinyan simply chose to ignore it.
An hour later, Xu Lin woke up.
After resting, Xu Lin glanced at the energy bar.
[Energy (81/100): Full of vitality.]
Usually, around this time, Xu Lin would be off to work out.
"I'm going to work out."
"Then I'll watch you work out!"
"You watching me makes me a bit shy."
"Pah! It's not like I'm watching you shower!"
"With you saying that, I'm relieved! But I do have to take off my shirt, otherwise I'm not comfortable."
"Go ahead, it's not like I haven't seen you without a shirt."
"Ha!"
"Look at my physique!"
Xu Lin took off his T-shirt and struck a playful pose.
"How's my physique?"
Xu Lin asked.
"Amazing!"
Yu Xinyan was quite shocked internally, even though she only said two words. Xu Lin's physique now was really impressive, even approaching the level of being stunning.
He was wearing just a pair of shorts—legs stopping just above the knees—showing off his other parts to Yu Xinyan, and the visual impact of his physique was really strong.
Xu Lin chuckled: "This is the result of my gym efforts; even rich women would surely like it!"
"Psh, as if you're a rich woman!"
Yu Xinyan laughed and shook her head.
Xu Lin: "I'm going to start my workout!"
"Alright, alright!"
Yu Xinyan nodded.
She was sitting there, watching.
Though Xu Lin was being watched while working out, he eventually got into the flow, and it didn't affect him. Rather, he felt focused, as if fitness provided clarity.
Abs, chest muscles, shoulders...
All were in training.
Except for certain regions, which he would have to train secretly when Yu Xinyan left.
Yu Xinyan loved to take photos of Xu Lin, her phone was almost full of pictures of him.
As expected, watching Xu Lin work out, Yu Xinyan took many photos.
Moreover, her photography skills were great, mostly honed through capturing Xu Lin, as she aimed to capture his best side.
However, while snapping photos, another @all message arrived in the class group.
This time, it was Zhao Yifei again.
Every day he's really the Dragon King.
Yu Xinyan felt like he was just bored, looking for something to do.
Upon checking, she found that Zhao Yifei had gone to the gym and was posing in front of the mirrors for selfies.
He wore a vest and shorts, held a phone in his left hand, flexed his right arm to show his bicep, but there was nothing impressive.
Zhao Yifei: "First time at the gym, starting today! Hope classmates supervise my attempts; I want to sculpt a great body!"
"Class monitor is awesome!"
"666! Thumbs up.jpg×3"
"Class monitor truly is a model for us!"
Praises flooded in.
Zhao Yifei: "It's not about being a model, just a sudden urge to hit the gym. After an hour, I've discovered I really enjoy it—not necessarily for the body, but for health and the discipline of exercise, which will motivate me to tackle life's challenges head-on in the future!"
"Class monitor really deserves the title; even with fitness, understanding life on a philosophical level, no wonder he scores high!"
Many classmates expressed admiration.
Lei Haolong also chimed in: "Class monitor rocks! This life's insight makes me feel out of my depth; unreachable!"
Lei Haolong, you sly devil!
Zhao Yifei wanted to kick Lei Haolong from the chat; whenever Lei Haolong spoke, Zhao Yifei felt mocked.
Especially since Lei Haolong used the six-character idiom 'out of my depth,' meaning things are unrelated—isn't that intentional?
Zhao Yifei: "Lei Haolong, do you know what 'out of my depth' means?"
Lei Haolong: "Doesn't it mean unreachable?"
Zhao Yifei: ...
Zhao Yifei: "Might want to check that idiom dictionary and refine your understanding!"
Lei Haolong: "Oh! Sorry, class monitor. I checked, turns out I used the wrong idiom! I meant to say 'unreachable'!"
Clearly intentional!
Zhao Yifei felt uncomfortable; today was his first gym day, even though he claimed an hour, it was only twenty minutes. A chore for someone like him, unaccustomed to physical labor since childhood.
Nonetheless, whether or not he exercised, he was determined to maintain his facade.
But Lei Haolong's interference ruined Zhao Yifei's mood.
Furthermore, seeing Lei Haolong reminded Zhao Yifei of the long-absent Xu Lin.
Zhao Yifei: "Lei Haolong, where's your buddy Xu Lin?"
I'm working out, investing in my future, cultivating myself, surely Xu Lin's slacking off!
Lei Haolong hadn't replied yet, but then Yu Xinyan chimed in.
Yu Xinyan posted three stunning workout photos of Xu Lin.
Yu Xinyan: "Xu Lin's working out at home!"