CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 65: ACTUALLY, IT’S QUITE INTERESTING

Chu Tian had never imagined that one day he’d see a spare tire around his belly.

He knew many celebrities inevitably put on weight when they gave up on managing their figures as they approached middle age. Well-known examples included Leonardo, Brother Teng, and Bai Zhantang. But the thing is, he was only 25! How did it come to this? Sure, he had indulged himself a bit recently, but not enough to gain weight this fast, could it? Was this what they called "a broad mind leads to a broad waistline"? So, does a big heart mean gaining weight? And does that mean going bald will also make you stronger later on?

Just the thought of becoming both fat and bald in the future made him shiver uncontrollably.

In that case, exercising didn’t seem so scary, did it?

Alright, he admitted. Even after transmigrating, he still cared about his image a little too much. He truly couldn’t accept a version of himself weighing over two hundred pounds.

Chu Tian stared at the fat on his belly with a grimace, as if he had swallowed a bitter pill. In his mind, an image of a two-to-three-hundred-pound fatty appeared on one side, and on the other, someone running on a treadmill holding a basin of salad.

"What’s wrong, Chu Tian? You look terrible. Are you angry?"

"Sorry, I was just joking with you. If you really don’t want to exercise, then go back and rest. I’ll give you a day off, or you can rest in the car outside, okay?"

Seeing his changing expressions, Xu Qingqiu immediately panicked. Had her joke gone too far?

These past few days, she felt their relationship had seemingly improved. It even appeared there were signs of further progress. But at this very moment, she realized she might have been too hasty, or perhaps too wishful, fearing she might inadvertently alienate Chu Tian again.

"Ah? No, it’s not about you. I just didn’t expect to have gained so much weight in just a few days."

Seeing her worried and flustered expression, Chu Tian instinctively tried to reassure her.

Forget it. It’s just exercise, right? After all, he was used to it in his past life. It wouldn’t kill him, so why not just do it?

"Let’s go! Time to exercise!"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, ’huh’? Didn’t you call me here?"

"..."

Xu Qingqiu followed him in a daze, all the way to where Sister Hua and the others were.

"What’s going on? Introduce us."

The five of them had been standing there for a while, and Chu Tian felt like a monkey in a zoo exhibit, especially since Xu Qingqiu was still lost in her own world.

"Hmm? Oh, this is my fitness coach, Yao Na. She’s excellent. She can tailor the most suitable fitness plan to your requirements, and it’s especially light on the body."

"Hello, Coach Yao Na. My name is Chu Tian. Sorry to trouble you."

"EHEM... Hello, hello..."

Yao Na still hadn’t quite processed what had just happened. She was struggling to figure out the relationship between Chu Tian and Diva Xu, managing only to force out a few words with a strained smile in greeting.

What was going on here? The guy was pretty handsome. Could he be her boyfriend? Who was this celebrity? A singer? The voice didn’t seem right; it was too hoarse, and speaking seemed strenuous. Probably not. An actor, then? But he looked unfamiliar.

Yao Na’s mind had already run through eighteen scenarios when Sister Hua finally snapped out of her daze.

She looked from Xu Qingqiu to Chu Tian and back, her face a mask of surprise.

"No, you two..."

"Coach Yao Na, let’s get started. And oh, could you also come up with a plan for him? Mainly... well, you can see what he needs, right?"

Sister Hua had just started to speak when Xu Qingqiu, realizing something, quickly changed the subject, not daring to meet her eyes.

Yao Na, standing by, felt so awkward she wished the earth would swallow her whole. She snuck a glance at Sister Hua’s grim expression, then saw Xu Qingqiu frantically winking at her, and instantly understood.

"Ahaha, sure, no problem. Let’s head inside first. I’ll give you both a check-up and see how your bodies have been doing these past few days."

PHEW.

Xu Qingqiu, finally feeling like she’d dodged a bullet, didn’t dare look back. She hurriedly pulled Chu Tian along, trotting eagerly behind Yao Na into the gym.

"You... you even held hands?"

Li Chunhua was already seething, unable to get a word in. Just as she was about to stop Xu Qingqiu and demand answers, she saw her enter the gym holding Chu Tian’s hand.

It wasn’t just her; Yiyi, standing beside them, also had her eyes wide with disbelief.

She’d been with Sister Qiu for so long, but this was the first time she’d seen Sister Qiu be so bold! Daring to hold a boy’s hand right in front of Sister Hua? Terrifying!

Her eyes wide, mouth covered, looking utterly shocked yet not daring to make a sound, she was the spitting image of a gossipmonger secretly reveling in the drama.

Wait, why do I suddenly feel a chill?

Yiyi cautiously turned her head, only to meet Sister Hua’s icy, dagger-like gaze. She shuddered instantly.

Oh my god, Sister Hua’s about to explode! Gotta run!

She immediately turned her head back, trying to slip away from this hotbed of trouble unnoticed.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

"Ah, that... I’m going to get some water for Sister Qiu. Yeah, water!"

"What water? You stand right there!"

"With an outsider present, it’s not right for me to reprimand her. But you think I can’t reprimand you?"

"So, tell me, what’s going on? I’m gone for just three days, and my home gets stolen from under me?"

"That... Sister Hua, would you believe me if I said I don’t know?"

"You don’t know? You’ve been by her side these past few days, and you don’t know?"

"But I really don’t know..."

Yiyi was almost in tears. What happened these last few days? It didn’t seem like anything significant occurred, right? Didn’t they just have dinner together yesterday? How could such a big change happen overnight? Could Sister Qiu have snuck out for a date last night? No way! They lived right next door to each other; she would have heard something.

She absolutely couldn’t figure out what was going on between those two, but Sister Hua wouldn’t believe her!

Xu Qingqiu and Chu Tian were utterly unaware of what was happening outside.

Truth be told, Chu Tian’s mind was currently preoccupied with how long he’d need to exercise to lose the fat on his belly. He paid no attention to his hand being held.

Xu Qingqiu hadn’t realized it at first either; she was just focused on pulling Chu Tian along. It wasn’t until they were inside that she noticed she was still holding his hand.

She cautiously glanced up. Seeing Chu Tian showed no obvious signs of rejection, she felt a secret thrill and quickly pretended not to notice, all while keeping her grip on his hand.

How many years had it been? Apart from the unavoidable physical contact during their practice sessions back then, this seemed to be the first time in so many years she had truly savored the feeling of holding hands, right? So this is what holding hands feels like?

Her heart beat a little faster; she felt a mix of apprehension and excitement. Her palm was warm, and it seemed to be sweating.

Oh no! They’re sweating! What do I do? Sweating the first time we hold hands... Will it make him uncomfortable? Will it be too awkward? Am I too nervous? What should I do? How can I stop sweating? Will he find it disgusting?

"Can we let go now?"

"Ah? What?"

"I said, let’s let go. Our hands are sweaty."

"Oh... sorry..."

"Nothing to be sorry about. But Instructor Yao Na asked you to do a physical assessment. She’s called for you twice already. If you don’t go soon, she’ll come out looking for you."

"Ah, really? I’m so sorry... I’m sorry, Instructor Yao Na, I didn’t hear you."

Seeing Xu Qingqiu, cheeks flushed red, lower her head and hurry into the room while apologizing, then seamlessly offer another string of apologies to Yao Na, Chu Tian, who was outside, almost laughed out loud.

But he looked at the perspiration left on his left hand and, for some reason, found it rather amusing.