Chapter Fourteen: Close Companion
After thoroughly warming up with the foam roller, Wei Lin was led by the junior coach to a squat rack.
“Today we’re training legs. We’ll start with free squats—two warm-up sets with just the bar, ten reps each.”
He Jingxuan skillfully loaded the plates, gauged Wei Lin’s height, and adjusted the bar to the appropriate height. “I’ll help you correct your form gradually.”
Wei Lin flexed his ankles and smiled, “I’ve never done squats before, so be sure to assist me.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you get hurt.”
The junior coach was serious and professional, explaining the key points of each movement with a healthy, strong posture, exuding a faint scent of shower gel.
“Cherry blossom fragrance,” Wei Lin silently noted as he stood beneath the bar, mirroring her demonstration.
With her guidance, Wei Lin managed to lift and unrack the barbell with relative ease, then took a couple of steps back to perform his very first squat.
Completing two sets with just the bar, Wei Lin found it somewhat challenging and moved slowly.
The coach kept giving instructions, drawing close to correct his movements in detail.
The subtle fragrance wafted through the air, filling Wei Lin’s nostrils as he took deep breaths and held them while rising—a surprisingly pleasant sensation.
After the warm-up, ten-kilogram plates were added to each side, bringing the total weight to forty kilograms.
“Damn! This is heavy!”
Having never done free squats before, Wei Lin felt as though he was bearing the weight of a mountain. His face flushed red as he squatted down, then shouted, “Help me!”
Ignoring the usual boundaries between men and women, He Jingxuan quickly crouched down, wrapping her arms around Wei Lin’s armpits and closely supporting him throughout the squat.
“Hold your breath! Keep your back rigid and core stable. Up!”
He Jingxuan urged softly.
Under the immense pressure, Wei Lin was terrified of collapsing backward. Even though he could feel the fullness of the coach’s chest pressed against him, he had no time to be distracted. He focused and pushed off the ground to stand.
After rising, as Wei Lin adjusted his breathing and prepared to rack the bar, he heard the coach whisper behind him, “Again!”
“It’s okay. I barely helped this time; it’s all your own strength.”
“Three more reps!”
He Jingxuan kept encouraging him.
“Alright!”
Wei Lin gritted his teeth, feeling like he was giving it his all, and with her help, completed three more reps.
“You can manage one or two reps at forty kilograms—that’s basically your current limit. Since you haven’t trained before, if you stick with it, your strength will grow quickly.”
He Jingxuan let out a quiet sigh of relief, then promptly swapped the ten-kilogram plates for five-kilogram ones.
“Next, we’ll do four sets at thirty kilograms, aiming for eight reps each.”
…
A few meters away, chubby An Xin was on the seated chest press machine, eyes fixed intently on Wei Lin and He Jingxuan.
Seeing the coach naturally squat down to assist Wei Lin, the yoga pants outlined her hips like ripe peaches, and An Xin’s small eyes sparkled with awe.
When the coach’s torso pressed tightly against Wei Lin’s, her arms wrapped around him as they squatted and rose together, An Xin’s expression turned contemplative.
“Xiao Rou, I want to try that exercise later. It looks so impressive.”
The chubby guy pointed toward Wei Lin and He Jingxuan.
Yu Xiaorou brushed back her messy bangs and laughed coquettishly, “Sister will take you to train another day. You’re working on your chest today, so no squats.”
“Okay, then tomorrow! Tomorrow I’m training legs!” An Xin’s eyes brimmed with excitement, as if he fully understood. “Legs are the foundation of a man!”
“Fine, tomorrow I’ll train you so hard you won’t get out of bed!”
Yu Xiaorou’s words hinted at something deeper.
An Xin looked shy. “My brother’s legs aren’t good. I’m better than him.”
“Don’t brag. I want to see it tomorrow.”
Yu Xiaorou smiled knowingly. “I like macho men.”
…
Free squats, reverse squats, leg curls, and bodyweight lunges.
After the full routine, Wei Lin was drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted, feeling as if his lower body no longer belonged to him.
He had already downed two bottles of mineral water.
“Your legs will be very sore tomorrow. I suggest resting for a day. If you’re free the day after, you can work on your shoulders. Also, your cardiovascular fitness is poor, so you should add cardio training later.”
The coach professionally pointed out Wei Lin’s problems and advised, “After high-intensity strength training, remember to replenish carbohydrates and protein promptly. You can eat less fat.”
Wei Lin lay on the yoga mat, letting the coach massage the back of his thighs with the foam roller, puzzled, “What?”
“Simply put, carbohydrates are staple foods—rice, steamed buns, noodles, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Protein comes from various meats—fish, shrimp, beef, lamb, chicken, duck. Protein refers to lean meat; the fatty parts are fat, which you should eat less of to maintain your physique.”
“But you…”
He Jingxuan studied Wei Lin’s overly thin frame, hesitated, and said, “You’re different from your brother. You don’t need to worry too much about diet; just eat freely.”
“Alright, I’ll take you for a body composition test.”
“Okay.”
With no more classes, He Jingxuan led Wei Lin to the body composition analyzer and asked, “How old are you, Mr. Wei?”
“Twenty-nine.”
“Height?”
“One eighty-three.”
The report came out quickly.
“Weight sixty-nine kilograms, skeletal muscle mass thirty, body fat twenty-five. Mr. Wei, you’re too thin.” The coach held up the sheet and analyzed professionally, “You have an ectomorphic body type—long limbs, low fat. Due to your lifestyle, most of your fat is concentrated around your abdomen. From now on, focus on muscle gain.”
“Make a good plan for me.”
Seeing the time nearing six, Wei Lin hurried to the second-floor locker room.
Upon entering, a few muscular men preparing to shower instinctively shielded their lower bodies with towels.
“Hey, little brother, you’re done too?”
A bald man emerged from the shower, casually greeting him before turning his back and searching for clean clothes. “Take your time. Don’t feel embarrassed. When I first started squatting, I was lifting about the same weight as you. After training for a while, you’ll add plates easily.”
“Your back muscles are amazing,” Wei Lin complimented with a smile.
“Hey!” The big guy grinned. “We’re impressive in different ways. My muscles and strength—you might catch up with those.”
“But the place where you’re impressive? Damn, I’ll never match that.”
“Talent like that, there’s nothing you can do.”
The big guy’s voice faded.
…
On the way out of the gym, Wei Lin turned the steering wheel and asked, “How many sessions did you buy?”
“Fifty,” An Xin replied obediently, playing with his phone. “Three hundred twenty per session. She secretly gave me five free classes, not through the company account. They’ll quietly deduct it from me.”
“She said she rarely gives free sessions to members.”
The chubby guy looked pleased.
“I think she likes you a bit,” Wei Lin teased.
“You think so too?!” An Xin’s eyes lit up excitedly. “When Xiao Rou trains me, she keeps smiling at me flirtatiously!”
Wei Lin gave his shoulder a pat of encouragement. “Go for it. I think you’ve got a chance!”
“Alas, she’s divorced and has a child. My dad would never agree.” An Xin sighed deeply, scratching his head in frustration. “I’ve never even taken care of a kid.”
Wei Lin was speechless.
…
6:25 p.m.
After coaxing An Xin to drive off, Wei Lin reached the entrance of a Japanese restaurant and spotted a familiar figure—Wang Hongyu.
The elite man wore a plaid shirt and gray dress pants, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.
At that moment, Wang Hongyu was scanning the area, obviously waiting for someone—likely a woman.
Their eyes met.
“Damn, what bad luck!”
Cursing silently, Wang Hongyu entered the restaurant without looking back and quickly slipped into his private V7 room. He sent a message: “I’m in the room.”
After a moment’s thought, he cracked the door open slightly and peered out stealthily.
“What the hell is that guy staring at me for? Is he nuts?”
Seeing Wei Lin, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, approaching directly, Wang Hongyu swore under his breath.
Still obsessed with Zhuang Qing, his heart raced nervously. He quietly closed the door and considered changing restaurants last-minute.
“Creak!”
Only when the adjacent room’s door opened did Wang Hongyu breathe a sigh of relief, realizing Wei Lin was just next door.
“Damn it! He’s not meeting Zhuang Qing, right? If she sees me with another woman, I’ll never have a chance again.”
The woman he was meeting hadn’t arrived yet, but Wang Hongyu was already feeling depressed.
…