Chapter 38: Zhao Yuanqing's Three Savage Strikes

Past eleven o'clock, Zhao Yuanqing’s Cayenne arrived in Linjiang City.

"Lunchtime again. Shall we all grab a bite together?" Just as they exited the highway toll station, Zhao Yuanqing suggested, "How about some seafood hot pot?" He was, in any case, determined to pester Han Ying until she gave in.

"Sure." All three women agreed.

"You guys go ahead; just drop me off at Linjiang University first," Wei Lin refused immediately. Zhao Yuanqing, that dog, had slept soundly all night, but Wei Lin had been through quite an ordeal and just wanted a quick meal before catching up on some high-quality sleep.

"Fine then. We'll eat ours, and you go find your mom." Hearing that Wei Lin was heading to Linjiang University, Zhao Yuanqing didn't try to persuade him otherwise and skillfully changed lanes.

"I’ll start a group chat so it’s easier for us to go on weekend outings," Yuan Xiaoe said, and she acted on it immediately. She added Wei Lin and the others to the group from the back seat, then told Wei Lin, "Add Zhao Yuanqing."

In the driver’s seat, Zhao Yuanqing winked at Wei Lin, his smile suggestive. Wei Lin secretly forced a bitter smile. He had intended to delete Yuan Xiaoe’s WeChat the moment he got out of the car to avoid her pestering him, but he hadn't expected her to pull this move.

...

At noon, in the Linjiang University faculty dormitory.

"How are things with Teacher Mu?" While Wei Lin was eating the home-cooked meal his mother had prepared, Teacher Wang ignored all serious topics and focused solely on this. "You brat, let me tell you, Teacher Mu is very popular! Every single male teacher in our school is eyeing her. If you don’t put in some effort, who knows..."

Teacher Wang launched into a string of praises for Mu Lanyan. The gist was that Teacher Mu was well-educated and polite, so Wei Lin wouldn't have to worry too much about childcare in the future; plus, she was beautiful and highly educated, so the next generation was sure to be outstanding. By the end, Teacher Wang looked wistful. "I’ll be retiring in a few years, which is perfect for focusing on raising your kids."

"Mom, wake up! Please, come back to reality!" Wei Lin waved his chopsticks in front of her, pulling Teacher Wang out of the beautiful dream where she was already deciding how many children Wei Lin and Mu Lanyan should have. "What are you thinking? She hasn't even paid much attention to your son."

"Did you add her on WeChat?" Wang Suru glared at him.

After a moment of hesitation, Wei Lin didn't tell the truth. "I added her, and I even invited her to dinner, but she didn't agree." Putting on a dejected look, Wei Lin wiped his mouth with a napkin and went to his small room to sleep.

"Sigh, it's probably because you’re divorced, isn't it?" Wang Suru sighed. "If I had known, I wouldn't have been so clear about that from the start. I should have waited until you two had spent enough time together and built an emotional foundation before you confessed that part."

"Perhaps she would have found it easier to accept that way." Teacher Wang felt a pang of sorrow. In her previous beautiful vision, the images of the two adorable grandchildren she had imagined suddenly shattered, just like her own broken heart.

...

At a certain seafood hot pot restaurant, in a large private room with its own restroom, only four people sat at a table meant for ten. Zhao Yuanqing ordered plenty of fresh seafood and kept piling food onto Han Ying’s plate, embodying the definition of a "simp" to the fullest. Han Ying pursed her lips, looking slightly embarrassed, but she didn't reject his kindness.

Zhuang Qing and Yuan Xiaoe first stared at each other, then simply lowered their heads to eat in silence. It was only then that they realized how important Wei Lin was. Wei Lin was witty and humorous, with strong social skills; he would occasionally tease Zhang Xun or Qi Muyang, keeping the atmosphere lively and harmonious so that no one felt awkward. Once he left, the lunch turned cold and stagnant. The more awkward the atmosphere became, the more the two women missed the joy when Wei Lin was around, which only increased their affection and favorability toward the sleeping Wei Lin.

The meal was incredibly dull for both women, and they both wanted it to end as quickly as possible. When Zhao Yuanqing finally finished serving Han Ying until she claimed she couldn't eat another bite, Yuan Xiaoe frowned and suddenly asked, "Zhao Yuanqing, what kind of person is Wei Lin’s wife?"

As soon as she spoke, Zhuang Qing also put down her chopsticks, wiping her mouth with a wet wipe as she looked over. Zhao Yuanqing had never liked Yuan Xiaoe, and if it weren't for her friendship with Han Ying, he wouldn't have bothered talking to her at all. At this, he replied very seriously, "Taller than you, much prettier than you, and from a better family background than you."

Three stabs in a row!

"I'm full. I'm leaving." Yuan Xiaoe left the room immediately.

"What's her problem? I treated her to food and drink, and she didn't even say thank you. How rude!" Zhao Yuanqing took a fierce bite of a large abalone from his tray and then spat it out abruptly. "Damn it! Why isn't this cooked yet?"

"You were too busy cooking for Han Ying to notice your own pot," Zhuang Qing said with a calm, light smile, then shifted the topic: "Zhao Yuanqing, does Wei Lin really have a wife?"

"He did, but they're divorced," Zhao Yuanqing didn't hide it from her.

...

At three in the afternoon, Wei Lin was woken up by his alarm. Habitually checking the progress bar, he was surprised to find that his favorability score had increased from 86.5 to 90. Lin Nanxi, Gao Xue, and Yuan Xiaoe had each contributed one point, and the remaining 0.5 came from Zhuang Qing.

"Adding points bit by bit... you wouldn't actually fall in love with me one day, would you?" Wei Lin focused his mind to view the scene that had occurred a short while ago and couldn't help but laugh. "Zhao Yuanqing, you really are a dog!"

He didn't see Zhao Yuanqing’s ruthless triple-stab at Yuan Xiaoe; he only noticed that Zhao Yuanqing had been obsessively fawning over Han Ying, completely ignoring Zhuang Qing and Yuan Xiaoe. His good brother’s "simp" behavior had inadvertently helped him by making the other two women think of his own virtues.

"Those two, I'm afraid, are not destined to enjoy that." Wei Lin washed his face and quietly left.

...

On the weekend at Like Fitness, there were noticeably fewer regular members and personal training clients; everyone seemed busy with leisure and entertainment.

Wei Lin arrived half an hour early for his 4:00 PM appointment. He didn't see He Jingxuan waiting at the door, only a few coaches smoking and chatting.

"I'm here." Finding a spot, he sat down next to the coaches and sent a message to wait for He Jingxuan. The young coach didn't reply immediately.

Bored, Wei Lin listened to the male coaches' conversation. From their chatter about muscle gain and fat loss, he learned why He Jingxuan had been in such a bad mood that morning.

In the morning, the female coach Zhao Jie had been overwhelmed and assigned one of her own clients to He Jingxuan. While exercising, the greasy man had pretended to accidentally touch the young coach’s firm glutes, and not just once. When the young coach angrily confronted him, the man blamed her, insisting it was unintentional, and even went to complain about her to the coaching department manager.

"There really are all sorts of birds in this world. No wonder she remembered me, the one who conducts classes so properly." After cursing under his breath, Wei Lin saw Yu Xiaorou, An Xin’s coach, coming out to drop off a client. He asked, "Coach Yu, where is my coach? She’s not replying to my messages."

"Ah, Mr. Wei is here," Yu Xiaorou said with a smile. "Xiao He is in the second-floor shower room. Are you here early?"

"Yeah, nothing much going on this weekend, so I did arrive early." Wei Lin didn't wait outside and prepared to go in to warm up.

"Xiao He is in a bad mood today, so please be understanding, Mr. Wei," Yu Xiaorou, being kind-hearted, paved the way for He Jingxuan before adding, "Mr. An has been coming quite frequently lately and has already lost five pounds!"

"Great!" Wei Lin smiled and scanned his face to enter.

The room, filled with various equipment, held only a few scattered people struggling with dumbbells and barbells. Stretching his arms and shoulders, Wei Lin wandered over to the empty boxing ring. Looking at a sandbag hanging in mid-air, he patted it with his palm, then took two steps back and slammed a punch into it.

*Thud!*

The sandbag resonated with the impact.

"Damn! That actually hurts!" Wei Lin winced, shaking his wrist. He hadn't really used his fists in a long time. At that moment, he remembered the conflict with Wang Hongyu at the Japanese restaurant, the friction at the pub with Liu Jianhua, and how he had almost come to blows with that middle-aged man yesterday, as well as with Zhang Xun and Qi Muyang.

"In the future, I will keep accumulating affection, and clashes with the suitors of those women are inevitable."

"If I encounter someone heavy-set with a hot temper and a thick skull, I might..."

Wei Lin suddenly considered the idea of learning how to box.

"Want to learn to box? If not, don't loiter in my ring." A raspy middle-aged male voice suddenly came from behind him.