C12 It Turned out That She Was in the Gym Again

After logging off, Ruan Shiyu wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had been avoiding her editor for days, and now the editor's style seemed oddly charming. Despite being a petite woman, she insisted on portraying herself as a handsome man.

But the relief of submitting her work was undeniable! Glancing at the calendar on her desk, she realized it was only the 20th—she still had ten days left in the month! In the past, she would procrastinate until the last day to barely finish her comic. Little Mango knew her well, which is why they started reminding her early each month.

Feeling light as a feather after submitting her work, Ruan Shiyu returned to her room and flopped onto her bed, ready to sleep the day away. Just as she was drifting off, a robotic voice suddenly echoed in her ear: "Host, your exercise task is incomplete. Punishment will commence in three, two, one..."

"What? Wait a minute!" Ruan Shiyu jumped up in alarm, looking around her quiet room. There was no robotic voice, just her imagination playing tricks on her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she sat back on the bed, muttering, "I'm getting paranoid because of that system."

Despite the scare, Ruan Shiyu lost her desire to laze around. She still had to deal with her gym routine. She got up, feeling unusually motivated to make herself some lunch. After eating, she headed out to the gym without needing any reminders.

When she arrived, Shi Qianjin was at the front desk talking to someone. Seeing Ruan Shiyu walk in, Shi Qianjin looked surprised. Ruan Shiyu felt a bit embarrassed and waited for Shi Qianjin to finish her conversation before shyly approaching her. "Sorry, can I have a moment of your time?"

Shi Qianjin snapped out of her surprise and nodded quickly. "Of course."

They moved to a corner of the gym. Feeling guilty about her previous behavior, Ruan Shiyu looked down at her feet and said softly, "I'm sorry about before. Working out is my choice, and I shouldn't have taken out my frustration on you because of my exercise tasks. I'm really sorry!"

Ruan Shiyu never expected Shi Qianjin to come back and apologize. She quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, no, I was at fault too. You see, when it comes to fitness, I can be a bit stubborn. Not letting you have lunch was too much on my part."

Feeling embarrassed, he scratched his head and smiled shyly. "I tend to get a bit obsessive about fitness. I'm sorry for overstepping."

Ruan Shiyu had already regretted her actions, and hearing Shi Qianjin's words made her feel even more ashamed. Here was someone with a great personality, and she had lost her temper just because she couldn't complete a task.

"I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," Shi Qianjin replied with a bright smile. "We both made mistakes. If you're still interested in working out at the gym, I can create a new fitness plan for you, one that fits your pace. If you'd rather not continue, I can talk to the manager and help you cancel your membership."

Hearing how thoughtful Shi Qianjin was, Ruan Shiyu quickly said, "Of course, I want to keep working out. Thank you, Coach Shi."

"Great, let's go check out your new fitness plan."

With that, Ruan Shiyu followed Shi Qianjin upstairs to the second floor. Shi Qianjin handed her a plan sheet and said, "I was thinking yesterday that you probably haven't exercised in a while, which might be why you're feeling a bit off. Running is good for you, but it can be boring, and jogging requires endurance. Look, I've arranged this and this for you..."

Shi Qianjin explained the details of the plan, introducing several exercises Ruan Shiyu had never heard of. Her curiosity piqued, and by the end of the explanation, she was eager to start.

"Coach Shi, let's get started right now!"

Seeing Ruan Shiyu's enthusiasm, Shi Qianjin smiled. "Alright, it's the afternoon, perfect for a workout. Let's try the spin bike first."

Ruan Shiyu happily followed Coach Shi, cooperating well with all the afternoon exercises. Shi Qianjin watched with a satisfied smile.

Two hours later, Coach Shi said, "Alright, you've completed your exercise for today. You can go rest now."

"Huh? Is it over already?" Ruan Shiyu was a bit surprised to hear the session was done, especially since she had taken a few breaks and didn't feel too tired.

Coach Shi smiled shyly, "If you feel up to it, let's meet again tomorrow."

"Oh, sure, sure." Ruan Shiyu got off the gym equipment and waved goodbye to Coach Shi, "See you tomorrow."

Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. She gave Coach Shi an apologetic smile and stepped into the hallway to answer, "Hello, system? What do you need now?"

On the other end, Moo Xiaoxiao's surprised voice came through, "What are you talking about? System? Since when did I change my name to System?"

Hearing her voice, Ruan Shiyu froze and quickly put on a sheepish smile, "Oh, Xiaoxiao! I didn't check the number and thought it was a classmate of mine. His last name is Xi, and his first name is Tong. Xi Tong, not System!"

As she spoke, sweat started to bead on her forehead, almost giving her away!

"Really?" Moo Xiaoxiao sounded skeptical.

"Really!" Ruan Shiyu nodded emphatically, almost convincing herself.

"Alright, I'll let it slide this time. You must be free now, right? I'll come pick you up."

Moo Xiaoxiao finished, leaving Ruan Shiyu stunned, "Wait a minute, you haven't even told me what you need me for! Besides, I'm not at home right now."

"Not at home?" Moo Xiaoxiao was surprised, "If you're not home, where are you? Did you start working?"

"No," Ruan Shiyu said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Didn't you get me that gym membership? I'm at the gym right now!"

Ruan Shiyu was left hanging for a moment after speaking, and just when she thought Moo Xiaoxiao had disconnected, she heard Xiaoxiao's surprised shout, "You actually went to the gym on your own?!"

The volume made Ruan Shiyu instinctively hold the phone away from her ear. It's just a trip to the gym, what's with the big reaction?

Xiaoxiao continued, "I have to drive now, so I'll hang up. Wait for me downstairs at the gym."

"Hey, wait a minute..." Ruan Shiyu called out twice into the phone, but Xiaoxiao hung up before she could finish. Resigned, she put her phone away.

As she was about to leave, she looked up and saw Shi Qianjin standing not far away, smiling. Ruan Shiyu blushed instantly, unsure how much of her conversation with Xiaoxiao had been overheard.

Thankfully, Shi Qianjin didn't mention the call. Instead, she approached and said, "Here's your fitness tracker. I noticed you left it behind and thought I'd bring it down to you."

"Oh, thank you so much." Ruan Shiyu accepted the tracker with genuine gratitude. "My friend is coming to pick me up, so I'll head out now."

"Alright, see you later," Shi Qianjin replied, watching Ruan Shiyu leave.

Ten minutes later, outside the gym, Ruan Shiyu had just found her spot at the curb when a red car pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down to reveal Moo Xiaoxiao's perfectly made-up face.

"Hey, pretty lady, aren't you getting in?" Xiaoxiao grinned.

Seeing her friend, Ruan Shiyu smiled back, quickly opened the car door, and got in. "When did you switch cars again, Miss Moo?"

The Moo family had their own income, and Xiaoxiao was a genuine heiress with a good job, so she was quite generous with her spending. Ruan Shiyu would occasionally tease her about it, but Xiaoxiao never minded. She laughed and explained, "It's not mine, it's my mom's. I'm just taking it for a spin."

With that, she started the car and drove off in the direction they were headed.

In the car, Shiyu was still puzzled. "You haven't said what we're doing yet."

"I'm taking you shopping for clothes!" Xiaoxiao replied matter-of-factly. "The class reunion is in a couple of days. You can't seriously be thinking of wearing what you have on now, right?"

As she spoke, Xiaoxiao gave Shiyu a disdainful glance.

Shiyu immediately clutched her clothes defensively and grumbled, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

She had chosen a simple white T-shirt and sweatpants for comfort and ease of movement. Simplicity is beauty, right?

Xiaoxiao didn't respond, but her expression grew even more disapproving.

Shiyu glanced at Xiaoxiao, who was dressed in a chic beige dress that ended ten inches above her knees, showing off her long, elegant legs. Her shoes were matching high heels, delicate and stylish.

They were worlds apart in style.

A moment ago, Shiyu had been convinced that simplicity was beautiful, but now she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Still, she wanted to make one last stand and mumbled, "I'm just dressed for working out. I can't exactly wear what you do..."

"Enough with the excuses," Xiaoxiao said with a hint of exasperation. "I didn't just meet you yesterday. How long has it been since you updated your wardrobe? The last time you wore something new was when I dragged you shopping back in college."

Shiyu, who spent most of her time at home painting, had more loungewear than formal outfits. She rarely went out and had little interest in new clothes, prioritizing comfort over style.

Pretty dresses like the one Xiaoxiao wore were scarce in Shiyu's closet.

Everyone has a desire to look good, and though Shiyu was a bit lazy and timid, Xiaoxiao's words struck a chord.

Seeing Shiyu fall silent, Xiaoxiao declared, "Today, I'm going to make you look stunning! You'll be the star of the reunion, and all those guys who never confessed their feelings back then will regret it."