C7 This Fitness Coach Is Really Annoying

Ruan Shiyu glanced at her constantly ringing phone, a rare look of indecision crossing her face.

Sitting across from her, Moo Xiaoxiao was fiddling with the silverware. Though she couldn’t see who was calling, she noticed Shiyu’s expression and paused, frowning. “Who’s calling? Why aren’t you answering?” Suddenly, a thought seemed to strike her. “Is it Zhan Ann?”

Xiaoxiao’s expression turned serious as she reached out to grab the phone.

There was no way Shiyu would let her see the phone, so she quickly blocked her hand. “It’s not Zhan Ann, just a relative I’m not too fond of.” Without giving Xiaoxiao a chance to say more, she answered the call.

“Hello, what now?”

“I’m issuing your second mandatory task: go to the gym for a fitness test and work out for an hour. Please complete it as soon as possible.” The system, unfazed by her tone, calmly stated its purpose.

Shiyu was startled. “How did you know I was going to...” She trailed off, mumbling the rest.

“I’m in your hand,” came the short, disdainful reply, making Shiyu realize and regret her oversight.

“Do I have to?” Shiyu asked, a bit unwilling.

“It’s a mandatory task.”

“Fine, fine, I got it,” Shiyu replied impatiently, muttering under her breath, “You just love holding this over me!”

The system, having delivered its task, ended the call since the host had accepted it.

After hanging up, Shiyu slumped over the table, looking utterly drained.

“What happened?” Xiaoxiao had wanted to ask when she saw Shiyu’s changing expressions during the call. Now, seeing her even more dejected, she couldn’t help but worry.

Shiyu sighed, “Nothing much, just a relative coming to town, and I have to pick them up.”

Xiaoxiao nodded in understanding and offered, “Are they difficult? Want me to go with you?”

Ruan Shiyu couldn't possibly tell her the truth, so she quickly declined, "No need, that relative is a real pain. It's better if I just go alone."

Since Ruan Shiyu refused, Moo Xiaoxiao didn't insist. She remembered what she was doing before the call, "I'll call the gym now and cancel our session today. How about we go shopping instead?"

"Uh..." Ruan Shiyu responded, then quickly realized and stopped her, "Wait, don't! I'll go to the gym later!"

Moo Xiaoxiao paused with her phone in hand, looking at Ruan Shiyu with confusion, "Didn't you say you were too tired? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Ruan Shiyu slumped back down, "I thought about it. Since that trainer is so hard to book, they must be really good. If I miss this, I'll probably regret it for a long time. Might as well go today. A fitness test can't be that bad, right?"

Hearing Ruan Shiyu's resigned tone, Moo Xiaoxiao couldn't help but chuckle a bit, though she held it back seeing her friend's state, "If you've made up your mind, then go ahead. Just don't complain to me later."

"Got it," Ruan Shiyu replied in a drawn-out, listless voice.

The only comfort for her today seemed to be the delicious food at the tea house. Although she had previously said Moo Xiaoxiao ordered too much for the two of them, when the food arrived, Ruan Shiyu ended up eating most of the brunch herself.

By the time they reached the gym, Ruan Shiyu was still holding her stomach, occasionally letting out a burp.

Moo Xiaoxiao looked at her with some concern, thinking that eating too much might make her sick during the workout.

But Ruan Shiyu, both excited and worried, tried hard to suppress the urge to bargain with the system. Maybe, just maybe, the system would take pity on her for being so full and let her skip the workout?

However, both of them were overthinking it.

After waiting for five minutes without any sign of the personal trainer, a receptionist approached them to explain that the trainer had overslept and was stuck in traffic. It would be at least another twenty minutes before he arrived.

The two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. Despite wanting to leave, they had already made the appointment, so they resigned themselves to waiting at the gym for the trainer to show up.

Finally, after more than twenty minutes, a well-built man hurried over. Seeing the two of them sitting idly on the couch, he immediately apologized, "I'm really sorry for being late. I'm Shi Qianjin, your scheduled personal trainer."

Shi Qianjin was clearly someone who had been working out for a long time. His exposed arms were muscular, and his chest muscles filled out his shirt impressively, making them look larger than those of most women.

Ruan Shiyu couldn't help but glance down at herself, then at Moo Xiaoxiao beside her. Realizing she was the smallest of the three, she pursed her lips and turned her attention back to Shi Qianjin's chest.

Despite his muscular appearance, Shi Qianjin was surprisingly shy, even blushing while talking to Moo Xiaoxiao. Observing this, Ruan Shiyu felt she had a sense of what to expect from the upcoming personal training session.

"Miss Ruan?" Shi Qianjin finished speaking with Moo Xiaoxiao and called out to Ruan Shiyu for a fitness assessment, but there was no response.

Moo Xiaoxiao gave Shi Qianjin an awkward smile and discreetly pinched Ruan Shiyu under the table.

"Ouch!" Ruan Shiyu snapped back to attention, turning to Moo Xiaoxiao with a look of accusation in her eyes.

Moo Xiaoxiao smiled again at Shi Qianjin before turning to Ruan Shiyu with a mock sternness, "What are you daydreaming about?"

Ruan Shiyu rubbed the spot where she'd been pinched, feeling a bit wronged, and then turned to Shi Qianjin with a changed expression, "Is there something you need?"

Ruan Shiyu watched their movements, trying hard to keep a smile on her face. "Miss Ruan, please come with me for a fitness assessment."

"Okay," Ruan Shiyu replied, following Shi Qianjin to the assessment room.

Ruan Shiyu stepped onto a fitness assessment machine she had never seen before. Shi Qianjin explained that all she had to do was stand on it and hold the handles to get various data, which seemed quite fascinating to her.

In no time, the machine printed out a long sheet of data. Curious, Ruan Shiyu glanced at it, but it looked like a foreign language to her. She had to rely on Shi Qianjin to explain.

Shi Qianjin took them back to their previous spot and went through the measurements one by one. The data was pretty dry, and Ruan Shiyu soon found her mind wandering. Only Moo Xiaoxiao was still paying close attention to Shi Qianjin's analysis.

Once Shi Qianjin finished, Ruan Shiyu only understood two things: her basal metabolic rate was low, and her BMI was below average. In short, she needed to exercise more.

After completing the basic assessment, Shi Qianjin led Ruan Shiyu and Moo Xiaoxiao to the private training room.

Halfway there, Moo Xiaoxiao received a phone call. After hanging up, she apologized to Ruan Shiyu, "I can't stay with you today." She waved her phone, "My dad wants me to come home to meet someone."

Ruan Shiyu understood that Moo Xiaoxiao's family often had obligations, so she waved her off, "Go take care of it. I'll get home on my own."

Moo Xiaoxiao was a bit skeptical of Ruan Shiyu's quick response, "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"Of course," Ruan Shiyu replied confidently, then quickly nudged Moo Xiaoxiao toward the door to hide her own plans. "Go on, I'm grown up. I can handle it."

Moo Xiaoxiao was being ushered out, and with her dad urging her to hurry, she had no choice but to leave quickly, even though she was worried about Shiyu handling things. She turned back to say a few more words to Shi Qianjin before rushing off.

As Xiaoxiao exited the gym, Ruan Shiyu flashed a sly smile and playfully rested her arm on Shi Qianjin's shoulder. Seeing his ears turn bright red, she felt more confident about her upcoming request. "Coach, can we make a deal?"

Shi Qianjin wanted to step aside, but worried Shiyu might lose her balance, he bent slightly and asked, his eyes darting nervously, "W-what is it?"

"You saw it too; I'm not in the best shape," Shiyu fibbed casually. "I just came to the gym to run a bit. How about you schedule my personal training sessions on the treadmill?"

Shiyu thought it was a good plan. Running in the neighborhood or on a treadmill was all the same to her—running is running, after all.

But Shi Qianjin immediately opposed the idea, forgetting Shiyu's arm was still on his shoulder. "No way. As your personal trainer, I have to be responsible. I can't just let you slide by."

His sudden movement nearly caused Shiyu to lose her balance, but fortunately, Shi Qianjin was tall and quickly steadied her.

Once she regained her composure, Shiyu pressed on, "How is that slacking off? I'm the one asking to just run. Don't worry, I'll still pay for the personal training sessions."

"It's not about the money," Shi Qianjin said, frustrated, struggling to explain to Shiyu. Finally, he insisted, "No means no."

Shiyu looked at him, feeling a bit anxious. "Why are you so stubborn? I already said it's my idea." She softened her tone, pleading, "Come on, do me a favor. Just let me use the treadmill, please?"

Shi Qianjin didn't even glance at her. Hearing her playful tone, her face turned red, but she still said, "If you keep this up, I'm going to call your friend!"

With Shi Qianjin bringing up Moo Xiaoxiao as a threat, Ruan Shiyu found herself out of options. Frustrated, she kicked the wall lightly and said to Shi Qianjin, "Fine, let's go work out!"

With that, she limped away.