Chapter 705: Li Luo: Warning Signs of a Jerk

In the Chaoshan beef hot pot restaurant on the fourth floor of Tianjie, Li Luo couldn't help laughing as he looked at Xu Youyu, who was frowning in front of him.

"Has Qian Da become this high-tech now? Even facial recognition is in use?" Li Luo teased, barely holding back his laughter. "I feel like there are troublemakers at school, specifically targeting our early-sleeping god."

"Get lost." Xu Youyu glared at him, slammed her chopsticks down on the table, crossed her arms, and grumbled, "How can the school be so stubborn? Why fixate on these tiny apps?"

"The school has good intentions," Li Luo chuckled. "Aren't they trying to ensure students' physical health? You've had others run for you the past two semesters—that goes against the school's original purpose."

"But there are people like me who face real difficulties," Xu Youyu pouted. "Running two kilometers each time is like circling the track five times. You have to do it thirty-two times a semester just to pass. After one run, I'm dead."

"If someone hadn't been exploiting their high school student council president status to hoard volunteer spots during morning runs, they wouldn't be this out of shape," Li Luo said, spreading his hands.

"Hmph! Now you're making sarcastic remarks?" Xu Youyu kicked him under the table. "Hurry up and think of a solution for me!"

"Aren't you already thinking of one?"

"What?"

"Work out," Li Luo teased. "If you stick with it, running will be easy."

"Fine!" For some reason, Xu Youyu actually agreed this time, nodding firmly. "You're taking me to the gym tomorrow—I'm going to get serious!"

"Excellent, great spirit!" Li Luo clapped his hands, then slid a few slices of lamb into the pot. "That's a reward for your excellent athletic attitude."

"Thanks a lot."

"By the way, when does the Sunshine Run start? We can run together then."

"Wait until the third week after school starts."

"Isn't it already the third week?"

"Dummy, that's for freshmen. We're sophomores—we're only on our second week. After this weekend's Hundred Clubs Fair, the running check-ins should begin."

"So we'll run together then?"

"What if you carry me?"

"Dream on."

"Hmph! Stingy jerk."

"Why not just use my car?" Li Luo chuckled. "With the windows up, no one'll know what you're doing."

Hearing this, Xu Youyu's eyes suddenly lit up: "Holy crap! That's actually a brilliant idea!"

Li Luo: "... I was just joking. You're not seriously thinking of doing it?"

"Let's try it—just control the speed," Xu Youyu said eagerly, as if clutching a lifeline. She immediately threw herself into Li Luo's arms, pouting. "Big brother~ You're the best to me~"

"So are you still going to the gym tomorrow?"

"Of course~ I'll definitely accompany you~ But your car..."

"That depends on how you behave these next few days."

"Alright~ I get it~"

"Why do I suddenly feel thirsty?"

"Here, drink something~" Xu Youyu quickly picked up the water cup and handed it to Li Luo's lips herself.

"Mm." Li Luo took two sips and nodded in satisfaction. "I wonder if the beef balls are cooked yet."

"Let me taste one first, then blow on it to cool it down~"

"Xu Youyu, you're making me uncomfortable like this."

"I'm doing it willingly~ As long as big brother likes it, that's all that matters~"

"Then I'll reluctantly accept it."

Tuesday afternoon.

After one class in the morning and one in the afternoon, Li Luo and the others had no more classes today.

As soon as class ended, Wen Zexuan hooked his arms around Cheng Xin and Li Luo and marched proudly toward the fitness center in the north.

Before leaving the classroom, he turned to Bai Haoran and asked, "Hey Hao, you coming?"

"No," Bai Haoran declined as if it were obvious, slung his bag over his shoulder with lofty indifference, and turned toward the library.

Wen Zexuan wasn't surprised and set off with Cheng Xin and Li Luo.

But as soon as they stepped out the front door of the teaching building, Li Luo pulled out his phone and answered a call.

"Yeah, just got out of class," Li Luo said into the phone. "Alright, see you at the entrance."

"What's going on?" Wen Zexuan frowned, staring at Li Luo after he hung up. "Who are you meeting at the entrance?"

"Who else?" Li Luo walked forward. "My wife."

"Tch." Wen Zexuan fell silent. "We agreed to go to the gym. Why are you bringing your girlfriend?"

"You never said I couldn't."

"Cheng Xin and I are planning to flirt with girls inside. Having your little sister tagging along makes it look bad."

"I'm not flirting with girls with you," Li Luo said, exasperated. "And call her sister-in-law."

"I was born in January. Are you older than me?"

"Sorry, I was born in December."

"'98?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Fine, fine, you're older, you're older."

The three chatted as they walked to the fitness center and arrived at the entrance, where Xu Youyu was waiting.

"Hi~" Xu Youyu smiled warmly at Wen Zexuan and Cheng Xin, then naturally wrapped her arm around Li Luo's.

"Senior, hello," Cheng Xin said politely, sounding slightly nervous.

Wen Zexuan, however, was relaxed—he greeted her as "Sister-in-law" and led the way into the fitness center.

Xu Youyu was quite pleased to hear that "sister-in-law," smiling and nodding in clear satisfaction.

The four of them swiped their student cards at the entrance, had five yuan deducted, and entered smoothly; passing by the doors of the male and female changing rooms, the view ahead quickly opened up.

A fitness area spanning two to three hundred square meters came into view, with ample equipment of every kind—even Wen Zexuan, who often frequented gyms, couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

"Not bad, this setup," Wen Zexuan said, surprised. "No wonder Qian Da's got money—he may have skimped on decoration, but he definitely splurged on equipment."

Cheng Xin didn't understand any of this; he just thought the place was big and crowded. But with plenty of equipment, more people didn't matter.

After evaluating the equipment, Wen Zexuan nodded again, satisfied: "Mm, the students are good too—Qian University students are truly outstanding, passionate about fitness, mindful of health. Very good, very good."

"Indeed," Cheng Xin said, watching the lively fitness atmosphere before him, nodding in agreement.

Only Li Luo tugged at his mouth, glancing at Wen Zexuan's sweeping gaze, and said dryly: "Just say there are lots of pretty girls—you don't have to beat around the bush."

"Hey hey hey," Wen Zexuan waved his hands frantically. "Senior sister is right here—don't go spouting nonsense and slander someone's reputation."

"So you actually care about your image?" Li Luo teased with a chuckle.

"With brothers, I can be myself however I want," Wen Zexuan smoothed his hair. "But in front of beautiful girls, I must maintain a good persona."

Xu Youyu stayed silent beside them, merely smiling.

In front of Li Luo's friends, she was completely different from how she was in private—always showing a gentle, generous, utterly normal side.

Only when alone with Li Luo did she reveal the other side no one else ever saw.

"Then stop looking for now," Li Luo said, walking to a machine. "Teach me—how do I use all this equipment?"

"Alright, let's start learning," Wen Zexuan said, reliable and professional in this area; he guided Li Luo through the equipment, explaining basic fitness knowledge: "These machines help us target specific muscle groups."

"So the initial focus isn't on how hard you pull—it's about being in a relaxed state and confirming whether your form is correct, whether you're stimulating the intended muscles."

"Especially when you feel muscle soreness, don't resist it—don't compensate with other body parts, or your training effectiveness will drop."

"Many people nail the form this time, then forget it next time and end up training the wrong muscles—that's why coaches constantly correct them."

After hearing Wen Zexuan's explanation, Li Luo raised an eyebrow, then grabbed Wen Zexuan and made him walk him through every machine.

For now, he didn't care about results—only wanted to try every standard posture to ensure he stimulated the correct muscle groups.

"You can just experience them like this," Wen Zexuan said while guiding him, "but you won't remember any of it."

Hearing this, Xu Youyu—who knew Li Luo well—smiled and said: "I bet he's already remembered most of it."

"Senior sister, you're falling into the 'beauty is blind' trap," Wen Zexuan laughed.

But then Li Luo showed him his learning results, leaving Wen Zexuan stunned.

"Wait… you learned all this in just a few tries?" Looking at Li Luo's perfectly executed bench press, Wen Zexuan fell into thought.

"Any posture you'd recommend?" Li Luo, unfazed, asked quietly.

Wen Zexuan glanced at Xu Youyu beside him, then down at Li Luo's waist: "Senior sister's that strong? It's got you working out just to keep up?"

"You wouldn't understand," Li Luo gave a mysterious expression, leaving Wen Zexuan momentarily baffled.

"Anyway, focus on squats," Wen Zexuan recommended. "Then bench press and deadlift—master these three, and you'll activate most of your major muscle groups."

"OK," Li Luo nodded, understanding.

Seeing how quickly Li Luo had picked it up—with such perfect form—Wen Zexuan stopped interfering and returned to his main goal: "You and Senior Sister keep training here—I'll go with Cheng Xin over there."

Li Luo readily agreed, waved them off, and let them go.

Wen Zexuan bid them farewell, then grinned and slung his arm around Cheng Xin's neck, ready to lead his good brother on a hunting expedition.

After familiarizing himself with the equipment, Li Luo turned his gaze to Xu Youyu, who had been watching quietly nearby.

"Senior Youyu, shall I teach you?"

"Cough… you go ahead first, I'll just watch," Xu Youyu stepped back, sounding a bit guilty.

"You're not scared, are you? Your bold words from yesterday are still ringing—don't chicken out now."

"Who's scared?! Don't make things up," Xu Youyu stiffened her neck, stubborn. "I'm just observing and analyzing."

"Practice matters most in fitness," Li Luo pulled Xu Youyu over. "Let's start simple—this arm machine first. I'll set it to 1kg, just for fun."

Reluctantly, Xu Youyu was pulled onto the chair of the lat pulldown machine, raised her arms obediently, gripped the handles as Li Luo instructed, and began pulling slowly under his assistance.

Five minutes later.

Xu Youyu collapsed completely into Li Luo's arms, face flushed, gasping for breath: "Bro… spare me… I'd rather you did this to me in bed—at least I'd enjoy it. I never want to work out again…"

"Senior Youyu… your physical condition is terrible…" Li Luo tugged at his mouth, surprised she gave out so quickly.

But noticing the glances from those around him, Li Luo paused, then said: "Let's call it a day then—you've trained a bit already. Go back to your dorm, don't overexert yourself."

"Aren't you leaving?"

"I haven't even started working out yet."

"Fine," Xu Youyu didn't want to stay another second. "I'm exhausted—I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when it's dinner time."

"Alright," Li Luo nodded and saw Xu Youyu off the fitness center.

After watching her leave through the door, Li Luo turned back and resumed training.

During this time, Li Luo kept glancing toward Wen Zexuan and Cheng Xin, watching them weave through crowds and equipment, occasionally approaching some girl to observe her.

Then, during this, Wen Zexuan seemed to have settled on his target—he walked toward a girl doing squats in front of a full-length mirror.

Watching Wen Zexuan effortlessly strike up a conversation with her, making her laugh within seconds, Li Luo was genuinely impressed.

But the next second, Li Luo noticed something odd.

This girl's face… why did it look so familiar?

Li Luo was too far to see clearly, so he left his machine and walked over, arriving beside Cheng Xin to look.

"Luo Ge, you're here too?" Cheng Xin noticed Li Luo's approach and greeted him. "Where's Senior Xu?"

"She got tired, so I sent her back to the dorm," Li Luo said, his gaze fixed on the girl Wen Zexuan was talking to.

But Wen Zexuan's back blocked most of the view, so Li Luo still couldn't make out her face.

"Are you interested too, Luo Ge?"

"Actually, I'm not that interested…" Li Luo said, finally waiting until Wen Zexuan turned his body, revealing the girl's true face.

The next instant, Li Luo involuntarily blurted out "Fuck!", and hurriedly tried to turn and walk away.

But at that moment, the other person also noticed him.

"Li Luo? You're here at the gym too? What a coincidence!"

Jiang Lai, Ying Chanxi's roommate, saw Li Luo and immediately beamed, waving at him warmly.

At that moment, Li Luo's face froze; he knew he couldn't escape, so he forced a smile, striving to keep his expression calm, and replied with as much composure as he could: "Yeah, small world."

(End of Chapter)