Chapter 211 Fainting on the Treadmill (1/2)
The lady stepped out of the fitting room after she got dressed. That was when the two of them realized just how in shape the woman was. That, plus her angelic features, definitely made her one hell of a beautiful woman. Zhang Mi gave the purse back to the lady and nodded at her appreciatively. ”You look nice in this outfit!”
”Thank you both so much!” the lady said, ruffling through her purse for some money. ”I've seen the price tag. Here, let me pay you back!”
Zhang Mi accepted the money without demur and smiled at the woman. This was a happenstance after all. ”Be careful next time, then.”
”Yeah!” Xin Qing nodded as well. ”You won't run into helpful people every time, you know. Well, since you're good now, we should be taking our leave, then!”
After a brief moment of hesitation, the woman reached out her hand to stop them from leaving. Then, she took out her card. ”You really should allow me to repay your kindness, or at least give me a chance to express my gratitude. It's too late tonight, but do drop my club some time, okay? My treat!”
”Meng Tian Gym Club? Xu Li?” Zhang Mi read the card's content out loud.
”Mmhm. I own the club. You're welcome to use the gym facilities there!” Xu Li said with a grin.
Zhang Mi and Xin Qing each took a copy of Xu Li's card before leaving. On the way back, Zhang Mi kept telling Xin Qing about the gym club.
”I heard the personal trainers there really know what they're doing. A lot of celebrities go to that gym,” Zhang Mi said excitedly as she drove. ”Let's go check it out and sign up for an aerobics class or something.” Zhang Mi paused and gave Xin Qing a sidelong glance. ”Especially you, my friend. You've got to tone up your muscles, you know. Otherwise, Ying Qingcang would find your body less pleasurable to touch.”
Xin Qing glared at Zhang Mi in annoyance. ”Oh, yeah? How come you're not worried about how your body will feel like to Young Master Shen's hands? I'll have you know that my body is in good shape!”
Zhang Mi studied Xin Qing for a moment. ”Do you have a V-line?” Zhang Mi asked.
”What... What's that?” Xin Qing had never even heard of it.
”They're the lines that define your lower abs. When seen as a whole, they look just like a mermaid's tail. It's the modern standard of a good figure!” Zhang Mi said, stroking her own tummy. ”Let's go to the gym tomorrow!”
That was how Xin Qing ended up getting dragged to the gym club by Zhang Mi the following day. Xu Li was exhilarated when she saw them. She even offered to personally show them around the place. At the end of the tour, Xu Li asked the professional staff to measure each of their body fat levels and sign them up for their classes. After that, she invited them for coffee at the coffee shop downstairs.
”You both are already in good shape, so you'll only need to come here twice a week. That way, you can tone up your muscles. You'll look even better in tight-fitting clothes!” Xu Li said, flaunting her own chest. ”Check out the style of this dress that I'm wearing. You can go braless and make it look even better!”
Zhang Mi nodded enthusiastically. Xin Qing nodded along as well. She had already been dragged here, and plus, it was not like she had anything better to do anyway. She would just come and try to have a good workout. When they got home that night, Xin Qing showed her gym membership card to Ying Qingcang. Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen's first reaction was to do a background check on Xu Li.
”Are you both suffering from some kind of delusional disorder? Like some sort of paranoia?” Zhang Mi said in contempt. ”It's like you think anyone who approaches us must have some kind of hidden agenda.”
Ying Qingcang ignored Zhang Mi's remark. He held Xin Qing hand and said, ”Listen to us. Go only after we've done a background check!”
Xin Qing was fine with it. Besides, she was only there to keep Zhang Mi company in the first place. Zhang Mi, on the other hand, seemed to have her panties in a twist. Seeing her behavior, Young Master Shen immediately attempted to placate her. ”It won't take long. Three days, at most.”
In the end, the background check was settled in two days. It turned out that Xu Li had a simple background. She graduated from a local university and became a personal trainer at a gym club. Because of her physical beauty and her sociability, a lot of wealthy people had hired her as their private trainer. Needless to say, she had acquired a considerable wealth for herself. After that, she started her own gym club. Apparently, she once had a boyfriend, but for some unknown reason, they had broken up. She had stayed single ever since. If Xu Li had any close relationships with other men, the background check did not indicate it.
Zhang Mi returned to her job at Si Nan's company. Once she learned about the results of the background check, she decided to attend the aerobics class at the gym club with Xin Qing during the upcoming weekend. Young Master Shen thus found himself revisiting the days when he acted as their driver and chaperone. It seemed like he and Zhang Mi had reached a sort of understanding between them; neither of them mentioned anything about feelings or about the relationship between them. They would both leave and come home every day like old friends. The weekend arrived, and since Ying Qingcang had an emergency meeting, Young Master Shen personally dropped off Xin Qing and Zhang Mi at the entrance of the gym.
”We feel like having hotpot later. Remember to book us a table!” Zhang Mi ordered casually. Grinning widely, Young Master Shen agreed and was secretly pleased. Now that she had slowly gotten used to his presence, Zhang Mi would not be able to leave him...
Zhang Mi and Xin Qing had been working out at the gym twice per week throughout the month. Eventually, Ying Qingcang began to notice something strange about Xin Qing.
Today, he finally caved and brought up the subject over a meal. ”Do you feel any discomfort recently?” he asked.
Xin Qing was munching on a corn cob when she heard his question. She shook her head. ”Not at all!”
Ying Qingcang lowered his head and went deep in thought. Zhang Mi piped up from beside them, ”I bet you've noticed that your woman has been eating a lot these days!”
”Really?” Xin Qing had not noticed at all.
”It's true that you've been eating more than usual,” Ying Qingcang said, starting to feel a bit worried. ”Why don't we visit the hospital and have the doctors perform a checkup on you?”
Zhang Mi snorted. ”Oh, what do you know? This is one of the benefits of working out!” Zhang Mi nudged Xin Qing. ”Didn't the trainer mention this before? It's totally normal to start eating more than usual due to increasing physical activity!”
”Yeah, yeah!” Xin Qing nodded at Ying Qingcang. ”I feel good! Totally fine!”
Young Master Shen appraised Xin Qing for a long moment. ”I, too, find Xiao Qingqing looking much healthier these days,” he remarked. ”I guess exercise really is the key to health, huh!”
If Shi Qianqian or Xin Yudie were here right now, they would have undoubtedly regarded the few of them as idiots. How could they not realize what was going on when the signs were already so obvious...
One afternoon half a month later, Ying Qingcang received a sudden phone call when he was in the middle of a meeting. He only heard two lines on the phone before he bolted out the door of the conference room. Ah Nan hurried after him.
”To the hospital,” Ying Qingcang told Ah Nan.