Chapter 20

Of course she was interested.

The next morning, just before the weight-loss training camp officially opened for business, Luo Jingyao arrived at the agreed meeting spot—outside the mall’s side entrance—with a box of milk in her arms.

Lin Jiafan was already there, still dressed in the same ill-fitting navy-blue overalls, his long limbs making him look a bit awkward.

When he saw her, he casually raised his hand in greeting.

The two didn’t exchange many words and instead made efficient use of time, one following the other through the mall’s side door. Luo Jingyao led the way, navigating smoothly toward the hallway they had visited the night before.

Because only a few inconspicuous vents were installed high up on the walls, even though daylight had fully arrived, the corridor was still quite dim. They had to rely on the faint yellow glow of motion-sensor lights to barely make out the surrounding details.

After two minutes, the small door nestled beside the mall’s storage room finally came into view.

Knock, knock, knock.

Under Lin Jiafan’s watchful gaze, Luo Jingyao swallowed hard, tensed every muscle in her body, and stepped forward to knock on the door.

Rustling noises soon came from inside, followed by Zhao Weiqing’s hoarse, sleepy voice: “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Coach Luo from Sister Jiang’s training camp!” she cleared her throat and responded gently.

After that, there was silence behind the door for a few seconds, then footsteps resumed. Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing Zhao Weiqing’s somewhat tanned face.

“Oh, it’s Coach Luo. Something up this early?”

Luo Jingyao flashed a sweet smile and raised the box of milk in her hands: “Nothing much, just wanted to check in and see how you’re feeling.”

As she spoke, she suddenly seemed to remember something and shifted slightly to reveal the man standing behind her, explaining: “I ran into Master Lin on the way over. When he heard you weren’t feeling well, he insisted on coming along to see you.”

Hearing that, Zhao Weiqing quickly waved his hands, flustered: “I should be the one thanking you, Coach Luo. How could I trouble you to come visit me?”

“We’re all on the same team here, Brother Zhao, no need to be so polite. Sister Jiang said you’ve helped the training camp a lot!” Luo Jingyao said as she shuffled forward a bit with the box of milk in her arms.

Perhaps because she had mentioned Jiang Qi or maybe just out of embarrassment at being blocked in the doorway, Zhao Weiqing hesitated for a moment before finally inviting them in.

Strangely enough, the moment Luo Jingyao stepped inside, it felt like the lighting here was even dimmer than the corridor outside.

The room had a narrow rectangular layout. Near the door sat a shabby old desk cluttered with miscellaneous daily items that were hard to identify at a glance.

Next to the desk was a metal bunk bed. The lower bunk was a messy pile of blankets and pillows, while the upper bunk was stacked with various belongings.

Facing the bed was an old refrigerator, which buzzed constantly as it ran, as if it had long outlived its prime.

Ever since Luo Jingyao entered the room, her eyes had not left the old refrigerator.

So, could this be the place? The one she visited that night?

Her eyes flicked slightly as she quickly made a mental calculation.

While Lin Jiafan was still pretending to be concerned about Zhao Weiqing’s health, Luo Jingyao, in one swift and stealthy motion, tore open the box of milk. With a bright smile, she turned to them and said enthusiastically, “This brand expires quickly. Brother Zhao, I’ll help you put it in the fridge.”

Zhao Weiqing didn’t even have time to object—he could only watch helplessly as she opened the fridge door.

A mixture of different food smells rushed out, hitting her nose all at once. Amid the overpowering scent, Luo Jingyao quickly scanned every corner of the refrigerator.

Unfortunately, there was nothing exciting to be found.

Not only was there no black plastic bag inside, but even the fridge’s structure was quite different from the one she remembered.

Lowering her gaze to hide her disappointment, she neatly arranged all twelve cartons of milk inside.

“Oh dear! Thank you, Coach Luo. Sorry for the mess.” Zhao Weiqing looked slightly embarrassed. “I’ve always lived alone—gotten used to being a bit messy.”

But before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly grimaced in pain and instinctively reached for his right arm with his left hand.

His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, and under their concerned gazes, Zhao Weiqing slowly shuffled over to his desk and picked up a half-used blister pack of pills.

He popped out two tablets and tossed them into his mouth, gulping them down with the help of a glass of water on the side.

“What kind of medicine is that?” Lin Jiafan finally spoke after a long pause.

“Just some regular painkillers,” Zhao Weiqing replied ambiguously and casually tossed the empty blister pack into the trash bin by the door.

Then, picking up his phone from the bedside, he glanced at a message on the screen. Without a word, he walked over to the wall to grab his work uniform and started putting it on. “The manager says he needs me for something. You two should probably head back to work as well.”

“You’re feeling so unwell, and you’re still not taking a day off? And you’re working the afternoon shift today. What’s the manager calling you in for?” Lin Jiafan looked puzzled.

“With my current health, I’m grateful just to keep this job. The manager knows I’m struggling and still lets me take night shifts as a security guard. One must know how to be thankful.” Zhao Weiqing shook his head with a sigh, slung his tool bag over his shoulder, and headed toward the door.

Luo Jingyao and Lin Jiafan exchanged a look, then silently followed him out.

Just as they crossed the threshold, Luo Jingyao bent down and swiftly picked up the plastic trash bag. “Leaving garbage for too long isn’t good for your health either.”

Zhao Weiqing simply gave her another grateful smile.

When he reached out to take the bag from her after locking the door, she skillfully avoided his hand, her smile unwavering. “Brother Zhao, don’t you need to head to the mall to see the manager? I also need to head out for breakfast. Taking the trash out is no trouble.”

Perhaps he really did have urgent matters to attend to, because Zhao Weiqing didn’t insist further. He simply thanked her again and walked off.

Luo Jingyao and Lin Jiafan followed him at a discreet distance. Once they confirmed that he was indeed headed toward the manager’s office, she quickly opened the trash bag and handed the discarded blister pack to Lin Jiafan.

Without missing a beat, he accepted it and slipped it into his pocket. Not a single word was exchanged. They didn’t even make eye contact.

Just a brief passing moment—and then they parted ways.

By now, it was already 8:30 AM. After tossing the trash, Luo Jingyao decided to head back to the underground training camp.

She had only just walked a few steps inside when she ran into Coach Xiao Ping, the younger trainer. His face immediately turned bright red, and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Sister Luo… thank you for last night.”

“Are you okay? Did you feel unwell when you woke up this morning?” she asked with concern.

“N-no, I’m fine…” Xiao Ping stammered, but quickly perked up. “Oh, by the way, good news—Sister Jiang isn’t here again this morning. We can sneak in a little break.”

“Really? That’s great,” Luo Jingyao replied with a distracted smile. She was still thinking about Zhao Weiqing’s situation.

This distracted state lasted until she helped one of the trainees with leg stretches and sit-ups. As he lay on the ground with his knees bent, something suddenly fell from his loose pants pocket.

The two little pills rolled a few times before being stopped by the tip of Luo Jingyao’s sneaker.

She glanced down at the pills, then looked at the trainee on the ground, whose face had gone bright red. The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

Noticing the nervous expression in the trainee’s eyes, she picked up the pills with two fingers and asked hesitantly, “These are…?”

“Vitamin supplements from last night. I haven’t taken them yet because my stomach’s been feeling off these past two days,” the trainee whispered as he anxiously looked around. “Coach Luo, please… don’t report me! I swear! If I get hit with a punishment of 500 burpees, I’ll literally die!”

“Shhh…” Luo Jingyao discreetly slipped the pills into her coat pocket, then winked at him.

And so the day dragged on until the afternoon.

Luo Jingyao sat alone in the coaches’ lounge, staring blankly at the fluorescent light overhead.

Aside from her morning visit to Zhao Weiqing, she hadn’t made any meaningful progress the entire day.

For some reason, Jiang Qi still hadn’t shown up, and with so many eyes around, Luo Jingyao couldn’t get too close to Xiao Ping either…

She silently exhaled a heavy breath, adjusted her posture, and accidentally brushed against the two pills still tucked in her pocket.

Frowning slightly, Luo Jingyao was just about to take them out for a better look when sudden noise erupted from the training area outside.

Someone shouted, “There are a bunch of police cars outside!”

“Oh my god, what happened? Did someone get into a fight?”

“Are you crazy or am I? Besides the mall staff, a few tea shops that are still open, and our training center, who else is even alive in this whole mall? Who would they be fighting?”

“Then why are the police here?”

With Jiang Qi nowhere in sight, both coaches and trainees, stirred by the commotion, rushed outside in a frenzy, heading toward the first floor of the mall while throwing out wild guesses.

Blending into the crowd, Luo Jingyao made her way to the main entrance of the mall.

Sure enough, several police cars were already parked outside. The red and blue lights on the roofs were flashing continuously, and officers were getting out one after another.

Could it be that Lin Jiafan finally found something?

She just wasn’t sure whether the breakthrough was about Zhao Weiqing… or Jiang Qi.