Chapter 9

Don’t think that in a wealthy family there are no “other people’s children.” Even if parents are busy like crazy, they always manage to find time to compare you with other kids and criticize you.

Before the age of fifteen, Zhou Lu had been living a good life—he came from a wealthy family, was smart, and could learn anything quickly.

Although the city was a first-tier metropolis with a developed economy and dense population, there were only a few top-tier aristocratic families truly rooted here.

To say that there wasn’t a single person in the entire city more outstanding than Zhou Lu would obviously be a joke. But among his peers in the same social circle, to say that he was the most exceptional would definitely not be an exaggeration.

It’s common for capable and proud people to look down on others, and Zhou Lu’s first fifteen years of life were full of vigor and pride.

Then Ji Feishi came back!

This person had spent the first few years living with his elders in the capital, surrounded by a larger social circle there. It was only in the past couple of years that he had returned to live with his parents and gradually become familiar with the family business.

It was around the time they entered high school that Ji Feishi officially rejoined the social circle here.

After several encounters, Zhou Lu’s parents, who had always been supportive of him, began to nitpick and criticize him.

The most infuriating part was one time, when he was irritated by their constant nagging, he snapped, “If that guy is so capable, why don’t you just adopt him as your son?”

To his shock, his parents answered without hesitation: “I would if the old man from the Ji family were willing to trade him for you.”

Zhou Lu was nearly furious to death. He had disliked Ji Feishi from the start, and after they attended different high schools, they became rivals in his favorite sport, which made their relationship even more hostile.

To be honest, when Zhou Lu heard Ji Feishi’s words, there was a moment when he felt embarrassed.

He had just lost the competition and was now tangled up with a girl. Normally, he did whatever he wanted and didn’t care much about other people’s opinions.

But he absolutely didn’t want to appear embarrassed in front of this jerk.

As Ji Feishi and his group walked over, Yun Cheng noticed that the two girls who had been in conflict with Zhou Lu were from his school. He quickly pulled them behind him.

Yesterday, he had felt that Jiang Muti was unusually enthusiastic about their situation and joked that perhaps she was clashing with Zhou Lu.

Now, seeing that his guess had come true, he realized that while Jiang Muti had seemed more cheerful in recent days, because they weren’t in the same school, he hadn’t fully understood the situation and had just assumed she was in a good mood.

But deep down, she was still the same weak character, afraid of conflicts, and easily bullied—just a poor, little fat girl.

Yun Cheng, who had always had a good temper, was also now furious. After confirming that the two girls were fine, he stepped forward and confronted Zhou Lu: “Don’t go too far. If you’ve got a problem, come at me. What’s the deal with taking your anger out on my girls?”

“Zhou Lu, I’ve always thought that even though our temperaments didn’t match, as long-time rivals, you should still have some tolerance. Apparently, I overestimated you.”

Zhou Lu felt completely wronged. Although he looked intimidating, he wouldn’t actually get so angry as to lay hands on a girl. In a verbal spat, he had been infuriated by this fatty, and it was hard to say who would be at a disadvantage if it came to a real argument.

But Ji Feishi and Yun Cheng, those two guys, had immediately turned the situation against him, making it seem like he was taking out his frustration from the competition loss on the people involved with his opponent.

Losing and being unwilling to accept it is one thing, but he wasn’t the type to completely lack competitive spirit.

Immediately, he fired back angrily, “Yun Cheng, stop talking nonsense. Does your fat friend even know what kind of person she is? Let me tell you, I lost the match, and that’s it. I, Zhou Lu isn’t someone who can’t handle losing. Don’t try to turn this around on me.”

Li Xi saw the situation wasn’t good and worried that Zhou Lu might be misunderstood, so she quickly said, “It really has nothing to do with the match. He just came out and saw us arguing. He was worried I was being bullied, so he got worked up. It’s not what you think.”

Her explanation was quite reasonable. Considering the number of people on each side and the weight of Jiang Muti, who could almost be split into two people, anyone would subconsciously think it was her side bullying her.

Although the words sounded neutral, most people, even if they felt something was off, couldn’t immediately pinpoint what was wrong.

But in reality, her casual wording subtly took the logical high ground, making those around them instinctively view the situation from her perspective. Once the people around them aligned with one side, the opposing side would seem increasingly unreasonable.

This wasn’t an advanced tactic, but if you think about it, most people likely know someone who behaves this way. They don’t seem like much at first, but when a responsibility conflict arises, they never directly badmouth you, yet you end up in a passive position.

If someone reacts aggressively, they’ll be accused of being petty.

Jiang Muti wasn’t sure if Li Xi did this on purpose, but it was instinctive to steer things in her favor. It was a natural human reaction, so it wasn’t really something to criticize.

However, she wasn’t about to remain silent, even if it was over something so small.

With a smile, she shrugged and said, “Right, it’s possible that our excitement over Yun Cheng winning the match might’ve triggered Li Xi, so she came out to talk to us, and ended up saying some things that didn’t sound too good. Zhou Lu came out and overheard part of it, which caused the misunderstanding. The situation really isn’t like that.”

Li Xi furrowed her brow and glanced at Jiang Muti, but when it came down to which of her words was wrong, there wasn’t a single one she could refute.

Now, great! With one casual remark about how happy they were for Yun Cheng’s win, she smoothly shifted everyone’s position except Zhou Lu’s to her side, seemingly helping explain that Zhou Lu wasn’t just randomly taking his frustration out on others because of the match.

Yet, without paying much attention, she casually placed the blame for Zhou Lu’s premature accusations squarely on him.

This was similar to Zhou Lu blaming Yun Cheng before—the implication was that she was subtly helping Yun Cheng redeem himself.

Zhou Lu, didn’t you say that Yun Cheng made accusations without knowing the facts? Maybe you should think about what you’ve done first?

Ji Feishi couldn’t help but glance at the chubby girl who had spoken. He knew Yun Cheng well as a friend and teammate on the field, and he understood his family background.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with Jiang Yunjuan, who was a year older than them, but he hadn’t heard about their relationship being particularly close before.

In fact, throughout the three years of high school, he’d never seen Jiang Yunjuan attend any of Yun Cheng’s competitions, not even a nationwide one.

He had always assumed their relationship was distant, which was why he’d often taken Yun Cheng home but never thought to visit.

To his surprise, they were really protecting each other, which was kind of nice!

However, it wasn’t a good look for everyone to still be caught up in this trivial argument. So, he addressed Zhou Lu, saying, “Let’s call it quits here. How about we both take a step back?”

Zhou Lu actually felt it was getting pointless, but since the suggestion came from Ji Feishi, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

He laughed loudly and said, “Oh! Since when did you become so good at mediating? Why should I listen to you?”

Ji Feishi, with a half-smile, replied, “Seems like you’ve lost so much that you’re getting used to failure. I thought you’d need some time to reflect and feel bad about it, considering you lost so badly that you couldn’t even make a simple free throw.”

“If you keep letting the pace of the match control you like this, an opponent like you will only make me lose interest.”

With that, he patted Zhou Lu on the shoulder. “You’re not even ashamed of your own performance and still have the time to argue with a girl? Looks like I had my expectations too high.”

Zhou Lu’s teeth clenched, nearly choking with anger.

Now he understood why he hated Ji Feishi so much. This guy didn’t know how to act like a decent person.

In the end, it was Li Xi who, fearing another argument between the two sides, had to pull Zhou Lu away, advising him to leave.

Only then did Yun Cheng turn to Ji Feishi and say, “Thanks! That guy is just a stubborn troublemaker. I was still trying to figure out how to get rid of him.”

As expected, his buddy was quick and efficient. He pulled over two girls and said, “With that temper, if you girls go up against him, you’ll definitely lose out. Thank Ji Feishi for stepping in.”

Ji Feishi felt Yun Cheng misunderstood him. The girl in question clearly wasn’t the type to lose out, so he scoffed and said to Yun Cheng, “Why thank me? I did it just because it amused me.”

Yun Cheng, knowing that Ji Feishi could be a bit awkward sometimes, didn’t mind and pulled Jiang Muti into the conversation. “You know my sister. This is Jiang Muti. Muti, this is Ji Feishi.”

Jiang Muti, always adaptable, extended a hand. “Nice to meet you!”

Ji Feishi also extended his hand to shake hers. “Nice to meet you!”

Upon closer inspection, Ji Feishi realized that this girl was different.

He had met plenty of overweight people before. Usually, they either completely gave up on their appearance or were self-conscious and lacking in confidence.

Some people with financial or other advantages made up for their shortcomings, but they often came across as showy and undisciplined, making it hard to like them.

But the girl in front of him was different. She took care of herself well, was clean and neat, stood up straight, and exuded calm confidence without the typical sense of complacency that often comes with being heavier.

From her words and actions, it was clear that she was a highly assertive person, but her assertiveness did not stem from the defensive thorns of sensitivity or insecurity.

This was the first time Ji Feishi had met someone like her. She seemed like someone who had everything—confident, poised, and yet her presence didn’t clash with her appearance, but instead seemed quite fitting.

Overall, he was left with a strong impression.

—

The next day after the match was a weekend, and Jiang Muti spent the entire day in the gym.

Her older brother had arranged the best trainer and nutritionist for her and had doctors looking into medical safety measures to assist her.

Seeing that she was truly determined to lose weight this time and hadn’t given up like before, Jiang Yunjuan, who rarely had a day off, decided to stay in the gym with her.

Yun Cheng and Yun Duo already had fitness routines, so Jiang Muti didn’t feel alone in her workout.

For the first time, Jiang Muti realized how difficult fitness could be. She had been in the habit of exercising in her past life, and back then, she used to enjoy the feeling of sweating it out.

Now, she realized that those who had always been in good shape and gradually built their fitness couldn’t understand how tough it was for someone starting from scratch as an overweight person.

She was mentally able to handle the training, but her body kept resisting. For the first time, Jiang Muti began to doubt whether her willpower was as strong as she had imagined.

The fitness coach, however, was quite the character. Seeing Jiang Muti’s mood sink and her will faltering, he spoke to her, “I know the beginning is tough, but the results will definitely be worth it.”

“Just saying it might sound a bit empty, so let’s add some real motivation.”

Then, he turned to Jiang Yunjuan and said, “Young master, please take off your shirt.”

Despite his seemingly aloof exterior, Jiang Yunjuan often acted in ways that were completely unpredictable.

Everyone thought Jiang Yunjuan might be offended by the request, but to their surprise, he took off his shirt without a word.

His body exuded mature charm, with firm, toned muscles. It didn’t look exaggerated, but every inch was perfectly sculpted, as if crafted by the hands of an artist based on aesthetic standards.

This move was so stimulating that Jiang Muti froze. No wonder her brother looked so good in a suit.

But it didn’t stop there. The coach then turned to Yun Cheng and said, “Ah Cheng, take yours off too!”

Seeing that the young master had done it, Yun Cheng shrugged and casually took off his shirt as well.

This guy was athletic, and though younger, he was actually a bit more muscular than Jiang Yunjuan. His body was full of vitality and energy, and those abs would make any man envious or make women scream.

It wasn’t over yet. The coach then turned to Yun Duo and said, “Xiao Duo, you just need to take off your jacket.”

Under her jacket, Yun Duo wore a cropped athletic top that revealed her slim, toned stomach, slender arms, a firm and rounded backside, and long, graceful legs. Although still youthful, she had the unique beauty of her age.

Jiang Muti couldn’t help but stare, silently shedding tears inside. She used to look like that too.

But the coach wasn’t done yet. He delivered his final blow.

“Butler Yun, you—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Old Yun took off his jacket. Underneath, he wore a dark tight-fitting shirt. He didn’t take it off due to the age difference with the younger ones.

But even in this form, it was clear that for someone nearing fifty, his physique was undoubtedly in better shape than many young men in their early twenties who neglected exercise.

Yun Cheng walked over and poked his father’s arm. “Dad, you’re even more toned than before, aren’t you?”

Old Yun smiled, clearly enjoying the rare chance to show off, feeling very pleased with himself.

Jiang Muti felt as if a wave of blood rushed to her face, just as the coach approached her.

With a grin, he said, “Miss, after seeing all these wonderful figures, don’t you have any thoughts? Are you still tired? Do you still want to rest?”

“No, I don’t want to rest! Rest is impossible. It’s impossible in this lifetime. The gym is just like my home. When I see the equipment, it feels so familiar, so cute, and the weights are so friendly. I absolutely love this place.”

As Yun Cheng put his shirt back on, he wondered if this person had been so stimulated that he had lost his mind. The gym is like home?

He quickly realized her tough days were just beginning, so it was better not to push her too much.