7: Chapter 7 Beautiful Coach

In less than two minutes, a female coach with a high ponytail trotted over from the equipment area.

Jiang Li looked up and immediately felt that coming to this Gym was the right decision.

Zhang Tong was wearing a black tight-fitting training outfit, consisting of a sports bra covered by a half-zipped quick-dry jacket, and capri-length leggings that revealed a pair of shapely calves.

Her glutes, sculpted by years of exercise, filled out the pants perfectly, and the abdominal lines on both sides of her waist were faintly visible.

Her features weren't delicate, but they were clean and pleasant. Her eyebrows were thick and straight, and her high ponytail swayed with every step, giving her an indescribable aura of coolness and confidence.

Especially her eyes; she looked at people very earnestly, not being perfunctory at all just because Jiang Li was only a monthly member.

"Hello, sir. Are you a new member?" Zhang Tong stood still and nodded slightly. "What are your fitness goals? Are you looking to lose weight or build muscle?"

Jiang Li thought for a moment.

"Build muscle, I guess."

He wasn't particularly overweight to begin with; standing at 1.78 meters and weighing just over 140 pounds, his muscles were just a bit soft from long-term inactivity.

If he could build a lean physique, he would look sturdy in clothes and defined without them, which would give people a sense of security.

More importantly, most of the clients he dealt with in his line of work were women.

In the business world, image is an invisible asset.

If you look good, you're already 30% of the way there, and it makes communicating 70% easier. Jiang Li understood this principle all too well.

"Alright, please follow me." Zhang Tong made a gesture of invitation. "I'll take you to the strength training area to do a few sets of bench presses first to test your baseline strength."

Zhang Tong led the way, and Jiang Li followed behind.

It had to be said, the way this young woman walked was truly attractive.

Years of exercise had given her a beautiful posture; her shoulders and back were straight, her core was tight, and every step was springy. Her high ponytail swayed gently with her pace, full of youthful energy.

When they reached the strength training area, Zhang Tong first helped Jiang Li adjust the height of the bench press rack.

"Have you done bench presses before?"

"No, complete beginner."

"Then let's start with just the empty bar. The focus is on finding the sensation of muscle engagement." Zhang Tong stood behind Jiang Li and held her hands underneath the barbell. "Lie down, keep your shoulder blades retracted, and plant your feet firmly on the ground."

Jiang Li lay down as instructed and gripped the barbell.

"Exhale when you push, inhale when you lower it, and keep the rhythm slow." Zhang Tong bent over and tapped the center of Jiang Li's chest. "The force should come from here. Don't just push with your arms; use your chest to drive the movement."

After finishing a set of twelve, Jiang Li felt a distinct soreness in his pectoral muscles, completely different from when he had been working out aimlessly before.

"Yes, that's the feeling!" Zhang Tong smiled, revealing a row of neat white teeth. "You're actually quite intuitive. Many people can't find that chest muscle engagement at all during their first bench press session."

Next, Zhang Tong took Jiang Li through dumbbell flyes, seated chest presses, and a few sets of tricep accessory exercises.

Zhang Tong watched over him the entire time, correcting every movement perfectly; she was even more attentive than the personal trainers Jiang Li had paid for in the past.

After the workout was finished, a thin layer of sweat had beaded on Zhang Tong's forehead.

She wiped it away casually with her wristband, a few stray hairs sticking to her temple, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her chest heaving as she breathed.

The action wasn't intentional, but it was inexplicably alluring.

Jiang Li averted his gaze, having already made his decision.

Whether it was because of how easy on the eyes Zhang Tong was or her level of professionalism, he intended to buy some personal training sessions from her.

If he wanted to milk the system for all it was worth, these were necessary investments.

"Coach Zhang, how are your personal training sessions priced?"

Zhang Tong paused, stunned.

She clearly hadn't expected this monthly member to ask about personal training sessions, but she quickly recovered and pulled a price list from her fanny pack.

"Our personal training sessions are 200 per session. We sell them in packages starting from ten sessions. Twenty sessions get a 10% discount, fifty sessions get a 15% discount, and one hundred sessions get a 20% discount, plus a lifetime membership or a choice of other benefits."

"Alright, let's go with one hundred sessions then."

"Huh?" Zhang Tong's hand holding the price list trembled slightly. "Are... are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Jiang Li nodded. "But I have to thank you for working so hard during your meal time. How about I treat you to a meal later?"

Before Zhang Tong could answer, a sarcastic voice suddenly came from nearby.

"A meal? Who do you think you are, trying to ask Coach Zhang out to eat?"

Jiang Li frowned and looked toward the source of the voice.

A man wearing a tight T-shirt was leaning against the squat rack, arms crossed, with unconcealed disdain on his face.

His physique was actually quite well-trained, with full pectoral and bicep muscles, but it was paired with a face so greasy it practically shone.

"If you want to have a meal, don't you see others are waiting in line?"

Jiang Li was so amused by his comment that he laughed.

Waiting in line?

Even though Coach Zhang was a bit pretty and had a nice personality, surely it wasn't to the point of people fighting over her like this?

Zhang Tong rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

This person was none other than her "big client" Zhang Yi, who had bought over thirty sessions in total, but he always found various excuses to get close to her during lessons, and his goal wasn't training at all.

Some female coaches in the Gym did indeed have the intention of fishing for a rich husband, but she really didn't have any such thoughts at the moment.

"Zhang Yi, I am currently in the middle of a class." Zhang Tong tried to keep her tone calm. "Could you please not disturb us?"

"Also, if you get distracted while bench pressing, it's very easy to get injured. You should know that better than I do."

Zhang Yi scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

"So what? I just heard from the girl at the front desk that this guy is just a monthly member. He's not going to buy a second session from you anyway, so why are you so uptight?"

"Who said I wouldn't buy a second session?"

Jiang Li scoffed, interrupting him. "I was wondering where your sense of superiority came from. Turns out it's just buying lessons."

"How about we both buy one hundred sessions and see?"

The smile on Zhang Yi's face froze instantly, and he was stunned.

One hundred sessions?

Although he usually pretended to be wealthy in the Gym, he was very clear when it came to calculating his own finances.

One session is 200, one hundred sessions is 20,000! He had a few hundred thousand in savings, sure, but money shouldn't be wasted like this.

But in front of Zhang Tong, how could he swallow this insult?

Wait!

Zhang Yi suddenly realized something and looked Jiang Li up and down.

A monthly member who couldn't even bring himself to buy an annual pass, how could he possibly be willing to spend 20,000 on lessons?

This guy's entire outfit couldn't be worth more than 500 yuan; he was definitely bluffing!

Damn it, he almost got bluffed.

"Alright then." Zhang Yi crossed his arms again, a fake smile on his face. "You buy first, and I'll buy right after. If you can't afford it, stop acting like a big shot here."

Jiang Li couldn't even be bothered to look at him again and turned to Zhang Tong. "Coach Zhang, could you please bring over the POS machine?"