9: Chapter 9 Wang Yaoyao's Little Thoughts

The moment the system chimed, a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Jiang Li's forehead.

What the hell... the direction of this enhancement is a bit off.

If it enhances any further, Zhang Tong is going to notice!

"Brother Jiang?" Zhang Tong was sitting on the front bar of the shared bike. Feeling the rhythm of Jiang Li's pedaling suddenly falter, she turned her head to look at him. "Why did your face suddenly turn red?"

"I-it's nothing."

Jiang Li gritted his back teeth, forcing his facial expression to remain calm.

There's a problem! A big problem!

He finally understood what the system meant by "Kidney Enhancement."

What's even worse is that Zhang Tong is sitting right in front of him.

There is so little distance on the bike's front bar that her entire body is almost leaning against Jiang Li's chest.

The ends of her high ponytail brush against Jiang Li's chin with every bump of the bike, and her toned waist, visible beneath her sports tank top, rises and falls slightly with her breathing right before his eyes.

If the enhancement were already complete, it would be fine. But it has only just begun!

Jiang Li feels like his whole body is developing in an uncontrollable direction, while Zhang Tong, completely oblivious, scoots forward a bit, trying to sit more steadily.

"Stop!" Jiang Li slams on the brakes, plants his feet on the ground, and brings the shared bike to a steady stop on the side of the road.

Zhang Tong is startled by the sudden braking. She instinctively grabs the handlebars and looks back at Jiang Li, looking confused. "Brother Jiang, aren't we going to the snack street? Why did we stop suddenly?"

Jiang Li takes a deep breath and discreetly shifts his waist backward, putting a bit of safe distance between himself and Zhang Tong.

He maintains a steady expression on his face, even forcing out a nonchalant smile.

"I suddenly don't want to go to the snack street anymore."

"Huh?" Zhang Tong blinks, her clean, spirited face full of confusion.

Jiang Li lifts his chin and points toward a storefront not far ahead. "It just so happens we're at my shop. Instead of eating out, why don't we go to my shop and make something to eat? It's cleaner if we make it ourselves."

Fortunately, his expression management is on point, and his tone is natural enough that Zhang Tong doesn't notice anything unusual at all.

"Go to your shop?" Zhang Tong jumps off the bike bar and gives a slightly embarrassed smile. "But I don't know how to cook."

"Don't laugh at me when I say this, but at home, I can even burn instant noodles..."

"It's okay, I can cook." Jiang Li parks the shared bike on the side of the road, pulls out his phone to lock it, his movements smooth and fluid, and uses the momentum to take another half-step back.

"Alright then, Brother Jiang." Zhang Tong doesn't dwell on it and nods readily.

Jiang Li is her client and her biggest spender this month, so there's no reason to refuse a meal.

However, she immediately remembers something, and her eyes light up. "Oh, right, Brother Jiang, while you're cooking, let me wash your workout clothes from today. Do you have a change of clothes in the shop?"

"Yes." Although Jiang Li's shop isn't big, when he renovated it, he specifically partitioned off a small bedroom.

He usually takes a nap there at noon, and occasionally, when he stays overnight to watch the shop, he can make do for the night. He has several sets of spare clothes prepared.

The two enter the shop. Jiang Li only pulls the rolling shutter halfway down, indicating that they are still open for business, then leads Zhang Tong through the shop floor and into the small bedroom in the back.

Jiang Li digs out a clean set of sportswear from the closet and hands it to Zhang Tong, then takes off his own sweat-soaked T-shirt and stuffs it into her hands as well.

"That's all. The washing machine is in the bathroom, and the laundry detergent is in the cabinet under the sink."

"Okay, leave it to me." Zhang Tong takes the clothes and turns to walk toward the bathroom.

Jiang Li finally lets out a sigh of relief. Just as he is about to go to the kitchen to see what he can make, he catches a glimpse of Zhang Tong turning back.

"Brother Jiang~" Zhang Tong stands at the bedroom door, pointing toward the end of the bed, a slightly unnatural blush on her face.

"Um... should I wash this too?"

Jiang Li looks in the direction she is pointing. In the corner at the end of the bed, the underwear he changed into after his battle with Du Aoting yesterday is lying there quietly.

The air is silent for about two seconds.

Zhang Tong blushes. "Don't worry, Brother, I definitely won't just toss it in the washing machine and call it a day. I'll make sure to hand-wash it until it's very clean."

She is still a college student who hasn't entered society yet. Feeling that Jiang Li bought a hundred lessons from her and is even cooking for her, she feels she must repay him in some way.

"...Okay." Jiang Li nods without changing his expression, though he has already cursed Du Aoting eight hundred times in his heart.

Not only did that woman demand a discount yesterday, but she also threw her things everywhere when she left.

Zhang Tong doesn't say anything else, bends down to pick up the underwear, and walks quickly into the bathroom.

After the bathroom door closes, Jiang Li leans against the wall and lets out a long sigh.

Come to think of it, his cooking skills were forced out of him by Chen Lingling.

That woman wouldn't lift a finger to cook. After two years of alternating between takeout and instant noodles, Jiang Li finally couldn't take it anymore and learned a whole set of home-cooked recipes online.

He didn't expect this skill to come in handy now.

Half an hour later, several hot dishes are served on the table.

Zhang Tong eats with great enjoyment, polishing off two bowls of rice in one go, before leaning back in her chair with satisfaction and patting her slightly bulging belly.

"Brother Jiang, if you ever open a restaurant, I'll come to eat every day."

"Then you'll have to give me a discount on your personal training sessions."

"Sure, I'll even give you a 'bone-breaking' discount!"

Zhang Tong replies with a grin, then picks up her phone and takes a photo of the leftovers on the table.

The four dishes have been mostly eaten, but one can still tell the quality of the food from the remains.

Zhang Tong selects a warm filter and adds a caption: "I didn't expect my client, Brother, to be such a good cook! I made out well today~"

After posting to her Moments, she puts her phone on the table and gets up to help Jiang Li clear the dishes.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Tong changes back into her sportswear, says goodbye to Jiang Li, confirms the time for tomorrow's class, and rides the shared bike back to the Gym.

...At the same time, Wang Yaoyao, who is eating takeout at the Gym, sees the post on Moments and feels terrible.

Like Zhang Tong, she is also a trainer at Xingyue Fitness.

Although she has some experience, she has never dealt with people who sell luxury goods and doesn't know that dealing in second-hand luxury goods doesn't necessarily mean one has a lot of money; she just assumes Jiang Li is a rich man.

Seeing Zhang Tong's post, Wang Yaoyao angrily swallows an entire hot dog and chews it fiercely a few times.

That blind receptionist actually gave such an impressive client to Zhang Tong!

And that person Zhang Tong, she usually puts on such an act; who would have thought she was a high-level green tea bitch!

She usually doesn't give anyone the time of day at the Gym, and she can find a hundred excuses to turn down old clients who bought dozens of sessions and want to take her out to dinner.

Yet, for this Jiang Li, she is inexplicably this attentive!

Someone she just met this morning, and by noon, she's already followed him home to eat!

Wang Yaoyao swallows the hot dog and looks down at herself in the mirror.

In terms of looks, she is no worse than Zhang Tong. Zhang Tong is that spirited, athletic type, while she is the more sweet, exquisite type.

Two years after graduation, her skin is better maintained than in college, her figure hasn't lost its shape, and when she puts on a hip-hugging skirt and stands there, the head-turning rate is incredibly high.

In terms of skill level, she doesn't think she'll lose to a college student who hasn't even graduated yet.

She has at least been struggling in society for two years; what kind of person hasn't she seen?

If Zhang Tong can steal him away, why can't she?

If she could really win this man over, it would be much easier than fawning over people at the Gym every day.

Maybe she should go to his shop after work today and try her luck?