Chapter 22: How Thick Is Twenty Thousand Yuan?

Page 1 of 3

Jiang Nian took a shower and felt refreshed from head to toe. Just after stepping outside and turning into the corridor, he saw three women putting on quite a show.

When he drew closer and heard what they were saying, he was instantly speechless.

Damn, these tacky women were actually gossiping about him right here.

Since he had come tonight to complete the task anyway, he might as well say it outright.

“Miss, I’d like to top up another sixty sessions.”

Buying a gym membership and purchasing training sessions had initially been a requirement of the system. But after trying it out, Jiang Nian had to admit that it was pretty good. Working out had a strange, addictive appeal.

Besides, if an eighteen-year-old didn’t train his legs, then once he reached university, the younger girls would fall silent and the older girls would shake their heads. He would be doomed to weep before an empty cup.

At the other end of the corridor, the three women froze at the same time.

Sixty sessions?

Prices in a small county town were cheap—only a hundred yuan per session. That was mainly because the trainers weren’t particularly professional and rent was inexpensive, but sixty sessions still came to six thousand yuan!

Ren Meimei lost her composure.

“You’re joking, right, kid?”

Jiang Nian happened to walk up to them just then. Hearing this, he glanced at Ren Meimei.

She wore a pink camisole that barely contained her ample chest, paired with tight, butt-hugging Leibi yoga pants.

“Yes, Auntie.”

“You called me Auntie?” Ren Meimei stared at him, pointing at herself. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have any manners?”

“Why are you being so aggressive? Afraid you won’t live to see tomorrow?” Jiang Nian smiled faintly. “I’m a member here, so stop yelling at me. I’m afraid of dogs.”

Ren Meimei gritted her teeth, twisted around, and stormed off angrily.

Mei Wanling stood to one side, utterly stunned, her mouth forming a perfect O. She and Ren Meimei had one minor quarrel every three days and one major quarrel every five, yet she had never managed to gain much of an advantage.

What the hell? This handsome kid was really that vicious?

Seeing this, Zhao Qiuxue could not help covering her forehead. She had already witnessed Jiang Nian’s colorful vocabulary two days ago. His authentic local dialect had left everyone listening in a daze.

This was nothing. It was merely an appetizer.

Jiang Nian turned his head.

“Miss, can I top up the sessions at the front desk?”

Zhao Qiuxue gathered her thoughts. She walked up to him and said seriously, “Thank you for standing up for me. I appreciate the gesture, but you don’t need to buy more sessions. You’re still a student. No matter where your money comes from, don’t waste it.”

“Thirty sessions are enough. If you work hard, I can teach you everything properly. If you don’t understand something later, just ask me. There’s no need to spend any more money.”

“Uh, but I don’t want to use my brain.” Jiang Nian waved a hand. “I was going to buy sessions anyway. If I don’t train here, I’ll train at university. Buying sessions elsewhere will cost even more.”

Zhao Qiuxue thought for a moment.

“Then you still don’t need to buy them. I’ll coach you for free.”

Page 2 of 3

“That won’t do. Business is business.” Jiang Nian did not want to reveal too much to an outsider, so he joked, “If you keep saying things like that, I won’t dare come here anymore.”

Zhao Qiuxue looked slightly helpless.

“All right, then.”

Beside them, the female fitness instructor Mei Wanling’s pupils contracted. She looked from Jiang Nian to Zhao Qiuxue, her heart filled with shock.

No way… he was really buying them? That was six thousand yuan!

At the front desk.

Ren Meimei had not gone far. The top-up and purchase had to be completed at the front desk, and she wanted to see whether that annoying brat was merely bluffing or actually had money to spend.

Before long, Jiang Nian brought the others over. He smiled as he explained his intentions to the sweet young receptionist, then scanned the payment code and paid the money in one smooth motion.

Ren Meimei was stunned.

He really paid?

Surely he had only bought ten sessions, right?

After Jiang Nian left, Ren Meimei walked over with a frown. The receptionist recognized the gym’s top salesperson and first froze in surprise, then called out sweetly,

“Sis Meimei, would you like something to drink?”

“No. I want to ask you something.” Ren Meimei still held on to a sliver of hope. “That customer just now—how many sessions did he buy?”

“Sixty. Why?” the sweet receptionist asked curiously. Then she smiled brightly. “But you’re still the impressive one, Sis Meimei. You can sell several hundred sessions in a month.”

At that, Ren Meimei’s cheek twitched.

How could they be compared?

Those old perverts were greasy and lecherous. Unless she let them take a little advantage of her, they would not buy a single session.

Thirty sessions plus sixty sessions—just like that, the kid had surpassed the results she had fought tooth and nail to achieve over two weeks.

What the hell…

[Task: Repurchase sixty training sessions. Reward: 30,000 yuan. Completed.]

A buzz came from the phone in his pocket. Thirty thousand yuan had been deposited into his account.

By the time Jiang Nian left the gym, it was already nine in the evening. Zhao Qiuxue had gotten off work early and given him a ride back.

Although Jiang Nian had showered at the gym, his clothes had dried and still reeked faintly of sour sweat. He smelled it first when the wind blew, and Zhao Qiuxue smelled it too.

Thoughtfully, she suggested that he bring a change of clothes next time.

Jiang Nian joked, “That sounds like too much trouble. Wouldn’t it mean washing an extra set of clothes?”

Zhao Qiuxue laughed as well.

“I’ll wash them for you. Then you can change as soon as you arrive. You’re a major customer of mine now. Otherwise, I really would feel bad.”

“Sure.”

Jiang Nian was only joking.

If he had a choice, he would rather have Song Xiyun wash them by hand while crying.

Heh heh heh. Sweet little girl, you wouldn’t want your mother to lose her job, would you…

Page 3 of 3

When Jiang Nian returned to the county middle school, there were still twenty minutes before evening study ended.

After watching Zhao Qiuxue leave, Jiang Nian thought for a moment, bought a shopping bag from the stationery store by the school gate, and then walked toward the Rural Credit Cooperative ATM across the street.

He withdrew thirty thousand yuan in one go—a thick stack of bills.

Calmly, Jiang Nian placed the money in the bag and walked into the school as though nothing had happened. Just as he reached the sports field, the bell signaling the end of evening study rang, and the campus immediately grew lively.

He walked against the flow of students, carrying the bag as he followed several people ahead of him up the stairs.

In the corridor—

“Why were you so slow?” Xu Qianqian carried a schoolbag that seemed rather heavy, its straps pulled taut across her shoulders. “You… came back from outside the school? Did you take another leave?”

“Mm. I was sick,” he said.

The teaching building was brightly lit. Crowds surged through the corridors, and waves of noise rose and fell without pause. Hot air rushed toward them, mingling with the endless glow stretching into the distance.

Xu Qianqian turned sideways and glared at Jiang Nian, frowning.

“Could you come up with a more believable excuse? You run faster than those people on the school track team. Everyone in the world gets sick except you. You obviously went out to have fun!”

“I’m telling Auntie Li! I’ll have her beat you up!”

“Tch.” Jiang Nian thrust out his chest and sneered. “Do you know what marks I got, Xu Qianqian? I left with an official sick note. You think you can intimidate me?”

In an excellent mood, he reached out and patted her fluffy head.

“Wait here. I’m going to grab my schoolbag. I’ll buy you milk tea tomorrow.”

“I’m not waiting for you!” Xu Qianqian tossed her head aside. The spot he had touched seemed to tingle with electricity, the warmth spreading all the way to her ears and cheeks. “Who wants your milk tea?”

Before long, Jiang Nian came back with a schoolbag on his back. The shopping bag was gone.

Xu Qianqian was about to leave when he grabbed her.

“What are you doing?”

“Why are your ears red?”

“None of your business!” Xu Qianqian turned her head, her tone fierce, though she sounded as if she were trying to flee. “You talk too much. Anyway, you owe me two cups of milk tea now!”