Chapter 10

Guan Shanyan had been sitting in the living room until five o’clock when he finally heard the door open.
Looking toward the sound, he saw Guan Su at the doorway and froze for a moment. “What are you doing?”
Guan Shanyan pursed his lips and withdrew his gaze. “Nothing.”
Guan Su slipped on his slippers and quietly sat next to Xie Mingqiu. “Why is he sitting there?”
Xie Mingqiu replied, “I don’t know. He’s been there for an hour, doesn’t look very busy.”
Another twenty minutes passed before Shen Youwei returned from outside.
All three people in the living room looked at her at once.
Shen Youwei paused for a moment as she closed the door, then forced a smile and walked in. “Godmother, you’re all here?”
“Yes,” Xie Mingqiu replied excitedly upon seeing her. “How was your trial boxing class?”
“Not bad. I’ll take a shower first and tell you after.” Shen Youwei went to her room, and when she came out, she was wearing clean pajamas and looked much fresher.
Guan Shanyan remained in his spot, his expression resembling the grumpy little cat Shen Youwei often left by her bed.
No one knew what had put him in such a mood.
Shen Youwei pursed her lips and sat next to Xie Mingqiu. “Godmother.”
“Mm, have some orange.” Xie Mingqiu had just peeled one and split it in half. “I heard the boxing gym you went to has a really handsome coach?”
“Yes, Coach Lu Zhaoye. He’s quite good-looking and only 25.” Shen Youwei popped a segment into her mouth, her eyes sparkling as she said, “This orange is so sweet!”
“Right? I’ll buy more next time.” Xie Mingqiu also ate a piece and continued, curious about the handsome coach. “Was today’s class with Coach Lu?”
“Yes, and funny enough, he’s actually my fan!”
Guan Shanyan snorted quietly. “You make videos about women’s fashion, and you expect male fans to have good intentions?”
Shen Youwei glanced at him. “How do you know I only do women’s fashion? Do you follow me too? Does that make you my male fan?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
Three soul-crushing questions in one.
But Guan Shanyan was always composed, and even now he confidently countered, “I’m different from them. I’m your brother.”
“Oh, so you really follow me?”
“…”
“Who doesn’t like looking at good-looking people?” Xie Mingqiu interjected. “I casually follow handsome guys too. What bad intentions could I have?”
Shen Youwei’s interest was piqued. “What handsome guys? Show me.”
“Not yet, first show me your coach.”
“I secretly took two pictures of him today. His physique is amazing!” Shen Youwei shared her phone with Xie Mingqiu. “Look at these lines, these chest muscles.”
“Yeah, he does look good, just these two pictures?”
“I also added him on WeChat. I’ll check out his moments later.”
Guan Shanyan commented again, “Added him on WeChat the first time you met?”
Shen Youwei glanced at him. “He’s my coach. Isn’t it normal to add a coach on WeChat?”
Xie Mingqiu asked, “Have you decided to train there long-term?”
“Yes, I bought twenty hours of classes.”
Xie Mingqiu patted her shoulder. “Make the most of it.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
Is this really a proper boxing class?
“Dinner’s ready!” Guan Su carried the dishes out from the kitchen, calling the others. Shen Youwei, having worked out for two hours, was really hungry and eagerly sat down.
That evening, He Man called, sounding furious. “Ahhh! I can’t stand Jiang Peipei! A man dressing as a woman stealing women’s gigs, thunder strike him!!”
Shen Youwei put down her pen and leaned back. “What happened? Did he steal your business deal?”
“Yes! I was almost done with the negotiations, and suddenly it switched to him! I’m so mad!”
Jiang Peipei was a new fashion blogger who recently went viral. In terms of skills, he wasn’t outstanding, but he knew how to attract attention, despite being male, he dressed in women’s fashion, making content for female audiences, while subtly flirting with his roommates online. The internet had taught him well.
“What happened? Men’s fashion isn’t selling? So he had to steal women’s gigs?” He Man ranted. “This isn’t the first time. Several bloggers have been blocked by him! Even if he were better than me, fine, but his skills are only mid-level at best!”
“Alright, calm down. Don’t stress yourself sick,” Shen Youwei comforted her. “I’ll ask around for suitable gigs and pass them to you.”
Sniffling, He Man felt better. “It has to be my good friend helping me.”
Shen Youwei thought about starting her own studio again. He Man had previously suggested, “Why not call Xu Qairan back? You can’t do it all alone.”
“We’ll see,” Shen Youwei said, then remembered something. “Oh, I met a really handsome boxing coach today. I’ll send you his photos!”
After hanging up, Shen Youwei sent Lu Zhaoye’s pictures to He Man. The enraged rants about Jiang Peipei were instantly replaced with admiration for the handsome coach.
Her godmother truly understood life’s pleasures.
But Guan Shanyan might not agree. On Monday, driving home from work, he noticed the boxing gym and paused, adjusting his glasses and slowing down, he didn’t enter the neighborhood, just stopped at the gym’s entrance.
The receptionist was the same as yesterday and widened her eyes when Guan Shanyan walked in.
Recently, a domestic designer had gained fame after Fashion Week. She didn’t usually follow fashion, but a celebrity she liked had posted a photo with Guan Shanyan, leading her straight to his Weibo.
He looked even better in person! Wearing glasses, he seemed even more attractive!
“Hello,” Guan Shanyan greeted the receptionist for the third time before she finally responded.
“Hello, sir. Are you here to learn boxing?” She smiled, surprised that the top designer was interested in such a wild sport.
Guan Shanyan looked around and asked, “Do you have a coach named Lu?”
The receptionist: “…”
Is Lu Zhaoye really popular with both men and women now?
Wait, she’d heard that many in the fashion industry were gay, could it be,
Looking at Guan Shanyan’s excessively handsome face, she forced herself to speak. “Sorry, Coach Lu isn’t taking new students. Would you like to consider another coach?”
After Shen Youwei left yesterday, Lu had come to tell her not to schedule him. Other coaches wanted more classes to earn commissions, but Lu deliberately went the opposite way.
Well, money isn’t an issue for him.
“All our coaches are professional. You can take a look,” the receptionist said, pointing to the display wall. Guan Shanyan walked over and quickly found Lu Zhaoye’s photo.
He had the least experience among all the coaches, but the small flame icon next to his picture indicated he had the best performance.
Hah, clearly not a serious boxing gym.
“Is Coach Lu in class now? Can I observe?”
“Ah, there are still some students in class.” The receptionist remained calm but was internally narrating a story. “But Coach Lu really isn’t taking new students.”
Guan Shanyan nodded. Seeing his determination, the receptionist led him to observe Lu Zhaoye’s class.
Today’s class was on the first-floor training floor, with few students present at this time.
Lu Zhaoye’s session was about to end, and he was correcting a student’s improper moves.
“You could easily hurt yourself like this. Your hand should strike from here,” he said, adjusting the student’s posture carefully, avoiding unnecessary contact.
But through Guan Shanyan’s eyes, there was still too much physical contact, the female student’s subtle smile made it obvious.
He wanted to stay longer, but Guan Su called. “Are you coming home for dinner? If not, we’ll eat without you.”
“I’m here.” Guan Shanyan hung up and told the receptionist, “I’ll come back another day.”
“Okay.” The receptionist watched him leave. Lu Zhaoye finished demonstrating to his students and noticed her standing there, daydreaming. He walked over.
“What are you doing standing here?”
“Oh, I brought a student to observe your class.” The receptionist quietly looked away, watching Lu Zhaoye.
Lu Zhaoye immediately became alert. “I told you, I’m not taking students anymore!”