TCFGBH Chapter 8

In the early morning, a gentle breeze flowed through the cracks of the window, ruffling the curtains. The young man on the bed was sprawled out, his phone alarm ringing repeatedly without rousing him.

After dragging himself out of bed fifteen minutes later, he finally opened his eyes.
With long, upturned peach blossom eyes, his gaze was misty, dreamy, as if he were looking at a lover even though he was daydreaming.

“I don’t want to get up,” the young man murmured to himself.

He rolled around with the thin air-conditioned blanket, his pajamas messily open, exposing a small patch of white skin. He made a final effort and managed to get up, completing the daunting task of rising.

Xia Yan quickly washed up, put on his sportswear, and headed downstairs briskly.

It was only seven a.m., and most of the guests were still asleep. The live stream had not yet started. The first floor was empty except for two staff members wiping the tables.

Xia Yan knew he wasn’t very popular, so he kept quiet and went to the gym.

Little did he know, the two staff members were internally screaming as they watched his retreating figure.

The gym was well-equipped and spacious enough to accommodate a dozen people working out together. Xia Yan hadn’t exercised for two days, and his muscles felt soft.

As a scumbag? How could he not have abs?

Taking advantage of the absence of others, Xia Yan sneaked in to maintain the pride of a scumbag.
He pushed open the door, and the morning sun streamed through the clean, transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the floor in a sweet golden hue. A robust, tall black silhouette was cast abruptly in the young man’s view.

“?”

The man, backlit by the sun, had a sharp, angular profile with piercing, cold eyes. Standing at nearly 1.9 meters tall, he exuded an intimidating presence.

Their gazes met.

The powerful pressure made Xia Yan instinctively put on a false smile, his lips curving upwards into a perfect, charming smile—a standard flirtatious grin.

“What a coincidence, I didn’t expect to run into you.”

The young man’s voice was soft and tender, like a lover’s whisper.

Wei Junhao’s face flushed and paled alternately. His towel almost tore apart from being wrung so tightly. After a few seconds, he returned a cold, unfriendly snort.

He put down the equipment and walked to the treadmill at the end, running in silence.

Xia Yan blinked.

It seemed that he was disliked.

He hadn’t done anything!

The system in his mind said: [For cannon fodder, that’s quite normal.] After all, cannon fodder has a bad reputation, and the general public’s goodwill is negative, naturally having a malicious buff.

[You’re right.]

The young man didn’t overthink about it, choosing a spot to begin his warm-up exercises to prevent muscle strain. He had done this routine so often that he could do it with his eyes closed.

The central air conditioning was running, so he wasn’t hot even in the sunlight.

The soft morning light enveloped the young man’s long, muscular body. His fair skin seemed to dance with sprites, and even the angle of his hair fluttering was perfectly like a scene from an idol drama.

The other man in the gym was ‘forced’ to watch it all.

Wei Junhao approached the treadmill, intending to distance himself from the young man, but upon getting closer, he noticed that some irregularly shaped colorful mirrors were used for decoration.

The largest one was as big as a basketball.

The young man wore a white sleeveless sports shirt and black-gray knee-length sports shorts, which exposed his arms and calves and made his fair skin eye-catching.

Wei Junhao’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to him.

One minute later.

He repeatedly pressed the buttons on the treadmill, increasing the speed to shift his focus.

After ten minutes of running, Xia Yan began stretching his leg muscles. With each stretch, inch by inch, his sports shorts moved up…

Silence increased.

After fifteen minutes of running, the young man finished stretching.

He discreetly sighed in relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and reduced the treadmill’s speed by three levels. Meanwhile, Xia Yan… started working on his abs.

He clenched his fists, keeping his forearms flat on the ground, elbows directly under his shoulders, feet planted, back straight, abs pulled in, his body forming a vertical line.

A standard plank position.

Wei Junhao had seen this pose countless times in the gym, but looking at the young man’s well-rounded, firm buttocks, he… quietly increased the treadmill speed.

Plank exercises test endurance, and Xia Yan couldn’t maintain the position for more than ten minutes.

He switched to various machines, working out every muscle evenly and maintaining his excellent physique.

Wei Junhao: “…” Normally, those machines seemed quite ordinary, but today… he felt dry-mouthed and as if under a spell, unable to move his legs.

The two men, one on the left and one on the right kept their distance.

As time ticked by, the outside world grew more bustling. Xia Yan, drenched in sweat, had his hair sticking to his forehead, breathing lightly.

He stole a glance at the man and couldn’t help but marvel.

Running for so long, his endurance was impressive.

He couldn’t do that.

In his previous life, Xia Yan was a workaholic, too busy to go to the gym more than once a week. His exercise was minimal, only enough to maintain his body; having muscles was a dream.

In this world, although the original didn’t strive for improvement, his physique was quite good, with six-pack abs.

The system said having abs was standard for an aggressive character.

Xia Yan was forced to go to the gym to avoid ruining his image. Over time, he found enjoyment in it. What man hasn’t dreamed of having abs?

He got six packs for free and was delighted.

His abs didn’t change much after the body and soul merged more deeply, perhaps due to his continuous exercise.

Unfortunately, the muscles were still too few. If only he could be like Wei Junhao… he took another covert glance at the man, admiring his pronounced muscle contours, muscular physique, and broad shoulders. He envied him greatly.

Meanwhile, Xia Yan’s abs were only faintly visible, and others could notice them when squeezed.

Or touch them?

Xia Yan pinched his arm, feeling the smooth, firm, and elastic skin. It was pleasant to touch.

Wei Junhao observed Xia Yan closely, noting every little movement. The long run made him dizzy, and the mirror reflected countless images of Xia Yan, each one smiling at him.

No, not adhering to male decorum.

Wei Junhao’s eyes reddened with frustration. He slammed the stop button on the treadmill, grabbed his towel, and wiped his sweat vigorously as if cleaning glass.

Breathing heavily, he quickly approached the young man, towering over him, and demanded, “You were staring at me.”

“……” Xia Yan remained calm, “No, you must be mistaken.”

He repeated, “You were staring at me.”

“Were you looking at me?”

“……”

“If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I was staring at you?” Xia Yan’s expression was innocent, his tone slightly rising at the end, with a hint of breathiness from exercise.

Wei Junhao’s brows furrowed intensely, scrutinizing the young man from top to bottom.

Xia Yan allowed him to look, feeling nervous inside but maintaining a relaxed posture and expression. He occasionally glanced at the man’s face, ready to flee if necessary.

With the other’s solid muscles, he didn’t dare confront him head-on.

When those peach blossom eyes scanned him again, Wei Junhao was convinced that Xia Yan… was trying to seduce him. He had heard about his flirtatious nature, but he didn’t expect that he couldn’t even last a few days on the show.

Wei Junhao felt both angry and disappointed.

His face darkened as he said, “Xia Yan, don’t try to seduce me. I won’t be deceived by you.”

With that, he brushed past the young man’s shoulder and quickly walked out, his footsteps hurried and flustered, as if chased by an evil spirit, leaving Xia Yan stunned.

[System, what did he say?]

[He said you were trying to seduce him.]

Xia Yan felt wronged: [When did I try to seduce him?]

999 pondered and said uncertainly: [Maybe it’s because you were staring at his muscles too appreciatively?]

Xia Yan was also confused and frustrated but had to accept the blame: [Wei Junhao is too narcissistic. Looking at him a few more times doesn’t mean I like him.]

The system mumbled agreement and joined in the rant.

They were engrossed in their internal conversation, ignoring the situation outside, until Xia Yan felt someone grabbing his hair, bringing him back to reality. “Tu Xi, what are you doing here?”

The man didn’t answer and asked, “What were you talking about with Wei Junhao just now?”

“…”

Why bring that up now?

Xia Yan felt too embarrassed to admit he was eyeing Wei Junhao’s muscles and was mistaken for flirting with him. He avoided eye contact and mumbled, “Nothing much, just a few casual words.”