Chapter 14
“Excuse me, are you still hiring coaches?”
The words left Luo Jingyao’s mouth before her brain had a chance to catch up.
Fortunately, this time her impulsiveness paid off.
The woman on the other end of the line immediately sounded much more enthusiastic after hearing why she was calling.
“We are, we are. But may I ask where you saw our recruitment notice?”
As expected of someone running a less-than-legitimate training camp, the woman was cautious.
“I heard about it from a friend. She lost weight at your camp before and mentioned that you seemed to be short on coaches lately.”
Luo Jingyao scratched her cheek awkwardly and decided to commit to the lie.
Whether or not an operation with questionable credentials would dare post job listings on legitimate platforms, claiming she’d been introduced by a friend was the safest excuse.
“Ah, I see. We’ve recently expanded enrollment and brought in quite a few new students, so we really do need two professional fitness coaches. Do you happen to have any relevant certifications or industry experience?”
The woman sounded completely unconcerned.
“I do. I’ve worked in this field for over ten years.”
Ignoring Pang Guang, who was frantically signaling at her from the side, Luo Jingyao carefully chose her words.
National-level certifications. International awards. She had plenty of them sitting at home.
Unfortunately, listing them now would probably scare the woman into hanging up immediately.
Even if she genuinely wanted the job, the camp would first have to ask itself whether it could afford her salary.
Places like these weren’t interested in professionalism—they were interested in maximizing profits. Why would they hire a highly decorated expert? To worship her with incense?
As expected, the woman agreed readily.
“That’s wonderful! How about this—you come in for an interview tomorrow. If everything looks good, we can sign the contract on the spot.”
“Uh… okay. Huai East District, 227 Chongli Road… Got it. See you tomorrow.”
Luo Jingyao repeated the address aloud. Only after seeing Lin Jiafan give a slight nod did she end the call.
“Told you, being in the right profession is valuable.” Pang Guang dropped onto the other end of the sofa with a dramatic sigh. “Boss, I thought you had Coach Luo call pretending to be a customer asking about weight loss. Instead, she found herself a whole new job in under five minutes!”
As he spoke, he flashed Luo Jingyao a thumbs-up.
Accepting the praise without the slightest guilt, she tilted her head back slightly and handed the phone to the man still standing beside the coffee table.
“You’ve got the address now. If there’s nothing else, can I leave?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she grabbed her bag and prepared to make a run for it before anyone could change their minds.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Pang Guang hurriedly stopped her. “Coach Luo, aren’t you coming with us tomorrow? Captain Lin can still apply for fieldwork compensation hours on your behalf.”
“No thanks.”
She waved both hands immediately.
“What if I actually pass the interview and the boss insists I sign a contract on the spot? I’ve already signed an employment contract with the Public Security Bureau. That wouldn’t be appropriate.”
She paused.
Then she turned and stared directly at the silent Lin Jiafan.
“Besides, doing something this morally questionable comes at a different price.”
“…”
Lin Jiafan’s lips slowly curved upward.
He met her gaze for several seconds, fully aware that this was her retaliation for his earlier remark about the “1,688 yuan.”
Having finally gotten her revenge, Luo Jingyao raised an eyebrow triumphantly.
Like a victorious general returning from battle, she straightened her back proudly, gave another casual wave, and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Lin Jiafan’s voice sounded from behind her.
“I heard Coach Luo owns a flower shop?”
She stopped.
“My family is holding a wedding at the beginning of next month. We’ll need a large quantity of fresh flowers for the venue decorations. I asked around at a few flower shops before, and the quotes were all over a hundred thousand yuan…”
“I can do it!”
Luo Jingyao spun around so fast it was almost comical.
The proud posture she’d just assumed instantly collapsed.
A perfectly professional smile appeared on her face.
After all, everyone had to make a living.
Nothing embarrassing about that.
As she silently comforted herself, she nodded vigorously.
“I can absolutely do it. We’re practically half-colleagues now. For the sake of ensuring everyone’s work goes smoothly, what’s a little interview at a training camp?”
Then she added solemnly,
“More importantly, I trust Officer Lin’s character. Once you promise something, you won’t go back on your word, right?”
As she spoke, she pulled a business card from her purse, stepped forward, and slipped it neatly into his jacket pocket.
Lin Jiafan lowered his eyes to glance at the pocket.
When he looked up again, his expression had returned to its usual calm composure.
“Since we’re half-colleagues now, surely Coach Luo will give me a discount on such a large order?”
Luo Jingyao ground her teeth.
“Fifteen percent off. Not a cent lower.”
The instant she finished speaking, she saw the unmistakable glimmer of mischief dancing in his dark eyes.
“I was actually going to ask for ten percent.”
His smile deepened.
“But since Coach Luo is being so generous, I’ll gladly accept.”
With that, he brushed past her shoulder.
“Tomorrow. Nine o’clock. See you at the entrance of the training camp.”
Luo Jingyao didn’t miss the faint chuckle that followed.
Taking several deep breaths to suppress the urge to strangle him, she finally pulled open the office door and left.
8:50 a.m., the next morning.
Heavy rain had fallen throughout the night, leaving the city wrapped in a blanket of gray mist.
The air carried the distinct chill of early autumn.
After stepping out of a taxi, Luo Jingyao instinctively pulled her baseball jacket tighter around herself.
After orienting herself, she headed straight through the dense fog toward the Jeep parked along the roadside.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
At her less-than-polite tapping, the driver’s window slowly rolled down.
Lin Jiafan’s handsome face appeared.
Sleep still lingered in his eyes.
Without his glasses, the naturally upturned shape of those eyes was especially striking.
Judging by the clothes he was wearing—the exact same outfit as yesterday—he’d probably worked through another entire night.
At this rate, wasn’t he going to drop dead from exhaustion someday?
Frowning slightly, Luo Jingyao kept the thought to herself.
Maintaining a perfectly reasonable social distance, she simply asked,
“My interview time is coming up. Is someone going in with me, or…?”
“To avoid raising suspicion, you’ll go in alone first and assess the situation.”
Lin Jiafan handed her a device that looked almost identical to a Bluetooth earpiece.
“Keep this communicator on you. If you’re in danger, press this button.”
“The local precinct officers and special patrol units are already in position. Don’t worry—we won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know.”
Luo Jingyao had never really worried about that.
She fitted the communicator into place and immediately started walking toward the entrance.
“Wait.”
Lin Jiafan suddenly called after her.
Before she could turn around, an arm stretched out and a paper bag appeared directly beneath her nose.
Blinking in surprise, she accepted it.
Warmth seeped through the kraft paper into her palms.
For a brief moment, something unfamiliar stirred quietly inside her chest.
But she quickly suppressed it.
Biting into a meat bun, ponytail swaying behind her, she headed toward the address the training camp owner had given her.
The training camp occupied a fairly large shopping mall.
Apparently, the original developers had made a terrible choice when selecting the location.
Despite several residential neighborhoods existing within a few kilometers, the building still felt lifeless.
Once inside, Luo Jingyao realized “lifeless” was putting it mildly.
Rows of abandoned storefronts lined the corridors.
Under the dim ceiling lights, their glass facades reflected eerie, ghostly gleams.
Business was so poor that both the escalators and elevators had been shut down entirely.
Following the signs posted on the floor and hanging overhead, she eventually found a stairwell leading to the basement level.
Seriously.
How had this place not scared away every customer who walked through the door?
Silently complaining to herself, she descended dozens of steps before finally spotting a sign mounted on the wall ahead.
Victoria Slimming Training Camp
Beneath it was a giant red arrow pointing right.
Following the direction, she pushed open a heavy fire door.
Immediately, a wave of passionate chanting burst into her ears.
Energetic music echoed throughout the space.
Stretching her neck for a better look, she saw several people exercising intensely in an open training area.
Rather than announcing herself, Luo Jingyao began casually wandering around the facility.
At first glance, the venue itself was fairly spacious.
The layout, however, was a disaster.
For example, a group of people doing aerobics on the east side were only a few meters away from another group performing strength training to deafening music.
The coach’s instructions were completely drowned out.
The trainees probably couldn’t hear a word.
Might as well not train at all.
Actually, it was worse than that.
With guidance this poor, they were practically signing up for knee effusions, lumbar strain, and potentially shattered bones.
The corner of her eye twitched.
Unable to endure it any longer, she walked into the weight-training section.
A young woman was struggling through weighted squats with terrible form.
Luo Jingyao immediately stepped forward, steadying the barbell across her shoulders while using her other hand to guide her hips into proper alignment.
“Like this. Your lower back won’t hurt as much.”
She patiently adjusted the girl’s posture.
“And don’t rush to increase the weight when you’re just starting out. That’s the fastest way to get injured.”
The girl nodded gratefully.
Apparently mistaking Luo Jingyao for one of the camp’s trainers, she didn’t find anything unusual about the interaction.
Luo Jingyao remained nearby, continuing to observe her form.
Then a puzzled voice sounded from behind.
“Hello. Are you Miss Luo, here for the interview?”
She instinctively turned around and offered her hand first.
“Hello. You must be Boss Jiang?”
The woman nodded.
She looked to be in her early forties, dressed in a silk gown that accentuated her figure perfectly.
With curled hair and crimson lipstick, she was strikingly attractive.
After a brief handshake, Boss Jiang stepped aside and gestured invitingly.
“Those few words of instruction just now already demonstrated your expertise. Still, since you’re here, why don’t we head to my office and talk?”
“Of course.”
Luo Jingyao followed her.
As they passed through various training areas, she estimated there were at least a hundred students currently enrolled.
No wonder they were desperate for coaches.
“Mmph!”
A painful lesson in why one shouldn’t multitask.
Too busy observing the surroundings, Luo Jingyao walked straight into someone.
She rubbed her aching shoulder and immediately apologized.
“I’m so sorry…”
