You think you can just take what you want and walk away? Not a chance.

Chen Sufen had even gone out of her way to buy a new SIM card just to get in touch with Bai Haonan, finally tracking him down at the fitness center. Walking in, she was stunned by the sheer scale of the place—the gym at the Sports Academy was utterly dwarfed by comparison. But one glance at Bai Haonan’s attire and bearing told her all she needed to know. “I told you ages ago to get a job at a gym. Still pretending with me, are you?”

To be precise, footballers rarely have those bulging, sculpted muscles. As Bai Haonan had casually mentioned in his first lesson to the young scholars, every top professional player must have their own specialty and distinctive strengths. His solid, balanced physique was quite common—the safest developmental template. If one hones every aspect to the extreme, you get someone like the famous Cristiano Ronaldo, which was the direction Bai Haonan aspired to. Unfortunately, his talent and dedication fell far short, leaving him a thoroughly mediocre professional player. Most outstanding players, however, focus on amplifying their particular strengths, making raw physicality less important—the classic example being Messi, Ronaldo’s lifelong rival, who is short to the point of being almost deformed, lacking any impressive muscle, yet whose talent and skill far surpass Ronaldo’s.

But whatever the particular strengths, even without bulky muscles, a professional footballer’s body is always robust and well-balanced, easily outshining the average person—overall physical fitness is a basic requirement. That said, the musculature developed in football is entirely different from what’s built in a gym. Other than the legs being somewhat pronounced, Bai Haonan had little in the way of bulging muscle, since football requires far more agility and endurance than basketball or rugby. They can’t afford any unnecessary muscle mass; chest and arm muscles are mere byproducts, and fat is out of the question—the focus is all on waist and leg strength.

Bai Haonan’s thighs always looked tight in jeans, which made many pants on him look like something a male escort or a wannabe might wear. That’s why he preferred loose shorts on the pitch, often rolling them up to sun his legs. Yet here in the gym, he wore tight, stretch athletic pants under his shorts—good for lower-body workouts and giving his backside a lift. It made him look perky, and after all, women have their desires too; just one look at his waist and hips would conjure all sorts of images—pile drivers, little engines, and the like.

Chen Sufen knew all too well what this rascal was like.

Bai Haonan wasn’t pretending with her at all; he adjusted his pants and grumbled, “Hell, I’m getting teased every minute. If I don’t wear these tight, how am I supposed to cope?”

Chen Sufen was immune to this sort of talk and skipped straight to the point. “I called Old Chen from the school office phone. The police now suspect you’ve been kidnapped. He’s playing dumb, of course. Some people from our circle have gone to the club fishing for information about you, but he pushes everything back to the police station. He tells them to ask the police whatever they want, says you’re just playing the fool, vanished on purpose, or got tangled up in some old vendetta. Anyway, the club has already suspended your pay.”

Seated on a bench press, Bai Haonan’s eyes wandered to a long-legged girl in a sheer white top, sweating away on a treadmill. A mocking smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, those bastards can’t wait for me to disappear and save them a little money.”

Chen Sufen habitually followed his gaze, then glanced down at her own legs—surely they were better than that girl’s. “By the way, the Blue Wind team has lost three matches in a row.”

Bai Haonan’s gaze drifted to that girl’s waist, appearing and vanishing as she moved—his sneer deepened. “So Old Chen’s the only one getting screwed.”

Chen Sufen, sounding like a secretary reporting, said, “Old Chen wants you to look after yourself; staying alive is what matters. He says that’s also Old Bai’s wish.”

Bai Haonan seemed never to have thought of this father of his. He made a noncommittal sound and got up, as if the mere mention of that name made him want to leave.

Chen Sufen, knowing him well, quickly changed the subject. “Someone came to the Academy asking about me, too. They even went to the registrar’s office for my attendance records. Luckily, I’ve been staying in the dorms lately.”

Bai Haonan pulled a face. “They’d never guess I’m hiding out in this fitness center, would they?” He thought a bit more. “You’d better drive that car home. I hid the original license plate under the passenger seat. That way, none of this will come back on you guys.”

Chen Sufen shook her head. “You bought that car for my birthday. Isn’t it only right you use it now? This summer, I want to stay with you. I’ll go home for a visit and come right back. I’ll find a job at a gym or a training center—nothing unusual about that.”

A look of faint disgust crossed Bai Haonan’s face. “Come on, I’m having the time of my life right now. Look at all these girls. I get to play football and party—couldn’t be happier. Why mess that up?”

Chen Sufen wasn’t the least bit aggrieved, as if she were a wife catching her husband cheating. “Even a tomcat who sleeps around will settle down someday. I’ve never minded you chasing women. Somebody’s got to look after you, though.”

Bai Haonan dismissed her concern. “Forget it. Go find yourself a man, Chen Sufen. I’m just a worthless bastard, living day to day. Don’t get mixed up with me. If I hadn’t landed this coaching job, I’d be regretting ever coming to Rongdu—would’ve run off to Guixi to find Niuer instead. Push me any further, and once this job’s done, I’m out of here. You irritate me just by being around.”

To his surprise, Chen Sufen laughed. “You risked everything to make sure I got an education. You went to parents’ meetings for me, begged teachers on my behalf, helped my homeroom teacher carry coal, took a knife for me, coaxed me to sleep. Now you’re bored and want to walk away? Do you think I'm just like those women you sleep with, brainless and only after what’s in your pants?”

Bai Haonan couldn’t be bothered to argue with this silly woman. “There’s no room for feelings in this world. I get by just fine being heartless. Stop fussing over me and go do what you need to do. My players are here.”

Indeed, as he stood up, a group of men entered through the gym’s front doors.

The few young women left in the gym looked delighted, almost all stopping to greet these young experts, who had such bright futures ahead of them. The experts merely nodded politely, their attention quickly drawn to Bai Haonan, whom they greeted enthusiastically as “Big Hao.”

Big Hao sauntered over, counting heads. “Still missing a few. The rest of you, warm up over here. Same second set as yesterday...”

Most of the experts were already married. Perhaps years of being admired by young nurses had dulled their reactions, or maybe they simply weren’t as brash as Bai Haonan. They smiled, put down their things, and quickly changed into workout gear and shoes. Two had clearly just come off a hospital shift, still carrying their white coats. But as they gathered, many struggled to recall the complex warm-up Bai Haonan had taught them the day before—a routine focused on stretching muscles and priming the waist and legs, requiring them to twist their legs into a pretzel before rotating. Any misstep could twist a ligament, doing more harm than good. So Bai Haonan began demonstrating again, just as Chen Sufen came over.

She wore a black tank top under a red sports jacket, white stripes on the sleeves emphasizing her youthful athleticism. But nothing was more striking than the white-trimmed track shorts below—a blend of sporty energy and innocent allure. Even the white sneakers, worn without socks, could stir a man’s imagination.

Nurse trainees rarely dressed this way, especially in large institutions where decorum was expected. Perhaps these young scholars were bored of the usual, and this was just what they wanted to see. Many eyes were drawn to her, but Bai Haonan didn’t spare her a single glance.

Chen Sufen, unbothered by introductions or shyness, quietly and expertly began assisting the young experts with their movements—more professional and precise than Bai Haonan himself, to the scholars’ delight.

Truly, it had the look of a husband and wife working in perfect harmony.