97. In truth, it was merely an excuse to deceive oneself.

Yu Jiali hopped out of the car wearing a tight-fitting athletic outfit. Her black leggings, accented with white trim, clung so snugly that they could not entirely mask her figure; "plump" was the most one could say. To compensate, she had opted for a clever layering trick: a tight vest topped with a thin, black, breathable jacket. While it looked airy, its true purpose was to camouflage the flaws in her physique. She glanced around the training base, looking somewhat taken aback by its shabbiness, before walking toward the prefabricated building and addressing the approaching player with polite formality: "Excuse me, is Wang Jianguo..."

Before she could finish, a chorus of voices shouted toward the large tent: "Brother Jianguo! Brother Jianguo! President Yu, President Yu is here..."

Bai Haonan had already spotted the minivan from inside the "gym." To say he felt no vanity or pride would be a lie—it wasn't in his nature. He emerged with a smug air of triumph. Seeing Yu Jiali’s carefully curated attire, he saw right through her, sighing inwardly while unable to suppress his flirtatious instincts. He walked over, slung an arm around her shoulder, and steered her toward the rubber track lining the field, amidst the whistles and jeers of the younger players.

Yu Jiali was momentarily startled by his casual intimacy, yet she didn't pull away, even as her shoulder stiffened slightly. She listened as Bai Haonan remarked with a smirk, "I've told you what kind of man I am. Aren't you afraid of being devoured by someone like me, you little white rabbit?"

It was this strangely familiar tone that suddenly made Yu Jiali relax. She wasn't an inexperienced girl, but when it came to relationships, she had never been the dominant one—in fact, she had always felt quite insecure. Bai Haonan’s bluntness actually put her at ease. She clasped her hands together, her shoulders shifting in a subtle gesture to break free from his embrace. "Wang Jianguo, to be honest, given my current position, there are plenty of men pursuing me—returnees, civil servants, university professors, you name it. But like I said, once they find out about my family background, they swarm me. It makes me sick. Even the dimmest person could see the look in their eyes when they chase me; they look at me the same way they look at money. But you..."

Bai Haonan immediately feigned a lapse in judgment. "Right, my bad. I'll change, I'll change right now. How's that?"

Yu Jiali burst into laughter. "Why are you so glib?"

Guess what Bai Haonan said? He actually put on a pitiful face. "Can't help it. I'm too skilled at chasing women; it just comes naturally. Seriously, kid, you're not in my league when it comes to the game of flirting. If you fall into my trap, you'll be crying later!"

Yu Jiali tilted her head to look up at him—she was the shorter one. "But you know my family situation and yet you remain unmoved, constantly trying to distance yourself with this high-minded stance of not wanting to 'harm' me. It’s a brilliant negotiating tactic. If my father hadn't told me you truly aren't greedy for money, I’d have suspected you were just putting on an act!"

Bai Haonan was intrigued. "Your father? What did Old Yu say about me?"

Yu Jiali admired his brazenness. "When I went home last time, I told him exactly what you said. He just remarked that you aren't a bad person, and that even if there's no romantic potential, we could still be friends. He even said if he were a man, he’d want to play soccer with you to get in shape. So, after asking around at two gyms today, I decided it would be better to just have you as my personal trainer. You said the other day you weren't entirely confident about your own weight loss and toning, but you sounded very professional."

Bai Haonan didn't dislike Yu Deshui. He was deeply impressed by the man's chubby, slick, and charming demeanor. Even though he knew such a person could be ruthless when necessary, there was no harm in knowing such a boss—provided he didn't mess with the man's daughter. More importantly, he was broke and felt a bit insecure. "My rates aren't cheap!"

Money was a language she understood. Yu Jiali shrugged his arm off her shoulder. "Fine. Name your price."

Bai Haonan didn't pull a number out of thin air. "My previous rate was fifteen hundred per session, maximum two sessions a day, but with a minimum one-month contract."

Yu Jiali raised an eyebrow. She had that plump, good-natured look that promised prosperity, and only when she raised her brows did she show a hint of severity, though it vanished in a flash. "You really aren't cheap. Even the private trainers in the provincial capital don't charge that much."

Bai Haonan nodded. "I used to work in other provincial capitals."

Yu Jiali smiled, her expression composed. "Alright then. Should I give you a bank account number, or do you want cash? Do we need to sign a contract?"

Bai Haonan wasn't in a hurry. "Cash, settled weekly. You don't strike me as someone who would welsh on a debt. But let's get one thing straight: if I get the chance to meet Old Yu, I’d love to learn a few things from him, but our relationship is strictly fitness training. I can hold my end, so there's no need for you to try and trap this little coach of yours. Deal?"

Yu Jiali stared at him steadily. "At first, I thought you were just an athletic hunk, and I didn't mind being a bit infatuated. But you keep surprising me. You're not the simple-minded, brawny type I imagined at all. Could you explain the real reason why you won't get involved with me? I'm confident I can lose the weight this time."

Bai Haonan was blunt. "I told you, I play around—hookups, casual flings. I'm looking for physical fun, not emotional entanglements. You're not that type. I don't want to offend you or create unnecessary trouble. I'm just trying to make a living. I can find plenty of pretty girls to flirt with on my own. Is that clear enough?"

Yu Jiali was truly refined; she merely curled the corners of her mouth. "That’s the first time I’ve heard someone describe a promiscuous lifestyle so refreshingly. You really are unabashedly vulgar. Fine, fine. I was just drawn to your looks. If you really have no ulterior motives toward me, that’s actually a relief. You didn't see the greed in the eyes of the trainers at the gym this afternoon; they were fighting to give me trial sessions for free, acting as if they had me in the palm of their hands!"

Bai Haonan laughed. "Am I really that much to your taste?" He didn't waste any more time. "Let's start. Run two laps first. I'll pace you." As he spoke, he reached out and gently pressed his fingers to her pulse, then pulled out his phone to check the time since he didn't wear a watch.

Yu Jiali was stunned. "Is this place really that primitive? You could at least have a sports watch or a heart rate monitor to justify your rates."

Bai Haonan replied lazily, "I can tell just by looking that your body fat is over thirty-five percent. If you relax any more, you'll be clinically obese. In this area, who is the coach—you or me?"

Yu Jiali felt a strange heat where his fingers touched her skin. Her heart pounded as she began to jog. Bai Haonan paced beside her, periodically demanding she speed up or slow down, gauging her breathing, cardiovascular endurance, and fitness level. If he hadn't paid much attention to the disparities in ordinary people's fitness before, his two months as a coach at the First Affiliated Hospital—dealing with dozens of male players and various girls from gyms—had given him plenty of data. A quick comparison told him that Yu Jiali had zero interest in athletics; she looked like she was dying after just eight hundred meters. No wonder she couldn't lose weight.

However, a high-priced coach knows how to adjust. Whenever he felt her breathing or heart rate becoming erratic, he slowed her down or switched to a slow walk. It seemed the plump girl had been shamed enough; she actually persisted, which surprised even herself.

To the others on the field, however, Brother Jianguo was being incredibly romantic, holding her hand while jogging, sometimes walking beside her, sometimes in front, even jogging backward at times. They thought he was pulling out all the stops to woo a rich girl, practically groveling at her feet!

It was a living lesson in how to play the game!

Then, Bai Haonan led Yu Jiali into the dilapidated gym, and he really did kneel!

He had casually pulled a disposable plastic tablecloth and spread it over the cheap carpet, kneeling to guide Yu Jiali as she lay flat with her knees bent, instructing her to lift her hips!

If not for his serious expression, Yu Jiali would have suspected he was deliberately teasing her. But Bai Haonan acted strictly professional this time, his hands supporting her lower back, teaching her to arch her hips with a rhythmic cadence. "Look, your shoulders and feet are grounded. Your body forms an arch that counters your spine. You probably sit too much for work and study, so your lumbar spine is already misaligned; your cervical spine will likely follow suit soon. This arch is the perfect way to exercise the spine in reverse. The human body's most important part is the spine. You're paying me for fitness and weight loss, but I'm throwing in spinal correction for free. You'll thank me when you're old..."

It wasn't as if she hadn't been to a gym before, but Yu Jiali felt a completely different approach, especially the burning sensation in her spine and the firm, powerful touch of his hands. She began to trust him. "Hmm, it's just that the environment is too poor. Can't we go somewhere else? And this place is really quite remote."

Bai Haonan was too lazy to move. "First, being in public avoids mutual harassment—prevents you from being wary of me, and me from being wary of you. Second, the more people watch you exercise, the more it boosts your mood and hormones. Later, you can join us for athlete's meals; I'll treat you to that, though your driver and bodyguard will have to pay for their own."

Yu Jiali shot him a quick glance, then focused on performing the exercise she had never heard of before.

The excuse she had found for herself was truly perfect.