Chapter 20 - 19: Addicted to the Sports Meet

Glancing back at the impressive but ultimately hollow facade of Taisheng Finance, Chen Jue hummed a cheerful tune he didn’t even recognize and happily stepped into the elevator to go downstairs.

It was the start of the afternoon work shift, so the halls and lobby of Huaye Mansion were nearly empty.

As he passed the building’s front desk, Chen Jue overheard some security guards and property management staff gossiping about the major incident on the 23rd floor.

It had even alerted the Government Office, so of course, the news was spreading like wildfire among the building’s management.

Even in the thousand-member group chats for the business park that Chen Jue was in, rumors about Taisheng Finance were flying.

Photos, videos, and even inside scoops leaked by company colleagues.

When he first got to the office this morning, the notifications were already at 99+. Now, he probably couldn’t even scroll to the top.

It’s just as they say: good news never leaves the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles!

In a high-pressure work environment like Hang City, everyone was wound as tight as a clockwork spring.

Your average corporate drone loved to slack off at work, peeking at their screens to watch some juicy, sensational news unfold.

Chen Jue used to be one of them.

He used to love scrolling through his group chats, checking out the trending topics online, and then transforming into a keyboard warrior, an octopus-fingered typist, getting into all sorts of arguments with other bored netizens in a "Mount Hua Keyboard Duel."

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t win the argument; it was all for the sake of venting and having a bit of fun.

But after getting this Attribute panel, Chen Jue realized he had been rather childish before.

’With all that free time I spent pontificating about the state of the world, worrying about national affairs, and fighting for justice online, wouldn’t it be better to go exercise and work out? Even if I don’t feel like moving, just going outside to get some sun and take a walk is better than wasting time buried in my phone!’

...

He scanned a bike-share and rode back to his residential complex, changed into workout clothes, and headed straight for Yi Lian Fitness.

The young woman at the gym’s front desk had been replaced by a different shift, and now a cleaning lady was watching the entrance.

With no one to bother him, Chen Jue swiped his card, passed through the turnstile, and entered the gym.

Since it was during work hours, there wasn’t a single person working out, and the equipment area was completely empty.

Only Li Chaoyun, the coach, was there, venting his energy on a barbell loaded with weight plates.

BANG!

The barbell smashed onto the floor mat, and Chen Jue felt the entire gym shake with it.

"Holy crap!"

"One, two, three... Ten plates?"

"He can lift a barbell that heavy in one go!" Chen Jue leaned in for a closer look and saw that each of the plates was a 25-kilogram one.

In other words, not counting the weight of the bar itself, Li Chaoyun had just deadlifted 250 kilograms.

That was equivalent to lifting three of Chen Jue!

"President Chen! You’re off work early today?" Li Chaoyun said, catching his breath as he unstrapped the weightlifting belt from his waist.

"I’m no president, just a regular office worker!"

Chen Jue waved his hands in a triple denial—being a president was just a life full of worries, and he was perfectly fine being a slacker. He then made some polite small talk with the coach. "The weekend was pretty restful. I worked my legs last time, and they’re not that sore anymore. I happened to have some free time this afternoon, so I thought I’d come and get another workout in."

Li Chaoyun smiled slightly at his words. "I see! In that case, Mr. Chen, you can try some upper body machines today. But it’s best to warm up with some cardio first."

However, he didn’t lead Chen Jue in a session, because the trial pass only included one private one-on-one training experience.

For the rest of the time, Chen Jue had to practice on his own.

Of course, the private training sessions here weren’t cheap.

The cheapest package started at 8,000 yuan, which averaged out to over 300 yuan per session. While Chen Jue’s income could cover it, it was still a bit of a luxury.

Besides, he had no more paychecks coming in. Until he found a new, stable job, it was better to save up for a rainy day.

...

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Li Chaoyun, Chen Jue got on a treadmill to start his warmup.

He went from a slow walk to a brisk walk, and finally to a light jog.

After warming up for about ten minutes, his body began to break into a light sweat, and an indescribable feeling of excitement spread through him.

He asked Li Chaoyun, who was working out on a machine in the distance, and the coach told him it was a normal phenomenon.

"Exercise causes the body to produce both endorphins and dopamine."

"Endorphins provide pain relief and pleasure, while also relieving stress and improving your mood."

"Dopamine also stimulates the mind, increasing our excitement and happiness."

"That’s why our members, as long as they stick with it for a while at the beginning, end up coming frequently. It’s easy for exercise to make you happy, so getting addicted is perfectly normal," Li Chaoyun explained.

"So it’s my body’s hormones at work?"

"No wonder I got so hooked on Stone Skimming and throwing Darts!" Chen Jue found this fascinating.

He hadn’t exercised in years, so he was completely unfamiliar with this aspect of the human body.

His attempts to consistently visit the gym these past few days had certainly broadened his horizons.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Jue went on to ask Li Chaoyun which machines were suitable for him.

"Mr. Chen, in your current condition, the rowing machine would be a good fit."

"This machine works out your whole body; it’s a form of cardio. You’re just a beginner right now, and you have a bit more fat around your waist, stomach, and upper arms. The rowing machine can help you build muscle and tone your body." Li Chaoyun put down the two large dumbbells he was holding and enthusiastically explained to Chen Jue how to use the rowing machine and what to watch out for.

He could tell Chen Jue was serious about working out. Even though he hadn’t signed up for his private lessons, Li Chaoyun still wanted to make a good impression, hoping he might win over a new client.

Following the coach’s instructions, Chen Jue sat down at the rowing machine.

He set it to the beginner-level first gear, which had the lowest resistance.

As Li Chaoyun had advised, since Chen Jue was just starting out and wasn’t familiar with the machine, it was best to begin with the first gear.

He adjusted his seat, leaned his body forward, extended his arms to grab the handle, and then leaned back, pulling.

After a few tries, it felt effortless, just like rowing a rubber dinghy in the reservoir back in his hometown as a child.

But after finishing the preset distance of 100 meters, Chen Jue felt a slight soreness in his lower back and arms. The aching pain was especially intense around his lumbar spine.

"Mr. Chen, you have a pretty severe herniated lumbar disc!"

"And your spine is a bit curved and deformed, too. You should really go to a hospital and get it checked out."

"Simple exercise can build up your back muscles and effectively improve a deformed spine, but you need to do targeted training."

"Training blindly can easily worsen your symptoms."

Li Chaoyun saw the problem. He reached out and pressed on Chen Jue’s lumbar region, causing Chen Jue to grimace in pain, nearly crying out loud.

"Huh?"

"So does that mean I can’t keep training?" Chen Jue grew a little nervous at the mention of going to the hospital.

’For the past few years at the company, I had always just powered through any minor ailments. There was no other way! Poor people simply can’t afford to get sick! The last time I even had a physical was when I first joined the company. I figure it’s been at least four years since I’ve had a checkup at a proper hospital.’

Perhaps sensing Chen Jue’s anxiety, Li Chaoyun offered a few words of comfort. "Your situation is very common. Basically all the members I train have it."

"People these days spend long hours hunched over desks or slouching over their phones. After a while, they all end up with herniated discs."

"Go get a full physical. It doesn’t cost that much."

"Health is the most important thing, after all!"

Hearing Li Chaoyun put it that way, Chen Jue grudgingly accepted it.

Then he asked him what other machines he could use for now.

As it turned out, Li Chaoyun had him try another machine, the seated shoulder press, which was specialized equipment for the shoulder muscles.

But as soon as he sat down and did a few presses, Chen Jue’s left shoulder started making a creaking sound. Even Li Chaoyun, standing beside him, could hear the grinding of his joint.

Li Chaoyun couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched. "That’s frozen shoulder! You should probably get that checked at the hospital, too."

Now it was Chen Jue’s turn to be embarrassed. He let out a couple of awkward laughs while cursing inwardly, ’Great! Looks like I really have no choice but to go to the hospital!’

...

Since his body was riddled with problems, Chen Jue didn’t linger in the equipment area after a few more attempts.

According to Li Chaoyun, training blindly before getting a clear diagnosis could easily lead to more injuries.

So, Chen Jue went to the recreational sports room to practice Darts.

He definitely had to go to the hospital for a checkup, but it was almost closing time for the afternoon.

It wasn’t worth going to the emergency room for these minor issues, so Chen Jue decided to put it off until tomorrow.

Taking advantage of the free time he had now, he decided to grind some more Skill Level for [Darts].

The last two times he’d practiced Darts here, he had used his left hand due to special circumstances.

You see, Chen Jue was a natural right-hander, not a trained left-hander like Lin Ling.

His right hand was far superior to his left in both Strength and dexterity.

This time at the gym, his right hand had recovered enough to be usable. He tried throwing a dart with it, wanting to see if switching hands would still let him inherit the Lv3 amateur level of his [Darts] Skill.

Unexpectedly, on his very first throw, the steel-tip dart thudded heavily into the edge of the dartboard.

The throw had a bit too much power, but its accuracy was terrible!

It was far worse than when he used his practiced left hand!

What surprised Chen Jue the most was that not only did he not receive any Skill Level notification for throwing with his right hand, but a strange new prompt popped up on his Attribute panel instead:

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[Ding!]

[Detected a high degree of overlapping physical motions between the [Stone Skimming] and [Darts] Skills. Do you wish to perform a Skill Merge?]

[This merge will consume 0.10 free attribute points.]

[The result of the merge will be issued as a brand-new Sports Skill.]

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