Chapter 45: Frenzied Training

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Frenzied Training

"Shuran, why don’t you take a break? You look like you’re about to collapse."

"No, it’s fine. I can keep going..."

Xia Shuran’s eyes were filled with stubbornness.

Even though she was exhausted to the point of collapse and gasping for breath, she was determined to keep training.

Seeing Gu Qing walk another girl back to her dorm last night had definitely unsettled her.

It had filled her with a powerful sense of insecurity.

Now, she felt a constant urge to prove her worth to Gu Qing.

She was terrified that he would one day get tired of her and cast her aside.

Take their current training, for example.

As long as Gu Qing was still training, she would not allow herself to stop and rest.

Seeing how stubborn she was, Gu Qing didn’t press the issue.

However, he kept his eyes on her, constantly monitoring her physical condition.

The moment he noticed anything wrong, he was ready to make her stop and rest.

Time passed, minute by minute.

Before they knew it, they had been training from four in the afternoon until eight at night.

A total of four hours.

[Physical Strength +1] x4

[Cumulative Physical Strength: 87]

When the notification popped up, Gu Qing looked over at Xia Shuran and said,

"Shuran, that’s enough. Stop for now."

"Let’s sit down and rest for a bit, wipe off our sweat, and then we can go get something to eat."

"We’ll continue training tomorrow afternoon."

The moment Gu Qing said that, Xia Shuran couldn’t hold on any longer.

She immediately stopped her movements, flopped onto the ground, and began gasping for breath.

She looked completely wiped out.

"Drink some water and catch your breath."

Gu Qing picked up the pink water bottle from the ground, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Xia Shuran.

Xia Shuran took the bottle and began chugging the water down. GULP. GULP. GULP.

"Slow down, you’ll choke."

Looking at Xia Shuran before him, Gu Qing felt like he’d gained a little sister. He found himself subconsciously wanting to take care of her.

After Xia Shuran finished her water,

Gu Qing walked over and sat down beside her. "Come on," he said.

"Stretch your legs out. I’ll help you relax your muscles."

’Normally, it would be best to have her lie on her stomach to relax her muscles.’

’But considering how much water she just drank...’

’Her belly must be completely full.’

’If I made her lie on her stomach, she’d probably turn into a human fountain and start spraying water everywhere.’

"Thank you, Senior."

Xia Shuran obediently stretched her legs out. Her cheeks were red, and her heart fluttered with excitement.

This was, without a doubt, the part she looked forward to the most after every grueling training session.

Gu Qing saw her blush and knew she was looking forward to this moment of intimacy.

He just smiled at this, then quickly lifted her legs onto his own lap and began skillfully massaging them to relax her muscles.

During the massage,

Gu Qing’s pressure varied, sometimes firm, sometimes gentle.

There was no rhythm to it.

No warning whatsoever.

Xia Shuran was often caught off guard, letting out muffled moans as she covered her mouth.

Her soft, breathless sounds were surprisingly pleasant to the ear.

As Gu Qing listened, a mischievous impulse struck him, and he began to "play" her sore legs like a piano.

With every press, Xia Shuran would let out a small cry.

Pressing different spots produced different sounds.

She was a human piano.

"Senior, please be gentler... slow down..."

Xia Shuran reminded him, her voice barely a whisper.

Gu Qing’s pressure was too firm, and he was going too fast.

It made her cry out uncontrollably, attracting strange looks from passersby.

Her face turned completely red.

She felt incredibly embarrassed.

She kept her face buried low the entire time,

not daring to look up at anyone.

Gu Qing was unconcerned. "Just bear with it. If the pressure isn’t firm enough or fast enough, it won’t be as effective at relaxing the muscles."

Hearing this, Xia Shuran could only bite her lower lip and endure the pain.

At the same time, she clamped a hand over her mouth,

trying her best not to make any loud noises.

The poor girl had become the mischievous senior’s plaything, completely unaware.

...

「Half an hour later.」

The massage was over.

Gu Qing helped the weak-kneed Shuran to her feet, and they walked unhurriedly from the field to the student life area for dinner.

They ate for nearly an hour before leaving.

By the time Gu Qing had walked Shuran back to the women’s dorm and returned to his own,

it was almost ten o’clock at night.

He took off his shoes and put on his slippers.

Grabbing a change of clean clothes,

Gu Qing went into the bathroom and took an incredibly refreshing hot shower.

After he got out of the shower,

he walked straight over to Gao Fei and stopped. He spoke to his roommate, who had the [Basketball Player] tag floating above his head.

"Old Gao, skip class with me tomorrow morning. We’re playing ball the entire morning."

"After this, I promise I’ll never drag you out to play ball again."

"What do you say?"

His progress toward obtaining Muscle Knots was now at [87/100].

’Just 13 more points to max out the progress bar.’

Gu Qing had a plan.

’Play five hours of basketball with Gao Fei tomorrow morning.’

’Then, in the afternoon and evening, I’ll practice eight hours of Ancient Martial Arts with Xia Shuran.’

’That way, I’ll be able to acquire that incredible Muscle Knots Attribute by tomorrow, Tuesday.’

"O-fuckin’-K!"

Gao Fei decisively gave him an "OK" sign. "We’re bros, after all. If you wanna skip class to play ball, I’m your man!"

’Better to just rip the Band-Aid off,’ he thought.

’I’ll just let Gu Qing play to his heart’s content tomorrow morning.’

’That way, in the future, if Gu Qing asks him to play ball at night,’

’he’ll be able to refuse him with a clear conscience.’

...

「Early the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten.」

Gu Qing woke up right on time and dragged Gao Fei out to skip class and play basketball.

They played straight from seven-thirty in the morning until twelve-thirty in the afternoon.

A full five hours.

[You have played basketball with your roommate Gao Fei for over an hour] x5

[Basketball Skill +1] x5

[Physical Strength +1] x5

[A cumulative increase of 100 points in Physical Strength will grant the Attribute—Muscle Knots]

[Current Points Acquired: 92]

’Only 8 points left.’

’Next, I just need to train with Shuran for eight more hours to get Muscle Knots.’

’Success is within reach!’

Gu Qing stared at the text notifications, his heart pounding with excitement.

He took a moment to calm himself.

He looked over at Gao Fei, who was drenched in sweat not far away, and said,

"I’m done. Let’s go get some food."

Hearing the words he had been waiting for all morning,

Gao Fei’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees with a THUD, completely exhausted.

Then, bracing himself with his hands on the ground, he looked up at Gu Qing with an expression of utter despair and shouted a classic line from *Slam Dunk*:

"Coach... I never want to play basketball again!"

He used to think the most terrifying, energy-draining force of nature was a girlfriend on her period.

But in that moment, he realized that playing basketball with Gu Qing was the single most exhausting thing in the world.

’Never again,’ he vowed. ’I’m never playing basketball with Gu Qing again.’

Having thoroughly tormented his roommate Gao Fei,

the villainous Gu Qing immediately turned his attention to his next target: Xia Shuran. He sent her a message, asking her to come to the field to train.

He pulled out his phone and sent her a message.

[Gu Qing: Shuran, I want to start training a bit earlier this afternoon, maybe around two. Are you free then?]

She replied almost instantly.

[Xia Shuran: I have a class at two this afternoon, Senior.]

Before Gu Qing could reply, she sent another message.

[Xia Shuran: But... if you want, Senior, I can ask to be excused from class.]

[Gu Qing: Please do! I’ll treat you to a huge meal afterward!]

[Xia Shuran: No problem! I’ll go ask my professor right now.]

[Gu Qing: Oh, right. Remember to bring some snacks. Something high-energy and easy to digest. Today’s training is going to be intense, so we’ll need to refuel.]

[Xia Shuran: Private Ranran, roger that!]

[Gu Qing: See you on the field at two, Comrade Ranran.]

[Xia Shuran: Roger that, Sir!]

...

P.S. The author is putting out their bowl and begging for monthly passes and recommendation votes!