What era is this already, and you're still doing traditional fitness

Su Bai instinctively tried to restrain himself from glancing in that direction, but upon realizing his efforts were futile, he simply gave up and openly let his gaze linger.

Thick skin might be an innate talent, but it’s also something that can be cultivated—after all, confidence breeds charm.

Ever since Su Bai discovered that maintaining a serious expression could easily earn him forgiveness from women, even when he was doing something less-than-serious… he had fully embraced his true nature.

No, wait—it wasn’t about forgiveness.

Nor was it about being improper!

If you’re dressed like that, isn’t it meant for me to see? Wouldn’t ignoring it be a waste of Xia Lin’s thoughtful intentions?

In such joyful moments, admiring Sister Lin was the only thing that truly mattered.

Working out was just a side activity.

With this realization, Su Bai felt at peace.

Xia Lin, however, was far from composed.

The intensity of his gaze, almost tangible, made her increasingly restless.

Her body temperature rose.

Despite having only done a light warm-up, with no strenuous exertion, delicate beads of sweat had already begun forming on her fair neck and the delicate skin near her collarbone.

“I’m ready. Let’s begin.”

Su Bai stood in front of the bench press, legs slightly apart, steadying himself to spot Xia Lin and support the barbell.

This way, if Xia Lin struggled during her set, Su Bai could step in and assist.

It was also a good method to help lifters push past their limits and attempt heavier weights.

But clearly, Xia Lin wasn’t aiming for a personal record today.

She couldn’t even perform at her usual level.

Su Bai stood uncomfortably close, and her line of sight was unavoidably drawn to his firm arms.

If she glanced just a little higher, she’d see his… well…

The thought alone made her strength falter, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson, like autumn blossoms or ink bleeding into watercolor—enhancing her already soft, classical beauty.

“Director Xia’s performance isn’t great today. You seemed fine during the run earlier.”

“…Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Then we should reduce the weight. I’ll take off two plates.”

As he removed the weights, Su Bai took the opportunity to admire Xia Lin from multiple angles.

Truly, among all the S-tier goddesses he knew, Xia Lin had the best figure.

To put it simply, Little Deer was lovely too, but her charm lay in her voluptuousness, while Xia Lin’s physique surpassed even supermodels—a perfect blend of natural gifts and hard work.

As for why her bench press was off today… it probably came down to how sensitive she was.

For girls who’d never been in love or touched a man, losing composure in front of Su Bai—with his 94/100 looks—was only natural.

Su Bai was getting a firsthand taste of what it felt like to be a celebrity.

After the second set, even Su Bai started feeling a little off.

The thing was, when spotting someone on the bench press, the spotter had to lower their center of gravity.

Which meant they’d inevitably get closer.

The way Xia Lin’s lips parted as she exerted herself, combined with their positions, reminded Su Bai of certain… activities often depicted in romantic media.

Yikes.

That was a bit too deviant.

Su Bai couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.

To distract himself, he quickly suggested:

“Sister Lin, if your bench press isn’t working out, maybe we should switch to something more core-focused to get your blood flowing.”

“Makes sense. What should we do instead?”

“Squats.”

“Alright~”

Any serious gym-goer would’ve called their routine nonsense—who trained chest one minute and legs the next?

But then again, neither of them was here for the workout.

“This time, I’ll spot you.”

“Sure, but… uh, is this how you’re supposed to spot?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it, little brother?”

“I do! Of course I do! Please, spot me as much as you want!”

The moment Xia Lin pressed herself against Su Bai’s back, he knew squats had been the right call.

Her alluring curves instantly made him even more flustered than Xia Lin had been earlier.

Noticing this, a satisfied smile curled at the corners of Xia Lin’s lips.

After all, she was several years older than him. As the big sister, she couldn’t let Su Bai keep throwing her off balance—that’d be too embarrassing.

Xia Lin still carried some pride; she loved seeing Su Bai’s genuine reactions.

But then again, Su Bai was the more experienced one here. He had his own dignity to uphold.

So after a few sets, he proposed that Xia Lin take her turn squatting while he spotted her.

Xia Lin’s mind raced with images of what might happen if they switched positions.

And just like that, she short-circuited.

“…Little brother, that seems a bit risky. Squats involve heavy weights, and I might lose my footing…”

“Don’t worry, trust my strength.”

Su Bai assured her, then positioned himself behind Xia Lin.

To her shock, despite the awkward angle, Su Bai lifted the barbell almost entirely by himself.

She was basically just doing bodyweight squats.

“Sister Lin.”

“Hmm?”

“You look amazing when you work out. I’m going to invite you every time from now on.”

“Hah, as long as you don’t find it bothersome.”

“Why would I?”

“But you strike me as the type who… ah, never mind. Let me get a few more reps in. Heh, I’ve never done such heavy weights so easily before.”

Xia Lin teased lightly.

In reality, she wasn’t bearing any weight at all.

Her heart swirled with emotions. She couldn’t quite pin down how Su Bai truly felt about her. She wanted to share more experiences with him, to deepen their bond—but would he even want that? His life wasn’t lacking in beautiful women.

To put it bluntly, Xia Lin was four years older. They might not even have much in common.

But at least they’d found one shared interest: working out!

Well, though the real meaning behind it was quite different from traditional fitness.

Then again, this was the modern era. Fitness methods had to keep up with the times, seize the opportunities of new productive forces, achieve breakthroughs, and upgrade the industry…

Xia Lin’s mind suddenly flooded with bureaucratic jargon.

Such was the curse of working in the Youth League Committee—official phrases came to her effortlessly.

Not that she could help it. With Su Bai standing so close behind her… “spotting,” her entire body tingled with electricity.

What a wicked little brother. How could he stay so composed? And let’s not forget he was still holding the barbell—his strength was downright inhuman!

That day, Xia Lin gained a whole new appreciation for Su Bai’s physical prowess.

And the love in her heart grew even stronger.

She’d always had a thing for fit men.

Now, she liked him even more.