Chapter 19
By the time Meng Shi returned to the boxing gym, it was already two in the afternoon.
The moment she pushed open the door, she clearly felt countless gazes turning toward her.
There were quite a lot of people at the gym today.
“Sister Xiaoyan, I’m sorry. I’m late.”
“It’s fine. You’re not late. How’s your hand? Did you go to the hospital?”
Xiang Xiaoyan pulled her hand over and examined it.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry. I’ll go change first.”
“Mm. Perfect timing. There’s a young girl who came here specifically for you. She’s been waiting for almost an hour.”
Xiang Xiaoyan pointed toward a young woman resting beside the punching bags.
“She came for me?”
Meng Shi turned and looked.
The girl had indeed been staring at her since the moment she entered, but there was no hostility in her gaze.
After changing, Meng Shi emerged from the changing room and walked directly toward her.
Even from a distance, she could see the girl staring at her body and repeatedly swallowing.
“Hello. Are you here to box?”
Meng Shi quietly observed the girl before her.
She wore black-framed glasses, had neat bangs and a round face, and looked extremely well-behaved.
Yet she was examining Meng Shi without restraint. Several times, her hand even seemed ready to reach toward Meng Shi’s abdomen.
“Hello?”
Meng Shi smiled patiently and asked again.
“Huh?”
Only then did Qi Ranran return to her senses. She looked up at Meng Shi, then quickly lowered her gaze again.
“H-hello, General Ah Shi.”
“Hmm?”
Meng Shi was momentarily surprised that someone recognized her, then smiled softly.
“Is this your first time boxing?”
Meng Shi selected a suitable pair of gloves and handed them to her.
【Qi Ranran: I actually came here just to see you! Her voice is unbelievably attractive, she’s even prettier up close, the skin on her face is so nice, and that body is impossible to resist! Aaaaaah!】
“Mm-hmm! After watching your match, I really wanted to learn boxing!”
Qi Ranran nodded repeatedly.
“Mm. I’ll teach you some simple punches first. Since you’re a beginner, don’t hit the punching bag yet. You could easily injure your wrist.”
【Qi Ranran: So considerate! So considerate!】
【Meng Shi: Sister Xiaoyan, help. She’s distracted the entire time. I can’t teach her like this…】
“Oh, right. Didn’t you injure your wrist yesterday? Is it all right?”
Qi Ranran suddenly remembered and looked at Meng Shi’s bandaged right hand.
【Qi Ranran: My Shi is still working despite being injured. She’s so dedicated!】
“Hmm? It’s fine. Thank you for asking.”
“How about this? You don’t have to move at all. Just tell me how to punch, and I’ll understand it myself!”
“That works?”
“Mm-hmm! I also have one tiny request…”
“Hmm?”
“Could we take a photograph together? Please, please!”
Qi Ranran rubbed her hands together expectantly.
Meng Shi did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“If you properly learn all the movements I teach you today, I’ll agree.”
“All right, all right!”
【Meng Shi: This customer is truly strange…】
【Yan Qing: Hmm? This little brat started flirting the moment she left my sight?】
It was almost time to finish work, yet Qi Ranran was still enthusiastically practicing.
Meng Shi knew what she was waiting for, so she told her to stop and agreed to take a photograph with her.
Watching Qi Ranran leave in complete satisfaction, Meng Shi scratched her head and declared that she truly did not understand.
“If you don’t want to teach her anymore, I’ll turn her away tomorrow,” Xiang Xiaoyan said.
“There’s no need, Sister Xiaoyan. She may be a little strange, but she doesn’t mean any harm.”
Meng Shi changed clothes and prepared to leave work.
“By the way, have you decided how you’re going to explain everything to your sister?”
Xiang Xiaoyan’s question left Meng Shi stunned.
“I completely forgot about that…”
…
Outside her home, Meng Shi deliberately pressed herself against the door and listened for movement inside.
Normally, if she finished work at the usual time, she should arrive home before Meng Jiu.
There did not seem to be any sound inside.
Only then did Meng Shi carefully take out her key and open the door.
“Who’s back? Is that Ah Shi?”
Xie Ping’s anxious voice came from inside.
“Mm. It’s me.”
Meng Shi responded and entered the inner room, where she saw her mother preparing to get out of bed.
“Oh, you child! Why can no one ever reach your phone?”
Only after seeing Meng Shi did Xie Ping release a long breath.
“Uh…”
“How was the training? Did you perform well?”
“Uh, mm. It went fairly well.”
“Mom, I’m a little tired. I’d like to rest first. You don’t need to call me for dinner.”
Since she did not know how to explain, she simply would not explain for now.
After returning to her bedroom, Meng Shi found a long-sleeved set of pajamas and changed into it.
Even the injury on her wrist was completely covered.
That should be enough to hide it from them.
When she heard Meng Jiu return outside, Meng Shi hurriedly lay down and pretended to be asleep.
Meng Jiu entered and glanced at her. Seeing that she was already sleeping, she did not wake her.
Meng Shi sighed in relief and enjoyed a good night’s rest.
However, while Meng Shi slept soundly, her older woman was suffering from insomnia again.
The older woman tossed and turned in bed.
She had not changed the bedsheets or duvet cover. They were still the same ones Meng Shi had slept in the previous night, and they seemed to retain traces of her scent.
The older woman repeatedly rolled around beneath the blanket, her mind filled with the words Meng Shi had spoken in the car that day.
“Because I must take responsibility for you.”
This maiden heart of mine!
Yan Qing suddenly sat up and straightened her messy hair.
She picked up her phone and wanted to call Meng Shi, but when she looked at the time, it was already past midnight.
It was so late.
Meng Shi was probably sleeping, wasn’t she?
Hmm…
Reluctantly, Yan Qing put down the phone.
Wait.
She could send a message and see whether Meng Shi was asleep, couldn’t she?
But what should she send?
She could not let Meng Shi realize she missed her.
Hmm…
Perhaps she should not send anything.
Tsk.
Oh, honestly!
After hesitating repeatedly, the older woman finally abandoned her pride and sent Meng Shi a single blank space.
After sending it, the older woman behaved like a young girl secretly in love.
She hugged her phone while waiting for a reply, a foolish smile appearing on her lips.
She was expectant yet uneasy.
Was she being too forward?
Would that be inappropriate?
However, after the older woman spent half an hour tormenting herself, no reply arrived.
Meng Shi was probably sleeping.
It was already so late, after all…
Thinking this, Yan Qing eventually fell asleep while still holding her phone.
Early the next morning, Meng Shi woke up and checked her phone.
She discovered a message from Yan Qing.
It had been sent at 12:43 a.m., and the only content was a blank space.
Meng Shi wanted to reply, but after checking the time, she decided against it.
She got dressed and went outside for her morning run.
When she returned, she saw Meng Jiu preparing breakfast.
“Sister, good morning.”
“Where did you go so early in the morning?”
“I went out to exercise.”
“Mm. Get ready to eat breakfast.”
Meng Shi deliberately examined Meng Jiu’s expression.
There was nothing unusual about it, and she did not mention Meng Shi spending the night away from home at all.
Tsk.
It appeared to be a good thing, but why did Meng Shi still feel so guilty?
She returned to her bedroom and picked up her phone.
It was six thirty.
Yan Qing should be awake by now, shouldn’t she?
Meng Shi sent her a message.
Yan Qing was sleeping deeply.
She drowsily picked up her phone and glanced at it, then abruptly opened her eyes wide.
Meng Shi!
She hurriedly opened the message.
【Shi: Morning.】
“Couldn’t this person say two more words…?”
The older woman complained aloud, but inwardly, she felt slightly excited.
After thinking about it, she decided not to reply.
She had to remain reserved!
The phone rang again.
Another message arrived.
【Shi: Don’t sleep too late. It’s bad for your health.】
Seeing the message, the older woman felt as though she had eaten honey. The sweetness reached directly into her heart.
Before she could reply, two more notifications rang out.
Yan Qing hurriedly opened them.
It was one extremely long message that had apparently exceeded the character limit and automatically divided itself into two parts.
At a glance, it described the dangers of sleeping too late.
Meng Shi had probably just searched for the information online and edited it herself.
The older woman did not know whether to laugh or cry.
After thinking about it, she replied with:
【Mm.】
She needed to remain cold and reserved.
That was what she told herself, at least.
In reality, she was laughing without the slightest concern for her image.
…
After breakfast, Meng Shi went to work.
The moment she arrived at the boxing gym, she saw Qi Ranran again.
In addition to allowing customers to box freely, the gym also offered lessons.
Qi Ranran had registered for half a month of classes and specifically requested Meng Shi as her instructor.
Therefore, whenever Meng Shi had no other work, she effectively served as Qi Ranran’s private boxing coach.
“Good morning, Coach!”
When Qi Ranran saw Meng Shi arrive, she immediately stood and greeted her.
She handed over the lovingly prepared breakfast she had made.
“Coach, have you eaten? Would you like to try some? I made it myself!”
Meng Shi smiled.
“You arrived very early. I already ate breakfast at home, so you should eat it yourself.”
“Wait for a moment. I’ll change first.”
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm!”
“Hmph. Being unusually attentive without reason. Little Shi, you’d better be careful.”
Xiang Xiaoyan gave a sour warning.
“Hmm?”
Meng Shi was confused.
She did not understand why Sister Xiaoyan would say such a thing about a customer.
Wasn’t the customer supposed to be God?
“How is it? Do you still remember the punches I taught you yesterday?”
“I remember! I didn’t forget anything. I even practiced several times after I went home!”
Qi Ranran spoke excitedly, then demonstrated the techniques she had learned the previous day.
“Not bad. Today, we’ll learn—”
“Wait, Coach! Could you agree to one more tiny request?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you have plans at noon? Let’s eat together! I have many things I’d like to ask you!”
She rubbed her hands together expectantly.
“Uh…”
Eat together?
Meng Shi hesitated.
“Wait here for a moment.”
She turned and returned to the changing room.
Meng Shi took out her phone and sent Yan Qing a message.
【Shi: Are you busy?】
Yan Qing had only just climbed out of bed and was washing up.
The moment she saw the message, she immediately replied:
【Not busy. What is it?】
【Shi: There’s something I don’t know who else to ask about, so I wanted to ask you. There’s a girl who is my student. She says she became interested in boxing after seeing my match. I can tell she is studying seriously, but she keeps asking me to agree to strange requests. She asked me to take a photograph with her, prepared breakfast for me, and just now asked me to eat lunch with her. Sister Xiaoyan says she is being attentive for no reason. I don’t quite understand.】
After reading the message, Yan Qing swallowed an entire mouthful of toothpaste foam.
Trying to steal my woman?
【Qing: Send me the address. I’ll come to you. Eat lunch with me.】
After seeing the reply, Meng Shi sent her the address of Xing Boxing Gym.
When she emerged from the changing room, she saw Qi Ranran’s large, expectant eyes.
“I’m sorry. I already have plans for lunch.”
Qi Ranran looked disappointed.
Then she cautiously asked, “Your boyfriend?”
Meng Shi shook her head.
“No.”
“My girlfriend.”
【Qi Ranran: Oh, what a shame. She already has a girlfriend. Wait—girl? Girlfriend?!】
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