Chapter 7: Resigning Once Again

Chapter 7: Resigning Again

Feng Rui, the owner of Caesar Fitness, was a forty-year-old man of medium build with a slightly tanned complexion. At that moment, he was sitting on a sofa in the lounge area, engrossed in watching Douyin on his phone while eating takeout.

"Brother Feng, eating?" Gao Yun sat down opposite him and greeted him.

"Yeah." Feng Rui didn't even look up, tapping his screen with a finger. "Take a look at this girl. What do you think?"

On the screen, an internet celebrity was dressed provocatively, swaying to the music.

Gao Yun leaned in for a glance. "Solid 78, I guess. Be careful, though—don't let your wife see that."

Feng Rui didn't care. "Hey, just looking for the eye candy. Your sister-in-law drools over handsome guys she scrolls past too; I don't even bother saying anything to her."

Gao Yun chuckled. After a bit of idle chatter, he brought up the subject of his resignation.

Feng Rui scratched his head, frowning. He lit a cigarette and offered one to Gao Yun.

"I quit," Gao Yun said, waving a hand.

"Good for you."

Feng Rui didn't press him. He took a deep drag, exhaled slowly, and gave a bitter smile. "Sigh, there's no amount of salary I could offer that would keep you now. You're wealthier than I am, kid. Once you leave, the shop's monthly turnover will drop by at least thirty thousand."

Gao Yun consoled him, "It won't be that bad. The current economic climate is tough, and nobody has a solution for it. Things should pick up in a couple of months."

"Who do you think should take over as manager after you're gone?" Feng Rui asked. "Any ideas?"

Gao Yun thought for a moment. "Li Jianchen, maybe. He can be a bit stubborn at times, but he's solid in every other regard, his temperament is steady, and the other three trainers respect him."

Feng Rui nodded. "Then it'll be him. But if the shop's performance doesn't hit eighty percent of your numbers, his compensation will definitely be cut. He can't expect the same salary as a veteran like you."

"I have no complaints about that," Gao Yun agreed. "Performance speaks for itself."

The two discussed the handover of member resources and the issue of existing coaching packages. Once they had settled on a plan, the atmosphere lightened.

"Are you planning on staying in Hu City? If you're still around, feel free to come by and work out anytime. This is practically your second home," Feng Rui said with a laugh. "And help me train these coaches a bit more—I'll pay you a separate training fee for that."

"I don't have plans to leave just yet, though who knows what the future holds." Gao Yun felt a pang of sentiment, moved by the unpredictability of fate.

He had once imagined many ways to achieve financial freedom, but being struck by a "system" was something he had never truly expected—no matter how hard he racked his brain.

As the saying goes, between tomorrow and an accident, which one will arrive first?

Perhaps only God knows.

***

It was already two in the afternoon by the time Gao Yun finished his talk with Feng Rui. Since the floor wasn't crowded, he took two scoops of pre-workout, downed a protein shake, strapped on his gear, and grabbed his water bottle to begin his daily routine.

Knowing his strength attribute was stuck at 98%—just 2% away from a breakthrough—he decided to abandon his usual bodybuilding-style hypertrophy training. Instead, he would focus entirely on pure strength, no longer pursuing muscle volume, letting everything else take a backseat to raw power.

He quickly ran through a series of warm-ups—lunge T-rotations, crab stretches, ankle mobilizations—and chewed two pieces of 100% cocoa butter to stimulate his nervous system, ensuring he was in the zone.

Gao Yun’s eyes gleamed as he faced the racks of barbells and dumbbells. These were his little treasures that helped him farm money.

"Let’s lift!"

Five sets of bench presses: the first four sets of five reps, increasing weight from 80kg to 120kg, and the final set at 150kg to push for a breakthrough.

Five sets of squats: the first four sets of five reps, weight increasing from 80kg to 140kg, and the final set at 180kg to push for a breakthrough.

Two sets of deadlifts: the first set of three at 100kg, and the final set at 170kg.

Two sets of power cleans: the first set of three at 100kg, and the final set at 140kg.

With two to three minutes of rest between each set, Gao Yun aimed to finish everything within 50 minutes, excluding warm-ups.

Compared to his old bodybuilding style—moderate weight, high reps, short rest, and a focus on muscle pumps—today's power-focused training involved heavy weight, high intensity, low reps, and long rest. The muscle pump wasn't as pronounced.

Gao Yun was a bit unaccustomed at first, but after the first two sets of bench presses, he felt increasingly energized. His hands trembled slightly, his face felt numb, his heart hammered like a war drum, and dopamine flooded his brain. His training state was better than ever; he could hardly suppress the urge to let out a primal roar.

Amidst the exhilaration, he recalled the system's assessment of his physical attributes:

*【Thanks to your long-term scientific exercise and combat training, your muscles are full and aesthetic, your definition is sharp, and your physical fitness is exceptionally balanced and far superior to the average person. However, compared to professional athletes who make their living this way, there is still a long way to go. Due to your innate genetic limitations, barring an accident, you would never reach their level. But clearly, the accident has occurred.】*

A realization dawned on Gao Yun.

"The system has basically given me a cheat code."

"Hahahaha! From now on, I am the man who will become the King of Iron!"

"Yeah, buddy! Light-weight, baby!"

"Too light! Too light! You little toys are all too light!"

"I’m going to lift ten of you!"

Gao Yun wasn't thinking of anything else. His mind was filled with iron, his veins were bulging, sweat poured from his brow, and his clothes were soaked. He exuded the aura of a beast from head to toe.

Just as he finished his fourth set of bench presses and added the 190kg plates, intent on breaking his previous 180kg limit, two female trainers walked over.

One was Hu Yue, 25 years old, a national second-tier athlete, 175cm tall. Dressed in her coach’s uniform and black yoga pants, she had a "peach" glute shape and long legs, displaying a curvaceous figure.

The other was Wei Ya, 24, 165cm tall, wearing the same uniform but with grey yoga pants, her chest area particularly eye-catching.

"Brother Yun, are you really resigning?"

"We heard it from them and Brother Feng—why didn't you tell us?"

Both girls had red-rimmed eyes, as if they had just been crying. Their tone was resentful, carrying a hint of wanting to settle the score.

Gao Yun’s eyes were bloodshot and terrifying, and his grin carried a trace of murderous intent.

"Forget that for now. Come over and spot me. I’m breaking my records on the big three today, and the power cleans, too."

"..."

The two women gritted their teeth and rolled their eyes, thinking it would be a pleasure to see him crushed, but they still stood behind the rack to spot him.

***

An hour later, Gao Yun had successfully broken all his records, and his strength attribute reached 26 (0%).

Before he could even celebrate the system notification of a 6.76 million RMB reward, he was dragged away by the two hateful female trainers like a dead dog to the private training area for stretching and massage.

"Ah! Easy! It hurts! It really hurts!"

"I beg you two heroines! Take it easy! Spare my life!"

"Ah, I'm done for! I'm dying!"

"I bled for Caesar! I closed deals for you! I made your meal plans! Everything you know, I taught you!"

"I'm the one who helped you get a foothold in this industry! I'm the one who helped you earn over ten thousand a month!"

"I have monumental contributions—you can't treat me like this!"

Gao Yun was nearly brought to tears; the two girls were petty and had heavy hands.

Hu Yue and Wei Ya, one wielding a foam roller and the other a massage gun, began to ravage his legs while he lay face down. They were putting every ounce of their strength into it, all while chatting away:

"We aren't even using strength. Are you kidney-deficient? Which girl did you ruin last night?"

"A big man like you can't even take this much?"

"Stop twitching like a dead fish! Relax!"