After thinking it through.
Gu Qing took a look around the second floor and found a small office beside the gym. A sign on it read “Chenguang Basketball Training Class.”
This should be the sign-up desk.
She walked over to the door.
It wasn’t closed.
Gu Qing politely knocked and asked Zhang Chao, who was sitting at the desk inside, “Excuse me, is this the Chenguang training class?”
“Yes, it is.”
Zhang Chao nodded and asked, “Do you have a child who wants to come?”
As he spoke, he stood up from the desk, wearing an earnest smile. “Come in and have a seat.”
“Okay.”
Gu Qing replied and went into the office, then sat down on the sofa nearby and asked, “I want to ask how your training fees are calculated.”
“One semester is only 1,980 yuan,” Zhang Chao said. “Training runs from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, and from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on weekends. Of course, it isn’t mandatory. If the child has something to do, they can ask for leave anytime.”
After hearing Zhang Chao’s introduction, Gu Qing had almost made up her mind.
She had been worried earlier that this training class would be too expensive and that her maternal aunt would not agree, but now it looked like she could cover the cost herself.
Without much hesitation, Gu Qing immediately nodded and said, “All right, I’ll bring the child to sign up later. You’ll be here anytime, right?”
“Anytime.”
Zhang Chao nodded and said, “But you can also save my phone number, so I can notify you promptly if anything comes up.”
“Okay.”
Gu Qing replied.
Then she saved Zhang Chao’s phone number on her phone.
After that, she got up and left the office.
Once she reached downstairs, Gu Qing called her maternal aunt while walking back.
The call connected.
Her maternal aunt’s warm, slightly surprised voice came through.
“Little Qing, how do you have time to call me?”
Her maternal aunt asked with a smile.
“Maternal aunt, I want to discuss something with you,” Gu Qing said.
“As expected, you only call when you need something!” her maternal aunt said with a laugh. “Go on!”
“Well… I don’t know if you’d be interested in signing Langlang up for a basketball training class. I recently found a training center. One semester costs only two thousand yuan, and it’s right near my place. I went there in person today to check it out, and the newly renovated facilities are especially nice. There are more than ten kids there too. I noticed Langlang is already in first grade this year, and he’s not very tall. Playing basketball is also good for helping him grow taller. Maternal aunt, what do you think?”
Gu Qing rattled off her pitch like a machine gun, afraid that if she left out even one important detail, her maternal aunt would reject it outright.
On the other end of the line, after a few seconds of silence, her maternal aunt finally said with some doubt,
“Is it really as good as you say?”
“Really.”
Gu Qing nodded and replied, “Maternal aunt, you can come see for yourself.”
“No need for that.”
Her maternal aunt paused and said, “Little Qing, of course I trust you. It’s just that our place is still a bit far from yours, and your uncle and I also have to start teaching classes. Getting him to and from school every day is also a problem.”
“I’ll take him there and bring him back!”
Gu Qing quickly replied.
“Do you have the time?” her maternal aunt asked again.
“I do.”
Gu Qing nodded and said, “My job lets me work from home. I only occasionally need to go out for fieldwork. When I have to do fieldwork, Langlang just won’t go to the training class, and you can pick him up then.”
Anyway, the training class didn’t require mandatory attendance. If something really came up, he could just skip a session.
“All right.”
After hearing that, her maternal aunt smiled and asked, “When are you coming to pick up Langlang?”
“Today, of course.”
Gu Qing replied. “It’s the weekend, so I have more free time.”
“That urgent?”
Her maternal aunt laughed and asked curiously, “Little Qing, are you hiding something from me?”
“We’ll talk when we meet…”
Gu Qing brushed it off and hung up, then hailed a taxi to go pick up Langlang.
Just wait.
Tomorrow, on Sunday, her backup little cousin would be making his appearance!
…
Meanwhile.
Inside the gym.
Forty minutes had passed in the morning training session when the alarm Chen Luo had set went off, and he blew his whistle as usual.
Then he said, “Take a break.”
After that, the children went over to the side to rest, while Chen Luo took out his basketball and started playing on the other half of the court.
Three-pointers, two-pointers… he made them effortlessly.
Hearing the sound of the basketball swishing through the net, Chen Luo’s mood brightened too.
How should you describe the satisfaction that sound brings?
It’s like in League of Legends, when players who love stacking Heartsteel risk their lives just to stack one more layer of Heartsteel and hear that crisp metallic clang…
Just as Chen Luo was getting into it, he suddenly heard Meng Yue calling him. He looked back and realized she had already walked up behind him.
“Chen Luo, can you teach me how to play basketball so I can get some exercise?”
Meng Yue asked.
“I remember… Teacher Meng, you didn’t used to like playing basketball, did you?”
Chen Luo replied with a hint of hesitation.
“I was in good shape back then. But these past few years, I’ve been sitting in an office every day, and I feel like I’ve gotten fat. I still need to exercise.”
Meng Yue replied in a tone of “time takes its toll.”
Chen Luo had nothing to say.
Upon closer inspection, Teacher Meng really had put on quite a bit in some areas.
When Meng Yue saw that Chen Luo wasn’t saying anything, she took it as his tacit approval. She immediately walked up in front of him, snatched the basketball from him almost forcefully, and started dribbling on the court.
Thanks to the foundation from college basketball physical education class, Meng Yue couldn’t be said to be completely clueless; her shots just weren’t very accurate.
After missing three times in a row, Meng Yue turned around and looked at Chen Luo. “Is there something wrong with my form? Come over and teach me.”
Chen Luo wore an expression that said he saw through it but wouldn’t say it out loud. After a few seconds, he still walked over and personally corrected Meng Yue’s shooting form.
“Bend your arm, and the motion needs to be smooth when you shoot… and don’t stick your butt out so much.”
Chen Luo adjusted her posture from behind, but her butt stuck out, which left him speechless.
His hand habitually patted Meng Yue’s perky buttocks.
She pulled her butt back in.
At the same time, she turned to look at Chen Luo with a flushed, angry expression and said, “What are you doing?”
“Sorry.”
Chen Luo said with a calm smile, “Force of habit.”
“…”
Meng Yue shot him a cold glare, then turned back around. A trace of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, and she continued following Chen Luo’s guidance.
She liked the feeling of being guided by Chen Luo. Whatever Chen Luo told her to do, she would do it, her mind going completely blank. It felt especially enjoyable.
Before long, Chen Luo had taught her most of the basics. Then he stood off to the side and said, “Now digest that on your own for a bit. If I teach you too much at once, you won’t be able to learn it.”
“Okay.”
Meng Yue answered, then said, “Chen Luo, can you take another look at my three-step layup? I knew this move in college. See if there’s anything I need to improve.”
After saying that, Meng Yue began demonstrating. She dribbled twice from beyond the three-point line, then held the basketball with both hands and started her three-step layup.
Chen Luo watched from the side.
Meng Yue’s form wasn’t a problem, but looking at it made his head spin a little.
Teacher Meng’s shots were way too wobbly.