He Jinxia discovered an aspect of Sheng Yan that was definitely unknown to outsiders, that he was quite sarcastic and could kill a conversation in an instant!
Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, just as she was about to say something, suddenly, Sheng Yan stood up on his own and said, "Let's go."
Before she could ask, Sheng Yan was already explaining, "To prevent my aging mother from tearing me to shreds, I'm going to teach you a unique weight loss method."
He Jinxia smiled lightly, neither overbearing nor humble, "Then I must thank Aunt Rui properly when I see her later."
Sheng Yan tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
Following Sheng Yan's steps, He Jinxia realized that this mansion had two underground levels.
They arrived at the second sub-level, the elevator opened, and what she saw was a series of sports rooms separated by transparent glass.
Some rooms were dedicated to fitness equipment, some had large badminton courts, there were also ping pong rooms, and finally, Sheng Yan stopped in front of one room, He Jinxia looked up—
Tennis rooms.
***
"Whew—bang!"
The tennis ball flew over, hitting the ground heavily, bouncing away, He Jinxia hurried over, her racket nearly caught the ball but still missed.
"Four to zero, I win," Sheng Yan's indifferent voice came from the other side.
He Jinxia took a deep breath, wiping sweat from her forehead with her hand, determinedly said, "Again!"
After arriving at the tennis room, Sheng Yan briefly taught He Jinxia how to hold the racket and how to serve and return balls before they started a match.
It was less of a match and more of a beginner's coaching session.
Having lost a whole set, He Jinxia barely grasped how to play tennis, and her serves finally started landing in the opponent's court.
With a "whew," the tennis ball slammed onto the court, He Jinxia predicted correctly, waiting where the ball would bounce next, and with a heavy hit with her racket, "whew—"
The tennis ball bounced up instantly, soaring cleanly and neatly into the air...
Well, straight up towards the sky.
He Jinxia smiled helplessly, hand wiping the sweat from her face, at least she had returned a ball, it was some progress, wasn't it?
Whether Sheng Yan was intentionally going easy was unclear, but He Jinxia started returning more and more balls.
What used to be a few seconds for one ball turned into a minute or two to determine the winner.
As they continuously served and returned balls, He Jinxia's understanding of tennis improved, her skills slightly enhanced while engaged in a "hard-to-separate" match with Sheng Yan when suddenly, Sheng Yan spoke up from across the net:
"Why have you been gaining more weight over the years?"
He Jinxia was stunned for a moment, her footwork faltered, "Ah? I—"
With a "whew," the tennis ball hit the ground and bounced away, He Jinxia didn't catch it.
He Jinxia looked around, took a ball out of her bag, went to the back to serve, and said, "I don't know either, I just keep gaining weight no matter what."
"Whew—"
Sheng Yan caught the ball smoothly, replying, "Haven't you been watching your diet?"
He Jinxia's lips parted as if to respond.
But realizing she couldn't multitask, she focused on the ball, returning it before saying, "I have, I've always eaten very little."
Sheng Yan said indifferently, "Then what's the reason, have you checked?"
He Jinxia kept her eyes on the ball, sent it back, and said with a slight delay, "I did, the doctor said I have too much male hormone in my body, which can cause obesity as a side effect."
Sheng Yan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, asking casually, "How did it increase?"
He Jinxia: "If I knew that, I wouldn't be this overweight now."
"Bang, whew—"
Sheng Yan returned the ball, his lips slightly parted, about to say something when suddenly, He Jinxia preempted from across the court, "Don't talk to me right now, let me focus on finishing this set!"
Sheng Yan: "..." It seemed to be the first time he'd been refused conversation since becoming famous.
He didn't speak, got a bit more serious, and quickly finished off He Jinxia with no chance of retaliation, ending the set within minutes.
He Jinxia, out of breath from running, heard Sheng Yan declare his victory, felt a sense of relief, and her body just flopped down on the ground limply, lying in a "big" character shape.
Looking up, she saw the dazzling lights on the ceiling.
Sweat dripped down her forehead, accidentally getting into her eyes, mixed with the blinding light, blurring her vision momentarily.
He Jinxia closed her eyes, raising her hand to wipe her face haphazardly.
At that moment, a sports towel was placed over her head, accompanied by Sheng Yan's indifferent voice, "Wipe yourself."
He Jinxia used the towel to wipe off the sweat on her face, opened her eyes, and saw Sheng Yan standing next to her, looking down at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Their gazes met briefly before Sheng Yan looked away first, lifting his head and asking indifferently, "When do you plan to start losing weight?"
He Jinxia replied subconsciously, "Next week."
Sheng Yan's gaze grew a little heavier, as if considering something, he muttered to himself, "That's about right."
His voice was so soft that He Jinxia's ears didn't catch it, but her eyes "read" it.
That's about right?
What did that mean?
Her eyebrows furrowed, "You—"
"Let's go, eat something to replenish your energy," Sheng Yan said at the same time as he turned to leave, his words drowning out He Jinxia's voice.
He Jinxia tilted her head slightly, watching Sheng Yan's retreating figure, a trace of contemplation in her eyes, then she stood up and followed.
The Sheng Family's dining room once again refreshed He Jinxia's impression of the wealthy lifestyle.
A single lunch could be turned into a high-quality small buffet with both Chinese and Western dishes by the Sheng Family's chef.
The world of the wealthy in TV dramas, which seemed so unattainable, fake, and exaggerated, felt entirely believable when experienced firsthand, leaving one amazed yet unsurprised.
He Jinxia looked at the exquisite dishes, gaining a clear understanding of Aunt Rui's status, and at the same time wondering, how did her mother get to know Aunt Rui?
From what she observed, the two of them appeared to have a very good relationship.