"Oh! Qi... Ken! Fancy meeting you here at the gym?" Running into Ken here was equally unexpected for Zhu Ke'er. She almost blurted out "Sensei Saitama" but caught herself just in time. After all, they had only met once; they weren't that familiar. Using that nickname was fine when they were alone as a joke, but with other people around now, it would seem odd.
"Yes, I just got a membership here a few days ago," Ken replied.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries at the gym entrance, Ken departed. Both tacitly avoided mentioning her recent rejected invitation for barbecue—partly due to the presence of her companion, but largely because it was hardly a significant matter. Someone declining a casual supper invitation due to prior engagements was perfectly normal.
Watching Ken leave, the tall, slender girl who had been quietly standing beside Zhu Ke'er asked curiously, "So that's the famous 'Sensei Saitama'? He looks incredibly muscular..."
Zhu Ke'er had to admit she was somewhat surprised too. Ken had just finished his workout; barely sweating, he was still in his athletic shorts and tank top, which presented a rather striking visual impact. During their café meeting, his loose-fitting jeans and T-shirt had hinted at a sturdy build, but she hadn't realized he was thisrobust.
The girl glanced at Zhu Ke'er. "But his looks are just average, isn't he? And that bald head... You said he's a programmer? Oh, a currently unemployedprogrammer? Nana, why on earth would he turn youdown?"
"Ugh, must you phrase it like I got dumped?" Zhu Ke'er rolled her eyes at her friend. "I wasn't interested in him to begin with! I just casually asked if he wanted to join for barbecue while we were eating. He simply had other plans."
The girl, Yang Rui, was Zhu Ke'er's best friend and current roommate. They shared almost everything, so she was fully aware of the blind date encounter. In fact, she had been the one egging Ke'er on to invite Ken out that night.
"Come on, he turned down your invite and then didn't bother to message you afterward or suggest another plan. Doesn't that clearly signal he's not interested?" Yang Rui stated bluntly.
Zhu Ke'er had no retort. She could only huff, "So what if he's not interested? It's not like I'm some fairy maiden that everyone adores... If you hadn't been so curious to see this 'Sensei Saitama,' I wouldn't have even texted him in the first place! This is all your fault!"
"Aww, are you actually upset? Okay, okay, my fault entirely!" Yang Rui laughed, draping an arm over her friend's shoulder as they headed into the yoga studio. "You arethe adorable fairy maiden, obviously that bald guy is just blind..."
After the yoga class, on their way home, Zhu Ke'er found the incident nagging at her more and more. Since childhood, she'd never lacked suitors. But she was particularly stubborn, convinced that if the "spark" wasn't there, she wouldn't settle. Consequently, she had never been in a relationship. As she grew older, her family had begun to worry.
Personally, she deeply disliked and resisted the idea of blind date, finding it overly transactional. She had refused numerous family arrangements in the past, only finally giving in this year under relentless pressure. The meeting with Ken was only her second time.
She had gone along with it out of respect for her sister and her sister's friend, Sister Han, intending to just go through the motions. She'd even planned to find an excuse to leave after twenty minutes. Surprisingly, the bald "Sensei Saitama" had been quite interesting, and their conversation was genuinely pleasant, completely devoid of the usual blind date pressure.
She had even worried briefly that the conversation might have been toopleasant, leading the "bald uncle" to get the wrong idea. She had mentally prepared responses for how to politely decline if he started messaging frequently or asking her out repeatedly.
Yet, after they parted that day, the "bald uncle" hadn't sent a single message—no greetings, no casual chats, no invitations. Nothing.
While she hadn't been interested in Ken herself and was prepared to reject any advances, his total silence left her with an inexplicably strange feeling.
Initially, she hadn't paid it much mind; after all, this was the outcome she wanted. But a few days later, while having barbecue with Yang Rui, the topic of the "bald uncle" came up again. Yang Rui insisted that "Sensei Saitama" must simply not be interested in Ke'er, hence the radio silence. She even made a bet, challenging Ke'er to see if she could actually get "Sensei Saitama" to join them for barbecue.
The subsequent rejection itself shouldn't have been a big deal—last-minute invitations get declined all the time. But Ken's reply had been so curt and casual, followed by continued silence, which seemed to scream "I'm not interested" loud and clear.
Although Zhu Ke'er claimed not to care, Yang Rui's occasional remarks eventually got under her skin, fueling a sense of pique mixed with curiosity. Why exactly had Ken written her off so decisively? The outright rejection, without even a hint of wanting further acquaintance, stung.
Yang Rui, driving, continued her running commentary on Ken—perhaps he preferred women with curvier, more voluptuous figures, ideal for childbearing; maybe he already had a girlfriend unknown to her sister's friend; or perhaps his interests lay elsewhere entirely...
Finally, Zhu Ke'er couldn't take it anymore. She pulled out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Ken.
...
While running into Zhu Ke'er at the gym was surprising and slightly awkward, Ken didn't dwell on it afterward. From his perspective, after his previous replies, it was certain Zhu Ke'er wouldn't contact him again. He truly had no time or mental space to consider romantic entanglements now.
At the gym today, through heavy single-arm dumbbell curls, he had confirmed his left arm was significantly stronger than his right. This proved that targeted training could indeed influence the direction of his bodily changes, enhancements, or evolution following each feeding.
Consequently, Ken adjusted his training regimen today. He tested the strength increase in various muscle groups post-feeding with single sets of maximum weight lifts, then abandoned training near his maximum capacity. Instead, he focused on sets of at least 24 repetitions, reducing pure strength training in favor of exercises improving coordination, flexibility, and reaction speed. Many of these new exercises and techniques were ones he had hastily compiled from online research the previous night. Yet, given his current level of muscular control, he mastered them with proficiency and ease after just a few attempts.
Next, Ken planned to intensify training for his senses—vision, hearing, smell, etc.—eager to discover the upper limits of these capabilities. He was sitting at his computer, drafting this new training plan, when his phone buzzed. Picking it up, he saw it was a WeChat message. From Zhu Ke'er.