Chapter Eight

Liang Yuheng's voice is so pleasant to listen to, it has a kind of tantalizing quality.

Shi Qing instantly felt her face getting hot.

She pinched herself lightly.

People say they like eating cake, what's there to be ashamed of?

“However, you don’t need to deliver it every day, once a week is fine.” Liang Yuheng’s deep voice came again.

"Okay," Shi Qing replied mechanically.

Liang Yuheng then asked, "What time do you usually get off work?"

Shi Qing snapped out of her reverie: "It's usually nine o'clock, but it might be a little late if the guests have something come up. What's wrong?"

Liang Yuheng: "It's nothing, just asking."

Driver Zhao Fei inadvertently noticed in the rearview mirror that Liang Yuheng's previously tense face relaxed after hanging up the phone.

He had been driving for Liang Yuheng for several years, and this was the first time he had seen him so emotionally volatile in just a few minutes because of someone else.

-

After finishing her class on Saturday noon, Shi Qing ordered a salad.

As she was eating, she suddenly remembered that she was going to see Liang Yuheng's mother tomorrow, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.

She had originally thought that Liang Yuheng would accompany her to meet her parents first.

For some reason, Zhang Mei hadn't contacted her during this time, so Shi Qing certainly wouldn't take the initiative to bring Liang Yuheng back.

After thinking about it, Shi Qing decided to send a message to ask about tomorrow's arrangements.

Shi Qing: [Are you busy?]

Soon, Liang Yuheng called.

Liang Yuheng: "I'm not busy, what's wrong?"

Shi Qing wiped her mouth: "I wanted to ask, is there anything I should be aware of when I see Auntie tomorrow?"

“My mother has a heart condition and her emotions have been unstable before.” Liang Yuheng paused for a moment, then continued, “I might need your help.”

Shi Qing had heard Zhou Han mention before that his mother had stayed in a sanatorium a couple of years ago.

She felt it was only right for her to help, since she had received so many valuable gifts.

Shi Qing felt that she was willing to do anything she could.

"Sure, go ahead," Shi Qing said gently.

Liang Yuheng: "My mom is very happy to hear about our marriage. I don't want her to know, so could you please cooperate with me?"

Shi Qing said she understood, and stared at the tomatoes in the salad, asking, "Okay, but I'm not quite sure how to make it?"

"We're just pretending to be a normal married couple, so we might have to act a little more intimate. Do you mind?"

When Liang Yuheng spoke so solemnly, Shi Qing originally thought he was asking her to do something important, but she didn't expect it to be this.

"No, I don't mind." Shi Qing was a little embarrassed. She said softly, "Well, I've never been in a relationship before, so I might not have much experience."

Liang Yuheng chuckled and said, "It's alright, you just need to cooperate with me."

"Okay. By the way, what should I call Auntie?"

Liang Yuheng: "My mom doesn't care about titles or anything like that. You can call her whatever you want, even just her name."

"Okay, I understand." Shi Qing smiled as well.

"Don't be nervous, my mom is a very nice person, she likes you very much." Liang Yuheng's voice was much lighter than before.

Hearing this, Shi Qing relaxed a lot: "Okay."

Liang Yuheng concluded by saying, "Don't bring any gifts tomorrow. I've already prepared some. I'll come to your house to pick you up then."

Shi Qing felt that Liang Yuheng was truly thoughtful in his work.

Despite what he said, Shi Qing still planned to pick out a gift for his mother after get off work that evening.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Shi Qing saw a message from store manager Darnell, asking her to come to the office.

Shi Qing knocked on the door and went in, asking, "Manager, what can I do for you?"

"Coach Shi, please have a seat." Darnell smiled politely. "You've done very well in the past six months. Many members have given you very positive feedback, and you've also recommended a lot of customers to the store. My boss at the company specifically praised you when I went to the meeting this morning."

Shi Qing smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, store manager."

Darnell smiled modestly: "Our store has never had an assistant store manager, and the higher-ups are considering you and Sherry. To be honest, I value your abilities more. Do a good job."

Shi Qing was a little excited after hearing this, but she didn't show it too obviously: "Okay, store manager, I will do my best."

Darnell nodded in agreement, then changed the subject: "You have a client named Zheng Nan. I see her course is almost finished. Doesn't she plan to renew?"

Shi Qing's lips drooped slightly: "I asked her, and she said she plans to travel abroad for a while and then consider whether to come back."

“I think her family is quite wealthy. You should try your best to retain this customer base. Once you stop, many people won’t want to train anymore. See if you can get her to pay the money first, and say that the shop can extend her training time by six months and give her a few private lessons so she can come back to train.” Although Darnell spoke tactfully, it was clear that he was assigning a task.

Shi Qing felt conflicted, but still smiled and said, "I'll talk to her."

"Okay, I believe you! Go and get some rest."

"Goodbye, store manager." Shi Qing gently closed the door after leaving.

Back in the lounge, Shi Qing sighed softly. She didn't like forcing her students to continue their lessons; if they wanted to keep practicing, they would sign up on their own. Otherwise, nagging them would only make them resentful.

She thought of the assistant store manager position again. If Zhao Xiaoxue took it, Shi Qing's life would be miserable from then on. So no matter what, she still had to try her best to get it.

-

Shi Qing received a call from Qian Min right after the first class in the afternoon.

"Hey, what's wrong, sister-in-law?"

Qian Min rarely called her, and Shi Qing had a bad feeling.

Qian Min said anxiously, "Shi Qing, come home right away! Something terrible has happened! Your brother is away on a business trip, you need to come back immediately!"

Hearing the arguing on the phone, Shi Qing became anxious, wondering what was going on: "What's wrong? What happened?"

Qian Min: "Mom and Dad are about to fight, come back quickly, I'm hanging up now!"

Shi Qing's afternoon and evening classes were full, and some students were already arriving, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask the store manager for leave.

When the store manager heard this, he was very unhappy, but he still let her go back.

On the way back by taxi, Shi Qing apologized to each of the students behind her, saying that something had come up at home and that other instructors had to take over.

Fortunately, she rarely took leave before, and her relationship with the students was good, so most people didn't say anything.

When Shi Qing got home, she heard Zhang Mei shouting.

"Sister-in-law, what happened?!" Shi Qing almost stepped on the shattered glass on the ground.

Qian Min whispered, "Mom suspects Dad is cheating on her, and she's been making a scene just now."

Shi Qing opened her mouth in shock, unable to accept it for a moment.

Zhang Mei pounded on the bedroom door: "Shi Yongwei! Get out here! Don't you have any shame? I've served your whole family all these years, and you've been out there looking for a vixen!"

Shi Qing quickly pulled her aside, saying, "Mom, calm down."

Zhang Mei shoved Shi Qing's hand away and burst into tears, crying like a madwoman: "How can I calm down! You all side with him, not a single person understands my suffering!"

Shi Qing: "Mom, could it be a misunderstanding? Let's ask Dad to come out and explain. Your fuss won't solve anything."

Zhang Mei's eyes were bloodshot, and spittle was flying from her mouth: "I saw him holding hands with that woman with my own eyes, what else could it be but a misunderstanding! Shi Yongwei, if you have the guts, go back to that woman's past, and we'll get a divorce!"

Suddenly, the bedroom door was flung open from the inside.

Shi Yongwei roared with a gloomy face, "What are you yelling about, you bitch! You're being completely unreasonable! You're making so much noise, it's driving me crazy!"

Seeing that he was about to leave, Zhang Mei grabbed Shi Yongwei's arm and said, "Where are you going? If you go back to see that vixen, I'll kill myself right here!"

Shi Yongwei pushed her forcefully: "Let go! Do you really want the neighbors to know?!"

Zhang Mei wouldn't let go: "Now you're afraid of others finding out!"

The two were tearing at each other, their clothes were almost torn apart.

Qian Min was so annoyed that she wanted to go back to her parents' home. She felt that she was the one who had married into the family, and seeing that Shi Qing was there, she couldn't be bothered to care about them.

Shi Qing had no choice but to step in to break up the fight, but the elderly couple were both incredibly strong and pushed her hard to the ground.

"ah!"

Shi Qing instantly felt a sharp pain in her right arm.

Zhang Mei and Shi Yongwei then stopped for a moment.

They glanced at Shi Qing, still seething with anger.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Yongwei opened the door, walked out, and slammed the door shut.

Zhang Mei returned to her bedroom and burst into tears, so Qian Min had to go and comfort her mother-in-law.

Shi Qing was in so much pain that her forehead was sweating and her lips were white from being bitten so hard.

Finally, she sat on the floor for a few minutes to calm down, and then went to the bedroom to comfort Zhang Mei.

Zhang Mei scolded for a while until she got tired and then stopped for a bit.

At that moment, store manager Darnell called.

Darnell urged, "Shi Qing, are you done? You really can't schedule your remaining classes; everyone's busy. I remember one client bought a year's membership; she's not someone you want to offend. Try to come back if you can!"

Seeing that she couldn't help at home, Shi Qing agreed: "Okay, Coach, I'll be right back."

"Okay, okay!"

When Zhang Mei heard that Shi Qing was leaving, she got angry again: "You silly girl, the house is a mess, and you're still thinking about your lousy job! Who works on weekends? You care more about your lousy job than your own mother!"

Shi Qing's hand was already hurting, and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to adjust her classes. When she heard Zhang Mei say this, she felt both angry and aggrieved: "It's my freedom to do whatever job I want. It was my dad who had the affair, not me. Don't take your anger out on me!"

Zhang Mei was clearly taken aback; this was the first time Shi Qing had spoken to her like this.

After saying that, Shi Qing ignored Zhang Mei's scolding, turned around, grabbed her things, and left.

When Shi Qing returned to class in the afternoon, her right arm hurt with the slightest movement, so she could only verbally instruct the students on how to practice.

When the other students heard that she had fallen and hurt her arm, they were quite understanding.

The last class tonight happened to be Zheng Nan's class. After class, Shi Qing tested her rectus abdominis muscles and said with a smile, "It's almost fully recovered. Come and feel it for yourself."

Zheng Nan bent over again, raised her hand to touch her belly, and said in surprise, "Really! Coach, thank you so much. My husband has been very surprised by the changes in me lately."

Shi Qing: "It's the result of your perseverance over this period of time, so your efforts will definitely pay off."

Zheng Nan: "Anyway, thank you Coach Shi."

Shi Qing: "Of course. By the way, you still have two classes left. Have you considered continuing to practice after your trip? If you want to renew your subscription, there's a promotion going on recently, and I've also asked the manager if we can extend your subscription by another six months."

Zheng Nan was very interested after hearing this, but hesitated for a moment and said, "Coach, I'll take a break after this month's training. If I want to train again later, I'll sign up for your classes."

Shi Qing didn't say anything more, and politely smiled, "Sure, you can contact me anytime you need anything."

Zheng Nan: "Okay, coach, I'll head back now."

"Okay, bye-bye."

Shi Qing returned to the dressing room feeling dejected, wondering how she should tell the store manager.

"Shi Qing, what happened to your arm?" Qi Li was packing her things to go home when she turned around and saw Shi Qing's swollen arm.

Shi Qing endured the pain until now, looking haggard and weak. She casually said, "I just accidentally fell, it's nothing."

Qi Li asked worriedly, "Have you gone to the hospital?"

Shi Qing smiled and shook her head: "It shouldn't be serious."

Qi Li: "You're pushing yourself too hard. You should still go check on things, just in case something goes wrong when you come back."

Shi Qing: "Okay, I'll go in a bit."

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoxue and Wang Senran also came over to change their clothes.

Wang Senran said with envy, "Sherry, your parents are so kind! They still came to pick you up at this hour."

"It's my birthday today, so pick me up for dinner later." Zhao Xiaoxue said with a smug smile as she changed her clothes.

Wang Senran: "You're so lucky!"

Zhao Xiaoxue didn't seem to care: "They're so annoying. I actually wanted to go on a date with my boyfriend tonight."

Wang Senran approached her and said something, and Zhao Xiaoxue smiled shyly and hit her.

Although Shi Qing didn't like Zhao Xiaoxue, she still envied her after hearing what they said.

She had never experienced the feeling of being pampered by her parents.

When Shi Qing passed by the first floor, she went into a luxury store and bought a silk scarf and a bottle of perfume.

Shi Qing still felt a little heartache at spending several thousand yuan, but when she thought about all the things Liang Yuheng had given her, her gift was actually quite insignificant.

As Shi Qing left the mall, she realized it was raining outside.

It didn't rain when she brought an umbrella a few days ago, but today she didn't.

Today was really unlucky.

The umbrellas in the mall were too expensive, and Shi Qing couldn't bear to spend any more money.

Afraid of getting the gifts wet, she went back into the store to find a plastic bag and carefully wrapped the items up.

After leaving the mall again, Shi Qing put the plastic bag in her arms and ran straight into the rain.

She was in a bad mood and wanted to get some rain.

The summer rain wasn't cold on her skin, but Shi Qing actually felt quite refreshed.

"Stop."

Liang Yuheng's deep, cold voice came from behind the car.

Hearing the sound, Xiao Zhao stopped his car by the roadside. He followed Liang Yuheng's direction and saw Shi Qing's figure.

Visibility was poor in the rain, and Xiao Zhao wondered how Liang Yuheng could see her from such a distance.

The sound of running footsteps splashing in the rain came from the ground, mixed with the honking of car horns. Shi Qing vaguely heard someone calling her from behind.

She turned around blankly and saw a tall figure running towards her under the streetlight.