Chapter Eight: Chang Bin
Having just defeated Coach Shen who is 1.9 meters tall, Xiang Kun suddenly became the center of attention and conversation in the gym. Some even took out their phones to secretly snap photos of him doing squats – and they were all muscular and burly men...
He didn't expect that the bet would attract such attention, which made Xiang Kun feel a bit helpless.
In the end, he tested his squat and deadlift data, which were 210KG and 240KG respectively.
This strength data was nearly twice his college achievements.
From the admiring and envious looks of the muscular men in the gym, it was clear that these results were quite impressive, even among the gym-goers.
After a simple stretch and relaxation session, Xiang Kun left the gym to go grocery shopping.
While in the supermarket, his phone rang. He saw the caller id to his surprise; it was his old college roommate who introduced him to the gym.
This was quite a coincidence.
Xiang Kun was a rather introverted person during his student days and did not enjoy the hustle and bustle.
However, both in secondary and university, he had one or two good friends. The roommate Chang Bin who was calling him now was one of them.
"Why don't you reply to messages on WeChat? Do you no longer use WeChat, or are you deliberately ignoring me?" Complained Chang Bin on the other end of the phone as soon as the call was connected.
"Recently, I haven't been checking WeChat much. I even forgot to reply to my dad's message, causing my mom to chase me up with a call." Xiang Kun replied, "Why did you suddenly think of contacting me?"
"Of course, I'm offering you help in your time of need! Have you found work yet?"
Xiang Kun was surprised: "How did you know I lost my job?"
Chang Bin mentioned a company name and said: "It's my girlfriend's company. They're launching a new project and recruiting. A few people from your previous company have applied, saying that it went under. She remembered my mentioning you and your old company and mentioned it to me. She said, if you haven't found a job yet, you could try applying. Based on your skills and experience, you'll be definitely be hired. They offer quite good remuneration packages, and if you get in, your salary won't be much lower than your previous one. Also… my girlfriend is in charge of recruitment…"
Chang Bin didn't directly say that he would pull strings for him, but Xiang Kun was tempted. Though he still had some savings, he also had a mortgage to pay. Not working wasn't an option. But considering his current physical condition, he hesitated for a moment and then said, "Thanks, Bin, but I plan to take rest for a while, and I don't want to look for work right now."
"Taking a break is good too. You've dedicated so much of yourself to work these past years, which is a waste of your youth. You might as well take this opportunity to settle your life's big event and date someone. Speaking of which… where are you? Now that you're unemployed, you should have some free time, come over and have a meal at Xichun Road."
"Ah, let's skip the meal." What Xiang Kun feared the most now was dining with others. He basically couldn't eat anything and would vomit whatever he ate. He couldn't possibly drink blood directly at the dining table, could he?
"Enough chit-chat, come over here immediately. I'll send you the location on WeChat, take a cab."
Xiang Kun continued to hesitate: "I've already eaten..."
But Chang Bin was very firm: "Even if you've eaten, still come over. I'll introduce someone to you. You just watch us eat."
"Ah… you know I'm not used to socializing..."
"I see you've been in the workforce for years now, and still don't understand? You can't be a lone ranger in this world; you won't succeed on your own! Your project team also requires the cooperation and collaboration of the different departments, right? Take the time to meet with your old classmates and keep in touch. It would be more convenient to lend each other a hand when the need arises."
"I understand what you're saying, but that's just my personality..." If it were other people or former classmates, Xiang Kun definitely wouldn't have spoken so much, and possibly might not have even answered the call. But his relationship with Chang Bin was indeed special, and he knew Chang Bin really had his best interests at heart.
"Okay, okay, I won't give you a moral and political ethos lecture today. There's no one else around. The person I'm introducing to you is my girlfriend... or rather, my fiancee! I've mentioned her many times, we've been together for over a year now, but you haven't met her yet. Anyway, if you don't come over today, I'll blacklist you. Now, what will you do?"
Xiang Kun sighed, and reluctantly agreed: "Okay, I'll go over to chat with you guys, but I'm not eating..."
Around six, Xiang Kun arrived at the restaurant. He met with his old friend, Chang Bin, whom he hadn't seen for a while, and his fiancee, Wang Han.
"Holy shit, where are your glasses? And when did you go bald? Damn, you scared me! I almost couldn't recognize you." Chang Bin didn't realize who was in front of him until Xiang Kun sat down.
"Didn't I just lose my job? I thought I'd change my image. I was losing quite a bit of hair anyway, so I might as well shave it all off." Xiang Kun said with a smile, and then turned to the attractive woman in a professional suit next to his friend, greeting her, "You must be Wang Han, right? Although it's our first meeting today, I have heard a lot about you from Bin."
Wang Han also smiled, "It's the same the other way around. Bin often mentions you too, saying that from the first year of college, he knew you were the smartest person in their class."
"He's jinxing me! Intelligence, see how smart I am…" Xiang Kun teased while stroking his bald head.
Wang Han was a petite and pretty local girl. She was very appropriate in her actions and words, exuding an elegant charm. Chang Bin told him that even though Wang Han was two years younger than them, she was already middle management in her company, and she worked very hard.
However, perhaps because Chang Bin had mentioned it before, Wang Han didn't bring up the subject of Xiang Kun working at her company. They just chatted casually, recounting various anecdotes from their college days; the ambience was pretty good.
"The bone soup here is very good; the taste is excellent. Even if you have already eaten, you can still drink a bowl of soup," Chang Bin said, about to ladle some soup into Xiang Kun's bowl.
Xiang Kun quickly moved his bowl away, "No, no, I'm working out, and I just got back from the gym. I've already eaten my nutrition meal and can't eat anything else."
Chang Bin paused for a moment, took a closer look at him, and nodded, "Hmm, no wonder you look much thinner. That's good, really good, it's indeed necessary to exercise. You look much better than the last time I saw you, almost ten years younger. Hmm, I should also make time to exercise."
Wang Han next to him suggested, "Should we order some fruit salad?"
"No need, no need. I'll just drink some water. We can eat together another time." Xiang Kun said, finally convincing the two with his excuse.