Shen Jingwei swallowed his resentment and stepped onto the training floor.
"Good morning, Teacher Zhou," he greeted the middle-aged man before flashing the other two a cryptic smile.
"Long time no see, Manager Wen and Mr. Yan."
Teacher Zhou smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shen. Did you bring a pair of training shoes with you?"
Shen Jingwei looked down at his sports shoes.
"Won't these do?" He asked.
"No. And I suggest you always wear training shoes when you practice swordsmanship."
Shen Jingwei was filled with regret. He was about to call Zhu Dongyi and ask him to get some special training shoes for sword training when Yan Renzhong spoke up.
"I brought an extra pair with me. Would you like to wear it for today?"
Shen Jingwei knew Yan Renzhong's size. It was one whole number bigger than his.
"I don't think they will fit me," Shen Jingwei said. "Thank you for the offer, though."
"Give it a try," Yan Renzhong insisted.
The three people were staring at Shen Jingwei full of expectation.
"Alright," Shen Jingwei agreed. What was the harm in proving Yan Renzhong wrong anyway?
Wen Guilin brought out a new pair of training shoes and put them in front of Shen Jingwei.
He gingerly slipped his feet in and... They fit him perfectly.
"..."
Shen Jingwei was stunned.
Did Yan Renzhong's feet grow smaller after three years?
"Is it comfortable enough to wear?" Teacher Zhou asked.
"Uh... Yes, surprisingly," Shen Jingwei admitted.
And so Zhu Dongyi was spared the trip to the shoe store.
Shen Jingwei's first lesson in swordsmanship thus began.
"I understand that you must master the basic techniques of swordsmanship in only two weeks," Teacher Zhou rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Five hours a day for two weeks isn't enough time to cover everything I need to teach you. Thankfully, you are not learning to become a swordsman. Knowing how to execute the moves is good enough."
Shen Jingwei nodded excitedly.
"Therefore, I will start by teaching you how to take a stance and hold a sword."
"Yes, Teacher."
The training quickly progressed to practicing basic movements like cutting, thrusting, and parrying.
While these were relatively easy against empty air, facing a live opponent proved to be a markedly different and painful experience.
Especially if the opponent was a trained swordsman such as Yan Renzhong.
"Argh!"
Shen Jingwei let out a frustrated roar when Yan Renzhong disarmed him for the third time in fifteen minutes.
"Let's catch some lunch break," Teacher Zhou announced.
Thank God.
Shen Jingwei was starving.
Zhu Dongyi was already waiting for him in the annex room with two pre-packaged lunch boxes.
"Ahhh, I am so hungry." A meticulously arranged assortment of sushi, a fragrant chicken rice bowl, and a vibrant fresh salad formed a composition that almost brought him to tears.
But the offering fell short to Shen Jingwei's disgruntlement about his current situation.
"Old Zhu, what are you doing???" He hissed at his manager.
"Of all martial arts schools you could pick from, you just had to pick the one Yan Renzhong visited!"
"Hehehe..."
"Don't hehe me! I am serious!" Shen Jingwei snapped, with all seriousness he could muster while stuffing sushi rolls into his mouth.
"First of all, this school offers the best instructors throughout the country. Which explains why Yan Renzhong takes lessons here.
Second of all, you and he have a lot of scenes together. It is important to build some chemistry between the two of you."
Shen Jingwei groaned into a palm.
Whatever chemistry they had already burned down the building and left behind a pile of charcoal.
What further chemistry could they have?
"We are actors who work together at the present time. I am sure that we can conjure enough professional attitude to perform well during the drama," he reasoned.
"So do you want me to pick another school?" Zhu Dongyi asked.
"Meh."
Shen Jingwei scooped into his rice bowl.
"No need, I guess. By the way, where is he?" He nodded toward the empty, adjacent table next to theirs. Two lunchboxes, untouched, was sitting on top of it.
"Manager Wen is taking a call outside. Yan Renzhong is outside, running a few laps before lunch."
"... Isn't he hardworking."
After an intensive first lesson, Shen Jingwei was barely able to stand upright. Yan Renzhong, on the other hand, was bursting with energy.
How enviable.
Mid-eating, Shen Jingwei happened to catch sight of a huge plastic bag lying next to Zhu Dongyi.
"Old Zhu, what is that?"
Zhu Dongyi followed his line of sight before exclaiming, "Ahhhhh! I forgot to distribute lunches to the teachers!"
"Oh?"
"You are going to bother them for two weeks, of course I have to bring them lunch as well!"
Zhu Dongyi quickly abandoned his half-eaten lunch and jumped to his feet.
"Wait, let me take a look."
Shen Jingwei then rummaged inside the plastic bag and took out a curry bun.
"I want this one."
Zhu Dongyi stared at his protégé.
"Haven't you eaten enough, Little Shen? Xie Jianyu is supposed to have a lean built..."
"It's not for me!" Shen Jingwei interjected. "It's for Yan Renzhong."
"Eh?"
Shen Jingwei was too lazy to explain. He dashed out of the annex room, leaving the flabbergasted manager behind.
The running track was just outside the building, and Yan Renzhong was the only person who was crazy enough to run during lunchtime.
The others, the normal ones like him, were busy devouring their lunch.
Shen Jingwei merely wanted to thank him for lending him that pair of training shoes, and nothing more.
True to Zhu Dongyi's words, Yan Renzhong was indeed to be found on the running track, but he was not alone.
He was with Lang Yuxuan.
------------
Author's note :
Mini theater!
Shen Jingwei : The author is the real villain in this novel. She keeps playing with my heart (┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻
Author : Nooo, this author is a benevolent NPC! QAQ!