IJLHTW - 7

Huo Ci looked at him coldly. Was he playing with her?

At this moment, Yi Zecheng had already let go of her leg. With his eyes lowered, he said calmly, “If it still hurts, you can massage it along the calf yourself. Try not to do any intense exercise for the next half hour.”

Huo Ci looked up at him. “How do I massage it? Teach me.”

He had already picked up the gym bag placed on the ground beside him and stood up. When Huo Ci stood face-to-face with him, she already had to look up, not to mention now that she was sitting on the floor.

They stood like that for a moment, and just when Huo Ci thought he was going to turn and leave—

Yi Zecheng unexpectedly put down the bag in his hand again. He was still dressed in a suit today, no tie, his shirt slightly unbuttoned. It lessened the restrained austerity and added a refined elegance.

He squatted down in front of her, reached out, and gently held her right calf, pressing upward from the bottom with moderate pressure—not too light or too heavy. It immediately relieved the lingering cramps in her leg.

But what Huo Ci was thinking about was: what would he look like wearing a white lab coat?

“Did you remember it?” His low and pleasant voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up in a hurry and saw his deep, indifferent gaze.

His features were sharply defined. Such a handsome face suddenly magnified before her eyes, even someone like her who was used to seeing beautiful people was momentarily stunned.

True beauty lies in bearing and charm.

In the modeling industry, there were indeed many male models with striking features—high noses and sword-like eyebrows—but none of them had the composed and noble aura he carried.

Huo Ci didn’t reply. Yi Zecheng was already standing up. This time, he picked up his bag and left directly.

It wasn’t until he entered the men’s locker room nearby that Huo Ci realized she had forgotten to thank him.

Huo Ci came out with her belongings, walking a little awkwardly. Lin Nana, who was moving some workout equipment nearby, noticed right away. She immediately came over and asked, “Huo Ci-jie, what happened to your leg?”

“Cramped,” Huo Ci said, putting down her towel and water bottle.

Lin Nana was stunned for a second and quickly fetched her a folding chair.

Seeing her standing by, Huo Ci said in a low voice, “Go back to what you’re doing, I’ll be fine after a bit of rest.”

Lin Nana sat down on a pile of exercise mats nearby and shook her head. “It’s fine, there’s not many people around anyway.”

Just then, a man dressed in a black tracksuit walked out from the locker room. He was also wearing a black T-shirt, loose workout pants, and black sneakers with white soles. When he came out, Lin Nana immediately stood up and cheerfully called out, “Xiao Ci-jie, sit tight for a bit, I’ll go greet one of the members.”

“Mr. Yi, you haven’t come in days,” she said to him. Lin Nana, normally loud and carefree, now spoke in a soft and gentle tone. Huo Ci, sitting not far away, couldn’t help but chuckle at the sudden change in demeanor.

Yi Zecheng looked at the young woman in front of him. She was the only girl in the club before, and her enthusiasm toward him was a bit much.

But compared to other places, she was already considered reserved.

He nodded slightly in greeting and walked over to the punching bag hanging in the corner.

Lin Nana came back with a happy expression on her face.

With someone that good-looking, just watching them could bring happiness.

“When did he start coming here?” Huo Ci asked as she looked at the man putting on boxing gloves.

Although he wasn’t as tightly wrapped up as he was in a suit, he only revealed his arms. When he raised his hands and tested a few punches on the bag, the muscles in his arms suddenly tensed, smooth and powerful. Though he wore a loose T-shirt, the outlines of his chest muscles were still faintly visible.

This must be what they mean by: slim in clothes, muscular underneath.

Seeing Huo Ci staring unblinkingly, Lin Nana wasn’t annoyed. Instead, she spoke with excitement, like showing off a prized possession: “He came on September 11th. It’s been almost two months. He’s really good-looking, right? The first time I saw him, I wondered how someone could look that good.”

The club was full of men. Even if they thought Yi Zecheng was handsome, none of them would openly swoon like Lin Nana.

It was rare for her to find someone she could gush to.

Yi Zecheng was already practicing on the punching bag. His strength was great, each punch producing a muffled thud.

Huo Ci looked away and turned to Lin Nana, asking, “Weren’t you into Han Yao?”

Her girlish secret exposed, Lin Nana grew flustered and immediately denied, “Who likes that jerk? Acting all high and mighty like he owns Chang’an Street or something.”

Though both were Beijing girls, Lin Nana grew up in a traditional hutong neighborhood. Her speech was sharp and rapid-fire, like a machine gun.

In contrast, Huo Ci was too aloof—never overly friendly with anyone. Warmth and cheer just weren’t part of her nature.

But just as Lin Nana finished speaking, a man in a gray jacket walked in.

Han Yao hadn’t been around for nearly a month because of a training retreat.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Yi Zecheng by the punching bag, then turned and spotted Huo Ci and Lin Nana sitting nearby.

He had already heard Lin Nana’s rant from the entrance and now teased with a smile, “Nabi, who made you so angry? Sounds like you swallowed gunpowder.”

Lin Nana was instantly furious. She jumped up from the exercise mat and shouted, “Don’t call me that!”

“Aren’t you the one who told Liu Zuo and the others to call you that?” Han Yao said with a mischievous smile, arms crossed.

Lin Nana had seen a variety show once. There was a girl on it also named Nana, whose nickname was “Nabi”—cute and coquettish. It struck a chord with her restless, romantic heart. So she made her dad’s apprentices call her that. Many of her senior brothers were sparring partners at the club, and one of them had said it within Han Yao’s earshot.

Since then, he’d made fun of her mercilessly. Ugly people acting cute, he said.

That thoroughly offended Miss Lin.

She leapt up to hit him, but Han Yao ran fast, dashing straight over to where Yi Zecheng was. Lin Nana, who always acted like a little bunny in front of Yi Zecheng, didn’t dare chase him there.

Huo Ci watched Han Yao talking with Yi Zecheng and asked, “Do they know each other?”

“He was introduced by Han Yao. Apparently, they've known each other since they were kids—grew up in the same military compound. Just think how unlucky my male god is, having to deal with that troublemaker since childhood.”

As she cursed Han Yao, Lin Nana still looked like she felt bad for Yi Zecheng.

Lin Nana knew everyone at the gym pretty well, and Huo Ci had heard her talk about Han Yao's background before.

A military brat, now wearing a uniform himself.

And indeed, Han Yao had that arrogant air typical of compound kids.

Huo Ci had seen Yi Zecheng’s background file before—she only knew he’d parachuted into the Mingsheng Group, which seemed to be a business owned by his mother’s family. She had no idea he also knew Han Yao.

Han Yao carried a sharp, proud aura. Yi Zecheng, on the other hand, was refined and reserved.

Han Yao walked over to Yi Zecheng and greeted him, “Zecheng-ge, my brother’s coming back in a few days. Let’s have a meal together.”

Han Yao was a few years younger than Yi Zecheng and had called him “ge” (older brother) since childhood. Even though Yi Zecheng had been overseas for years, the warmth in Han Yao’s tone remained. Just a while ago, when he visited the compound, he’d run into Yi Zecheng and they chatted.

Yi Zecheng had mentioned he was looking for a gym, so Han Yao introduced him to this one.

Han Yao had been a good-looking kid growing up and even received a few love letters at school. But compared to Yi Zecheng, he was nothing. Even girls from neighboring compounds used to make excuses to come over just to catch a glimpse of Yi Zecheng. Eventually, even the adults in the compound knew—there was a kid from the Yi family in the General Political Department’s compound who was exceptionally handsome.

And as a result, the boys in their own compound often ended up fighting not over girls, but over Yi Zecheng.

“Are Xinan and the others still out there?” Yi Zecheng asked as he steadied the punching bag. His face and neck were covered in sweat, and the sunlight coming through the high windows lit the droplets in a golden hue.

His black T-shirt was soaked through at the back, clearly outlining the firm muscles of his back.

Xinan was also someone from their old compound, as was Han Yao’s older brother, Han Jingyang—they’d all grown up together.

Han Yao, though a few years younger, had always liked tagging along. Back then, when they fought for Yi Zecheng, he was part of it too. Later, as they all grew up, some joined the military, some went abroad. Yi Zecheng went to medical school—graduated from B University, then went to the UK, then worked in Hong Kong, and finally ended up in some of the world’s most chaotic places.

Now, after all that, he was back.

He didn’t exactly return in disgrace, but he had clearly been through some tough times.

Yet, brotherhood was brotherhood. As soon as he came back, all of them rushed to gather in Beijing—some from border regions, some from overseas. Even those who never took time off during the New Year got leave from the military just for him.

They drank together that night—same deep bond as when they were kids.

“You know how Cheng-ge and Xinan-ge are,” Han Yao said with a crooked smile, “Bleeding for the motherland is no big deal for them.” Then he sighed. “Even when you came back, Cheng-ge didn’t. I’m starting to think he’ll never return to Beijing in this lifetime.”

This “Cheng-ge” he mentioned was another legend from the General Political Department’s compound.

Yi Zecheng fell quiet. Cheng hadn’t returned, but he had called. Through the phone, from 3,000 meters above sea level in northern Xinjiang, Yi Zecheng could hear the howling wind—and his heart burned with warmth.

These brothers—he hadn’t kept in close contact with them while abroad, but once he was back, they were all here for him.

Han Jingyang had been traveling the world for the past six months, and even the few who stayed in Beijing rarely had time to gather.

Yi Zecheng nodded. “When your brother returns, give me a call.”

“Sure thing.”

Han Yao sighed and went to change, but tossed out a challenge as he left: “Ge, let’s spar later. I want to see if you’re rusty.”

“I can still teach you a lesson,” Yi Zecheng replied calmly, glancing at him.

Han Yao burst out laughing and went to the locker room. When he came back, the two of them stepped into the ring. By then, the gym had filled with people, and a crowd gathered to watch the action.

Huo Ci had rested for half an hour, and the soreness in her leg was gone.

“Xiao Ci-jie, let’s go watch too,” Lin Nana said eagerly.

She couldn’t bear to miss something like this—Yi Zecheng had been coming for a while, but rarely sparred with anyone.

Only someone like Han Yao could get him to.

Han Yao was known for being fierce at the gym, with a reckless edge. Lin Nana was even a little worried Yi Zecheng might lose to him.

As they stood by the ring, she whispered, “Who do you think will win?”

“Yi Zecheng,” Huo Ci replied, looking up at the tall, lean man standing under the backlight.

Though she had spoken quietly, both men on the ring heard her. Han Yao grinned mischievously. “Zecheng-ge, after all these years, your charm still works.”

“She just has good taste.”