svetikya Page 38
Page 38
His muscles were taut like a fully drawn bowstring, and each lift was accompanied by a low growl and heavy breathing.
The massive steel bar across his chest—with 100kg dumbbell-shaped weights on each side, totaling 220kg when combined with the standard bar weight—was being pushed upwards with difficulty by his trembling arms.
"Here, this is for you." A gentle voice rang out clearly in the noisy equipment area.
Lu Mingfei tilted his head slightly, sweat trickling down his forehead and into the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision, but he still recognized the graceful Liu Miaomiao standing beside him.
She held a bottle of chilled saline solution with condensation in her fair hands.
"Whoosh—!!!" Lu Mingfei let out a low shout, squeezing out the last bit of strength!
With trembling hands, he finally pushed the 220KG barbell back onto the bar.
He stood up, drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, as if he were trying to inhale all the air in the gym into his lungs.
He hunched over, his hands resting on his trembling knees, and took a good half minute to recover.
Liu Miaomiao stood quietly and handed the water forward a little more.
Lu Mingfei reached out to take it, but his arms, strained from the effort, became uncontrollable, and his fingers trembled so much that he almost dropped the bottle.
He unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and gulped down the liquid in a few mouthfuls. The cool liquid slid down his burning throat, bringing a moment of clarity.
"Stop practicing, take a rest!" Liu Miaomiao stepped forward with concern and gently supported his trembling arm.
"Um... okay!" Lu Mingfei agreed, panting, glancing at the countdown on the transparent interface—
Fitness capsule remaining time: 00:00:30.
Thank goodness! If I keep practicing like this, I'll probably be bedridden tomorrow.
At this moment, Su Xiaoqiang strolled over.
Her gaze swept over the bench press equipment—the 100KG barbell plates on each side clearly came into view.
220KG?! Her pupils contracted slightly.
Could this skinny "monkey" sweating profusely possess such monstrous power?
It’s incredible!
"Here, take this!" She suppressed her shock, maintained her composure as a young lady, and handed a dark gold "Century Rising Star" metal VIP card to Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. Instead of taking it, he hugged himself tightly and took a half-step back.
"Little Heavenly Maiden? You wouldn't be thinking of keeping me as a sugar daddy, would you?"
"Lu Mingfei!!" Su Xiaoqiang's forehead creased with annoyance, her voice rising, "Is your brain filled with yellow paint?"
"Tsk... I can't accept something for nothing." Lu Mingfei curled his lip. "I wouldn't dare take something so expensive!"
"You—!" Su Xiaoqiang was so angry that her teeth itched. She stepped forward, grabbed his pocket, and forcefully stuffed the card inside. "Listen, I, Su Xiaoqiang, am clear about right and wrong. It's true that you saved me just now. This is a token of my appreciation!"
She cleared her throat and emphasized:
"This is a 'permanent' VIP card! As long as the store is open, you can use the top-of-the-line equipment for free an unlimited number of times!"
A permanent VIP membership?!
Lu Mingfei's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets! How many hours of internet time could that cover?
The style of the scene suddenly changed the next second!
He strode forward, grabbed Su Xiaoqiang's hand, and called out with deep emotion:
"Rich woman...no, little fairy! Please, please take me in! I really don't want to work hard anymore! Waaaaah—"
"Get lost! Stay away from me!!" Su Xiaoqiang pulled her hand back with lightning speed, rubbing it against her clothes, and shrieked in disgust, "Lu Mingfei, have some shame!!"
However, beneath her outward disdain, Su Xiaoqiang's inner tension actually eased.
This is that familiar shameless tactic! Just what I was looking for!
Even if this guy is strong enough to tear the earth apart, he's still that scoundrel Lu Mingfei at heart!
Lead-colored clouds drifted in from afar, and the sky darkened within minutes.
A clap of thunder was followed by a torrential downpour.
"Tsk... This is troublesome." Lu Mingfei frowned and looked out the window. "With this awful weather, we won't be able to leave anytime soon."
A crisp cell phone ringtone sounded—it was Liu Miaomiao calling.
After she answered the phone, her mother asked urgently yet gently:
"Hey? Miaomiao? Have you and Mingfei gone home?"
"Not yet, Mom!" Liu Miaomiao raised her voice. "We're still at Century New Star! The rain is too heavy! Let's go back when it gets a little lighter!"
“Okay! Don’t rush!” the mother said immediately. “Have your dad pick you up in a bit!”
"Okay, Mom!"
"Okay, be careful!" The call ended.
Liu Miaomiao put away her phone and said naturally to Lu Mingfei:
"My mom said that my dad will drive over to pick us up and we'll go back together later."
"Okay!" Lu Mingfei nodded.
"Boom!" This silent thunderclap exploded in Su Xiaoqiang's mind! She froze on the spot as if struck by lightning!
This conversation pieced together in her mind to form a startling conclusion:
Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao are actually living together?!
The biggest secret romance at Shilan High School has been exposed?!
"Wh...what?!" Su Xiaoqiang's finger trembled as she pointed at the two of them. "You...you two...are living together?!"
What shocked her even more was that Liu Miaomiao not only didn't panic, but instead slightly raised her chin, a hint of smugness on her face, and nodded calmly:
"Yes, that's right. Lu Mingfei is staying at my house now."
Her gaze swept lightly over Lu Mingfei's embarrassed face before delivering the fatal blow: "It's right next to my room."
Su Xiaoqiang: "…………"
Liu Miaomiao's secret wasn't discovered; she was clearly eager to declare her sovereignty!
"Anyway, you promised me," Liu Miaomiao's eyes turned dangerous, "you won't go back on your word, right?"
"What do you take me for?" Su Xiaoqiang said impatiently. "I, Su Xiaoqiang, keep my word."
Lu Mingfei looked bewildered. What kind of agreement had these two made in private?
Ugh! I just don't understand!
He reached for his coat on the rack and then walked to the rest area to sit down and rest.
Liu Miaomiao sat down next to him, looking like a little bird clinging to him.
Su Xiaoqiang secretly regretted that perhaps it was his threat that made the originally shy Liu Miaomiao become so proactive.
Now look what's happened, she's simply stopped acting altogether!
Chapter 33: Really? I'm fighting Odin?
Lu Mingfei had just sat down in the chair and closed his eyes to rest for a while when a series of cold, mechanical voices suddenly exploded in his mind.
[Side quest triggered!]
[Mission Objective: Confront Odin and rescue Chu Zihang!]
[Task successful: Organization panel unlocked]
[Task failed: None]
[Mission Description: This is a special mission; you may choose to abandon it. If you do not rescue Chu Zihang, he will disappear from everyone's memory; if you successfully rescue him, the fifth main quest will be unlocked.]
Please make your choice: Accept/Reject
"Is this ever going to end?!" Lu Mingfei opened his eyes, a nameless rage rising in his chest.
This damn system is so good at picking the right time. He had just finished exercising and was exhausted when it immediately sent him a task.
When he saw the task description on the system interface, he was struck dumb, and his anger instantly turned into absurdity and confusion.
Face to face... Odin?
If he remembers correctly, that was the supreme god in Norse mythology!
He was clad in golden armor, rode the eight-legged steed Sleipnir, and wielded the famous spear Gungnir.
The personification of the sky, the ruler of the world, known as the Father of the Gods, who governs war, power, wisdom, magic, and death.
And now, the system is actually sending him to confront Odin directly? Has the system gone mad?!
This is just like the Nine-Headed Insect in Journey to the West saying to Benboerba: Go and get rid of Tang Sanzang and his disciples.
Now Lu Mingfei is like a bewildered beggar: I'm fighting Odin, really?
Even more bizarrely, this task surprisingly allowed him to choose to abandon it—
The price is that the expressionless senior brother, Chu Zihang, will completely disappear from everyone's memory.
But if you choose to save people...
"The fifth main quest?" Lu Mingfei's lips twitched.
He hadn't even figured out the fourth task yet, and the system was already in a hurry to arrange the next test for him?
And there's no penalty for failure, what does that mean?
This signifies that the mission failed, and with it, he perished.
He and Chu Zihang had only met a few times, was it worth risking his life to save him?
But then I thought about it again, and these system tasks are all interconnected, like a meticulously woven web of cause and effect...
Lu Mingfei suddenly had a flash of inspiration—the "escape card" he won from Su Xiaoqiang! A causal item that guarantees a successful escape after use!
“So that’s how it is…” he murmured to himself.