Lin Jiang moved to the side to warm up, and Zhang Mingjing did the same.
Just then, a crowd gathered, eager for some drama.
A man with a physique like that? There was no reason not to sneak a few more glances.
A man in swimming trunks walked over to Zhang Mingjing.
"Sister Zhang, I heard someone wants to challenge you?"
Lin Jiang: ???
’How has it only been a few minutes, and the rumors are already this absurd?’
’Even the village’s FBI gossip mill isn’t this fast, is it?’
"Yeah, he said my skills are no match for his. I’m a National Level 3 Athlete, after all. I’m quite curious to see just how far these amateurs have come."
Zhang Mingjing said nonchalantly, not taking Lin Jiang seriously at all.
"That’s just ridiculous. You placed in the top three in the entire city back in the day. An amateur is still an amateur. How could he possibly compare to you?" the male coach said with a laugh.
"Maybe he saw I’m a woman and got confident, or he just wants to show off in front of the opposite sex."
"You’ve got to be kidding. None of us male coaches are a match for you, let alone him."
Zhang Mingjing continued her warm-up exercises, her tone calm, but inside, it felt like she was bottling up her anger.
"But since he made the request, I have to at least give it a try."
"Then go ahead and teach this amateur a lesson," the male coach said. "We can all enjoy the show. Otherwise, these students will stop taking us coaches seriously."
"Mhm."
Overhearing their conversation, Qin Yangyang looked at Lin Jiang.
"Now you’ve done it. They’re all waiting to see you make a fool of yourself."
"Let them watch. It’s no big deal," Lin Jiang said dismissively.
By now, Qin Yangyang believed that Lin Jiang could swim, but she couldn’t believe he could actually beat Zhang Mingjing.
No matter what, the woman was a National Level 3 Athlete. She was definitely not someone an ordinary amateur could compete with.
With so many people watching, if he lost, it would be a huge loss of face.
While the two were warming up, people in the pool climbed out one by one to clear the lane for them.
"Are you ready? I can wait a little longer if you need," Zhang Mingjing said.
"No need. Let’s start."
"Let’s do freestyle, 50 meters. No need to make it too difficult, so people can’t say I’m bullying you," Zhang Mingjing said.
’How nice of you.’
"Whatever works for you."
The two went to the edge of the pool. The male coach from earlier stood to the side, holding a stopwatch.
"On my mark... get set... go!"
Their reactions were similar, and they dove into the water at almost the exact same moment.
The crowd of onlookers was ready for a show, but after the two dove in, they noticed Lin Jiang’s entry into the water carried him a bit farther than Zhang Mingjing.
At first, everyone assumed this was just a gap caused by his physical advantage and that, with Zhang Mingjing’s skill, she could easily catch up.
But a few seconds later, they realized the outcome was not what they had imagined.
The gap between the two widened, and the man was already far in the lead.
"No way, Coach Zhang is actually falling behind?"
"What’s with this guy? Is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing?"
"Look at his form, it seems pretty standard. He really doesn’t look like a rookie."
"Damn, this dude’s the real deal."
In the pool, Zhang Mingjing had already noticed what was happening with Lin Jiang. In just a few seconds, she had fallen behind by a full body length!
Faced with this situation, Zhang Mingjing had no choice but to get serious.
But even so, the distance between them continued to grow!
A few more seconds passed. Lin Jiang touched the wall first, and the whistle blew, signaling the end of the race.
[Congratulations, Player, you have defeated the challenger]
[Reward: 200 grams of fat, 50,000 in cash]
[Congratulations on obtaining the achievement: Don’t Challenge My Hobby with Your Profession]
[Congratulations on obtaining the title: I am a Fish]
[While wearing this title, resistance experienced during Swimming is reduced by 30%]
’This achievement is so damn pretentious,’ Lin Jiang muttered to himself.
’But the bonus from this title seems pretty fucking useless.’
With their competition over, the entire crowd of onlookers was a bit dumbfounded.
An amateur beat a Level 3 swimming athlete?
The male coach stood by, eyes wide, completely stunned.
’He’s that fast... Forget Level 3, he could probably aim for National Level 2, right?’
’He can’t be some internet celebrity who came here to sandbag, shoot a video, and post it online for clicks, can he?’
’But the thing is, you have to go through detection equipment at the entrance. No filming devices are allowed inside.’
"Lin Jiang, you won!"
Qin Yangyang excitedly trotted to the other side of the pool, crouching down to look at Lin Jiang in the water.
"You were hiding your skills so well! Your technique is amazing."
"Keep it low-key, low-key. No need for hero worship."
Lin Jiang also noticed that he had beaten Zhang Mingjing by a significant margin.
He hadn’t expected the gap to be that big either.
But after the race, Lin Jiang thought it through and understood.
Zhang Mingjing was a Level 3 athlete, but in the women’s division. A male Level 3 athlete would probably be several seconds faster than her.
Plus, she had been retired for many years, and with age, her condition was certainly not what it used to be. He had a massive physical advantage, so winning by such a large margin was to be expected.
The two climbed out of the pool. Lin Jiang turned to look at Zhang Mingjing.
"Thank you for going easy on me, Coach Zhang."
"No need to be modest. You’re genuinely better than me. I’m really not qualified to teach you."
Lin Jiang just smiled and said nothing more, turning to look at Qin Yangyang.
"I’m not going to take lessons anymore. You should learn from Coach Zhang."
Qin Yangyang was a little conflicted. Although Zhang Mingjing’s skill couldn’t compare to Lin Jiang’s, she was more than qualified to teach a beginner like her.
However, it was plain for all to see that Lin Jiang was better. Plus, they were close, so learning from Lin Jiang would be more convenient.
The only downside was that Lin Jiang wouldn’t come here often, so she wouldn’t be able to learn systematically step-by-step.
"Mr. Lin!"
Just as Qin Yangyang was wrestling with her decision, she suddenly heard someone call Lin Jiang’s name.
She looked toward the source of the voice and saw a woman in a black swimsuit walking toward Lin Jiang, a delighted expression on her face.
After a closer look, Qin Yangyang found her familiar but couldn’t recall where she had seen her before.
The person approaching was none other than Zhao Fangfei.
He hadn’t paid much attention when buying the house, but now that she was in a swimsuit, he realized Zhao Fangfei’s figure was a bit more voluptuous than he’d imagined. She wasn’t fat at all, just pleasantly curvy.
"You swim here too?"
Zhao Fangfei nodded with a smile. "I didn’t expect you to work out and swim here too. We can come together from now on."
Zhao Fangfei’s income didn’t really support her getting a Fitness Card here.
The reason she could come here was that a former client had moved abroad and gave her a recently purchased Fitness Card.
She would come here to work out in her spare time and never expected to run into Lin Jiang.
Lin Jiang smiled and nodded.
’Whether we can actually work out together is another matter, but this is all I can say right now.’
"I’m so lucky today. Now that I’ve run into you, I don’t have to do my warm-ups alone. We can help each other out."
"Well..."
’I don’t mind doing warm-ups with you, but Qin Yangyang is still here. This is a bit tricky.’
Watching the way Zhao Fangfei spoke, Qin Yangyang’s pretty eyebrows furrowed. She suddenly remembered who this woman was.
When Lin Jiang came to finalize the paperwork after buying his house, this woman seemed to be the one who brought him. She must be a property consultant from Century Triumph.
’But speaking so ambiguously... isn’t she obviously trying to flirt with Lin Jiang?’
’Phony!’
"Coach Zhang, I’m so sorry, but I won’t be signing up for your class after all," Qin Yangyang said.
"It’s alright. Just come find me if you need anything in the future."
Zhang Mingjing showed no sign of displeasure; in fact, she felt it was only natural.
Her friend was so skilled, so there was no need to spend money learning from her.
After a few brief pleasantries, Qin Yangyang walked over and stood in front of Lin Jiang.
"Is she a friend of yours, too?"
Zhao Fangfei recognized Qin Yangyang at a glance. Her family owned the property management company for Century Triumph. She was surprised to see the two of them together again.
"Yeah, she was the one who handled my paperwork when I bought the house, but then we ran into you halfway through. You should remember, right?"
"I remember."
Qin Yangyang smiled and extended a hand. "Qin Yangyang."
"Zhao Fangfei."
After the brief introduction, Qin Yangyang looked at Lin Jiang.
"Since I have a ready-made coach right here, I won’t be learning from Coach Zhang. From now on, you’re in charge of my swimming lessons."
Lin Jiang smacked his lips. ’Why do I smell a hint of jealousy?’
"Alright, come on. I’ll lead you through some warm-ups and teach you some basic moves."
"Mhm."
The three of them moved to the side. Zhao Fangfei didn’t need to be taught the warm-up exercises and could handle them herself, but Qin Yangyang had to start from scratch.
While they were warming up, Lin Jiang opened his challenge reward.
[The player can freely decide where to place the 200 grams of fat, with no restrictions]
’This reward isn’t even "chicken ribs," is it? Who would want an extra 200 grams of fat on their body for no reason?’ Lin Jiang thought.
[To possess muscles with greater dimension, one must first gain fat and then gain muscle]
’So that’s how it is. I guess I’m just ignorant.’
’Those massive bodybuilders are all about muscle dimension and overall aesthetics.’
’This reward would be great for them, but it’s useless for me.’
"Mr. Lin, could you help me with my stretches? It’s been a while since I last came, so I’m a little stiff."
Qin Yangyang shot a glance at Zhao Fangfei. On the surface, she was impassive, but inwardly she scoffed.
’She needs help just to stretch her legs? Can’t even swim if no one helps you warm up?’
"Sure."
"Mhm."
Zhao Fangfei turned to the side to stretch her leg, and as Lin Jiang helped her, he could naturally see through her little scheme.
This Zhao Fangfei was a bit of a schemer.
With a move like that, she drew all his attention back to her, and she did it so subtly.
A fake honey trap: "Hey handsome, can I get your number?"
A real honey trap: "Mr. Lin, could you help me with my stretches?"
That’s what you call being on another level.
’But, I gotta say, her skin is really smooth. Feels nice to the touch.’
The whole process lasted for more than ten minutes. The men in the pool had mostly stopped swimming and were all watching Qin Yangyang and Zhao Fangfei.
"What’s this guy’s deal? He’s got two top-tier beauties revolving around him?"
"I thought a Chaotic Scene was about to break out, but they seem to be getting along quite harmoniously."
"There are already more men than women in this world, and this dude just took up two spots. He’s really not leaving any chance for the rest of us."
"Bro, don’t think like that. What you see might not be the truth."
"Hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better."
"These two are just the ones we can see. Maybe he has even more."
"Damn it, don’t say it. Now I’m even more depressed."

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