Chapter Forty-One: The Secret Revealed

Zhou Yun led Tang Zhichu to a treadmill and had him step onto it.

“Running, jump rope, or swimming are all fine—you can pick one as your main exercise. But it’s best not to focus on training your abs, which are also called your core muscles,” Zhou Yun said, folding her arms as she stood beside Tang Zhichu.

Tang Zhichu started up the treadmill, eyes fixed straight ahead, deliberately avoiding looking at Zhou Yun. From his angle, and with her posture, a certain curvaceousness was especially conspicuous.

“Why not?”

“Because training your abs can affect your vocalization and breath control.”

Tang Zhichu paused, then glanced at Zhou Yun again.

She tilted her head away, purposely avoiding eye contact, but continued, “It’s also best not to work the trapezius muscles at the back of your neck. That impacts your voice as well.”

Tang Zhichu looked away. “So I should just do cardio?”

“You can train your lower body, or go for a balanced workout—just don’t deliberately target those two areas I mentioned. Trust me, it’ll help you in the long run.”

Tang Zhichu laughed. “Looks like I’m destined never to have abs then.”

Zhou Yun rolled her eyes and turned up the treadmill’s speed.

With that, Tang Zhichu had no room left for jokes and focused on controlling his breath and pace.

In front of someone as professional as Zhou Yun, Tang Zhichu felt he couldn’t get away with less than an hour’s run.

From her words, Tang Zhichu understood the reason for her mood.

She had probably figured out his identity on DY. The exercises she recommended were all tailored for singing.

It made sense: she’d discovered his little secret and had even researched a fitness plan just for him, only for him to show up an hour and a half late.

If he put himself in her shoes, he’d probably feel like his efforts had all been wasted as well.

Zhou Yun got on the treadmill next to him, setting a speed higher than his.

She really had uncovered Tang Zhichu’s secret.

Once she knew his account, it was easy. A quick search revealed everything.

He was one of the lead singers in DY’s largest request lounge—a star performer.

Recently, DY had hosted an online singing competition, the “Magic Voice Cup,” and this guy had taken first place.

Zhou Yun was familiar with that competition; she had almost entered herself, but after learning a batch of professional singers would be competing, she decided against it—no point in being cannon fodder.

She’d heard a DY singer had won the championship. At the time, she guessed DY was grooming their own talent and hadn’t paid much attention.

Who would have guessed that yesterday, driven by curiosity, she searched for Tang Zhichu’s account and was greeted by a flood of videos?

Though his face wasn’t visible, his voice was instantly recognizable.

So, this was the guy who’d won the “Magic Voice Cup”!

She watched his singing videos for over an hour, completely engrossed.

In the finals, Tang Zhichu had sung “Wish,” a song Zhou Yun had tried before but couldn’t reach the high notes. “Wish” was He Shuyuan’s masterpiece, one of the trio of Tianhe, and the song had won He Shuyuan the top prize on a Mango TV singing show two years ago.

Zhou Yun could still recall how excited she’d been.

First, she realized her earlier judgment was wrong—the Magic Voice Cup champion truly was outstanding. Many people compared his version of “Wish” to the original and said it was every bit as good.

Second, the person was right beside her, yet claimed he wasn’t much of a singer?

This morning, Zhou Yun had come early to the gym to prepare a workout plan for Tang Zhichu.

She’d finished it by noon and waited for him all afternoon—until five-thirty.

They might not be that close, but Zhou Yun felt a certain tacit understanding existed between them.

She chose him not expecting anything in return; objectively, even if Tang Zhichu didn’t reciprocate, working together would benefit them both.

If she hadn’t discovered his secret, she wouldn’t have drawn some of these conclusions.

But now she knew: Tang Zhichu had come in through DY’s channels.

He needed exposure, and even if he were aloof, DY wouldn’t allow it.

Since they shared the same goal, at the very least it could be called a revolutionary friendship.

She’d even generously set the meeting for after four, and yet he’d still been late.

Tang Zhichu ran at nine kilometers per hour for half an hour, soon gasping for breath, his legs moving by sheer willpower.

He understood the state of this body—it would take serious effort to change.

The original owner had been a hardcore homebody since college. If one were to pinpoint the reason for his demise, it was poor physical condition, lack of rest, and overexertion, leading to sudden death.

If the same happened to him, there was no telling what the outcome would be.

He truly memorized Zhou Yun’s fitness tips.

Just as he felt he couldn’t go on, a fair arm reached over and turned the speed down to six kilometers per hour.

At that pace, it was a brisk walk for Tang Zhichu.

“You don’t have to push so hard. Start at seven kilometers an hour and gradually increase,” Zhou Yun’s voice came.

Tang Zhichu was still panting, unable to speak for a long time.

Seeing his discomfort, Zhou Yun burst out laughing and turned the speed down to five.

“Don’t stop suddenly after exercising—give your body some time to recover.”

“It’s not… it’s not me who changed the speed…” Tang Zhichu finally managed to reply.

“I’ll help you stretch in a bit, then teach you how to train your legs.”

“I—I know I need to cool down.”

Zhou Yun frowned and teased, “How come running makes your brain run slower too?”

“Can… can we train legs another day?”

“Excuse me?”

By the time Tang Zhichu had adjusted, five minutes had passed. He lay on the treadmill, not wanting to move a muscle.

Seeing Zhou Yun approach with something in hand, he quickly said, “It’s not that I don’t want to move. Let me put it this way: my soul is eager, but my body won’t cooperate. Do you understand that feeling? Never mind, you probably don’t.”

Zhou Yun stood over him and said, “Can you manage or not?”

Tang Zhichu forced himself to sit up.

She handed him a black, gun-shaped device. “Here, a fascia gun. Your physical condition really is a bit weak.”

Tang Zhichu shot her a look but kept silent.

At last, Zhou Yun seemed in much better spirits.

“We’ll save the leg workout for next time. But don’t skip running—you need to run every day. Five kilometers in the morning, five at night. And don’t go on a diet—it’ll affect both your state and your breath control. Build up your overall fitness first, then move on to other training.”

Tang Zhichu nodded. “So, does that mean we’re done for today?”

“Of course not. You’ll jog for another hour in a bit.”

When Tang Zhichu fell silent, Zhou Yun added, “Count yourself lucky—I’ve never acted as anyone’s personal trainer before.”