It's just that they have money.

Halfway through the meal, Fang Chen's phone vibrated a few times.

He picked it up and saw it was a message from Ivy.

"Mr. Fang, I just thought of something on the way here. If you don't want to knock down the entire partition in your living room, I could install a double-sided fireplace, one side facing the living room and the other facing the study. In winter, both sides can be heated, and it will also have a visual focal point, preventing the space from feeling empty. Is this direction acceptable?"

Then another one followed.

"I'll draw a sketch for you tomorrow. Let's get a general idea today so I don't waste my time drawing it."

Fang Chen didn't mind her speaking her mind and replied, "The direction is fine, but the fireplace needs a real fire."

Ivy replied instantly: "Of course it's real fire! I never make fake ones, they're soulless."

"That's fine."

Fang Chen put down his phone and asked Xu Wen, "Are you coming to the gym with me later?"

"Yeah," Xu Wen nodded, "I just wanted to record your daily life."

"There's no need to keep emphasizing this."

Whenever Fang Chen thinks about Xu Wen observing and recording him, his hidden desire to perform always wells up unconsciously.

It seems to be a subconscious behavior, unless he deliberately corrects it.

But if you deliberately try to correct it, you go from a performed life to a life that you deliberately don't perform, and in short, it doesn't match your daily life.

"Okay." Xu Wen put down his phone and started memorizing it in his mind.

Fang Chen asked with great interest, "How about I sign you up for a class too?"

After all, he was taking private lessons there, while Xu Wen was just standing there doing nothing. It seemed really strange.

"No need, no need," Xu Wen waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm not interested in fitness, and I can wait in the rest area next door later, so it won't affect your class."

Fang Chen thought about it and didn't insist.

"what ever."

After finishing the meal, as usual, Sister Li rounded down the bill and said with a smile, "Come again anytime."

"I've never eaten at a small shop like this before, and the food is quite good."

Xu Wen savored Zhang Wen's cooking in the car, his tone clearly showing a hint of surprise.

Fang Chen didn't take it seriously and casually asked, "So what did you eat before?"

Xu Wen counted on his fingers several shops that Fang Chen had never heard of before.

Seeing that he didn't understand, Xu Wen opened the photo album to show him the dishes.

"Hmm... it's just pretty food, good for taking pictures, but not for eating."

"That's true. To be honest, I didn't go to these restaurants because I heard they were delicious. I just saw that other people's photos looked good, so I wanted to take photos and post them on my WeChat Moments too."

"Then I haven't seen you post it either," Fang Chen said with a hint of doubt.

"Hehe... Sorry boss, I've blocked you."

"..."

"I'll open it right now, I'll open it right now."

The car stopped in front of the gym, and the two of them pushed open the door and went inside.

As requested by Fang Chen, Xu Wen completed the membership card process at the front desk.

Since we're going to be following them long-term, we need a reason; we can't just sit at the door waiting.

Luo Shanshan had been waiting for a long time. She was holding a folder in her hand. When she saw Fang Chen, she came up to him and said, "Today we're practicing shoulder and back exercises. Let's start with an assessment of the range of motion of the shoulder joint."

"So formal?" Fang Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," Luo Shanshan said seriously. "Didn't you say your legs were sore for three days after your last leg workout? I need to adjust my training plan."

Fang Chen recalled those days when he needed to hold onto the wall to walk, and nodded in deep agreement: "That makes sense."

The two entered the training area, and Luo Shanshan asked him to do a few simple shoulder exercises while she watched and took notes.

"The range of motion is okay, but the stability of the scapula is not enough. Today, we will start by activating the rotator cuff muscles. The exercises do not require heavy weights, but the posture must be correct."

"I'll listen to you."

Meanwhile, Xu Wen took his card and walked into the rest area, found a spot where he could see Fang Chen, sat down, opened his laptop, and connected to the gym's Wi-Fi.

The screen displayed the information she had just looked up on the way.

This Platinum Era Fitness Center has three branches in Jiangcheng, and Fang Chen came to the main branch.

According to publicly available information, the store is luxuriously decorated, has high-end equipment, and all coaches are fully qualified. The membership fee is at a mid-to-high level compared to others in the industry.

However, Xu Wen noticed a detail: the head office had frequently changed its financial officer in the past six months.

In addition, after a brief chat with the receptionist, she discovered that even at this flagship store, the prepaid card sales ratio was unusually high.

She had worked in investment banking for six months, and although it wasn't a long time, she had an instinctive sensitivity to the financial situation of companies.

Xu Wen then browsed the consumer complaint platform and found several posts complaining about the difficulty of getting a refund for the card.

These pieces of information may not seem like much on their own, but the gym industry already receives a lot of complaints.

But all of this, coupled with the signal of frequent changes in the person in charge of finance, set off alarm bells in Xu Wen's mind.

This is clearly a plan to run away.

She stood up, walked to the edge of the training area, ignored Luo Shanshan's strange gaze, and gestured to Fang Chen to step aside and talk.

Fang Chen released the equipment, wiped his sweat, and walked over: "What's wrong?"

Xu Wen briefly explained his concerns, adding, "There is no conclusive evidence at the moment, but the risk signals are quite concentrated. I suggest you be cautious about any large renewal fees later on."

Fang Chen frowned slightly after hearing this, but quickly relaxed.

"Okay, no rush."

Fang Chen remembered that the conditions for canceling the membership were very strict, especially for memberships that could be canceled directly due to reasons at the gym; there were only a few clauses in the contract.

When he returned to the training area, Luo Shanshan stood by the equipment, her eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and unease.

"Your girlfriend?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"My assistant will be documenting my life during this time."

Fang Chen didn't intend to tease her, but he didn't elaborate either.

"Let's continue. What's the next set of movements?"

Luo Shanshan pursed her lips, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, and pointed to the power bench next to her: "Standing shoulder press, light weight, I'll demonstrate for you first."

She walked to the equipment, gripped the handles with both hands, straightened her back, and moved cleanly and efficiently.

"Did you see it clearly?"

"I've seen it clearly, but whether I can actually do it is another matter."

Fang Chen walked to the equipment, grasped the handle, and tried to replicate her movements.

Luo Shanshan stood beside him, her gaze fixed intently on his shoulder blades: "No, you shrugged when you started. First, lower your shoulders, yes, then pull them back... Okay, hold this position, push upwards."

Fang Chen did as instructed.

"Yes, that's the feeling. Let's do two more sets, twelve reps each, then rest for one minute."

After Fang Chen finished his set, he put down the handles, stretched his shoulders, and casually asked, "How long have you been working at this shop?"

Luo Shanshan was recording data when she looked up at the question: "It's been almost two years since graduation, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just asking," Fang Chen wiped his sweat. "Two years isn't a short time. Haven't you thought about moving to another place?"

Luo Shanshan paused for a moment, then laughed: "Are you trying to poach my girlfriend?"

"No, not at all." Fang Chen carefully chose his words. "I mean, have you noticed any changes in the store lately? Like delayed payroll or an increase in membership cancellations?"

Luo Shanshan's smile froze for a moment.

She lowered her head, closed the notebook, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked softly, "How did you know?"