The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

When Lin Feng opened his door, the TV in the living room was on, but the volume was turned down very low.

His father sat on the sofa with a well-worn newspaper in front of him, but he wasn't reading it.

His fingers tapped on the sofa armrest, his eyes fixed on the TV screen, yet he seemed to be seeing nothing at all.

"Dad, I'm home." Lin Feng put his schoolbag at the door. Lin Jianguo turned and glanced at him, his gaze lingering on the pale bluish-purple mark on his left arm. "What happened to your arm?"

"In the alley... um! I accidentally fell, but it's nothing."

Lin Jianguo looked at him.

After a few seconds, he looked away.

He tapped his fingers twice more on the sofa armrest, then stopped. "Your mom left you some food. It's in the pot."

Lin Feng walked into the kitchen, where a gauze cover was placed over the stove. Lifting it revealed half a plate of braised eggplant and a bowl of rice.

He heated up the food, took his bowl, sat down at the table, and ate a couple of bites.

Zhang Xiulan wiped her hands as she came out of the bedroom. "How was your outing?"

"That's great. Xiamen has lots of seafood. Mom, I brought you and Dad some things; the package will arrive tomorrow."

Zhang Xiulan sat down opposite him, wiping her hands on her apron. "Your dad's been stuck at home these past few days, not knowing whether to sit or lie down comfortably. Yesterday he went to the labor market, and they said all the job postings were for people under forty. He just sat on the sofa all night after he got back."

Lin Feng put down the bowl and ran his fingers along the edge of the chopsticks. "Mom, don't worry. Let me think of something."

My mother didn't pay much attention to it, probably thinking he might have some other way to solve it.

After finishing his meal, Lin Feng washed the dishes, opened his door, and walked across the street. He knocked twice.

When Su Mengya opened the door, she was wearing a light purple slip dress, her hair was loose, and she had a face mask on.

Two holes were cut out of the face mask to reveal the eyes and mouth.

"Is Xiamen fun?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"I brought you something." Lin Feng handed over the paper bag. Su Mengya took it, opened it, and looked inside. There was a small ornament made of a conch shell, several boxes of Xiamen specialty pies, and a light blue silk scarf.

Su Mengya took out the silk scarf and felt it in her hand. "You have a good eye for things." She stepped aside to let him in, her expression hidden behind her face mask. "Come in and sit down."

I sat down on the sofa, curled up my legs, took off the sheet mask and threw it in the trash can, and patted the remaining essence off my cheeks.

Lin Feng sat next to her and chatted about Xiamen, giving a general overview of the cats on Gulangyu Island, the jet skis on the beach, and the taste of satay noodles.

Su Mengya listened with a smile on her face.

"In the few days you were gone, I didn't even have anyone to fight over the remote when I got home from get off work." She rested her head on his shoulder.

Lin Feng moved his hand off the back of the sofa and onto her shoulder. The familiar scent of his shower gel wafted over.

Su Mengya looked up at him, and Lin Feng lowered his head, his lips touching hers. The kiss was unhurried.

It was a very familiar and natural kiss, like a habit that the two of them had agreed upon long ago.

He recalled the beach in Xiamen, when Shen Qianqian tiptoed to kiss his lips, his lips still carrying the sweet taste of strawberry lip balm.

Recalling their last night at the hotel, Zhou Mei suppressed a moan, her fingers leaving several red marks on his back.

After returning from Su Mengya's house, Lin Feng lay down on his bed. His phone vibrated.

Shen Qianqian sent a message: "I'm going to my maternal grandfather's house tomorrow. I'll stay for a week." She added a sighing cat emoji. "My mom said my grandfather isn't well, so I have to go."

Lin Feng typed back: "Go ahead. Tell me when you get back."

Shen Qianqian sent a cat nodding emoji. "Will you miss me if I don't see you for a week?" She followed it with an innocent cat winking emoji sticker.

"It'll only be a week. It'll be over quickly."

"Just a perfunctory reply." She sent a string of emojis, the last voice message carrying a slightly coquettish, nasal tone: "I'm coming to your house to play when I get back. It's a promise."

Zhou Mei's message popped up at the same time.

"I'm home. If you have time during the summer vacation, you can come to Qingyuan for a few days. There's a bamboo forest near my home that's very cool."

Lin Feng looked at the two dialog boxes.

Qingyuan is not far from Hehai, just over an hour away by high-speed rail. Su Mengya has to go to work tomorrow, Shen Qianqian is going to her maternal grandfather's house, and Zhou Mei is in Qingyuan.

I replied to Zhou Mei, "I'll see, I'll go when I have time." Then I put my phone on the bedside table and closed my eyes.

The next morning, I took the subway to Forest Peninsula.

As he swiped his card to enter the main gate, he glanced up at the stone gatehouse of Club No. 3, where camphor trees swayed gently in the morning breeze.

The elevator went up to the third floor. The reception desk was empty, and Luo Ruoxi was sitting in Xiao Wei's seat, typing on the computer.

Today she wore a deep red V-neck knit top, the same close-fitting fabric, and still showed that deep cleavage.

Seeing him step out of the elevator, she pushed the keyboard forward. "Xiaowei took the day off. I'll cover for her. I received the gift from Xiamen." She gestured with her chin towards the side of her desk, where a small seashell ornament sat next to the computer. "It's very thoughtful."

"If Manager Luo likes it, that's fine. What's the class schedule for today?"

Luo Ruoxi pulled out the appointment list. "He Qianwen in the morning, Yang Ru in the afternoon. Tomorrow is tentative." She looked up at Lin Feng, a smile curving her lips, then whispered, "He Qianwen's company has been having some trouble lately, she might be coming to class today to confide in you."

Lin Feng went into Yoga Room No. 3 and changed into a white yoga outfit. He straightened his collar in front of the mirror, and after a short while, He Qianwen pushed the door open and came in.

She was wearing a dark blue yoga outfit with a cutout design at the chest, but her mental state was clearly off; there were two faint bluish patches under her eyes, which even her foundation couldn't cover.

Good morning, Sister He.

"Good morning." She walked to the center of the mat, her voice lower than usual, sounding weak and listless.

Start your warm-up with the cat-cow pose.

He Qianwen's movements were much slower than usual. When she inhaled and arched her back, the curve of her waist was not in place, and her shoulder blades were not fully opened when she arched her back.

Lin Feng squatted down beside her. "Sister He, relax a little. Pull your shoulder blades back."

He Qianwen tucked her shoulder blades in, and then suddenly deflated.

She sat on the cushion, head down. "My husband suffered a stroke the day before yesterday. He's still in the ICU, and the doctors say he won't wake up anytime soon."

"Sister He—" Lin Feng took a clean towel from the side and handed it to her.

He Qianwen took it and held it in her hand without wiping it. "His son from his ex-wife has already hired a lawyer and wants to seize control of the board of directors while his father is in a coma. The board meeting is tomorrow morning."

She folded the towel and unfolded it again. "Whether he's good to me or not is another matter, but at the very least he's my husband. He helped me when I was going through the toughest time, and I can't let his son ruin his company. I won't be able to come for a while, so let's talk again when I'm done with this, Ms. Lin."

Lin Feng sat down on the cushion next to her. "Sister He, if you need any help, just give me a call."

He Qianwen turned her head to look at him.

The fine lines around my eyes are a bit deeper than usual.