Chapter 273

unedited

Zhuo Yu’s gym was located in a good area — right between two high-class neighborhoods. Although the price of the gym’s membership was on the higher end, there were nevertheless many people who went there to exercise. Naturally, the types of equipment and weight machines within the gym were also of high quality, fitting for the entry price. Furthermore, this particular gym would give one a cozy, snug feeling.

After taking a quick look around the gym, Chu Xiang did not hesitate to sign up for an annual membership. She then consulted one of the trainers in the gym for some basic foundation exercises before she started working out. With that, she spent her entire afternoon dripping with sweat in the gym. Had she not used her spiritual energy, she would not have been able to last for such a long time.

Around that time Zhuo Yu just so happened to enter the gym with his good friend, Liang Jun. After changing into their gym clothes, they proceeded to warm up on the treadmill. At that moment, Liang Jun provoked in a joking manner, “Are you down for a small competition today? Loser has to run another 20km.”

“Bo~ ring~” Zhuo Yu replied as he swept his gaze around the gym out of habit. Noticing Chu Xiang from the corner of his eyes, he raised his brows in surprise and walked in her direction.

Liang Jun continued chattering behind him, “How is it boring? Wouldn’t it be more boring if there’s nothing at stake? How will I be motivated to exercise? Eh? Where are you going?”

After walking in front of Chu Xiang, Zhuo Yu chuckled with a gentle smile, “Miss Chu, why didn’t you give me a call if you were going to come?”

Seeing Zhuo Yu’s sudden arrival, Chu Xiang took a quick break from the elliptical machine and wiped away her sweat with the towel around her neck. She then replied with a smile, “Mr. Zhuo, I only came here to exercise. Besides, I figured that you might have been busy. Anyways, this is a very good gym. In fact, I had just signed up for an annual membership and intend to come here to work out from now on.”

“In that case, let me plan a suitable workout routine for you.”

“That would be great! Thank you so much. Right now, I’m mainly looking to lose some weight. But most importantly, I would like to get myself into better shape and strengthen my heart. Are you free right now?”

“Of course. Let’s continue our discussion over at the lounge,” Zhuo Yu suggested as he walked to the lounge with Chu Xiang, leaving Liang Jun behind to work out by himself.

Looking at the two departing figures, Liang Jun leaned against the elliptical machine as he took out his phone and scrolled through the latest hot topic on the forums.

Looking through the photos in the forum, he muttered, “My, my… Look who it is…”

Just as Chu Xiang left the lounge, Liang Jun dashed towards the lounge immediately. Lightly jabbing his elbow into Zhuo Yu’s side, he teased, “Way to go, man! Just when did you meet that female author? How come you didn’t mention anything about her?”

Zhuo Yu shoved him away without paying much mind and asked with a confused expression, “What female author? Who are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the lady you were just speaking to, of course. Let me have a look at her name…” Scrolling through the forums, Liang Jun pointed at the screen and said, “Right, Qingxiang Chuyun!”

Looking at Zhuo Yu’s expression, Liang Jun gaped his eyes wide open. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that she was a female author?”

Zhuo Yu shook his head. “What is there to be shocked about? I really didn’t know. A few days ago, my grandma was hospitalized and just so happened to stay in the same room as her. Besides, you know full well that my grandma is extremely warmhearted and especially loves talking with other people. That’s how I met her, alright? Today was only the second time I met her. Anyways, she just came here to work out.”

“Surely, this can’t simply be a mere coincidence! The person you met in the hospital just so happened to be an author. This must be your so-called fate!” Liang Jun exclaimed with shining eyes. This was indeed too perfect to be a coincidence. After all, it isn’t every day that you come across an author in real life, let alone get the chance to become friends with them. This was truly a rare opportunity!

Zhuo Yu stared at him and said, “We’re only mere acquaintances, nothing more than that. What does her job have anything to do with me? So are we gonna work out or not? Let’s go, enough wasting time. I’m gonna have to go back home to write later.”

Following him from behind, Liang Jun replied, “Since you don’t use the forums, let me tell you something. Qingxiang Chuyun has been the latest hot topic brought up in the forums. One of the well-known online authors accused her of plagiarizing one of her works and used her fans to essentially cyberbully her. The fans even went as far as to dox her, take pictures of her in person, and spread them all around the web. At this point, the discussions have even spread outside of the initial circle, and many people are even making jokes out of it. Surely, you ought to know that much at least. Why don’t you look it up?

“Plagiarism?” Zhuo Yu suddenly stopped in his tracks and knitted his brows. He appeared to be extremely sensitive to the word, “author.” In fact, he seemed to have some sort of hatred towards them. He then asked, “Is there evidence?”

“Sigh~ The problem is that the author, claiming to be the victim, made their accusation based on the minor, picky details within the plot. As such, there is no solid evidence. Even so, I didn’t exactly read their two works either, so I don’t really have a place to make any conclusions. At this moment, everyone is just waiting for Jinjiang to make their judgment. Furthermore, quite a few well-known female authors are working together to convict Qingxiang Chuyun of the crime. From the looks of the situation, even if Jinjiang concludes Qingxiang Chuyun to be innocent, I’m afraid they still don’t intend to let the matter drop.”

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