Chapter 23: Resigning on Someone Else's Behalf

"Stop, take a two-minute break."

The female member let out a long breath. "Okay." She turned to grab her water bottle, facing away from the pair to rehydrate.

Hu Yue watched Gao Yun training as if no one else existed, feeling incredibly annoyed. *I blocked you, and you’re still acting like nothing happened? You didn't even ask why I blocked you? You absolute scumbag! You treat me like a disposable commodity and then act like a stranger! Does Heaven have no eyes? Why doesn't a bolt of lightning just strike you down, you menace?*

Heaven knows it was actually Hu Yue who initiated things, but the logic of women is strange like that; as long as she says "we’re through" and you agree, she considers herself the one who was dumped.

Just then, Gao Yun finished his set. Sweating profusely, he grabbed his water bottle and walked over to Hu Yue, asking casually, "How have the personal training sales been since I left?"

Hu Yue was still fuming. She crossed her arms, gave a cold snort in her heart, and turned her head away, ignoring him.

"I guess not great, otherwise you wouldn't be the only trainer in the personal training zone."

Gao Yun didn't care at all, continuing on his own: "I’ve already selected the location for my gym—the seventh and eighth floors of the Huashang Building, five thousand square meters in total. We’re starting the setup now."

Gao Yun reached out and gripped Hu Yue’s upper arm, his expression sincere. "I’m going to go hand in your resignations to Old Feng in a bit. Come work for me. You guys are the founding team; I’ll give you all some equity to get the new place running."

Hu Yue finally couldn't hold back. She shook off his hand and whispered indignantly, "Who gave you the right to resign for me? Who do you think you are?"

"Then it’s settled."

Hu Yue was even angrier. "Who said it’s settled? I’m not going! Let whoever wants to go, go."

Gao Yun said gently, "Alright, just focus on your training. Don't worry about anything else; I’ve got it all arranged." With that, he walked out of the personal training zone with a composed expression.

"Asshole!" Hu Yue cursed under her breath, but seeing the female member had finished resting and was waiting, she couldn't chase after him. She composed herself and said, "Let's continue."

In relationships, for various reasons, a girl throwing a tantrum or getting emotional is perfectly normal—it doesn't matter. You shouldn't be affected. Do what you need to do, go on dates, hold hands, give hugs, go to bed, take care of her.

A man who is not swayed by a woman's emotions is a strong man and will be more favored by women. This was a lesson Gao Yun had learned through blood and tears.

Blocked by Hu Yue? So what if she blocked you? Ignoring you? Let her ignore you.

*I’ll keep chatting with you and taking care of you just like before, so what are you going to do? Hit me?*

***

After leaving the personal training zone, Gao Yun went to the trainer’s office. Guo Kun and Wei Ya were both there, so he mentioned the new gym and asked if they were interested in jumping ship.

The matter of the new gym had been decided during their previous meals, so this was great news for them. They naturally agreed, but they had one concern.

"Brother Yun, will Old Feng agree?" Wei Ya worried.

Guo Wei added, "Yeah, there are only four of us trainers at Caesar. If we all leave with you, they won't even be able to operate."

"Simple, I’ll just give him some money. You don't need to worry about that."

Gao Yun already had a strategy. Leaving the trainer’s office, he turned and entered the manager's office, where Feng Rui was sitting at his computer playing Solitaire.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gao Yun stated his intent to open a new gym and poach the staff. Feng Rui was stunned for two seconds before he was ready to explode.

Indeed, by any standard of reason or friendship, what Gao Yun was doing was underhanded. Poaching from an old employer was one thing, but taking everyone without leaving a soul was another. Regardless of whether member resources were lost or Caesar’s reputation suffered, a gym without trainers would struggle to function.

So, Gao Yun proposed compensation: 30,000 yuan for each trainer. For four people, that was 120,000; he would round it up to 150,000.

That 150,000 was cold, hard cash. Given the current situation, it might take a full year for those four trainers to generate 150,000 in net profit for Feng Rui.

As for the gym's future operation, Feng Rui could easily take 30,000 of that to poach two trainers from elsewhere to handle the immediate crisis, then recruit others slowly.

Gao Yun only wanted the people; money didn't matter to him—he had no interest in money.

Feng Rui ran the gym to make money; the people didn't matter to him—he had no interest in the people.

Faced with such generous terms, Feng Rui thought for a few seconds and nodded in agreement.

On the spot, Gao Yun transferred the 150,000 yuan via mobile banking and gave Feng Rui three days to find new trainers.

Three days later, whether he found them or not, Hu Yue, Li Jianchen, Guo Kun, and Wei Ya would be leaving.

After settling things with Feng Rui, Gao Yun returned to the trainer’s office. Li Jianchen had finished his workout, and Hu Yue had finished her session; all four were present.

When he shared the good news, everyone was delighted, except for Hu Yue.

With the prime location of the Huashang Mall and a seven-million-yuan investment in a five-thousand-square-meter gym, the personal training rates would certainly go up. Their income would at least double, so of course, they were happy.

***

With the poaching of his four key lieutenants finalized, Gao Yun watched them buzzing with excitement, looking as if they couldn't wait to quit and start prepping the new gym. He nodded with satisfaction, thinking that his dream of being a hands-off boss was about to come true.

He checked his phone—it was exactly 3:00 PM. He still had three hours until his scheduled dinner with his colleagues from the Youth League Committee. His training for the day was done. What should he do with these three hours?

*Ha, I’m not even used to being so relaxed as a former corporate slave.*

Gao Yun was musing happily when his phone rang. It was Liu Xingsheng, the owner of Ace Fighting Club.

The purpose of the call was twofold: first, to ask if he had returned to Hu City, and second, to mention that he was looking for a partner for the martial arts studio's expansion. Gao Yun was intrigued. After learning Liu was at the studio, he hung up, told the others, and drove over.

The Ace Fighting Club was less than a kilometer from Caesar. The location was decent, though the space was small—only a hundred square meters.

Liu Xingsheng was 29. A native of Hu City, he had left at a young age to learn boxing. He spent five years in systematic training at a professional club, traveling all over the country.

At 23, Liu had won 65kg titles at the Thai King’s Cup, the Martial Arts Windstorm Championships, and the Russian FNG China MMA tournament. But that was as far as he got.

Between smoking, drinking, and women, his fighting career stalled by age 25. His parents, seeing him going nowhere, called him back home.

Though he felt some regret, Liu had to admit that his willpower had faded, and he couldn't kick the cigarettes and alcohol. He returned to Hu City to settle down, opening the studio to make ends meet.

Gao Yun had originally learned fighting there to introduce a signature boxing class at Caesar—it was fun, burned fat quickly, and most importantly, the classes were expensive and sold well.

He chose Ace Fighting Club because Liu was widely considered the number one in the city.

The other gym owners were amateurs; only Liu was a "regular army" who had undergone systematic training—a true professional MMA athlete.

However, fighting and combat sports had a small audience, especially in a city like Hu City where the economy wasn't highly developed. The club’s annual net profit was less than 50,000 yuan—barely enough to put food on the table.

Now that Liu was deciding to expand, Gao Yun was curious.

*What? Tired of earning so little and want to lose more money?*