Chapter 6: Back to Work Again

Chapter 6: Back to Work

At exactly one o’clock in the afternoon, Gao Yun drove to the gym where he worked.

The gym’s full name was Caesar Fitness Club. It covered an area of two thousand square meters and was located on the top floor of a shopping mall. The location was quite good, surrounded by many residential neighborhoods. The club had a total of three thousand members and a daily footfall of about two hundred people.

Gao Yun had joined Caesar Fitness Club three years ago during its presale period; he was one of the original staff members. Currently, including himself, the club had five trainers—three men and two women.

Under normal circumstances, Gao Yun’s position as a trainer-manager would earn him a monthly salary of at least fifteen thousand yuan.

Of course, the job was stressful and demanding, often keeping him at work until ten at night.

Besides selling and conducting his own classes, Gao Yun also had to train and hold meetings with his four subordinate trainers to improve their professional skills and sales abilities.

The more lessons his team sold and the better their performance, the more Gao Yun, as their manager, could earn. Relying solely on his own sales and classes wouldn’t bring in much.

“Brother Yun, you’re here!”

The receptionist, Meng Meng, was a tall and lively college student hired last month for the holiday period. She had been sitting at the computer, bored, playing solitaire. When she saw Gao Yun walk in, her eyes lit up.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“You seem a bit different today!”

Gao Yun paused, deliberately adjusting his suit collar, standing with one foot forward and the other back, arms crossed over his chest, striking a pose with a smile.

“What’s different?”

Meng Meng couldn’t hold back her laughter and spoke at the same time as him:

“Different in a good-looking way!”

They both burst out laughing. Gao Yun stepped up to the front desk, raising his hand, “Such perfect synchronicity deserves a high five.”

“…”

Whether it was the faint scent of tea on Gao Yun or the glimpse of his upper chest and collarbones revealed through his shirt and suit, Meng Meng’s fair face instantly flushed. Still, she reached out and high-fived him.

Gao Yun chuckled inwardly. This girl was a bit cheeky; better not to mess around too much and got down to business. “Has the boss arrived yet?”

Meng Meng pursed her lips. “Yeah, he’s eating in the rest area.”

“All right, you go ahead.”

Gao Yun waved and turned to leave.

At this hour, the gym wasn’t crowded. The combined aerobic and weightlifting areas had just over a dozen people scattered about.

Some longtime members greeted Gao Yun with smiles or nods, showing his good rapport.

“Here already?!”

“Yeah, keep training.”

Gao Yun responded all the way as he made his way to the locker room.

He took off his suit, opened his locker, grabbed his toiletries, and quickly showered in five minutes.

Drying himself, blow-drying his long hair, he changed into his white trainer sportswear. Then, taking out a box of hair wax from his locker, he styled his hair in front of the mirror.

When training his team, Gao Yun often emphasized that a fitness trainer’s image was almost as important as professional skills.

Because when members first meet you, they’re skeptical, thinking you’re just there to sell lessons and make money.

No matter what you say about your expertise, they won’t believe you immediately.

Members judge a trainer mainly by appearance and physique — whether this trainer is worth their money.

If a trainer looks plain, with an average body, and bland clothing and hairstyle, members obviously won’t buy in.

On the contrary, if a trainer is reasonably attractive, well-shaped, and dresses and styles hair fashionably and appropriately, even if their professional knowledge is slightly lacking, and even if the member knows the trainer aims to make money off them, they’ll still feel that working out with such a pleasing trainer is a refreshing experience, and they’re willing to pay.

This was Gao Yun’s teaching to his team, and his own practice.

The hair wax he used now was a “granny gray” tinted wax. Rubbing it between his hands, he applied it evenly through his long hair, then tied it into a half-length ponytail.

Finally, Gao Yun chose a Ferrari-branded "Hydrogen Element" perfume, with sweet notes of California lemon and mixed lychee, completing his transformation from corporate elite to sporty gentleman.

“Brother Yun, looking good, huh?”

Coincidentally, Coach Li Jianjing, just finished with his workout, wearing a vest and shorts soaked in sweat, walked into the locker room.

Gao Yun glanced at him while washing his hands and scolded, “No vest allowed! How many times have I told you? Fifty yuan fine deducted from your salary, and rewrite the trainer’s code of conduct. Hand it to me before you leave today.”

“Heh heh.”

Li Jianjing was undressing while smiling, “I just closed a deal this morning—24 lessons for 3,600 yuan.”

Gao Yun’s expression changed from cloudy to sunny, calmly, “Ah, then it’s fine.”

Private lessons at 150 yuan per session were cheap in this industry. But considering the local economy and the current trend of declining consumer spending, closing a 3,600 yuan deal was noteworthy.

Li Jianjing was a reliable member of Gao Yun’s team, both professionally and in sales, though occasionally a bit disobedient. But Gao Yun let that slide in light of his results.

“Brother Yun, you’re too honest!”

Another male coach, Guo Kun, entered the locker room shirtless, holding a three-liter water bottle in one hand and a leather waist belt in the other.

Gao Yun’s eyes immediately narrowed. Before his hands dried, he splashed water in Guo Kun’s face.

“Are you kidding me, working out shirtless? One hundred yuan fine! Pay up now!”

Guo Kun grinned, “I also closed a deal—30 lessons for 4,500 yuan! Contract signing happens tonight.”

“On WeChat?”

“Yeah, I gave him two trial lessons before.”

Gao Yun grinned broadly. “Alright, I get it—you two are just trying to annoy me. Go ahead, I’m quitting tomorrow anyway. Don’t expect the manager position then; I think that little girl Hu Yue is pretty good.”

Both men froze.

“What’s wrong, Brother Yun?”

“You’re quitting?”

Gao Yun nodded, “Yeah, I’m about to tell the boss.”

They immediately gathered around, asking questions.

Gao Yun recounted his previous story about switching to futures trading. Li Jianjing and Guo Kun clicked their tongues in amazement.

Li Jianjing said, “Ever since those folks from Super Gorilla tried to recruit you, I knew this place couldn’t hold you. Didn’t expect you to leave for this reason.”

Super Gorilla was a prestigious fitness brand valued at over a billion yuan, with more than a hundred branches nationwide, covering first- and second-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Nanning.

Unlike traditional commercial gyms, Super Gorilla focused more on trainers’ charisma and professional competence.

Because Gao Yun had posted fitness-related educational and humorous videos on some platforms, Super Gorilla took notice. After unsuccessful online negotiations, their HR even came all the way to Caesar Fitness in Hushi, offering him a monthly salary of forty thousand yuan, but for various reasons, Gao Yun declined.

Guo Kun chuckled, “Awesome, Brother Yun! Need any accessories for your legs?”

Gao Yun pinched the fat on Guo Kun’s belly, disdainful, “Your accessories are too heavy. Lose some fat quickly, then I might consider it.”

Guo Kun defended, “Bulking phase, bulking phase.”

“All right, you two go shower. Tonight, it’s on me—let’s all get together.”

They replied in unison.

“Definitely.”

“Tonight, I’m going to drink you under the table!”

(End of Chapter)