Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 81 - 78: Push-ups? I Can Do 500 (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
Li Yuan snorted coldly. "Instructor Jiang, if I lose, you can punish me however you like."
"It’s a deal. Let’s see if your strength matches your courage."
Jiang Zheng sneered inwardly. These military training instructors were all trained fighters. Although they weren’t special forces, they trained year-round and were no match for ordinary students. If Li Yuan were a scholarship athlete from a sports institute, perhaps there might have been some competition.
He turned toward the other students and shouted commands, "Everyone, right, turn! Eyes front! Attention! At ease!"
Wu Hao, Yi Jing, Liu Jia, and the other 99 students from Computer Science Class One, Class Two, and other majors—everyone besides Li Yuan—all held their breath, waiting for the show to begin.
Those who often played basketball with Li Yuan, like Liu Jia, Wu Hao, Ren Jun, and Cui Wei, were especially eager to see if he could really challenge the military instructor’s authority. They began whispering among themselves.
"What do you guys think Li Yuan will compete with Instructor Jiang in?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Either push-ups or pull-ups. They can’t possibly fight using military combat techniques, right?"
"Standard push-ups are so tough. I can only do about twenty before I give out. As for pull-ups, I can manage maybe three or four."
"Li Yuan is really built, and his muscles are well-developed. I played basketball with him the day before yesterday, and his strength is like a tank. He can almost dunk now. His skill is definitely at the level of the school team, no weaker than a sports major."
"Heh, these instructors always like to throw their minor authority around. He’s deliberately targeting Li Yuan. It would be great if Li Yuan could make him look like a fool."
"I really hope Li Yuan pulls off an upset... He’s just an instructor, what’s there to be so arrogant about? I heard that some instructors get female students pregnant during military training and then refuse to take responsibility..."
"Heh, that’s very common. I’ve seen several stories like that on Tieba. It happens at every school; it’s nothing new anymore. Some of these instructors just treat military training as a place to pick up girls..."
"If Li Yuan can actually beat Instructor Jiang, I’ll have to start calling him Yuan with respect from now on."
***
Jiang Zheng caught Li Yuan’s defiant look and sneered inwardly. He then addressed Li Yuan and the surrounding students, his voice full of energy.
"As a WJ soldier, besides various military skills, the most important thing is physical fitness. And physical fitness is mainly achieved through training day and night, diligently and without stopping.
"Fellow students, as you all know, the most effective ways to train are squats, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, horse stance, and so on.
"Today, this student is very brave. In all my years participating in university military training, he’s the sixth one to dare challenge me to a competition.
"Although the previous five were soundly defeated, we should encourage this ’sword-drawing’ spirit...
"Let’s give this student a round of applause!"
After Instructor Jiang finished speaking, he led the applause. The other students quickly joined in, cheering for Li Yuan.
Hearing the applause, Li Yuan couldn’t help but give Instructor Jiang a deep look. This guy is something else.
It reminded him of all the ways he’d been manipulated in the workplace in his past life.
Are you so confident you can handle me? Heh, you’re in for a disappointment. I’m not just some weakling.
A competitive fire ignited in Li Yuan’s calm eyes.
As the saying goes, a sharp weapon inspires the will to kill. Since his rebirth, his physical fitness and memory had been greatly enhanced for some unknown reason. Therefore, he felt no fear toward the instructor before him.
In his previous life, life had dealt him a harsh hand, teaching him one brutal lesson after another. With no power to change his circumstances, he had resigned himself to passivity, being subservient and enduring his hardships without complaint.
But that didn’t mean his current self shared the timid mentality of his past life, where it was always better to avoid trouble.
As it happened, he was also extremely confident in his own strength.
It was time to show what he was made of in a head-to-head clash.
Instructor Jiang rolled up his sleeves, his sharp gaze fixed on Li Yuan as he laid out the rules.
"Your name is Li Yuan, right? Very brave. We’ll compete in something simple: a push-up contest. Whoever does the most standard push-ups in ten minutes wins."
Li Yuan replied calmly, "No objections."
Jiang Zheng didn’t waste any more words. "Then let’s begin. You, keep time. The rest of you, count."
Without another word, he got into a standard push-up position, even finding the energy to explain the technique.
"All of you have done push-ups. They can train the upper limbs, waist, and abdominal muscles, especially the pectorals. It’s a very simple but highly effective method of strength training...
"The standard form... Arms straight and shoulder-width apart, hands flat on the ground with fingers pointing forward, and your torso and legs forming a straight line from shoulders to ankles... like this..."
Having finished his explanation, Instructor Jiang looked at Li Yuan again and asked, "Are you ready?"
Li Yuan nodded wordlessly, took off his camouflage jacket to reveal the camouflage tank top underneath, and got into position beside Jiang Zheng, assuming a perfect push-up form.
In the two months since his rebirth, he had dedicated over an hour every day to physical training like push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.
Health is the foundation of any revolution. Given the opportunity his rebirth had granted him, he had no desire to follow in the footsteps of some "boss" who died young, leaving behind a massive fortune and a beautiful wife and child for another man to care for.
"The countdown begins now!"
As the timer started, Li Yuan and Jiang Zheng began doing push-ups in near-perfect sync.
As the competition went on, the students in the formation started whispering amongst themselves, and some even snuck away to grab their phones and secretly record.
"Li Yuan has some real skill. His push-up form is just as perfect as Instructor Jiang’s. I’m so jealous of those muscles. He even has a six-pack! How did he train for that?"
"Holy shit, their speed and pace are insane! It hasn’t even been a minute, and they’ve both done 50 push-ups already."
"Damn it, it’s been three minutes! Instructor Jiang has done 198, and Li Yuan has done 195. They’re not human! They’re on par with athletes. I can understand the instructor’s speed, but how is Li Yuan doing it?"
"Li Yuan is a total badass! He’s actually keeping up with Instructor Jiang. Even if he loses, he’ll be able to walk around Xia University like he owns the place from now on."
"Li Yuan, lose? I wouldn’t be so sure. Have you noticed? His breathing is very steady. That means he still has energy in reserve." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Seriously incredible. It’s been five minutes, and they’ve done nearly 300 push-ups. Why is Instructor Jiang’s speed dropping? Li Yuan is about to overtake him..."
***
After five minutes of high-intensity exertion, Li Yuan could feel fatigue setting in. Such an intense push-up session consumed a great deal of stamina. However, he could still keep going.
This time, I want to see what my limits really are.
"303, 304, 305..."
Beside him, Instructor Jiang Zheng was drenched in sweat and rapidly approaching his limit.
He shot a sideways glance at Li Yuan and saw him still keeping pace. Damn it, could this Li Yuan be a scholarship athlete? I remember him being in the Computer and Software Design class.
***
In the formation of girls from Computer Science Class One, Xia Zhijin was taking a short break in the shade of a tree. The training intensity for the female students was much lower than for the males.
Xia Zhijin took a plastic water cup from her worn backpack, took a sip, and secretly glanced at the other girls. They were all gathered in twos and threes, leaving her sitting alone in a corner.
She had grown accustomed to this way of life since she was young.
Being alone and unnoticed was fine.
Sipping her plain water, Xia Zhijin couldn’t help but recall the previous day’s events. It all felt like a surreal dream. But the new smartphone in her bag, worth several thousand, proved that it had all been real.
Which squad is he in? I wonder if his training is tiring...
Her gaze drifted over the training field, but the dense crowd of freshmen made it impossible to find Li Yuan.
Suddenly, her roommate Shen Xiyu walked over, holding out her phone. "Zhijin, look! Breaking news."
Xia Zhijin was happy to see Shen Xiyu approach. Since starting university, aside from Li Yuan, this roommate was the person who showed her the most concern. In her heart, Xia Zhijin considered her to be her only friend.
Xia Zhijin asked curiously, "Xiyu, what happened?"
Shen Xiyu pulled up a video from their class group chat and played it for her.
"Zhijin, look. Who is this guy?"
Xia Zhijin looked at the screen and immediately recognized the figure doing push-ups. It was the very person she had just been thinking about.
Her cheeks grew warm. Looking at her roommate’s teasing smile, she asked in a small voice, "What... what is he doing?"
Shen Xiyu giggled. "The handsome Li Yuan is in a push-up contest with their instructor."
"I heard from the guys in our class that Li Yuan has already done 400 push-ups straight. He’s keeping up with their military instructor. He’s a real man."
Xia Zhijin’s jaw dropped. Was Li Yuan really that amazing?
But he was so gentle yesterday!
Shen Xiyu looked at Xia Zhijin, confused. "Zhijin, don’t you have a phone now? You haven’t seen the group messages?"
Xia Zhijin shook her head shyly. "I’m not in the class group yet."
"That’s easy. I’ll add you so you can see. Oh, right, let’s add each other on QQ first," Shen Xiyu said. "Where’s your phone? Give it to me."
Xia Zhijin hesitated for a moment before carefully taking the brand-new Nokia N95 from her backpack as if it were a precious treasure.
To her, it truly was a treasure. The phone’s price was equivalent to her living expenses for several months.
Shen Xiyu giggled. "Zhijin, your phone is really pretty. It’s this year’s latest model, after all."
"Hurry, give it to me. We’ll add each other as friends, then I’ll pull you into the class group."
Xia Zhijin looked hesitant and stammered, "I... I want to ask his opinion first."
Shen Xiyu’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hold on, Zhijin. You need his permission just to add a friend and join the class group?"
