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Shen Jiu liked to think of himself as a relatively simple man: he had a job, a couple of hobbies, one or two acquaintances that didn’t annoy him as much as everyone else, and he’d recently managed to make the downpayment for his dream apartment.
It was his very first non-rental; a spacious two bedroom apartment in a decent but not overpriced part of the city, with wide floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom and living room and a charming little balcony where he could keep some plants and a quiet reading nook.
He’d moved in only recently, and so far everything about it was as good as he’d imagined it would be, even though his commute to work was slightly longer.
Moving, however, meant not only that he had to deal with a bunch of bureaucratic crap to make sure his address was changed everywhere that mattered, but it also meant he needed to find a new gym.
Said new gym turned out to be Huan Hua Fitness Center.
Huan Hua Fitness Center was a mere 10 minute walk from his apartment and was big enough to house all the amenities he was used to, but also an indoor pool and a spa.
The monthly fee was, naturally, a little bit higher than he was used to, but the extra perks more than made up for it, especially since he liked to go at least 4 times a week (it was one of the few proven ways that allowed him to release his pent up stress and frustration from dealing with so many clowns at work.)
The only downside to Huan Hua Fitness Center was Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe was an overeager employee of Huan Hua Fitness Center who had processed his sign up on his first day and who he’d vowed to avoid as much as possible in the future.
He wasn’t sure what exactly it was that Luo Binghe did at the gym but he was sure it was something related to sales? It had to be, because not 5 minutes into their first interaction, Luo Binghe had tried to sell him a personal trainer package.
“You would have access to the best of the best,” he’d said, fully turning on his charms in the hopes of convincing Shen Jiu. (It almost worked.) “Personalized coaching, schedule flexibility, private sessions in one of our classrooms—“
“No, thank you,” he’d cut in, as soon as his brain had regained the ability to function again.
And that had been that; or, at least, that’s what he’d thought.
Since then, Luo Binghe had simply not let up.
Despite his clear role at the front desk and in sales, Luo Binghe would often prance around the open gym space, wearing ridiculously tight t-shirts and shorts that left nothing to the imagination and ignoring the hungry looks on men and women’s faces alike, choosing instead to constantly intrude on Shen Jiu’s space and try to sell him a personal trainer package.
Shen Jiu was beyond annoyed at that point; he liked the gym, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue working out there if he was going to be constantly hounded about giving them even more money than he already did.
“Are you ever going to stop following me around and hounding me and let me actually work out without an interruption for once?” he snapped one day, glaring daggers at him. “I’m this close to canceling my membership because of you,” he added, bringing his thumb and index finger dangerously close together.
“That’s a shame,” Luo Binghe drawled. “You realize you have a cancellation fee, right? You signed up for a year at a lower rate.”
Shen Jiu ignored him and stalked off towards the showers.
A few weeks later, Shen Jiu had a brilliant idea – if he started heading straight to the pool instead and skipping his usual weight training, he would definitely be able to keep Luo Binghe away.
It worked twice; on the third time, he got to the pool area and found Luo Binghe dressed as a lifeguard.
“Shen Jiu!” he exclaimed, happily. “You know, we also have private swimming lessons—“
Shen Jiu ignored him and dove into the pool, oblivious to the way Luo Binghe’s eyes followed after him.
Eventually, Shen Jiu decided it was time to throw off his mat and concede; maybe a personal trainer package wouldn’t be a bad idea? The only downside, actually, would be that Luo Binghe would no longer have a reason to hound him every day — not that he cared, of course. He definitely didn’t like his attention!
Actually, maybe if he didn’t say yes to Luo Binghe directly he wouldn’t find out straight away and would keep having a reason to talk to him?
So, taking advantage of a rare moment in which Luo Binghe was busy doing something else, somewhere else, he headed to the front desk before leaving the gym and asked about the packages.
“Do you have a personal trainer in mind?” the girl at the reception asked.
“Not really, that sales guy you have has talked to me about them a few times but never mentioned any names,” he said honestly.
“Sales guy?” she asked, confused. “We don’t have anyone in sales.”
It was Shen Jiu’s turn to be confused. “Isn’t Luo Binghe in sales?”
The girl giggled, but immediately sobered up as she spotted Shen Jiu’s glare. “Luo Binghe is a personal trainer,” she clarified. “He doesn’t usually take on new clients as he only does it part time, but if he was the one offering you the package—“
“That’s okay,” he said quickly, interrupting her. “What other personal trainers do you have?”
If Luo Binghe had spent so much time following him around only to not even take on new clients for himself, then Shen Jiu was going to end his fun once and for all.
And that was how, the next time he went to the gym, when Luo Binghe prowled towards where he was warming up on the treadmill and asked him if he’d reconsidered the personal trainer package, Shen Jiu didn’t give him more than a cursory glance before saying “yes” and turning back to his phone, where he was selecting the podcast that he was going to listen to that day.
“Well you— wait what, really?” Luo Binghe asked, obviously not having expected that answer. “Then, we can book a session for whenever you want, maybe even to—“
“I’ve already booked my first session,” he announced, interrupting him. “I’m meeting PT Liu Qingge in 30 minutes in room B.”
Luo Binghe turned white, then red, then purple, then white again. He’d spent weeks chasing after Shen Jiu, easing him into the idea of private sessions so he could get closer to him, and in the end he— with Liu Qingge—?
Thirty minutes later, when Shen Jiu walked into room B, Luo Binghe was waiting for him instead.
“Where’s Liu Qingge?” he asked, ignoring the twinge of satisfaction running through him.
“He’s suddenly indisposed,” Luo Binghe lied smoothly. “It’s for the best; he’s not good enough for you anyway.”
Shen Jiu raised an eyebrow at that. “And who is, then?”
"No one, I'm sure, but I'm as close as it can get," was Luo Binghe's answer, and it was such a smooth, practiced line that Shen Jiu couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Fine, you can take over today's session then," he conceded, feeling his cheeks heat up as he imagined what 45 minutes up close with Luo Binghe going over his form would entail, "but no more."
"Of course," Luo Binghe said, placatingly. "Just the one session."
Naturally, it wasn't just the one session.
Every time he and Liu Qingge worked out a new hour for their first session, his personal trainer ended up strangely indisposed or, even, with an emergency appointment because a pipe had burst in his apartment. Of course, Luo Binghe was always mysteriously available to fill in for him every time. Shen Jiu... couldn't complain.
Luo Binghe, however, could.
Being in close proximity to Shen Jiu was a dream, but it was also a nightmare. He didn't know how much longer he could restrain himself before doing something stupid like taking hold of his perfect round ass and giving it a squeeze – that was definitely the kind of touch he wouldn't be able to pass off as accidental or innocent, unlike the hundreds of other touches he'd been able to get away with up to that point.
Things came to a head when Shen Jiu finally agreed to let Luo Binghe take over as his personal trainer, and asked him if their package would cover private swimming lessons.
Luo Binghe, who had spent many torturous evenings admiring the way Shen Jiu looked in his swimming shorts, needed to turn away so Shen Jiu wouldn't notice how affected he was.
When they finally had their first private swimming lesson, it was late and there was no one else in the pool, and Luo Binghe decided to stay firmly out of the pool so he wouldn't give in to the temptation of putting his hands all over Shen Jiu.
Shen Jiu didn't make it easy for him, though.
"I don't think I'm doing it right," he said, even though he'd been in the swim team at high school and college, and Luo Binghe was the one who was doing it wrong, "can you show me a little bit better?"
Luo Binghe wondered if he could drown himself in the pool.
Finally, when Shen Jiu accidentally flailed and ended up pushing himself against Luo Binghe, effectively trapping him between himself and the pool wall, Luo Binghe realized, actually, Shen Jiu hadn't been quite as oblivious as he'd thought.
"If you don't get away from me in the next 10 – no, 5 – seconds, I won't be responsible for my own actions," Luo Binghe warned, not missing the way a shiver ran through Shen Jiu's body at the way he'd lowered his voice.
By the time he'd counted down to 2, Shen Jiu had already closed the distance between them.
And that was how Luo Binghe somehow managed to be seduced by Shen Jiu even though he'd been the one who'd set out to do the seducing in the first place.
All was well when it ended well, except for when Shen Jiu made Luo Binghe sleep on the couch when he'd found out how, exactly, Luo Binghe had made sure Liu Qingge was always indisposed or otherwise occupied for their PT sessions.
(When he woke up, Luo Binghe was no longer on the couch and was, in fact, in bed with him; he chose not to say anything.)