From Simp to National Heartthrob - Chapter 5:

Chapter 5: Rapid Progress

At the critical moment, a hand reached out steadily and caught Gu Mingxue around the waist.

Her tightly shut eyes flew open, only to meet a pair of dark, clear eyes looking at her with concern.

Long curled lashes quivered slightly with each breath, and a sharply defined face came into view.

“You… are you alright?” Chen Yi’s low, gentle voice brushed past her ear.

Gu Mingxue’s heartbeat suddenly sped up, her cheeks instantly flushed.

Realizing their posture was far too ambiguous, she quickly stood up and hastily adjusted her clothes, her head lowered as she murmured, “Thank you, thank you…”

Chen Yi scratched his head, a shy smile forming on his face, “You’re welcome.”

At that moment, his heart was pounding like a drum. The second he let go of her, he instinctively stepped back two paces, trying to calm his racing heart and taking a deep breath.

Her body had been so soft, so light.

It was the first time he had been so physically close to a woman.

Even during the three years he dated Zhou Meng, the most they had ever done was hold hands.

Gu Mingxue stole a glance at him and found that the man looked somewhat familiar. After a moment, she suddenly recalled—this was the same man who had saved her at the gym. She hadn’t expected him to save her a second time.

Her heartbeat became erratic, though her expression remained calm.

“What are you doing here? Playing badminton too?”

“My first day today. Total beginner.”

“Do you have a coach?”

Chen Yi was stunned for a second and then shook his head honestly.

Gu Mingxue stared straight at Chen Yi. She had met countless people, but this was the first time she’d seen a man so simple and innocent.

No—more accurately, he was like a boy.

Any man who had the chance to get close to her would usually act like a fly to meat—obsessed and clingy.

When he saved her the first time, she had thought he’d ask for her number or contact info. But unexpectedly, he just turned and left.

And this time, when he had the chance to take advantage of her, he acted as if he was the one being taken advantage of—his blush was even deeper than hers, and he retreated two steps like she was some seductive fox.

“I’ll recommend my coach to you! He has a great teaching method. You’ll get the hang of it quickly.”

Chen Yi hesitated briefly, but then remembered the steadily growing balance in his bank card and nodded at once, “Sure, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Gu Mingxue.”

Gu Mingxue extended her fair, slender hand.

Chen Yi shook her hand, a bright smile on his lips, “Chen Yi.”

Their handshake lasted no more than three seconds before Chen Yi quickly let go.

In her heart, Gu Mingxue was sure—men like Chen Yi were rare.

Though he seemed a little chubby, his facial features were defined, and he had an air of cleanliness. Especially when he smiled—it had a captivating charm.

With Gu Mingxue’s recommendation, Chen Yi met the badminton coach.

He began training under the coach’s guidance.

At first, his movements were awkward, and he often missed the shuttlecock, but with the intelligence bonus from the system, he improved at lightning speed.

Gu Mingxue often watched from the side in secret. She hadn’t expected that this man who started as a total beginner could manage simple singles and doubles matches in just two hours.

Her curiosity about him deepened. She had thought he was just simple-minded, but he turned out to have such exceptional athletic talent.

Even the coach was amazed by Chen Yi’s rapid progress. “Chen Yi, you’re improving at an incredible rate! Want to take a break before continuing?”

Chen Yi shook his head, took out a wet wipe, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Coach, I’m not tired. Why don’t you rest? I’ll keep practicing.”

“Chen Yi, are you an athlete? Your stamina is amazing!”

The coach handed him a bottle of mineral water and asked curiously.

“No, I’m just a programmer. I started playing badminton to lose weight.”

The coach choked on his drink and coughed lightly, then joked with a smile, “With your ability, even the national team might make an exception and take you in!”

Chen Yi smiled modestly, “It’s all thanks to your great coaching.”

But in truth, he knew clearly—this was all because of the system.

Without the system’s support, how could he possibly have such impressive stamina?

As for his intelligence, he was already quite capable. With the system’s bonus on top, his agile mind naturally learned faster than most.

Suddenly, the system’s voice echoed in Chen Yi’s mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing Side Mission 1. You’ve received a cash reward of 10,000 yuan.]
[Badminton Proficiency: (50/200)]

Chen Yi froze for a second, then his heart surged with excitement. He immediately took out his phone to check the deposit notification, and the corners of his lips lifted involuntarily.

He hadn’t expected to earn 10,000 yuan in just two hours—far better than slaving away in an office. It was truly a gift from the heavens.

“Coach, I’m going to keep practicing.”

Before the coach could react, Chen Yi set down the water bottle and returned to training.

The coach glanced at Gu Mingxue, who was sitting off to the side resting, and walked over.

“CEO Gu, your friend’s really something! He’s not here to take my job, is he?”

Gu Mingxue smiled at his serious expression.

She understood the coach wasn’t just flattering her. Chen Yi’s performance had truly exceeded expectations.

A person with athletic talent would normally need to train for two to three hours daily after learning the basics before they could manage simple doubles play. Yet Chen Yi had done it in just two hours.

Clearly, her impression of Chen Yi had been far too shallow. He was hiding much more than he showed.

…

At the Zhou household, Zhou Meng sat on the sofa, clearly upset.

Lately, her mood had been utterly terrible.

Ever since Zhao Mingda left last time, he hadn’t contacted her for several days. When she messaged him, he wouldn’t reply immediately, and his attitude toward her was extremely perfunctory.

Back when she was with Chen Yi, he would never have treated her like this.

He would reply to her messages in seconds.

And if he took more than a minute, he’d transfer her money to apologize.

There’s no pain without comparison.

She had already removed Chen Yi from her block list, yet he hadn’t sent even a single message or made a call.

She had planned to leave him hanging for a week, but now she was starting to panic.

What about next month’s credit card bill?

Though Chen Yi didn’t come from a wealthy background, he would always transfer 50,000 yuan to her every month as soon as he got paid.

Without that 50,000 yuan, she wouldn’t just be unable to pay her bills—she didn’t even have a job now.

Thinking of this, Zhou Meng finally couldn’t sit still. She hurriedly pulled out her phone and dialed Chen Yi’s number, only to hear a cold automated response:

“The number you dialed is powered off…”