The Enhanced Doctor

"Why did Yanzi go out?" After a moment of silence, Liu Banxia spoke.

"Shut up! If you want to get clobbered, no one's stopping you," Qiaoqiao snapped at him, then marched out indignantly.

Liu Banxia shook his head, rummaging for the sports T-shirt and large shorts he'd left here last time. For safety's sake, he also locked the office door from the inside.

"What were you two up to?" Wang Xiaoyan sidled up to Qiaoqiao.

Qiaoqiao meant to shoot her a fierce glare, but his face was burning with embarrassment, completely undermining any intended menace.

"Speak up," Wang Xiaoyan prodded him.

"Ugh… he insists on fighting Zhou Yang. Do you think he can win? But his hands are pretty fast. Aren't all doctors' hands fast?" Qiaoqiao asked, frowning.

Wang Xiaoyan rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to worry about it. Dr. Liu might be a bit blunt sometimes, but he isn't stupid, right? Would someone like him charge into the line of fire if he didn't have some skill?"

"Besides, he does have some muscle; maybe he's trained before. Isn't his hometown in the countryside? A hidden master from the sticks, perhaps? Hey, just tell me what you two were whispering about in there!"

Qiaoqiao rolled his eyes. "Testing how fast he could dodge. What else?"

"Heh heh, then I really wouldn't know," Wang Xiaoyan said with a sly smile.

"Aren't you going to look after your students?" Qiaoqiao asked.

Wang Xiaoyan slapped her forehead. "Attention, everyone! We'll have to postpone today's class a bit. Something very, very important has come up for me. Feel free to hang out and practice on your own. I'll give everyone two free make-up classes later."

There was no other choice; she couldn't just leave Liu Banxia to fight alone. Besides, despite what she'd said, she wasn't at all sure he wouldn't get beaten up. Men, always so concerned about face, always trying to show off. If he really got beaten up later, she and Qiaoqiao would have to step in and protect him.

At this point, Liu Banxia, having changed his clothes and put on his shoes, emerged from the office. The students immediately started cheering and egging him on.

"I can't hang out with you all today. There's a tough battle to fight. Await the news of my triumphant return!" Liu Banxia waved his hand with the air of a leader.

Qiaoqiao was so irritated he rolled his eyes. How could Liu Banxia be so flippant at a time like this?

Arriving on the Fifth Floor again, Liu Banxia and the others had unimpeded access, as Zhou Yang had already informed the staff. The area had indeed been cleared; no one was using the equipment. Everyone was standing by, waiting for the show.

"Yanzi, this place is much bigger than your yoga studio," Liu Banxia commented.

"Is there even a comparison? They've rented this entire floor. Just imagine how much all this equipment costs," Wang Xiaoyan said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

She really didn't know what to say. Even now, he had the leisure to think about such things. Most importantly, she genuinely couldn't see the slightest hint of nervousness on Liu Banxia's face.

"Didn't expect you to actually show up. Brothers, let's all witness this today!" Zhou Yang said with a chuckle.

"How could I not? If I didn't come, you wouldn't know how tough I am," Liu Banxia quipped.

This remark was so loaded with implications that the people in the gym were momentarily speechless. Their gazes turned peculiar, eager to discover the real reason behind the contest.

"Go on, tell me how you want to compete. I'm game for anything," Zhou Yang said.

"I've never used any of this equipment, so let's go with the simplest things. First, push-ups. Then, either the treadmill or a stationary bike. That's two events," Liu Banxia proposed.

"And then a fight. Those are my three choices. I can't take advantage of you, so you pick the remaining two. Consider them freebies; I'm giving you a handicap."

"No need. You won't win any of these three. Why would I bother with two more?" Zhou Yang scoffed.

"Alright then, let's just do push-ups. Should we go for quantity or time? You can decide that too; I don't mind," Liu Banxia said.

"Then let's do it for ten minutes and see who does more push-ups," Liu Banxia added, deciding himself.

Zhou Yang glanced at him contemptuously and got into position on the floor.

To prevent Liu Banxia from having any excuses later, Qiaoqiao was assigned to be the timekeeper. Zhou Yang was very confident; he might not cook as well as Liu Banxia, but when it came to fitness, he had no fear.

"Begin!"

At Qiaoqiao's command, both men started doing push-ups.

Everyone in the gym was there for the spectacle, and many took out their phones to film. Their purpose? To upload it online, humiliate Liu Banxia, and showcase Zhou Yang's prowess.

Although Zhou Yang wasn't a hardcore fitness enthusiast and did slack off occasionally, his daily presence at the gym wasn't for nothing. Ten minutes of push-ups were certainly strenuous, but he powered through them with impressive vigor.

"What's the count?" Zhou Yang asked, panting, after he stopped.

"Brother Zhou, 327," a young man nearby reported.

The count wasn't exceptionally high compared to professionals, but Zhou Yang was confident he had beaten Liu Banxia. However, when he glanced over at Liu Banxia, he was taken aback. Liu Banxia was sitting comfortably on the ground, drinking water Qiaoqiao had handed him. What truly stunned Zhou Yang wasn't just that, but Liu Banxia's condition: his face was only slightly flushed, with beads of sweat on his forehead, yet he didn't seem tired at all, as if he'd merely done a light warm-up.

"Brother Zhou, he did 418," the young man counting for Liu Banxia said, somewhat hesitantly.

Several people nearby nodded in confirmation. Even though they had witnessed it, they found the number hard to believe. As fellow fitness enthusiasts, most of them focused on lifting weights; they doubted they could perform push-ups at such a rapid pace.

Zhou Yang was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the seemingly frail Liu Banxia to outperform him. Had I fallen into his trap?

"Looks like you were going easy on me. Push-ups are a bit tricky; since I'm lighter, some of mine might not have been up to standard. Thanks for letting me win," Liu Banxia said, his tone utterly sincere.

"Next, running. How do you want to do it?" Zhou Yang asked, staring at him.

"Let's run for forty minutes. Whoever runs the farthest wins. By the way, I've never run on a treadmill before. What features does it have? Can it record the distance run?" Liu Banxia asked.

Hearing such a greenhorn question, several onlookers couldn't help but laugh.

They'd also heard from Zhou Yang that Liu Banxia was just a cook who lived off his girlfriend. Perhaps he really did take a shortcut with the push-ups; after all, those could be practiced at home. But running? Even if he tried some trickery there, it wouldn't matter. Zhou Yang frequently trained on the treadmill; he'd be fine.

Then, someone stepped forward and enthusiastically began explaining the treadmill's functions to Liu Banxia.

It really was Liu Banxia's first time encountering such a machine; he'd never even set foot in a gym before. He could only say he knew what a treadmill was, but he'd never actually run on one.

"It can simulate an incline? Then set it to a challenging 15-degree incline for me. It goes up to 15 degrees, right?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Don't worry, it goes up to 20 degrees, not just 15. And speed? This adjusts the speed. You can also increase it yourself. I've set it to 8 for now, which is 8 kilometers per hour," the young man explained.

Liu Banxia nodded and waved at Qiaoqiao, who was still in charge of timing.

Qiaoqiao was in high spirits. She, too, hadn't expected Liu Banxia to possess such strength, capable of doing so many push-ups.

The second round began. Liu Banxia first familiarized himself with the treadmill's speed, then turned to Zhou Yang. "Eight kilometers per hour is a bit slow; I'm not even breaking a sweat. I'm going to increase it. You do as you please."

With that, Liu Banxia pressed the speed control four times, setting it to 10.

Could Zhou Yang afford to look weak? Of course not. He had to keep up. With the same amount of time, whoever ran faster would cover more distance.

After ten minutes, Liu Banxia turned his head again, grinning cheekily at Zhou Yang. "Warm-up complete. Let's make it 12."

He then deftly adjusted the speed to 12.

Actually, he himself hadn't realized his body had become so "strong." Of course, this "strong" probably wasn't on par with a professional athlete's, but compared to his previously pathetic physique, it was a night-and-day difference. During the push-ups, he'd been ready to drink some Peiyuan Toning Liquid midway, but he'd actually finished them all and only drank a bottle afterward. And now, running? If it were his old self, he'd be gasping for breath after just twenty minutes. Although it was a bit strenuous now, he wasn't afraid to increase the speed. He had Peiyuan Toning Liquid; worst-case scenario, he'd just chug two more bottles for this round. His goal with the push-ups and running was to drain Zhou Yang's stamina. Otherwise, how could he compete with Zhou Yang in a fight? Anyway, he had Peiyuan Toning Liquid, and Zhou Yang didn't.

Zhou Yang, on his part, gritted his teeth and also increased the speed.

A speed of 12 kilometers per hour wasn't exceptionally fast, but it had to be maintained for a long time. Zhou Yang had just done push-ups, and his energy expenditure had been considerable.

To everyone's surprise, just as Zhou Yang finished adjusting his speed, Liu Banxia grinned again, pressed the button twice more, and set the speed to 13.

Zhou Yang hesitated for a moment and didn't match it. He planned to save his energy for a sprint in the last ten minutes. Then, he could overtake Liu Banxia by cranking the speed even higher.

"You're not holding up too well, huh? Thirteen is still a bit slow. Let's go up two more notches to 14," Liu Banxia said with a wide grin.

This was getting serious. Whether Zhou Yang liked it or not, he had to increase his speed somewhat, or the distance between them would only widen.

What worried him was Liu Banxia's condition; he didn't seem much worse off than before. And himself? The beads of sweat on his own forehead were getting bigger.

Just as Zhou Yang started to adjust his speed, he saw Liu Banxia grin and press the button twice more, setting it to 15.

"You… I give up." Zhou Yang immediately pressed the stop button.

He didn't know if Liu Banxia was bluffing, but he knew that if he insisted on finishing the run, even if he won, he wouldn't have much stamina left. It didn't matter. He'd just give this kid a thorough beating in the upcoming fight.

Liu Banxia felt a twinge of regret; he hadn't expected the guy to catch on so quickly. He said cheerfully, "Double kill! You've got to step up your game!"

Zhou Yang just glared at him hatefully, already firmly resolved to beat Liu Banxia to a pulp.