The next morning, when Lian finished breakfast and went out for a morning run in his workout clothes, his mother stared at him with almost alien-like eyes. It took her a while to recover after Lian left.
"Lidau's, I didn't see wrong, did I? Lian actually went for a morning run…"
"Yes, I saw him…" His father was quite calm.
"What's going on? We couldn't even get him out of the house before, but after staying at my younger sister's for a few days, he just went out on his own." His mother looked incredulous.
"My younger sister probably disciplined him! Because of Lian's lazy personality, his aunt definitely couldn't stand it and took action.
As for you, his own mother, you still have to rely on his aunt to discipline him." His father said.
"You mean Ana hit Lian? That won't do! He's my son, even his aunt can't hit him!" The mother's eyes widened.
"I was just guessing! Lian never said his aunt hit him… Don't glare like that. Okay, okay… I'm scared…"
After leaving the neighborhood, Lian started jogging along the alley.
Almost unconsciously, he followed the route he had taken with his mother, and soon reached a nearby park. By this time, Lian felt tired and stopped running, slowly walking along the park path.
His aunt had mentioned before that he couldn't force himself at first; if he couldn't run, he should walk, but the planned distance had to be completed.
Lian wasn't a very determined person. If he couldn't do something, he would consider giving up rather than forcing himself to continue.
But now, a sense of self-urge rose in Lian's mind. He didn't want his aunt to look down on him; he had to complete the exercise plan she had set.
He wondered why he had such thoughts, and could only console himself with the thought, "Perhaps this is the power of love."
Just as Lian's mind was wandering, someone bumped into him from behind.
Lian almost fell over, barely managing to regain his balance. Looking up, he saw a girl in sportswear passing by.
The girl turned around, still in her running position, and said apologetically to Lian, "Sorry." Then she turned and ran off again.
The girl looked about Lian's age, with a fair, round face and bright, clear eyes.
As she ran, her ponytail swayed rhythmically behind her.
"What a pretty girl. I didn't even know there were such lovely girls around here," Lian suddenly thought, but then laughed.
"I never even go out. Of course, I wouldn't know there are any pretty girls around here."
When he got home, his parents had already gone to work.
After a short rest, Lian resumed his workout. For the last two days at his aunt's house, his aunt mainly guided Lian in his workout routine.
Without his aunt's supervision, Lian's practice was certainly difficult, but he managed to do it.
Those two days, seeing his aunt naked, her large, round breasts trembling slightly with each movement, especially the thick black bush above her pink slit where her curves stood out, would trigger a reaction in Lian, resulting in a light tap on the head from his aunt.
His mother returned at noon to cook lunch.
After his afternoon nap,
Lian went to the nearby sports center's swimming pool and got a swimming card to start swimming.
This was something his aunt particularly emphasized; in his aunt's view, swimming was the best way to improve physical fitness.
She even sent Lian a text message after his afternoon nap to remind and urge him to do it.
Seeing his aunt's "message," Lian dared not slack off, and in the pool, he strictly followed his aunt's instructions.
After returning home from the gym, Lian continued his routine, followed by his own breathing exercises after dinner.
At nine o'clock in the evening, he needed to go for a nighttime jog. By the end of the day, Lian was almost completely exhausted.
He could barely keep his eyes open after lying down in bed.
"It hurts so much."
Text reply: "Where does it hurt?"
"Chest, arms, thighs, waist… my whole body hurts!"
Text reply: "That's right, it means you're building muscle."
"Can you not do this tomorrow?"
Text reply: "No!"
"I really can't keep going."
Text reply: "Then quit! I'm done with you! I'm never seeing you again."
"Okay, I'll continue tomorrow."
Text reply: "Get some rest, (kisses) 😘, baby."
More than a month passed like this, and Lian managed to hold on almost entirely thanks to the encouragement from his Aunt's nightly texts.
The results showed up fast; Lian could feel his body changing.
He can now easily complete morning and evening runs; he no longer feels tired after exercises or swimming and the pain in his body upon waking up is reduced, with visible muscle definition.
He's also gone hiking several times on weekends, and now, even on hiking trails, Lian can jog a considerable distance.
Besides, he often runs into that round-faced girl in the park in the early morning and evening.
That girl also has a habit of jogging at night. Although Lian has never asked her name, as they've met more often, they greet each other each time.
As usual, Lian left home at nine o'clock. His sick leave from school was due till next day and he needed to return to school after that.
When passing the corner of the low wall in the park, Lian always habitually looks at the rocky area. He can't explain why, perhaps it's simply because he witnessed his mother and a strange man having an affair there.
But then, he sees a figure standing under the streetlights along the path beside the rocky area. She was waving at him! Looking closer, Lian's heart nearly leaped out of his chest.