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"It's precisely because I'm selling these crappy PDFs and videos that we need it even more."
Shane walked over to Lip and patted him on the shoulder.
"The clause doesn't need to be too complicated, but the core points must be there: First, the purchaser confirms they are in good health and suitable for physical exercise, and it is recommended they consult a doctor before starting any new training program. Second—and finally—the student needs to be responsible for their own training safety, use equipment correctly, and any injury caused by personal improper operation has nothing to do with the course."
Shane rattled it all off in one breath.
Lip listened, whistled, and looked Shane up and down again, as if he was just meeting him for the first time.
"Wow, didn't know you were a closet lawyer. Where did you copy this stuff from?"
"I came up with it myself."
Of course, Shane wouldn't say this was a summary based on the experiences of countless paid content creators and fitness influencers from the future who had stepped into legal pitfalls.
"You know, people are already buying my courses online. What if they try to show off and get hurt while training, or don't achieve their fantasies, and then turn around and sue me?"
"Fine, future defendant." Lip shrugged.
"Send me the text of the terms later. I'll embed it for you tonight. I'll add a mandatory checkbox on the front end and record the timestamp of consent on the back end. Simple."
"Thanks." Shane nodded.
Although Lip had some personality flaws, he was never sloppy when it came to technology and IQ.
Just as Shane was about to leave...
"Oh, right," Lip said, as if remembering something insignificant, tapping the screen with his finger.
"That debit card of Fiona's you gave me before... I wrote a little script for her account and password and bound the interface. It'll autofill whenever you need to input the account info."
Lip spread his hands.
"I don't want to type it in again every time I buy Bitcoin. Also, like you said before, if someone dumps a large amount of Bitcoin and the funds aren't enough... or if you want to use that account to buy things online, you can use my computer to do it. It will fill it in automatically. I won't set a password for the computer."
"Alright, handle it as you see fit." Shane nodded, then added, "Then don't take this computer out wandering around now that it has payment channels and info on top of the code, OK?"
"Shit, do you even need to say that? Do you think I'm Carl, running around the streets hugging stuff? This thing is more important than Fiona's old bra right now. I practically sleep hugging it."
Shane didn't say more, patting his shoulder as an acknowledgment and dismissal.
He returned to the basement.
In addition to adding these to the webpage, he also had to insert some safety disclaimers at the beginning of all his course PDFs and videos.
After a while of busy work, he handed these new contents over to Lip and lay directly on the bed.
Shane let out a long sigh. The short-term preparations for the online side were all in place, and it had started up.
Now, let's see if he can secure his first client on the offline side tomorrow and get things blooming on both fronts.
---
Thursday afternoon.
Dave drove his relatively well-maintained Toyota Camry, navigating the pothole-ridden streets of the South Side.
Eileen, sitting in the passenger seat, hadn't unknitted her brows since they turned into this neighborhood.
"I knew it would be this kind of place," she lowered her voice, as if afraid the people outside the window would hear.
"Look at those people squatting in the alleys. How can Danny train here? What if he gets targeted? What if we get mugged?"
"Can you be quiet, Eileen?"
Dave gripped the steering wheel tight.
"We haven't even arrived yet! Where in Chicago aren't there loafers? There are junkies wandering around the West Side at night too! Let's get there and see the place first, then judge the person, okay?"
In the back seat, Danny hugged a sports bag containing clean towels, Gatorade, and his most expensive pair of sneakers—all things his mother insisted he bring.
The sights outside the window did make him feel a bit scared, but compared to this, the bullying at school felt even more suffocating.
Before long, the car stopped at the entrance of Shane's warehouse.
"We're here."
The Miller family got out of the car.
Eileen's high heels clicked on the ground. She frowned as she sized up the building.
Although the place didn't look big, the entrance was clean, and a handwritten sign hung by the door—"South Side Iron Gym."
Danny crawled out somewhat clumsily, his backpack accidentally snagging on the car door handle.
Eileen still wouldn't give up, completely forgetting how she had promised Danny two days ago.
"Dave, I think we should reconsider—"
"Enough, Eileen." Dave interrupted her and pushed open the iron door of the warehouse with some impatience.
Squeak—
For a moment, all the complaints and noise seemed to vanish instantly.
The warehouse was spacious and tidy. The floor was clean, free of clutter.
Pieces of equipment were categorized and arranged neatly. Although they looked a bit aged, they were well-maintained.
Most importantly, there was a figure exercising inside the warehouse.
Shane Gallagher.
He was currently facing away from the door, doing pull-ups.
His grey tank top was soaked with sweat, clinging to his skin, outlining the contours of his back.
Hanging from his waist was a dip belt with several black weight plates attached.
With every exertion, his back muscles would fully contract, forming a silhouette full of power. Every descent was controlled extremely slowly, his muscle fibers tensing and stretching in the process of resisting gravity.
The warehouse lights shone down from above, illuminating his moving body. Sweat glistened, full of tension.
Bang!
Shane landed, unhooked the weights, turned around, and picked up a towel to wipe his sweat.
When his face was fully revealed to them, Eileen opened her mouth, but couldn't spit out a single word of the nitpicking she had prepared.
Her mind went blank, leaving only the visual impact.
Eileen seemed to smell the hormonal scent of sweat on Shane. She suddenly felt a bit dry in the mouth and swallowed involuntarily.
Dave was also stunned. He saw the weight marked on the plates Shane was using. The hesitation that had accumulated over the past few days vanished instantly. He thought to himself: Holy shit, I probably couldn't lift that kind of weight even in my fiercest years on the construction site. This kid is the real deal.
Danny also stood there dazed, his eyes wide, staring at Shane.
He had seen fitness magazines and movie stars before, but he felt those were too distant.
But the person in front of him now was real.
Shane's physique was a symbol of strength in his eyes, and Shane's face was a vessel of confidence for him.
He was already fantasizing: if he had arms like that, would those people who deliberately bumped into him hesitate before reaching out?
In the center of the warehouse.
Shane wiped off most of the sweat before seemingly just noticing them, nodding at them.
"Hi, Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, and Danny. Welcome to the South Side Iron Gym. I'm Shane."