Watching another braised lion's head being devoured by Li Ting in a few bites, Lin Jie couldn't help but tease, "Li Ting, did you not eat anything since yesterday just for tonight's gathering?"

Li Ting picked the last braised lion's head from the clay pot onto her small plate, glancing sideways at Lin Jie, "Tsk, is there anything delicious I haven't tasted? Am I that uncultured?"

"Seeing you again, and seeing you healthy, made me happy and opened up my appetite."

She added, "This time I'm treating you, you should eat more! You're still so skinny, like a refugee fled from the camp!"

Lin Jie shook his head gently and insisted, "I told you, it's my treat! I can make money by myself now, unlike you, still a student, asking your parents for money!"

He curled his arm to show what barely presented any upper arm muscles, laughing, "Let me tell you, I've already gained five pounds more than last month. Your sense of fat and thin is severely skewed, don't compare your body to mine."

Li Ting, accustomed to Lin Jie's mockery, simply disregarded him! She paid no mind at all.

After finishing the last lion's head, she took a tissue to wipe her mouth, pulled a card from her bag, and handed it to Lin Jie, saying, "You're still too weak; this is a fitness card. You can have the gym coach customize a training plan specifically for you, at least to improve your physical fitness a bit!"

It was a silvery-gray card with the word "Bluebird" etched in artistic letters on the front.

Lin Jie looked it over and handed the card back to Li Ting, politely declining, "Thanks! Although I earned a little money, it's not enough where I can spend it on fitness! I can just exercise at home casually."

"This is my gym card, it's already loaded with a year's membership."

Li Ting remarked rather gloomily, "Darn it, there's not a single person at the gym with a bad figure; I don't want to be pointed at as a giant panda, so I only went once and never again."

"Having it with me is a waste, so you might as well have it!"

Hearing her say this, Lin Jie took the card with a cheeky grin, saying, "Then I'll reluctantly accept it, thank you! To be honest, I do need some systematic exercise!"

The two of them left the restaurant, and it was already when the city lights had begun to twinkle.

They strolled aimlessly along the sidewalk, walking off the meal.

"Do you know about what happened between Xiang Haobo and Ling Mengjiao?" Lin Jie found a topic to talk about.

"Not clear, but I can guess with my heel; it's definitely Xiang Haobo being unfaithful!" Li Ting responded disdainfully, "That guy, just because his family has some smelly money, and he looks a bit handsome, he attracted a lot of girls in high school. Back then, I thought he'd eventually mess up with girls, and, unsurprisingly, he did!"

Seeing Li Ting's indignant look, Lin Jie found it funny and said bemusedly, "Money, good looks, and sugar-coated words—those are his assets, attracting one girl after another to fling themselves into his embrace like moths to a flame!"

"What? Are you jealous and yearning for it?"

Hearing the slightly unpleasant tone in Li Ting's voice, Lin Jie quickly explained, "How could I be! I just lament that heaven is too unfair. Someone like Xiang Haobo, who has everything, doesn't cherish it at all!"

"And someone like me—my background is already tragic enough, and heaven is still stingy enough to grant me a frail body."

Seeing the topic had turned a bit heavy, Lin Jie quickly changed the subject, "Someone like Xiang Haobo even received offers from American Universities, for you, that's even easier."

"Do you not want to study abroad?"

Li Ting nodded, saying, "The educational level of Binhai University is not much worse than famous overseas universities, there's no need to spend so much unnecessary money! Besides, making me eat milk, bread, cereal every day, I wouldn't be able to take it."

Lin Jie thought to himself, maybe the last sentence is your real reason for not wanting to study abroad!

By the end of May, the weather in Binhai City had already become a bit sultry.

Many fashionable ladies walking on the streets were already wearing short skirts or hot pants, with long, slender legs continuously striding past Lin Jie's eyes, leading his wandering gaze astray, even while he was talking with Li Ting.

Li Ting snorted, and said angrily, "Lin Jie, while walking with a girl, you're blatantly sneaking peeks at other girls! Don't you think that's crossing the line?"

Lin Jie, feeling slightly embarrassed, immediately walked to Li Ting's right side, showing through action his determination not to sneak peeks anymore.

Seeing him look like a submissive little wife, squeezed between the sidewalk and the shop along the street, Li Ting's face just broke into a smile, yet an indescribable melancholy suddenly swept over her heart.

"The summer I hate most is finally coming, it makes my chubby self unable to hide! Lin Jie, sometimes I almost wish I could take a knife and cut off all the extra fat on me!"

Looking at Li Ting's round body and how every step seemed to make her whole body jiggle, Lin Jie genuinely felt sorry for her.

He silently asked, "Lanruo, do you have any solutions for my classmate's situation?"

"She's been this overweight since middle school, tried many methods to lose weight, even fainted from hunger, but nothing's worked!"

Shen Lanruo's voice immediately sounded, "For her situation, there's one probability—one is genetic obesity, where there's an obesity-prone factor in her body genes, making her prone to gaining weight just from drinking water, which makes it hard to lose weight!"

"Another possibility is pathological obesity, most likely due to an issue with the pituitary gland."

As Shen Lanruo mentioned the pituitary gland, a flood of knowledge naturally poured in.

This pituitary gland is located at the center of the base of the human brain, weighs only about 0.6 grams, yet it plays a critical role, known as the "master gland" of the human endocrine system.

It can be considered the body's most vital endocrine gland, secreting various hormones, such as growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, gonadotropins, oxytocin, prolactin, and melanocyte-stimulating hormone, among others.

These hormones have significant effects on human metabolism, growth, development, and reproduction.

If the pituitary gland undergoes changes, affecting the secretion of a particular hormone, a person might develop strange symptoms such as dwarfism, gigantism, impotence, men not looking like men, or women not looking like women, etc.

Could it be that Li Ting truly has a pituitary gland issue?

So thinking, Lin Jie opened his mouth to ask, "Li Ting, among your parents, grandparents, maternal and paternal grandparents, is there anyone with a physique like yours?"

Li Ting shook her head frustrated, "No, they all have very standard physiques. Especially my parents, their body shapes are perfectly athletic, while I'm the odd one out!"

"If I didn't look so much like my mom as a kid, I would have thought I was an adopted child."

It seems the likelihood of hereditary obesity is relatively low.

Lin Jie thought for a moment and said, "Li Ting, I suddenly remembered reading a report online that said if a person's pituitary gland undergoes slight changes, they might suffer from strange symptoms like dwarfism, gigantism, obesity, etc.!"

"Li Ting, in your case, could it be due to changes in your pituitary gland?"

"You're the one with a problem!"

Li Ting glared at Lin Jie with annoyance and exclaimed, "I have a physical every year, and I've undergone detailed examinations in the hospital. Although I'm overweight, I'm healthy, I'm not sick at all!"

Lin Jie realized he'd hit a sore spot with her, quickly explaining, "Li Ting, please don't get upset, I didn't mean anything by it, just wanted to help!"

"As far as I know, the pituitary gland is very small, and even if there's a change, it's hard to detect. Only with a high-resolution MRI, specifically targeting the pituitary gland, there's a chance to find out if there's anything abnormal!"

Li Ting's eyes widened with irritation, "Let me tell you again, I'm not sick! Lin Jie, I'm starting to dislike you now, I'm going back to school!"

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