The next day, Chen Yang got up early, slipped on his cheap t-shirt and shorts, and jogged to the football field, humming a tune, despite the light drizzle. The grass on Rongda Football Field was beautiful, and around the field was a standard 400-meter running track.
Chen Yang was there to exercise.
Since his rebirth, Chen Yang had been very dissatisfied with his body. While not weak, he was certainly not strong, especially considering his previous life where he had received professional training, spent years in the military, and frequented high-end gyms, developing a perfectly muscular physique. The contrast between his current and previous self was even more striking.
Fortunately, Chen Yang had a systematic and scientific training method from his previous life. As long as he persisted in exercising and maintained a proper diet, improving his physical condition was only a matter of time.
He jogged three laps around the track and did a set of warm-up exercises, thoroughly getting his body moving. Then, he found a relatively flat spot to begin his workout.
Today was the first day, and Chen Yang's goal was "three hundred's," a common military drill: one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, and one hundred squats.
Following the principle of starting with the easy and progressing to the difficult, he began with one hundred squats. He would clasp his hands behind his head, squat down to the lowest point, and then quickly stand up. This seemingly simple movement actually required considerable strength in his leg muscles.
Chen Yang overestimated his body's strength. After about eighty, he felt as if his thigh muscles were knotted together; even slight exertion felt like being pricked with needles. He had no choice but to stop and massage himself.
Chen Yang's massage technique was unique, simple yet highly effective. It was taught to him by a private trainer hired by the Fang family in his previous life. This trainer was renowned in the Chinese military, the chief instructor of the famous Central Security Bureau—in other words, a specialist in training "imperial bodyguards."
After a while, Chen Yang felt his thigh muscles gradually relax, so he continued with the remaining number of squats.
The same thing happened with the push-ups and sit-ups. Halfway through, Chen Yang was exhausted and had to stop to recover before continuing.
He hadn't felt this tired in a long time. During the training, Chen Yang vaguely recalled his childhood. He seemed to see a young boy sweating profusely on the grass behind the August 1st Villa in the suburbs of Beijing. The boy fell countless times, and beside him, a sprightly old man in an old-fashioned military uniform sternly urged him to get up and continue.
This old man was Fang Qianjin, the patriarch of the Fang family, a revolutionary hero, and a leader of the Party and the state. Chen Yang was the first and only member of the Fang family to be personally supervised and trained by the patriarch. This honor wasn't just due to Chen Yang's extraordinary talent shown from a young age; it was said that the more important reason was that the patriarch felt Chen Yang most resembled him in both appearance and personality.
It took Chen Yang a full hour to complete today's exercise plan. He wiped the sweat from his face and opened his water bottle, taking a large gulp.
After a short rest, Chen Yang caught his breath. Although his muscles ached, he felt incredibly fulfilled. His impoverished circumstances after his rebirth spurred him on. Whether it was working to pay off debts or training diligently, it was all to ensure a more solid foundation for his future.
In his previous life, he had lived a life of luxury, possessing a brilliant mind and a prestigious family background, mastering knowledge and skills in various fields. Yet, he always felt unremarkable. In contrast, after his rebirth, every small step forward filled Chen Yang with a sense of accomplishment, because it was all achieved through his own hard work.
Inspired, Chen Yang stood up and assumed a Tai Chi starting stance, performing a set of Tai Chi movements with fluid grace. This was authentic Chen-style Tai Chi. In his previous life, his family had specially arranged for Master Chen Yunhe, a contemporary Tai Chi grandmaster and the 20th generation descendant of the Chen family, to provide Chen Yang with meticulous instruction. Bathed in the golden light of the rising sun, Chen Yang's agile figure appeared as a silhouette, subtly revealing the interplay of light and shadow, the balance of strength and gentleness.
After completing a set of movements, Chen Yang felt his tired muscles relax considerably—this was the wondrous effect of authentic Tai Chi.
After quickly packing his things, Chen Yang ran back to his dormitory. Changing out of his sweat-soaked clothes, he took a refreshing cold shower before sitting down to carefully proofread the manuscript he had written overnight.
At five o'clock in the evening, Chen Yang arrived at the Blazing Flame Bar on time for work.
Zhou Weiqiang was leaning back on a sofa in the corner of the bar, smoking. As soon as Chen Yang entered, Zhou Weiqiang waved and called out,
"Xiao Fang! Come on! Sit down, I have something to discuss with you!"
Chen Yang obeyed and came to Zhou Weiqiang's side. Zhou Weiqiang gestured with his cigarette-holding finger to the sofa opposite him and said,
"Sit!"
"Thanks, Brother Qiang!" Chen Yang nodded and sat down opposite Zhou Weiqiang.
Zhou Weiqiang, who had been slumped on the sofa, straightened up after Chen Yang sat down and personally took a cigarette from the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes on the coffee table, handing it to Chen Yang, saying,
"Here, have a smoke!"
Chen Yang had smoked in his previous life, but he wasn't very addicted, and he only smoked the special internal supply cigarettes provided to his grandfather. In the Fang family, only Chen Yang could occasionally get a few cartons of this special supply from his grandfather, which was the envy of the other heavy smokers among the three generations of the family. However, after flying fighter jets, Chen Yang almost never smoked anymore. Chen Yang politely accepted the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. He then quietly looked at Zhou Weiqiang, guessing what Zhou Weiqiang wanted to say.
Sure enough, Zhou Weiqiang stubbed out the cigarette and looked at Chen Yang, saying,
"Xiao Fang, you did a great job last night! Ali and the others raved about you!"
Chen Yang smiled slightly and said modestly,
"Brother Qiang, you flatter me. I was just forced into this role. I'm just happy I didn't mess it up!"
Zhou Weiqiang smiled and suddenly said,
"Xiao Fang, why don't you switch careers and become a singer? You can sing at my venue. Don't worry about the pay; I never mistreat my brothers. If you finish the first month, your debt to the company will be wiped clean. After that, your monthly salary is five thousand, only weekend nights. Overtime pay is extra if needed. What do you think? Consider it?"
To be honest, Zhou Weiqiang's offer was quite generous, especially for a student like Chen Yang who was working part-time. However, Chen Yang already had a plan in mind, so he spoke almost without hesitation:
"Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Qiang! But I don't plan to switch careers to become a singer for the time being, sorry!"
Seeing Chen Yang's decisive refusal, Zhou Weiqiang knew he had already made up his mind, and a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. However, he quickly regained his smile, patted Chen Yang's shoulder, and said:
"Alright then! It's okay, Brother Qiang never forces anyone. Work hard, and as long as you do your job well, Brother Qiang will still give you a raise and a promotion!"
Zhou Weiqiang was quite decisive, accepting the offer without hesitation, and didn't hold a grudge against Chen Yang's rejection.
Chen Yang couldn't help but secretly admire him, then took out the manuscript he had finished overnight from his bag, placed it on the coffee table, and gently pushed it in front of Zhou Weiqiang, saying:
"Brother Qiang, take a look at this."
Zhou Weiqiang hesitated for a moment, glanced at Chen Yang, unsure of his intentions, but still reached out and picked up the manuscript to examine it carefully. After just one glance, Zhou Weiqiang's spirits lifted, and he looked at Chen Yang with an inquiring gaze.
Chen Yang smiled slightly and nodded, saying,
"These are the two songs I sang last night. Except for 'Old Boy,' which uses an existing melody, the others are my original compositions."
Chen Yang said this without any hesitation. "This is a perk for transmigrators!" Chen Yang thought to himself.
When Zhou Weiqiang heard these two songs last night, based on his years of experience in this field, he knew they were guaranteed to be hits, but he had never heard them before.
Although he was a little puzzled at the time, Zhou Weiqiang didn't consider the possibility that Chen Yang was creating original works. After all, for a college student, and not even a vocal major, to create such works was truly astonishing. So, upon hearing Chen Yang's words, Zhou Weiqiang's first reaction was shock, and only then did he begin to ponder the value contained within.
Chen Yang observed Zhou Weiqiang's expression and then said,
"Brother Qiang, you have many connections in the industry, could you help with the copyright of these two songs?"
Zhou Weiqiang pondered for a moment and asked,
"I do know a few record company owners, but how do you plan to handle these copyrights?"
"It's all up to you. A one-time sale is fine, or a revenue-sharing agreement is also acceptable. I'm entrusting everything to you!" Chen Yang paused, then continued, "I'm willing to split the copyright revenue from these two songs 50/50 with you!"
Zhou Weiqiang waved his hand, Feigning anger, he said:
"What nonsense are you spouting! This is all your hard work, I'm just helping to make a connection, do you think I need so much? How about this, Brother Qiang, don't be coy, leave this to me, and I'll take two percent after it's done!"
Chen Yang nodded and said:
"Okay! We'll do as Brother Qiang says! I'm going to change my clothes!"
Zhou Weiqiang nodded, a gentle smile on his face, and said:
"Okay! Go ahead and get busy! Leave the draft to me! I'll have Ahua draft an authorization letter later, you just need to sign it!"
As they passed the bar, Ning Qiaoqian stopped Chen Yang.
Today, Ning Qiaoqian was wearing a pale yellow strapless top, revealing her sexy shoulders, and her beautiful eyes sparkled beneath her wispy bangs. Ning Qiaoqian asked with a smile:
"What are you and Lao Zhou whispering about? You seem to be having a great time!"
Chen Yang glanced at Ning Qiaoqian's alluring breasts beneath her strapless bra, secretly swallowed, and said with a grin:
"Brother Qiang suddenly had a change of heart and wrote off all my debts to the company!"
"Keep dreaming! Lao Zhou, that stingy old man, wouldn't forgive your debts unless the sun rises in the west!" Ning Qiaoqian pouted, ruffled Chen Yang's hair roughly, and suddenly said suggestively, "Little guy, how about I help you pay off your debts? I love taking care of cute little boys like you!"