Chapter 2: When Dreams Are Within Reach
The young guy had just arrived and probably didn't understand yet. Bei Wei looked cheerful and outgoing, extremely easy to get along with. In fact, she treated everyone like this, very enthusiastic toward everyone. Back then, even with Zhang Yang, she had called him 'Brother Zhang' every other sentence.
Actually, this was simply Bei Wei's way of handling the workplace.
Zhang Yang knew exactly what he was worth, so he would naturally never develop any illusions. But that new guy considered himself outstanding, and as a result he fell right into it.
"Then… then can't I even pursue you?" the boy asked, still a little unwilling to give up.
"Zhou Song, don't waste your time on me." Bei Wei shook her head with an amused smile. "Wouldn't it be better to spend that time focusing on your work and on yourself?"
Since things had already been said so clearly, and the boy was someone who cared about his dignity, his face immediately turned pale and he left in a daze.
"How many people have failed one after another already? Zhang Yang, what kind of person do you think Bei Wei wants? Why are her standards so high?" Xiang Youde muttered.
"She has a good personality and lots of guys around her." Zhang Yang shook his head. "If you were a big handsome guy with a bunch of girls around you, your standards would be high too."
"Besides being a bit bald on top, I still have thick eyebrows and big eyes. There's still a bit of handsomeness left in me." Xiang Youde stubbornly defended himself. Recently he had been visiting the hospital's plastic surgery department frequently, planning to get a hair transplant and improve his competitiveness in the matchmaking market.
"But Zhang Yang… huh? You've lost a lot of weight!"
Xiang Youde stared at Zhang Yang and exclaimed in surprise.
"I've lost a bit." It was just weight loss. Zhang Yang naturally had no intention of publicizing it everywhere. Now that Xiang Youde asked, he replied calmly.
"Nice, secretly losing weight. Getting ready to find a girlfriend?" Xiang Youde looked him up and down while shaking his head. "But you lost it too quickly. The skin on your face is loose and makes you look older. I've got some small bread here. Want a few?"
As he spoke, he tossed several small French bread rolls onto Zhang Yang's desk.
Zhang Yang looked at the bread rolls, then thought about the cartons of milk and small snacks still sitting in his drawer. A sudden wave of appetite surged in his heart.
'You didn't eat breakfast. It should be fine to eat a little now, right?'
'After all, skipping breakfast isn't good. What if you get dizzy or low blood sugar from hunger?'
'Just eat it!'
Within a few seconds, all kinds of obstacles on the road to losing weight surged out. Fortunately, in the end Zhang Yang gritted his teeth and stuffed all the bread rolls into the drawer.
'Just endure a little longer. I absolutely cannot fail at the last moment!'
Under the temptation of earning ten thousand a day, every obstacle instantly turned into a [Something that appears powerful or threatening but is actually weak or ineffective.].
Around nine or ten in the morning, the hunger reached its peak. But once that period passed, the hunger suddenly disappeared completely. Zhang Yang knew this meant that since the body had failed to obtain food, it had begun using liver glycogen.
Light fasting not only didn't make him dizzy, it actually made his mind clearer and his work efficiency higher.
Work that usually took him half a day to finish was already mostly done before lunchtime.
Before lunch, colleagues put down their work in twos and threes and prepared to go downstairs to eat.
Not far away, Bei Wei walked past with several female colleagues while chatting and laughing.
"Xiang Youde, Zhang Yang, there's a promotion at the new shop downstairs. Why haven't you two professional food lovers gone yet?" Sister Liu from the design department joked casually as she passed them.
Xiang Youde looked at Zhang Yang. "Going? The two of us ordering a large portion of pickled cabbage fish would definitely be enough."
"You go ahead. I'm not going today." Zhang Yang shook his head while drinking water to suppress the hunger in his stomach.
"You can't skip eating just because you're losing weight, right? Just eat a little less." Xiang Youde tried to persuade him.
Zhang Yang remained unmoved and shook his head again.
Hearing that Zhang Yang was losing weight, several female colleagues were surprised, including Bei Wei, who curiously glanced at him.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Zhang Yang, Xiang Youde could only give up.
"Fine, if you're not going, I'll go by myself."
Xiang Youde went downstairs, and the surrounding colleagues also gradually left to eat. In the blink of an eye, only Zhang Yang remained at his workstation.
"I've been hungry for so long already. Why hasn't the task been completed yet?" Zhang Yang couldn't help feeling anxious. It was already the critical moment. Ten thousand a day was within reach. He absolutely couldn't mess this up now!
At noon he had no mood to rest at all, so he simply went downstairs to walk around. Burning even a little extra energy was still something.
In the afternoon, their supervisor Wang Shijie came over and arranged overtime for tonight.
"The project is quite urgent. Everyone in the project team will work overtime tonight. You'll get time off later as compensation."
Immediately, sighs filled the office.
Zhang Yang listened absentmindedly. Overtime, which he used to hate deeply, didn't stir even the slightest ripple in his heart right now. His mind was filled only with the task.
He swore that if his body cooperated and his weight dropped to the required level, he would definitely reward himself properly tonight. Of course, not that kind of reward-those things harmed the body.
"I've done everything I should. Whether I can finally eat the long-coveted [Highly marbled Japanese beef known for its rich flavor, tenderness, and snowflake-like fat distribution.] feast tonight depends on you."
Compared with earning ten thousand a day, talking about food felt vulgar.
At five thirty in the afternoon, employees around them gradually left. Only Zhang Yang's project team remained working.
"Zhang Yang, still not eating tonight?" Xiang Youde asked.
"Not eating." Zhang Yang shook his head. It wasn't that he refused all advice; he simply had difficulties he couldn't explain.
The sky gradually darkened outside the office.
Their office building was located in Jiading, far from the central district of the Shanghai. But at this time of day, everyone could still see through the floor-to-ceiling windows the dazzling prosperity of the skyline in the direction of the [A famous waterfront area in Shanghai known for its skyline views, historic buildings, and luxury dining spots.] far in the distance.
Several offices in the distance were already dark. The boss had gone home, leaving only these workers. Looking at the prosperity of the Shanghai, yet realizing none of it belonged to them, some colleagues couldn't help feeling emotional.
"Busy every day, busy every day. In the end we still have to go back to our hometowns. How many people can really stay in the Shanghai?"
"What does being busy now even mean? In a few years we'll just follow the routine-get married, have children, support a family. That's when we'll really be like horses with reins on, only able to follow a fixed path with no chance to turn things around."
Outside the door, Bei Wei and several girls had just returned with pizza delivery.
"Everyone come eat a bit together." Bei Wei opened several large boxes of pizza and invited the project team with a smiling face.
Seven or eight people from the project team stopped talking and walked over laughing to eat pizza.
"Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang! Are you coming or not?" Xiang Youde waved from a distance, holding a slice of seafood pizza.
Zhang Yang waved his hand.
"Zhang Yang, what's wrong with you today? Won't listen to anything? Will eating one slice kill you?" Xiang Youde ate the fragrant pizza, completely unable to understand Zhang Yang's behavior today.
Stubborn, rigid, and extreme.
How could he know why Zhang Yang was doing this?
Several colleagues gathered around the table filled with pizza boxes also looked over, confusion flashing in their eyes.
At that moment, the glow of the computer screen illuminated Zhang Yang's calm face.
He glanced at the time in the lower right corner. It was eight o'clock. There were still four full hours left before the end of the day.