As the saying goes, it takes a master craftsman to handle a delicate job.
The system had rewarded Gao Yuan with fifty minutes for its very first mission. This was no joke.
As a man of action, Gao Yuan certainly wouldn't let his little brother down. He just had to get it done.
In the bedroom,
Lin Wanyu was in a delightful mood. Although Gao Yuan's performance during their meal had made her a little shy, she mostly felt proud and pleased.
'My sister-in-law said a divorced woman has no market value. Hmph, that vicious woman.'
Full and content, she prepared to change and go out.
It was Saturday, so by tradition, she had to report back to her parents' house and freeload a meal. Even though she was already full, the "reporting in" part of the routine was essential.
Just as she was contemplating what to wear to outshine her sister-in-law, Gao Yuan burst in with bloodshot eyes.
"Ah—!"
Amidst Lin Wanyu's cry of surprise, a beautiful song once again echoed through the bedroom.
Lin Wanyu's voice was indeed melodious and pleasant. After she sang several of her best songs in a row, she finally stopped to rest under Gao Yuan's mighty roar.
...
"I told you to double it, not multiply it this many times..."
Lin Wanyu pinched Gao Yuan's waist, grumbled coquettishly, and got up to wash.
Gao Yuan watched her walk a little awkwardly, let out a proud chuckle, and followed her into the bathroom.
Fortunately, Lin Wanyu's bathroom was spacious enough. After the two of them washed up, they returned to the bedroom.
Gao Yuan knew she had to go to her parents' house later, so he didn't cause any more trouble and started getting dressed to leave as well.
Just then, Lin Wanyu pulled a garment bag from the closet, opened it, and handed a suit to Gao Yuan. "Yesterday's clothes are all dirty. Wear this!"
Gao Yuan looked at the designer suit she was offering, his brow furrowed. He stared at Lin Wanyu and didn't take it.
Seeing the look on his face, Lin Wanyu irritably tossed the suit onto the bed. "What are you thinking! This is brand new. I hadn't even given it to my ex-husband before I caught him cheating."
Understanding dawned on Gao Yuan. He gave an embarrassed smile, rubbed his nose, and quipped, "'What am I thinking?' I was just thinking the underwear in there looks a bit small. I'm afraid it won't be able to contain everything."
"You wish!"
Fully dressed, Gao Yuan looked at himself in the mirror. His face was still as handsome as ever, but his body could no longer return to its youthful state.
Even with the suit to hide it, his protruding belly still left him deeply dissatisfied.
He was also thirty, but compared to some influencers his age on TikTok, he was leagues behind.
He envied their condition. Not only did they have what could be called perfect bodies, but their every move carried an air of nonchalant confidence, perfectly embodying the "Charming Uncle" vibe.
Not only was his body out of shape, but his career was also going nowhere. At best, he was a pale imitation of that ideal.
Gao Yuan looked past his reflection in the full-length mirror to Lin Wanyu putting on makeup behind him. He knew perfectly well that if he stayed this way, their relationship would be nothing more than a fleeting affair.
"If you just got your body in slightly better shape, you'd be the perfect man."
Lin Wanyu saw Gao Yuan standing in front of the mirror through her makeup mirror and spoke while applying cosmetics to her face.
For her, what happened last night was really just an interlude, mostly a way to vent her frustrations after her husband's betrayal. But she hadn't expected Gao Yuan to actually bring her such a pleasant surprise.
Although Gao Yuan was certainly formidable in some respects, she preferred the meal he'd made when she woke up. It had been a long time since anyone had made her feel so warm.
[Ding! Charming Uncle - Phased Mission has begun.]
[Mission]: When the going gets tough, think of the 25,000-li Long March. Only by enduring the toughest hardships can one rise above the rest. Travel a total distance of 25,000 li on foot (walking/running).
[Reward 1]: Permanent Charming Uncle Physique.
[Reward 2]: 100 EXP.
[Progress]: 0%.
[Note: This is a long-term mission designed to help the Host cultivate a disciplined lifestyle and improve his sub-healthy state.]
Gao Yuan, standing before the mirror, suddenly zoned out.
The system mission had arrived so unexpectedly.
He had just been lamenting his lost youth, and now the system had issued a mission to become a paragon of self-discipline.
Just looking at the rewards made Gao Yuan want to shout, 'Wow!'
'A Charming Uncle Physique, isn't that exactly what I've been dreaming of?'
'But why not a "male god" physique?'
'Wouldn't it be better to get back the looks and physique I had in my twenties?'
Of course, the system wouldn't offer any explanation. In Gao Yuan's own interpretation, it was probably that time was irreversible, and living meant seizing the present.
Then he looked at the second reward.
It was a whole 100 EXP! The rebate system only needed 30 EXP to go from level one to level two. 100 EXP might let him jump two levels at once.
His daily rebate limit could very well leap from 100 yuan to 10,000 yuan.
What did that even mean?!
Ten thousand a day, 300,000 a month, 3,650,000 a year.
That was equivalent to a pre-tax annual salary of five million. In this country, anyone who reached that income level was the elite of the elite.
'With this kind of income, why would I ever go back to my hometown?!'
In Hang City, aside from a few obnoxiously exclusive neighborhoods, he could afford most of the properties.
If he weren't in Lin Wanyu's home right now, Gao Yuan probably would have started jumping for joy.
Suppressing his excitement, Gao Yuan looked at the mission requirements.
'Travel 25,000 li?'
Gao Yuan read it word by word, confirming he hadn't misread. It was indeed twenty-five thousand... li!
A quick calculation flashed through his mind.
'25,000 li is equivalent to 12,500 kilometers.'
'One kilometer is two li, and one kilometer is one thousand meters.'
'12,500 kilometers = 12,500,000 meters!'
Gao Yuan was dumbfounded!
'Is it messing with me?'
'What kind of system issues a mission like this?'
'Is this still my cute, dear, beloved system?'
Even if he made time to run 10 kilometers a day, 365 days a year without a break, it would still take him more than three years to complete the mission.
Heaven one second, hell the next.
Gao Yuan's excitement hadn't even faded yet, but his heart was already starting to bleed.
Money was hard to earn, and life was tough. Even the system's money didn't come easy.
Seeing Gao Yuan staring blankly in the mirror, Lin Wanyu thought she had embarrassed him by telling him to work on his physique. "If you make some time to run at the gym every day, not only will you be healthier, but your body will change quite a bit too."
"How about this, I'll give you some motivation. As long as you make some good progress with your physique, I might just keep renewing my time with you!"
After saying this, Lin Wanyu deliberately fluttered her eyes at her reflection, her expression full of playful provocation.
Interrupted by Lin Wanyu, Gao Yuan adjusted his mindset.
'Three years it is, then. It's better than nothing.'
'Three years of hard work in exchange for over three million a year... anyone would wake up laughing from that dream. What more could I ask for? I shouldn't be greedy.'
However, he couldn't let Lin Wanyu's teasing go unchecked and feed her arrogance. He turned, walked up to her, and used his index finger to lift her delicate chin. "Hey now, you'd better think carefully. Once you're on this pirate ship, there's no getting off."
An hour later, Gao Yuan was sitting in Lin Wanyu's NIO ET5. At his request, she drove him directly to his company's office building at the Bodi Center.
After Gao Yuan got out, Lin Wanyu rolled down the window, stuck her head out, and looked at him with a grin. "Don't work yourself too hard today~"
He shot a glare back at her, made a spanking gesture, and walked away with a smile as Lin Wanyu blushed.